Videos Galore

I found some cute little videos while I was dinkin' around on the computer, all of which took place in Glidden, IA when we went to visit Nana and Papa.

1. Georgia and cousin, Claire, going to the park.

2. Georgia and Papa singing I'm a Little Teapot.

3. Andy and Justin's audition for The Amazing Race. Now if we could just get them to do it. :)

Spray Down

This summer has been SUPER hot and humid, hasn't it? Late afternoons and evenings are the best because the sun isn't beating down on you. If the humidity isn't too stifling, we like to spend time outside together.

Andy recently enlisted Georgia to help him water the garden with the hose. She readily accepted the responsibility to be in charge of holding the hose and directing the water. By the time I made it outside to help with the garden, both Andy and Georgia were soaked.

Then I hear this sweet yet mischievous, little voice say, "Mommy, come.here.right.now!"

Yeah right. Not in a million.

Daddy's Socks Make Great Leg Warmers

Movie Night!

A couple of weeks ago we had our first family movie night. Though we have watched movies together here and there and Georgia watches the princesses regularly, we've never had an all out family movie night where all four of us congregate to watch a movie at home.

We borrowed Tangled from some friends, got our jammies on, popped some popcorn and even added M&Ms, and snuggled under the covers to let Disney entertain us once again. Georgia loved it and is so fun to watch movies with. She gets excited over everything and is constantly saying, "Look, Mommy, look at all that hair!" Even Lola participated for about half of the show.

The movie itself was great. I definitely recommend it as a wholesome family movie. It's a good thing we borrowed instead of rented, because Georgia asks to watch it all.the.time. If you lived at our house you might here things such as:

"Jo-Ja is Sopunzel (Rapunzel) and Daddy is Eugene."

"I can't believe I did this. I can't believe I did this!" Complete with hands on cheeks and jumping up and down.

"Sing Tangled, Mommy."

"SoPUNzel! Let down your haaaaiiiir!"


It was a great night together. Can't wait for our next one!

Gettin' Behind

As a first-born and control freak, I am a list maker. I love lists. I love thinking of what lists I can make even if they aren't necessary. Even more than I love the lists, I love crossing completed items off the list. Why? I am a minimalist. I don't like piles and clutter. HOWEVER, as a mommy, I don't like to throw things away that will very likely be useful in the near future and will save a buck or two. It does keep my brain spinning sometimes.

But alas, as a busy wife and mother, things on my to-do list have begun to pile up. So now, I have a very handy list made called: Things I Hope to Accomplish at Some Point. It is very long.

I was telling Andy about this and how I'd love to catch up on it, but I'd need him to be 'me' for a couple of days so I could work without interruption. He agreed to do it. We have no plans to travel this weekend (gotta be at church!) and so I get Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, Andy's day off, to complete, or at least shorten, my list.

Tub...dust bunnies...refrigerator...bring it.

Six Months and Two and a Half

Lola is half of a year old. Half of a year! A half of a year has passed since the day she was born. Whoa. And she is darling. She is the happiest baby I've ever met and is willing to give anyone who looks at her a little love. She is bouncing, smacking and licking her lips, responding to her name, and even sat up alone long enough to have her picture taken. She adores her sister and smiles at her constantly and when she hears her daddy's voice she wiggles and squirms like crazy.

I started cereal with her last week and she gobbles it right up. Surprise, surprise. We're going to try some bananas tomorrow. Something tells me that she will love them, as Georgia did. That same something tells me she will be a better eater than Georgia.

She had her appointment yesterday and all is well. She is weighing in at 17 lbs and 10 oz in the 77th percentile. She measured 25 1/2 inches long, but I think that was wrong. She has always been about the 75th percentile for height, but this time dropped to the 33rd.




And not to leave out Georgie-girl. She is hilarious. Almost everyday we are cracking up at the things she says:

"Lola, stop talkin' riiiiiiiiiiiiiight now."

"What are you do-een?" When she know perfectly well what I'm doing.

"Daddy is a boy and Mommy is a girl and Lola is a girl and Jo-Ja (Georgia) is a girl."

"Mommy, it's Jesus!" about the man next to us in line at the grocery store who had shoulder length hair and a goatee and who was definitely within hearing distance.

She has also started emphasizing her exclamations with an 'h' sound: "Ye-hes!" "Wo-how!"

Whenever Andy and I kiss or hug she laughs and yells, "Yay, they're married!" Or she says, "Turn around and get married." Then we're supposed to turn to each other and hug/kiss.

And my most favorite: "I pooped! See? Look at my butt." I honestly don't know where she picked up that one.

Hotels

I love hotels. Absolutely love them. I love the clean sheets, the smell of the pool and the complimentary cookies if you're staying somewhere nice. For some reason, when I stay at a hotel, it's not difficult to get up early and get ready. I enjoy making the bed. And I make sure all the dirty towels are in a nice pile in the bathroom for the cleaning lady. I always use the coffee pot.

And you can bet I'm taking every free sample there is to be taken. I take the shampoo and conditioner, the lotion, the bar soap, the little notebook and pen by the bed, the coffee and, of course, the mints and tea bags if they have them. I'd really like to snag a pillow off the bed, but that goes against my conscience, not to mention the law.

Cable! I like to make sure I have enough time to watch a little HGTV or TLC and if I'm nice, I'll let Andy watch the Discovery Channel.

In the morning, I love, love, love the complimentary breakfast; especially if it's hot. The nice places have biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, toast, bagels, muffins and fruit. And yes, I take a banana, apple and muffin for the road, not to mention, more coffee. Um, hello, it's free.

Come on, who doesn't love a night (or two) in a hotel? There are just too many perks.