Our front porch cutie

Sunday afternoon I went to a corner spot and picked up some mums and pumpkins for our front porch. After that I had to go get groceries and picked up a little pumpkin for Katie Jo. When I got home she was up from her nap and when she saw the little pumpkin she was so excited. Now she likes to carry it from room to room and occasionally eat her meals with it sitting on her tray! We had a little photo shoot on the porch and here's what turned out.

I've got you babe

This past Saturday Jay and I were invited to a "have to dress up" Halloween party. So after much thought I decided we'd go as Sonny and Cher. I managed to scrap together two outfits with a trip to the local thrift store. I think it turned out pretty well! Jay was the best looking woman at the party. I know the scarf around his head looks a little out of place but that wig was crazy and the hairs had a mind of their own so we had to keep strays out of his face. It was all worth it since all the guests voted and Jay won best individual prize! He got a really nice gift bag. And I might add he wore actual high heals! The men were impressed but the women really thought he was a trooper! On a side note to all you moms, I think I look more like Mr. Noodle from the Elmo/Sesame Street shows than Sonny Bono!

Princesses on Ice

This past Friday we took Katie Jo to see Disney's Princesses on Ice. For the past week we had been reading her a Snow White and Cinderella book she got for her birthday so going in those were the only two she knew. She had a good time and enjoyed all the characters. She got a little bored when it was just skating but any time someone new came out or the music changed she perked back up. Georgia enjoyed all the noise and lights too!

Clapping for the charactersThis is what happened every time there were fireworks
She especially loved when Mickey and Minnie made their appearance
I don't think we can have a third child because I'm running out of room on my lap!
Our big girl enjoying the show

Katie Jo's thoughts

The following are some comments Katie Jo has made lately that were so cute I had to record them for memory sake.



The following was a conversation held between KJ and Gran.

Gran: Katie Jo who do you want to change your dirty diaper: Daddy or Gran?

KJ: (After thinking for a few seconds) Pop!


One afternoon I was sitting on her bed and sat back against the pillow. I knocked my head against the wall.

KJ: Mommy bumped noodle?

Mommy: Yep I bumped my noodle on the wall.

KJ: Mommy be careful.



We were building blocks in the bonus room while Georgia took a nap in her room. The tower was high and fell down when I added one too many blocks. Katie Jo made the following comment.

KJ: Mommy, shh shh, Georgia's sleeping.

She opened the door one night and commented, "Look Mommy, it's night time outside."

And finally the cutest comment came one day when we were looking at a book. As I finished the page she went to turn to the next and said, "Let's see what happens next."



Some other comments (demands) she's been making lately are: get up, come here, sit down, help me, build a castle, pull my shirt, chase me, push me, now run, now jump, and she just said "draw a picture of Georgia."



Some other things she's accomplished lately are saying "I love you Mommy or I love you Daddy" and she says amen at the end of blessing and prayers. So sweet!

Puppies at three weeks old

Here are the pups at three weeks old. They are getting so big and are starting to move around by walking instead of scooting. We went to the vet this morning and they were all deemed healthy and thriving. We decided to name them after great grandparents. Elsie is the girl that has mostly white hair (and Elsie is my grandmother). That pup weighed in at 2.8. The other girl is Jewell and has a spot of brown beside her nose (Jewell is Jay's grandmother). She weighed in at 2.2. And Red is the boy and SUPRISE has the most red fur (Red is my grandfather). He weighed in at a whopping 3.2 lbs. They are starting to play with each other and are more fun to watch now. Their eyes are open and are very blue.

A proud wife and two proud daughters

Jay recently received the "Small Business of the Month" award from the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. This is not only a great achievement for him but for his whole office. We are very proud of him.

A special gift

When we were in Lyman recently I got the second part to a special gift from my grandmother. She made Katie Jo the shawl and gave it to me a while back but then she finished Georgia's hat and coat and now they are ready for winter! We had a little photo session so I could show off their new duds and her fabulous talent. Thank you Mama!

"Lately" pics

Here are a few shots from our life lately. We have been so very busy and getting pics on this blog has been a challenge but the slide shows definitely helped make it faster.

Weekend in Lyman

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Lyman for a visit. Here are some pics of our time there.

The first day we got there the weather was sooo nice and warm we thought we'd take advantage of it and try out the pool. It was a little cold but KJ had fun playing on the steps. I'm glad we did it because after that day it turned cool and our chance for pool time had vanished.

On Friday my mom and I took KJ and Georgia to the Greenville Zoo. Pop and Daddy were able to meet up with us about half way through. The weather was great and Katie Jo really enjoyed the petting part of the zoo. She didn't care too much about the rest which makes me glad we haven't made the trek to Riverbanks in Columbia yet. Maybe when she's closer to three we'll try that one out.

On Saturday we went to Paris Mountain State Park for a Gantt Family Reunion. Once again the weather was super nice and we had a great visit with a lot of family we hadn't see in a while. Jay's dad and Sarah were up from Florida so we got to catch up with them. It was a great day!

Here are just a few random shots of family from that weekend.

Puppies at two weeks old

Puppies at one week old

Recent pics of Georgia

Fun pics

PUPPIES

This past Tuesday our dog Lexi had her first litter of puppies. We had been anxiously awaiting them for over a week as the Wednesday before was her "due date." Without going into too much detail I had to birth the first one since Lexi was a little perplexed about what in the world was happening. She wasn't in her whelping box so that was a little bit of a problem and she was standing which didn't help either. So the first one got here with a little drama but after that she was a pro. The second one came out while I was texting Jay's mom about the first pup. All the sudden I look down and "Whoa" there were two. I was like, "Where did you come from?" Sadly the third puppy born was stillborn. It was a girl. Finally, the fourth was born and it was the lone boy! They are all doing great!

Lexi with the first born on the left and the second on the right. Both girls.

First born.

Second born.

Fourth born. Our boy!

Mom with all her babies. From the left it's girl, boy, girl.

A few random pics

Weekend with Gran and Pop

This past weekend Gran and Pop came for a visit. We had a great time! On Friday we went to Tumblebugs at the Y and Pop ran around with KJ. She showed him how to climb, jump, and balance. Friday afternoon Jay came home early and proceeded to cut limbs from our trees. My dad helped and they managed to work until 10 minutes before we had to leave for dinner. We all went to Fatz and then over to the outlets. Katie Jo had fun running around and acting crazy while they all chased after her. I got to enjoy looking in a few shops without any one with me! Georgia slept most of this time. Saturday we went downtown and had lunch at Fleet Landing. It is the greatest place to eat and was a perfect day. We sat outside and since it was so windy there were a ton of sailboats for KJ to look at. After lunch we went over to waterfront park and Katie Jo waved to all the passing boats. It was a great day and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Saturday nite Jay and I had a banquet to attend at church so I guess that counted as our date while we had free babysitting. Sunday Gran and Pop headed back to the upstate and we headed to church. We all had a nice, relaxing weekend together.