4th of July festivities

We had a fun 4th of July yesterday. It started out with the parade. We went last year, but did not know how big of a deal this parade was. So, this year, we got there super early and found our seats (in the blazing sun, so next year we will make sure we get some shade). For a small town, this parade is quite the production. Over 200 cars/"floats", lots of horses, cowboys lasso-ing, motorcycles, marching bands, cheerleaders, a man on a riding lawn mower pulling 32 radio flyer wagons...seriously. I would have a picture of all us, but, by the time I thought about it I was drenched with sweat (gross!) and did not want to capture that moment. I'm sure you ladies out there understand!

Here's the older gentleman on the riding lawn mower pulling all of his 32 family members behind him. How cool is that??!!

Mallory enjoyed it a lot more this year. When you ask her what she saw at the parade, she will tell you, "Horsies going shooey, firetrucks and girls." Last night she prayed for all of them:) Side note. I realize this dress has hearts on it. Technically, it's a Valentine's dress, but add a navy bow, and voila, it's a 4th of July dress!

If you look close, you can see her hair matted to her face with sweat! We were all nasty!!

Morgan was a trooper. It was during her morning nap time, so she didn't get her beauty rest. Between the firetrucks and motorcycles, I think she only slept about 20 minutes...maybe.

After a long afternoon nap, we thought we'd try some real baby food. So far, she loves the oatmeal, but is obviously not a fan of green beans!! There wasn't one bite that she didn't make a face or gagging sound with. Hmmm. Hopefully it's not telling of what is to come later. Mallory loved all baby food..and people food...and any food!

That night, we went over to a friend's house for our Sunday school class BBQ/fireworks. Mallory LOVED this. For her, if there is food, she is a happy camper. She ate a PB&J sandwich, cantaloupe, a hot dog, chips and cake. There were lots of other kids, so she had some entertainment as well. Then, we all stayed awake for the fireworks show. Mallory's favorite saying of the night, "Ooooh, that's a big one!" I was surprised #1 that Morgan stayed awake for them and #2 how interested Morgan was in the fireworks. We even got a couple of squeals from her. She was OUT before we even drove away from their house (hence the pjs in the next picture).

Mommy brain.

I just returned from a trip to Walmart. I specifically went to return a few items and to buy swim diapers. Mallory had a major ghetto booty last week at playgroup, so I am finally caving and buying the overpriced things! Anyway. Walmart is not good for ADD. Of course the swim diapers are in the kid's clothing section, right beside the shoe aisle. So, as I'm perusing the kid's shoes, I stumble across some pretty cute black patent strappy sandals for me. I try on the right shoe. They are even cuter on. I look at the price, and they are on clearance for $5! Even better. I toss them into the buggy and off I go. Fast forward about 30 minutes. The girls are tucked into bed for naps and I'm unloading the bags from the car. Proud of my $5 shoes, I retrieve the box to try them on together. I pull out the left shoe and put it on. Cute. I reach in for the right shoe...and can't find it. Somehow I have bought a pair of shoes and only came home with one, the one I didn't try on in the store. Ughhh! I even put the box under the buggy so the girls wouldn't play with it. Who knows where that lonely shoe is. And who knows where my brain is sometimes! At least I can laugh at myself.

Definitely not a baby anymore

It was an exciting day in our house one week ago...Mallory graduated to her big girl bed and Morgan finally got to sleep in a crib instead of a pack-n-play!

I'm sure I'll jinx myself now, but so far, Mallory has slept through the night and all naps in her bed without getting out. Her big girl bed is a daybed, so we just put up one of those extra long side rails. Pretty much every night and afternoon we threaten her with her life (obviously joking) if she gets out of her bed. Each time she is just standing up in her bed, which is not allowed, so she gets "the look". She has loved running to her "big girl bed" and sleeping in it so far. I've heard the newness will wear off after a couple of weeks and then they figure out they can get out. It will be interesting to see what happens.

The only tears she has shed from this experience, is the first time I put her in her room to play while I took a shower. Since before Morgan was born, I started putting Mallory in her crib with toys and books while I showered. I guess she really enjoyed her alone time, because she would often ask to go there!! So, it was kind of a shock when she couldn't play in her bed. But, we brought out the standbys (her Leap Frog frog and Baby Elmo), and she was good to go. I'm glad. It makes me nervous having a toddler roaming around the house while I'm out of pocket ...even if it is only 15 minutes!

Morgan has had no trouble transitioning either. I think she likes being up higher (I do, it's easier to get her in and out!!). Side note: Aunt Erica, if you are reading, Morgan loves her blanket just like Mallory does! When she is sleepy, I'll put it on my shoulder and she'll lay her head down and start sucking on that thumb!! It's pretty sweet (and convenient for babysitters and the church nursery!).

I'll have to post pictures of the crib with the bumper pad later. Her poor room. It needs a little personality to it! I've just put it off since it wasn't "complete" without her crib.

Next big transition: getting rid of the pacifier. I dread this one.

The highlight of Mallory's day

Usually, walking outside to get the mail is pretty exciting around here. But, yesterday, it was even more exciting! I don't know what it is about the furry red thing, but Mallory is in LOVE with Elmo (and all the other characters from Sesame Street). She went bananas after we opened this birthday invitation. Thanks for sending it Kara, she has barely let it out of her sight for more than a minute!! Too bad we can't make it to the party, she'd be in toddler heaven!!!

Happy half birthday...late!

Yes, I celebrate half birthdays. Well, technically it's not a celebration, more of just an acknowledgement of the day. Anyway. Morgan turned half a year old last week. I still can't believe it!! We went to Brad's parent's house over the weekend and his Nanny was there. She was asking when the next time we'd be up there would be. Between Brad's soccer schedule and traveling by myself with 2 kiddos, I told her it would probably be Christmas and Morgan will be a year old!!!!!! She might be walking by the time Nanny sees her again. It's just really crazy how fast they grow up.

6 month stats:

17 pounds, 5 ounces

26 inches

One pound heavier and one inch shorter than Mallory at 6 months!

I've been hearing a lot lately, that Morgan and Mallory are looking more alike. I wish I could put up Mallory's 6 month picture (can't get to my pictures on our computer right now). There are similarities, but Morgan still favors her daddy more!

Another example of the differences between Morgan and her sister: One smiles (quite easily), the other looks like she is completely bored and sooooo ready to move on.

One of my current favorite pictures of them together:

So. Morgan hated the Bumbo the first time she was in it, loved it after that, and now she catapults herself out of it! I barely put her in it anymore since she can practically touch her head to the floor when she arches out of it. But, I saw a picture of someone's kid in a Bumbo in their wagon, and thought we'd give it a try. About 5 minutes into the walk, she was arching back and almost out of the wagon. I carried the 17 pound turkey the rest of the walk. That is a lot of chunk to carry around!

Another picture that she will hate when she is older. Mallory and I were playing with her tea set, and Mallory thought the top would make a good hat for me. Then I put it on Morgan and couldn't resist documenting the moment.

Morgan has gotten to spend time with more family this past month, too.

Here she is with her cousin, Johnathan. They bonded while doing tummy time at BMom and Pop's house last weekend. Johnathan is 6 weeks younger than Morgan, but weighs more than her!! It's a good thing Morgan has lots of pink to wear...I'm afraid she would get mistaken for Johnathan's twin brother in this picture if she didn't!

Here she is with her Great Nanny. I think I've blogged about Nanny before. She is the sweetest lady I know!

Morgan is getting more and more fun every month. She is now on her "Gs" (ga-ga) when she talks to you. It's really pathetic sounding when she does it while she's crying. She can roll both ways, but prefers to keep that trick to herself most of the time. If you put a remote control or cell phone in front of her, she gets super excited and will scoot toward it. She is officially sitting up all by herself. I can walk out of the room and she will stay that way! I have to be careful with Mallory on the loose. She pushed her over the other day. And, she's bonked her head a few times, but nothing too damaging. Still no teeth yet!

She is a happy baby and we are thankful for that! The last few days, she started with a runny nose and fever, so we are reminded what it is like to have a not-so-happy baby.

Happy Fatheversary!

That's the phrase we used for Sunday. It was Brad's 3rd Father's Day and our 6th anniverary! Time sure does fly... Here's a little recap of our week last week.

Saturday:

My parents come through on their way to Fort Worth, pick up Mallory and head to their house for spoiling and swimming. Brad catches a ride to A&M camp to work for the week. Morgan and I head out to Abilene to see Kara and the newest member of their family, Sydney (someone had to announce her arrival Kara!!). She is a cutie and her sisters love her. I can't believe just 6 months ago, I was holding Morgan like this. Crazy!!

Sunday:
Morgan and I leave Abilene and head to my parent's house. We're there until Thursday swimming, getting pictures made of the cousins, going to the zoo with Tate and Aunt Kelly, driving to McKinney to see Julia, Johnathan, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Jason and having lots of help from Mimi and Grandpa. I also had Chipotle for the first time ever. I have totally been missing out. That is some good stuff!

Saturday:

Mallory's first time to craft with real glue, finger paints and glitter! Are glitter and glue dangerous to ingest? I turned my back for literally 5 seconds, and when I turned around, she had her hand in her mouth. Hopefully no harm done. All of the bottles say non-toxic:)

Sunday:
Daddy is home! We ate dinner at Olive Garden for both of the celebrations. I got Brad some current framed pictures of the girls and Season 3 of the Office (okay, so that is for me too!!). Mallory and Morgan are lucky to have Brad as their dad. He is the funniest person I know and loves them so much! I'm pretty lucky to have him also!!

Tuesday:

Big girl Morgan ate cereal for the first time. She LOVED it (as you can tell)! I couldn't get the spoon in fast enough. She kept grabbing for it and bringing it to her mouth.

Morgan is 6 months old today! Every month I keep asking myself how it is possible she is growing so fast!! More to come on her tomorrow...hopefully!

She's a real person, not a blob anymore!

Okay, so I've never thought of Morgan (or any baby) as a blob, but you know what I mean when their little personalities start coming out. It's like all of a sudden there is a person in there trying to communicate with you! This is a fun time, not my favorite, but definitely fun. I really like 10 months and up (but not so much 2, after the last few days with Miss Mallory!!).

Morgan has been "talking" for a while now (more like raptor noises than anything), but just recently found her B's. She will curl her lips under and just "bababababa" forever. It's pretty cute!

And, this is what her sister says when you ask, "What does Morgan say?"

I am completely dumbfounded that Morgan will be 6 months old this week! I don't know if I've tried to block it out of my mind because I want her to stay little, or what, but it has really snuck up on me. I need to start giving her cereal or she may never eat real food! I think Mallory was already starting on her veggies by now...oops! She did sit in a shopping cart by herself for the first time today! She giggled, so I think she liked sitting up in the seat like a big girl. She is such a happy girl, I love it!

It's a big day tomorrow. Father's Day and our 6th anniversary!! More to come on that later!

Mallory is 2!

As of 1:28pm today, we officially have a 2 year old! I can't believe it. On our way to Waco this morning, I was recounting my L&D memories. The time my water broke, when I got the blessed epidural, how long I had to push, what Mallory looked like when she was born, what Brad looked like when Mallory was born (pale!! ha!). It seems like it was all just yesterday, but then again, it feels like forever ago, too.

We are so thankful for Miss Mallory. She started out her life a little "difficult", but we are grateful for the shy, funny, cooperative, helpful, pretty, stubborn, inquisitive little girl she is today!

Her birthday party was last Saturday, and then today we went to the zoo in Waco to celebrate. Here are the celebrations in pictures:

The theme (which Brad and my dad thought was a little "much") was "Its' "tu-tu" fun to be 2!" It was complete with a tu-tu on Mallory, Morgan and the cake!

The best shot I got of Mallory in her get-up. She loved wearing her tu-tu. My friend Shannon made her "2" shirt.

Blowing out the candles. Should have thought about going behind the table to blow them out to get a better picture...oh well!

The feeding line! This picture cracks me up.

Morgan in her tu-tu with Aunt Kelly.

The girly girl on a battery operated 4 wheeler!

It is seriously hard to get Mallory to make a decent face at the camera. Please say it's just a stage! The best family shot we could get.

This one cracks me up too. It looks like Mallory is hanging out all by herself at her own party! She probably would have preferred that at times:)

It was a perfect day for the zoo...a little windy, but the weather was great! It was cloudy until the last 10 minutes we were there and the wind helped it not feel so hot. Perfect! It was good for the animals too. Here is Mallory saying "Come see me, come see me" to the black bear swimming. He was so close to her! She also got to see a lion sleeping. I don't think I've ever seen a lion that close up before. They are huge!!


After the zoo, we ate lunch at Ninfa's. We attempted this restaurant back in October with Mallory (lots of people had told us how yummy it was). She had a huge meltdown and we had to leave the restaurant...completely embarrassed. She did great this time, and even got a sopapilla for her birthday! Thanks again to Shannon for the shirt! This picture is in between a "No pictures Mommy!!" and slight happy face!

Brad informed me that is was time to paint Mallory's toenails. He said he couldn't believe she was almost 2 and had never had them painted. So, while we were killing time before her bath, I decided to paint them. She loved it! It was hard for her not to touch them until they dried!

And, finally, we waited until Daddy got home so we could blow out birthday candles. I ended up with birthday brownies instead of cupcakes, but I don't think Mallory cared! She devoured the brownie in no time. I'm thinking birthday brownies might be a fun tradition.

And, that officially concludes the birthday festivities. Mallory now says she is 2 when you ask her (it only took a week of brainwashing!) and anytime you mention her birthday, she talks about presents, cake or her party. She'll be disappointed tomorrow!

This time last year, we were in Playa del Carmen for a week of "fun in the sun" without kids!! Today, the only exciting thing on my to-do list is to go to Walmart to get cake mix for cupcakes.

Someone is having a BIG birthday tomorrow!!! Hint: it's not me, Brad or Morgan:)

Quite the entertainer!

This girl is making us laugh more and more everyday. It seriously blows my mind that she is going to be 2 in less than 2 weeks! Here are some funny moments from the last week or so.

She loves to read books in the car. Her favorites are Big Sister, the ABCD book and of course, anything with Elmo. The other day, we were going somewhere, and she was reading Big Sister to Morgan. The first line is "Someone new is at our house. Do you know who it is?" So, she starts reading and says, "Morgan. Someone new is at our house, do you know who it is?" So cute. Morgan just giggles at Mallory in the car. Literally the sweetest thing to watch them interact!

I call this picture "Workout girl". She found one of her old bowbands and did this on her own. She looks like she's in the middle of a really intense workout!

Elmo. I've blogged about him before, but seriously, what is it with the little red guy? Morgan even likes him already! My sister got Mallory these Elmo slippers. She found them the other morning and HAD to have them on. Then, she wanted to pose with her stuffed Elmo.

While I was blogging (i.e. not paying attention!) one morning, Mallory went and got her baby, put my bag on her shoulder and said, "Bye Mommy. Going to the grocery store!" I asked her what she was going to buy and she said, "apples." I told her she might want to put some clothes on first.

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And, another update on our sleeping beauty. I was so proud of myself after Morgan slept from 9:00-7:15 that 3rd night...but, I realized that we were still swaddling her. I thought we might regress if we started not swaddling her later, so I didn't swaddle her last night. She was a champ! There was a small amount of fussing/crying for about 10 minutes. She was able to settle herself down and slept until 7:30! This time around has been sooooo different than when Mallory cried it out!

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Happy Memorial Day! Our holiday weekend included replacing a garbage disposal, painting our bedroom furniture, playing in a bounce house, Brad getting to play golf today and giving Mallory (and Morgan!) her first taste of a popsicle. She loved it! I would have never given Mallory a lick of a popsicle when she was 5 months old, but I felt sorry for Morgan while she sat in the high chair eyeing me and my popsicle. So, I let her have a lick. I think she liked it! Morgan is really ready for solids. I've never seen a baby watch people eat food as much as she does. It's like she knows what she is missing out on.

Ferberizing, take 2

Night #2 was successful. Morgan went to sleep at 9:15 and woke up at 3:00. She cried on/off for about 35 minutes, then she slept until 8:15. So, hopefully tonight will be as great too! I thoroughly enjoyed getting 5 hours straight of sleep!

The only con to this "Ferberizing" is that I think we may have a thumb sucker. This really doesn't surprise me, Morgan has had her hands or feet in her mouth since she was about 3 months old. For a while, she was sucking on her two fingers. Yesterday and today, we have really noticed her thumb in her mouth. I guess that is what she does to settle herself down at night. So, Tate, you might not be the only one!!!

Brad and I decided that since we aren't getting much sleep because of Morgan, why don't we go ahead and move Mallory to her big bed next week? Might as well get all of the big transitions out of the way, right?

Or, maybe we'll enjoy the sleep we are getting for a couple more weeks!

Update...

...Morgan doesn't hate me. In fact, she smiled at me first thing this morning! I got in bed at 3:00am and she didn't wake up again until 7:45am! We'll see how tonight goes.

*Thanks for all the recommendations! I've read Baby Wise and the Happiest Baby on the Block. I haven't done either very "by the book", but just pulled out some things that seem to work for us. I will say, it has been a lot harder getting the second baby on a sleeping schedule than it was with just Mallory. There are many times when I'm tyring to put Morgan down for a nap and Mallory one will run into her room yelling something. Or, she'll slam the door shut (her new trick) right when I put Morgan in her bed...nice.

It is time.

It is 2:29 in the morning and I am up blogging. I am not normally up blogging at such an hour, but I need to do something to drown out the screaming. Poor, sweet, little Morgan is getting "Ferberized" tonight.

While Brad was on his way back from Wichita Falls, I made the executive decision that tonight is the night. So, after I fed Morgan, I swaddled her, put her down in her bed and prayed that she wouldn't wake up so we didn't have to really go through with this!! That was at 8:30. She was up at 9:15. So it began. It is now the 3rd time that she has woken up and this is the longest session yet. We are going on an hour now. I've been going in every 15 minutes to reassure her that I love her and that it is time to go "Night, night". She isn't really getting it.

So, while I listen to her wimpers and attempts at getting her paci back in her mouth herself, I'll tell a random story from tonight.

Tonight was a first. It was my first time to eat alone at a real restaurant, without any other adults with me. Sure, I've done fast food by myself, but I don't recall ever eating anywhere that hands out a menu, by myself. I decided to be brave and cure the craving for a certain restaurant's chips and salsa (no, I'm NOT pregnant, the chips are just really tasty). I loaded up the girls and headed out. Of course there was a wait on a Thursday night at 6:45. And, of course they put us at the "lonely table" by the restroom, right in front of a HUGE table of people. Just smile and act like you are really engaged in your almost 2 year old's conversation. The big table gets up to check out and the ladies make their way to the restroom. After a little bit of googling over Morgan (she was wide eyed and smiley tonight), here is the most random question I've had about Morgan yet: "If I wash my hands, can I touch your baby's face?"

The lady was much older, and I thought it was very nice of her to at least ask first. I prayed that she really did wash her hands before she left the restroom, and I let her touch Morgan's face! She didn't just touch it though. She squeezed her cheeks, cupped her cheeks and covered her face with her hands! The most random thing I've ever seen! She did it to Mallory on the way out too. Her face was hilarious as this strange woman came over and covered it up with her hands. So weird, but sweet?

Ooooh, the house is silent. I better go jump into bed before the next session begins!

Almost half a year, seriously???

Morgan turned 5 months old yesterday. We had a busy day with church, family pictures (that hopefully turned out decent!) and before I knew it, I was in bed remembering that Morgan's "month-day" was today! Oops. Excuse the picture. I think it's kind of blurry, the lighting was weird, and Morgan had some chest cleavage!

I feel like she has really grown and gotten stronger in the last month. She can hold onto toys. In fact, she reaches up and actually pulls down the soccer ball thingy that is attached to her carrier (you'd be so proud Kelly!). The first couple of times I thought it was Mallory playing with it! Speaking of Morgan's grip and Mallory, she pulled Mallory to the floor a couple of weeks ago...by her hair! The poor girl was in tears. I made Morgan tell Mallory sorry:) Now, everytime Mallory gets close to Morgan's face, she kind of cringes like she knows what is coming. Although, Mallory accidently payed Morgan back by stepping on her forehead a week ago! We waited about 30 seconds too long to pick her up off the floor, after repeating "be careful" to Mallory numerous times whie she was walking around her. It was a pitiful site. Mallory burst into tears and then Morgan followed. Brad and I just laughed at them both. Back to Morgan...she loves to play with connecting rings, anything that rattles and basically anything she can put into her mouth. Her other new love is her feet. They immediately go in her mouth anytime she is on her back or reclined ever so slightly.

We are still working on our sleeping. She is doing great at 2-3 good naps a day, but night time is still a struggle. There are nights where we put her down and she will sleep for 6 hours without a peep. Other times, we are up at least 3-4 times putting her paci in or re-swaddling. I think it's time for tough love. We did it a lot earlier with Mallory, but now there are issues. Will she wake up Mallory? Her room is warm at night, and if she is swaddled, will she overheat? Does she still need to be eating in the middle of the night (by the look of her thighs you wouldn't think so!)? BTW, I really know all the answers to these questions already, I'm just being a softy!! I really wish she would fall asleep like this everytime:

This girl is on the verge of crawling we think. She raises her bottom up in the air and pulls her knees up to when she's on her tummy. It's hilarious to watch. She does it when we hold her now too. And, she can sit in a little tripod for a while before falling over. The chair picture was next to impossible to get because of this new trick.

We had her dedication at church on Mother's Day. It was kind of ironic, since that was the day last year we told all of our family we were pregnant with little Morgan. Of course we didn't know she was a Morgan yet. We were calling her "Froggie" since that is what her first picture looked like!

Morgan got to meet lots of family at her first family reunion. She did great and loved being held all day long! This is her and cousin Johnathan. He is 6 weeks younger than Morgan. They bonded immediately.

That's our sweet girl in a nutshell. We're figuring her out more and more as she grows.

I will admit it...

I was a little bored during nap time without a computer in the house. Is that sad, or what? There are a million things I could do during 2 hours, but I'd rather read up on everyone's life and check my email incessantly like I'm some important person that gets tons of email everyday??? It was a good break, but, I'm behind in blogging again. It happens so quickly! Thanks to my super mom-in-law, we have a computer again! Sharon came through town last week and dropped off an extra laptop she had. It feels great to be back in civilization.

I'll save Morgan's 5 month post for later (5 months, holy cow!), baby dedication, Mother's Day, and Mallory's cute stuff for a later post. Instead, I will show off my husband's hard work in our yard!

I've wanted to get rid of the shrubs in our front yard pretty much since the first time we looked at our house. They were boring green overgrown shrubs. I wanted a real flower bed with curves and different shrubs and everything. So, after looking like idiots when we showed up to a nursery without a clue what we were doing, going home to measure and plan, we got it finished! I think it's a big improvement to what was there. Hopefully two things will happen: #1 the plants will thrive! and #2 we will keep it looking pretty by keeping up with pruning, pulling weeds and adding more to it eventually. Here's a couple of pictures.

This obviously isn't our yard, but I just wanted to point out the super cute doormat my parents gave me for my birthday. I love it! Mom, your listening skills are improving:) I think I only mentioned 100 times how much I loved Kelly's doormat. And the second thing I'll point out is that my flowers are still alive!

I think the hardest part of planting anything is waiting for it to grow! These pictures makes all the plants look so wimpy. You can also see that we have lava rock (or charcoal as we affectionately call it) in the bed. I was NOT a fan of this when we moved into the house. But, after almost 2 years now, Brad has convinced me that it serves a great purpose when it rains. There would be mulch everywhere after all the rain we had last week!

Unfortunately, we have much more on our "to-do" list that won't be quite as fun, or rewarding!!

"Happy Mopper's Day!"

Our computer is out AGAIN. Who knew you had to have a surge protector on your power strip during a thunderstorm??? We do...now. So, it might be a while before I'm back to my very regular posting. Until then, it's when I can drag Brad and the girls up to his office for a quick email check and maybe a post before he runs out of things to keep Mallory occupied!!

Mallory wants to tell all the mommies out there "Happy Mother's Day" (I got my own personal wish this morning when I woke up!):

It's May, that means it's reunion time!

We were at the first of three (yes, you read that right) family reunions over the weekend. It was in the big city of Comanche. It was the first time in years that all of us have been there together. Usually, one of the couples is missing.

Here we are back in 2005:

And, here we are last weekend (we've added 4 kids and one dog!):

Reunions used to consist of late nights with lots of talking, eating and playing games. Now, the weekend revolves around nap time, temper tantrums, early bedtimes, and exhausted parents!!

We had fun staying at a B&B in downtown Comanche. Mallory and Julia got to have their first sleepover in Bmom and Pop's room. Luckily, we had pack n plays to keep them contained (for the most part). I'm afraid it won't be so easy next year when they are in big girl beds.

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I can't believe that in one month, this little girl will be TWO!!! It feels like just yesterday we were bringing her "home" from the hospital. Now, she is a funny little girl that likes to repeat EVERYTHING that we say (excuse the "post-pigtail hair", it was bath time!):

Innate things

Uncrustables. I don't buy those, but I think it's so strange that kids don't like crusts. How do they figure that out? Mallory used to eat a whole piece of bread. Then, a couple of months ago, she started eating all of the middle part of sandwiches out. Hmmm.

Sidewalk chalk. I think every kid loves it. Mallory got to discover it's greatness the other day:

Dirt! We redid our flowerbed in the front and let Mallory play while we worked (I'd be lying if I didn't say that Brad did ALL of the work!) She was occupied the entire time by picking up mounds of dirt and putting it in the empty shrub containers. She has never had as dirty of fingernails as she did that night in her bath. GROSS!!

Trying on big shoes. It's like shoe-dar. As soon as she spots our shoes, they are on her feet. This isn't the best picture (except of the shirt from Aunt Kelly!!) since she was in mid-scream "NO PICTURES MOMMY!" Seriously.

Making a mess in less than one minute. I gave her a ziploc baggy with scrapbook paper in it to keep her busy while I did something really important...blog! The bag was empty and EVERYWHERE in no time at all! Here she is "wallering" around in it.

I love these pants, but they are a little "Britney-esque". She can barely bend over, and her diaper is coming out of her backside. Oh well. It's what you sacrifice for cuteness:)

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On a different note, I just discovered the greatness of Google reader. I'm subscribed to all of yours, so now you can subscribe to mine!!