Happy Birthday Matthew!

George's two bottom teeth have now cut through and are making their way into sight! After dinner time, he bites on frozen teething rings to help his gums feel better. I like to get one and pretend that I am teething too!

Baby James has now joined us so Mama, Daddy, George and I went and picked up Georgia Jayne to get her out of the house for a little while. She rode in the car with us and thought that it was so funny! I like it when she rides in the car with me!

We went to the park and played on the slides and the swings. We would get to the top of the slide and then go down together. We chased each other around and laughed and laughed.

Then it was snack time and and we joined George on his blanket. We had juice, treat treats and cookies. George had his sippy cup that he is getting really good at drinking from!

Then we came back to my house and put on sunglasses and had a parade with our push toys. We went through the house and then around and around the table outside. We were two cool dudes! George was in his Johnny Jump Up! It was a really fun day and I hope that we can do it again soon!

The next weekend, Nana came in town on Friday night for the Fall Festival at my school. Mama and Dada won the painting for George's class so now they have both of our firsts! The next morning, we woke up and went to Lagrange for Matthew's first birthday party. Nana rode in the backseat with us and that made the trip so much more fun!

When we got there, Uncle Robert made us a PB&J and Rob and I ate lunch together. I love Rob and do everything that he does! He let me borrow his chair to sit in!

Meanwhile, George played in the den with Matthew and showed off his sitting up skills for everyone. We are still waiting for him to crawl. We think it will be any day now! He liked playing with all of their toys!

When Aunt Betsy got home, she gave Rob his Halloween Costume and he was thrilled! He wants to be a Fireman and she found the cutest outfit! I am going to be Snow White, since I look like her and George is going to be a monkey, since his name is George.

Then William and Charlie came over and William played with George for a little bit. He is really good at making babies laugh. He is such a sweet boy. He was wearing camo because he had been hunting with Greg that morning!

George had fun sporting his new Alabama outfit. He can't say Roll Tide yet so I have to say it for him! Every time I see football on the screen I yell Roll Tide even if it is not Alabama playing. If you can't tell, he is getting really chunky now. He started off so little that nobody ever thought that he could be chunky!

Everyone helped Matthew open his presents. It was a little crazy during that time but Aunt Betsy did a great job keeping track of everything. Mama helped put the toys together which is one of her favorite things to do! He got some really great stuff!

Matthew had a monkey theme birthday and so he had a monkey cake. Since it was his first birthday, he gets a smash cake too! Rob helped him blow out the candles!

Our party favors were pumpkin decorating kits. It just so happened that Nana brought us pumpkins and stickers so we got to decorated our pumpkins. We were so proud and decided to take pictures next to them! All three of us were born the same year and look how much we have grown!

During the Alabama game, Gretchen got tired so she decided to make my overnight bag her bed. Mama and Daddy thought that it was really cute. She was exhausted after the long day of running around with us kiddos! It was a really fun birthday party! Thank you Betsy and Robert!

The next day we drove back home and that afternoon, we went to the park again with Georgia Jayne but this time, Miss Heather came with us. We had snack time again with each other but this time it was on the park bench.

George spent some time checking out Georgia Jayne (just kidding but we thought this picture was funny and he was looking at her saying "so, you come here often?) I keep telling him that she is my best friend! What if they dated one day?! That would be crazy, wouldn't it! GJ loves George back, but not as much as she loves me!

To end this weeks blog, Mama french braided my hair for the first time and I felt like such a big girl. I have such beautiful hair and so much of it that I can have a braid. Gretchen is next to me waiting for her turn. What a fun couple of weeks we have had!

Uncle Michael and Aunt Nancy Visit

This weekend, we went over to Mimi and Grandpa's because Uncle Michael and Aunt Nancy came to visit us from Florida. We started off the day going to the Fall Festival at Mt Laurel. Snow white greeted us and I was not too sure about sitting with her. I did tell her that I was going to be her for Halloween though...well, Mama and Daddy did!
George sat with her for a little bit. As you can see, he was a little apprehensive too! She was an Alabama fan so she like our outfits! Who would have thought that Snow White would like football!

They had two moonwalks set up and so I took off my shoes and started jumping! I love moonwalks! I am more confident in them now and just laugh the whole time!

They had lots of booths set up and I found the one that had baby things! Mimi bought me an Alabama purse at this booth. Mama secretly wants to borrow it when she goes to campus! The icecream man was there and I got a Lemon Chill. I would make a really funny face each time I would take a bite! Mimi had to trick me when I got home so that I would not spoil my lunch. I wanted to eat the whole thing!!
When we got back to the house, I warmed up to Uncle Michael and let him hold me for a minute. He is Mimi's Brother and made the long trip just to see George and me.
George had fun playing with him. Michael started tickling him and George was just laughing! Mimi thinks that George looks like Michael when he was a baby.
Then it was Nancy's turn to love on George. She loves babies so she must really love George since he is the best baby in the world! As you can see, he is trying to get some teeth so he is constantly biting on his fingers! Makes for a lot of drool! We watched the Alabama game on Grandpa's big TV. It was like we were there! Alabama is still undefeated!

Mimi made a special Happy Cake since it was close to Michael's Birthday so I helped her bring it to him and helped blow out the candles. I have been practicing for my upcoming birthday. Daddy has me saying "Wish, Wish, Wish" before I blow them out! Thank you Michael and Nancy for coming to visit us and we look forward to seeing you again!

The next day, we got up and went to church. Daddy got us dressed because Mama was on call and had to go to the hospital. I like to hold George's hand when we take pictures.
That night, I insisted on Mama putting a baby bow in George's hair. I do not think that Daddy is going to like this picture but you have to admit, it is pretty funny! Plus, you can see George's pretty blue-green eyes!
Then Daddy and George had some fun playing on the floor. Mama loves this picture of the two of them. I have the best Daddy in the world and feel very lucky that he is ours! He is so involved with everything that we do and we love him very much!

Hornbuckles, Pitts, Skinners and Terrells, Oh My!

This week has been a big week of firsts in our house! First of all, George can sit by himself now! He is also pushing up on his hands and knees and rocking and has started having a little stranger anxiety. Mama cannot believe that her little boy is growing up so fast! Also, on my way home from school this week, I sang my ABC's from start to finish with the song at the end! Mama almost had a wreck because she was so excited! That weekend, Georgia Jayne came over and we had a picnic in my den of Chick-Fil-A! We were supporting the tide by looking really cute in our outfits! Alabama is undefeated this year so far!

The next weekend was our trip to Helen, Georgia! We stayed at the most amazing house that was next to a farm! We saw buffalo, pigs, llamas, chickens, cats and dogs! There was a huge media room downstairs that Nana and Papa set up tents in and we could run around and do whatever we wanted! Deed and Pop Pop brought us surprises too. Unfortunately, it rained all day Saturday but with so much to do, it did not matter!

I was the only girl in a house full of boys but I am used to that by now! George loved watching us run around. He can't wait until he can do it too! We tried to get a picture with all of us on the couch but you know how that works out!

Matthew is crawling now so he was all over the place. He spent a lot of his time with George since they are close to the same age but I managed to get a little time with him. He has lots of hair like me and so they call him Fluffy at school!

There was an outdoor pool table that everyone had fun with! Mama loves the way that Daddy shoots and looks at his opponent. They spent hours out there after we went to bed. We are still a little too young for pool!

There was a hot tub out back that was so warm. William got to get in with Deed since he is older. They had fun swimming in it! Pop Pop even got in it in the rain on Saturday!

We all brought our favorite toys to share. Charlie loved sitting on the fireplace! We all took turns running and jumping on the chairs and needless to say, we all got our exercise! As usual, I followed Rob's every move! I love Rob! It was a super fun weekend with our extended family and I can't wait to do it again!

Happy Birthday Daddy and Roll Tide!

This has been a great couple of weeks full of fun! To begin, Papa came in town to see me (and George but mostly me...at least that is the way I see it.) I wanted him to sit in my new chairs that Nana found for me. They are just my size but a little small for Papa. I thought it was funny to see him sitting in it.

That weekend, we went to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama game and I sported my cute Roll Tide outfit for Nana and Papa. I have learned to say "oo tie!" When I see football on the TV, it does not matter who is playing, I say "oo tie!" Mama and Daddy have taught me well!

George, of course, had a wonderful weekend because he had all three of his favorite things...Attention, me and TV! He is definitely the smiler in the family. I never smiled this much. He likes to be in the exersaucer and watch every move I make and smile. I like to rearrange the toys on the exersaucer and hand him toys when he is on the floor.

Miss Angie, and her children Jackson and Julia came over to visit. They live in Texas and her and Mama have been friends since Middle School. It was so good to see them and it was nice to have playmates. It took me a minute to warm up and when I finally talked to them, Julia said "Look Jackson, she talks!" It was really funny and everyone laughed!It was raining the whole night so we played with my toys in the garage, which was fine with us. Papa showed us his motorcycle, which was really cool! We got to sing happy birthday to Daddy since he was turning 34! The "Happy Cake", as I call it was so good! Later that night, it was getting close to bedtime and so I shared my bath with them and then we put on our pajamas and went to bed. We had so much fun that I was asleep before my head hit the pillow! I am really glad that they came in town and am looking forward to an annual trip hopefully!

The next morning, I got up and had my daily cheerios and played on my piano. It was sad not having my new friends over but I had Nana and Papa so I was great! It was raining again so Nana took me to Publix and Toys R Us. She let me choose a toy all by myself. I chose a keyboard that plays different songs. It was nice to get out of the house.

In the meantime, George and Daddy had fun playing. Mama had her beloved Taco Casa and Gretchen dug to China in the backyard. The weekend was great at Nana and Papa's and since it was Labor Day weekend, we had an extra day of fun!

We went over to Mimi and Grandparents on Monday for Daddy's actual birthday. I showed off my slide skills and wore my cute pink polka dot shorts. We cooked out BBQ chicken and had lots of sides for the fun day! George showed off his swing skills for everyone. He is such a laid back baby. He was perfectly happy just watching us play and swinging. Then it was time for a little break and we played with my bubble machine and I drank some juice with Mimi. I like sitting on the wall! They had some balloons in honor of Daddy's birthday but I think that they were really for me! I had fun carrying them around the back yard and hitting them. They were all "Blue!"
Then it was time to blow out the candles on the cake. We have been practicing this around my house. I call it a "Happy Cake" and can sing "Happy to you!" I can also blow out the candles all by myself! I am ready for two. The cake was SO yummy!

The next weekend, George and I stayed with Mimi and Grandpa so that Mama and Dada could have a night to themselves and watch the game. Alabama played so I wore my Alabama outfit and looked like a dream!

We had fun playing outside. Even though George is happy watching television, he still loves the stimulation of being out in the great wide open. I think that he is the best of both worlds.

Next it was time to feed the fish. Grandpa always saves that for me when he know that I am coming. I am so little compared to him!

After George's bath, we got him dressed in his Alabama footie pajamas and so we were both ready to say Roll Tide Roll. Unfortunately, the game was really late so we were dreaming sweet dreams by the time the game really got going. We looked cute doing it though! Grandpa even thought so even though we were not wearing George Tech colors!

The next day, George needed to eat breakfast so I let him borrow my highchair that I keep at Mimi and Grandpa's (it is really theirs but I think that everything is mine to share if I choose to do so.) He looks like such a big boy eating in a high chair. Mama cannot believe how fast he is growing! I can't wait until he is old enough for us to play together! I love my brother and he loves me!

George is Bonafide!

What a special weekend it was for George! He is FINALLY Baptised! He was supposed to be Baptised on May 31st but Mama was in the Hospital so we had to cancel. August 30th is the day that he became an official child of God!

To start off, we will talk about me since the rest of the day is really about George. I looked really beautiful in my pretty white dress. I got to sit in church for the whole time and did not go to the nursery. Everyone was proud of how well I did. Between you and me, I was quiet because I ate the entire time in church!

George has three Godparents, Lee, Brian and Weldon. They were so very proud of him. Just like with Mr Warren and Tantie for me, if he ever has a problem or needs advice, he can always go to them. He did great during the entire ceremony. He actually slept through most of it until the water on the head part. Papa videoed the ceremony for us and now we will always have it to see not just in our hearts.

Mama and Lee have been friends since birth and Weldon since preschool. I think that it is neat that she is still friends with them after all of these years and that George and I will never remember a time without them. They will be just like our parents only they will not have to discipline.

Mr Russell is the best Priest. He is so caring and truly shows interest in our parish. We feel very lucky to have him in our lives.
Here is everyone that came for George's big day. As you can see, we had a great turnout. It was so special to have so many there to witness one of the most important times in his spiritual life.

As usual, Rob helped open the gifts. He is so animated when he opens anything! We all say that he went to the Skinner School of Gift Opening and graduated with an A+. He says OOOh with everything that he opens, even cards! George received so many wonderful gifts and we are very thankful!

Before everyone left, it was picture time for all of the Grandchildren. It is so hard to get everyone to cooperate. The babies are not really interested in sitting on the couch for an extended period of time but give us a couple of years! All in all, the day was beautiful and we are so blessed to have George in our lives. Thank you God for all of our blessings, Amen.

George's Night Away

Mama started her first day of nursing school today so George spent the night with Mimi and Grandpa all by himself. He started out the night playing on the floor on his play mat. He is getting really good at grasping things and swatting at things. He is super at rolling over and getting to where he wants to go by rolling several times in a row. His teachers think that he is very funny!

He continued his night with a little Karaoke. If you recall, I used to jam with the same toy. He has been practicing sitting up at school and is very close to doing it on his own. This toy helps because it gives him something to focus on and hold on to.

It is very tiring so luckily Mimi was there to lend him some support. He really likes pressing the buttons and looking at his cute face in the mirror.

Maggie loves me but she is growing to love George as well. She thought that she would give him some kisses. She is a really good Aunt and is very sweet to us. I like to give her lots of treats so that has probably something to do with it!

Then it was time to go and Maggie and George said their goodbyes. George told me that he had a wonderful time there and cannot wait to go back.