What about the Cat?

So, we're a little stuck. If you ask Hallie a question--any question--you are almost guaranteed a response of "Woof! Woof!" While this is completely amusing, hopefully at some point it will click that not all the animals say the same thing.

What does the doggie say?

Well, you'll just have to take my word for it because Hallie sure isn't going to show you...

But she woke up this morning saying, "Woof! Woof!" And when I asked her what the doggie says, she grinned and told me. She did this during breakfast, after her bath, while she got dressed... Of course, I called Gigi so that she could hear her brilliant granddaughter's latest trick, and as soon as Gigi answered Hallie stopped doing it. (In case anyone has any doubts, this refusal to perform when asked is absolutely classic Aunt Melissa. I have the videos to prove it.)

I have told Hallie that people are going to stop believing me when I tell them about things she does if she keeps refusing to show them to anyone else, but she smiled and didn't seem all that concerned. At least I have her teachers to back me up--Miss Alexis confirmed that when she asked Hallie where the dog was yesterday, she went straight to a picture of a dog on the wall of their room and pointed to it. And then Miss Alexis would say, "Woof! Woof!" and Hallie would crack up. Apparently Hallie remembered their little game this morning.

Doughnuts!

Grumpy took Hallie for her first Krispy Kreme outing this morning. (It appears to have been a success, don't you think?)

Painting Party

Gigi, Grumpy, Jason, and Aunt Melissa painted Sara's room last night. (Yes, it's yellow on already-yellow paint, but the old coat had some bad places in it, so it needed a fresh coat.) The nursery is officially ready for Sara!

(Belated) Father's Day

We weren't able to hang out with Grumpy on Father's Day, so we took him to dinner Monday night. Happy late Father's Day, Grumpy. We love you!

Heading Home

We enjoyed a great weekend in Cookeville with Nana, Papa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Jon. Hallie is talking to us on the way home as I type this post...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Daddy and Papa!

On the Porch

Rocking Chair

Nana has a rocking chair just Hallie's size!

Playing with Aunt Julie in Cookeville

Donuts with the Boys

Papa and Daddy took Hallie to Big O's Donuts in Cookeville early Saturday morning.

Shake, Shake, Shake

Gigi and Aunt Melissa witnessed my favorite Hallie-ism last night. For anyone who hasn't seen it, she makes her kitchen set play a certain song, and then she stands in front of it and dances. And we're not talking about a little motion here. We're talking about all-out hip swinging from side to side so hard that she would fall down without holding onto the kitchen set. So funny.

So, it is my mission over the next week to capture this on video for the blog. I have tried repeatedly, but Hallie is not all about performing on command--it has to be her idea (I don't know anyone like that, do you?). So, wish me luck!

Switcheroo

For those of you who stay at our house on a regular basis, the progress in Sara's room means you now have new digs downstairs in the guest room. The furniture that used to occupy the upstairs guest room now sits downstairs, and we're pleased with how it fills up the room.

So, come see us. Our guest room is awaiting your arrival.

Even More Progress!

While Jason and I enjoyed our day together on Saturday, my parents and sister took care of the Bug. And, in their spare time, they also worked very hard on Sara's room. Aunt Melissa made the adorable bumblebee canvas, and Gigi personalized Sara's room with her name sign over her crib. So, when I came home, I was again surprised--this time by an almost-finished nursery!

(And, while I don't have pictures to prove it, my Dad removed the ugly bushes in front of our house! I am thrilled that they are finally gone!!!)

So, thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful family! We are even closer to ready for our sweet Sara's arrival!

We plan to add some black and white gingham panels to the curtains and a couple of other "bee" accessories I found online this afternoon...it's shaping up.

Surprise Date

Thank you to my sweet husband for planning a surprise date for me on Saturday! We went to Montgomery for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's performance of Romeo and Juliet and then went to dinner at a restaurant by our old house in Wetumpka. It was a great day!

(This is not a great picture of us, but we're standing in front of the Shakespeare Festival.)

Boaz!

Hallie and Jason traveled to Huntsville for a funeral on Friday for one of Jason's cousins, Jeff Brothers. Then they spent some time in Boaz on Friday afternoon. Here is Hallie with Uncle Gary and Aunt Sara. They enjoyed seeing everyone.

They're still DOING this?!

Who knew? My beloved BookIt! program is still around and going strong. I'm sure Mom and Dad recall the days of my big, blue BookIt pen filled with stars and the free personal pan pizzas! What can I say? I can still be motivated to do most things if the prize is a free pizza all my own.

Big Girl

The Bug (finally) had her one-year checkup this morning. Other than a few shots, it was a success. She weighs about 21 1/2 pounds and is 29 inches long. Her head has grown a lot (it's all those brains, I'm sure) and is 18 inches. This puts her around the 50th percentile for height, 60th for weight, and 70th for her head circumference. This is amusing, considering that she was in the 25th percentile for her head last time we went. I'm sure some of this vast difference can be attributed to human error in the measurements, but I also think it's fairly accurate. When I tried to put one of her hats on the other day, it was way too tight! And this was a hat that fit great a couple of weeks ago. So, who knows.

Anyway, she was quite a noise machine at the doctor's office, walking around and talking up a storm the whole time. And then we went to visit Gigi before heading off to school. All in all, a good morning!

"There's a Rumbly in My Tumbly..."

(The title would be a Pooh quote, for anyone who missed it...)

Sara has long since eclipsed her sister's gymnastics-in-utero. But, until tonight, I could not remember a time when she has hiccupped. This was particularly surprising to me, given Hallie's propensity for getting the hiccups. But Sara definitely got them tonight!

I realize this is not exciting news to anyone. But it has brought to my attention one fun benefit to having the girls so close together: it will be easy to see how alike and how different they are. It won't be hard to remember how Hallie did things--since it won't have been very long ago. And Sara will have her own preferences. We'll see if she gets attached to a blanket like her sister, if she sleeps well like her sister, if she is prone to allergies, if she dances whenever she hears music like Hallie does...

Little Sara, I can't wait to meet you and learn all your idiosyncracies!

A Little Bit of Progress

Sara's nursery is not complete. BUT, we did get the crib assembled this weekend! And put her little bumblebee bedding into it. We'll continue this little project over the next few weeks and hopefully it'll be very cute by the time she arrives. (In the meantime, if you happen upon any bumblebee merchandise, please let me know--they're a lot harder to find than the ladybug stuff of a year ago!)

(By the way, Granddaddy--we aren't quite sure how you managed to assemble Hallie's crib all by yourself last summer. It was quite an undertaking!)