Bernie

We traveled to Bernie to celebrate my great Aunt Helen's 100th Birthday.  Then, Marlee got sick and we didn't get to go to the party.  We spent most of our time at my Grandma's house.  My Grandma stays at the nursing home a lot with my Grandpa, so we just made ourselves at home.  The girls did really good in the car on the way there.  Laynie had a 1-2 hour spell on the way home, but other than that, they did good.

 Marlee and I went to the Bootheel Youth Museum in Malden one day to get out of the house.  

 She had a lot of fun at first, but then started crying and saying that her head hurt.  She started running a fever when we got back to Grandma's house, so we skipped the party.  She was fine the next day, so maybe the noise at the museum got to her.  Or maybe it was too overwhelming.  She was so sad and pitiful that night.  It broke my heart. 

Here, There, and Everywhere

How is it possible that I have two climbers?  And two kiddos that are constantly in motion?  Is that normal??  Like having them so close together wasn't tough enough...God thought He would just go ahead an make me chase them 24/7...and yes, it is 24 hours a day because I am up every night with at least one of them.  Which leads me to another topic...will Marlee ever sleep by herself??  Someday, I'm sure.  But she always tells me "Not today".  They are exhausting, that is for sure.  But, I would rather have exhausting kiddos than boring kiddos any day.

Now that Laynie has mastered walking, she climbs on EVERYTHING.  I am always finding her in new places.

 Here she is grunting to get up on the stool, which ends with her up on the toilet.  She will stand on the toilet for awhile and then start to panic because she doesn't know how to get back down.  Oh, and Marlee is going through the band-aid stage.  They are her new accessory.

And this girl never stops moving either.  I finally resorted to a video the other day after 10+ failed attempts at a photo.

Our First Apple Festival

Some friends of us told us about an annual apple festival in Lincoln, AR.  We had never been to Lincoln, AR and we had never been to an apple festival, so we thought, "why not?"  They had a bunch of arts and crafts, a play area for kids, a ton of food, and free apple slices.  We had a really good time and the girls really liked the apple slices.

Marlee with her apples

Laynie and I spent a lot of time walking up and down the street while Marlee played in the play area

 I think we will go back next year!

Little Bit of This and That

I just wanted to make a hodgepodge post of things lately.  Marlee and Laynie love going for walks in the wagon.  Marlee loves to be big and pull her little sister. 

Laynie is walking like a champ.  She is still a little wobbly when she gets going fast.  Here is a video of her a few weeks ago when she just got the hang of walking.  She loves to chase these balls all over the house.

Marlee got this car for Christmas and has been scared to death of it since the day she first got it.  She finally conquered her fear and rode it last week.  She loves it, but she is just about to big for it now.  Haha!

We have started a new tradition of getting frozen yogurt after school on Friday.

 It's a big hit.

I am so glad that I get to work from home and spend more time with them.  And I love when I am holding Laynie and Marlee says, "Hold your two babies?"  That is a request that I NEVER turn down.

Laynie had her one year checkup last week (at 13 months...she's a little behind).

She weighs 19.25 pounds, between the 10th and 25th percentile

Height is between the 5th and 10th percentile

She is so short and petite.  We love her to pieces!

Poor baby girl had to get 5 shots.  She was already scheduled for 4 and then I was mean and had them go ahead and give her a flu shot, too.

It was the saddest thing ever.

Laynie isn't talking yet.  We thought she was saying Dada, but now we think she was probably just mumbling.  One thing is for sure, though.  She loves to say E-I-E-I-O. ;)

Marlee is into talking about "best friends".

She also uses it when she is in trouble and will say, "But you are my best friend, Momma."

I sure do love my girls and our time together.  I am trying to soak up every minute.

Washington County Fair

Marlee loves Ferris wheels (aka spinning wheels) and rides, so we knew she would love the fair.  And we were right!  I don't think there was anything that she was afraid to ride. Her first stop was the big Ferris wheel with her Dada

Sidenote: She rode this again on the way out with her Momma and insisted on sitting across from me by herself.  There are no seatbelts and as far as I know, the door just pops up and open, so I was a nervous wreck the entire time.  I was so scared she was going to try to open that door!!

She loved the rollercoaster.  Dada said it was faster than it looked.  Haha!

And this motercycle ride is pretty much like all the other rides at the fair...just a different object that goes in circles.

Laynie was so content at the fair just watching all the people.  I don't think she made a peep!

We spotted some pony rides on the way out and Marlee was a big fan.

 We are headed to the fair in Fort Smith in a couple of weeks.  I am sure Marlee will be thrilled. :)

Laynie's Birthday Party

Since we were at the beach on Laynie's Birthday, we had her party when we got back.  She was actually 1 1/2 weeks older than 1 at her party and had started walking by then!  The theme of her party was "You are my Sunshine"

 Laynie sat in this chair, ready to open presents

She didn't really care about her presents.  She just wanted to be close to her Momma.  She is such a little Momma's girl.

 A few of Laynie's guests 

 Laynie took on her Birthday cake just like she takes on everything else in life...cool, calm, and collected.

 And she didn't really get messy because the cake was made with fondant icing.

Big sister made plenty of a mess for both of them 

 Happy Birthday, Lou Lou!!  I cannot believe you are already 1 year old!!  It is so fun watching you walk all over the house and cackle.  We love you so much!