Father's Day

We had a great weekend celebrating Daddy and Pepaw and Grandaddy and Papaw Tim, and Papaw Hubert! Man, we sure are blessed to have such great men in our lives!

Saturday afternoon we started the celebrations at Aunt Donna's house.  We weren't able to stay long because of prior commitments but got to visit with the Garner side of the family and even got to swim for a little while.  Of course, I left my phone in the car and then got in the pool so I didn't get any pictures while were there so you will have to believe me when I said we had a good time.  We will definitely have to go back soon and look forward to getting to spend more time with everyone the next time.
After we left Donna's we headed to DotDot and Grandaddy's house to have dinner.  Aunt Ashley was there and we had a good dinner and then played outside until it was bath time.  Drew and Anna Kate were so tired they fell asleep on the way home and barely woke up when I got them out of the car.

 Helping Aunt Ashley make dinner.

 Eating his corn like a big boy.  He kept trying to eat Aunt Ashley's so she finally just gave him his own.  He did a good job!

Grandaddy got a new toy for himself and the babies.  A golf cart!  They loved riding around the neighborhood on it. I have a feeling that thing will rack up many miles over the years to come.

We went to Mamaw Katherine's and Papaw Hubert's on Sunday to celebrate with Papaw Tim and Papaw Hubert.  We had more yummy food and more fun outside!  Again, they were so tired they fell asleep on they way home and went right back to sleep after we brought them in and put them in bed.

 Playing in pool. Drew (especially) has become quite fond of the water.

 Flirting with Megan.

Anna Kate got a splinter in her foot and Daddy had to do surgery. All she needed was some strawberries and she was very cooperative.  There were no tears or anything! Brave girl!





Solo

Anna Kate and Drew got to spend a little one on one time with their mommy and daddy today!  I can only count 3 times that they have ever been separated.  All three times were for doctor appointments and were really too young to understand.  I needed to go to the grocery store and the bank this morning and John Clay needed to go to Guitar Center.  So, we just decided that if he took one and I took the other, we could accomplish what we needed to.  It was different to only have one child with you and so much easier! Even though it was easy, I would never trade the multiple trips to and from the car, having to have a stroller to go anywhere, the need for a strategic/logistical plan at all times, etc... for anything in this world!

 Drew all loaded up in the truck and ready to go.  John Clay said he didn't make a peep the entire way to and from Knoxville.  He said as soon as they walked in the door at Guitar Center, he could see his wheels turning just trying to take it all in.  They just walked around and checked out the guitars and DJ equipment/lighting first.  Then, they hit the mother load in the drum room (or the "boom room" as Drew called it).  John Clay said he loved sitting on the drum thrones and hitting the drums and cymbals. I don't know who had more fun!

Anna Kate got to ride in the middle and see out the front windshield. When we first got started, she kept pointing to Drew's side of the car and saying "Uh Oh, Uh Oh". I'm pretty sure she was worried we forgot him.  We started our trip at Walmart.  Anna Kate saw some ballons and got really excited about them so guess what she came home with?! :)  She was very well behaved but got a little put-out when I wouldn't let her have the "moes" (what she calls tomatoes) that I put in our cart. We had quite the surprise and ran into Grandaddy while we were there. We got all we needed there and headed to the bank next.  We made it home about 5 minutes before Drew and Daddy and just in time for lunch and a nap!

All in all, I would say our solo trips were a success.  We were a little nervous about how they would react to being apart but they did great.  We want to try to do one on one outings with they often.  I'm sure they will love some undivided attention. 

After naps we ran out the door for Father's Day celebrations with the Garners and then with Grandaddy but I'll save those for another post.



Twenty Two!

Today Anna Kate and Drew are 22 months old!  It is so hard to believe their second birthday is so quickly approaching.  To be honest, I kind of lost count on how many months old they were past 18 months.  They change so much everyday and really are little kids and not babies any more.  A few fun facts about the two munchkins:
-Drew's most favorite food is probably blueberries.  Anna Kate's favorite is definitely tomatoes.  That girl would eat a whole tomato like an apple if we would let her.  Drew has recently developed a little aversion to meat.  He is my good vegetable eater while Anna Kate will go for the meat and carbs first.  They both love any kind of fruit and of course love ice cream or any kind of cake or pie.
-They both recently had a growth spurt.  We measured them this past weekend and they both had grown almost 1/2 inch in a month!
-They are still good sleepers.  Drew is usually the first one up and will wake Anna Kate up in the mornings or after naps.  They sleep about 11 hours per night and usually take a 2 hour nap during the day. They are both quite flexible and are really good if they are up late or have to delay or miss their nap.
-They are both talking more and can repeat pretty much anything  but still do a lot of grunting and pointing (that is our fault for responding to grunts!). They both know pretty much all of their body parts and can identify primary colors like red, yellow, blue, and green. They can also find a few of their letter books.  They know A, C, D, K, and U (random, I know!).
-They play great together and are getting better about sharing with each other.  I love that they have each other to play with.  They also look out for each other.  If one gets hurt or cries, the other will always come check on them. They play well with their cousins and other kids.
-They still love going outside and taking baths.  They are developing a love for the pool also.  We are looking for somewhere to send them for swim lessons.  They still don't have any interest in watching TV but do like to play with the remote because they like to see the TV change.  They still insist that it is on even though they aren't watching. They still like books but because they have been spending so much time outside, we really haven't been reading as much lately.
-Drew is quite inquisitive about how things are made, work, etc.... He loves cars, trucks, and mowers. He surely is all boy. He plays rougher and will take more risks than Anna Kate.  Anna Kate is more into girly things like her babies and her clothes.
-They are both busy but so very sweet.  They will play for a while then want to come cuddle and sit on my lap for a while. 

 My phone has the flip feature where you can turn the camera around and see yourself on the screen.  This morning I let them play with it.  Anna Kate liked pointing at herself and making funny faces.

 Drew was quite puzzled by it and was trying to figure out what was going on.

This is a bad picture of an incredibly sweet moment.  After they finished eating lunch Drew reached over and patted Anna Kate on the back. I said "Aw, Drew, you're a sweet brother".  He then wanted to give her a kiss.  The moment had passed by the time I got my phone to take a picture so this was the best I got.  This was their version of giving each other a kiss. HaHa!

Parading

Drew and Anna Kate attended their first parade on Sunday. The theme was "Proud to be an American" and was honoring all past and present military. They had a good time and were super excited when it got to the end and their Grandaddy came riding by on his tractor! 

Waiting for the parade to get started.

 Looking at the helicopter flying over.  That was one of their favorite parts of the parade. The poeple in mascot suits were also a big hit.

 The parade was a bit long and they were starting to get restless so they got to experience another first.  Their first sucker (Dum Dums to be exact)!   Drew went right after his and eventually bit into it so we had to take it away. Anna Kate just sucked on hers.  They definitely did the job and bought us some more time while we waited for Grandaddy to come by.

 There he is!!

 A little post parade snack.  Jello!

Bucky bucked Drew off while we were playing outside after dinner!

Sand!

We had our first experience with sand today and they loved it!  They also loved throwing it out of the sandbox much to Grandaddy's chagrin. Now we know that when we are ready to take them to the beach that they will at least like the sand!

 Anna Kate took it slow and wasn't sure at first if she liked the way the sand felt on her feet. She quickly warmed up.

 Drew jumped right in.

 Drew taunting showing Grandaddy a shovel full of sand that he was thinking about throwing out of the box.

 Drew decided to lay down in the sand and lick it.  He didn't love having it in his mouth. Hopefully, that lesson was learned (although I'm not going to bank on it). He had sand from head to toe. We had to rinse him off just to put him in the bath tub!

 Look who now shares her brother's love for the lawn mower!

 Meet "Bucky the Wonder Horse".  Bucky is no less than 35 years old and I am sure has a couple of thousand miles on him.  Bucky was mine and Aunt Ashley's toy when we were little and I believe DotDot said he was cousin Carmen and Kevin's before that.

This toy Anna Kate is on is also "vintage".  Its a good thing DotDot held on to all of the gems all those years!

 As if driving the lawn mower wasn't enough, Drew also now loves to "drive" Grandaddy's truck. He sits very still on his lap and helps to steer. Every once in a while he will sneak and hit a button or turn the lights on.

 Buckle up for safety!

This picture makes me laugh. For some reason, Drew and Anna Kate like to put their lawn chairs on top of the couch or ottoman (because leaving them in the floor is just too safe).  I left the room to make lunch and heard crying from the living room and came running to find this.  Drew turned his chair over and was stuck and couldn't get up so he was crying.  Anna Kate can't be outdone by her brother so she cried because he was crying.  They are both guilty of that little trick but Miss Priss is definitely more dramatic about it than her brother.

Nothing new

Nothing new to report and nothing clever to say.  So, here are some pictures of what we have been up to lately.

 A little dog watching.  I am so thankful they have each other as playmates. I don't know what people do with only one kid. It makes me sad for "singletons". :)

 John Clay's band played Saturday night so the babies and I went to DotDot and Grandaddy's house for dinner.  Drew had already eaten his dinner but decided he needed some of Grandaddy's also.

 The big scary car wash! They have been through the car wash as little babies and it didn't phase them but this time they were big enough to realize it might be a little scary.  Anna Kate's face is pitiful.  They didn't cry too much and were fine as soon as we pulled out.

 We had a birthday party to go to on Sunday that occurred right in the middle of nap time.  This was on our way home.  He was sound asleep.  I love it when he crosses his leg like that.  He looks like a little man and it cracks me up.  His sister was also out about 5 minutes after we got in the car.  And despite missing their nap, they were very well behaved and had a good time!

Check out this pout!  Nothing gets to Anna Kate like her Daddy getting on to her for something.  She was standing in her pink chair and John Clay told her to get down. As she was getting down, it turned over and she sort of fell over but it didn't hurt her at all. John Clay said, "See, I told you" and apparently that was devastating to her.  She sat like this for almost a full minute and then the tears flowed. Haha!

I decided to let Drew and Anna Kate try sandwiches today for lunch.  Anna Kate dissected hers and only at the bread (that girl loves some carbs) and I think Drew missed the point on how sandwiches are to be eaten. :) Needless to say, they didn't go so well this time. But we'll try them again soon.

"Something else"

Those kids of mine are "something else".  That is usually the way their Mamaw Katherine chooses to describe them and I think that is pretty fitting.  Their comprehension, language, physical ability, etc... are growing by leaps and bounds every day.  I can't get over the things that they suddenly know out of the blue. It seems they both know several of their colors. Who knew!? They can identify blue, green, red, yellow, and pink.  And they are definitely watching us.  They will mimic things we do and can repeat anything you ask them to say (and sometimes things you don't ask them to repeat!). We really have to watch our step!

 The picture isn't a great quality but the story to go with it is hilarious! DotDot and Grandaddy kindly agreed to watch them for about an hour Wednesday night so I could go to the grocery store while John Clay worked late. We were playing outside and I had to bribe them to come in by telling them we were going to DotDot and Grandaddy's house. While I was getting Drew dressed Anna Kate "packed her bag".  Apparently she had plans of staying longer than an hour! She got the huge bag that we take when we are going to be gone for the day/overnight and put the entire pack of swimming diapers, an unopened pack of wipes, her baby doll, and a monster truck in it. You know, the essentials!

 I think I mentioned in my last post how Anna Kate has been mothering her baby lately.  She wanted her baby to sit in her high chair and wear her bib for lunch on Wednesday!

He had a blast in the pool Wednesday afternoon.  For some reason, he thought it was fun to stand on the edge and then just fall forward into the pool.  It seems to me this wouldn't have felt very good but he did it over and over.  Of course, he has his monster truck too.  He has grown as attached to his monster trucks as Anna Kate is to her baby doll. His big cousin Price would be so proud!  These days, we must take the monster truck and the baby doll to bed with us.  I usually go dig them out from underneath them before I go to sleep at night and put them on the side of their crib so they can have them first thing in the morning!

 Love him! He looks mad or sad in the picture but I promise he wasn't!

 Sibling love! You can ask them if they love and each other and they will hug the other one and give each other a kiss.  It is completely precious!

 "What you talkin' bout Willis?"

 Anna Kate spent some of her nap time organizing her loveys (as you can see) so she wasn't quite ready to get up yet.  And is there anything cuter than a baby booty in the air?!?!

Sweet sleepy babies.