Last Night

Last night we had such a wonderful family night. We didn't do anything but hang out around the house. Hamburgers and baked beans were on the menu and the kids ate them up. Literally, JP did not make a peep until his plate was clean and he wanted more. Shelby ate two helpings of baked beans and all of her hamburger. It was just one of those nights were you sit back at the end and think to yourself, "That is what it is all about!!! Everything, all the trials and tantrums, are worth it." Anyway, after Shelby finished her plate the second time Pratt and I started cheering for her and shouting her name while punching our fists into the air. JP joined in on the fun and actually said Shelby's name...well, it was more like, elby, but it was close. We were so excited and so the cheer continued on for a good five minutes.

Here are some pictures and little video of JP.

Messiah

I took this video in the car today. Shelby was singing to her CD from Vacation Bible School and it always makes my heart soar when I hear her singing songs about Jesus. There is just something about her sweet little innocent voice.....

Daddy/Daughter Date Morning

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Shelby and her daddy from today, but today was one of the best days for Shelby. She and her daddy had a date morning. Shelby literally couldn't sleep last night because she was so excited. At 10:00pm she was still wide awake and every time I went in to "check" on her (ie-tell her that she needed to go to sleep) she would ask me to tell her what she was going to do when she woke up. The look on her face each time was priceless!!!

So this morning when she got up she was ready to go. There was a distinct bounce in her step and she even let us get her dressed and ready without a fight which is really becoming unusual. There was no holding her back. She was out the door with daddy in tow. They went to Chik-fil-A for breakfast. This is her new favorite breakfast place. I took her there twice last week on the way to Vacation Bible School and now she is hooked; which of course is fine by me as I have always said that they have the best breakfast in the world...can I get a holler for the chicken biscuit!!!

After they were done with breakfast Shelby and Daddy headed to the library where they laid on the animal pillows and read a few stories.

They were only gone for about an hour and a half, but to her it was an eternity of time. She came bounding into the bathroom when they got home with a great big "surprise" for me and really the best thing was the look on her face. She was truly very happy and I could tell that hour and a half was the best hour and a half she has ever had.

It is going to be fun exploring this new stage with her. I am sure she is plotting her next date with daddy right now!!!

The Last 16 Days

So, some of you may be wondering what we have been up to the last 16 days....well, here it goes.




4th of July was so much fun! On Wednesday afternoon I loaded up the kiddos and all of our stuff to head to the lakehouse with Papa and Grammie. Shelby and JP had so much fun. Sometimes I just sit back in awe over how much both of the children have changed over the last year and that long weekend was one of them. Last year I was getting up with JP 2-3 times a night at the lakehouse and he couldn't even sit up. I remember one day Grammie trying to give him a bottle because at that point I still was thinking that he would get the hang of it (which he never did!!!!). Shelby didn't like the water at all and really didn't enjoy the boat too much. This year....JP is sleeping through the night (well, most of the time:) and we can't even get Shelby out of the water to eat! She puts on her swim vest and off she goes. About the only thing we can get her out of the water for is a boat ride. Just amazing what a difference a year makes. Anyway, it was a great time of family, fun, sun and of course, what trip to the lake would be complete without food that is bad for you and drinks that are icy cold!

JP helping Papa clean the sticks and shells off of the beach.

Papa showing Shelby how to cast her princess fishing pole.

Grammie and JP cooling off in the lake.

We came home on Saturday and Pratt played in the Player's Amateur the following week. That week went by so fast. On Friday I got to walk most of his round with him and it was such a wonderful time. Thankfully Ellie, our fabulous babysitter, was available and kept Shelby and JP for me. I caught up with Pratt on his 4th hole and followed him until the 16th. It was a beautiful day and just really neat to get to watch Pratt playing a game that he loves almost more than life. I also can't talk about that week without mentioning Rob. If it weren't for him I don't know what Pratt would have done. You know you have a great friend when they carry your golf bag with all it's stuff and walk 18 holes all the while making sure that you are staying hydrated and focused in 95+ degree weather.

Suddenly we are at the end of this week. I can't believe that we are nearly at the end of July!!! This past week we have been extremely busy. Monday was JP's 18 month check up. He did great!!! He weighs 25 lbs (25-50%) and he is 31 3/4 in (25-50%). Everything checked out great. He is hitting all of his milestones and even doing somethings that are a little bit ahead of his time...like putting words together to make short sentences. I just love watching him and listening to him talk!!! Thursday was a visit to the dentist for both kids. Thank goodness Pratt had the day off and was there to help. There is absolutely no way, I mean no way, that we would have ever made it through that whole experience without him. JP went back first and cried and cried and cried. As they were finishing him up Shelby came back and cried and cried and cried. I am sure that the whole office was ready for a mid-day cocktail by the time we left that place. Good news-no cavities!!!! Bad news-we have to repeat in 6 months. Hopefully by then Shelby will be more excited and compliant and JP will have gotten over the trauma of it all.


You may be wondering what we did Tuesday, Wednesday and today...well, it was Vacation Bible School at our church this week so Shelby participated in that and I kept the nursery for all the volunteers' babies. It was so much fun. Let me tell you....VBS has come a long way from what it was back in the day that I went. They had this whole Hawaiian Island theme going and decorated the entire church to match. It was great and the best part was the Shelby asked everyday to go and wants to go back. I told her that it was over because it is only one week, but she didn't really like that answer too much! Thanks to Gina and everyone else who made this week so much fun!!! Everything from the crafts to the snacks couldn't have been more perfect and we can't wait for next year!!!


Well, that about brings us up to date! The countdown is officially on for my Bahamas trip....1 week and 6 days to go!!!

Rainy Day Fun!

Rainy Day Fun

Here are two quick videos from our rainy day. I actually am looking forward to another one so that we can play in the rain again. Watch closely and you can see JP getting "the chills". It is so cute!!!


Hope you all are doing well.

She is a Smart One

Lately we have been playing the "Let's delay bedtime as long as we can" game with Shelby. Every night you never know what trick she is going to try to pull out of the hat and most nights she just tries to talk and talk and talk....Mom, wait, I have to tell you something. Mom, wait, where is ____? Mom, wait, tell me what we are going to do when I wake up, etc. So it really should have come as no surprise to us this particular night at the Lake house last week when she started her game, but this was one of those moments where you realize that your children are smarter than you give them credit for......


As we were trying to put Shelby to bed, I said good night and went down stairs. A few moments later Pratt came down and asked me to go back up to give her a hug. So back upstairs I went, gave her a hug and told her that I would not be coming back up. She, in an effort to delay going to sleep even longer, asked for daddy to come up again because she had to ask him something. So I sent Pratt up again and he stood in the doorway and asked her what she needed. She then asked him to come closer because she wanted to ask him something to which he replied that he could hear her from where he was. Well, without missing a beat, she mouths the words of what she was going to ask him; of course Pratt couldn't hear her and he had to move closer. Then she spoke up. Too funny!!!!