A walk in the park...

After what seemed like weeks and weeks of rainy weather, Georgia and I were sooo ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather last week! After our trip to the library, we stopped by one of city parks and took in the playground - which we ended up having all to ourselves! She had a blast!

Library Storytime

Georgia and I have have been attending our local library's Pee Wee storytime each Wednesday morning this fall. Much to my delight, she is having a blast! Each week centers on a certain theme - last week it was kittens (her absolute favorite!) - and includes a story, singing and a craft. Sooo cute! We have such an incredible childrens' library here - I see many more trips in our future!

18 Month Update

Wow...can't believe my baby girl is already 18 months old! Where does the time go?? Georgia has been such a fun addition to our family - don't know what we ever did without her! She is such a little mess! But sooo much fun! Such a BIG personality in that tiny little body! Oh how I love her so! Here's a quick rundown of her latest developments:

Size - Since we haven't scheduled our 18 month check-up yet...I know, I know, I'm a little behind on this...I'm not exactly sure of her measurements and will have to post them once we go to the doctor. But I can tell you she's a tiny little thing compared to her brother at this age. She's still wearing 12-18 month clothes. Can wear some 18 month, but for the most part, they're still just a little too big. As for shoes, she's in a size 5, and has way too many pairs to count! Did I mention this child's already growing obsession with shoes?? She LOVES them! And can take them off and on all by herself. We won't even talk about taking her to a shoe store...you can barely drag her out of there...kicking and screaming!! She wants one in every color!

Eating - While she may be small, you'd never know it by her appetite! This girl loves to eat! And the nicest part is that she's not the least bit picky! She'll eat just about anything I serve her, and is willing to try anything I ask! After 6 years of trying to feed possibly the world's most picky eater, this has been such a blessing! Georgia loves her veggies, especially carrots and green beans. She also loves oatmeal, manderin oranges, blueberry pancakes, speghetti, cheese, bananas, corn, pears, goldfish, and anything with ketchup! Honestly, I can't think of anything she doesn't like...except maybe raw onions...which she begged me to let her try recently! And she even took several bites of it, before deciding against it! Of course, she wouldn't be her brother's sister if she didn't also have a penchant for snack foods, too! Whatever he's having, she wants it too! This girl has yet to meet a chip she doesn't like! Loves juice, which is also the word she uses for milk, and will drink both without hesitation out of her sippy cup. She's beginning to use her fork and spoon rather well, and has reached the stage where she wants to do everything herself! Including feeding herself, which has turned out to be a very messy adventure! But as trying as this stage can be, I am so proud of her growing independance!

Sleeping - I am so blessed to have such a great sleeper! While she only takes 1 nap a day (usually from around 11:30 to 1:30) she is no trouble to put to bed. Once I tell her its time for a nap, she heads up the stairs, reaches for her "baby" (her beloved stuffed puppy dog), leans over for a kiss, and lays down. Its just that easy! And the same goes for bedtime to! She usually goes to bed around 8:00 and doesn't wake until usually around 7:30 in the morning - with no waking in the night! Yay for sleep!

Play - She is so busy these days! I love to watch her love on and feed her baby dolls, play with her little people barn and animals, slide outside, jump on the trampoline, and just generally see what else she can get into! This one NEVER slows down! She still loves the Wonder Pets (especially Ming Ming) often requesting them in the morning by saying "Ming Ming" and handing me the remote! I just love to watch her dance to their songs - so cute!

Talking - Boy does this girl like to gab! Right now, its mainly just a lot of jabbering with plenty of head nods and hand gestures thrown in for good measure! But she also speaks many very intelligble words as well, including: Mama, Dada, Sam, Maggie, Papa, Ming Ming, outside, slide, swing, book, hi, bye, juice, please, more, ball, Tippy, Sarah, Zach, and of course, SHOES! And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention her wide array of animal sounds, including everything from dogs and cats, to lions, monkeys, cows, even fish - PRICELESS!! She LOVES animals - especially dogs, and can't get enough of our Maggie! Theirs is a sweet bond, and I have to admit that I'm impressed with how tolerant and patient Maggie can be with her, whether Georgia is wiping her face with baby wipes, counting Maggies toenails, or trying to brush her hair!

I could go on and on for days about just how special you are, Little Miss! You truly are my Sunshine. We love you so much, GiGi!!

Georgia's 1st Pigtails

Potty Training 101

With another little on the way, I decided a few weeks ago, to begin introducing Georgia to the "big girl" potty....However, something tells me that I may have a long road ahead of me when your daughter prefers to sit "in" the potty, rather than "on" the potty....

Memphis Zoo

We made our first trip of the year to the zoo last week. It was such a beautiful day and Kevin was actually off work, so we decided to let Sam "play hookey" and skip school to go to the zoo! We had such an incredible time - we LOVE the Memphis zoo! Georgia loved all the animals and was trying to make all the animal sounds she could! And I think Sam just enjoyed a day off from school and therapy - and he deserves it! As you can see, all the excitement absolutely wore him out on the way home!

My baby girl....with her baby girl!

Looks like I have quite the little mommy on my hands these days! This girl LOVES her baby dolls! Its so sweet to watch her love on them and feed them - heck, she'll even share a seat with them! And, no, she's not still in an infant seat - I bought a new one for our impending arrival, never expecting the endless fun it would provide Georgia! I can't begin to tell you the number of times each day those babies get put in and out of that seat! And as you can see, she finds it pretty comfy, as well!

A Beautiful Day

These pictures are actually a couple of weeks old, but I couldn't help but post them! The kiddos (all 3 of them!) LOVE to play outside when the weather's nice. Whether its swinging, jumping on the trampoline or playing with toys -there's always plenty to do in the backyard!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Winter had one last hurrah here in Northeast Arkansas this weekend, with over 5 inches of snow falling throughout the day Saturday! This was the most snow I can remember seeing here in quite sometime. Thankfully, there was no ice to accompany the snow this time! Kevin and Georgia ventured out in the middle of the "blizzard" to get a few pictures, and had a blast! Georgia LOVED the snow and screamed and cried when we brought her back in!! What a funny little snowbunny!

Caught Red-Handed!

My little graffitti artist at work!


Busted!!


The evidence.

Seems we have a budding little artist on our hands here in the Bryant household! She is always into something, so when things get too quiet, I know its time to find out what Georgia's gotten into this time. Saturday (Valentine's Day) I found our little Van Gogh busy at work making Mama a Valentine on the Dining Room wall.....okay, well, it kinda looks like a little heart...........

Spaghetti!!!

Guess who loves spaghetti??? She ate 2 big bowls full last night and by the looks of it, tried to lick her bowl clean!!!

My little Gypsy

I originally took this picture because Georgia was pretending to wear Grammy's earrings. She thought she looked sooo good! But now that I look at it, all I can see are those big bright eyes. She makes me melt!!

Georgia's 1st Pedicure

It was no small "feat" to paint these busy little toes!! She actually sat very still and watched my every move very closely!! I just can't get enough of them - I could just eat her up!!

My Mini Monet!

Or maybe Jackson Pollack is more like it!! However you choose to categorize it, Georgia created her 1st work of art last week!! We'll begin the bidding at $1.50......but Mama thinks it's absolutely priceless!!

Georgia's Walking!

Yep! That's right! My baby girl is "officially" a walker now! And sooooo proud of herself! In fact, she insisted on walking into and out of Pizza Inn yesterday when we went to lunch! Grinning ear to ear, of course! She simply woke up from her nap Sunday afternoon and just decided that crawling was a thing of the past! She looks so funny in that tiny little body walking all over the place! Video to come.....

Tea Party Time

Happy Birthday, Georgia!!!!

I can't believe my baby girl is one year old?!?!? Where did the year go? I guess time really flies quickly when your chasing after 2 children! Especially you, little Miss! I tell everyone that you came out of the womb 6 months old, so that may explain how quickly your first year has passed!! You are such a little firecracker! The life of every party......and checkout line, and restaurant, and grocery store! You definitely have your Daddy's outgoing personality and NEVER meet a stranger! I've had to literally pry you away from complete strangers sitting next to us at restaurants, or standing behind us in line at the store! Such a flirt!! No one can seem to resist that cute little smile, crinkled up nose, or big bright eyes! What are we going to do with you?!?

We haven't been able to get into the doctor for your 12 month check-up yet, so I don't have any of your stats, but I'll post them when we get go. Not that I mind staying out of the doctor's office this time of year!!! I am so proud to say that you haven't been sick one time this entire year - not one single sick visit to the doctor! That's got to be some kind of record!

Here's a little snippet of what life looks like at one year old....

Eating: You are such a good little eater! A thrill for Mommy since your big brother is so picky! You've been off baby food for months and only eat table food now. You want whatever everyone else is having. It amazes me with only 6 teeth (yes, 6 teeth!!!) that you can chew things so well! You love pasta, pizza, pears, grilled cheese, spaghetti, applesauce, peaches, pancakes, and SALAD! But, your favorite foods are still green beans, carrots and peas! I'm so proud of my little vegetable eater!! You loved your birthday cake, and insisted on eating it with a fork! You'd think with all this eating, you'd be a little roly poly, but you are still a tiny little thing, wearing 12 months clothes and size 4 shoes. Guess you work off all those calories, crawling around EVERYWHERE! You are never still! We're still not walking (although, you have taken a step here and there), but you are standing alone really well, and love to walk while holding on to our fingers. Walking, or should I say with you, running, should come very soon......oh boy!

Sleeping: You are still such a great sleeper. You go down for the night around 7:30 p.m. and don't wake up again until around 7-8:00 a.m! And you don't even cry to get out of your crib - you just sit there patiently for someone to come discover you're awake! What a dream!!! Of course, you compensate for such a great night's sleep by only taking one nap a day from around 10:30 a.m. to around 12 noon, leaving mommy with only an hour and a half a day to take a breather! But I wouldn't trade 3 naps a day for my uninterrupted nighttime sleep!!!

Playing: You still LOVE stuffed animals and just oooooh and aaaaah everytime you see one. You are so cute hugging and kissing all your "babies"! Of course, your favorite is still your stuffed puppy, "Baby". We don't go far without him! I love the way, you hold one of his ears with one hand and rub his tail with the other while trying to go to sleep - PRECIOUS!!! Of course, you love all dogs, real or stuffed, and can't wait to get your hands on them. You and Maggie are still big buddies and you just think she is the funniest thing ever! You love to play with your Little People barn and animals, as well as your school bus, which you "drive" all over the house. And you can almost catch and throw a ball like a big kid. Of course, your favorite thing to do is climb the stairs, and you can scale those steps in a flash - makes Mommy a nervous wreck! You are not much on watching TV, but will stop what you are doing to watch "My Friends Tigger and Pooh"! You are still jabbering ALL the time and I LOVE to hear your cute little voice! You can say: baby, puppy, Mama, Dada, Sam, bye, picture, pretty, see, uh-oh, stay, Papa, up,what's that, Meme (Maggie), and several more that I can't understand! Priceless..... Your favorite people are Mommy & Daddy, Sam (whom you ADORE), Papa, Uncle Brett & Landen,Tippy, & Sarah. But everyone has to take a back seat to your Grammy!! She is your absolute favorite person in the world and you want no one else when she's around. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual!!! You two are crazy about each other!!

For all these things, and so much more, I love you, sweet girl. You light up my life! Can't wait to see what the next year holds in store! Happy Birthday, Georgia!

Update: Your 12 month check-up went great, as expected. You are now 20 lbs. and 29 inches, placing you into the 50% on height, and the 30% on weight. The doctor called you "dainty". I'm sure she was talking of your stature, not personality!!

Thanksgiving

What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday we had this year! Our God has indeed blessed us richly! And our family tops the list! We had the best time last Thursday traveling from J'boro to Benton, Benton to LR and then on to Augusta. And while we were surrounded by family all day long, these were some of the only pictures I got all day (Guess I was too busy stuffing my face!) Anyway, my two kiddos were loved on all day long - and ate it up! Courtney and Hannah were only 2 of MANY, MANY cousins that day who took their turns doting on them, but I thought I'd post these pictures since they were so cute! As you can see, I have one child who is a camera hog and the other who refused to have his picture taken at all that day! And after a long day of traveling and being passed around, this little girl found one of her favorite spots to rest - on Papa's lap!

My Big Girl

Guess who's using a spoon these days and INSISTING on feeding herself? She is soooo proud and REALLY MESSY! What happened to my baby? I think this one came out of the womb all grown up!

Georgia's new "Hangout"

Georgia's found a new favorite place to play this week - under the kitchen table! There's a little space down there that is just her size and she loves to sit down there and hangout! It has a glass top, so she loves to look up at you through the glass and play "peek-a-boo" and laugh! She is so much fun and constantly on the move!!