Memorial Day...

On Memorial Day we spent lots of time together as a family. We went to breakfast with Mimi, Papaw and Mamaw, did a little shopping and went to the church for a Sunday School party. Emmy all dressed in Red, White and Blue...

Tate having fun with all the toys at the party.

On Sunday, we went over to Mimi and Papaw's house for lunch. Boots and Banty were able to join us and we had a great time. Mamaw, Auntie M , Uncle B and Brody were also there. Although the kids got NO NAP that day, we had a great time visiting and watching the kids play. Thank you to Mimi and Papaw for the great lunch and for having all of us over!

Mimi and Emmy drawing together

All the kids playing with Uncle B

Emmy with Uncle B

Tate loves for Daddy to hang him upside down!

Emmy deciding on what to color next

Drawing with her favorite color...PINK!

Doing some afternoon reading

Boots with Brody and Tate

Tate and Daddy

Brody having some fun in the swing.

Uncle B and Emmy reading Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Cheese!

Banty and Mimi watching Emmy shake her Bobo!!

Emmy giving Brody some directions. :)

Tater and Brody B. such cuties!

Buon Giorno, Boots and Banty!!!

Boots and Banty made it back from their two week trip to Italy and had a great time! They brought back lots of goodies for us and the kids. Tate LOVED the puzzles they brought and Emmy has slept with her new doll (bambola in Italian) every night. We enjoyed seeing Boots and Banty for a few days. We also had Aunt Julie (Honey) over for dinner. She was so excited because the kids just blurted out her name and Coach's name at dinner. :) Emmy and Banty catching up a little reading

Honey and Tater shooting hoops.

Tater and Daddy reading a book.

A little bedtime story with Boots and Banty

I shoot two!!!

This is a shot of Tate doing his, "AWWWW!!!" action when he misses a shot. So dramatic!!!

Coach Honey showing him how to shoot! :)

Slam Dunk!

Sleeping Angels

When Brad and I went in the other night to check on the kids before we went to bed this is what we found...

Emmy's entourage...books, 2 blankets, lovie bear, sippy cup of water, baby doll, pillow and who knows what else is in there! :)

Tater passed out after a long, hard day! :)

First Swim and Papaw's Tractor

Yesterday we went in for the first swim (VERY COLD!!!) and the kids went on a ride with Papaw on the tractor. Tate picking flowers instead of swimming. (Yes, we know he needs a haircut!)

Emmy and her "cheeeeseee" face

Tater having the time of his life.

Emmy was ready for her turn!

Still wearing the hat!!!

Playing in the pool

Emmy-isms...

What to say about our little Emmy...Here are a few things going on in her world...

1. She is such a girly-girl. She is very into all things girl now...babies, pink, bows, clothes, etc... She loves to pick out what she is going to wear and makes sure she has all the accessories to coordinate with it.

2. She is so very confident! I wish I had the confidence this child has! She can walk into a room with her head held high and know she can face anything that comes her way. I hope this confidence will continue for the rest of her life.

3. Her need to mother everyone, especially Tater. She is always making sure Tate is doing what he needs to be doing, even if she is not doing what she is supposed to. She makes sure he has on what he needs and has his shoes on before he goes out. I love it when she turns to him and says, "Tata!!" Like they are an old married couple and she is telling him for the 100th time to do something he should have done years ago!

4. Her silliness. She can be SO silly. She loves to laugh at Tate and Daddy. I love the way her giggle fills our house and makes me smile, even on the toughest of days.

5. Her creativity. I can already tell she has that creative gene. She loves to draw and make-believe already. I know she will have many imaginative moments in the future and Tate will probably have to go along with many things. :)

6. Her verbal skills. The kid can and will say anything she wants to. She is hitting the parrot stage. Even when you do not think she is listening she will pick up on words and repeat them hours later. I love the way she already has a thick Texas accent, at the age of 22 months!!

7. Her love for fashion. As you can see, she got new glasses and a hat this weekend and she wore them EVERYWHERE!!! To breakfast, to Wal-mart, to the grocery store, inside, outside...everywhere except to naptime and bedtime. :)

8. Her love for Tate. They are truly already best friends. I know this has been forced since they have spent the past 22 months, plus 9 in the womb, together, but they do enjoy each others company and will miss each other even if one sleeps for 20 minutes longer than the other.

9. That cute little face...I love it when she looks up at me and smiles that silly smile. She knows how to act cute and get her way. She will just batt those eyes and get just about anything she wants, especially out of her Dada! I love going into her room after nap or in the morning and know I am going to see that beautiful little girl looking up at me.

10. Her love for sleep. I KNOW she got this from me. I love sneaking in and checking on her at night and watching that little chest rise and fall as she is in a dreamland. What a blessing!

I am truly blessed to have such a beautiful little girl to share so many things with. I thank God for allowing me to raise her and all our family and friends for your contributions to her life now and in the future.

If you have any "Emmy-isms" to add feel free!!!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Tater-isms...

Almost 2...what a fun age! It seems like the kids are getting more and more entertaining each day. Here are just a few of the "Tater-isms" of the moment...

1. His LOVE for outside! This is not a new thing, but it has become an obsession of his. If he is awake, he wants to be outside. His new phrase is "Wanna walk!!"

2. That dimple...he has figured out it will get him out of many things. All he has to do is flash the dimple and he melts my heart!

3. Just his excitement for life in general. I love the fact he will look at anything and get excited about it. Making 2 points with his basketball goal, hitting the ball off the tee, finishing a book, these are just a few of the things that get him excited and smiling.

4. Those eyes...WOW! Talk about the puppy dog eyes...he can say so much just by looking at you. When he was sick last week all he had to do is look at me with those big brown eyes and it broke my heart because I knew he was not feeling well. And I cannot say his eyes without mentioning those curls! I love the way he will twirl them when he is sleepy. :)

5. He is so proud of himself. On Saturday, he helped Brad with the fence and that night when we got home he said "fence...help Dada" then he took me over to the spot where he had fixed the fence and showed me. He was so proud to have helped with something.

6. His love for Sissy. He cannot stand it if she is upset or crying. Although he loves to aggravate her, he does love her and will defend her at any moment.

7. His sweet nature. He is such a pleaser and will do what it takes to make sure you are pleased with him.

8. He disciplines himself. Not kidding...he will do something wrong and I will say, "Tate, do you need to go to the corner," and he will shake his head yes and put himself in the designated corner and stay there until he is told to get up. I know this is just a stage, but it makes me laugh on the inside that he already knows what to do when he is in trouble. Then he will come to you after and give you a big hug to say he is sorry.

9. His sense of humor. I know he comes by this honest with our families, but the kid knows how to get a rise out of you! :) He has lots of practice on Emmy, and loves to make anyone laugh. Can we say class clown??? I know we chose the right name for him...could anyone really call him anything besides Tater????? It just fits. :)

10. His early love for horses and most animals. I know I have mentioned before his obsession with horses "Pop-Tops", but this was not just a stage. At least once a day he will look at me and say, "Pop-Top????" like he is asking where he is and when he will get to see him again. I know it will not be long until we are putting him on Pop-A-Top for his first ride.

These are just a few of the things we are loving about our Tater now...I thank God for allowing me to raise him and love him. I thank our entire family and all of our friends near and far for being such a huge part of this thing we call parenthood! What an adventure! :)

If you have any "Tater-isms" to add feel free to leave them in your comment...

Kindermusik Playgroup...

Yesterday was the last Kindermusik class until the summer session starts, so we invited the class over to Mimi's house to play. We had SO much fun with all the kids and the moms had a great time getting to know each other. Thank you to Mimi for letting us come over and play! I put the pics in a slideshow because there are so many of them. :)

Back to "Normal"...

Well, things are back to a "normal" state around our house (which to most is a state of complete choas). The kids are back in full force. They are playing again and their personalities seem to have gotten stronger over the past week or so. Emmy has become more prissy and strong willed. She will prance around the house like she owns the place and will look up at you to batt her eyes! She is the ideal strong-willed child, wanting to EVERYTHING by herself, but she still can be the sweet little girl we have seen in the past. Tate is still hanging onto the extra sweetness that seems to come when he is sick. This includes more cuddles than usual, which we absolutely love! But, he still has his moments of frustration and independence. We are getting a new fence put in this week, so we are looking forward to getting to play in the backyard again. This is a game Papaw will play with the kids. They lay down and say, "I work..." and he will make sure all their parts ( arms, legs, nose, ears, etc.) work and at the end he will lift up their arms and tickle them. They will do this over and over again.

The Tater with Papaw

He loves the fact there are toys in the closet. He thinks he is doing something he shouldn't do when he sneaks in there to play. He will sit in there forever and just go through the legos. If I cannot find him, this is where I will go and look.

Pudding time!! This is the only thing he has eaten in 3 days since he has been sick.

Art time!

This is Emmy telling me about Huck's nose.

She had just given him sugars and she said "Cold Nose!"



No, she did not draw the horse, that was Boots when he was here last week! :)

Huck in the middle of the playroom, obviously not disturbed by all the noise and movement.