The Percival Family

Cozy

2012-02-01T19:55:00.002-06:00

Gus, our Elf on the Shelf, gave the girls these robes for Christmas. I thought Gus was nuts spending that kind of money on a robe for the girls.

Little did I know how much they would LOVE them. If I don't have them laying out right when they get out of the bath or shower Libby heads straight for the closet and screams until I put it on.

Gus (Daddy) did good!

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

2012-01-24T12:50:00.004-06:00

On Sunday we went with the Donaho's and Parson's to the rodeo. The kids were pumped, but it's hard to take a good pic of all six. It's Libby, Gracie, Aubrey, Claire, Gus and Garrett.

Big beers for the Moms!!!

These guys had a GREAT time together. The loved watching all of the cowboys and cowgirls.

Libby did not take a nap so she was over it by the end. But she she was in awe of everything.

Afterwards we went to the carnival. Gracie was a little nervous at first but warmed up quickly. The Dads (David, Zane and Brad) even got in on the action.

All of the sights and sounds must have been too much for Libby because she still didn't fall asleep in her stroller. So we let her join the big kids on a ride.

Garrett, Gracie and Claire

After the rides we walked around to look at animals and tractors and eat fair food. :)

Libby and Gus

We had such a great time with our friends!!!

School Time

2012-01-08T11:45:00.002-06:00

After a long winter break Gracie was soooo excited to go back to school. She picked out her dress, requested pigtails and helped make her lunch.

But guess who was even MORE excited - Libby!!! Little Libby has started Mother's Day Out at St. Barnabas along with Asher, Liberty's little brother. I'm starting her 6 months earlier than Grace but her teacher said her first day went great. They said she ate all of her food (they were shocked, I was not) and slept on her nap mat (that totally shocked me).

Libby was carrying in Gracie lunchbox every day and crying when we had to leave so I figured it was time. And according to her teacher she did GREAT! Gracie is pretty excited to have her little sister down the hall.

NYE

2012-01-06T16:18:00.003-06:00

We closed out 2011 with a bang. We went out New Years Eve Eve with our buddies Debi and Zane. Linda and Bill graciously watched the girls again this year. We went to an early, fancy dinner at Grace Restaurant and then head to the Robert Earl Keen concert at Bass Hall. It was awesome, I bought tickets off of Craigslist that day and we were on the 5th row!

Here's the two party animals, Debi and Zane. We didn't take a group pic that night. :( After the concert we walked around downtown Fort Worth, had too many shots thanks to David, and then to a jazz club.

Then on New Years Eve we went to Marissa and Deedle's house with kiddos in tow. The kids were in the pjs and had a great time playing together. In there is Claire, Liberty, Garrett and Gracie.

Asher and Libby had fun too. I didn't get a pic of Aubrey or Gus, but they all went to bed around 9 or earlier.

These four did not... We had them watch a movie to quiet down.

When that didn't work we let them pop fireworks and countdown at 10pm. Smart right? Then we tried to put them all to sleep in Liberty's room.

So the adults could play games. Check out Brad's awesome 'stache!!!

The boys ready to watch the ball drop. Zane, Brad, David and Deedle.

My awesome girlfriends. Debi, Me, Marissa and Lisa.

Not pictured still awake at midnight are Gracie, Liberty and Garrett. Crazy kids!!!

Hartman Christmas

2011-12-31T17:42:00.003-06:00

After breakfast we loaded up the truck and headed to Corpus to see David's side of the family. Gracie walked right in and started opening presents. I don't have a pic of it, but Santa Nana got the girls a PowerWheels Jeep.

Helping Nana open her presents.

I think she looks so old here.

Gracie and Pa

We headed over to Dave and Beth's house for Christmas dinner and to celebrate with the rest of the Hartmans.

It was so much fun and the girls loved playing with their cousins. Heidi and Hanah were showing them how to work some of their new toys.

After dinner Gracie checked out Cameron's drum set. She was surprisingly good.

Then some of the Hartman men - Dave, Wal, Jordan and Cameron - sang Christmas songs for everyone.

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and loved seeing everyone. But after 3 hours of trying to figure out how to pack everything in the truck David declared we were staying home next year. We'll see...

Christmas Day

2011-12-31T17:27:00.003-06:00

"Santa came and look silly guy left a little bit of cookie." - Gracie. Then she noticed he left her something in her stocking.

Opening presents.

Gracie got a new doll. She loves her.

Drew, Caroline and Macy

The M&Ms came over for cinnamon rolls and a white elephant gift exchange.

Libby was my helper.

Townsend Christmas

2011-12-29T14:00:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Christmas eve with the Townsend side. For the first time in a long time the entire family was there. It was crazy but always fun. Sisters helping each other open presents.

Cousins!!! Gracie, Hannah & Libby

Me & Mom

Gracie helping Besta

Later that night we went to Paul and Nancy's newly remodeled house. MORE good food and fun. 3 Generations - Grandpa, Dad and Drew.

Gracie and Austin

Libby LOVES dogs and sweet Cocoa just sat there and let Libby poke on her.

Traditions

2011-12-28T20:44:00.005-06:00

There are a couple of things that we do each Christmas in the Valley. And making cookies with the M&Ms (Mackenzie, Matthew and Madison) is a highlight. Gracie and Gigi cut out all the cookies.

Then the M&Ms came over to decorate. Mackenzie totally won Best in Show this year. :)

Libby was more interested in eating the decorations.

So we sent her outside to play with Pop.

Santa was a lucky man.

Later that day we went to dinner with the Mark Townsend family. Usually we go to Progresso, Mexico but it's still not safe so we go to their US version in Weslaco.

Gracie was so excited to meet and play with Baby Hannah, Austin and Kelly's new little girl.

Me and Rachel.

The Pat Townsend family.

Las Islas

2011-12-28T20:15:00.004-06:00

Gracie went out to the deer lease with David and Pop for a full-on hunting adventure. Daddy bought her camo gear, new boots and found a small pair of binoculars.

She woke up at 5:30 in the morning and headed out to the blinds. David said she did great (with the help of an iPad).

Gracie was only going to stay one night, but Libby started puking so we had G stay out there three nights. I was a little worried but she told me, "Mommy I love it, I want to stay out here a MILLION years!" She got to shoot a Red Rider BB gun.

She put out corn, got to ride around in the front seat, not take showers, eat whatever she wanted. Of course she loved it!!!

But I think her happiness couldn't compare to Daddy who got a buck!

Little Lambs

2011-12-20T11:46:00.004-06:00

The girls participated in my parents church Christmas play again this year. I guess we'll blame their lack of performance on not practicing. :) They were lambs this year and looked soooo cute.

Matthew and Madison were also in the play - they did MUCH better with their parts.

The littlest lamb.

The proud Grandparents.

After church we went to Besta & Grandpa Townsend's house for Sunday lunch. Libby (and Gracie) LOVED Besta's spaghetti with homemade meatballs. Libby got to sit at the grownup table and I think everyone was shocked at how much food she can put down.

St. Barnabas Christmas Program

2011-12-18T15:55:00.002-06:00

Aunt Linda came over to help watch the girls while I was busy packing for our big trip home for Christmas. One of the things on the Advent calendar was to make cookies for our neighbors so Linda helped out with that. Gracie LOVED giving them away.

Gracie had her Christmas program at her school that night. My pictures are kinda blurry because we had to sit at the back so Miss Libby could run around. Gracie did great and sang LOUD!

The production was great and I was surprised that the kids sang over six songs.

High fives all around!!!

Santa 2011

2011-12-15T22:01:00.002-06:00

We got the girls all dressed up to visit Santa. Gracie was sooooo excited and kept telling Libby all about him. Libby, who doesn't speak that much, was actually repeating, "Santa" and "Ho ho ho" so I thought MAYBE she would be okay. When we first got there they loved playing with the snow.

Libby did okay when we first walked up to him. She looked him over and saw Gracie talking to him, but to leave my arms and sit in his lap. Well you can see how well that went.

But Gracie LOVED it. He asked her a lot of questions. She did say she wanted a new doll but couldn't think of anything else she wanted. She told him how much she likes Gus and asked him about the North Poll. He was such a great Santa!!!

Just "Pop"ping In

2011-12-14T15:17:00.002-06:00

Pop made an unexpected but of course well received trip up here last week. He drove in and got here after the girls were asleep so they were thrilled to wake up to their POP! Gracie couldn't wait to show him her decorated bike.

Libby wanted to take a spin.

The Advent calendar's to do for that day was drive around and look at Christmas lights. Once we got to the neighborhood we let the girls get out of their car seat. Don't worry we were probably only going 5mph.

And we were totally stopped when she got to do this...

Again, Libby needed a turn. Check out that outie. :)

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-08T20:59:00.003-06:00

Gracie has REALLY gotten into Christmas this year and it's my favorite time so I wanted to make the most of it. I put together a makeshift Advent calender, just 25 envelopes hung on the mantle with a fun thing to do each day. Here's just a couple things we've done.

For almost a week it was nasty and drizzly (is that a word) outside so a lot of it took place indoors. Here we are taking silly pics and pretending to be awesome helpers of Santa. Gracie was Rudolph.

Libby is a little elf.

Our first snow of the season. Turns out it was ice and Gracie slipped about a minute after this pic but wanted to be outside so bad she pretended it didn't hurt.

We made Christmas cards for the Grandparents. (And helped Daddy watch the Cowboys.)

We made a gingerbread house. Gracie was really good. I did the icing but she put all the candy on, well I might have straightened it a little.

Libby does NOT understand why she can't eat this awesome looking house!

And we can't forget Gus, our Elf on the Shelf, Gracie LOVES looking for him every morning.

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-28T21:12:00.002-06:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year at my Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill's house. There was a couple of Bleibdrey's, Sparks' and Jensen's in the mix but we still missed seeing the whole family. The uber-talented Gigi made Libby and Gracie's shirts.

Uncle Bill and Gracie carving the turkey. My girls were in HEAVEN with all of the food.

Check out that dessert spread. My Aunt Patty is well known for her amazing desserts and she, and Linda, did not disappoint.

Gracie skipped her nap that day and around 5pm I looked over and she was asleep on David. It was a great day.

Love My Girls

2011-11-23T15:42:00.003-06:00

Both girls have had a pretty nasty cold so we've been spending a lot of time together and a lot of time indoors. It's been hard at times but also pretty fun. The great thing is they have really started to play and entertain each other.

I don't know why, but when my girls get runny noses they have so much congestion that it comes out their eyes.

Our supermodel. She wants you to take her picture all the time now. She has also really started loving her balance bike and has been riding circles in our garage since the weather has been so bad. I need to get her on video and post it.

Today was finally a pretty day and the girls loved getting to play outside. I was surprised how well Libby played with the moon dough, I thought she would eat it.

Grandparent Week

2011-11-20T14:04:00.003-06:00

Gigi and Pop came up to hang with their two favorite people. I've pretty much got my folks convinced to move up here so we went to look at some land in Aledo. It's right next to some of their really good friends that moved up here. Libby loved feeding Sancho, their bull.

On Friday I headed to the Woodlands to hangout with my friends and David was in CA. I got a text with this pic from my Dad. All it said was, "No Rules".

Pop went to the SMU game with his friends while my Mom took the girls to Adrien's 4th birthday party. They had a magician and she got to play with her buddies. Gracie LOVED it.

When I got back in town we met up with my Aunt Mary and Amy & Garrett at the Arboretum. It was a beautiful day and those pumpkin houses were amazing.

Libby wanted to jump in soooo bad.

Gracie and Garrett. They loved running to all the different princess house displays around the park.

The only group pic I got - sorry for making y'all look into the sun.

Pop caught a stomach bug later that evening but was able to take his girls to see the horse and donkey the next day.

Thanks again Gigi and Pop. Can't wait for y'all to move up here!!!

Girl's Weekend

2011-11-20T13:49:00.003-06:00

This past weekend my college buddies and I finally all got together. We went to Katie's house so everyone could see her awesome new pool. Lacy's generous Dad let us use his company plane so we made it to Houston in no time. We flew out of Million Air (seriously!) in Dallas. And Lacy let me ride shotgun!!!

My super hot friends - Katie, Steffani, Me, Abbey and Lacy.

Gettin' our groove on!

The next day we did a lot of shopping and then a little hot tubbing. It was a great weekend and so nice to catch up with everyone.

Cowboys

2011-11-10T21:47:00.002-06:00

David and I took the girls to the Cowboys game this past Sunday. We sold our season ticket seats and were going to buy three seats together but ended up buying two awesome club level seats. Only problem was the girls then had to sit on our lap.

A giant vat of popcorn kept them pretty happy.

Family pic.

This is what we did most of the game.

But the Cowboys won, so it was ALL GOOD!!!

All Things Halloween

2011-11-01T12:09:00.007-05:00

Gracie had a Fall Party at her school and the kids ot to dress up. I wish I could tell you all of her classmates names but sadly I don't know them yet. I did go up to help with the party and I think all the kids had a blast.

This year Gracie dressed up as the Halloween Queen. Her costume kinda looked like a German barmaid and that just didn't fit and she loved a book from the library called The Halloween Queen so that's what we declared her. Libby was Black Swan (if she would have worn her mask) or a ballerina. She did love to twirl in her tutu.

Caroline turned 1 on Saturday and had a super fun costume party.

Saturday was also the Alana's annual Halloween bash. They go ALL OUT decorating and making it a special experience for the kids. Here's Venessa, John and pirate Heston.

David tore his ACL on Tuesday (I should do a whole post on that), and the clown asked if the crutches were a costume or for real. She decided to jazz him up a little to make it look like he got in a fight. :)

Claire and Gracie.

In an attempt to get all the little kids to sit together for a pic we gave them Cheerios. Libby made sure EVERY Cheerio was off that ground and in her mouth by the end of the party. :)

Me and my girls.

Pinata Time!!!

Libby even got a whack.

On Halloween we went over to the Donaho's for dinner and trick-or-treating. Thank goodness they invited us over or David would have had to stay home. He and Zane rigged up his lawn mower and David drove the kids around the neighborhood.

The crew - Garrett, Libby, Luke, Gracie and Carter.

Gracie and her Dadu.

Libby had a BLAST!!! No hesitation and for a baby who just learned how to walk about two months ago, she was running to keep up with the big kids. She had to carry her bucket and would not let go.

Garrett and Gracie.

Cool decorations. I didn't take any pics, but the girls also went through a Haunted Garage. David held Gracie and hobbled along. We kept telling her not to be scared and that the monsters were just people dressed up like her. I really didn't think she'd make it through but she did and she (and her parents) were very proud.

The Percival girls got a TON of candy and had a TON of fun!

Texas State Fair

2011-10-27T12:08:00.004-05:00

We took the girls to the State Fair last week and had such a great time. We went that afternoon because David had to work but both girls took a good nap so they were ready to roll! The first thing we did when we got there was get a funnel cake. This trip we tried the following FRIED things - cheeseburger, snickers, beer (awful), smore's, lemonade and David had a jalapeno stuff with cheese and dipped in chocolate!

We met up with our friends Czarina, Craig and their girl Iz. This was the first ride they rode. It looks tame while stopped, you would think it's just cars going around a track and the guy said Libby could ride even though she wasn't big enough. Well when that thing started it was crazy fast and would whip you around the turns! As you can see it looks like Gracie wants to puke. :)

It took her a while and some convincing for her to try a few more, but she did end up having a lot of fun.

Libby on the other hand wanted so badly to join her sister and ride all the big kid rides.

David had to try some games and being the awesome Daddy that he is, he won! Gracie got to pick her prize and of course choose the biggest one!

After we rode the GIGANTIC ferris wheel. I wish we had gotten a shot in it or a view from the top, but I were trying to hold on to crazy Libby. She would climb up and stare over the edge and try to shake open the door. Gracie was cozy in her Daddy's arms.

Big Tex!

We walked around a little more and then let the girls dance to one of the bands at Center Stage. I don't remember their name, but it was led by two sisters.

Then we went to the petting zoo.

Libby was soooo excited to see all the animals she had only seen in books.

Such a fun time with our girls!!!

Fire Station No. 9

2011-10-20T10:46:00.004-05:00

The girls and I got to visit Arlington's Fire Station #9 this week. It was so cool and I really didn't realize how BIG those trucks are.

Libby and Aubrey had fun playing together.

Heston, Garrett and Gracie.

The guys even let the kids work the fire hose. I wanted to try it so bad!

Buddies!!! Gracie has missed Claire so much since she goes to a new school now and the hug they gave each other was precious when they first saw each other.

We made oatmeal cookies and Gracie decided this was the firefighter to give them to.

Pumpkin Patching

2011-10-15T11:19:00.007-05:00

We've hit up a couple of pumpkin patches with our friends this week. The weather is still HOT, but it's beginning to look like fall in our house with all our newly acquired pumpkins. It's pretty much impossible to get Libby to stay still for a pic with her sister.

One of the pumpkins Gracie handpicked to bring home.

Gracie wore this shirt three years ago at the same pumpkin patch, it was a little small but still pretty cute. She also let me put piggys in for the first time!!!

Gracie with her buddies - Liberty, Morgan and Isabelle.

Me and my my lil' pumpkins. :)

Yesterday we went to pick our own pumpkins at Gnismer Farms. So cool! First we rode around the farm behind the tractor to scope out the pumpkins.

Asher and Libby hanging out in the stroller while Marissa and I were knee deep in the patch searching for the elusive white pumpkin. We seriously scoured the entire patch (in flip flops) but didn't find one. We did find some other really cool ones though.

Not the best pic but it was so fun to see all of our friends.

Here's our haul from both pumpkin patches. I really love all the different colors and sizes.

San Fran

2011-10-12T20:55:00.002-05:00

David has been going out to California A LOT so I decided to join him on his latest trip to San Francisco. He had to work in Los Gatos on that Friday so after he was done we took an awesome drive up Highway 1. We stopped in Half Moon Bay for a late lunch and then just sat back and enjoyed the view!

Then we headed to our favorite place the Buena Vista for Irish Coffees. This guy has been there forever! It was great, but wasn't the same without Pop!

I didn't take too many pictures. David had to work and I read an entire book and took a lot of walks. It was so nice not having to tend to the needs to my two precious angels. :) We ate some amazing meals and even went out for drinks one night and listened to jazz.

It was Fleet Week in SF and we got to watch it from Sausalito. We also saw a ton of sailors around the city - they were all short!

I also want to thank Gigi who braved the girls by herself for 5 days! Plus cleaned my house and washed my clothes. Seriously, when are you moving up?!?!

Girls Weekend

2011-10-06T11:25:00.004-05:00

I was lucky enough to be invited on a girl's weekend with some new ladies. Here's me, Venessa and Debi. Debi has an awesome group of friends and they get together at Juniper Hills Farm outside of Austin. It's kinda like a B&B but this one involved a gourmet cooking class.

Enjoying the appetizer of Mediterranean shrimp on toast with goat cheese.

The full meal we prepared was roasted tenderloin with a TO DIE FOR blue cheese sauce, roasted squash risotto, green beans with sauteed fennel, asparagus with pancetta. It was amazing!!! And the company was great too. I couldn't find my camera the next day but we laid out and grilled by an amazing infinity edge pool and then had another great meal in Dripping Springs. It was so nice just to relax and if my allergies hadn't been acting up it would have been perfect!

Before we went home on Sunday I met up with my buddies in Austin. Here's Libby and Eleanor - I can't wait to see these two play together when we have more time.

The three older ones had a blast playing together. Rush, Gracie and Collin.

The gang minus Katie and Annemarie. Lacy, Collin, Abbey, Gracie, me, Libby, Rush, Steffani and Eleanor.

What's Going On?

2011-09-26T16:36:00.006-05:00

Just a few snapshots of what we've been up to. You won't see David in any of these because he's been a traveling fool!
I went to see my bestie Katie and we partied like it was 2000. Seriously! Her Dad dropped us off at the bars after we put the girls to bed and we danced the night away. Oh wait, we got there at 8:30 because we're old and took a cab home at midnight. But it was AWESOME!

Then the for the whole time the next day we swam in their super swanky new pool. Annemarie is a little fish! Hopefully Gracie will be next summer.

More soccer. Gracie's ball is red.

Cool Cat Libby

Allergies have been kicking my butt (actually all of ours but mine pretty bad) so the girls were playing nicely in the bathroom together so I decided to lay down in my bed. Well it was quiet a little too long and this is what I found. Gracie might have a career in hairdressing.

She looks sweet here. I probably should have posted the pic I have of her pouting. That's more in alignment of what goes on nowadays. The amount of whine in our house is insane and I don't mean the kind you can drink.

They LOVE playing in the sandbox. Doesn't Libby look sooooo old here!?

You're looking at our new home. NOT. My Aunt Linda took me and the girls on the tour of homes and I fell in love. If anyone is hiring part time with a huge salary, I'm your girl. I want to build a house so bad.

G & L - A comparison

2011-09-25T12:10:00.004-05:00

Gracie at almost 12 months.

Libby at a little over 13 months.

I loved this outfit! So do they look like sisters?

Gracie's Goings-On

2011-09-18T10:10:00.005-05:00

Gracie has been a busy bee over these last couple of months trying out new things. I joined a new gym and they gave me "bucks" to spend so Gracie and her buddy Liberty did swim lessons for 2 months on Mondays. Gracie did pretty good but next summer I think we need a class that's every day or something b/c she would forget by the next week.

The first day she jumped right in the pool and I almost had to rescue her b/c the instructor was at the other end with Liberty. But at the end she didn't want to jump, put her head under, anything really. I hope it's better next summer because her Daddy is ready for a swimmer. :)

Gracie was invited by her friend Morgan to go to a ballet class with her. She was SOOOOO excited! I didn't want to buy the outfit for one class so Gracie wore her swimsuit. We tried to put her very fine hair in a bun and did a little bit of practicing before we left.

She enjoyed the class but was not so graceful. :) She would skip instead of glide, jump instead of plie. I think we might try a gymnastics class...

And finally we have soccer. Gracie has been playing in the backyard with her Daddy for quite some time so when he buddy Morgan told us about a soccer league we had to try it out. The girls practice for 30 minutes and then play for 30 minutes for five Saturdays. Gracie did awesome on all of the drills and was having a great time. Here she is with her teammates.

So excited and happy when we first got there.

Then it was game time. The kids took a little break before they played some parents brought out snacks - well it was game over after that. She wasn't really interested in playing any more or might have been a bit intimidated because they were playing a boys team, but she just wasn't participating. I think David was a little sad about this but she did start playing the last part of the game. Hopefully next Saturday will go better. I'll post some video of her soon.

Libby's Toddling

2011-09-08T17:23:00.003-05:00

Libby has been taking 2 steps and then dropping to the ground and crawling for almost a month. But to be "officially" walking I think the rule is 5 steps. She's done it a few times this week, but today I think she (finally) realized it's not that scary.

And she has a great cheering section in Gracie!!!

I might have to soon accept she's not a baby anymore. I'm so proud but sad. :(

Molars

2011-09-06T13:42:00.002-05:00

Molars = Make Ordinary Libby Appear Really Schizophrenic

My normally sweet smiley Libby has been having a rough couple of weeks. She hasn't been sleeping well, is cranky, always wanting her blanket and pacifier and just kinda seems unhappy. Her temper that I mentioned before is in full effect and she now slams her head into the ground when she doesn't get what she wants. You can see two of the three bruises she currently has on her forehead.

I thought it might be teeth and kept rubbing next to her two bottom teeth but could feel nothing coming in. My Mom got brave one day and rubbed up top and found that two molars were peaking through and two more are about to on the bottom.

As much as I hate to see her in pain, I sure do hope all these teeth fully come in fast and hard and we can have our fun loving Lou Lou back. :)

Preschool

2011-09-03T14:34:00.002-05:00

Gracie started preschool at a new school, St. Barnabas, this week. She will be going three days a week and Friday is math, science, computer and Spanish which I think is super cool. Her class size is bigger and she has two teachers. She is still going with her buddy Liberty, but Claire switched to a school at her church. The three amigos were broken up. :(

Gracie was so excited to go - I think she was pretty bored at home and tired of the heat. She had a meet the teacher the night before and cried when we had to leave because she wanted to stay. And the next day she marched right in and I had to ask for a hug and kiss. Our girl is growing up!

Garrett's Birthday Party

2011-08-31T13:08:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Garrett's 3rd birthday at the Texas Ranger's stadium. It was such a cool place to have a party and the kids had a blast.

Gracie eating cake with her besties Claire and Liberty.

Libby was trying to catch some balls in the outfield.

Gracie with her first at-bat. I don't think David has ever taught her how to do this, and I know I haven't, so she struggled a little but then did great!

We then went on an all access tour of the stadium. Garrett telling the press what it feels like to turn 3. :)

Gracie and Ausley on the field.

David had a fantasy football draft, but I had a great (hot) time with my girls. Here we are in the dugout. Thanks Donaho's for a great day!

Nana & Grams

2011-08-30T11:45:00.003-05:00

Nana and Grams came in last week to celebrate Libby's 1st birthday. We had a great time playing at the house and catching up. I tried to take a photo of Nana a couple of different times but she refused. Bad Nana. :) And I'm upset that we didn't video her in the shot you see below. She was doing a puppet show with "Elsie the Cow". It was hilarious and the girls loved it.

Libby's chocolate "watermelon" cake. Yum.

Grams and her girls. Grams is a great grandmother but you would think she's a 20-year-old the way she can keep up and play with them. I think her arms might have been sore though when she got home. :)

The Art of the Oreo

2011-08-25T11:34:00.005-05:00

I sent David to the grocery store with the girls for (20 minutes of peace) milk and trash bags. An hour later he comes in with bags of who knows what and a super excited 3-year-old.

I guess they went down the cookie aisle and David found the Oreos and realized he had never taught his daughter the fine art of dunking an Oreo.

"Don't put it too far in the glass of milk."

The glorious first bite.

I think she likes it...

Libby - One Year Old

2011-08-14T16:04:00.004-05:00

I CAN NOT believe Libby is one year old. I thought time flew by with Gracie but it was nothing compared to how fast this last year has gone. I can still so vividly remember sitting in the NICU with her and having her fall asleep on my chest as a newborn.

Libby is such an awesome little lady. I'm still calling her a baby since she can't walk or toddle yet. She just doesn't have any real interest in it. I try to walk with her or get her to walk with her toys but she just drops to the ground and crawls away. She does however climb up every thing. We've found her on the top of the stairs several times. She has no fear with that. Her Townsend temper is in full swing and she loves to throw her head back and scream.

She has perfected her fake laugh and also does this inhale noise like she's saying "eeeee" that is totally hilarious. Her unofficial measurements since I haven't had an appt yet is 19lbs 14oz and 29.75in (I think).

I think I've mentioned it before, but Libby loves to eat! We went to Chuy's for her birthday dinner and girlfriend couldn't get the beans in her mouth fast enough. Instead of the sign for "more" that I'm trying to teach her, she sticks out her hands and twists her wrist and grunts until you throw more food at her.

Libby's got her "B's" down pat. She can call out "ba" for ball, book, baby, bear, blanket, and balloon. She absolutely loves her blanket and is getting more attached to her pacifier (great). She also loves to cuddle with her baby.
Just a video of our silly Libby.

Libby's Birthday Extravaganza

2011-08-14T10:59:00.008-05:00

For Libby's 1st birthday we invited her and Gracie's friends and our family over for a special carnival.

The whole house was set up with games. We had a bean bag toss, duck pond, photo station, and ring toss. The kids collected tickets and won prizes at the end of the party.

The girls with their Pop.

The desserts were under the big top.

The awesome clown cake made by Gigi.

The big kids decorated party hats when they first got there and Libby and Asher tried to get in on the action.

Gracie the Lion and Iz the Clown

My super awesome helpers Madison and Matthew. They were so great with all the kids and even better with Gracie and Libby all week. I think they played hide-n-seek a million times!

Morgan, Aubrey, Gracie and Claire at the Duck Pond.

Adrien and Joanne

The ONLY pic I have of Gigi. Probably because she was doing something else for me! I don't even know how to thank you enough Mom. I get a crazy idea for a party in my head and you literally bring it to life, and even better than I imagine it.

We had a fun hot dog station and drink table and I forgot to take pics of those. :( But after a quick lunch we sang to Libby and watched her dig into cake. It was very hard for big sis to wait for a cupcake.

I *think* she liked it!

After everyone went home we opened presents. She got some wonderful things - thanks friends and family! Oh, and Libby's dress was made by Gigi!

David and I have loved every minute of this last year with Libby. Happy Birthday Lou Lou!

Gone Gracie Gone

2011-08-09T21:35:00.004-05:00

Gracie spent a whole week at Camp Gigi-Pop ALL BY HERSELF! She made the trip down to the Valley with the M&M's. Mackenzie was doing college tours up here - I can't believe she's so old. My Mom is in charge of her church's Vacation Bible School and has always wanted Gracie to go. It was perfect timing for her to go down, give me some quality time with Libby and Gracie a little undivided attention from family down there.
Enjoying that attention from Pop!

Chef Gracie

Gigi and Gracie's cupcake creations. My Mom told her what a good girl she was all week. She responded, "yes, I haven't whined or cried at all." (Why, oh why, can't she do that here!?!)

She had already gone to VBS at our church up here and it was the same theme, Pandamania, so she loved getting to sing all of the songs again. She would ask to watch the DVD my Mom had of all the music and would sing along.

On Sunday they performed in front of everyone at church and she did great. You can also see Madison in this pic. My Mom appreciated all of the help from the M&Ms.

My Mom, Gracie and Madison drove up together and we're making some big preparations for Libby's birthday this Friday.

Slip-n-Sliiiiiiiiiiiiide

2011-07-17T15:16:00.002-05:00

Nana bought Gracie a slip-n-slide last summer but she wasn't quite old enough to enjoy it. She didn't grasp the concept this year either until Daddy showed her how its done.

And then she couldn't get enough.

Libby had to get in on the action as well.

It's been over 100 for 15 days now so I think they just both loved being outside and not sweating to death.

We had such a great day with our girls.

Libby - Eleven Months Old

2011-07-13T17:20:00.002-05:00

I'm so not ready for this to be Libby's last month as a baby. She's a momma's girl and loves to snuggle. She clocks in this month at 20lbs 6oz and 29.5in long. She gained almost 2 pounds in a month!!! Girlfriend loves to eat and takes after her big sister in the eating department. She shovels it in as fast as she can and will then scream for more.

Libby adores stuffed animals and just giggles so loud when they "get" her. I'm pretty sure she calls out bear or baa for every animal. She has also started climbing on everything. Libby has really started to imitate (especially Gracie)- tries to draw, read books, talk on the phone, brush her teeth.

This is not a new thing this month but I don't think I've ever mentioned it. Libby is OBSESSED with hair. She plays with it while nursing, whenever I hold her she will yank at my ponytail, and my Dad even said she grabbed his chest hair while we were at the beach!

Sisters

2011-07-10T15:25:00.006-05:00

The bond they share is pretty amazing. I had some pics from our recent beach trip of the girls and the smile they give each other is just so amazing. It got me looking back though all my photos.

I can't wait to see how their relationship develops!

4th of July at SPI

2011-07-07T11:32:00.002-05:00

We headed down to spend the 4th of July with most of the Sparks family at South Padre. It was Libby's first time to go to the beach and at first she did NOT like it. This is where she wanted to spend her time - held by Pop.

Gracie on the other hand just dove right in. She had a blast playing with Madison and Matthew.

Marnee was sharing fashion tips with her goddaughter. :)

By the 2nd day, and after a good nap, Libby enjoyed the beach a lot more - crawling all over the place, eating sand and putting her feet in the water.

Madison and the girls.

There was tons of kites being flown and all by this one guy, "krazy kite guy" as we called him. The one kite was HUGE and he just kept pulling out more and more.

Of course David had to get his Gracie a new one and they loved flying it together.

Gigi keeping her towhead Libby out of the sun. Thanks Mom, Dad and Rene for watching the girls in the condo so David and I could have uninterrupted fun in the sun!

We had a great meal on the 4th overlooking the bay with my parents and Marnee. Then we headed outside to watch a huge firework show. Gracie also got to do sparklers with her Daddy and Pop. It was a fantastic weekend.

Spaghetti Night

2011-06-29T13:22:00.002-05:00

Last night was spaghetti night at the Percival house and the first time for Libby to try it. She loved it! This girl loves to eat just like her big sister.

Gracie proclaimed that I'm a great chef.

She even figured out how to slurp it in. Thank goodness we stripped her down before she started eating.

Spaghetti Face!!!

Libby's Crawling

2011-06-28T13:18:00.002-05:00

Just a few action shots of our now highly mobile baby!!!

Please excuse the dirty floors. :)

She loves chasing after Gracie.

Next step is teaching her to go backwards down the stairs so I don't have to follow her around constantly.

Gracie's School Photos

2011-06-25T15:01:00.003-05:00

I've never had professional shots of either girl taken so when I saw the proofs from her school photos and they were pretty good I just had to buy them. I have no idea how the photographer got her to sit and smile like this, but I love it!

These were taken back in April and I think she just looks sooo old now.

Her classmates: (back row) Logan, Isiah, Claire and Isabelle
(front row) Ms. Jenna, Gracie, Liberty and Lola.

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-22T12:12:00.003-05:00

David had to work in Houston this weekend and his Father's Day wish was to have his family there so we packed up the girls and headed to H-town. Both he and I had to help the Houston rep, Nate, at the conference on Saturday so we called in "Super Nanny" (Gigi) to help with the girls.

I got to go to two fancy dinners to help entertain doctors and one night our buddies Katie and Chad got to tag along. Driving around Houston Katie and I relived the glory days before kids. :)

Chad, Nate and David with our gigantic sushi boat!

David's father's day wish was to hang out at the Hotel ZaZa pool. It was a great day and the girls loved playing in the pool with their Dadu. (Libby just didn't like going under water.)

Nate with his daughter Paige and David and Gracie. The guys tried to get the girls to have a chicken fight - they were a little too young.

And my Mom will hate this pic but it sooo accurately describes the weekend. Trying to get the girls to nap or sleep well is impossible in a hotel. But Gigi thank you so much for coming in last minute and watching them, I know David appreciated it and the girls loved seeing you!!! I Love you Mom.

Libby - Ten Months Old

2011-06-12T15:12:00.007-05:00

Libby hit double digits this month - the big 1 - 0. Her biggest accomplishment this month was crawling! She started in a hotel room at Bryan and Amy's wedding, I guess she just needed a large audience. She's also been pulling up on everything and starting to cruise. She does prefer falling on her butt and then crawling.
Libby's temper has also emerged. If you don't do what she wants she will scream and cry. She's also started biting, mainly to defend herself against Gracie and now has two more teeth up top. Her allergies have really been bothering her and we're going to have some tests run. Libby actually lost some weight this month, I guess from the crawling, and came in at 18lbs 8oz and 29in.

Some of the things that Libby loves to do is blow raspberries on you and is so proud when she gets that toot sound. She loves to open and close things, wave hi and bye and dance.
I've been trying to teach her how to blow kisses but she prefers to stick out her tongue!

Family Photos

2011-06-12T15:02:00.003-05:00

Ken and Patty are both amazing photographers and had a great idea to take a fun family pic. Here's Libby and Caroline playing before. They are three months apart and it's going to be great watching them grow up.

John Marshall and Gracie banging on the piano.

Libby just would NOT look at the camera.

Gigi & Pop

Almost the whole family. We were missing Rene and Marnee. :(

What our family is really like...

Weimer, TX

2011-06-12T14:06:00.009-05:00

After Bryan and Amy's wedding we headed to my Uncle Ken and Aunt Patty's ranch for a Sparks family reunion since most of the family was already together.
Where the adults hung out:

Where the kids hung out:

Gracie is a little nervous about swimming in the big pool so she loved getting to splash in the baby one.

Bathing Beauty

After swimming we went down to the pond to fish. David teaching his daughter the finer points of fishing.

Gracie (or David) caught a few of these little guys. We threw them back so hopefully they'll be bigger next summer.

We celebrated Matthew, Caroline and Tyler's birthdays. Three different cakes - Gracie was in heaven.

We also threw a surprise "Stock the Garage (with your old junk)" party for Bryan and Amy. The newlyweds just bought a new house so seemed to appreciate the gesture...

Gracie and John Marshall had a GREAT time playing with each other. I wish we had this much land and could just tell Gracie to take off.

After a long day there's nothing better than a wagon ride with your sister!

This was the last stop on the girls and my road trip. We logged in over 1,430 miles in 13 days.

Bryan & Amy's Wedding

2011-06-09T11:07:00.006-05:00

My crazy cousin Bryan married the awesome Amy this weekend. It was a great wedding that started off with a super fun rehearsal dinner. Me and my cousin Marnee.

There was a ton of toasts and funny stories told that night. I'm sure Amy's family and friends were just slightly worried for her. :)

Drew, Matthew, Me, Mackenzie and Caroline.

Pretty good family pic with everyone looking spiffy. Drew was one of the best men and David a groomsman.

Gracie could NOT wait to eat cake. She said when we drove up, "I can smell the cake and it smells GOOD!" Both cakes were incredible.

The gorgeous bride and handsome groom. If only I had video of Bryan's vows - they were two typed pages long, hilarious and loving all at the same time.

Gracie's favorite peeps at the party - the M&Ms!!!

Libby partied HARD and crashed at the reception!

More Corpus Fun

2011-05-31T21:26:00.006-05:00

Libby getting a bath. Nana said all of the grandkids have been bathed in this sink. Libby started to get sick that night, running fever and sleeping a lot.

We took Libby to the doctor the next day and got some medicine. After that we had to check out Sammy and Tara's new house. It's really a dream house. Heidi and Gracie became fast friends.

Sick Libby

Gracie was soooo excited to see the horses.

Hanah had a softball game that night so we missed seeing her but I know Gracie wants to ride with her next time.

Hanging out with Pa.

I forgot the girls bathing suits but that didn't stop them from cooling of in this crazy heat.

We had such a great time and can't wait to go back with Daddy.

Corpus Fun

2011-05-31T21:02:00.004-05:00

The girls and I made a trip to Corpus to hang out with the Nana and Pa. We had such a great time. The first day we were there we went to Cameron's baseball game.

Gracie wanted to go all the way to the TOP!

Gracie loved watching Cameron but this is as close to him as she would get. She said he was dirty and stinky. :)

The next day we went to the Texas State Aquarium with Cameron, Jordan and his girlfriend Kayla. They were so awesome with the girls.

Libby coming face-to-face with a shark.

Me and my girls!

Gracie's Year End Program

2011-05-29T09:15:00.003-05:00

Gracie just finished up her "school" year at Holy Cross. She loves getting to play with her friends and adored her teacher Miss Jenna. We have a three week break and them she's back there for the last time this summer before switching schools.

Here are her classmates. Claire and Liberty are to the right of the boys but out of the pic then there's Logan, Isiah, Gracie, Lola and Isabelle. The rest of the kids are in the younger class.

During the slide show presentation David just about had a heart attack because we could see Gracie in the front row with her arm around Logan kissing him. Gigi and Pop were in town and loved watching Gracie perform.

Drew and Caroline

2011-05-29T09:05:00.002-05:00

This pic is for Drew and Caroline who say they check the blog ALL THE TIME but hardly ever comment. I LOVE comments, I need comments, so folks if you love the blog leave some comments!!!!!!!

Libby Loves Lamb

2011-05-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

Chops that is!

David was putting little pieces on her tray but couldn't get them to her fast enough so he just handed her a bone.

Savoring the flavor.

Libby is getting her 3rd and 4th tooth up top so I imagine gnawing on the bone felt pretty good too.

I think we have another good eater on our hands.

Libby - Nine Months Old

2011-05-14T15:33:00.002-05:00

Oh Libby, you're getting to be such a big girl 19lbs 4oz and 28in to be exact. You still haven't mastered that crawling thing but you S-T-R-E-T-C-H and ooch sitting up until you get that toy I put just out of your reach. You also get pretty frustrated and push yourself back which makes you even more mad. You have started to pull up and you love to stand but still need help most of the time. You got in your two top teeth and boy do they have a huge gap between them. With those two new chompers we've started to give you more table food and you love it.

Lib you are such a happy baby. You have started to laugh at random things and will babble and then laugh again. You look at the people next to you and expect them to laugh at your joke. I think you're going to be such a ham. You LOVE your blanket and squeal with delight when you see your sister's green one. You started saying Mama (woo hoo) and yaya and then just random chatter.

Here's an example of how she will stretch her body to get a toy - and yes her thigh looks huge. :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!!! We celebrated Mother's Day with The Donahos at Joe T. Garcias. It was a beautiful day and everyone must have had the same idea because we waited for over an hour - good thing they let you drink in line. :)

The one who made me a Mommy.

The one who finally said Mama!!!

Rangers Game

2011-05-03T11:09:00.004-05:00

I got a call from my friend Lisa inviting us to a Texas Rangers day game. Her hubby Brad called and told her to get Claire out of school and since he and David had talked about taking the girls they wanted us to go too.
The girls standing against the wall to see if we had to pay for their ticket. We kept telling Claire to squat. :)

It was a beautiful day and the girls loved sharing an ICEE.

The whole gang.

They have a fun section for kids. I think the next thing David will have to teach Gracie is how to hit a ball.

Libby was ready for a nap but she and Aubrey did great. We did have to move seats to find a little bit of shade but all in all it was a fun day. Too bad Lisa and I weren't sure if there was even a game going on...

Easter Eggstravaganza

2011-04-25T14:22:00.005-05:00

Get ready for a HUGE Easter post...

Gracie had the first of four egg hunts at her school. It's not the best pic but I want to point out how many eggs she had in her basket. Gracie is strangely shy at school and I was afraid she wouldn't go after any eggs. I told David this and so he made her practice by hiding eggs around the house and chanting, "Be Aggressive..." while she hunted. David even went up to the school to cheer her on. :)

Instead of dying eggs we dyed cookies! Nana had given Gracie this cool cookie kit so we made some Easter cookies for a party with her friends the next day.

On Friday we went to that party at Debi's house for a huge Easter egg hunt. She has the perfect backyard for this.

Later that afternoon we went to the mall for pics with the Easter Bunny. We usually go to a different (nicer) mall but when you wait till the last minute you go to the one 5 minutes from your house.

They both did great. David almost made them take the shots again because he thought the bunny's dress is showing a little too much on top. :)

On Sunday morning David was entertaining Libby as Gracie raced around the backyard finding eggs. She was a great big sister and gave Libby some.

Libby with some cascarones confetti in her hair.

Me and my girls!

We then headed over to Linda and Bill's with half of the Sparks family for brunch. The food was incredible as always. And Gracie had her final hunt of the year.

The cousins - John Marshall, Caroline, Gracie and Libby

Libby - Eight Months Old

2011-04-21T14:59:00.005-05:00

I know this post is a little late but Libby has been sick as you can probably tell in her photo. She started running fever before we left for Cabo, got better and then it came back. The doc said she just had a virus. Speaking of Cabo, it was the first time I was away from Libby my parents got to see how stubborn she is. She stopped taking a bottle around three months old and we figured 5 days without me she would FOR SURE take a bottle. Nope, nada, not going to happen. She did drink about 8oz of soy formula from a sippy cup and ate a ton of baby food. This month Libby weighed 18lbs 1oz and is 27in long.

She pat-a-cakes and "sings" with you. Libby loves it when you sing Itsy Bisty Spider and ABCs and will clap for you at the end. She also likes to move when music is playing. I'll try to get video of it. Libby started saying Dada and baba. Still no crawling or even attempts but she is trying to pull herself up but still needs help. All in good time. :)

And yes, Gigi made this dress and a matching one for Gracie. Thanks!

Cabo!!!

2011-04-17T10:26:00.003-05:00

David and I got to spend 5 days at the One and Only Palmilla thanks to his hard work and Sciton. He was #2 in the company last year and the top 3 reps got to go. I honestly don't know who was more excited - I hadn't spent a night away from the girls since Libby was born and I NEEDED a vacation.
The resort was amazing, the weather was perfect, the company was great. We had the best time!

The "Top Dogs" at Sciton - Steve, Will, Bob (Pops) and David enjoying some tequila poolside.

We had some absolutely delicious meals in Cabo. One night we went to a place that doesn't even have a menu, they just ask how many courses you want.

Cabo's whale watching season is from December to March but we actually saw a lot. It was so cool to see them jump and play.

This is basically what we did all day - well not get our feet rubbed - but lounged and just relaxed. This resort's level of service was insane. You pick your chair and someone runs over to lay a towel down and bring you a cushion for under your knees. They bring water and a cooling spray. You can request these 15 minute foot massages. Every once in a while someone will come spray you with oxygen to refresh you. If you're getting too much sun they set up your umbrella. A girl could get used to that...

Pretending like we were on our 2nd honeymoon. :)

We tried Stand Up Paddling with Will one day. We went all the way out where the we saw whales but unfortunately (or fortunately) we did not see any. It is not as easy as it looks and that water was cold.

Racing to shore - Will won and David fell about 5 times. :)

We went into Cabo San Lucas one day. The boys enjoying MORE tequila at the self-proclaimed "World's Smallest Bar."

We took an impromptu sunset cruise. I HAD to see El Arco or this arch you see behind us. It's where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific. David and I agreed it was the favorite part of the trip. (Just don't let the boys who've been drinking tequila all day pay.)

Fun Friend Weekend

2011-04-05T20:46:00.003-05:00

The girls and I had a super fun weekend with our friends (David had to work at a conference). Saturday night the Moms went to Czarina's grand opening of Zen Baking Co. in Deep Ellum. It was awesome!!! Czarina and her sister have poured their heart into this place so if you're in Dallas go check it out.
In front of the media wall - Joanne, Me, Czarina, Marissa and Lisa.

The next day we went to a BBQ at the Parsons. Brad built an incredible playhouse for his girls. You need to check our their blog for a better pic.

It was a great day and fun to see some friends we hadn't seen in a while.

A pic of almost all the kids.

Asher and Libby

We've found such a great group of friends up here!!!

Spring Break in Arkansas

2011-03-22T12:52:00.003-05:00

Gracie had a week off from school so David took a couple of days off and we traveled to Mountain Home, AR to visit his Grandma and Uncle and Aunt. His Grandma had recently moved back and we wanted to check out her new place. David and I made this spring break trip exactly 9 years ago. Mountain Home is almost at the top of the state and as the name suggests, it's up in the mountains. It really is a beautiful part of the country.
Our first full day there we checked out a fish hatchery. Gracie was telling Grams, "The fish are THIS big!" She ran up and down the aisles. The fish got smaller the further back you got and we even saw millions of minnows in a building.

We had a picnic down by the river and watched other people fish. I know David can't wait to take the girls back when they're a little older and go fishing with them.

Grams was determined to get Lazy Libby crawling. It didn't happen but Libby did enjoy tummy time for longer than 5 minutes because of the soft carpeting.

Sitting in front of some buffalo!

We spent one day hanging out at Steve and Elena's house. It's right on the river and so beautiful. Uncle Steve and Daddy tried to teach Gracie how to skip rocks.

David hugging Gracie after she threw the coolest rock we found into the river.

Family pic. :)

We were all hanging out after a great dinner and I propped Libby up on this cool table. Well she decided she liked standing and do so for a LONG time. We were all impressed.

Libby - Seven Months Old

2011-03-12T11:13:00.005-06:00

Libby is now into the 2nd half of the first year of her life. She's getting so big and is now 18lbs and 27in. She's eating baby food three times a day now and we've discovered she's allergic to bananas. I never had to follow the three day rule with Gracie but it seems like Libby is pretty sensitive to stuff so I'll have to proceed with caution. And you might be able to see her two bottom teeth in that picture. We also started to give her Puffs. It was hilarious to watch those first few times, but now she's got the whole pincher grasp down. Libby reaches and grabs for EVERYTHING. She's like a Ninga, you think you've moved stuff out of her reach but she manages to get it. And it's only from the sitting position. Girlfriend still hates to be on her stomach. I try to lay her down to encourage scooting or just pushing up but she just screams. And one month shy of her 7 month mark she started saying, "Ya Ya" or Dada (if you ask David).

My blue-eyed girl. Her hair is long enough to put in a clip but it's so fine it doesn't really stay in.

This is what our photo shoots really look like. :)

Green Bean : A Retrospective

2011-03-09T21:14:00.002-06:00

Gracie - 5 Months Old, 2008

Libby - 6 Months Old, 2011

Slumber Party

2011-03-07T10:32:00.003-06:00

Gracie hosted her first slumber party at the house this weekend. Her best buddy Claire came to spend the night. They both kept asking about Liberty so I think I'm going to have to buy a twin blow up bed for next time.
We all ate dinner together and after a little playing the girls got to make hot chocolate. I probably should have given them the marshmallows after we made it. Don't worry they got more.

David added the whipped cream and chocolate swirl. They LOVED it! But the crazy girls drank it with a spoon. I guess they were savoring each sip.

After some books we tucked the girls in and headed downstairs to hear the girls gossip. We were so excited because when Gracie spent the night at Claire's the girls talked about all sorts of funny stuff. No such luck tonight, Gracie decided that she wanted to cry and say that she was scared. We finally figured out that it was because we moved her night light to make room for Claire's bed.

The girls woke up bright and early and read each other books and did talk about silly things. It was so much fun to listen to them over the monitor. They even told each other, "I love you!" Then we had the whole Parsons family over for chocolate chip pancakes.

We can't wait to do it again.

Party Time

2011-03-01T16:30:00.004-06:00

We had a family BBQ the day before Gracie's birthday. It was such a nice day outside so the kids got to play and the grown ups catch up. We also put the men to work setting up Gracie's new picnic table.

My Aunt Linda, dessert maker extraordinaire, offered to make Gracie's cake. It was an incredible dark chocolate cherry cake. And I wish I had a pic from the cookbook but it look exactly like it. SOOOOO good!!!!

Wake up 3 year old!

She was so excited to open all of her presents.

On her birthday we invited her bestest buddies for a little party. The kids made their own pizzas and played while they baked in the oven.

Aubrey and Libby gossiping about the older kids.

Then the kids decorated sugar cookies. Liberty and Morgan LOVED all the different sprinkles!

Adrien, Garrett, Claire and Gracie liked using LOTS of frosting. :)

Gracie's big thing for her 3rd birthday was that she got to chew gum. At some point in her young life I told her she couldn't chew gum until she was three. Don't ask me why I picked that age or even when I told her. But soon she was telling friends and then asking every day when it was time to chew gum. So the girl HAD to have a gumball cake! Gigi did such a great job making it.

Mommy, Daddy and Libby love you and hope you had the best birthday ever!!!!!

Gracie is THREE!!!

2011-02-25T15:42:00.003-06:00

Our Gracie girl is a three years old! Does that technically make her a kid now?

Three Things about My Three Year Old:

A Foodie - The first thing our of Gracie's mouth in the morning is, "What's for breakfast?" Then five minutes after breakfast she's ready for a snack. It goes on like this ALL DAY LONG. It drives me batty, but she is such a good eater. She will try anything as long as it's not spicy. She also loves to help me in the kitchen. She has a stool that pulls right up to the island and is an expert stirrer. She also loves to play in her little kitchen and is now obsessed with what Libby eats.

Intelligent - Gracie has always had a good vocabulary but she can seriously have conversations with adults. She conjugates and will really listen if I do correct her on something and won't make that mistake again. Gracie also has a memory like an elephant. (Just ask her about Mommy's car blowing up at Fuzzy's Tacos.) Gracie will obsess over something until she figures it out.

Independent/demanding/strong-willed - I couldn't pick just one word. She plays wonderfully by herself and has a great imagination. But if she wants you to do something WATCH OUT! She will break you down asking over and over again. She's got a job in sales just like her Daddy.

Libby - Six Months Old

2011-02-17T13:44:00.002-06:00

Libby is a half year old!!! I seriously can't believe how fast she is growing up. Her stats are 16lbs 13oz and xxxin. (Her doc appt is Tues so I'll update this then). Libby is sitting up great and is grabbing EVERYTHING. I try to put toys in front of her to encourage crawling or getting on her belly, but she still hates it. What she does love is her big sister. She will smile and laugh whenever Gracie interacts with her. We had to do a little sleep training this past month since I finally stopped swaddling her. Libby is liking food a little more but still refuses a bottle. She's not to happy in this pic because her 2nd tooth was breaking through. I hope the 2nd half of her first year slows down!

Austin Weekend

2011-02-15T12:57:00.001-06:00

We went to Austin this past weekend to meet the newest member to our crew Eleanor! My buddy Steffani had her in December, but besides the very first picture we hadn't seen her so I needed to make sure she was real. :)
We stayed with Abbey, Bill and Collin. Gracie loved playing with Collin and Libby loved chewing on all of his toys.

Almost the whole crew in order of age - Gracie, Rush, Collin, Libby and Eleanor. We're just missing Annemarie.

Eleanor is beautiful just like her Momma! Speaking of her Momma, she discovered Libby's first tooth while we were there. Obviously Spittles drools a lot so I don't check her gums every day and I missed it again.

Rush and Gracie NOT wanting to take a picture.

Saturday I drove to San Antonio to go to my old neighbor Haylie's baby shower. I did have my camera but Libby blew out her diaper right when we got there and I totally forgot to bring it in. I'm so glad I got to see her pregnant because she had her little man, Parker, the next day! Congrats again Haylie and Jared.

We were supposed to drive home that night but decided to stay. Libby had enough of being in the car after drive to/from SA and Gracie and David spent the afternoon driving around the hills of Austin looking for Bill's boss' dog (that's a story for their blog). Bill's Mom was staying at their house so we totally crashed their Valentine's date.

We went and ate sushi at our favorite restaurant and closed the place down! Such a great night!!!

Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-14T09:57:00.004-06:00

DFW hosted the Super Bowl this year. It's the 2nd time David and I have lived in a city that did, but they were vastly different experiences. My buddy Lacy called me on Thursday and invited me to the Super Bowl Host Committee Party at Billy Bobs.
You can see Pat Green playing in the background and he was joined by Randy Travis.

The Spazmatics, who I LOVE, also played. Lacy and I had the best time people watching, looking for "stand alone staches" and dancing!

We walked outside and it was dumping snow! My loving husband or Dad for the night dropped me off and picked me up. There was still tons of ice from the storm and I don't think he wanted me to drive in our new car. :)

David had to leave to go work a conference in New Orleans so he wasn't even here. Our friends Lisa and Brad hosted a party at their house. It was the perfect set up - a TV for the men...

and one for the kiddos!

The 2nd generation - Maddox, Libby, Aubrey and Asher.

Thank you so much Lisa and Brad!!!!

ICE (snow) Storm 2011

2011-02-08T10:21:00.004-06:00

Last week was the LONGEST week EVER! We woke up Tuesday morning to ice and freezing temps which meant Gracie's school was canceled, the roads were horrible, and we were basically stuck inside for almost 5 days. Talk about cabin fever!!!

We did go out and play that first morning but it wasn't really snow so it was a little slippery.

Libby thought something was hilarious!!! David ventured out to Walgreens for milk and came back with a million things including these cute boots!

Gracie made us an Ice Pie. Besta gave Gracie a mud pie making station for Christmas and we can't wait until it warms up to truly use it.

My blue-eyed snow bunny.

Woo Hoo!!! Getting Gracie to go out and play in the snow is a struggle. She hates wearing jackets and living in Texas I don't have the correct gear for her so she doesn't want to stay out too long. I think I'll have to invest better next year so she can go sledding.

My Aunt Linda knew I was going a little crazy being couped up in the house, especially with David gone, so her and my Uncle Bill had her spend the night. She made an awesome snowman with a pipe, according to Gracie the most essential part. Thank you so much again.

Awesome Weekend

2011-02-02T11:38:00.004-06:00

This past weekend was amazing. Not only did my family come in, but it was SUNNY and 70+ degrees outside. We spent a ton of time outside and loved every minute of it (well my Dad and Drew could have done without the allergies).

Drew and Caroline can't be here for Gracie's birthday so they brought her cupcakes early. I don't know who enjoyed them more - Gracie, me or Drew. :)

Pop showing Libby all the trash in the creek that he would later pick up for us.

Macy let Gracie walk her. G was in heaven and it made me want to get her a dog...almost.

Saturday we had a picnic at Trinity Park. We were going to ride the train but it was too full.

Gigi and her "Kewpie Doll"

My new favorite pic of Uncle Drew, Gracie and Tia Caroline.

Then we went to Joe T. Garcia's to enjoy margaritas on the patio. The line was too long with two kids so we went inside. We still did enjoy those margaritas...

Seriously, we couldn't come inside so we decided to build a fire in the fire pit and listen to some music. Just wish I had some big marshmallows.

We were inside a bit more on Sunday but only because Gigi helped clean my house and do all sorts of projects. Thanks Gigi and Pop for a great weekend!!!

Libby's First Meal

2011-01-28T11:54:00.003-06:00

Libby has been wanting to eat "people" food for a while now. She's been sitting at the table with us in her highchair for a while and stares longingly while we eat. So last night she got to try oatmeal.

Open wide!

What is this stuff?

Let's try that again.

Seriously, what is THIS!

Just give me the spoon Mom.

A Piece of Work

2011-01-20T10:13:00.004-06:00

An awesome group of girls celebrated Joanne's birthday earlier this week at A Piece of Work in Ft. Worth.

It's a super fun space where they teach you step-by-step how to create a masterpiece. They let you bring in food and wine - a great combination when you're trying to paint.

The super talented Marissa and meticulous Amber.

It takes a lot of concentration. :)

Lisa, Marissa and Czarina - the party planner.

Jodie, who did not paint her pic upside down, and Debi.

With our beautiful creations. I love how they are all so different and reflect our personalities.

We had a blast and want to take the hubbys next time.

Random

2011-01-19T14:50:00.002-06:00

Sisters!!!

We started going to a Yoga Storytime with our friends on Wednesdays. These kids can do the poses better than me!

Libby and Aubrey Jane showing off their skills.

I snapped this pic of Gracie and when I downloaded it to my computer it made me pause - doesn't she look so old here??? Where did my toddler go?

Daddy and his girls.

Libby - Five Months Old

2011-01-13T13:19:00.002-06:00

Lazy Libby is starting to do stuff! :) She will on a rare occasion roll from her stomach to back, and can sit up for extended periods of time. She still just loves lying on her back watching Big Sis Gracie entertain her. We did break out the Johnny Jump Up thing she got for Christmas and she likes that a lot - as long as Gracie doesn't swing her in it. She is still a drool monster and loves to put everything in her mouth. Her at home measurements are 16lbs and around 26in. She knows the word "up" and will do a baby crunch and reach for your hands so you can help her sit up, and "kiss" (at least I think she knows this one). She turns to you opens her mouth and spittles on you - I LOVE IT!!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T12:47:00.002-06:00

I hope every one has a fabulous 2011!!!

I just wanted to say thank you to my Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill. For the past three years they have watched Gracie and now Libby so that we could go out with our friends. And on top of that, they host a New Year's Day brunch. This year we went out on the 30th so they then watched John Marshall and Caroline on the 31st for Justin and Elizabeth.

Bill with Caroline and Libby.

Christmas Part III

2011-01-02T12:29:00.003-06:00

We usually head to Corpus on Christmas day but had to delay it this year. We did still get to celebrate with almost all of the Hartman's. First we opened presents with Nana and Pa.

Then we went out for a Christmas dinner South Texas style at a Mexican food restaurant. Libby and Jordan.

Opening more presents with Heidi and Hanah. Gracie LOVED this little cat thing that scurried all over the floor.

Beth and Cameron helped Libby.

Libby's Baptism

2011-01-02T10:53:00.005-06:00

Libby's baptism was not planned, no dress bought, no cake made but it was an amazing day nonetheless. We were eating lunch after my Grandpa's funeral when I realized that we were surrounded by family, and most importantly Father Bur, who married us and baptized Gracie. David and I figured why not!

I ran home to get my cameras and we called Grandma and Grandpa Townsend back up to the church. Everyone gathered around and we celebrated Libby's christening.

Big Sister Gracie helped pour in the holy water.

Libby did great. She slept through the first half and was so good the rest of the time.

Blessings from Father Bur.

Thanks Bur!!! You're an amazing friend to our family.

Godfather Drew and Godmother Marnee

Besta and Grandpa Townsend

Family pic with Nana.

Group pic with Drew, Pop and Gigi.

Christmas Part II

2011-01-01T21:18:00.004-06:00

When Gracie met Dasher his helper told her that reindeer liked raisins and carrots. So David and Gracie prepared a special bowl and left them outside.

She also hand picked the prettiest cookies and set them out for Santa. A beautiful red and blue iced one is missing from this tray because she decided that she "probably wanted to eat it after her nap the next day."

David and I woke up at 6am Christmas morning, we were soooo excited for Gracie's reaction to all the presents from Santa. We had to wait a LONG time. Gracie finally woke up at 7:45 and lazy Libby we had to wake up around 8:15 so we could start opening presents!

Gracie was SO excited and appreciative of all her presents.

Gus, our Elf on the Shelf, gave the girls mugs and marshmallows for hot chocolate. That little elf was clutch in Gracie behaving for the most part in December. :)

Libby attempted to open presents, but she just wanted to stick them in her mouth.

We then had cinnamon rolls and later a Christmas dinner at my parents house with the M&Ms and family. I missed my Grandma, the rest of the Sparks crew, the White Elephant gift exchange, Christmas was different this year but still wonderful.

Grandpa Sparks

2011-01-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

My Grandpa Sparks passed away on Christmas Eve. It was sudden, but not so sudden as he hasn't been the same since my Grandma passed away in April. He developed an upper respiratory infection on Monday and was gone on Friday. My cousin-in-law Elizabeth said it best, "he never had to spend a Christmas away from Helen." Drew and I loved growing up right next door and eating ice cream with him. I have him to thank for getting David to marry me...David shot a buck on his lease when we were dating and my Grandpa said he'd better hurry up and officially be part of this family. He also never let David live down burning the biscuits out at the deer lease. "I don't know anything about it BUT," was his favorite phrase. He will be greatly missed.
A pic of Grandpa and Bryan at our family reunion this summer.

Christmas Part I

2011-01-01T20:05:00.006-06:00

The girls and I went down to the Valley on Dec. 16th because Gracie was done with school and David was super busy trying to close out the year. I LOVE going to the Valley because all of the additional hands. Pop still had to work a lot but he was there to read books and sing (really loud) every night.

I made my Mom change the date of her church's Christmas pageant so that Libby could be Baby Jesus. (She can do that she's in charge of the kid's programs.) Libby made the perfect GIGANTIC Baby Jesus.

And Gracie was an Angel. The day before at dress rehearsal she broke her halo if that describes what kind of Angel she's been lately...

Our annual tradition of decorating cookies with the M&Ms.

Looks like someone wants to start "real" food...

Uncle Drew and Macy then came in and Gracie had a new playmate. She loved going outside with Drew and throwing the ball. Caroline spent the holidays with her family in San Francisco and we missed her so much!!!

Every year we eat at Arturo's in Progreso, Mexico but since it's so unsafe they opened one on the US side. We had a great lunch there with the Mark, Cindy, Austin and Rachel.

The Townsend Family Christmas was on the 23rd this year. It's always loud, always good food and always fun. Here's my cousins Claire and Courtney. I used to carry them around when they were babies; now the tables are turned.

Gracie with Besta and Grandpa Townsend. Grandpa hand picked that bear for Gracie and it was her favorite present. She named him Brownie and now sleeps with him every night.

Christmas Fun

2010-12-14T12:58:00.005-06:00

We've had a lot going on this last week. We paid a visit to Santa Claus. Gracie was so excited to meet him and tell him about her Elf, Gus, and that she wants a robot for Christmas. There was no hesitation with him, she just ran right over.

Libby liked him too.

Then inspired by our buddies, Katie and Annemarie, we made a gingerbread house. She LOVED licking the icing.

My Mom's group had a party at Marissa and Liberty's house. This was the only pic I got - it was a crazy fun time though.

Then on Sunday we went to Debi, Zane and Garrett's house to hang out with Santa and his reindeer. Gracie even gave Dasher a kiss.

It was such a great afternoon with them. Zane taught David how to make pizza on the grill so Debi and I just got to chat the entire time.

Gracie school also had Cookies and Caroling. They sang "Jingle Bell Rock" well the older kids sang and the rest just jingled their bells.

Libby - Four Months Old

2010-12-13T16:12:00.002-06:00

Our baby is getting BIG. She weighed 14lbs 14oz (75%) and 25 3/4in (95%). Dr. Harris asked if she was in 9 month clothes yet! Libby loves watching her big sister, putting things in her mouth, and TV. She still hates tummy time and has not rolled over; she's just a laid BACK (in caps b/c she's always on her back) baby.

And introducing...SPITTLES!!!!! Libby has a couple of nicknames - Libby Lou, Lou Dog, but Spittles most accurately describes what she looks like because of the insane amount of drool she produces.

Cute Christmas Dresses

2010-12-07T16:36:00.002-06:00

Gigi made Gracie and Libby these pillowcase dresses. I think they are so cute. She was so upset after working so hard on them and then the embroidery place used bright red thread for their names but we found matching ribbon and now they look perfect.

I know this isn't the best pic but I wanted to show the whole dress.

Thanks Gigi!!!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T18:09:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with David's family at our house this year. Grams came in for a week and we're ready for her to move in! We called her the Baby Whisperer. Libby's a mellow baby, but if she did fuss, Grams could get her to stop instantly. Both girls loved getting to spend time with her.

Gracie and Nana making pies.

My Little Turkey

Thanksgiving Dinner - It was such a nice and relaxing day. No set time to eat so we had fun preparing everything.

We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the nice weather. Gracie loved hanging out with Pa - it sure is fun to watch Pa doting on Grace.

Nana and Libby

Trip to the Valley

2010-11-22T13:18:00.004-06:00

We went down to the Valley to introduce Miss Libby and had such a great week. We spent a lot of time on Gigi's new porch swing.

We spent a lot of time with Besta and Grandpa Townsend. Besta made some awesome lunches while we were there - just don't skimp on giving Gracie pudding. :)

The M&Ms. I have an exact photo of them like this with Gracie. Gracie loved playing (bossing around) with Madison.

Libby made Grandpa Sparks smile - a rare sighting these days. She enjoyed that so much she even giggled for the first time!!!

We also had a lot of fun play dates. Gracie let Garrett hang out and cook with her in her tent.

We also got to play with Beau, he's such a sweet little dude. He would start crying whenever Libby did.

Libby first plane ride! It was quite an experience - plane was delayed after we boarded, Gracie had to use the potty twice so strangers held Libby. Then Libby blew out her diaper as we were landing so I had to change her on the seat, Gracie was gagging, I was dying laughing. Good times folks.

Gracie Goes to the Dentist

2010-11-17T15:51:00.002-06:00

We were in the Valley this past week and I still go to the same dentist, Dr. Brann, that I've been going to since I was a kid. I had a cleaning with the BEST hygienist ever, Betty, and asked if she could look at Gracie's teeth.

I had to leave the room at first but snuck back in. Gracie did awesome. She let Betty check out all her teeth and polish them. Betty said they looked great but that she has a small mouth. I guess we should start saving for those braces now.

Dr. Brann stopped by to check on Gracie. I also had them check out Libby because she has a huge frenum between her two front teeth. All they could say right now is we'll have to keep an eye on that.

Gracie was so excited to tell everyone she got her teeth tickled!

Libby - Three Months Old

2010-11-16T14:09:00.002-06:00

Libby has moved out of the newborn stage and is just the cutest most content baby. A big baby - my at home stats put her in at 14lbs 9oz and 24.75in. Libby hates tummy time so she's no where close to rolling over, but she has started to grab things and of course put them in her mouth. She also tries to shove her whole hand in her mouth and drools all over the place. Libby smiles all the time and she actually giggled for the first time last week. It was AWESOME!!! She sleeps from about 10-8 and naps anywhere, anytime. She loves to stare at her giraffe mobile. Libby got diagnosed with eczema so we are keeping her nice and lubed up. Her hair is also starting to fall out so it will be fun to see what it comes back like. We LOVE Libby!!!

Cowboys

2010-11-05T09:47:00.003-05:00

I made David sell our season tickets this year. I just thought it would be too difficult with a newborn and thank god I did the Cowboys are awful! (Sorry Czarina) But he still wanted to take his girls to a game.

We went to the game on Halloween against Jacksonville. We just walked up to the stadium and bought tickets off some dude. The seats were great (second level, first row, aisle). So Gracie had some space to move without hitting someone's back.

Everyone thought the girls were so cute!

Even though they lost (bad) we still had a great time!

HUGE Halloween Post

2010-11-03T11:54:00.004-05:00

We had tons of Halloween festivities and it started with Boo at the Zoo the weekend before. Gracie, Libby and I went with Abbey and her whole family to the Zoo. It was a great day until the monsoon hit. We were asked to leave because the water was coming so fast and furious.
Gracie and Madelyn with the big Gorilla

Gracie found a clown and was so excited to tell her she was dressing up as one.

Then later that week we had Pumpkin Painting at Lesli and Morgan's house.

Gracie's girlfriends - Claire, Isabella, Morgan and Liberty

Gracie had two costumes so she dressed up as a clown for Venessa and Heston's Halloween party. How do you like that makeup? I started out with a red nose and a little red around the mouth, but David thought he could do a better job. What do you think? Happy? Scary? Crazy?

The only pic I have of the two girls dressed up in their clown outfits. So mad I didn't get a better one. :(

Gracie started making her sad clown face. It was cracking me up so of course she kept doing it.

Just the cutest clown you ever did see!!!

Gracie's next costume was a princess bride. She wore the veil for a bit but then decided she liked the crown better.

BOO!

About three houses in our 2 1/2 year old told us, "You stay back! I can do it myself!" And then proceeded to knock on the door, say trick or treat and thank you. So proud!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween.

Gigi & Pop

2010-10-30T11:28:00.002-05:00

Those crazy Grandparents came in again for a just over 24 hour visit. They were in Austin watching the Longhorns with friends and realized they couldn't NOT see the girls since they were close.
Here's some photos of them since Libby was born. I realized I hadn't posted any pics of them even though they've been here several times.

Kisses from Pop.

And Gigi.

Pop takes Gracie to see the donkey and horses that are down our street every time they come in. They even got to feed it a green apple.

Libby and Gracie want them to move here!!! Come on Gigi and Pop - just do it. :)

Random

2010-10-23T09:19:00.002-05:00

Just some random photos from the past couple of weeks.
Daddy and his girls watching the 'Boys.

Obviously random since you can't even see her face, but I love this picture. Since the weathers been nice we open the back door every morning. Well we couldn't find Gracie in the house, but saw this. She had pulled her chair to the edge and was just watching nature.

A rare photo of me.

Whenever I lay Libby down on they play mat Gracie always asks, "Libby do you have some room?" Then I scoot her over and they both play.

Chillin'

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

We made a visit to the pumpkin patch with my Mom's group but the Percival's were a little late so I was trying to rush and get photos. The results aren't too good so I think we might have to try again.
It was hard enough getting a good shot of one kid but now it's almost impossible with two.

David, I mean Libby, and Gracie.

Gracie thought it was way cooler to throw hay at me than smile for the camera.

Her besties - Liberty and Claire.

My lil' pupmkin!

Last Weekend

2010-10-17T17:46:00.003-05:00

We headed to the Woodlands for Dickie and Marilyn's wedding on 10/10/10. It was beautiful unfortunately my camera battery had died. We stayed with the Haley's so Gracie had a fantastic time hanging with her buddy Annemarie.

On Saturday we headed in to Houston to meet Santiago Flores III aka JT, Aimee and Jay's little dude. He was adorable and so tiny. Libby and JT trying out the same pose. Yep, we have giant babies, they are only a month apart.

Libby LOVED Sara!!!

We got to hang out with Austin and Kelly Sunday morning. Kelly made the awesomest (yes it's a word) gift for Libby - handmade embroidered burp clothes.

Libby - Two Months Old

2010-10-12T20:06:00.002-05:00

Libby had her two month check up today and she came in at 12lb 15oz and 24in - both in the 95%!!! The nurse commented that Mommy must be eating some good food - does Ben and Jerry's count because I can't give it up? :)

As I mentioned in the previous post she is giving us big smiles and cooing. I absolutely love our conversation consisting of "oh, oh, oh". She's getting the sleeping thing down pretty good; she goes down about 10:30 until 6:30 (sometimes 5 if she doesn't eat good that last feeding). She moved up to her bedroom but still takes her naps all over the house.

She's such an awesome baby and the perfect addition to our family!

Smiling Libby

2010-10-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

Miss Libby is smiling a ton, cooing and "talking"!

Pedro's Magic Flute

2010-10-01T15:12:00.002-05:00

About a week after Libby was home from the NICU we received a visit from Pedro. Pedro was here to spread joy and laughter. He whipped out his magic flute and the glorious tunes made Gracie want to DANCE!

*Yes, Gracie learned all her best moves from me.
**Yes, I know she will want to kill me one day.

The Aunties

2010-09-27T15:27:00.005-05:00

I'm very behind on blog posts and could do a separate blog on each of the Aunties but I'm lumping them together to get it done.
Steffani was the first one to meet Libby. She's due with #2 in December and it's a girl! I can't imagine the mischief these two will get into.

Katie and Annemarie came next and for a whole weekend. It was so great and Katie helped out a ton.

Gracie loved playing with Annemarie, and I love that Annemarie pronounced her name Yibby!!!

Lacy came the same weekend Katie was here so she could see Annemarie too.

She won the Best Auntie Award from the girls because she brought them GIGANTIC suckers!

Abbey stopped by this past weekend. It was fun to catch up and watch our two kiddos hang out together.

Collin is telling the blogging world, "Back off, she's mine!" We also determined Libby has huge feet. They are pretty much the same size as Collin's and he's 6 months old.

I have the best friends and Gracie and Libby have the best aunties in the whole world!