Birthdays and Portraits

Sam and I celebrated our 64th and 31st birthdays this month. We had special visitors to help us celebrate. Alyssa and Slaton came to Houston the weekend of August 1st. We had such a nice time and were so glad to see some of our Abilene family. They arrived Thursday evening and we hung out until Sunday afternoon. Reese and Slaton had a blast together and made more noise in our house than I have heard in a long time.

Slaton ran around the house and Reese did her best to keep up, laughing and yelling all the way.

Here is a little bit of what we did...

Friday we took the kids swimming at Mom and Sam's.




This was Reese's first time to wear her floating suit. Unfortunately, we could not find arm floaties during our Wal-Mart run.








We did find noodles though! Without the floaty or the noodle, Reese would have dipped forward too much.

Slaton also dove for rings with his goggles.




I got a great workout swimming around the pool with Reese.

Saturday morning we took the kids to have their picture taken. Courteney Miller, who took Reese's 3 month pictures was able to meet us on short notice. I was thrilled! I had grand visions of snapping pictures of Slaton and Reese holding hands, walking down the path, playing and laughing outside among the trees, ducks and flowers. Boy, was I dreaming! Reese was not in the mood for taking pictures and would hardly let me put her down. Slaton did well until the end when he had enough. By that time, Reese warmed up a bit, but I think we only got one shot of the two of them! I felt like the morning was a waste, but our talented photographer captured the most precious moments of our children and family.

I do not have the cd yet, but you can check them out on Courteney's blog: http://courteneymillerphotography.blogspot.com/

Scroll down past the Mini Session post to see our pictures.

Thank you again Courteney! You amaze me, and I love the moments you caught for us! You captured the personalities of our kids. Looking forward to next time.

After a long morning :) we rested and got ready for the birthday dinner celebration. Sam was unable to join us for dinner, but we had a nice time at Escalante's.

After some good Mexican food, we joined Sam back at home for presents and cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Sam and Mommy!!!

Thanks Alyssa and Slaton for coming all the way to Houston to see us. We had a great time and can't wait to see you during our upcoming Abilene trip.

Reese's 18 month obsessions...

Reese's current obsessions are comprised of the following:

Checking out anything of Mommy's: travel bag, purse, make up, you name it. She entertains herself so well. My things are very interesting you know! She loves to put things back, when asked, after she is done playing with them. It make transitioning to the next activity so easy because she puts the object away and moves on. I'll bet she learned this at school!



Q-tips became her obsession of the evening during this particular search.






Laughing out loud.




Observing what's going on around her at the Kemah Boardwalk.

Giving high fives!

Playing on the scale and with the softlips (lip gloss).

Reading a book after climbing up on the couch all by herself.

Blowing bubbles and sharing with Super Puppy.

Wearing Mommy's shoes.

Daddy, you've got a Diva on your hands.

Sitting in big chairs.

Rolling containers back and forth across the table to Mommy.

Unscrewing bottle tops.

Hanging out with the girls at BerryHill.

Looking just like Daddy and snacking on the island. Everyone we meet says, "She looks just like her Daddy!"

Taking Mommy's hand and leading the way.

Going swimming at Grandpa Joe's.

Sporting her yellow tutu.

Eating Goldfish (no picture shown for this obsession). I have to hide them, so she will not eat them all day long!

Other news from this month:

- Reese weighed in at 26 lbs and was 34 inches long at her 18 month appointment.

- She loves to help Mommy and follows instructions well. When asked, Reese will shut the door, put her milk in the fridge (with help opening the door), put things back where they belong when she is done (like her tooth brush and my makeup back into its bag). She understands so well and has been minding too. She doesn't react to the word "No" as much as she used to. By that, I mean she doesn't cry, she usually listens and minds us.

- She has said more words including up, ruff ruff, buckle and more using the sign too. We continue to work with her and repeat words over and over before following through with an action. For example, when she grunts for something, we say the word for what she is asking for and try to get her to repeat it. We went ahead and scheduled an appointment with the speech therapist for Friday, August 21 to get their thoughts and advice.

- Terrible two's have subsided a bit...hope I'm not jinxing it! :)

~ 8 years and 18 months ~

Today is our 8 year wedding anniversary and Reese's 18 month birthday. It's hard to believe we have been married 8 years and that Reese is a year and a half old!

On Friday I did a little shopping before picking Reese up from school. I was hoping to find some good summer sales, but had little luck. Of course all of the fall clothes are out, but who wants to buy fall clothes when it is 100 degrees outside. In Houston we wear shorts until Thanksgiving! At least Matt does.

I did find a few goodies at Gap and Gymboree!




The school theme last week was beach/ocean and Reese's teacher said she kept putting on sunglasses. I had to see this for myself.



On Saturday and Sunday morning, Mom, Reese and I walked at Memorial City Mall. I finally got smart and decided to work out inside rather than outside. Reese loves (so far) strolling through the mall and they have an indoor playground that she enjoys.

Later in the day on Saturday, I headed to Galveston with some girl friends to visit a wine bar. It was a fun afternoon and a nice little get-a-way. Matt and Reese hung out with Scott and Chris and ate Amy's ice cream! That evening, after the thunderstorm passed, Matt and I went to McCormick and Schmick's to celebrate our anniversary. Grandma Ruth came over and watched Reesie.

On Sunday, we took our usual trip to the park. Reese was all about the BIG toys!




She even braved the BIG swing all by herself.



I told her she was a BIG girl now!

She also played on the BIG play structure.

And Daddy helped her climb up the BIG high steps (these are the ones she envied the girls playing tag last week when they climbed).

Yesterday, Reese and I took a walk after dinner. I've been trying to get in brisk walks 4-5 times a week. We stopped at the park and Reese played and played. Of course she did not want to leave, but we had to get home for bath time. Unfortunately, this lead to a kicking and screaming tantrum and I ended up carrying her home while pushing the jogger one handed. It was BAD! She really wanted to push the jogger, but it's just too big for her and there is nothing to hold onto that she can reach. She is used to pushing her umbrella stroller, so she thought she could push the jogger. We finally made it home, but not without a few astonished looks from the neighbors! Whew!

Oh and when I picked up Reese from school yesterday, I learned she got her first bite from another child. Apparently she took a toy from another boy and he bit her hand trying to get her to let go. She had a pretty good mark on her knuckle and around her index finger and thumb. It did not break the skin thank goodness and is already looking better today. I really hope she does not retaliate and bite him or any other child.

Today, Reese showed me how she was like Mommy. She carried my purse, her school bag and my lunch bag around the kitchen before stopping to make a phone call.

So back to being 18 months old...

Reese amazes me everyday and I simply love this age! I must admit, however, the terrible two's have begun. Nobody warned me that they started so early! I say this because I have seen more and more tantrums lately. In addition, Reese has been refusing to change her diaper or get dressed. It's a real chore to accomplish either task. BUT, I know this too shall pass and is a part of growing up, becoming more independent and showing she has some power. When she gets over her fit, she always comes running to me and gives me hugs (like she was never mad at me). She has this thing about grabbing my finger and leading (shall I say pulling) me around the house or playground to show me something very interesting. It's like she is saying, "Mom, come over here!".

Tomorrow is her 18 month appointment. Let's see what the doctor has to say about her speech.

Splash Day!

Today was Splash Day at Reese's school. She wasn't quite sure about putting on her swimsuit so early in the morning. I assured her she would be happy she did!







The teachers asked for parents to volunteer, and I was happy to oblige. I dropped her off and then worked from home until it was time to join her. I'm glad I wore my shorts and t-shirt because I ended up almost as wet as the kids.



Reese played with this net for the majority of the time.





They had a sprinkler hanging from above like a clothes line. This is how I ended up soaked; when turned on high these water hoses shot water every where (can you see them spinning?).





Reese tested out the water with her toes before jumping in the pool.





The kids love bubbles!




Time to get in the pool.

I think I'll just stand here and observe my friends.

Can you hear the excitement coming from her mouth?

Getting a good shower now.

Multi-tasking.

Whatcha doing with the shaving cream?

Before I knew it an hour had flown by, so I said by to Reese (she hardly noticed I was leaving) and headed home to change before going to work.

Her teachers said she was having so much fun that she didn't want to leave when it was time to go inside. She cried a little, but got over it pretty quick.

Other tidbits from this week...

While enjoying her new favorite pastime, Reese discovered the light switch in the fridge. She kept turning it on and off. Then she would close the door until the light would go off and then she would open it again. Hey, are those my keys on the bottom?

Reese has seen me drink from my canteen and she likes to play with it. She also offered Super Puppy a drink.

She did this at least 10 times. It was so cute!

During our walk on Tuesday evening we stopped by the park as usual. There were 5 girls playing tag and Reese really wanted to join them. She kept walking up to them and screaming. I had to keep her from getting run over as they flew by chasing each other. She also tried to climb the big toys like the girls who were running and jumping all around the play structures.

That night when it was time for night night, Reese handed me Time for Bed to read to her.