Tucker Buddy

Well, here he is for all of you animal lovers that keep asking about him. Tucker is now 10 months old (8 months old in the pictures) and is loving life among his women. He has adapted pretty well to being outside the majority of the time this summer for which this mommy is very grateful. He seems to be over his gopher stage; however, portions of our yard now have chicken wire stapled down.

Back to our Roots

While David was taking a 2 week class at BJ this summer the girls and I headed to IL to give grandma and grandpa a chance to spoil their 2 youngest granddaughters (they didn't need much practice!). After a bit of coaxing grandpa got to take them on a tour of the yard via John Deere, and then a chauffered push in the battery-dead Jeep. Grandma pulled out her old (gaudy) earrings which Aubrey latched onto without any prompting (see below). We didn't get any shots of the numerous trips to the ice-cream shop, but we sure didn't go hungry while we were there! We were also able to take in the finer points of Alton with a couple of trips to the ball diamonds to watch Marcus' baseball games. The ducks at mom and dad's burial site (don't ask) enjoyed our visit too. And then there was the shopping....we can't forget the forays out and about to find bargains (I got 2 skirts at JCP for $5.56 total).

A Day at the Ranch

We headed west (kind-of) to check out the Lazy 5 Ranch and all of the goings-on. We got a kick out of being able to feed the animals up close and personal, some more so than others. (Suffice it to say the zebra about gave me a coronary, nearly necessitating a change in undergarments!) Emma apparently felt that she was missing out on a fine dining experience and tried to fill her gullet as well (see below).

It was hot and those driving through the trail were a bit more pokey than we would have liked, but all in all we had a lot of fun. It just might replace our annual trek to the zoo as the animals were much closer and accessible to the kids.

Happy Birthday, Itty Bitty One

I'm not sure who had more fun with Emma's birthday...Aubrey or Emma. It was tough to keep Aubs OUT of the gifts and to keep Emma interested IN the gifts. But, at least the birthday (cup)cake was a smashing success (quite literally, as you will see). The Little People Noah's Ark has been a hit; Emma decided to share a zebra with Tucker the other night. Thankfully I was able to rescue the poor plastic critter before Tucker had a chance to do much more than get his slobber on it. Yes, Emma and Tucker have become quite the buds, until Emma decides she has had enough of his licks and can't escape his tongue. Then I hear a wail and see a tail wagging for all it's worth. Anyway, our little girl is one and my little bitty is growing up. (*sniff!* - and NO, I'm not pregnant!)

Pooh Power

And then there's the ultimate photo

opportunity that comes knocking once in a great while. I had some great shots of Aubrey at about a year old in this outfit and decided to try my luck with Emma one morning. She turned on the charm and this is just a smattering of the shots I was able to get. I love her personality that is beginning to explode as she begins her quests of adventure. Aubrey often asks me, "What's Emma doing?" To which I reply, "She's exploring." While Emma enjoys watching Aubrey do her (many) thing(s), she is definitely her own person on her own missions at times. I have been heard telling my husband that this (Emma) is his boy. In all honesty, though, it is amazing to see how the Lord has given this creation so much personality and spunk, and is so similar to yet so different from her sister!

Bubbles and Bathing Beauties

Bubbles were quite the attraction as Aubrey discovered the magic of the slippery, disappearing orbs. She chased and flung and twirled, pausing every now and then for a "CHEEEEEEESE!!" The greratest difficulty was keeping her out of the refill bottle as she insisted that SHE could replenish the bubble tray whenever she felt the urge. Which perhaps might have been true, if you consider the patio table, deck, shirt and shorts all part of the bubble tray (read between the lines here, folks: she managed to get it everywhere and even places that I didn't know existed!) And then there's pool time...we'll call it about anything just to have an excuse to splash (or at least get wet)! Don't worry...we have a larger pool now. We can't get too extravagant or Tucker will have a new chew toy.

(Aubrey and Emma, May 2007)

Southern Belles

Here they are in all of their glory...well, at least most of their glory...ok, a bit of their glory.

I know that the matching outfit days are numbered, so I feel that I must take as much advantage of it now that I can while their objections are few. Several people actually asked me if I made these outfits...those of you who know me and my becky-home-ecky-less-ness can stop laughing now. (Actually, I bought Aubrey's dress last year at the end of the season clearance and discovered Emma's on sale this spring while Grandma was visiting...thanks, mom!)

(Aubrey and Emma, April 2007)