11 Months

I'm going on a blog update binge!  I just got my new computer and I'm trying to catch up, so sorry for the overload. :)

Sarah Kate turned 11 months a few days ago. She is almost 1! Gah!  She is still trying to walk and took a tentative step this afternoon.  In the mean time, she is crawling/climbing on EVERYTHING! Stairs? No problem. Audrey's drawing desk? Piece of cake. This girl keeps us busy. Audrey is a great tattler though, which I'm grateful for now but may not be so thrilled about in the future.  She also learned to "flip" this month, which is really a side roll.  She is extremely proud of herself though and will cackle and clap her hands when she does it.  Really, she is just sweet!

Our friend Jill made her this sweater and it is my favorite! Doesn't she look adorable in it!

 These two.  Audrey loves to climb in the bed with Sarah Kate after her nap.  They roll around, jump and play, and I think it is the sweetest thing ever! 

Happy 11 months, Cake! 

Halloween Part 2

Audrey requested a "big ole' pumpkin" this year.  She didn't enjoy gutting the pumpkin and washed her hands several times during the cleaning process.  Sarah Kate didn't have a problem touching the pumpkin, but wasn't too thrilled about being put IN the pumpkin! We had a picture of Audrey in a pumpkin when she was little, so we thought it would be cute to recreate.  See for yourself how that went....

I have about 20 of these pictures on my camera. It really was funny because she is normally a very laid back baby, except when you place her in a pumpkin...

Finished! Notice the headlamp in the pumpkin? 

Audrey and Ms. Pam, her preschool teacher that she adores! Like Audrey's yarn wig? 

What a cute little bunch of kids!

Little Pumpkin

So cute, right?  This pumpkin hat has a lot of history behind it.  It started with the oldest Dennis grandkid and has been passed on to each grandchild since, which means 4 other babies have been photographed in this very hat.  We all joke about the pressure of having the hat in our possession and not LOSING it! What a fun little tradition!  

Halloween

Every year we help out my parent's church with trunk or treat.  We have a fun time choosing a theme and making our group costumes.  This year, we asked Audrey what she wanted to be for Halloween.  Of course she wanted to dress up as Queen Elsa.  So, I  we created all of the costumes for the characters of Frozen. Somehow I end up with the lamest costume of all, even though I make them.  Doesn't make since does it? 

Audrey wore her costume to school and was only one of three other Elsa's in a class of 12, but she was the only one with a blond yarn hair. :) She was a hoot when she threw her blond braid over her shoulder and sang, LET IT GO, at the top of her lungs.  

Sarah Kate HATED her costume, but I would too if I couldn't move.  She was a extremely cute Olaf though. :)

I hope y'all had a Happy Halloween too!  

9 Months

This little girl is about as cute as they come. It is very rare that she doesn't have a smile on her face (except when she is at the beach), and her sweet little grin makes me smile too. She has become very curious about everything, and rarely does she sit still.  She loves following her big sis around and does a pretty good job of keeping up (me, not so much).  She also started giving kisses this month, although you may not want to ask for one when you realize she opens her month and presses her slobbery gums to your lips.  I love it!
We had her nine month check up last week, and she is still in the 10th percentile for weight (15 lbs) and 25th for height.  I don't think either girls are going to take after their mother in terms of height, but at least they won't feel awkward in heels!
Happy nine months, sweet girl!

Beach 2014

We took our annual beach trip to Avon, NC in September.  The drive was a chore, but totally worth the week of relaxing.  Luckily, Audrey was able to ride down with my rents and that left us with only one child to wrangle.  (We won't discuss the ride back in ONE vehicle, with two children, four adults, and all of our luggage. PAINFUL!)  We spent the week relaxing and playing on the beach and ended the day with a dip in our private HEATED pool.  Yeah, we were spoiled...

It was Sarah Kate's first experience on the beach.  She had just started crawling a few weeks ago, and I wondered how she would react to the sand.  She was okay with her toes in the sand....

but crawling, not so much..... (Is it wrong that I took pictures of this?)

still crying...

We finally bought a special towel for the little diva.  She would crawl to the edge and stop before her hands touched the sand.    

The sand doesn't phase Audrey.  In fact, she would roll down the beach and cover herself in it.. (How sweet is that smile?) 

Audrey flew a kite on the beach one windy day.  

Matching suits for the sisters!

The blow up pool was a hit for both girls.

By the end of the week, Sarah Kate finally allowed the sand to touch her body without a melt down.

Our trip wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the ice cream truck.  Pop SPRINTED down three flights of stairs to take Audrey to get her first ice cream from a truck.  She loved it!  

River 2014

As you can tell, I'm a little behind on blog posts.  Better late than never? 

A few months ago, we spent a week at the river with all of the cousins.  It is always fun to get together, since we don't get to see them as often as we would like.

Every year we attempt a family photo.  This was the best of about 30 shots.... Seriously.

Audrey and Boone tried to catch a few crabs for supper.

Aren't the adorable!!

What day would be complete without a stop at the tractor dealership?  

Sweet cousins!

The youngest of the crew did a little hanging out together.

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed....

Hugs! 

WE MISS YOU ALL!

8 Months!

Sarah Kate is a growin'! She is crawling, pulling up, and into EVERYTHING! Her two teeth have given her the confidence to try and eat a variety of things, including her big sissys coloring pages, bits of unidentifiable food on the floor, etc. Shew! I'm having a hard time keeping up with these mischievous girls!
Her new word for this month is Momma! About time, little girl!

Preschool!

Can you believe my little girl is in preschool!! I was very hesitant about enrolling her in preschool this year, but they contacted me about an opening a week before school started.  Since Audrey wakes EVERY morning and tells me she wants to go somewhere, I thought this might be good for her (and myself). I enrolled her, but was very hesitant because I just KNEW she would struggle the first few days, since nursery at church is always a traumatic ordeal.  I was prepared for tears on the first day, on her part and mine, and even emailed the teacher to prepare her.  The night before, I had anxious dreams about her crying and screaming, and was second guessing my decision.  She woke up the next morning and seemed excited (as you can tell in the pictures), but I was still worried.  We pulled into the parking lot, unloaded and walked into her classroom.   She walked right up to her teacher, gave her the picture that she painted and started talking to her! Then she waved goodbye, gave me a kiss, and went to draw with markers! That was it! I lingered in shock for a few minutes, wondering what just happened, but finally turned around to leave.  No crying, no tears, no tantrums!  Way to go big girl!!