Girls' Night Out!

Turner and Addie ready for Hibachi!
Decked out for Girls' Night!

The Girls!

Friday night, Turner had her first official "Girls' Night Out." We met her sweet friend, Addie, and her mom, Ashley, for supper at the local hibachi steakhouse! Turner helped picked her outfit and my outfit (even my shoes, which were probably a fashion 'don't,' but I wore them anyway!), and we dressed up for our special evening without the boys!


It was a great time and so fun to watch the girls' faces when the food started flying! Also, Ashley won big points in our family when she caught a shrimp in her mouth. This mommy couldn't quite make it work! :)


It was a memorable night and made me so excited for the many special mom-daughter times ahead!

Life Saver!

"MOM! I just saved Parker's LIFE! He was going for the stairs, but I dragged him away very fast!"

(Gotta love the technique, huh?!)

Crush-ed...

"Today at "Lunch Bunch" I smiled and smiled at Griffin, Mommy." - Turner

"Why did you smile at him?" - Me

"Because I really love him." - Turner

(So, it begins! YIKES!!!)

Nighty, Night...

Here is proof that I am becoming expert at passing off more and more of my parental duties (i.e. reading bedtime stories to my son) to my sweet daughter!

By the way, she reported that Parker did not pay proper attention to her story and that she was DONE after this one book.

(And yes, footie pjs are officially back IN, in this household. Ceiling fans are on to ensure the kids don't faint from being overheated. But, it's kinda "cold," and I've put Turner off for something close to two months...so we're going for it!)

Go Tell It On the Mountain...

Road Trippin'!

The Swing with a View!

Deep in Thought...

Buddies!

BFFs!!!

We had a wonderful weekend in the NC mountains with our dear McFaddins! It all began on Friday afternoon with a van full of five excited kids and two brave moms (and a bad navigator, who shall remain nameless). FIVE hours later (on a typically 3-1/2 hour jaunt), we "landed" on Justin Ridge! The guys were right behind us, despite our hefty lead time! :) OOPS!

The kids did awesome -- they traveled well, had TWO great sleepovers and enjoyed being in the mountains. We hiked, collected LOTS of rocks and acorns, swang, s'mored, hot-chocolated, campfired, story-told, painted, carved pumpkins, traced leaves, sang, apple picked (from bins!), Nick-and-Nated and just had a wonderful, special time.

Once again, the mountains reminded me of God's glory and infinite provision. We are truly blessed to have great friends and the opportunity to enjoy his amazing creation.

A Carnie at Heart!

We went the the North Georgia State Fair on Monday night! It was the perfect fair weather and lots of fun was had by all!

I asked Turner what her favorite part of the fair was, and she said, "ALL of the fair!!!" That about sums it up! She and her buddies, Sarah, Thomas and Anna rode all the kiddie rides (multiple times), ate corn dogs and "elephant ears" and loved watching "Dumbo" the elephant do the "Jungle Boogie."

Parker's favorite ride was his Graco stroller and he said the fair formula rocked! Next year, NO DOUBT, he'll be right in the mix, though...

9 Months and Busy, Busy, Busy...

Parker is 9 months old! He's growing and changing so quickly. Speaking of "quick"...

Parker goes to Children's Morning Out one day a week, to church nursery and Community Bible Study nursery every week. Without fail, the consistent comments I get include, "Parker is so cute and sweet. He doesn't cry and seems so content. But...he sure is into EVERYTHING! You'll have to watch out when he starts walking." Someone Friday even kindly recommended I invest in an indoor FENCE to keep him contained! :) (Apparently, you can buy these apparatuses!)

This assessment really sums up Parker at 9 months -- precious and charming with his smiles and laughs, yet into everything. I am thinking about renting him out to people who need help childproofing, because he can find everything you DON'T want him to do or get within 5 seconds flat! And if you try to redirect (as the experts always say to do), good luck...he is not easily deterred. Today, for example, I took him away from the cat food no less than three times and provided new, exciting BABY toys to play with. And where did he continue to go???

You guessed it! The cat food...

Other than mischief (his #1 past time), Parker loves to play hide-and-seek now. It is precious to let him find you and then hear his shrieks of pleasure when he does! He also enjoys eating "big boy" food, and really loves everything...including Moe's, like his big sister! I have only identified two things the boy doesn't like: Bananas and applesauce. (Strange, but true). He'll be eating hot sauce-drenched tacos with his Daddy in no time!

Although he doesn't sit still too much for anything else, Parker does share our passion for books! He accompanied Turner and me to library reading hour this week and was completely mesmerized. He sat still listening to the books for 45 minutes.

Parker, Parker, how we love you! It is a beautiful miracle to have such a happy, active, healthy little guy...and we revel in your antics!!!