The Awesome Adventures of Kelly & Liberty

To my delight, Kelly has had a little friend in the waiting, from before either one of them were born...

I'd like to introduce you to sweet baby Liberty.

About two years ago, Liberty's mommy and I talked and dreamed of our daughters one day playing together. Well, I'm beyond thankful to say: that day has finally come!

Liberty and Kelly have had a few other play dates, but the girls are so little, they're really not quite sure what to do together. But on this day, I noticed that they finally seemed to be gaining the slightest bit of understanding as to what it means to play together.

Let's see if I can't help tell the story with the pictures below.

(I hope I can manage to amuse you as much as they amused me :)

Okay, she sits the babies down together... gets the camera ready...

"Okay girls, sit there... that's right... Okay, look at me! Kelly! Libby! Look at me! Smiiiiiile!"

Kelly amuses her mommy, but Liberty's not so sure...

"Hi baby girls! Aren't you pretty? Look at me! Smiiile!!!"

"Hmm..." they think...

"Is this all you took us out here to do..?"

"Hey, you wanna go explore a little, Liberty? This picture-takin' is for the birds!"

"Oh, I don't know, Kelly... are you sure?"

"Yeah, c'mon, Libby- just like that bow in my hair, we're outta here!"

"Let's run free like the wind!"

"Okay, if you say so! I was gettin' pretty bored just sittin' over there while your mommy pointed that little black box at us!"

"Ah, not so fast!"

says the mommy as she scoops up one girl in each arm.

"Come on girls... let's sit down here and take your picture!"

Liberty can't help but wonder, "Um, Kelly... are we in trouble?"

"Nah, Libby, we're not in trouble. My mom always does this... I know, it's torture, and I usually don't stand a chance getting away from her by myself-- but with the two of us together, I think we can make a break for it if we move fast!"

"Okay, BREAK! You go that way, and I'll go this way! Hurry! She'll never catch us!"

"C'mon, Kelly! Follow me!"

Liberty attempts to distract the mommy so Kelly can make a break for it...

"Hi Miss Jen. What??? I'm just standin' here, smellin' these pretty flowers, mindin' my own business..."

And off they go!

Libby finds herself a nice, big clod of dirt!

"Oh, that's lovely!" says Kelly,

as she wonders if there's another one for her...

"C'mon Kelly. Let's see if we can't find another dirt rock for you!"

Liberty won't give up the hunt for another clod of dirt for Kelly, but Kelly's not so sure, so in a moment of discouragment, she sits down in defeat...

Unable to find any more dirt clods, Liberty decides they need to check out the neighbor's yard for anything else that might be of interest.

But Kelly's still hoping she might find another clod of dirt...

Well, even though the girls never did find another dirt clod, they forgot all about it when they stumbled upon these silly little white figures with the pointy hats.

"Whatever these things are, they sure are funny-looking!"

And the little girls laughed, and they laughed, and they laughed!

They forgot all about the dirt clod, the mommy, and the torturous picture-taking session...

all they knew was that

it was good to have a friend.

And so it goes...

The mommy couldn't bare to force the precious little adventurous girls to sit down and attempt to take one more picture, and so, on that day, began, "The Awesome Adventures of Kelly and Liberty."

...I'm sure there will be many, many more adventures to come!

Stay tuned...

I made a few changes...

After reading some of my blog buddies' random facts that were so fun and interesting, I thought mine were a little boring!
Silly me- I know!
So I gave a little more info on a few of them- just for fun... not that it matters, but I don't want to be the boring one! LOL

Tag... I'm it!

Okay, so my sister "tagged" me... thanks, little sis! I'll get you back!

Here's how it goes--

(Note to those I've tagged: you can right click the picture above and save it to your hard drive, then insert it into your post.)

7 Random or Weird Facts About Me (with the help of my sister):


1) I have a super-sensitive sense of smell- I hate the smell of diesel fuel exhaust most- it's instant nausea for me. I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee, pine trees, and clean babies- to name a few!

2) If fly-swatting were an Olympic sport, I would win the gold medal.

3) I never finish a book. (Okay, never is a strong word, but it's very rare!Not that I don't love to read, but I can never seem to stick with a book to the end, especially non-fiction. Novels are better once I get into them, but that rarely happens for me for some reason!)

4) I almost always fall asleep when we watch a movie at home- after the popcorn and candy's been eaten, of course!

5) I trim my own hair. I don't do full haircuts, but when my bangs are in my eyes, I just get my scissors out and trim them, or if I see terrible split ends, I cut them off!

6) I can take a 10-minute power nap and get totally rejuvenated- seriously!

7) I am terrible about calling and talking on the phone... I don't mean to be- I always miss my friends and family and long to talk more often, but I just can't seem to get on the horn as often as I'd like to!


People I'm tagging- I hope you all don't mind- (I only have 5):

1) Cheri, but her blog is private...
2) Janice http://momtoo3.blogspot.com/
3)Nancy http://nancymatthews.blogspot.com/
4) Beth http://tochinaforjia.blogspot.com/
5) Bard http://bard.typepad.com/the_ride/

After the Chocolate Chip Cookie...

During the heat of the summer, I hate to use my oven. It's hard enough to keep my house cool in the summer without completely breaking the bank; I certainly don't need to turn my oven on and make it any harder... so consequently, I rarely bake during the summer months.
Now that we're finally feeling the slightest effects of Fall, I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies.

Here is Kelly after eating her very first, home-baked, chocolate chip cookie.
She had just woken from her afternoon nap so you can tell she was still a little sleepy-eyed. She was also ready to get out of her high chair when Clint took these pictures, so she was growing more and more impatient with each picture he took.
Finally, you can see her in the last one signing to him that she's "all done." (Translation: QUIT TAKING PICTURES OF ME, DADDY, AND GET ME OUT OF THIS HIGH CHAIR!)









You may notice my blog background has been updated. My sister inspired me a few weeks back, so I should give credit where credit is due- thanks Sissy. (Your's is still cuter than mine!)
You can check my sister's blog at http://myfourlittlehawks.blogspot.com/.
She's always got fun stuff to share.
I'm not sure I like this background... I like to keep it simple, but this seems a little distracting... I don't know. I liked this one because it matches the color palate of the interior of my house, but I like the warmer colors too... so who knows, maybe I'll change it again...
anyway, a little change is always nice, right?

Kelly's New Buddy!

My mom, (aka Nonnie), got Kelly one of those new "So Alive" lion cubs this week- it is the cutest thing. Okay, not to sound like a commercial, but it is "so alive!"

Kelly has had so much fun toting him around, petting him, dancing with him, passing him off to me, giving him hugs & kisses, and... okay, as toddlers sometimes do, bopping him on the head. (We're working on that!)

If you listen closely, you can hear her talk to me a few times in this video. She's relied mainly on combining the sign language she's learned with grunting to communicate with us for the most part, but in the past couple of weeks, she's finally attempting to talk! We're not quite sure what she's saying, but it sure is adorable to hear.

Thanks so much, Nonnie, for the adorable baby lion cub! I, um, I mean, Kelly loves it!

Here's another little clip of Kelly. She decides she needs to play with her shape sorter for a minute, but then she gets her lion cub to purr. (They're interactive- purring if they like what you do, whining or growling if they don't.) You can hear Kelly tell me something as she hands me her baby lion... I have so much fun just watching and listening to her... hope you do too.

Pumpkin Patch Playtime!

Today, Kelly and I took a trip to our local pumpkin patch with some good friends of ours. Kelly ran all around, checking everything out, falling in the dirt, getting back up, running around some more... she had a ball!

I think her favorite part was playing in the corn bin with her buddy, Ford, and taking a little wagon ride in the Autumn sun.

This is one of those traditions you hold near and dear to your heart... something so simple as going to the pumpkin patch.

I remember taking Caleb and Camryn when they were wee-wittle ones... it seems like it was soooo long ago. I remember watching them explore with curiosity and sheer joy just like I watched Kelly experience today.

Being a mommy and enjoying these simple moments with your children... there's nothing better in the whole world.

Go Kelly- go!!

Kelly and Ford play in the corn...
Mommy says this beats a messy old sandbox any day!

"Wow, Mommy... I love this place. Thank you for taking me here."

"Jimmy crack corn and I don't care!"
Time for a snack...


"Mommy, may I explore and dance all around these cool boxes of straw?"

"Oh, what fun these things are..."

"Weeeeee-- watch me move!"

Time for a wagon ride...

Chivalrous Ford decides he must pull the fair maiden in the wagon...

"Mommy, are you sure he has a wagon driver's license?"

Once again, Kelly's off!

With hay on her bum, Kelly's finally ready to head home... but what fun she had at the pumpkin patch today!

Busy Baby Girl!

I took these pictures this past Sunday after church. Kelly was busy, playing in the living room, watching "The Backyardigans", so I just followed her around, snapping pictures. Here are my best shots...

She wore her new jumper dress to church... isn't it yummy on her?

She still loves her little rocking giraffe!

Oh, yes- she loves to stand on it! Is this our future stunt girl?!!

Watching "The Backyardigans"... totally oblivious to Mommy...

"I'm pooped... I think I'll just lay here on the floor for a bit..."

"Okay, now I can play again!"

Every time she stands on the fireplace hearth, she raises her arms over her head as if she's doing "the wave" or something! I don't know why, but she sure is adorable doing it, isn't she?

Caleb and Camryn both have glasses frames, so occasionally Kelly likes to borrow them... just for fun! With her hair all disheveled, doesn't she look like the crazed writer who's all stressed by the publisher's deadline?
In reality, she had just woken from her nap... such a cutie!

Tired baby girl, in her cute piggy pajamas, sleeping peacefully after a full day of fun at church and home. It's finally cold enough to bundle her up in these blanket sleepers. This is her special little pillow her Great Aunt Laura made for her. She loves it! You can't see the pattern on the side of the pillowcase, but it's a darling pattern of little Asian girls... thanks Aunt Laura, for making Kelly soo snuggly comfy!