Sunday, August 28, 2011

Penny is One Year Old!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Penny Claire!  Our little girl is one year old and we can hardly believe it!  It seemed that our first year with Penny went faster than our first year with Cooper...maybe because we were so busy settling into life with TWO kids.  While we did that, Penny transformed from a tiny, easy-going baby to a spunky yet sweet toddler.  Her personality shined through on Saturday at her birthday party.  Unlike her reserved and unsure brother on his first birthday, Penny seemed to revel in all the noise and attention of the party!  She roamed happily among the houseful of people and squealed when we opened her presents.

Penny has met many milestones in the last few months.  While she has been walking for over two months now, she is now a pro at it!  She loves to go for walks around the yard, and we have to keep a quick gait to keep up with her!  Penny also shows love and concern for her baby dolls, and likes to cause mild trouble when it comes to sharing toys and play space with her brother.  She is also trying to talk!  Words she can use with ease right now include Mama, Da-Da, cuck-cuck (cracker or cookie), dug (dog or duck), yea (as in Yea!) and go-go (yogurt).  Penny loves to be sung to and hear music and tries to dance along.  She even seems to try and mimic some of the words, especially to songs, that we say.  Overall, Penny is a smiley, spirited sweetheart that just loves to be right in the middle of whatever is going on at the moment.

We have not gone in for her one year check up yet, but I can report that she is approximately the same size as her brother was at this age...making her big for a girl.  We will see her exact stats soon.  Poor baby has been teething for what seems like months now!  She now has 11 teeth, with number 12 about to make an appearance.   It seems that I have somewhat of a stubborn child on my hands when it comes to food.  Penny does not particularly care to try new foods, so our list of finger foods is a little short.  (Again I only have Coop to compare her to.)  I am hoping that she will open her mind a little on that front as the weeks go by.

We celebrated Penny's first year with a party at our house on Saturday, her actual birthday.  We were blessed with the presence of many important people to us.  Nonnie came from Houston and helped A LOT with the party preparations.  Grandma and Grandpa Graham (Ma-Mas and Pa-Pa), Penny's little second cousin Charley, and lots of important friends all made us feel special by coming to our party.

Party Pics!
The Spread...it was a kid-centered "luau".
Gifts!  Note Penny right smack in the middle of the mayhem.
One of Penny's sweet gifts...I think it speaks for itself. 
Penny earned her status as a "typical" kid by enjoying the box the toy came in.
Penny was glad for her friends that came to the party!
Ma-Mas, Big Brother, Nonnie, and baby cousin Charley
We are so happy Penny has such wonderful family in her life!
Winding down with Daddy.


We are so excited to watch Penny grow and change in her second year!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Off to School We Go!


Today BOTH kids went to school!  Cooper is now in the 3-year-old class and Penny started mother's day out!  I thought Penny would cry and Coop would be excited to see his friends again, as he is old-hat at the school business.  However, Cooper was a little nervous about the new classroom and teacher and his lower lip quivered a little bit when I left.  Penny just seemed in shock that I was actually leaving her.  I missed them both terribly today, as I had them right by my side for most of the summer.  Both kids did great!  It's going to be a great year!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mopped vs. Cropped

Fresh haircut and ready to start school next week!


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Another Milestone Met...

You thought I was going to talk about Penny...

Well I WILL soon because in a little over a week, she will be one year old, but really this post is about COOPER!  We spent half of last week and little bit of this week potty training...and WE. ARE. THERE!!  Everyone kept telling me to "wait until he is ready" and it would be so much easier.  So true!  We attempted potty training earlier in the summer to no avail.  This time, however, it took!  I am pleased to report  that my first baby is now a big kid and using the potty!  I am so proud of Cooper for making that leap, and honestly, proud of myself for staying patient, consistent, and focused throughout the process.  Now to start working on that mini-marshmallow addiction I have created...

Friday, August 5, 2011

A Visit to Nonnie's House

Last weekend we made the trek up to Houston to help Nonnie settle into her new house.  The kids and Nonnie enjoyed each other, and we all got to see Aunt Sandy, who was visiting also.  A few shots from the weekend:

It was soooo hot in Houston!  The kids cooled off by playing in the sprinkler in the back yard.
Cooper charging the sprinkler.
Penny likes to play with dinosaurs too!
In Cooper's world, everything is a train.