Happy Birthday Nana!

This is a short blog but one I think that you will enjoy! First of all, let's give a hand to my brother, George, for writing his first blog! So I guess you are wondering why there is a beautifully centered photo of Gretchen above. I will spare you the suspense, I am really into photography. I think that I could be the next Chip Cooper!
So this weekend, we went to LaGrange to visit Robert, Betsy, Rob and Matthew and most of all, to celebrate Nana's Birthday! We started off the trip with a ride down to the neighborhood pool. We got to ride in Nana's car like big kids and since we took all of the seats, Nana had to ride in the back. She thought it was fun though!
The pool was so much fun! I got really brave and would play on the stairs of the big girl pool. Mama learned that it is really hard to be at the pool without Daddy and with both of us. We like to do different things and it made her a nervous wreck! Matthew had fun playing with the football. Betsy brought us popsicles! It was a great day!
When George woke from his nap, Daddy brought him down to the pool. It had been a while since he had been to a pool so he was apprehensive to say the least so he sat on the sidelines with Daddy, Nana and Papa for a while until he slowly made his way to the baby pool. Once he tried it though, he was like a fish! We really have to watch him though because he likes to put is face in the water.
That night, we sang happy birthday, ate lots of food, drank lots of capri suns and had lots of cake! Deed and Pop Pop came over to join in the celebration. It was so much fun to be around everyone! I love it when we get to go visit LaGrange! Happy Birthday Nana!

Hey...It's Me, George!

Okay everyone! It is my turn to talk for once. I know that Mama, Daddy and Harmie had fun at the beach but I had just as much fun with my Mimi and Grandpa in Birmingham. It was nice being an only child for the weekend. Since Harmie was not with us, I told her that she better let me write this one up!

Mimi picked me up from school and I was thrilled to see her! After a good supper, we played on the swings outside. I got to choose which one I wanted! I did not have to share with anyone! Good times!

Not long after my bath, I was ready to hit the hay sack. I woke up about 4 am but was just making noises, not fussing or anything. Then I would get quiet for about 15 minutes and then talk again. It was music to Mimi's ears! When I got to school, Miss Vet took me into Harmie's room for goldfish. I will have to say, I miss missed my sister but Goldfish make everything better!

Mimi had a muffin with me for Muffin's for Mom's! That day, I made Mama a special Mother's day surprise that I will give her on Sunday. That evening, I spent lots of time on the slide and swing. Then I ate a good dinner of chicken, potatoes, and broccoli. After dinner I took a short bath (no lingering like my sister) and got dressed for bed. I love the cow that vibrates and makes music when you touch its nose. They say that Harmie used to go running from it...I dance to it!

I was a little fussy when I woke up the next morning but it was because Grandpa went to the gym and left me at home. He should know better by now! Everyone should run everything by me first! I ate a good breakfast and showed off my spoon skills. Gotta have my Pops!

After breakfast, Mimi took me to Walmart to get a few things and to get me out of the house. I of course flirted with everyone and told them "Hey!" Hey is my favorite word! Mimi loves taking me out because everyone thinks that I am so cute and loves my red hair! I can be so charming that I have everyone fooled!

After a short nap, we went to the Gumbo Gala! I was a little too young to try the gumbo but I loved all of the attention. I was a little shy but when I would see a dog, I would come out of my shell.

I got to see the firetruck again and thought that it was great! I loved the Cajun music and just had a blast! To top it all off, Mimi and Grandpa's parish won the church division! Way to go Ascension!

After a LONG nap we played outside. There were bubbles everywhere, which was fun! As you can tell, I am addicted to my Loveys! I almost always have one with me at all times! They call me Linus. After dinner of Salisbury steak, potatoes, and broccoli, we played even more. Then I helped Mimi and Grandpa eat their dinner, especially the rice and vegetables. What would they do without me?!Sunday, everyone came home! I had a wonderful time on my little vacation but was glad to see my family again! Mama kept kissing me over and over again. I let her since it was Mother's Day!

Then Harmie and I helped everyone open their mothers day gifts. I particularly love the tissue paper. Mama loved the art that we made for her at school. We are so artistic! It was a wonderful Mother's Day for all of us! Well, I hope that you have enjoyed hearing from me for a change. I will let my sister take over from here but I am sure that you will hear back from me sooner or later! Thank you Mimi and Grandpa for a wonderful weekend!

Beach Trip with the Carters!

So this is me so excited because I get to take a beach trip with my best friend in the whole world! That's right, Owen! We got the car all packed and ready to go for a much needed vacation at The Wharf. I even had my sunglasses that I wore on top of my head like Mama and Daddy. Who could ask for anything more...right?

Well apparently the service station in Clanton could and did ask for more of our money! You see, our car broke down right outside of Birmingham and left us stranded at a service station for 4 hours. Luckily, they had a playroom for me that had Dora videos going on in it and a vending machine that had all of the junk food a girl could ask for. After they fixed the spark plugs we were on our way!

At The Wharf, they have this amazing pool called The Oasis that it absolutely the most fun place in the world! It has slides that have water shooting out of it! I thought that I would help it out a little! I remembered it from last time so I just ran up the stairs without hesitation!

I also had a great time splashing around! It is like a great big ole bath tub, only I do not get the floor wet because it already is wet! The first day was great because there were not that many people down there so we had the pool almost to ourselves! Widespread Panic was playing that weekend. We sat on the balcony and watched people and listened to music. I told Mama that I did not like The Panic. Mama said that I would change my mind one day.

Owen loved it too! I was so happy to have my friend down there with me. It was not only great for me but it also gave our parents some time to relax because Owen and I could keep each other entertained. He is so funny!

The pool has this thing called a lazy river that pulled you around in a circle. Throughout the lazy river, there are water spouts that spray up and it is fun to go underneath them. Owen and I liked the little spouts but were not big fans of the waterfalls! We loved the basketball goal though!

The weather was so beautiful and just the right temperature. Not too hot and not too cold. I might as well have been a fish because I could have stayed out there all day. I spent most of my time in George's float since he stayed back in Birmingham with Mimi and Grandpa.

I let Owen use my float which is in the shape of a crab. That's Miss Delphine and Sophie in the background. You only see one person? Well, remember I told you about Owen's future little sister in an earlier blog. She's due at the beginning of August and looks so cute! If I ask you if you have a baby in your tummy, do not get offended. I think everyone does since so many little brothers and sister's are on the way in my class.

Mama likes to always find ways to put things into perspective. Even though I am getting bigger every day, I am still so little. Just look at all of our flops! Can you tell which ones are mine?

That evening, we went back up to the condo to get ready for dinner and we brought out the water guns! Oh what fun! Mama loves this picture because of the way that I am looking at Owen! He does not know what is about to hit him! Owen decided that he wanted to give my shoes a try. Mr Tony was not too thrilled about seeing his only son in princess flip flops so the next day, he bought him some boy ones.

This is Miss Delphine's favorite picture because she says that we look like an old married couple sitting on the balcony watching the sunset. Everyone loves that we have so many great pictures together!

The next day, we decided to bring the water guns to the pool with us. Who knew that they would be such a hit! I got to wear the new bathing suit that Daddy picked out for me. By the way, I even hold a water gun like a girl! Owen and I found new ways to go down the slide that are so much more fun than the traditional way. We would slide down together backwards on our tummies and just thought that we were the greatest! I also learned the word Wegie this weekend. Can you tell why?

Then we would slide down on our tummies facing forward. That was all fun and games until the water got all in our faces and then we decided that the traditional way was not so bad after all. That afternoon after nap, we decided to go down to the public beach. Mama and Daddy were not so sure how I would handle it since I did not much care for it last time. I hopped right in with no hesitation. This was before the oil spill made it to Gulf Shores.

Owen was right there with me and he loved the sand too! Owen and I like to hold hands hence the cutest picture ever at the end of the blog! This weekend, Owen wanted Mama and I wanted Miss Delphine so they kind of traded some! We are both going through Daddy phases right now!

Mr Tony wrote our names in the sand and Owen and I tried to copy them. Really, we just had fun digging and playing with our buckets and shovels. Daddy tried to make a sand castle but we kept on knocking it over.

Okay, so I know that what I am about to say is a little sac religious but we are calling this picture the way, the truth, and the life. It looks like I am saying "Come to me my children!" Everyone says that I look like an angel...if they only knew!

Owen got his toes wet and really like the gulf until the undertow at the edge of the water scared him a little. It can really pull at the sand underneath your feet.

I just sat on the sidelines watching. I was not really into the whole gulf thing! I did take a long walk to the pier with Mama and I got to see lots of seashells and fish. There were people fishing off of the pier and I wanted to go see them but Mama said that we might scare the fish away.

Then it was time to say goodbye to the beach until next time. Mama and Miss Delphine say that this is going to be mine and Owen's save the date one day. How cute would that be? It was such a fun weekend full of great times with wonderful friends! Hopefully we can do it again next year, only maybe we will include George and Sophie this time!

Welcome to a New Decade Mama!

Hi Everyone! Sorry I am posting a little late but you know how busy my life is right now! So the other day at school, Miss Vette decided that Mama needed a picture of me trying to call her on not 1 but 2 phones! Hey, you can't say that I do things halfway! She sent it to her at work and it made her day.
Then she sent her a picture of George. As you can see, George likes to scrunch his toes down in his sandals so the teachers are having a bit of a hard time keeping them on straight! George thinks that it is funny! He has really started repeating things so everyone watch what you say around the baby!The fire truck came to school to see George for the second time! He saw it last year but was in Mama’s sling. Anyway, he liked it much more that I did at his age. Of course, he was not a fan of the wagon. Can you spot Him? I will give you a hit…he is the only one standing up outside of his wagon! He IS the line leader you know!For Mama's birthday, we went to Mimi and Grandpa's for dinner and cake! It was really yummy and after George finished his, he decided that he would give Mama's a try. He is learning how to share but thinks that you should just share with him.
That night, we stayed with Mimi and Grandpa so that Mama and Daddy could have date night. George had fun playing with Maggie and burned off lots of energy running back and forth after her ball.

As usual, he chased Grandpa around as well. Grandpa is glad that George loves him so much! It is up to George to carry on the Hornbuckle family name! No pressure George!As I did when I was a baby, George loves playing with the silver on their shelves. I think it is because he thinks that he is not supposed to be doing it. I also think that I did a better job cleaning everything up though. George can be a little hard headed.

After playing outside most of the afternoon, I thought that it would be a good time to help Mimi and Grandpa out with some of their work. By the way, my Daddy phase has increased lately. I have a sweet Daddy!

I was especially intrigued by the magnifying glass. Wow, it makes things big! Mama said that she wants me to look at myself in the mirror when I am holding it in front of my face. The next morning the best thing happened! Mimi suggested that I eat birthday cake for breakfast! I immediately threw my hands in the air and yelled "YES!" No hesitation here! The next Tuesday was the election and we stayed with Mimi and Grandpa again because of Mama's exams. George and I did something that most people our age cannot say that they have done. We voted! George wore his sticker on his shirt.
I wore my sticker on my hand. Who did we vote for? You are not supposed to ask anyone that! It's personal! I felt like such a big girl and the people at the voting center were so sweet to us. It was a great first experience! The next morning, Grandpa got George dressed and Mimi got me dressed for school. It is a full time job watching us but is well worth it. We always have such a fine time, as Mimi says!
That weekend, we went to Tuscaloosa for a night and played with the hose for the first time! I had on my bathing suit but George was not so lucky! We both love the water so much that we did not care what we were wearing! It was so hot so it felt so good to be in the cool water!
After running around in wet clothes, George decided that he would rather be naked as a jaybird, well, except for his shoes. He just ran around the yard, played in the water, went down the slide and kicked the ball around...he was out there Jerry!

We first tried to run the sprinkler but I was not a big fan of it so we resorted to the hose. Needless to say, the grass was definitely watered! My favorite thing to do was spray people but I learned that you can only spray the feet of people that have on real clothes. Do you think that I stuck to that rule?!

When I could not spray anyone else, I would just spray myself! I do not see what the big deal is! I also made the slide a water slide. It was like I was traveling 19 miles per hours. I would say higher than 19 but that is as far as I can count right now.

Water time was so much fun! We all enjoyed it! When the moon came up, we went inside for baths so I thought that I would leave you with a little moon until next time! Really though, how cute is that body!