Handy Week

July 25, 2009 Today Maddox, Lucy and I joined with others from our church to "strut" in the annual Handy Street Strut. Maddox and Lucy are in their stroller right behind the banner. It was great fun!

One of my "church children" gettin' ready to strut! Cute parasol, Jacquelyn!

So that Becky and Todd could enjoy some of the later night bands and activities of Handy Week, I got to keep Maddox and Lucy for several nights this week. We had our own set of bands and activities that we enjoyed.............this park (Wilson Park) and this fountain being one of them. Every evening after we ate, we got in the car with the windows rolled down and drove around downtown until we found music. Then we parked the car, got the stroller out and strolled and listened to music and enjoyed the crowds of folks with their children and their pets in tow. Maddox and Lucy thought it great fun to get the sticks out of the fountain and throw them back in. This picture was taken before the MOPS Street Strut, but the evening before there were lots of children around the fountain and Maddox and Lucy joined them. When they saw the fountain this morning, they had to have a little time splashing around before lining up for the parade.

Waiting for the parade to begin.

This was really the Street Strut that was part of the Handy Festival. All the children were given suckers to throw to the by-standers at the parade. We didn't quite catch on to that..............we ate all the ones they gave us! I'm sorry I don't have any pictures from the sidelines as we walked down Court St.

STILL waiting for the parade to begin.......

When the parade finally began, Maddox and Lucy both waved to everyone first on one side of the street and then the other. When Maddox realized that some of the older children walking with us were throwing suckers to the people on the sides of the street, he threw his...............from his mouth! Oh, well, maybe we'll do better next year......maybe not!

All tuckered out

July 24, 2009 I couldn't resist this picture of the precious sleeping girl.

Pre-bath fun

July 24, 2009 Lucy's belly button!
Gigggles galore

"Ready to go fishing in the bathtub, Lucy?"

(We have a bucket of fish that stick to the side of the tub when wet that both babies love! All I have to say is, "Who wants to go fishing?" and they both are ready for bathtime!)

McFarland playground

July 24, 2009 Several weeks ago we decided that we'd check out all the playgrounds in town. Today we enjoyed playing on the one underneath the O'Neal Bridge at McFarland Park. Maddox and Lucy liked it a lot; it seemed to be geared a little more to their ages than some of the others we have visited.

Maddox loves to slide!

Climbing

Ready, set................

Slide, Baby Sister!

Tunnels are always fun!

New squeakers.....

July 23, 2009Today when I dressed the babies, I put Maddox's squeaker sneakers on. He loves them! He stomps and stamps and grins from ear to ear when you first put them on him. Poor Lucy! She had on very cute little Angel sandals, but stomp and stamp as hard as she could, she couldn't get a peep out of them. Do you guess where we went as soon as she woke up from her morning nap? Yep! The Baby's Room........now she can squeak with the best of them......and stomp and squeak and grin she does!

"Got my bags all packed.....I'm ready to go!"

July 23, 2009 Have I mentioned how much this little girl loves purses and bags of all sorts?

Another day at Grammy's

July 20, 2009 Um - um good!

Trowbridge's still has the best ice cream in town!

Reading a book with Mom out on the deck.

Lucy's new purse.

Today Maddox and Lucy were supposed to have a fun day at MOPS Day Camp, followed by a trip to the doctor's office for a 1 yr. and 2 yr. check-up. It wasn't that they didn't feel so good as much as they didn't look so good unless someone followed them around wiping their noses every 3 - 5 minutes that caused us to miss both appointments. Mom to the rescue! What fun things Mom can think up! I wish I could have gotten to my camera fast enough to snap a picture of Lucy and Mom "loading" her new purse. She has: a cell phone, a compact, an empty pill container (she's most proud of that, since she feels that is a real "no-no"!), and for good measure, a copy of The Upper Room, a little daily devotion book. I can not tell you how many times today this little one has loaded and unloaded this purse! Periodically, she takes out her Upper Room and tries to share a devotion (loudly!) with her brother. We have laughed and laughed at this funny little one. She's a nut!

Our little lady

"Hello, Mama?"

Lucy loves talking on the phone! She loves walking and talking on the phone!

Wonder who she's seen do that? Not her Grammy.......and surely not her Mama!

Still talking...................

Dare we even try to imagine what this girl's gonna be like in 12 or 14 years?

Little Mama

I continue to watch in awe as these babies choose their toys. When my girls grew up, our house was pretty much stocked with "girl" toys.......not so here.........both my house and the babies' house in Killen are full of toys for both boys and girls. I am fascinated by how Lucy is now chosing toys that are more related to little girls and Maddox is still gravitating toward his cars and balls. He checks out Lucy's purses and babies, but, try as he might, he just can't seem to see what fun she sees in them. I will confess, it makes me kinda happy........it cuts down on the "toy snatching".............

I will get a better shot of this "walk" that Lucy has taken to. It is an exact replica of the way my Papa.......Lucy's great-great granddaddy walked! Nolan noticed her walking this way last night. She strolls through the house, looking first one way and then the other, with both hands folded behind her! How funny!

This boy does love the bean bag chairs!

Is this my baby boy of yesterday?

If it has a handle and even resembles a purse, this girl loves it! In addition to her regular purse, she has now added this Robeez bag to her ensemble.

Two are better than one!

Playing at Martin Park

July 13, 2009 Today I took the babies to the Martin Park to play and since most of the ladders, swings and slides are too big for such a little girl, I took Lucy's favorite little car along for her to play on and put her in close proximity to the things Maddox was playing on. She was most content on it.................for a bit!

This slide has multiple ways to climb to it. Bound for Maddox to try this different "ladder".

Maddox whizzes down the slide.

"Enough of that! That playground looks much more fun than my little car I can ride at home!"

"That's it, Lucy. Slow and steady......you go, girl!"

One proud brother watches his baby sister begin the climb up the steps to the slide.

Climbing buddies.

I think all these months Lucy has been watching Maddox climb has really motivated her to be a climber as well. She will try to scale anything! She trys to climb into play yard when she sees something in there she wants to play with!

Juice time! Can I tell you how hot it was today at the park? VERY! Even the babies' little faces were red as beets in the short 25 minutes we played there.

Little mushroom has all types of fun things in and around it; just perfect for little tikes like ours.

Grammy loved this little mushroom type tree. No tall slides or ladders!

Rocking in the big fish beside the mushroom

Maddox's turn!

In search of a brother...........

Rocking the fish from the outside

Sittin' in a mushroom!

They are both fascinated with the buttons on the floor of this mushroom that light up when you push them.

"Look where I am, Grammy!"

This little mushroom house had all kinds of gadgets on it. This little wheel makes noise when you roll it around and around.

Checking out the mailbox