Christmas Snapshots

I have recently been accused of allowing "cobwebs" to collect on my blog, and I do apologize. But...it's not my fault, really! It's internet troubles again. I've been trying to add new posts, but like I told Tim,"Life is too short to sit around waiting on the internet." Well, I finally had the time to run up to the office and post a few pics for you.

We had such a wonderful Christmas week! No less than eight (yes, I said eight) separate get-togethers in 7 days. For those of you trying to do the math, that averages out to more than one "par-TAY" a day. No wonder I am so tired! I could try to tell you about them all, but I'm sure you would get tired of reading. So here is a little Christmas "album" for you to check out. Hope you enjoy!

And here is Lucy's 5 month picture...now that she is closer to 6 months.....It sure was hard trying to keep that doll out of her mouth long enough to snap a picture.

Oh yeah, Ty killed another deer! On Christmas Day, right in my Dad's back yard.

We had so many things going on last month. I wish I could have talked about each individually, but to try to sit down now and go through them all would take the whole day. Things are finally getting back to routine around here this week. We started school again, Tim is back at the office :-( and No more "functions" to attend for a while! Unless of course you count my birthday Friday!!! (I accept cash, check, credit card, etc. Ha Ha!)

This Little Piggy Found Her Piggies

After mastering her hands and fingers, Lucy has moved on to bigger and better things...TOES! Yep. She found them, and she can't get enough. Actually she found them about a month ago, but with all the technical difficulties I've had recently, I'm just getting around to publishing these pictures. Now the poor baby is fighting RSV. Thankfully it seems the worst is behind us now. I hate to see her feeling so poorly. She is usually all smiles, and I think this illness has taught me that I shouldn't take that for granted.

Check out the rolls on those legs. Doesn't that just make you want to pinch an inch?

Biedenharn Photos

Tim and I have been wanting to learn how to better use our camera. We've read books and searched online, but the only way to really learn is by doing. So we took the monkeys to the Biedenharn Gardens Saturday hoping to get some good Christmas photos and to try out some of the stuff we've been reading. Ha! The monkeys had other plans! It was all we could do to get them to look at the camera at the same time. Needless to say we didn't get to play around with the camera like we were hoping. After we left, Ty summed up our experience: "We wore Daddy and Mama out." Bingo!

Fall Gardening

A friend recently divided some flowers in her yard and graciously gave some to us. We actually had a hard time trying to find a place to plant them all. Some daisies went into the beds around our house, the gladiolas found a spot in front of our new shed, and the irises were planted around the steeple in our garden. I know, I know...a steeple in the garden, but the Tool Man is a church builder after all, and I do like finding new uses for old items. Anyway as you can see we had a beautiful sunflower voluntarily come up this fall. Right as I snapped this shot the Tool Man jumped right in it. He couldn't have timed it any better. Now that all the flowers have been planted, the waiting begins. That's the hardest part for me. I want instant results.

FYI

Hey ya'll. Don't miss the new post about our Thanksgiving. For some reason it was published under the wrong date, and it is a little further down the page. Just noticed that, sorry. At least the internet is back up and running, and I will try to do better about adding new posts. Also Tim noticed that you will be able to enlarge my pictures by clicking on them again. I don't know why, but that stopped working for a while. Now you can get an up-close look at my two monkeys.

Redneck Initiation

Well...I'm about 3 weeks behind, but Ty killed his 1st deer November 25. And I'm pretty sure his Daddy was more excited about it than he was. After they tracked down the deer, Tim bloodied Ty's face. I guess this means my child is officially a redneck! Ty wasn't so sure about all the blood at first, but once he got used to the idea he didn't want to wash his face. I guess I will let the boys do their thing though, and while they are off doing whatever it is they do, Lucy and I can do fun stuff like hair and nails and sewing and shopping.

Mad Hatter

I'm so excited...Patti recently gave Lucy some of Anna Michael's hats. Now, when I say "some" I mean GOBS! I doubt she will get a chance to wear all of them, but we will try. So far Lucy does not mind wearing hats which is good because she is soooo cute in them. I wanted to get a picture of her in as many of them as possible, but this was all I could get before she'd had enough of the fashion show. Maybe we will try again later.

Internet Woes

Sorry I have not been able to add any new posts lately. I have several ideas on my mind, but my internet service has been mediocre at best :-( I'm going to try to run by the office one day next week and publish some new stuff. There has been a lot going on around here for me to blog about: Thanksgiving, deer hunting, gardening, and cute babies! Don't give up on me, please! Can't wait to show you my new pictures, so keep checking.

Thanksgiving

This was the first time for us to host Thanksgiving dinner. Daddy, Mama, Jude and Shelley joined our family for a delicious lunch. We had fried turkey and dressing, butter beans, corn, dirty rice, and sweet potato casserole. Shelley also made a rich, chocolate candy bar cake. Jude especially liked snacking on Tim's homemade summer sauasage. Ty spent the day before Thanksgiving drawing pictures for all of our guests. Mostly he drew everyone a picture of themselves sitting at the table eating lunch. He was so proud of his pictures. After lunch we were all so sleepy. Lucy made herself a nest on top of Papa and they both went to sleep. Ty was itching to start decorating for Christmas immediately after lunch. He was so excited about putting his little tree in his room. I can't blame him. I love Christmas too.

Wedding Bells

Whew! I'm glad that the wedding is over. I really didn't have that much to do...just the cake, but I was so tired by the time it was all over. Speaking of the cake, it turned out great I think. It hurt to see it get cut and eaten, but that's what is was made for, right? I think I slightly overestimated how big to make it. There was probably 85% of it left over. And all of that chocolately goodness had to come home with me. Talk about temptation! I could smell chocolate every time I walked by that cake. I finally got the nerve to throw it all away today. What a waste. We were able to take a few pictures before and after the wedding. I've been having a little trouble with my camera focusing properly, but here are a few of the best pics.

My poor cake!

Goofy Groom...I think Jude was a little nervous.
His hands were so cold and clammy after the wedding.

Ty took the liberty of signing his own name in the guest book.
I especially like the way he underlined it.

The Trouble with Ty

I mentioned earlier that butterflies were easier to photograph than children. That's no joke. I tried to take some pictures of Ty this weekend, and it makes me tired just thinking about it. All I wanted him to do was peek through a crape myrtle and smile pretty. Ha. First there were creepy bugs on the trees, all 12 of the trees. Then a locust shell distracted him. Of course he wanted to try to climb each of the trees to the very top. Then he was hot. Then he was tired. Then he wanted to rake a pile of leaves and jump in. Then he wanted to take off his clothes. And instead of that pretty smile I wanted, he grinned like a jack-o-lantern. Oh brother! When will I ever learn? Just take a look at some of these shots...

He's just recently started giving me the peace sign when I try to take his picture.

Finally!

Lucy - 4 months

I didn't forget Lucy's pictures this month. Which is a real accomplishment considering how busy things have been lately. This was the first time Lucy paid much attention to her doll. Once she got it in her hands it went straight to her mouth. That's been happening a lot lately. She has really started reaching and grabbing at things.

Hey good looking what's cooking?

I've been baking for Jude's and Shelley's wedding this weekend. I'm making his groom's cake - LSU theme of course. The cake is a moist, rich chocolate concoction filled with chunky-chocolate-coffee icing. All of that chocolate-y goodness will be covered in chocolate fondant. Let's just say if you don't like chocolate, you won't like this cake! Ty's been helping me with the clean-up. With him around to lick the bowls, there aren't nearly as many dishes for me to wash. Just kiddin'.

He looks like he's got a mustache in this picture.

That cake must be some kind of good!

Garden Visitors

We were outside this morning enjoying the warm sun when Ty noticed a bunch of butterflies in our garden. Ty quickly explained that these were monarch butterflies, and as far as I can tell he's right. I thought I might be able to get some good pictures of them, and I quickly discovered that butterflies are a whole lot easier to photograph than unwitting children. Ha! The butterflies, the flowers, the warm weather...made me think of spring this morning rather than fall. I hate to think that the colorful flowers and leaves will soon be giving way to bare branches, but "to everything there is a season."

Lucy, Roll Over...Again!

Lucy's at it again. This time she rolled from back to front. She's been turning onto her side from her back for a couple of weeks now, but last night she made it all the way over. Daddy was there to capture the whole thing on film. Now I've got to be extra careful about where I lay her down. Don't want her to go rolling off the bed or anything! I can't get over how much she has changed in the past 3 or 4 weeks. I told Tim it is like she just "woke up." She is noticing so much more, and now she can be entertained with toys. She has discovered her hands and is quickly learning how to use them. You can see by her expressions that she is trying to figure out how to grab things with those fingers. Lucy has also discovered her voice. I love it when she coos and "talks." She gets such a serious look on her face sometimes, like she is trying to tell you something so important. And she has started making this laughing sound. It sounds like a cross between a laugh and a cough really. It's like she gets so excited sometimes that she can't contain it, and this sound just comes out. So cute!

She stayed in this position for while. Her arm was in the way of her rolling all the way over. It took her a minute or two to figure out how to move it out of the way.

At last! She made it.

Too Cute to Spook

I don't know about ya'll, but when I was a kid all I got for Halloween was some some hard candy and gum. This year my kiddos ended up with all sorts of toys, clothes, candy (some homemade), and money! My, how things have changed. Ty had so much fun trick-or-treating, even at Aunt Michelle's haunted house. He never wanted to stay long at one place though, because he was itching to move on to the next stop. Then there was the fall festival at church last night. Ty was so dirty by the end of the evening. At one point I saw him walking around that muddy, gravel parking lot with no shoes or socks. Ouch and Yuck! I think he spent most of the night jumping and playing in the blow-up bounce houses. He looks forward to those all year. I have to say I'm glad the festival is over now. One more thing crossed off my ever-increasing to-do list.

High Flyin'

The Tool Man had to go to Shreveport yesterday, and if he's within a 30 miles radius of a Bass Pro Shop...well, let's just say it has a magnetic effect on him. The only thing that I know of that he bought was a toy airplane for Ty. (However, being that bow season is open I'm sure he came out of there with a few more purchases ;-) Anyway, when Tim got home, he and Ty assembled the plane and out the door they went. Here are a couple of pictures Tim took of Ty flying his plane. I wish I could elaborate a little more, but I was inside with little Lucy Lee. Looks like they had fun!

Ty vs. Lucy

I've been wondering how Ty and Lucy compare with their growth and development during their first year. So I got out Ty's baby book to take a look.

At birth:

Ty - 6 lbs. 9 oz., 19 inches, Hair - Not much!

Lucy - 6 lbs. 10 oz., 19.5 inches, Hair - Thick and dark

One Week:

Ty - 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Lucy - 7 lbs.

One Month :

Ty - (@ 3 weeks) 7 lbs. 10 oz., 19.75 inches, Hair - Less than before

Lucy - 9 lbs. 8 oz., 20.75 inches, Hair - still hanging on (I was scared to death it would all fall out)

Two Months:

Ty - 12 lbs. 6 oz., 22 inches, Hair - It's fading fast!

Lucy - 11 lbs. 8 oz., 21.5 inches, Hair - Wild and crazy!

Turns Tummy to Back:

Ty - 13 weeks 3 days

Lucy - 11 weeks 1 day

First Laugh:

Ty - 8 weeks

Lucy - about 10 weeks

Sleeps through Night:

Ty - 11 weeks

Lucy - 13 weeks 5 days

First Night in Own Room:

Ty - 11 weeks

Lucy - Still waiting on that room.........

Temperament:

Ty - "When I'm mad, I want everybody to know it! To calm me down, you've got to hold me, pat me, and walk around. If that doesn't work, just get Daddy to drive me around in the car at night to get me to stop screaming and go to sleep."

Lucy - "I'm nothing like my big brother. (Daddy and Mama breathe a sigh of relief.) I only fuss when I'm hungry, and even then I'm not too loud. I like to sit in my swing if Mama has something to do, and I've got a good bedtime routine...eat around 10 o'clock and lights out by 11, no questions asked."

Ty at 4 months

Lucy at 3 months