Fashion by Daddy

This is why I usually pick out Hope's clothes for her...this is how Daddy got her dressed to go to the store today.

Trout Fishing in America

We have missed you Keith and Ezra! I feel like I have grown up listening to these guys. It started with my older brother Vince's obsession with them when he was a teenager. We went to a kids concert when I was maybe 11 or 12, and since then, I have seen them almost every year at Riverfest, been to their concerts in the park in Fayetteville while I was in college, I even used a fake ID to get in to see them at Juanitas in Little Rock! I got John hooked on them too after we started dating. Any way, the point is, I love these guys! I missed seeing them at Riverfest this year, and I was so excited to see that they were coming here to Texas for a free concert. There weren't many people there, so we had a front row seat. Hope had a blast dancing and singing along. I know she won't always think that it's cool that her mom can count to 18 really fast in Roman Numerals along to the song "18 Wheels on a Big Rig" but I am enjoying it for now!

A Good Mommy

Hope has been taking very good care of her animals and baby dolls lately. I think she gets her swaddling techniques from me! This afternoon, I found her lining up all her friends and telling them it was time for them to take a nap. I think she is going to be a good mommy one day.

My new bike

We bought Hope a tricycle last night, and she took it out for a spin this afternoon. It started out fun, with a very determined little girl. It proved to be a little more difficult than she anticipated with the pedaling and steering....This child does not handle frustration well (where in the world does she get this from?) So we went quickly from determination to frustration. Watch the change as you scroll through the picture. I love when she dragged the bike back to her daddy!

Pics of the week

Meet our son, Pierre. The mustache is a result of an Oreo cookie snack.



Does anyone remember when we used to call Hope the baby burrito? She had to be swaddled all the time because she was so colicky...We made a big baby burrito. She thought it was pretty funny. I should get an award for the best swaddling techniques! I had alot of practice those first few months!


The girl loves a good, warm tortilla!

Hope Live In Concert

This is a video made by Hope's uncle Sam. He says he knows good music and talent when he sees it.

Pics from our weekend with Uncle Sam

Here are some of the pictures Sam took of his weekend here. I stole them from his facebook account...with his permission. We had a great time with Sam. He left on Monday morning with John, so Hope thought he had gone to Raleigh with her Daddy, and she was sad when daddy came home without him!

Hope and Her Uncle Sam



Sleepy Baby at Six Flags...she
had an imprint of the straw on her cheek!

Hope and Daddy switched hats.


Sam brought Hope a big Frisbee

She is a serious pilot. I think Sam liked that this was a St. Louis inspired ride, complete with the arch.
nananananananana....BATMAN!
We actually got to ride a couple of rides together!
Sam was really excited to see Wendy's, because they are all shut down in the St. Louis Area.

WARNING!!! Your opinion of John is about to change...

So...John got a tattoo. He has been talking about getting one for as long as I have known him, and he has been carrying a picture of what he wanted in his wallet for months, so I can't say I wasn't warned. It kind of got to the point where I just wanted him to either do it, or quit talking about it! Anyway, John's best friend Sam is in town, so John thought it was a good time to do it. It is the Hebrew word for "Hope."

The cousins

My mom, sister and nieces came for a quick visit this week. We had a great time shopping, eating at Joe's, a special "Libby Lou" makeover for the big girls, and a round of Crazy Rummy (I won, of course! :-) Thursday night, before they left I told Hope she better go love on her Mimi because Mimi had to go back to Arkansas in the morning. Hope said "but the cousins are going to stay." I have never heard her refer to them as cousins before, and certainly not "The Cousins!" I wish they could have stayed longer, too.

Here are a few pics from their visit.

Hope's New Move

This is Hope's newest dance move. She points her finger, spins it fast and points up to the air. She definately has my dancing skills! (Or lack of!)

Thank You , Brian!

I hope everyone has had a great 4th of July Holiday. On the 4th, I thought many times about my good friend, Brian, who is in the Army and is deployed right now. After reading his wife Kerum's blog, I thought about him some more, and the sacrifices he AND his family make everyday to keep our country free. I am very proud of him, and we love his whole family so much. In fact, Austin is Brian and Kerum's son...as in Austin, Hope's future boyfriend! He is too precious. And into everything, just like Lulu. So a big thank you and a hug to Austin, and his mommy and daddy this week (and every week!)

We have enjoyed a break from the every day, and most of all, we have enjoyed John being home for a whole week. It was a special treat. He is off to a new project on Monday. 4 months in North Carolina!

Today did not go as we had planned, but it was a great day. We had planned on having a Garage Sale this morning. We have been cleaning out stuff this week for our upcoming move (our lease is up soon, so we are buying a new house and we don't want to move all of this stuff!)But, when the alarm went off at 6 am, we both quickly vetoed the sale! I am sooo glad we did, because Hope slept until 9 am! It was fabulous! I had forgotten what it felt like to sleep that long! Hope and I got up and went for a walk around our neighborhood, and then I told her we were going to the donut shop. I guess she has never been to the donut shop. How is that possible? Anyway, we got ready and I put her in the car, and she said "Mommy, are we going to do some donut shopping?"

After lunch, we all went to Six Flags. We tried to sneak her onto the parachute ride, but after making it all the way through the line, we were busted. I was so ashamed! My baby just wants to ride the parachutes! She is officially 1/2 of an inch short. I am seriously considering letting her where some chunky heeled shoes next time!

Despite the trauma at the Parachute ride, she had a great time. We took her swimsuit so that she could play in the fountains, which turned out very well! She had a great time, and it was a great way to get her cooled off.


She was also so brave and tried a ride that she is always scared of. The airplanes. They look very much like the space ships at Hershey Park that she was so terrified of. But, she rode it today, and had so much fun that she rode it again!

Six Flags Fountain

As you can tell, I am into posting videos right now! This is of Hope in the sprinklers/ fountains at Six Flags. She is all over the place, as usual!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

What is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? It has long been a favorite book of Hope's, but lately she has been hooked on the video. If your child is a Boom Boom fan, you need this DVD from Scholastic!

Hope Bee Bopping

Hope bops her head to this whole song, but she was not cooperating! You can see a little of the bee bop action, but I will have to try again when she doesn't know I am watching her! Notce that at the very end, she tells me to stop!

Hope 4th

Hope watching her favorite movie, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and talking abot her day

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! We weren't able to make it back to Arkansas for the 4th like we had planned, but we have had a fun day together. John found a neat little swimming beach on a lake that is about 20 minutes for our house. We had a lot of fun, and Hope was so excited to be at the "beach." I made the mistake of telling her on Monday that we were going to go to the beach soon. That night, we had to run errands, and Hope kept saying "We are going to the beach now?" She didn't quite understand that our beach trip is still 4 weeks away! Hopefully this little beach will hold her over until then! For those of you not in Texas, we have had 10 straight days of rain and it has rained 18 out of the last 19 days. It is getting very depressing! I need some sun! We consulted the hourly forecast today, and hit the lake between two showers/storms. Luckily, the forecast was right, and it worked out well!


Of course, I have to reminisce some too... This is Hope on her 1st 4th of July. I miss that little baby!


This is last year's 4th of July. John had already accepted his job at SN and was working in Texas. Hope and I flew down to see him for the holiday.




Finally, pics from today. If you say you have ever seen anything cuter than Hope in this bikini, I will call you a liar! :-) She was so mad at me for making her stop and take a picture before she could get in the water!






I know, I know, I swore she would never wear floaties. I am eating my words...


How do you get in the lake with floaties and a ring, and still hold on to your favorite bucket?


She hated the grass and sticks that lined the shore. We would have to pick her up over them!


We are some serious sand castle builders


Ok, and this is one random picture. I drove home the other night, and there was the neatest sunset. As soon as I got home, I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures. I love the sun beams shining through.

Such a big girl!

This little bikini was mine when I was little. I can't wait to go back to my mom's house and try to find some pics of little me in it too! It is still a little big for Lulu. (There is a clip holding it together in the back!) Thank you Aunt Frankee for finding this and sending it to me! You will have to send me a picture of Kabbie in it too!


She has many boo boos on her leg right now, but everything looks better with a little nail polish!


She likes to "Swim" in her bathtub


Oops, I loaded this picture sideways. Does anyone know how to fix it once you have uploaded it? Anyway, John and I were just talking tonight about how long her hair has gotten.


She just looks so big lately! It makes me a little sad!