Happy Birthday, Lexa--Part II

Lexa, you are such a special girl. We love you so much. You have such a BIG heart. We call you our "old soul", it is like we have known you forever. You are a mini-adult & would have been a perfect only child but God had other plans! Here are some things about you as we celebrate your 2nd birthday:

--You are very healthy. We worried & worried about you because you were only 4 lbs, 2 oz. at birth & looked so fragile, but once you learned to suck that bottle, you haven't stopped! I truly credit Enfamil Preemie formula for making you so healthy!

--You love the water. We call you a fish because you are so content in the water. You dive face first into the bathwater every chance you get. You loved swimming in the pool with Aunt Amy & love the word "wet".

--You are so caring & loving. When you notice someone doesn't feel well, you pat them on the back & give them the biggest hugs in the world. Just the other day, I woke up from a nap with you kissing me. When Geneva was sick in bed last week you carried her toys into her crib & blew her kisses through the crib bars.

--You love to laugh (especially at your sister). You think Geneva is so funny. You laugh & laugh & eventually just shake your head & say "sista." You have a very deep belly laugh!

--You HATE elevators. When the doors close, you cry & look so fearful. Like Luke said at the hotel, "she must have claustrophobia!"

--You love your home. When we are out walking, as soon as you spot our house, you run up the driveway smiling and say "home."

--You love animals. Anywhere we go, you are the first to notice puppies, kittens, & birds (which are "robbies" for robins). You are so gentle & sweet with Whiskey & Corkie. You must kiss them two dozen times a day.

--You love to read anything & everything. When you don't know the words you make them up & are content just flipping through books (until sister steals them away).

--You wake up in a good mood, always. Just chattering away in the mornings.

--You go to bed in a good mood most of the time. You read a book to yourself until you fall asleep.

--You have one speed--fast. You love to run & stay busy. You are so independent.

--You are a hoarder! Like a dog that buries his treasures. You hide toys everywhere--in bookcases, drawers, under the bed, in your clothes "pocket", in the trashcan. You never know when you might need them!

--You like to tell on your sister. I often hear in the monitor, "no, no, no, sister" & I know that Geneva is in trouble.

--You love nature--animals, flowers, trees, bushes, & anything & everything to do with the weather. You point to the window & beg to go "side". Most of your vocabulary for awhile had to do with weather "wind, rain, thunder, sun, cloud, snow." You are NOT happy when it is time to come inside.

--You are not fan of the car seat. Not because you don't like to travel, you just don't like to be still enough for more than 20 minutes. We have to distract you with graham crackers, but even after awhile, that doesn't work.

--Your newest trick is to say "I funny" & put your head back & cackle!

--You love TV commercials, especially jingles. Your favorite one is "Drive easy." You also like American Idol, always calling "Scotty's" name.

--You love your family. You get so sad when we leave your grandparents or great-grandparents, just calling out their names over & over again.

--When I come home from work, you run laps like a dog on the living room rug. You are so excited.

--You share very well.

--You roll with the punches. If your sister steals something from you, you find something else to play with & for the most part just keep going.

--You have, however, begun to show us glimpses of the terrible two's & can throw a fit when you want to (usually when you have to come inside).

--You must be a democrat because every time you see Pres. Obama, you scream "Obama" & jump up & down.

--You love to brush your teeth.

--When asked if you have been a good girl, you say "bad girl" & laugh.

--You love to spank. When your sister (and sometimes your parents) are bent over, you walk up, spank, & say "bad girl". It's really funny when you do it to Whiskey.

--You are fascinated with lights & fans. You love to flip the light switch on & off a million times, saying "wow" each time.

--You love telephones & turn things that aren't telephones into them. When I ask you who you are talking to, you always say "SuSu".

--You often tell me good-bye & wave. When I ask you where you are going, you always say "shopping."

--You are so brave. You fall outside, can be bleeding & just keep going.

--You are very creative, coming up with new games & songs on your own.

You are our blonde angel, Happy 2nd Birthday, LuLu!

Happy 2nd Birthday Geneva & Lexa-Part I

I cannot believe 2 years have passed since my miracles were born. So many emotions flood my memory of that day... fear (that they were too early); physical relief (as my body was so exhausted & tired from being in labor for 5 days); joy (to see my babies' faces); awe (that God had blessed me with two children); love (not only from God but from all the family & friends packed into the waiting room praying for a safe delivery); mental relief (when I heard both babies cry & heard the doctor say they were healthy); and of course pain (we won't go there)! The miracle of childbirth is more than I could ever articulate & the miracle of watching my babies transform into two independent, distinct personalities is also more than I can ever begin to describe.

Geneva & Lexa had a wonderful birthday party on Saturday. Our plan was to have the party close to family so they would not have to drive so far and we could combine it into a weekend trip already planned for my cousin's wedding reception. My grandmother so graciously agreed to host. Guests in attendance: Mi-Mi, Papaw, SuSu, Pop, Scarlet, Granny, Nita, Bet, Joe, Karen, Martha, John, Megan, Jean, Eric, Amy, Luke, Mommy, & Daddy. We had a tea party & brunch at ten in the morning. Muffins, danishes, grits, fruit with dip, & egg/sausage casserole were served with lemonade & of course tea. The girls enjoyed their individual cupcakes while we served the cake (forgot the ice cream in the freezer)! The girls had a million presents to open. Aunt Amy suggested keeping the girls strapped in the high chairs as to keep them contained which worked out nicely. Luke helped Geneva open & I helped Lexa. The girls were a little overwhelmed & clingy from all the commotion but considering Geneva had been sick all week with a fever & both were off schedule from the long car trip there in the rain, the girls did great.

The cake matched the invitation perfectly.
The cake & punch table. I used boxes of tea as decorations throughout the house with pink balloons tied on top. I love party planning (my back-up career)!
Everyone loves tea but me! That's why we had lemonade, too.
Lexa looking at her Elmo book & truck!
Having fun opening presents with cousin, Luke.

Geneva modeling her new beach hat.
I have never seen so many presents. These girls are so fortunate.
Miss Independent; busy, busy, busy; impossible to keep still long enough for a picture, so this is what we get. Notice the shoes didn't last long.
My little doll pushing her baby doll stroller.
You would never know this girl was a preemie! She loves her food.
Geneva enjoying her cupcake. Notice the icing in her eyelashes!

Mommy working in the kitchen.

Geneva with Granny.

Congratulations, Will & Kate!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the British monarchy & LOVE weddings, so yesterday was a dream come true! I got up at 4:00 a.m. & watched every moment of the royal wedding. It brought back a lot of memories of my own wedding as ours was in a big cathedral & very traditional as well, just a tad bit smaller :) Will & Kate's big day just happened to be on one of the best days of the year, our 12 year dating anniversary, April 29th. The only coverage the girls saw was the kiss on the balcony & happily waved back at the TV as Kate waved to the crowd. They also learned a new word--princess.

Happy Easter

The girls are really into rabbits right now, which coincides perfectly with Easter. We ran into the Easter Bunny last weekend at the mall, & I promised we would come back once we got a haircut & looked our finest. So we made the trip today. They were squealing with delight while in line "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" but not too interested in looking at the camera & smiling at the same time. Oh well. At least they didn't cry!

Luke & Lexa

Doesn't Lexa favor her cousin, Luke (picture from 2003)?

Celebrating Our Dry Yard

We have been spending a lot of time out in the yard lately. We have hated our yard ever since we moved here 7 years ago. Little did we know that we live a few feet from a flood plain... Our back yard is always wet, lovingly referred to as a swamp. Over the years neighbors have put in different draining systems which made our yard worse because as you can imagine, all the water collected in our yard which is right in the middle of the street. Patrick's goal over Spring Break was to fix our yard, installing an electric pump which involved digging up our back yard, side yard, part of the front yard, & sidewalk to lay pipes leading out to the street where the water now drains. I fully admit I didn't think he could do it, but he assured me his years in agriculture prepared him for such a job. And now success!! A dry yard!! We will focus on the positives & not how the $100 project turned into a $1000 project & how I owe half the neighborhood dinner & a homemade dessert for bailing him out when he encountered a few minor emergencies & how he took out the neighbor's mailbox...... Sigh....

This child just got a haircut! Her hair grows so fast! You can't keep clips or bows in it because you know who pulls them out in 5 seconds or less.
Lexa busy collecting rocks; wouldn't hold still long enough for a picture.
Showing off her new trick, blowing the dandelion.
Geneva on the other hand, loves the camera.

Showing off her first "boo boo". She fell last weekend, skinning her knee pretty bad. Since then, she has busted the scab open twice, each time worse than the time before. During the second bleeding episode, Patrick & I were both holding her down trying to clean the wound. Of course, Geneva was screaming but Lexa was crying even louder because she was concerned for her sister. After a few minutes to regroup, we ventured back outside. Lexa bent down & picked Geneva a flower as if to say "I hope this makes you feel better." It was so sweet!
Geneva loves to pick up sticks, reminds me of Luke!

Love to be Outside

Mommy got home from a long Saturday at work & heard, "WALK" (two girls looking out the window begging to go outside). Who could resist? We quickly got dressed in our spring attire & loaded up the stroller.

Lexa is telling Geneva something very important.

Geneva is listening intently.
Geneva blowing Mommy a kiss.
Look at those beautiful eyes. I could just eat her up.
Lexa deep in thought.
Geneva showing off her ponytail from Thursday. I bragged & bragged on how pretty she was & SHE said "camera"! She wanted me to take a picture, even running to the drawer where the camera is kept. How did she know that? I swear the child is one step ahead of me at all times.
Everything is a phone. Geneva picks it up & goes through her relatives..."SuSu", "Pop", etc. is that you on the other end??