Audrey is 18 Months Old!

Audrey is 18 months old today! It's hard to believe how much she has grown and changed since her birthday. She's talking a good bit now, and loves to imitate EVERYTHING Jackson does...good or bad.

Looking back at the post from when Jackson was 18 months old, they are very similar developmentally. Audrey could probably be drinking exclusively from a cup, but we still give her a sippy cup frequently at home to make our lives easier. They only give her a cup at school, so she gets lots of practice there. She also eats with a fork and spoon really well aside from turning them upside down when they get to her mouth.

Just like Jackson, she loves to dance and sing songs. Her favorites are even similar to Jackson's at this age. I love watching the two of them hold hands and sing Ring Around the Rosie. Audrey likes to fall down almost as soon as they start!

She has also started trying to count, which is really cute. The numbers all sound different and have a particular cadence, but only a few of them sound like the real number.

Audrey loves playing at the park, which we did today with the Fulliloves. The swing, the slide, and the bubbles the Fulliloves brought were given lots of attention! We also visited the geese. Audrey was looking pretty cool with her shades on!

There are a few more pictures from the park in the album.

Labor Day Weekend in Grapevine

We met up with our good friends, The Tims, in Grapevine, TX for Labor Day weekend this year. We rented a 1940's house that was perfect for our stay...aside from a little plumbing problem the first night that the owner had taken care of the next day.

We got there Friday night, got settled, enjoyed some delicious pizza from a local place down the road, and spent the evening catching up.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed relaxing a little before getting everyone ready and heading to Grapevine Mills Mall with the intention of taking the kids to Legoland or the aquarium. The mall opened at 10. We arrived at 10:15 to discover long lines for both places. We were told it would probably be 5:30 before we could get in, so we came up with plan B!

We bought tickets to come back on Monday and decided to let the kids ride the carousel and go to Build-a-Bear, which was a hit! Then the dads graciously took the kids back to the house for a nap while Barbara and I did some power shopping. We got the boys some matching pajamas for that night, which they loved. Here's a shot of the kiddos with their animals, which were named Hunter, Mr. Giggles, and Ah-Ah.

Heath cooked breakfast for us Sunday morning, and we just let the kids play. Then we made our way to the Grapevine Vintage Railroad where we rode in one of the old, Victorian cars to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. It was a 1.5 hour ride one way, and the kids did really well. Their attention was captured by the cowboys that were "robbing" the train! Who knew you'd be given money and a badge when you were robbed on a train?

Here are a few of my favorites of Carter on the train.

The Stockyards were filled with fun. There were rodeo clowns making balloon animals (or swords in our case), a petting zoo, a "jail", and of course, some longhorn cattle amidst all of the stores and restaurants. Each of the kids made their best mad, prisoner face in the jail including Ross.

After watching the cowboys drive the cattle down the street, we watched a gun fight between the local marshall and some riff-raff. The guns were a little loud for our kiddos, but they really enjoyed it despite being startled. The marshall killed the riff-raff at the end, and I think Jackson felt bad for them because he decided they needed a hug, which they gratefully accepted. In return they gave him a spent shell, which he loved!

The next morning we loaded up our stuff and headed back to the mall to get in line for Legoland. The timing worked out perfectly, and we had a blast on the rides, watching 4-D movies, and of course, playing with legos! I didn't bring my camera with me to Legoland, but it was a lot of fun. Jackson and Ross made a car and tested it on the ramps while Audrey played with big, soft legos.

We left at lunch time and headed home. The kiddos crashed while eating, and we had a good trip home despite having to make a slight detour for a wildfire in the median of I-45. We saw 3 wildfires on our way home, and two of them looked very serious. It made all of the news feel much more real to be so close to some of the devastation...praying for everyone involved, as well as for some much needed rain!!!

As usual, there are more pictures in the album.

Mamaw's 90th Birthday!

This weekend we celebrated my Mamaw's 90th Birthday! Mamaw is my Dad's mother. His only sister, my Aunt Kathy, put together the party, and it was perfect. She pulled out some of Mamaw's grade school report cards, sorority pictures, albums, and more for people to flip through and reminisce. There were lots of family and friends there to celebrate her life and all that she means to us!

Mamaw has always been a beautiful, petite woman with a smile on her face and a song on her lips. It was fun to share memories like that with my cousins and be there to watch her blow out the candles on her cake.

Jackson enjoyed being there and getting lots of attention. He had moments of sweetness and moments of craziness...he is a boy! He really enjoyed playing with my Uncle Mike and Ross. He had fun with my cousins too, but somehow I didn't get any pictures of that.

I haven't seen most of the Mitchell side of our family since my cousin John's wedding. That was when I was pregnant with Audrey, which means most of them had never met her! She had her sweet and silly moments too!

Shepherd, John and Sarah's baby boy, is the newest member of the family at 6 months old. He is such a sweet and good baby. Audrey loved giving him hugs, and I loved getting to hold him and put him to sleep!

After the party we made our way to my Grandmother and Granddaddy's house. We all got to spend a little time playing outside.

The swing in their backyard has always been one of my favorite spots, and Jackson and Audrey like it too. We even got a Taylor family picture!

Our actual trip to and from Ruston was a bit rough thanks to an overturned eighteen wheeler, tire problems, a sick kiddo, a power outage, and a carsick kiddo. The time with our families was worth all of it though. We even got to spend a little time with the Taylors on Friday night. Both the Taylors and my Grandparents completely spoiled us with good food in addition to everything at the party! There are a few more pictures from the weekend in the album.

Audrey scaring Elizabeth

Audrey is really into scaring us at the dinner table. At least, that's what I assume she is doing. Anyway, it is pretty cute so I had to share this video...sorry about the cell phone quality.

It's HOT Outside!

Saturday morning we celebrated a friend of Jackson's 3rd birthday at a local park. We've had a record breaking streak of 100+ degree days here in Houston, so even though the party was in the morning, it got hot quick! That didn't deter the fun in any way, but it sure did make a drink of water taste even better!

And for those who have been wondering, Jackson's leg seems to be completely healed. There's no sign of a limp. He's keeping up well with his friends, and running circles around me...seriously, how can I get some of that energy?

There are more pictures from the party in the album.

50's Sock Hop

Friday marked the end of the year for Jackson and Audrey with their classes. They both move to a new room at daycare on Monday. Jackson will have new teachers, and both will have new friends. Every week had a theme this summer, and this week's theme was the 50's. It was only appropriate to finish out the week and the year with a sock hop.

Jackson's outfit consisted of jeans and a shirt that were both just a little on the small side, and we gelled his hair for a "slick" look. Ross and I arrived just after the party began to find Jackson showing off his dance moves while his friends were busy eating rootbeer floats.

Audrey borrowed an adorable poodle skirt from our friend, Clara. When we arrived, she was taking it all in and hanging on to the hand of one of her teachers.

It wasn't long before everyone in Jackson's class was dancing. Jackson danced with a couple of the girls, which caused me to have a flash-forward that I'm not quite ready for!

The party was a lot of fun! There are more pictures of the action in the album.

Hide N Seek

Jackson decided the game of the day yesterday would be hide-n-seek. First he made Ross hide while he counted and then hunted for him. After lots of hiding in some very creative (i.e. so obvious it's funny) spots, Ross began running out of ideas for places to hide. Jackson quickly decided that wasn't okay and began telling Ross where to hide. Once that got old, it was my turn to hide. Eventually, Jackson started hiding while we counted. Of course, as soon as the words "ready or not, here I come" were spoken, you could hear giggling and a little voice saying, "Come find me! I'm in here!" Audrey joined in too. She would giggle with delight every time someone was found. It made for a very fun and happy morning!