Cousin Buddies

It was another fun visit with Lilly and BeBe.

Hoyt's Birthday Party

We took a short trip to Jacksonville this past weekend to celebrate Hoyt turning 32. And even though we were only there for a short time, it was a great party. Since all of my pictures were taken of children only, you probably can't tell that there were a bunch of people in attendance for the celebration. It was a fun night and we would have stayed longer if we weren't trying to wrangle 2 frisky kids all the while trying to participate in just one solid conversation with adults. Oh well, maybe next time. Happy Birthday Hoyt!

Superhero Wrestle Mania

I don't know who gets more excited about superheroes now, Harrison or Brooks. But both seem to squeal with delight whenever Daddy decides to put on his Batman costume to chase them around the house. I'm pretty sure Brooks just likes the interaction but she keeps up like a champ while Harrison and Robert go back and forth in pursuit of a villain. Of course, this hot pursuit is always right around bedtime making it really easy to transition into lights out. Why do I wonder why it so hard to get Harrison to sleep???

I Can Do It

Right now, Harrison is going through the "I can do it by myself" phase. And, as much as I love the attempt at establishing independence early and more importantly, the attempt to pull your own weight around here, I am not a fan of moving at a snail's pace to get things done. This is tricky because I know that much of Harrison's desire to do things on his own comes from me, along with his stubbornness and strong will... But this perseverance to do almost everything on his own seems to have no time frame. And I am pretty confident that I can guarantee our arrival time at any given location is going to 15 or more minutes later than expected. This is just a fact of life right now and I am trying to be more patient as Harrison is getting an early start at becoming an independent, young man.

We are also going through an extremely active phase named, "Watch me!". This phase is both entertaining and hair raising because you never really know what you will be watching. It could be that he has just now taken a bite of a sandwich that you asked him to finish 2 hours ago, or it could be a back flip off of the bed in one of his 5 capes, leaving you to think "Is this the day we are going to end up in the emergency room" and "why did I just let him do that?" There is an obvious range of activity going on in this house so if you're ever wondering why I can not keep a single thought in my head for more than a millisecond, this may be why.

But my very most favorite phase, that I wish would never end, is the "Give kiss and hug" phase. Needless to say why, I cannot get enough of this! Every time Robert or I leave (or anyone else he holds close to his heart), he wants a kiss and a hug. He will also say "Bye and I love you" a million times before you can get out the door. I know this phase is not long lived, especially in the teenage years, but I will eat it up while I can because with all that activity, he is such a sweet boy. A strong willed, stubborn, active, determined, cape wearing, sweet boy...that's what he is.

Almost One

Our little Pea is almost one and she sure is a busy little thing. Last weekend I got her dolled up for her 1st birthday invitation photo shoot. I thought it would be cute to capture her as she was waving her finger in an attempt to say no, no, no. It looks as though she is letting everyone know that she is one. It was mostly fun for her because she was able to chase Jojo and Lucy all over the yard. As long as there is action, she is a happy girl.

A Camping We Will Go

Well, we did it. We braved a 2 night camping trip in the north Georgia mountains with Harrison. Was it fun? Yes. Was it crazy? Yes. Were there a few times I thought I might run off into the woods and start a colony of my own? Yes. But other than a few minor incidences, we had a great time being in the rugged outdoors of the Tallulah River campground. There were so many things that we got to enjoy doing with Harrison like hiking, fishing, swimming in the river right next to our campsite, sitting around the campfire, catching bugs, and swimming in Lake Burton. We missed Brooks but it would have a little difficult keeping up with her and her energetic, strong willed brother all the while trying to keep the other campers from sabotaging our campsite in hopes that we might pack up early. Maybe that's an exaggeration because we actually had some really nice campsite neighbors. And we enjoyed the friendly atmosphere that I suppose comes from a true "camper's attitude". One of our neighbors was the campsite host and he even invited us to his trout farm where Harrison caught 3 fish!

We spent the other portion of the week in Athens and enjoyed spending time with Lee Lee and Bill, Mama and Da, and Natalie and Zach. There was lots of swimming and Brooks got to showcase her walking skills. I guess she decided that with all the commotion, it's easier to maneuver if you can run with the crowd....or run away from it. Either way, crawling is out and walking is in. And sadly, those chubby little legs aren't going to be around much longer.

We also spent a night in Atlanta with Natalie and Zach after going to the Georgia/Boise State football game, which was a bust, but we had a great time being with them and seeing our friends. And lastly, we were able to spend Sunday with Barbara and Ken and the rest of the fam. It was a great week but I am very excited to get back to a normal routine because I need sleep!!! Plus, Brooks' birthday and Halloween are coming up and I gotta get planning!

CAMPING

Worms!

Spiders!

Fishing in the Tallulah River

Lake Burton

Trout Farm

Hiking

BACK IN ATHENS

Look at these legs...I love them!

Chasing Butterflies

Hanging out by the Pool

Game Day