Twinkle Little Star Light

some millie love

I'm doing a blog post dedicated to Amelia!  Andy's parents haven't seen her lately, so I wanted to show them what the silly girl is up to lately!

swinger of birches

I wanted to post some more of those candid snapshots from Friday.  I took lots of pictures that day, so I thought I'd break it down into smaller posts.  You'll notice that Amelia has on a different dress.  That is, of course, after I had to strip her down because of the ice cream all over her.  And yes, Meredith has also changed clothes by the end of this post, but that's all in a typical day for Mere.  She changes about 4 or 5 times a day!

ice cream treats

Friday afternoon, I treated the kids to ice cream after school. They ate it on our "Childress" picnic table where I didn't care how much of a mess they made! I remember saying that I wanted to get more "snapshots' of the kids just doing their everyday things! Pretty proud of myself. I didn't try to edit these pictures in any way. Just my kids enjoying their ice cream!

I adore this last picture!  I caught Millie squatting down trying to give Gabby a bite of ice cream!

bittersweet

Last Sunday was a gorgeous day, and we really had a good time hanging out in my Paw Paw Percy's front yard.  I grew up playing in that front yard, in that back yard, and in that house.  We lived in a trailer behind that house until I was four years old.  When my parents built the house next door, I wore a trail in the grass between our house and theirs.  I remember baseball games, volleyball games, and Easter egg hunts in that yard.  It was so bittersweet to see my children playing in that yard Sunday.  But if there's one thing that can turn sadness into happiness, it's my children.  I thank God for them every day.  They each have their little individual personalities...Si is the responsible protector.  Mere, well, Mere is my different child.  She can be so stubborn and hard-headed one minute, and the next minute she's sweet and sensitive beyond her years.  Millie is still developing her little personality, but so far, she's my tough, independent one who has also developed a stubborn streak since her favorite word lately is "NOOO."

I was so glad that my mom and dad and Sandy and Wayne joined us Sunday.  Nothing like running after a baseball to make you feel young again (and maybe a little out of shape)!

Adorable, huh?

This was too funny.  Andy told Silas to fix Meredith so she'd be in place over "the plate."

sisters

I look at Meredith and Amelia and wonder what kind of relationship they will have as they get older.  The closest thing I had to a sister was Angel and that was a relationship I cherished.  Of course, I have my baby brother.  We've always had a good relationship.  When we were little, we played together for a while until we got into a fight over something. Then I'd forget about how he tore my posters or shot me with that BB gun and we'd play together again.  

Meredith has just taken an interest in playing with Amelia, but, oh my, it is so obvious how much Amelia watches her big sister.  Amelia sings and dances, and she gets into my make-up.  She already has a great love for shoes!  My girls...I just hope that Andy, Silas and I are ready for these two!

casting call

I have had so many people lately tell me that because of Meredith's great energy for life and her unique personality, she is destined for great things! I have never pushed Meredith into doing anything. It's all her! Yesterday we had a little photo shoot. I'm personally not a fan of all the posing, but as I said, this is all Mere. She said that these were her "prissy" pictures!

where's an ark when you need one?

Saturday, it rained and rained...and then it rained some more!  The rivers around here were already high.  Sunday, we decided to do some exploring.  We started in Kentwood and made our way to Osyka, and then to Chatawa.  The river bridge is out, so we just parked in front and let the older two kids get out and explore.

Look mommy! A worm!

Let's kill it!

No, don't kill it.  Some hungry bird will come along and eat it!

We made our way to Tylertown.  Those of you from the area will know what I'm talking about when I say we went to the park where they have the Christmas lights...yeah, that place.  We all got out of the car this time to explore.

It was a bit windy, and, yes, my  kids are sporting the wind-blown look today!

You see all of that water?  It's not supposed to be there.

Look!

Si is so protective over his sisters, especially Millie.  Here he's trying to herd her away from the water.  He's yelling, "Mommy, do something with her." But, of course, I'm too busy taking these pictures.

Si and Mere told Millie, "Bye," while they ran around to the other side of one of the walkways.

"Bye!!"

Here's Si being Si!

Before anyone starts to criticize, that is not water on Millie's pants.  I repeat...she did NOT fall in the water.

We made it back to Kentwood by taking the long (longer than I'd planned) way.  Our night ended with Subway, Sonic and a Redbox movie.  Good times!

valentine's photo shoot

We were getting down to the wire for me to take pictures of the kids for their valentine's cards.  I took advantage of the nice weather last Sunday.  Si, Mere and I hopped on my dad's golf cart and went over to Paw Paw Percy's to look for a good place to take pictures. (Millie was napping)  Si was cooperative as usual.  Mere wanted to have a semi-breakdown.  When Millie woke up from her nap, I took her pictures, and let's just say she wasn't nearly as cooperative as Si, but not "near breakdown" either.  I wound up and got some pretty good pictures!

shake it up - nola

If you have a young daughter, you know who I'm talking about when I say "Rocky and CeCe."  In case you don't, they're characters on the Disney show Shake It Up. (I think now is probably a good time to tell you that I actually enjoy the shows on  Disney.  Even when my children aren't here, I find myself watching Shake It Up or Jesse or Good Luck Charlie or Austin & Ally!)  When I heard that Rocky was going to be at the World of Wheels show in New Orleans, I just knew I had to take Meredith!  I didn't tell her until this moring that we were definitely going.  She said, "Well, when we've finished seeing Rocky, we need to go to a restaurant and then to some stores!"  I've got my hands full, don't I?  Well, she and I did just what she said, and we had a great girls' day out!  Of course, I tried to fit in some picture time.  I think I got some pretty good ones considering she was so stimulated in Jackson Square that she'd only stand still for about 2 seconds.

the doors

I have three old doors.  I know that one was in my Paw Paw's old shop.  All three were under his barn.  I'm sure no one saw in them what I did!  There are so many things you can do with old doors. 

I already have something in mind for one of them!