Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

A morning walk.

Exploring...

Penny helped Cooper with his dirt pile.

Penny did not want to be carried anywhere...she preferred walking, even though with her stride, she has to walk twice as far.

Ralph was just happy to be there.

Ma-mas was happy to oblige when Coop needed a ride.

Early Sunday morning sight.

Beginning to Feel the Thrill of Early Fall

Gig 'Em Aggies!

Lately we have been enjoying the slight, shy onset of Fall.  This is my absolute favorite time of year!  I revel in those first few cool fronts, football, and of course, our family's birthday season.  Though we still hide out inside during the day to avoid the heat, we have been able to enjoy many cool evenings in our own backyard.  David and I sit and enjoy the view of Nueces Bay (or I sit while he waters the yard...go away drought!) while the kids eat popsicles, dig in the sand box and climb around on the playhouse.  Cooper's current favorite backyard activity involves two-fisting dirt from under the deck to the playhouse, where he then spreads it around.  Penny thinks this is hilarious, so her favorite activity involves following Cooper around and seeing what funny thing he is going to do next.

Popsicles!

Yum!

Down in the Dirt.

 We have taken the idea that Fall means change to heart by hitting a new wave of home improvement.  The noisiest and most obvious change is the new metal roof being constructed on our house as I type.  We have also been updating our master bathroom and kitchen with paint and new hardware and fixtures.  David is also in the process of building a fence in the front yard so the kids have a shady place to play during the day.  Once those projects are complete, I suppose we will paint the breakfast room and clean out and organize the garage.  (During roof construction, our garage ceiling inadvertently collapsed, blanketing EVERYTHING with insulation and dust.)  I suppose once some projects fall into the "completed" category, I can post some before and after pictures.

The dogs have been enjoying some indoor time, while our roof is under construction.

Happy Fall, everyone!  I'll try to keep the blog posts rolling through birthdays, Aggie Football, Halloween, and of course the holidays!

A Little Dirt Never Hurt!

This past weekend we made a quick trip up to Fredericksburg to attend Grandma's family reunion.  We got to visit with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins while the kids played until they just couldn't play anymore.  Cooper loved playing in the dirt with his new train we bought him from Dooley's (a dime store we go to EVERY time we go to Fredericksburg) and going for a long walk (ahem, run) with Grandma.  Penny had a blast just running every where she could.  They were so tired, we didn't even make them take a bath back at the hotel room, despite the layer of dirt coating four little feet.  Neither kid took a good nap on the way up, but both kids slept like rocks on the way home.  And both parents slept like rocks that night!

The Stats are In

Penny had her one year checkup this week with the pediatrician.  She is 21 pounds (50th percentile) and 30.5 inches long (90th percentile!).  The doctor was pleased with her growth both physically and cognitively, calling her "opinionated" when she cried throughout the checkup. (It is nearing lunch and nap time and Penny was soooo over the doctor's office.) Penny received four shots and got a clean bill of health.  We are both glad that's over!

Also, Penny has chosen "hi" as her current favorite word.  While she has been waving for a while now, she has recently added saying "hi" with a big, open-mouthed grin to that wave.  Penny also loves songs!  Every time I lay her down on the changing table now, she starts singing (saying), " Wo, Wo, Wo!" which I have taken to mean "Row, Row, Row" as in Row, Row, Row Your Boat, which is one of  my typical distraction songs whilst I change her.  When we start singing the ABC song, Penny starts clapping along, again, with that patented open-mouthed grin of hers.  We love that grin...it is especially cute when she starts smiling at her brother.  When he notices her smiling at him, he starts purposely trying to make her laugh, which is hilarious.  Or Coop will start running off, and Penny goes running (YES, running) after him with her mouth wide open in that sweet grin.

The Epitome of Cuteness

Santa Coop!

Sweet Penny!

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!

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!

Mopped vs. Cropped

Fresh haircut and ready to start school next week!

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...

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.