Nine Months Old!

Today Penny is nine months old!  Where is the year going?  Penny had a check-up with the doctor today, and received one shot.  She is one big girl!  Her measurements were 19 lbs and 29 inches long.  That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and the 95th for length!  It seems Penny is taking after her daddy in height.  In the last month, Penny has mastered pulling up and cruising against furniture, crawling up and down steps (EEK!), and is now making all sorts of sounds.  Penny has also learned to tattle...now when Cooper knocks her over or steals her toys (which he does A LOT), she lets out an indignant scream, which naturally gets me running.  Also, yesterday she sort of waved bye-bye!

Penny is also steadily eating 3 meals a day of solid food and is even experimenting with finger foods.  She likes applesauce, cereal, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, peaches, chicken, and carrots.  She also can feed herself cheerios, crackers, and sometimes mashed banana.  She is also still taking around 5 bottles a day, which could account for her amazing growth!  I am also happy to report that Penny steadily sleeps through the night from about 8 p.m. until about 6 a.m. and takes one short morning nap and a longer afternoon nap.

We are so thankful Penny is doing so well!

Mother's Day at the Ranch

For Mother's Day this year we went to the ranch for a family BBQ.  We got to visit with Great-Grandma and a lot of her family, Mom's cousins, Ma-Mas, Pa-Pa, and Uncle Clint.  Cooper had a blast playing with his second cousins Owen and Colsten.  While the weather was entirely too hot, we still all had a good time.  There was lots of food and people, and the little boys got to have an egg hunt.  Happy Mother's Day!

Cooper and Penny waiting for the cousins to arrive.

It was HOT!  Penny took a little snooze in the shade.

Owen and Cooper took turns "driving" the tractor.

I loved that Cooper got in the tractor and had fun!  He had previously been a little intimidated by it.

Egg hunt!  Cooper, Owen, and Colsten found lots of eggs!

What is in there??

Going through the loot after the hunt...inside!  All the kids had bright red cheeks from the heat!

At the top of the dirt pile.

I think I can run down this hill really fast!

Here I go...easy does it!

Such a long, fun day...without a nap!  THE END!

Spring Performance

Last night we attended the Spring performance at Cooper's school.  The show had a circus theme and Cooper's class, the 2-yr-olds, were clowns.  We were a little surprised but pleased how Cooper actually allowed us to dress him up like a clown (somewhat) and how well he followed directions and participated in the performance! He is still our cautious, willful child but in so many ways so grown up!

Cooper, not completely sold on the whole clown thing.

Maybe a little more into it...

Dad and Coop, after the show.

Penny and Ma-Mas enjoyed Cooper's performance too!

8 Months Old!

Yesterday Penny turned 8 months old!  She is becoming such a big girl!  Penny is 28 inches long and weighs 18.5 lbs...the same size her brother was at this age!  That is welcome information for Mom, since I constantly worry about her getting enough to eat.   Penny is on a steady track of solid food now, but we have had to take it slow, due to tummy issues.  She eats oatmeal, rice cereal, applesauce, squash, sweet potato, and recently, green beans.  Penny's accomplishments include crawling...VERY FAST, pulling up to standing, and she is just beginning to try and stand without holding on, and "cruising" along the couch.  She has also become more vocal...we hear a lot more "ah-gee" and "ba-ba-ba" and "ma-ma-ma" and "ah-dah" than we did even a week ago. Penny also likes to blow raspberries...it is so cute!  Also on her 8 month birthday, we woke up to her having gotten her eighth tooth!  Yes, EIGHT!  It is amazing to me how fast her teeth are coming, but believe me, I am glad! Penny has also been doing a very good job at taking naps.  We had a few months of her not taking much of a nap, as in 30 minutes at a time, but the last few weeks have been MUCH better.  As in, I am now getting at least an hour in the morning, and around 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the afternoon. WHEW!  We are so excited to see what the next month has in store for little Penny as she continues to thrive and grow!

Penny's first swim!

Easter 2011

Happy Easter!  We celebrated Easter this year by having Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Clint, and our friend Dana over for brunch.  After we ate, we enjoyed an egg hunt and an afternoon of swimming.  Everyone enjoyed the day and we got lots of pictures from Penny's first Easter!  

The Easter Bunny came!

Naturally, Penny got to enjoy the spoils first...she wakes up at 6 a.m. most mornings!

Brunch with Ma-mas (aka Grandma)!

Egg hunt!  Did the Easter Bunny leave any on the porch?

I found an orange one!

Cooper shared his eggs with Penny!

Quick, take the picture!  They are both sitting in one spot!

Penny liked the Easter grass above all else.

Penny and Grandpa.

Boat Show!

Watching the helicopter with Libby.

Penny was tired from all the fresh air.

Cooper enjoyed the live music.

Nonnie Comes for a Visit!

Last week we had Nonnie Kirk here with us for a visit.  Cooper and Penny had such a good time playing with Nonnie and Momma and Daddy got lots of extra chores done with her here!  Nonnie brought with her several of her old ceramic Easter bunnies, which turned into a game of "one finger" for Cooper.  Cooper also enjoyed the nightly treat of Nonnie's M & M's.  While she was here too, Penny changed a lot!  She went from barely crawling to ZOOMING around the house and pulling up on furniture.  She is also now saying, "Ma-ma-ma-ma!"  Momma enjoyed Nonnie's company through the day and really made some headway on the task of painting the sun room.  I also enjoyed a solo trip to the grocery store...ahh the simple things in life!  One day we went to the mall where Cooper got to play in the children's area and ride the "train" with Nonnie.  Cooper and Penny both scored some new summer clothes as well.  We were so glad Nonnie was here, and can't wait for her next visit!

Quick Trip to San Antonio

Recently our family had a quick weekend getaway to San Antonio.  We visited the San Antonio Zoo, Brackenridge Park, and Bass Pro Shops...all places that Cooper loved!  Penny enjoyed the trip also, as she was pretty much just along for the ride.  Pics from the trip:

Coop at the Zoo.

Waiting for the train at Brackenridge Park...CHOO CHOO!

Penny was worn out after the mornings adventure.

Just gotta go to Bass Pro!

Cooper LOVED the fish above everything...at the Zoo and at Bass Pro Shops...

Cool Mule! 

I think Pa-Pa needs to buy me one of these...

Trike-a-Thon!

Last week we participated in a trike-a-thon at Cooper's school.  All the kids got to bring their trikes and helmets and cruise around in the parking lot as a fundraiser for St. Jude's.  The kids had a blast!  Cooper enjoyed his tricycle, picking flowers in the grass nearby, and the Popsicle that followed.

Coop riding out to join his friends.

Cooper and friends!

Cooper took time out from his ride to check on his baby sister.

A kiss for Penny!

Our playgroup at the Trike-a-Thon.  The kids had fun but it was the last time our group was together before TWO of our families moved away!  We are going to miss our friends!

Picture Update

"Puh-puh hold Penny!"

Penny on St. Patty's Day, sitting up and crawling!

Emulating a frog at the aquarium.