Fab Four and More

Last week Perry and I went to Baton Rouge for a little reunion with some of my best friends. This was the first time that all 4 of the Fab Four have been together since our babies were born! This was also the first time for me to meet little Ella and baby James. It was certainly a busy and exhausting week (traveling alone with Perry had its challenges), but soooooooo worth it! I just can't explain how special it was being with such dear friends. I'm so blessed to have these friends who love, teach, convict and encourage me. Along with the Fab Four girls, I was able to see many other great friends, some of whom also had new babies for me to meet! Seriously, how much better could this get? I kept pinching myself to make sure it wasn't all a big dream.

Here are Perry, Mary Stewart and James on our drive to Zachary to meet Katharine and Ella for lunch and a swim. This little road trip was just like the old days, but yet SO different when you add 3 babies to the mix. 

The Fab Four!!!

Virginia and James (6 weeks), Ashley and Mary Stewart (10 months), Katharine and Ella (7 months), Me and Perry (10 months)

Perry and I met Lindsey at CC's for a visit during her lunch break. I love this picture!

It was so fun to see Mary Stewart and Perry play together. They would first observe one another closely and then break out the squeals and babbling. Ashley and I kept wondering what they might be thinking/saying! Mostly, they just followed each other around and had fun doing so!

Baby train...

One night we got a group of girls together for dinner/night out at the new La Carreta. The weather was actually nice, so we were able to sit outside...a rarity for a summer night. We had a great time visiting, laughing, and taking trips down memory lane. Amy, we missed you!

Here is the group:

top: Meredith, Holly, Mauree, Virginia, Katharine

bottom: Kim, Ashley, Lindsey, Me

1-2-3-Tortilla!!!

Baby James, Ella, and Perry had a playdate with our friend, Claire Meyer's, little girl Liz. It was so good to see Claire. Sadly, I just realized I didn't get a picture with her. 

Mauree also stopped by with her sweet and tiny baby Christopher. We were so honored that she brought Christopher over as this was only the 4th place he had been in his life. The other 3 were the hospital, home, and the doctor's office! 

Here is sweet baby James and Virginia

These are our gracious hosts, Holly and Elliot. They were very sweet to open their home to us and tolerate life with a baby for the week. Perry wasn't on his best behavior (I think he was frustrated with hearing "no" so much), but he did sleep wonderfully! Praise the Lord!

Oh, I can't forget to thank Eliza Louise for being such a great host too! She wasn't as fond of Perry as her parents were, but she was always nice to him.

A big thanks to all my beloved friends for making this trip such a special time for me and Perry. He simply couldn't stop babbling on the way home and I think he was telling me about all the fun he had. I can't wait to do it again!

9 month review

Perry,
There are so many new things for me to document this month! You are constantly on the go and acting more and more like a little boy rather than a baby. I bought some size 4 diapers to try out and they are working just fine...you're moving on up! Speaking of that, you are pulling up on everything (cruising a little) and crawling on all fours. Whenever you see the pantry, dishwasher or refrigerator open you dart over and try to get in. Also, you love to play chase! You will be sitting somewhere in the house and if we look over at you, you squeal and quickly crawl away. When you realize that one of us is chasing, the squealing and crawling continues. We love playing this game with you! We have been reading more books because you have started to really enjoy it. You love to make noise by shaking toys and patting surfaces. Unfortunately, you also love to make noise by throwing fits.Wow, you certainly let us know when you are unhappy about something! After hearing me talk about how you weren't babbling, you decided it was time to start. Of course, "da da da da" is your favorite. You can wave, but never on cue, and you can dance. Your dance move started after watching me bob my head to music, so you actually just shake your head a little...it's so funny! Finally, my favorite new thing that you do is give kisses! I love your sweet little kisses. You melt Mommy and Daddy's heart!

Here's you playing        

You usually have your tongue out

And there's your tongue again

Oops, I forgot to mention your stats: weight 20 lb 13 oz, length 27 1/4 in.

Painting in Texas

Perry and I headed to Denton with Blanche/Cheetah last Thursday so I would be over there in time for girls' night out on Friday. Blanche treated all of her girls to a fun night at Painting with a Twist! We had such a great time and walked away with some awesome art and great memories. Thanks Blanche!

Blanche with her daughters/daughters-in-law
top: Me, Blanche, Lisa, Katie
bottom:Sarah, Annie

I was so glad that Michael, Katie and Bree spent the night on Friday. We were able to hang out Saturday morning and watch Perry and Bree "play" together. Bree kept trying to sit on Perry and Perry just kept crawling away from her! We parents thought is was so cute and were laughing because it was such typical girl/boy interaction! I really wish these two could see each other more often.

Climbing the stairs

Katie and me with the kids

Alex drove over after work on Friday and hung out with the guys while we were painting. He and Bill spent most of Saturday doing what they do best...car shopping. Their efforts paid off as Blanche ended up with a new car Saturday night. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of her in her new ride...it's pretty cute!
We had a wonderful weekend spending time with Alex's family!

Farewell to Whitney

Alex has had two trucks in his lifetime, Maria and Whitney. He sold Whitney a couple weeks ago because we wanted to purchase a more family-friendly vehicle. To continue on with Alex's tradition of naming his trucks, I have allowed him to name our new addition even though I'm the one who drives it primarily (he is now driving
my Acura to work).
                         Here is Alex with Whitney













 And now I would like to introduce you to Sandy. She's not really a sandy color, he just liked the name :-)

Warning: earplugs advised

I normally don't encourage screaming, especially at the table, but it was just one of those days where Perry's silliness was contagious. I'm posting this video mainly for my sister because she loves to see Perry giggle. If the sound of a screaming child gives you a headache or causes your blood pressure to rise, please don't watch this!

Perry-osaurus rex

Our little boy just loves to giggle and squeal, but recently he started making other noises too--dinosaur sounds! I don't know if all babies do this, but I think it's so funny when he gets going. He usually gets too distracted when I get the camera out, so I was glad to catch this moment...