Long and Lean

...Jude turning 15 months old. I took him to his 15 month appointment and they confirmed that he is, in fact, tall. He's in the 80-something percentile in length. However, because he only drinks almond milk, he is in the 20th percentile in weight. He is healthy for sure, but the doc said we need to pack on some pounds. He actually lost 2 pounds from his 1 year appointment. Jude really is the funniest kid ever. he is just so silly and physical with his humor. I hope everyone is able to get some Jude-time in because you will not be sorry.

So Much Fun We Can't Keep Up!

We have been so busy having fun lately that we just haven't had time to blog.  We can't say enough how glad we are to live closer to home, and because of that we are able to do more fun things.  Recently we took the kids to the Sam Noble Museum and the Tulsa Zoo.  Both trips were wonderful.  Kate loves dinosaurs and Jude loves fish so we were pretty great both places.

Look at this little girl.  I just can't get enough of her.  She is so great, sweet, and smart.  I'm so lucky to be her mommy.

Kate was teaching Jude where babies come from.  Just so you know, Kate adores her baby brother.  Sometimes it's hard to tell because if he touches her when it's not on her terms she flips, but if anyone else touches him...look out.  Just today he got a little cut on his foot.  I was trying to comfort him and she thought I was hurting him.  I thought she was going to climb over the table and tackle me.  We also can't take her to is doctors appointments anymore because she tries to keep the nurses from touching him.  

Jude ran around everywhere saying "feesh!"  It was hard to keep up with him.

That's one happy family.  We are so blessed to have each other and to have these 2 kiddos.  

15 years and going strong!  (and grey)

Yes, Kate wore the sunglasses the whole day.  She's that fabulous.

I love his face here!  Of course he's looking at a sea lion that he thinks is a big fish.

Will Jude Stay At School?

 ...the suspense of wondering if Jude would actually be able to be away from Mommy long enough to stay at his new school. I also wondered if I would be able to be away from my babies that much. Kate will go 3 days a week and Jude will go 2. Kate has always been so independent, but Jude loves his Mommy. He also has not been kept by anyone other than his Ginny since we moved to Oklahoma. Of course we knew Kate would love her new school. We only felt bad for her since it was her 3rd school in a year (due to the move and stuff). We were not too worried though, since the kids are going to preschool at our church. It's wonderful. I can't say enough great things about it. I feel as at ease as I did when they were at the CDRC at Tech and that's saying something. I know they love our kids and are so openly affectionate with them and genuinely happy to see them. Jude has quite the cheering section at church since he has the reputation as the the little guy who cries during church. They all know there's a funny guy in there, but he just misses his Mommy too much to show it. They were all delighted to see him do very well the first week of school with minimal crying. I'm so thankful.

Hey, I know you!

Jude is not so sure about this. He seems to have bounded with his teachers after the first week.

Kate meeting one of her teachers and getting used to the new classroom. She likes being one of the big kids that go to class upstairs.

So pumped for her first day of school.

Should I go in or take off running back to the car???

Look Mommy, I made it all the over here...by myself! I think I can stay here.

Our 4 year old

...Gulp! We have a 4 year old?! We must have blinked. Our little girl is such a blessing to us, and getting the chance to be her parents is more wonderful than we could have ever imagined. She is a sweet, insightful, smart, funny, random, and vibrant little girl who was practically dipped in pink and covered in glitter. It is amazing to watch her grow up and learn new things every day. We had a party to have a "celebration of the day I was born," which is what she called it all day. This was her first party in Oklahoma, so we had a family/friend birthday to celebrate the day of her birth.

Of course Uncle Bennie and Aunt Jamie brought Ian to the party. They wouldn't miss it. Our sweet neighbors also came. Kate loves Jessica, Kesley, Kylie, and Ryker.

Aunt Jamie always knows just what to do to be crafty.

Kesley was focused on decorating her treat bag for the pinata

Jessica was taking it all in watching the big kids

Aunt Tami and GG Debbie came to the party. How cool is it that we live close enough for them to be able to come?

We've Found Our Happy Place

...and it's in Arkansas. Now it's not fancy like a trip to Cali or Europe, but those trips aren't as easy as a quick trip to Arkansas. Although we love the big fancy trips, we love even more being able to make a short drive to Arkansas. This time we went to Greers Fairy Lake and spent a few days at Fairfield Bay. To make it even better, my cousins live there so we had a mini family reunion. So why do we love Arkansas so much? Well, for starters, most of my childhood memories are there. My mom's family is from Arkansas so there are family members to visit at every turn. That's a real treat for someone from a small family. It's beautiful. That's pretty easy to understand. It's close. Coming from Lubbock where everything is so far away makes the ease of Arkansas trips a real treat. Finally, we smile a lot there. Now don't get me wrong, we are a pretty happy bunch, but there's something about it. We are all so relaxed and happy to be together. I guess that's the main reason we love it.

Captain Michael

I think my mom's first week of retirement went well. She has decided she could live on a pontoon boat.

Ginny and Jude relaxing

Kate: Daddy why are the fish not biting? Michael: It probably has something to do with you throwing rocks.

Redneck stroller. Jude loved it.

Goodbye Fairfield Bay...we'll be seeing you.