Outside Playing!

The weather has been warm this week, so Kendall and I have been playing outside a lot. Usually we wake up, eat breakfast, and then head out for a walk, either around our neighborhood or at the park with the girls. Then Kendall takes her morning nap, we eat lunch, and then go back outside on the back porch to swing and collect leaves before her afternoon nap. This is her new hobby - leaf collecting. And most of the time she keeps them out of her mouth.

She also usually does a good job of staying on the porch: it's about a foot drop down into the grass. But this picture was taken right before she stepped off into the grass.

She was ok, though! She just rolled right over and climbed back up!

Here are some videos of her picking up leaves.

Taking a break to swing.

Studying the leaves she picked up.

Yesterday we were driving around running errands. I put in a CD I got this past fall when I went to the Women of Faith conference. It is one that my sister and I grew up listening to with my Mom: Sandi Patti's Friendship Company. I know - I'm a dork. But I put it in and Kendall loved it! She was smiling and dancing and clapping! Her favorite seemed to be the Sunday School Sing-Along. It made my heart happy. :)

I took a few pictures when we got home because I realized I haven't posted any pictures yet of her in her new car seat. And look! She's still smiling about Sandi Patti!

Leashhhhh

This is one of Kendall's new words! Every day we go on a walk: Kendall rides in the stroller and Molly walks on her leash next to us. Lately every time I ask Kendall if she wants to go on a walk, she will walk into the kitchen and bang on the pantry door where we keep Molly's leash, saying "Leashhhh, shhhh, shhhhh!" I will open the door, she grabs the leash, and then takes it to wherever Molly is. The other day she even bent down and laid the leash on her neck! Such a smart girl!

Then she will walk to the garage door and wait for me to open it.

Ready to go Mom!

She is doing a lot of other funny "big girl" things lately. When we say, "It's time to take a bath" she will walk to the bathroom door, we open it, she goes inside, pushes the shower curtain aside, and hikes one leg over the bathtub! Clothes on still! So funny. She will also walk to her bedroom when we say it's time for a diaper change, and to the kitchen when we say let's get milk, juice, snack, go eat, whatever. It is so neat to see how she understands what we say and can follow our directions!

Another thing she has been doing lately is getting Molly's toys and putting them out her doggie door. She says Molly's name the whole time she does it. She has only gotten her hand stuck twice so far!

Finally, one of the best things she is doing is waiting for Dad to come in the door when he gets home from work or comes home for lunch. I will hear his car pull in the driveway and tell her he is home and she immediately throws down whatever she is playing with, jumps up, and runs to the front door. If he doesn't come fast enough, she will bang on the door until he opens it. Molly also runs to the door when she hears his car, so he has all three of his girls waiting on him when he walks in the door!! How fun!

Molly Way

There is a new "way" in Lake Jackson. If you have not been here, we have all kinds of streets named something way...This Way, That Way, Circle Way, Center Way, Any Way, Winding Way, Parking Way, and even a church that is on His Way. It can get a little confusing, but mostly it is fun.

Well there is a new way...Molly Way! Hurricane Ike blew down the fence that we share with our neighbors and friends next door. They are Molly's Lake Jackson grandparents. They have a pet door like ours, and since the fence has been gone Molly goes as she pleases between our house and their house. She eats there sometimes, keeps some of her toys there, and loves being at their house, but she always sleeps at home. A new fence went up this weekend, but it was decided to leave a hole so that Molly could keep going back and forth.

That is one rotten puppy! Check out Molly Way:

There are even steps on both sides to make it easier for her!

This is the "Molly Way" path that our 8 pound dog has made going back and forth everyday!

Our Neice

We just got back to Lake Jackson tonight after driving to Ft. Worth to welcome our new neice, Gracie Davis, to the world! She is so beautiful and we were so happy to be able to be there today when she was born. Gracie, her mom, and dad are all doing great. We are super pumped to be an aunt and uncle for the first time and can't wait to spoil Gracie as much as Kendall's Aunt Val and Uncle Dohe spoil her!

Our first look at her! She is so pretty! 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long.

Kendall and her Gigi looking at her new cousin!

She may kill me for this later on, but I just thought it was too funny! She was pretty out of it this afternoon!

The happy family!

Look at that face! I only know one sweeter!



Val and Jeff got balloons and had Gigi make a cake to celebrate Gracie's birth day!

Aunt Kathy fed Kendall a whole piece of cake! She has a new best friend!Peeps and Gigi with their new girl. Kendall is going to have to learn to share!

We are so happy for you Aunt Val and Uncle Dohe! Can't wait to see her again in a few weeks!

Here is a picture we took in June of last year when Kendall helped tell Gigi and Peeps Val and Jeff were pregnant. She was really the big cousin then! Look how fat she is!

Kendall's First Second

We've had so much fun over the past year having all these new firsts. Since Kendall's birthday, Valentine's Day is the first Second day we've had! We had a great day at home together resting and then had the Johnsons and the Sanders over for dinner and marbles. Randy and I made chicken parmesan and homemade cheesecake! Yum!

Valentine's 2008:

Valentine's 2009:

Speaking of firsts, on Monday Kendall will become a cousin for the very first time! And her mom and dad will be an aunt and uncle for the first time! We are super excited and will be heading to Ft. Worth tomorrow to help welcome Baby Gracie on Monday. Have a great weekend Aunt Val and Uncle Jeff!

Presents!

Kendall had a lot of fun opening presents! We didn't get pictures of everything, but here are a few of them.

Pops and Kiki got her a bubblegum ball pit. We have pictures of her playing in it later on.

Grace got Kendall some sand toys she can take with her to the beach this summer. How fun is that?!

Aunt Megg got her an Elmo puppet. Of course, she loved it!

We got lots of great spring and summer clothes. Yea!

We were about three fourths of the way through and Kendall got sight of some of the kids outside swinging in her swing. So she decided she wanted to go swing. At first we tried to make her keep opening presents....

...but then we remembered that it was her party and she should get to do what she wants! So we let her go outside and swing while I finished opening her presents. She was happy about that.

Randy's Aunt Brenda made Kendall this quilt. It is so beautiful and took so much time. Thanks Brenda!

Pops blew the ball pit up all by himself!

And Kendall loved it!

Sunday morning Randy preached, so our families got to be there for that. Here's one last picture of Granny and Papas hugging Kendall one more time before they got on the road!