GRAMMA!!!

Bailey & Lia have been having a blast with their gramma in town the past couple of days. We have been oh, so busy going to the park, playing in the front yard, going to the movies, and of course, frequenting McDonalds, and doing some very important shopping. Here are some pics of them playing in the yard yesterday.

I have also been "dumpster diving" the past couple of days & swiped a princess jeep and toy kitchen off the side of the road. Can you believe it!? Bill is very proud of me. Bailey told me that she loved her new stuff and they were her favorite things. How funny!

Her Name

Bailey wrote her name for the first time today!!!! here is a picture of the masterpiece...

Singing Baby

Well, in addition to being an awesome dancer, Lia also has AMAZING singing talent! Watch out! Here is some footage of her displaying her impeccable singing capabilities. I think we have a new Mariah Carey in the mix....she can really hit those notes :)

Dress up Princesses

Here are some cute pics of Bailey, and Lia playing princess the other day. Lia is quickly following in her big sister's footsteps of loving to dress up. She really smiles big when we put the skirts on her and she likes to play with the crowns and wands.

A Day Of Mourning

The Tate household has had a day of mourning for Bailey's pet fish, Wayne. He hadn't been looking good for the past couple of weeks--he went from red to gray and his tail actually fell off. We kept telling Bailey that Wayne was sick and she would say "poor Wayne." Well, yesterday, he officially died. I swear he was dying off and on for about 2 weeks. He wouldn't move for quite a while and then swim around when we turned on the light in the tank. I think Bill was in a bit of denial. He cleaned his tank and put the dead Wayne back in it last night. When Wayne was still in the same spot this morning that he was last night (stuck in one of his trees), Bill decided that he was finally gone. So, we told Bailey that Wayne needed to be flushed so he could be with his family in the ocean. The little stinker told me, "but mommy, his family is in other people's tanks." I convinced her that Wayne's Gramma was still in the ocean so she decided it was okay to flush him. We went this afternoon and got a new fish. Please welcome Wayne Jr. to our house! Bailey is excited.....she said, "Wayne Jr. has a tail!" Hopefully his tail will stay intact for a while!

Dancing Divas

Bailey & Lia have some mad dancing skills and they both love to showcase their talent. Here is some footage of their displaying their raw talent. Bailey is a bit of a camera hog so it is a little hard for me to get Lia in the frame. Sorry! Enjoy the footage :)

BTW, for those of you keeping up with the swimming class progress, we are officially on a break from lessons. Bailey is worn out from going to classes. But, Bill & I are working with her and she is swimming short distances on her own before she sinks! Yeah, we are getting there :) We are really looking forward to meeting everyone @ the beach in 2 weeks. Crab Island here we come.

Just Had To Share

I just had to share a really cute moment that I had with Bailey recently. She told me that when she grew up she wanted to be a mommy just like me and that I was "the best mommy ever." Sometimes it just amazes me that this little girl looks up to me so much and thinks that I hung the moon! And, it melts my heart to hear her say that she wants to be me when she is "growed." :)

Baby Shower Fun

We traveled to Natchez this weekend to celebrate a baby shower for Bailey & Lia's new cousin, Logan. Bailey had such fun hanging out with her cousins. She even attempted a slumber party with Anna & Rose but returned to PawPaw & Ginny's @ 11:00 pm. I had a harder time than she did--I called over @ Keith's 3 times while she was there checking on her. It was weird being without her! Although we had lots of fun visiting family, Bailey was ready to return home today. She told me on the car ride home that she just wanted to take a nap in her own bed.

Lia enjoyed attempting to play with some of Helen's toys before Helen took them away exclaiming "mine." She also experienced her first tumble out of the bed this weekend. she was crawling on the bed and I walked away for 2 seconds to get a diaper off the dresser then turned around when I heard her thump onto the floor. Hence the red spot below her eye that is noticeable in some of the pictures. At least the bedroom was carpeted!

Linda, you look amazing and we can't wait to meet baby L.T. We'll see you @ the beach!!!

Bumped Back

Well, Bailey got bumped back to the pike/eel class in swimming today. The other kids in the class were older than her and she just froze. So, two more weeks in the beginning class. I think she is secretly sabotaging her moving forward so she can stay with Ms. LeChelle. She really likes her :) The coach has taken one of the floats out of her waist band and said that she is going to make her swim this time. Hopefully this will work. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated! And, I had told her that if she did really good in her new class we would go to McDonalds. Unfortunately, now we can't go. Sometimes it stinks having to be consistent and follow through with my word. But, she understands why. When I asked her if we were going to McDonalds after class, she said "no, because I didn't do what my teacher asked." She didn't seem upset about it, too.

On a lighter note, Bailey really loves to help mommy feed Lia. Here are some pictures of her feeding Lia some yogurt yesterday afternoon. She tells me that she wants to be just like me when she grows up. Big wishes!!!

Playdate

I haven't been keeping up with the personal blog, SURPRISE, but have been blogging on my website quite frequently so I decided to give the personal blog one more try. So, I'll fill you in on what we have been doing....



Bailey has been taking swim lessons for the past couple of months and has turned into a little fish. She is ALMOST swimming by herself. Her coach will give her a little push towards the side and Bailey will manage to stay afloat for a couple of seconds before beginning to sink. This is a HUGE accomplishment! As of today, she has graduated from the Pike/Eel beginner class and is now a Polliwog. We will see how that class session goes--all of the other students range in age from 6-9 years old. I told Bailey if she tries hard tomorrow I will take her to McDonalds for lunch...I live on bribery with this kid!!



Lia has turned into such a little walker, climber, mischevious little girl. She is into EVERYTHING. One of her favorite things to do is climb onto Bailey's bed and crawl around. She also finds a lot of enjoyment out of splashing in the potty. How gross! Like her sister, she absolutely loves to go to the beach and thinks it is hilarious when the waves splash onto her belly....we have had many sandy diapers the past couple of days because she also decided that sand and crackers were a tasty snack.



Today, Bailey asked me if her friend, Maddie, could come over to play. They had lots of fun painting outside, playing dress up, and bossing Lia around. Maddie and Bailey really get along nicely and it is so cute to watch them interact and play together. I can't wait for Lia and Bailey to be able to play together like this. Here are some pictures of the two of them painting outside and Lia enjoying some time in the playhouse without her big sister telling her what to do.