A Hot Week in Texas

Our last trip of the summer was to Texas to spend a week at Grams and Grandaddy's house on the farm.  We left Tuesday morning, August 19 and returned Tuesday evening, August 26.  Savannah had quite the list of activities that she wanted to do while there and I'm happy to say that she did them all and then some.  

all smiles after boarding the plane at RDU

of course this happens during the last 5 minutes of flight time

Both kiddos quickly adjusted to the Central time zone and even though everyone went to bed late the first night, the whole house was up bright and early Wednesday morning.  I came in from my early run to see that Savannah had already started her first craft project--painting her bird bath.  After breakfast every morning we would walk through the pasture to visit Nanny and to get some exercise by jumping on the trampoline.  Walker absolutely LOVED going to jump!  This became one of his favorite activities.    

practicing her golf swing on Grandaddy's driving range

Walker practiced a little, too

holding baby Skyler

one of the many fish Savannah caught

the Johnson Family Waterpark

On Saturday we all drove into Houston to meet up with Harlan and see his new apartment.  Of course we also had to stop by Memorial City Mall to ride the double decker carousel---a requirement for Savannah when going to Texas.  We also stopped by a snow cone stand for the kiddos to have their first real cup of shaved ice.  This turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole week.  Savannah constantly asked for the next 4 days if we could go back and find the truck.  

best snow cones EVER!

nothing like sitting on the tailgate on a hot day with a cup of ice

Harlan and Maya came out to the farm on Sunday and spent the day painting and playing with us.  We didn't get to spend as much time with Harlan as we would have liked but thankfully he is coming to Chapel Hill in October to spend a week with us.

Savannah and Harlan's artwork

waterpark time

giving Maya a bath

nightly fish feeding

swinging with Nanny

when in Texas.....

ready for her ride

she wanted to take her home with us

time to clean up after a stinky day on the farm

lots of trampoline jumping took place

Walker's new BFF, Charlie

The week quickly came to an end and it was time to head back home.  We had soooo much fun and to say that everyone was sad to come home is an understatement.  It sure would be nice if we all lived closer together or if it wasn't so expensive to fly.  Once a year visits just aren't enough.  Now it's time to get ready for the first day of school and all of our fall activities.  

WEA 20 Months

So long teen months.....Walker is now 20 months old....sniff sniff!  He really is becoming a big boy and less and less like a baby.  Makes me sooooo sad!  But I do love watching him grow, try new things, and becoming his own special little person.  

this sweet face melts my heart

What happened to all those baby rolls??!!

Walker's 20 Month Milestones/Achievements/Random tidbits: 

~his top two canine teeth have finally fully come in.

~he is wearing size 6 diapers.....I didn't even know they made size 6!!  Savannah's last size was a 5.  

~he can do a small jump and he can run, especially when being chased.  

~he is very independent when it comes to eating.  He has to feed himself or he won't eat at all.  This has made mealtimes very messy.  

~his favorites are: trains, trucks, birds, dogs, Special Agent Oso, Olaf the snowman, Mickey Mouse, cooking and kitchen tools, the books Snuggle Puppy and The Rainbow Fish, and simply playing outside.

~he loves to cuddle and give hugs and kisses.   

~he still loves to get into everything and he prefers things that are not his own.  This leads to constant fighting between him and Savannah.

~he is always getting dirty.  I don't know how it happens but as soon as he has on clean clothes and I turn my back, they're dirty again.  How does dirt just appear like that??!!

~he's still a picky little eater.  He prefers yogurt, cheese, fruit purees, hot dogs, bologna, grapes, crackers, waffles (usually multiple times a day), ice cream cones, chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, and milk.   

mowing the neighborhood

his new favorite snack: cashews

we finally found the ram at Trader Joe's!

notice something different?? I gave him a haircut!

his new buddy Jasper

playing telephone with Daddy

Surprise!!

cuddle time

at Barnes and Noble with Olaf

On Friday, August 15 I took Walker to UNC Children's Hospital to have tubes put into his ears.  He was such a trooper considering he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything until after the procedure and I had to wake him up extra early to be at the hospital by 7am.  His doctor said that his ears were some of the worst she has seen especially during the summer months.  Apparently ear infections occur mostly in the cooler months.  I didn't even know that he currently had an infection.  Poor little guy is so used to having pain in his ears that he doesn't even act differently than when he is pain-free.  I'm so glad he finally had this procedure done.  Let's hope and pray for smoother days ahead.  

waiting in the pre-op room

not happy about wearing the hospital gown

he looked so tiny

passing the time while waiting for the doctor

passed out in the recovery room

a little treat after leaving the hospital

after the procedure he had his best nap ever!

I really can't believe how fast he's growing!  And I can't believe that I'm already starting to think about his second birthday.  It's all happening way to fast!  I really do love the little toddler boy that he is becoming.  He's so funny.  He does the craziest things that just crack us all up.  He even makes himself laugh which is the funniest thing ever!  He's also so sweet.  He blows kisses and waves goodbye to any and every one.  And he's always willing to give a kiss and a hug to his family and furry four-legged friends.  And even though he's becoming more independent every day, he still prefers for me to carry him around and to hold him most of the time.  And yes he is very big and very heavy but I'll carry him for as long as he'll let me :)

Fun Times in NY

This summer is really flying by fast!  It's almost over and I still have so much to blog about.  First up is our trip to the city to hang out with the Austin family and for Oscar to race in the New York City triathlon.  

The kiddos and I flew up on Wednesday July 30th and went out to the burbs to spend a couple of days catching up with LoAn, Carter, Kieran, and Alexis.  It's amazing how quickly time passes.  The last time Savannah and I stayed at their place I was pregnant with Walker and Alexis was a little baby.  Now Alexis is a full-blown girlie girl and Walker is a little terror.  Savannah and Alexis quickly became the best of friends.  We had so much fun playing at their house, going to the beach club, and just hanging out.  

breakfast time--cereal for everyone

morning swing time

Savannah explaining shuffleboard to Alexis

sunbathing beauties

Walker helping Alexis with her hat

the brave ones heading into the freezing ocean

my little swimmer swam by herself to the platform

such cuties

heading into the city

we LOVE Central Park playgrounds

photo courtesy of Kieran

Friday after the Austin's dropped us off at our hotel we had dinner at one of our favorite family friendly spots, Hillstones.  Gosh, I really miss that place.  Soooo yummy and so easy with kids in tow.      

quick stop by Daddy's trading floor

Saturday and Sunday were spent much like every trip to NYC: morning runs in the park, the Central Park Zoo, the carousel, playgrounds, shopping, American Girl store, and yummy dinners with old friends.

feeding the goats

meeting Big Bird in the park

love these two!!

lunch at American Girl Cafe

Walker's favorite park of lunch

group shot after dinner

finishers pic

We headed back to the airport Sunday after lunch at the American Girl Cafe.  As much as I love visiting the city I think I'm ready to cut back to only one visit a year, at least until the kiddos are a little bigger.  Air travel in and out of LGA is just too exhausting for us.  It's crazy that it takes longer to travel to NYC than it does to travel to Houston.  So our next visit will be at Christmastime and there is really no amount of flight delays that can damper my mood at that time of the year.