Our Annie is 9 months!

My baby is nine months old!!!

 

 

She celebrated the day by getting her first tooth! 

 

I am sure you have noticed that I stopped taking the weekly pictures of Annie.  It became too difficult to manage every week so instead now I am taking them monthly.

 

So what is my Annie like at nine months?

 

She is....

 

...crawling.

...standing up without support.

...cruising furniture.

...squealing like a girl. 

...self-feeding with big people food.

...saying "mama" and just this morning "dada."

...chasing after her brothers as fast as she can.

...playing peek-a-boo!

...clapping.

 

Annie is just a big ball of fun and cute-ness.  She is such an amazing blessing.

 

 

Her nine months stats are:

 

Weight:  15lbs 12oz  =  12th percentile

Height:  27"  =  26th percentile

Head:  44.5cm  =  70th percentile

 

 

 

Family Vacation Part:TWO

In the first post I did about this epic ten day, six states, family road trip we traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and then into Louisiana.   We left Pineville, Louisiana Monday, June 9th and traveled over to Natchez, Mississippi.  Our goal was to stop somewhere near the Mississippi river so we could get out and explore the area.  There is a good chance we might not ever go this far east again and although our kids are young and may not remember much they can at least say they've been there, done that. 

 

 

There is about a 40' problem when doing RV road trips without any tow....it's almost impossible to find a spot to park!  So, with one kid sleeping, the other crawling around trying to find something to put in her mouth and the oldest not seeming to care we just rolled through the bridge twice while I took pictures from the passenger seat. 

 

State five done!

 

Once we left Natchez we traveled on I-20 into Monroe, LA.  West Monroe to be correct.  Our Buggy Boy is a fan of the Duck Boys over at Duck Dynasty so we thought we would make this stop for him.

 

After a nasty down pour we continued on our journey to Shreveport. 

 

 

 

 Here we all are chill-laxin' on the boardwalk at the Red River. 

 

 

Once we explored the great wonders of the Bass Pro Shop we set up shop for a bit in the parking lot to let the kids run around and ride their bikes.

 

Somewhere in small town Oklahoma we stopped for a break because Mama had enough. 

(I just dug through all of our receipts from this trip and I can't find the one for the restaurant we ate at across from this stop).  This little park and its little train kept our boys very busy and happy!

 

 

 

Alright.  Perhaps I'll stop here so you don't get bored and overloaded.  I'll work on a final part three post for you soon!



Pity Party....or not!

There has been one constant nagging issue in my life for the past five or so years.  Most times when I have the blues it's over this one issue.  No, it's not the Daddy-O.  Life in that department is amazing and beautiful with no complaints.  I wanted to do a "Dear Diary" posting of sorts to help clear out my mind but also to give you a bit more of a glimpse on who I am and what makes me tick.

 

However, after blindly being pointed to these words over the past few days I think He has other plans for me.....

 

Proverbs 13:3  

 

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

 

From the book  ONE YEAR THROUGH THE BIBLE :

 

When you are ready to give up hope on yourself or others, remember that God can work a complete change in even the most selfish personality.  Think of the self-centered people in your life.  Pray for them....

 

So instead of a "Dear Diary" about this ongoing problem in my life I will instead pray.  I will pray for others and I will pray for myself.  I will ask Him why He has me walking on this path. 

 

 

Perhaps He is telling me that all I need to focus on can be found here with me under my roof.

 

 

 

Family Road Trip

** Sorry for the long delay.  I have tried many of times to complete this update.  First we were all sick for awhile.  Daddy, then Squishy, then Buggy, then me and finally Annie.  We all fell sick within a few days of each other.  So, although I was only down and out for a little over a week it felt a lot longer since we all were sick during different times.  When we were finally all better it was time to go to the lake to recover from the all-out, no-stopping, road trip and then from the nasty cold/virus we all had.**

I mentioned in the last week post that we arrived home from our road trip with all of us sick.  This turned out to be a whopper of a cold or virus.  It knocked me out for a week.  I generally never get sick or when I do it's never bad but not this time.

 

So here is the skinny on our road trip:

 

We've been talking for some time about taking another road trip.  We were either wanting to head back to Idaho, take a camping trip in Colorado, or head back to Louisiana to visit with some extended family who are getting up there in age.  The decision was made for us when we found out that the family in LA would be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and had invited us for the celebration.  The Daddy-O I had been back there together once before ten years ago and then just the Daddy-O again four years ago.  We know this family and the southern hospitality means so much to us that we felt it was important for our kids to experience it before it became too late. 

 

We packed up and headed east on June 3rd  Our goal was to make a two day mad-dash drive to LA.  We planned for a slight detour in Texas to visit with some family.

(Bug & Annie with great-grandma)

(Buggy)

 

While there it was determined that our dog developed a bladder infection during our dash to Texas so our stay there was extended by a few extra hours so she could be seen by a doctor.

 

We finally made it to LA mid-afternoon of the 6th.  The weather of course was hot and humid but once I accepted the fact that I would no longer need my curling iron because we were all going to look like a hot mess then I was fine. 

 

The folks that we are visiting with are on my husbands late grandfather's side of the family.  So this makes it the Daddy-O's great uncle and aunt.  Their property is just as amazing and breathe taking as it was ten years ago...

 

 

The boys enjoyed playing with their extended cousins, this tire swing and of course, the fishing!

 

  

 

Great Uncle Leon was a bit smitten with our baby girl. 

 

Before we left she finally became a little smitten of him.

 

On our last night in Pineville, LA the family came together for a crawfish boil.  Of course with the intense humidity it really felt like a family boil but we survived.

 



 

 

(My boys are like their daddy....you can always find them near a tractor or a pretty girl)

 

In this family there isn't many boys left to carry on the last name.  There are our two and then only one biological.  I tried a few times to get a good picture of the generations but never got a good shot:

 Here: at the 60th wedding anniversary celebration....

 

Here: while trying to find some fishing worms.....

 

 Here:  while on the hunt for good worm soil....

 

Here:  on our last day with family....

 

 

We left LA with exactly everything we had hoped for:  A heaping dose of good, authentic southern hospitality.  All of the "Yes, Ma'ma" and "No, Sir's" we could have asked for.  All the love and feelings of feeling like a close family that never spends a day apart but rather years apart.  Feeling the love from a man & women who represent and embody what grandparents are like even though they are not our own.  Feeling a true appreciation for just being us!

 

That is part one of our trip.