The end of summer...

...for us is not marked by an official date on the calendar, school starting, or even the upcoming holidays.  The end of summer for us is when our boat is winterized and put away until next year.  So sad!!!  Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows that we LOVE the lake and spend many weekends over the summer at our lake house.  Robby and I love it, Handley REALLY loves it, and Harper is learning to love it too.  It's bittersweet when the time comes to say goodbye to boat rides, beach/boat picnics and fun-filled weekends with friends.  However, I also love Fall and can't wait for the upcoming holidays.  

This weekend we went to the lake for one last boating weekend.  Last night we went out to eat with Gigi and Papa who were also up there this weekend.  I was SO excited because it literally had been MONTHS since I've been out to eat.  Harper even tried sitting in a high chair for the first time. :-)  

Trying to figure out the highchair

Mommy and Harper...love those sweet cheeks of hers.

Papa and Handley playing with playdough

Gigi and the girls

This morning was chilly, but warmed right up, and Handley even got to go for a swim.  It wore her out because on the ride back to our house she fell asleep helping Robby "drive" the boat.

Robby spent the afternoon winterizing, cleaning, and storing the boat for the winter.  While he worked, the girls played (and I tried to get all of our stuff packed and the house cleaned).  Handley is becoming so entertained by Harper and loves to play with her, especially now that Harper is moving around more.  Here's a video I took while they played.  It's nothing special, but a few things to look out for - Handley singing her ABC's and Handley asking if her LeapFrog toy will sing the Lady Gaga "Poker Face" song.  Ha!  It's one of her favorite songs. :-)

Harper - 6 months

I can't believe it's been 1/2  a year already.  How in the world did that happen?  I remember thinking when she was just a month or two old that I knew it would get easier when she was older.  Now that she is older I'm wishing it wasn't flying by.  However, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this age. 6-12 months age was one of my favorites with Handley because of all the fun milestones like eating, clapping, waving, crawling, walking and talking.  I know we are in for a treat these next few months and I'm just trying to soak it up and enjoy every second.  

At 6 months Harper: 

• sits up unassisted
• has become quite the thumb sucker
• still likes the paci in the stroller (although she is more interested in taking it out and then trying to get it back in her mouth)
• is rolling all around
• has acquired the nick-name of "Scooter" from her Daddy because she does love to scoot around
• LOVES to eat and has had sweet potatoes, carrots, and bananas so far
• takes two naps (1-2 hours each)
• Sleeps 12 hours at night 
• has a great laugh when being tickled
• is starting to have a little separation anxiety
• tries to climb into my lap if I'm sitting down beside her (I love this!) 
• has her front two bottom teeth
• does not like riding in her carseat
• is learning to drink from a sippy cup

Her first time sitting in the shopping cart

• 
  

Dress like a FARMER

This week at pre-school Handley's class has been learning about the farm.  Today they got to dress like farmers.  (We were in luck because Handley is actually going to be a farmer for Halloween...more on that later.) I told her all about what she was going to wear, including her bandanna.  From that point on she kept saying she was going to BE a bandanna and she kept asking Harper if she wanted to be a bandanna too.  Funny thing is, she had no idea what a bandanna was until I showed her one last night.  Robby told her farmers say, "hey y'all" and this morning when I was taking her picture, she busted out with, "HEY Y'ALL!!!" It was really cute.  She also sang "Old McDonald" all the way to school.  

Posing with the scarecrow...because they live on the farm too. 

Handley was having so much fun being dressed up that Harper wanted 

to wear her overall dress too! 

Halloween Dresses

I've been waiting for October to get here so that my girls could wear their Halloween dresses I made.  Don't be surprised if you see them in these a lot during this month!  

Handley got so tired of me trying to get a good shot of  her she decided to grab her camera to keep her entertained.  

Now when she is playing with her camera she'll say, "my camera is taking too long" or "your eyes were closed."  I guess she's heard me say those phrases too many times!

Sweet Potatoes, Haircuts, and Sitting Up

We've had a few exciting events the past two days.  I decided to give Harper her first taste of "real" food last night.  She had sweet potato baby food for the first time and absolutely loved it! 

Last night Handley and I went over to our friend's Tiara and Avery's house.  Tiara's sister is a hair dresser is nice enough to come over and do our hair every few months.  She's so sweet and does an awesome job!  Plus being able to have our hair colored and cut in the comfort of home and not having to worry about finding a babysitter, etc. means WAY more than you can ever imagine. I decided to get Handley's hair trimmed for the first time and she was super excited.  She did such a good job and felt like such a big girl.  Unless you are me (her mother) you probably won't be able to tell it was cut, which is exactly what I wanted.  It's just shaped up and trimmed a little.  

Handley getting her hair cut

I asked her to pose so I could take a picture and she turned at the last minute...I guess she thought I was trying to get a shot of her hair. 

Avery gets a trim too...

After the girls were finished they played and played while Tiara and I took our turns.  It was a fun girls night for all of us.  

Now that Harper is sitting up by herself, I decided there were a few toys hanging out in our basement that she might enjoy.  Handley helped me pull them out this morning and was excited to show Harper how to use the "music toy."  They were both excited about this "new" toy. 

Tailgating...

...in Athens used to be one of mine and Robby's favorite weekend activities during football season.  We had not been to Athens for a game in 3 years!!!  Can you believe that?!?!?  Way too long.  Well we decided today was they day!  We planned a day of tailgating for the entire family.

I was so excited to take Handley because she loves pointing out, "Go Dawgs" stuff.  She'll see my UGA flip-flops and say, "those are your Go Dawgs flip-flops" or see Robby's UGA hat and say, "that is your Go Dawgs hat, Daddy."  It's really cute.  She was excited about wearing her Go Dawgs dress today and going to the big tailgating party.  I had tried to explain tailgating to her this week and told her how much fun we'd have.  

When we pulled onto campus and she saw all of the tents, flags, and fans she started to squeal.  She was SO excited.  She kept telling Harper, "we're here Harper...at the Go Dawgs party."  

She had a blast running around, visiting with our friends, and EATING!!!  The girl had so much sugar today, but I let it go and just let her enjoy.  What can I say, she's just like her Mommy and has a sweet tooth.  I figure she's in training for Halloween! 

Jen (who also helped Handley eat lots of sugar) and Handley

Harper did great too.  She only slept for 30 mins on the way up and took a 30 min nap in the stroller and that is it.  I couldn't believe how happy she was with that little sleep.  

Where Harper spent most of the day!

When we were packing up to head home Handley was so disappointed.  She kept saying, "I want to go here more."  Both girls conked out as soon as we got in the car to head home.  It had been a big day for us all.  We did not stay for the game and came home to watch it on TV instead.  After seeing the end of the game, we were kind of glad we weren't there.  Robby and I will be going back to the Homecoming game in about a month - he won a pair of tickets in a raffle!!!  We would also love to head back to Athens again soon with the girls too!  

Harper, CB and Jen

Trey and Robby

Me and my childhood best friend (and my maid of honor), Kristen

Aunt Stefanie helping Handley sneak more red and back M&M's

Handley borrowing Stefanie's sunglasses and pom-pom

And can you believe this picture?!?!?!?  This is my BIG baby girl sitting up all by herself! 

Picture Day at Pre-school

Today was picture day at Handley's pre-school.  I couldn't bring myself to spend almost $40 for the only picture package being offered...especially since I wouldn't even get to view the proofs before purchasing.  We did a few pictures of our own this afternoon when she got home though!

This "cheese" smile was exactly why I didn't want to purchase 

the pictures without seeing them first!