Something I borrowed...

I read this on Krista's blog and just had to borrow it. It is wonderfully put! Have a great weekend...

How to really love a child, by Sark

Be there. Say yes as often as possible. Let them bang on pots and pans. If they’re cranky, put them in water. Realize how important it is to be a child. Go to the movie theatre in your pajamas. Read books out loud with joy. Invent. Remember how small they really are. Giggle. Giggle a lot. Surprise them. Say no when necessary. Teach feelings. Heal your own inner child. Learn about parenting. Hug trees together. Make loving safe. Bake a cake and eat it with no hands. Go find elephants and kiss them. Plan to build a rocket ship. Imagine yourself magic. Makes lots of forts with blankets. Let your angel fly. Reveal your own dreams. Search out the positive. Keep the gleam in your eye. Write letters to God. Encourage silly. Plant licorice in your garden. Open up. Stop yelling. Express your love. A lot! Speak kindly. Paint their tennis shoes. Handle with care. Always remember ~ Children are miraculous

Ivy turns 6!

So, Gracie tells me the other night as I'm tucking her into bed that the next day would be her doll, Ivy's, 6th birthday and she was going to need a party. I scrambled to "throw" something together the next day and even called my mom who was coming over that night. I warned her she might not want to come empty handed. Nana brought a Snow White dress up outfit for Gracie and a card for Ivy...

Ivy had to blow out her candle after we sang the Happy Birthday song...( the brownie bites were delish!) Gracie had to help Ivy take a bite...

Gracie wrapped up a couple of things from her room for the "birthday girl"... Here she is opening baby powder...

Reading Nana's card...

Opening the gift I "got" her...

I know Ivy had a great birthday, but I think we may have created a birthday monster. The very next day she informed me it was a different doll's birthday, so we threw together another impromptu bday party... and I bet you can't guess what my little angel told that night as I was tucking her into bed... That's right! The next day would be TWO of her other dolls' birthday... Needless to say, I had to stop the trips to Winn Dixie's bakery dept, and we are just pretending to have cake... I might be able to lose some weight if all these baby dolls would stop having birthday parties!

Memphis Zoo

Back in July, we went to Memphis for my family reunion before we flew from there to Maine (which I already posted). Here are a few pics from our time at the zoo...

Gracie and Ethan followed the panda paw prints into the tree trunk.

My big baby was tired and wanted a ride...

Yaya the female panda

noshing on some bamboo...I think this was Lili (the male)

These things were foot massage machines that vibrated REALLY hard. The kids thought it was so funny!

Ethan and Gracie

Harrison was getting sick. Later that night, his fever was 103.7 degrees. I was quite scared, but it turned out to be a fever virus...(see the Maine posts to review the "diagnosis debacle")

Pretty picture taken by my sister-in-law, Kelli.

round and round the carousel goes...

"Which way to the pandas?"

"That way!"

My very own "female explorer" from China

Ethan, a.k.a. "Marco Polo"

Too adorable for words! We had a wonderful time! Harrison was in great spirits even thought he felt yucky!

Happy Late Labor Day!

We were invited for a Labor Day cookout with some of our China group here in town. The girls are so funny to watch as they play together. They played Candy Land, ate, played in the yard, jumped on the trampoline, and swam in the pool. It was so much fun!

Harrison is one cool dude in his borrowed goggles!

He is quite the ladies' man! The girls were all in the big pool, but they started making their way over to get in with him as soon as I put him in. It was hilarious!

They thought it was funny to pile all of the dive rings on top of his noggin. He was not as amused!

Gracie started swimming on her own during lessons this summer, but still makes me nervous as she isn't strong yet to go for long. She absolutely loves the water!

Thanks to our friends, The Dumas Family, for a great time. The ribs were great, the conversation stimulating as always, and time spent with those held dear is priceless!

On the Move!

Little Man started walking the night before his 1st birthday, and he hasn't looked back since! Enjoy the video!

Saturday Fun!

Every other Saturday, we go to Lowe's or Home Depot for the children's Build and Grow workshops. Afterward, we go over to Barnes and Noble for Story Time. We call it "Gracie Time." She made a birdhouse at this workshop. We usually bring the project home and decorate/paint them to give them some personality!
The featured story was "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

Then, we had a surprise visitor. Harrison wanted to look, but that was as far as he went!

Gracie shows her brother there is nothing to fear!

Splish Splash, We were taking a bath...

I have to fix Ella Grace's hair into a bun (aka Pom Pom) regularly.

Gracie likes to "fix" her brother's hair in the tub.