So Sweet

Jack and Annabelle are really starting to enjoy each other.  They hold hands in the stroller and laugh and laugh at each other.  The other day, Annabelle was holding Jack's foot while we walked in the stroller.  He could not contain his laughter.  Perhaps he was being tickled?  They also like to give, what look like open mouth kisses.  They basically lean into or fall on top of each other with their mouths wide open.  Knock on wood, there is no biting yet!  They are clearly sharing a tender moment with their hands around each other and their mouths open wide, all while laughing and laughing and laughing.  I know these days will not last forever, but I hope they do for a while! 

Fall - well a version of it

Jeremy is a wonderful father and I am so thankful he is the father of my children.  Every now and then he does something to or with the kids and it is so sweet it practically brings tears to my eyes.  Yesterday, we had one of those moments.  We decided to appreciate the 90 degree weather (as opposed to the 100 degree weather) and walk to the park with the kids yesterday afternoon when Jeremy got home from work.  We went to a small park by our house.  There is a huge Live Oak tree there with the fun branches that go to the ground and then back up into the air.  It is big enough you can go under the branches and practically feel like you are in your own secret fort or hide out.  It was a great place to play because it was nice and shady.  90 degrees is still hot!  Anyway, Jeremy and the kids were running around and playing hide-n-seek.  Then, Jeremy grabbed handfuls of leaves that had fallen to the ground and threw them up into the air.  They fluttered to the ground and Annabelle and Jack laughed and laughed.  Jeremy continued to throw leaves into the air and watch them flutter down.  Annabelle also threw some leaves into the air (along with a stick or two) and was very proud of herself.  All three of them were having a wonderful time doing something so simple.  It was really a precious moment for our family.  And, it was fun to see the leaves fall and hope we will someday have "fall" weather.

Road Trip

I'm not sure if our trip over Labor Day weekend counts as the baby's first road trip, since we did drive to Port Aransas when they were three months old.  That drive was 3-4 hours.  Our trip to Arkansas was more like 8-10.  The babies and I went with my mom, Granna.  Jeremy had to work.  I thought it would be best to drive at night, since Annabelle does not seem to enjoy riding in the car.  We left on Thursday afternoon and stopped north of Waco at Luby's for dinner for the kids.  Granna said they would have vegetables and it would be a quick stop.  They did have vegetables, covered in butter and bacon grease.  We got the food fast, but there was nothing quick about the stop.  After running around Luby's and entertaining all of the senior citizens enjoying their 5:00 dinner, I put the kids in PJs, gave them their milk, and hit the road.  We made several stops and I did not end up making it to my dad's house in Fayetteville, Arkansas, until 2:00 AM.  Annabelle fussed off and on for the last few hours and when we arrived at my dad's house, she was ready to party.  She finally fell asleep in bed with me about 4:00 AM.  Jack, who had slept wonderfully for the entire ride, was up at his usual 6:30 AM.  It was a rough day for me!  We saw lots of friends including, Ashley, Emily and her kids, Marissa and her kids, Rhonda and her kids, Misty and her family, Becky and Terry, Carolyn, Sara, and Justin and Katy.  We got to spend a good amount of time with Jasmine and Kaitlyn and hopefully got some cute cousin's pictures.  We went to the park and the farmer's market.  Saturday was the Hog's first football game and the town was quite spirited - GO HOGS!  We went to Jasmine's birthday party on Sunday and Annabelle had fun jumping in the bounce house with Kaitlyn.  Jack had fun walking and walking and walking and walking.  Luckily, on Sunday and Monday, the weather was much cooler.  It was a nice change from the 100+ weather we have been having all summer.  We headed home on Monday, stopping in Ft. Smith for dinner.  We were able to see Mackie, Harris, Maggie, and Parker.  The ride home was not as difficult as the ride there.  Probably in part because there are things to see between Dallas and Austin.  On the way there, once you get past Dallas, there is really nothing to see at night.  During the day, there are beautiful trees and mountains, but at night, there is nothing.  Overall, we had a wonderful, jam-packed, weekend.  We were able to see lots of people whom we have not seen in quite a while.  And, of course, I was able to show the babies my home town.  We love our friends and family in Arkansas and look forward to another visit.