Chit Chat

Within the last couple of weeks, Georgia Kate has started saying a few words (other than mama and dada).  It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.  She says "Bubba/Bubbo" for brother.  She says it almost every morning when we walk down the stairs because she knows he's usually down there already.  She  points and names a few things like "ba" (ball), "boo" (bird), "hat", "eyes", "bay" (baby), "na" (snack), "de" (deer), and "boo" (book).  The three words we hear most regularly are "uh-oh", "up" (she really annunciates the p sound and uses this word when she wants up or down), and "hi".  My favorite is hi!  She will just walk up to me and say hi while smiling really big (eyes squinted and nose scrunched up).  When I'm rocking her before bed she will take her paci out over and over and say hi in a quiet voice.  I love this because it's what I always do when I'm rocking her.  I will just stare at her and say hi. :) This girl has been pretty vocal from the beginning and I have a feeling it's not going to stop! I love it!  

Yesterday while Reid was at preschool, Georgia noticed that his trains were left unattended on the coffee table.  Her face when she saw them was so funny!  It was like she knew this was her big chance to go play with them!! She was making them go back and forth and saying "voooo"!  

Oh how we love this baby girl!

Weekend of fun!

We had a fun family weekend!  Friday was slightly overcast most of the day, so the kids and I were able to do some "summery" things (you know, now that summer is over) without completely melting.  

We met some friends at a splash pad in the morning and both kids LOVED it!  We hadn't been to one all summer and I'm glad we were able to finally squeeze in a trip. 

After naps, we went on a walk to the park, which is something we haven't done in a couple of months because again, it's so ridiculously hot.  Are you noticing a theme?  Houston is hot and even though I've lived here my whole life, I will continue to complain about it until it cools off. :) 

We came back from the park and enjoyed some frozen blueberries on the back porch!  I just think babies eating blueberries and getting all messy is so cute, so I had a little photo shoot with Georgia Kate.  I did the same thing with Reid when he was a baby. :) 

My green eyed boy...

And for fun, this is Reid when he was about Georgia's age.  Look at that face!

We needed to clean off with some water table fun!

After dinner we went to get snow cones!

    

On Saturday, Chris and Reid went to College Station for the game and Georgia Kate and I hung out with my parents for a little while.  

Couldn't get one picture with them both looking at the camera! ;)

This girl is always on the move, so it's getting harder and harder to get a non blurry picture of her!  This dress is a size 3 month!  She wore it last season when she was just a tiny newborn and I cannot believe she can still wear it!  Mumsie whipped up a pair of bloomers and we were set for another football season!  Whoop!

Reid didn't last long at the game (as in he was ready to leave before the game started), but it ended up working out for the best because there was a 2 hour rain delay!  Crazy!  They made it home in time for Chris to watch the whole thing on TV.

I just love this picture of Georgia giving her baby a bottle (in the forehead). ;)

This morning we had a nice little cooperative photo shoot before church. ;) The good news is that Georgia Kate did so well in the nursery!  Yay! 

 We ended the weekend by going to see Alli and John at their new house!  Their house is great and we had a fun visit!

We are looking forward to a great week!  Ibloom starts back for me tomorrow morning and Reid will be back for week 2 of school on Tuesday and Thursday! :) 

Reid's First Day of School!

Yesterday was Reid's very first "First Day of School"!  This day seemed so far away when he was born.  I know it's just preschool and it's just 2 days a week, but this milestone has been a huge deal for me.  I went back and forth so many times about whether or not to send him to preschool this year or wait until next year when he's four.  Part of me feels like he has his whole life to go to school and I just want to keep him home with me right now. Another part of me knows that he will have so much fun and that Georgia Kate will get some much needed one on one time with Mommy.  To say I've been a huge mess of emotions over the last couple of days about this (actually months) is an understatement.  For me, the build up to a change is always so much harder than the actual change.  It just needed to happen so I could stop worrying about it.  

I could tell that Reid was really nervous, but also a little bit excited.  New experiences make him uncomfortable.  When his back pack, lunch box, and nap mat came in the mail back in July, it took him a few days to even touch them (literally touch them).  He knew they were for school and didn't want anything to do with them.  Every time I would bring up school over the last couple of weeks, he would change the subject (how does a 3 year old know to change the subject?)!  I bought the book The Kissing Hand to read to him the night before his first day.  We got a couple of pages in and once he realized that it was about school, he didn't want to read it anymore.  So much for a sweet moment! ;) All that to say, I had NO idea what to expect.  When he woke up yesterday morning he knew it was his school day.  We went through our morning routine and other than casually saying a couple of times that he didn't want to go to school, he was in a pretty good mood!  Once he was dressed and it was time to take a few pictures, I could tell he was getting a little bit excited.  I managed to hold back the tears while taking these pictures, but he just looked so grown up with his little backpack and lunchbox!  

On the way to school is when I got emotional, but managed to hide it from Reid. :) When we got there and put all of his things away, he was being very serious and just taking it all in.   Then the kids were supposed to wash their hands before sitting at the table.  He started being silly and acting like he was falling off the stool and couldn't do it, which is what he does when he's nervous.  After washing his hands I walked him over to one of the tables to start playing with blocks.  He told me he wanted me to stay for a few minutes, so I did, and then I gave him a kiss and told him I loved him and that I would see him later!  There were no tears from him!  I teared up a little bit on the way out, but I was just so relieved that it went so well.  

Reid's teacher, Ms. Katy, also happens to be one of my good friends.  She sent me a couple of pictures and videos throughout the day letting me know that he was happy and having a great day!  It was SO thankful that she did that!  Thank you, Katy!! :)

He napped at school.  I was completely shocked.  

I was so so so excited to pick him up.  I couldn't wait to hear all about his first day!  We went to get frozen yogurt as a first day of school treat and he shared a few things with me.  He gradually told me more throughout the afternoon and night.  He was most excited about how high he went on the swings and about his lunch. :) He also loved centers, especially the cars.  

I don't know if it's the former teacher in me or just being a mom, but I was so excited to get his first craft. :) They happened to read The Kissing Hand (so he ended up hearing it anyways) and then put their sweet handprints next to the poem.  Loved it. :) 

So there you have it…more than you ever wanted to know about Reid's first day of school!  He woke up this morning excited to go back, so I would say it was a huge success!  I know that he is in great hands and that it will be a great year.

I got a picture of Reid with wonderful Ms. Katy after his second day today.  Despite his face, he loves his teacher! 

Aggies in South Carolina!

On Wednesday night, Chris and I headed to South Carolina for a long weekend getaway!  Last August we started talking about planning a trip sometime after Georgia Kate turned a year old.  I had always wanted to go to Charleston, but that wasn't at the top of Chris' list... that is until he looked at the football schedule and realized that the Aggies would be playing the University of South Carolina just an hour away in Columbia! :) It worked out for both of us and we had an amazing time!  Charleston is so beautiful and just so southern...I absolutely loved it!

 Our plane from Houston was at least half full of Aggies (probably more) and it was so fun! There were a few rounds of the Aggie War Hymn sung as we were landing…everyone was just so excited!  We staying in Charleston near the airport and then woke up first thing Thursday morning and drove to Columbia.  

Some of our close friends were also making the trip, so we met up with them for lunch, walked around campus and explored the town, and all sat together during the game!  We (the girls) were trying to be good sports, but it was seriously SO hot.  You would think as Houstonians we would be used to feeling like we were in a toaster, but goodness gracious.  Anyway, it ended up being such a fun experience and the Aggies were awesome, winning 52-28! 

We stayed in Columbia after the game and woke up Friday morning to drive to Charleston!  On our way into town we stopped at the Boone Hall Plantation.  I loved it!  The canopy of oaks that lined the long driveway was breathtaking and we really enjoyed the tours and learning the history of the plantation.  Fun fact:  This is the plantation where several scenes from The Notebook were filmed!  The house was Allie's house when she was growing up and the picture of the water is where Allie and Noah filmed the scenes in the canoe!  

After Boone Hall, we went to lunch at Husk.  Chris was so prepared and had researched all the best restaurants in Charleston and made us reservations.  Let me say this, the food in Charleston is serious business.  We hate way too much and every single meal was amazing.  We also did tons of walking so it all balanced out. ;) 

After lunch we walked through the market (not pictured) and then shopped on King Street.  It was a fun mix of chain stores (like LOFT) and boutiques.  I found a great kids clothing store called Kids on King, so I was in my happy place. :) 

Dinner that night was at Virginia's on King.  

Saturday morning we headed out to wander around and look at all of the gorgeous homes.  I loved every single one, but here were a few of my favorites.  

One of my favorite things was the porches.  All of the homes had these porch doors that faced the street and led onto the porch that usually faced a little courtyard between it and the next home.  The front door to the house was on the porch.  

Rainbow Row is a famous landmark in Charleston!

We met back up with our friends for lunch at CRU Cafe' and then Chris and I went on a carriage tour of the city.  I loved the tour!  

We went to Magnolia's for dinner, which was probably my favorite restaurant of the trip!

Sunday was our last full day.  Chris woke up early and walked over the Arthur Ravenel Bridge (a popular walk) and got a great picture of downtown Charleston.  I was not prepared and didn't have anything but sandals, so I slept in.  Next time I will definitely bring some tennis shoes!  

We headed to Low Country Bistro for brunch and from there spent the rest of the day just driving around the surrounding areas of Charleston.  It was a nice, low-key day.  

We drove through Sullivan's Island and Isle of the Palms.  We didn't spend time on the beach, but we did make a quick stop to walk out and see it.  

We went and saw the Angel Oak.  It was beautiful!  

For dinner we went to Jestine's Kitchen, which was Chris' favorite meal of the weekend and my least favorite. :) 

We came back yesterday and couldn't wait to see our babies!!! We missed them SO much!  Georgia Kate changed so much in 5 days.  She's basically an independent walker now.  I don't think she was very happy that we left because she was kind of giving us (mainly me) the cold shoulder for the first couple of hours that we were home.  Reid seems so much older all of a sudden too.  He was so sweet and gave me the biggest and longest hug when we got back.  He told us several times that he missed us.    

 

We are so, so, so grateful to all four of our kids' wonderful grandparents for taking such great care of them while we were away.  Here's a little bit of what they were up to…

This was after Reid's swim lesson so his hair is looking a little crazy, but Gig 'Em Aggies! :)