The world's WORST bluebonnet pictures...

Since the Bluebonnets were so abundant this year I thought getting pictures would be so easy! Well...I was wrong.

It all started on a warm sunny day with a ridiculous hike across a field. The grass around the edges of the field was about two feet high! Caden couldn't even walk through it without falling down every other step. Every time he fell down I was overcome with fear that a snake would be down there just waiting to get him! So I picked him up... the boy on one hip... the girl on the other and a camera around my neck and trudged through the field. That field... by the way... smelled as though a million cats had converged upon it and all peed at the same time! We were not off to a good start.

One of the first pictures... our bad start just kept getting worse.

I asked the boy to smile and to make his sister smile...
his solution to my request involved some tough "love"!

For some reason he thought squeezing the fire out of her arm would make her smile!
He has a lot to learn about girls!

Yep, this one was a good one... the old hand in the face shot.

The fake smile.

Not sure what this is.

Yep...

The allergies have kicked in. Sneezing fit begins.

Oh, wait... what was that?

And here I have totally lost all hope of getting anything decent!

The End.

Today she's 11 months old... sniff... sniff...

Carinna,
Today you are 11 months old. I can't believe time has passed so quickly and that next month you will be having your first birthday! I am so excited to have your party... but I am also so sad that you are growing out of your babyhood so very quickly!

You are such a stinker, but you make us laugh every day! You are rotten too! I think I am okay with that though! You love attention and will do most anything to get it. If daddy walks by you without acknowledging that you are there, you will have a little hissy fit until he comes back to get you. You also love to snuggle! You will wrap your little arms tightly around my neck and lay your head on my shoulder when you are tired. It is the absolute best feeling in the world!
A couple of weeks ago you decided that you could crawl up the slide on the fort in the playroom. You worked really hard until you could get your little fat legs all the way up to the top. I think it is just fantastic... and I mean that as sarcastically as possible. I am not thrilled that I can't leave you alone in the playroom without worrying that you might fall off the fort! But you are quite stubborn and you will climb up there any time you feel like it... or at least that is how I read that look you give me when I get you down.
You now have four teeth... finally! You just got the fourth one a couple of days ago. You love to grind them which makes cringe every time I hear it!
You had your 9 month checkup at 10 1/2 months... I made your appointment 2 weeks before you were 9 months old and that was the soonest I could get you in. But anyway, at your appointment you weighed 18 lbs and are 27 inches long. You are in the 15% for height and head circumference and 25% for weight (it's those thighs... sorry to tell you)!
You are so happy! It doesn't take much for us to get you to laugh. You really think your brother is funny too. Sometimes in the car he will make you laugh so hard that he will start laughing. I love driving down the street listening to the two of you crack each other up!
Your brother loves you lots... unless you mess with his trains (we are working on that)! He always wants you to sit as close to him as possible when we eat. I have to keep your highchair pulled away from him a little because he won't eat and will just play with you if I let you get too close! You pretend like you are going to give him a bite of your food... but at the last minute you stick it in your own mouth. It's pretty cute!
You are starting to stand on your own. I thought you were going to take a step this morning, but you chickened out at the very last minute. But it won't be long! I bet you will be walking right around your birthday! You will walk while holding on to our hands... and it is so hilarious because you arch your back and stick your belly way out as your walk! We walk you around just so we can laugh at the way you look while doing it... it even makes Caden laugh!
We love you so much! You are such a joy! I look forward to watching you grow into the person you will become! Happy 11 month birthday sweet girl!

She did turn 10 months old... I just didn't post it...

Yep, it's true... last month she was 10 months old. I didn't forget... I just didn't get around to posting it.

So... this was her a month ago...
She only had 2 teeth at the time...

Couldn't you just eat up that little face?

Easter...

Trying to explain the real reason that we celebrate Easter to a two year old is really a lesson in futility! Crucifixion, death. rising from the dead, sins, blood... not things that are easily simplified into preschool terms. At least he has heard the story and has something to build on in the future!

But here is how we celebrated the secular side of Easter... :)

Caden got a new train from the Easter Bunny... I don't think he saw anything else in his basket after he discovered the train! He also got an expansion pack for his train tracks... which I spent twenty minutes putting together so they would work with his old set (switch tracks and all). He on the other hand, played with it for about 10 minutes then took it all apart! UGH!
The girl got a baby from the Easter Bunny... again, I am not sure she noticed anything else in her basket once she saw the baby!
It is so amazing how quickly gender roles set in. Carinna has always been drawn to babies... and Caden has always been drawn to balls and vehicles.
Then we loaded up the car and headed to Nana & Pawpaw's house for lunch. The cousins were there along with some other families. Caden enjoyed a game of football in the front yard before lunch.
Later in the afternoon we had another egg hunt. These are the hunters...
Carinna does NOT like grass! Aunt Lori tried several times to get her feet to touch the ground, but she was not having it! I did not get one single picture of the girl in her Easter dress. Nana had gotten her an outfit (the one she is wearing below) and so we changed her before the egg hunt began! But I will dress her back up and take some pics ASAP!
This was Caden's 3rd egg hunt... I think he was getting a bit tired of it! After he had picked up about 5 eggs he informed us "that's enough... I'm good." After a little encouraging he picked up a few more.

After everyone else left, the kids got some one on one time with Pawpaw. I think they like him... but I think the feeling is mutual!
On the way home Caden crashed! It had been a long and exciting day! More than likely it was more that he was coming down hard off of his sugar rush!
(Also note the muddy shoes and socks... it rained unexpectedly in Austin that morning... so the grass was a little soppy!)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!