Family Date Day: The Zoo!

It had been awhile since we've been able to plan a family date, so with the weather getting (somewhat) cooler, we opted to head to the zoo for the day.  Added bonus, Uncle C and A joined us too!

The real motivation to go the zoo was for Super Hero day, to see Spiderman and Captain America.  But because the lines to see these two heroes would require a heroic amount of patience from a four-year-old, we elected to forgo the picture op.  Thankfully, Little Buddy was too excited about seeing the animals and Uncle C to be bothered by missing out.

This picture was taken right before I fell off the back of the ladybug statue!

Little Buddy showing Uncle C, A, and Little Sweetie the clouded leopard exhibit.

     

One of my favorite parts of today, watching the trainers feeding the elephants!  He threw an entire giant sweet potato, football-style, into her mouth. 

Sadly, a tired Little Sweetie was not as impressed by the elephants.  But she did look cute in her elephant outfit!

Little Buddy and Uncle C at the cheetah statue.

     

     

A boy and his uncle on a carousel!

     

And a girl and her daddy!  And a Momma who got to stand on the sidelines for once and take pictures!  

It was a wonderful trip!  We finished up our excursion with lunch with C and A at Torchy's Tacos, a beloved downtown taco destination that Daddy and I hadn't been to before.  They were pretty tasty!  The rest of the day went well too, as both kids resisted the curse of the zoo and napped when we got home!  A total miracle!  A truly great day!

Good night, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma

September 19

Eleven months?!  How is it even possible my little baby is eleven months old?  Going by much too fast!

     

     

A few of my favorite pictures from her 11 month old photo shoot.  Love her toothy (7 teeth!) grin!

Lots of fun this past month, including lots of travel!  Little Sweetie has gone on 10 flights since she was born...so crazy!  She had lots of fun in Arizona with Uncle J, Aunt S, and cousin T, and lots of fun in Ohio last week too!  I do have posts for each of this trips, but here are a few extra cute ones from our latest Ohio excursion.

So excited to be a Mimi and Pop-Pop's house!

Hanging out in the cradle that Pop-Pop made!

Now modeling the dress that Mimi made her!

"Aren't I cute?"

She's always up for playing, is enjoying the start of football season, and makes the best faces, no matter if she's eating, asleep, or supposed to be sleeping.  

Brother dressed me up and I'm the cutest bunny ever!

A little rainbow playing inside the mall on a rainy day.

OH...IO!!!

 

Banana-infused hair is all the rage this fall!

Sleeping beauty!

     

Sleeping beauty resisting the sleeping part...but still totally charming, even when she's being obstinate.

She also seems to think she's a big girl and heads to the stairs whenever our backs are turned so that she can get to the good toys.

     

"Oh, you found me?  Don't worry, I can totally do this myself!"

"Told you!  I'm a big girl!"

Don't worry...we still try to remind her that she is still our little baby...

Baby burrito!

Height and Weight 

Finally breaking the scales at 20 lbs. and just about at 29 in.  My mighty girl!

Personality

Little Sweetie is still very happy and sweet.  She is starting to hit the separation anxiety stage though.  We saw it a bit in Ohio.  It took her a little bit to warm up to her grandparents and other Ohio friends and family, and she wasn't too sure when Daddy and I weren't around (which is funny when compared to Big Brother on this trip, who was so engrossed with his grandparents, I don't think he made eye contact with Daddy or I for a week!).  

Developmental Milestones

As I mentioned, she climbs up the stairs all by herself with surprising speed.  She is also bravely starting to take a few steps!!!  Not completely stable yet, but loves to walk by holding one of our fingers and will occasionally let go to make one, two, or three steps to a nearby object.  It's not going to be long now!  She's also signing "more" for more food, putting on bracelets and necklaces, and pointing to everything demanding to know what "dis" (this) is.  She's sleeping well and nearly completely transitioned to table foods, except for pouches when on the go (which she loves).  She's also dropped two nursings as a result of our hectic travel schedule, bringing her down to just 4 times a day (Momma has mixed feelings about this...sniff).

Fun Tidbits

So this happened...crawled right up on the potty, grabbed some books, and started grunting.  After all the trials of trying to potty train Big Brother, might I luck out on an easier go round this time?

Oh, if only it were this easy!

Now, excuse me as I go break out a box of tissues and cry as I realize that my baby girl will be one year old next month!  *sob*

Good night, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma

Fall Ohio Visit

One of the nice perks of Daddy's job is that sometimes he has to go back to Ohio for work.  When this happens, we try to go as a family so that Little Buddy and Little Sweetie can go see their families back east.  We were very fortunate to travel back this month and spend an entire week visiting our loved ones.

Our first and longest stop was Marietta to stay with Mimi and Pop-Pop.  Daddy was back to do recruiting at our alma mater, but we were lucky to come in on the last day of the Sternwheeler Festival so that Little Buddy and Little Sweetie could watch the races.  We were double lucky that Mamaw and Papaw came down for the afternoon to join us, especially since it was Grandparents Day!  How awesome that our kids got to spend time with both sets of grandparents on their special day!

Little Buddy watching the races with Mamaw and Papaw!

Brother and sister!

Happy sister enjoying Sternwheeler!

Papaw with Little Sweetie, in a picture that looks awfully similar to the ones we have of him holding me as a baby girl.

One of the best parts of a visit to Mimi and Pop-Pop's the castle!  This playhouse used to be Daddy's and Uncle C's, so it means a lot that our kids can now play on it.

     

Little Sweetie getting her slide on!

     

Little Buddy is a seasoned slide pro!

Little Buddy on the castle with Great Grandma.  Pop-Pop and Mimi have put a lot of work and love into the castle, and the kiddos couldn't love it more!

Little Sweetie also worked on standing by herself quite a bit this visit.  Won't be long til she'll be walking on her own!

Another treat this year was taking rides in the vintage car that has been in the family for generations.  It was a big hit, especially with Little Buddy!

     

Now Little Buddy is really desperate to get a license!

Ohio wouldn't be Ohio without our pilgrimages to Bob Evans.  Oh how I miss dedicated breakfast restaurants!  They just aren't a staple in Texas like they are in Ohio.  We may have gone twice, lol!

Little Sweetie getting kisses from Great Grandma

    

Pop-Pop likes Sweetie kisses too!

We are so lucky to be able to spend this precious time with our families.  I love watching Little Buddy and Little Sweetie blossom with the love of their grandparents.

Four generations of the Byers family!


     

Lots of fun in Marietta this trip!

At the end of the week, we drove up to Canton to see Mamaw and Papaw again.  One of my favorite things to do is drive through Ohio.  It's gorgeous!

I miss hills!

One of the best things about a Canton visit is getting to go on Papaw's bus!  And this visit, Little Sweetie even got a turn to drive!

     

Sitting in the driver's seat!

Little Buddy also wanted to see some football players so, because my high school had a home game that night, we got to watch a game.  A bit surreal to sit in the stands with my kids and watch (and by surreal, I mean I felt old) but it was a beautiful cool evening.  We even were able to get some hot chocolate!  

     

My kids' first football game was a CCHS game...crazy!

It was a great trip and I know all the grandparents loved having the kids up.  And we loved watching them with their grandkids.  We are so fortunate to get to see them as often as we do for living so far apart.  

Mamaw and Little Sweetie!

Even remembered to get a group picture!  

Have a good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma