Party details...

We had a little party for Delaney tonight. Thanks to all that came! We really missed the Cramer's but hope they are having a fabulous time on vacation!

Trying to blow out the candle

It looks yummy but how do I eat it? (by the way...it is a beach ball)

She only used one hand and had to be encouraged to get messy. She liked having it fed to her.

She was in a sugar induced coma (plus it was bedtime)

Trying to clean her up she just wanted out! It looked like she had put on green deoderant!

Now on to presents! Her sister gave her a Dora pillow! Night night!

The Jewell's gave her a ride on pony! It will be a hit but she was fascinated with Brayden's hot wheels.

Frances also gave her a Little People car. She was having a great time putting the mommy and baby in and out.

Notice the new baby in the basket. Thanks Mamaw Bev!

She got some other great gifts too but we weren't able to capture pictures of them all. The new dress is thanks to our great neighbor Marcie! Thanks again to everyone who was here and to those who called with birthday wishes! We missed having all of our family here and can't wait to see you all again soon!

One Year!

It is so hard to believe that one entire year has passed since Delaney joined our family! It has been such a great year! Here are some of the great things that have happened...

• Delaney gained 11.7 pounds (weighing in at 18.10 yesterday)


• She grew nine inches (measured 28 inches yesterday)


• She traveled to many states including South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Illinois. (Don't forget all the states in between)


• She seemed slow to roll over, average to sit and crawl but she started to walk quite early, a week shy of 10 months old!


• She has four teeth and loves to eat anything that is on your plate. It is so awesome to see her look your plate over and then reach out and pick up a grilled onion or pepper and eat it! She is very into feeding herself!


• She made the transition from nursing to bottle just fine and I am pretty sure we will not have any major problems going from bottle to strictly a cup.


• She has developed a very strong liking for her pacifier and two special little blankets. They will not be so easy to divert from but that is for another time. She is so funny to watch with her paci. She likes to have two or three of them at her disposal and she will switch them out like they have different flavor or something. I will work on getting video of that.


• She is beginning to talk a little. Her words include...momma, dadda, fish and hello. She says a lot more than that but we are not sure what it is yet. She has definitely discovered her voice as she has started to scream really loud when she wants something! Great...another indepenedent one!


• She is a good sleeper. She takes pretty good naps (usually 2 a day sometimes 3). And she sleeps all night going down by 8 and sleeping until 6 or 7 (except the last couple of nights she has been up a ton! must be teeth or something).


• She has a great laugh and an awesome smile.


• She loves to dance, swim, be outside, wave at people, and eat ice cream and popsicles.


• But most of all...she loves her mommy and daddy!

We love you Delaney! Happy first birthday!!!!

Father's Day Delight...

I am pretty certain that Mitch had a great day yesterday! We started out by going to church, then home to have his favorite breakfast food (waffles with bacon). Then Mitch, Delaney and myself all took a nap while Frances entertained herself (for two hours)! Then it was out on the boat. It was busy out there but Frances insisted that she wanted to try out her wakeboard for the first time. We wanted her to practice wearing it in the water so when she wipes out she knows how to relax and float with it on her feet. She did really great with that. She needs to keep working on flipping herself over from her stomach to her back (most wipeouts will land her on her stomach). She can do it when holding on to the swim deck but not quite out in the open water. So then she says...Now I want to do it back behind the boat! Mitch had her right behind the boat and pulled the rope tight so she could stand up on the edge of the swim deck and get an idea of the posture. Then he had me put the boat at idle speed and she even got a little feel for how the boat will pull her. She felt like she was really doing it and Mitch was thrilled by her enthusiasm! It is scary but I don't doubt that by the end of the summer she will actually be doing it!

Our first night of tubing this year was a hit! Frances, Brayden and Dionne enjoyed a nice easy ride (Dionne is only suppose to have baby rides since she is carrying a baby:)) Frances was a little bored with that though!


So then we brought Dionne back into the boat and let the kids at it. I think tube wars are instinctual! They were hillarious to watch! They had no fear (or no clue that what they were doing could easily make them tip over)! Gotta love Frances with the goggles on!

Delaney seems to like the boat but she was not real happy with the lifejacket so far. She enjoyed fishing in the boat! Love the sunscreen mohawk!

Next the kids decided to ride in the same tube together. I was not so sure about this but it went well. Frances is a hoot! She flopped all over the place acting silly. The kind of behavior that would drive us crazy in the boat! We have found an outlet for it!!!!! Horray!!!!

Then she got real brave and even hung her feet over the edge! She is going to be lots of fun on the boat this summer!

And we can't forget to thank our driver...thanks so much for a fun evening Mitch!!!

Red Gold Picnic

The picnic this year was much more enjoyable than last year. Last year I was 9 months pregnant and it was in the 90's! This year it was fun to let Delaney run around the park while Frances enjoyed the activities. It was a beautiful day, perfect in the shade and tolerable in the sun. Frances loved the big caterpillar! Last year she was a little frightened and had to go with another "bigger" girl. She went over and over this year and was even pretty good when standing in line. The big slide was neat too but she only went once. Guess it wasn't worth the wait as there are lots of kids at the picnic every year! Silly Safari's were there with many live animals, snow cones, the park, and our Red Gold gift. Delaney enjoyed the license plates but daddy isn't so sure he is going to put them on a vehicle.

Fun in the sun!

Frances and Brayden had a good time playing in the backyard again! The water from the hose was really really cold though!

Delaney loves walking around the backyard on the deck. She is really big into climbing up on her little chair and standing! I am just waiting for the time she actually tips over before I get to her. She is quite the climber! Can't believe she is going to be one next week!

gotta love the imagination

Today Brayden is over playing with us. All of the sudden I see Frances coming down the hall like she is driving a car. Brayden is following her on all four like a puppy. She tells me she is taking the dog to the hospital to have a puppy. I hop in the car and "ride" with. Then when we get there I all of the sudden become the doctor. I call the puppy to me and tell him to roll over (thinking I will pretend to pull a puppy from his belly). Much to my surprise...when he rolls over I see a huge lump in his shirt. Through much giggling I pull a puppy out of his shirt. This is hillarious! At least it is to a mom who doesn't get much adult interaction:) I then ask what they are going to name the puppy and I am told his name is Sagile and that he is Fragile. Here is a picture of the happy family...Frances, Bumby and Sagile.

dress up time

Backyardigans

We have been having a great time enjoying our backyard so far this season. Here are a few pics. Pretty rare that I am in them so enjoy:) Thanks to Brayden for taking them:)

Happy Birthday Gramma JoJo!

I hope my mom has a great day! I wish I could be near to give her a birthday hug! Love you! Here is a message from Frances (Delaney was napping, maybe we can catch her on video later!).

busy bees...

We are all doing well. We are keeping very busy! Here is a little of what is keeping me from updating my blog more often:)

Taking care of my two gardens. We are growing potatoes, tomatoes, cantelope, many different types of peppers, sugar snap peas, lettuce, green beans, onions, carrots and zuccini.

Trying to keep the house clean:)

Getting the boat ready for the season...It finally touched water last night!

Mulching the yard and getting the flower beds looking pretty.

And of course...the girls:)