Read to Me

My friend Randi did a post on her blog about books and it got me thinking about the books in our house. I remember being read to...ALOT! I don't remember all of them but to this day I can pick up a book and it will stir up a childhood memory; laying in bed listening to my dad read-he always smelled clean, like shaving cream, toothpaste and soap, going to the library and listening to story time, remembering how much I loved to check-out books at the library-I always wanted to open each book and put a return card in it. The first book I remember reading was "Rub-a-Dub Suds", I got to read it to my kindergarten class. My best friend Calley was jealous so she had her mom read it to her until she memorized it and she "read" it to the class as well! I hope she eventually learned to read for real...she is now a Homeschooling Momma to 3 precious boys!
My parents never had to "make" me go to bed, I couldn't wait to get in bed so I could read. I remember having a stack of chapter books by my bed and I would read a chapter or two each night out of each of them. I remember in 3rd grade we had indoor recess one day, the class was rowdy but I was immersed in a book. Ms. Armstrong asked me how I could concentrate and I didn't know how to answer-I was in a different world-I could read for hours at a time.
One of my motivations for becoming a teacher was my love for reading-it was the most amazing thing to me to see my students learn to read! Through my college years I invested a small fortune in Children's Literature. I had so many books in my classroom that I had to rotate them-I didn't have enough room in my library for all of them! I have a collection of books for each holiday-right down to Groundhog Day and Martin Luther King Day! When I decided to stay home I was so grateful that I had bought most of my books with personal money so that I could bring them home for my children. We have them EVERYWHERE! I even have a bucket of books in the van for the kids to read.
So, with all of that said, here are just a few of my favorite childhood books.

1. Don't Call Me Fatso- I was overweight even as a child and my mom bought this, I think to give me self-confidence, but maybe to let me know I was a Fatso. (JOKING)

2. When The New Baby Comes, I'm Moving Out- I got this when Mom was pregnant with Amanda, I loved the part where he was going to put his mom and baby in the trash can-I thought that sounded like a great idea. I read this to the girls when I was pregnant with Phoenix...Violet was uninterested and Veronika thought the boy was very mean.

3. Where The Wild Things Are- How can you not love this book? Who hasn't wanted to escape and be king of the Wild Things?

4. Philadelphia Chickens- This is a book/cd combo. The girls LOVE it! We get really crazy in the car and rock out to all of the silly songs.

5. The Dumb Bunnies- This book is hysterical! You MUST check it out.

6. The Going To Bed Book/Yoo Hoo, Little Rabbit- I combine these two into one because they are special for the same reason. I am not sure where these books came from or how it happened, but these are Violet's "night-night" books. They do not go on the bookshelf, they have a special place of honor next to the CD player so they are easily found everynight at bed time.

7. Someday- My friend Randi introduced me to this book. I cry EVERY TIME I READ IT! I look at it and think, "I know what is in you, you can't get to me this time. I will read you and not cry." I do ok for a few pages, and then my throat tightens up, and my eyes start to get wet, and then I give up and sob. I DO NOT read this book in front of anyone over the age of 2...I am embarrassed-but at the same time I want my children to always remember the message of this book.

8. I'm Gonna Like Me- One of my most important goals as a parent is to instill self-confidence in my children. In a world where we are bombarded with messages of what we "should" be I want them to love and like themselves no matter what.

9. Eric Carle books- I count this as one because there is not one of his books that I don't like. His illustrations are beautiful and his books hook children and adults alike.

10. On the Night You Were Born- Another confidence builder with sweet, soft words and beautiful illustrations.

11. Without You- A little Spann boy bought this for me at the book fair when I was teaching. I was very pregnant with Violet and cried as I read it to my class. "Where would I be? What would I do? Who in this world would see me through? Where would I be? What would I do? Without you"

Simple Pleasures

My sister-in-law Paula did a "Simple Pleasures" list that she had seen on Kelly's Korner...so I thought I would follow suite. In random order:

1. Waking up and seeing Phoenix sleeping so peacefully beside me.

2. BOTH babies sleeping late and/or taking a nap at the same time.

3. NAP TIME...wow, I am starting to see a trend here, you would think I like sleep or something!


4. Long, Hot Showers...even when Violet pops her head in to say hello

5. Diet Coke

6. Phone calls from Steve...he usually calls me at break, lunch and on his way home. My favorite one is 5pm telling me he is leaving work!

7. Pedicures

8. Having time to shave my legs AND mosturize.

9. Watching Violet fall asleep.

10. Competing with Veronika to see who can sing "John Jacob Jingleheimer" or "I Am A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N" the fastest.

11. Family movie nights

12. Sunday lunch at Mom and Dad's house

13. Seeing Violet's face when we pick Veronika up or when she walks through the door

14. Opening Violet's door in the morning to get her out of bed

15. Girl's Night

16. Having a clean house

17. Laughing hysterically and not being able to stop

18. Rocking Phoenix to sleep

19. Date Night

20. Gardening

21. Making a budget and organizing our bills

22. Getting my hair done. Not only do I enjoy the actual process but I am ALONE for 45 minutes!

23. Family Game Night

24. Staying up till all hours of the night with my mom, sisters, aunt, cousins...

25. Candlelight

Disney World 2010

DISCLAIMER: What follows is a detailed account of our family trip to Disney World. Please do not feel obligated to read it all, it is mostly for my children to read in the future because we all forget details to quickly:)

Day 1: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Phoenix woke up around 4:15am, Daddy and I couldn't get back to sleep so we stayed awake and watched "The Biggest Loser" on DVR. We got dressed and woke Violet up around 6:45am. We were in the car ready to go at 7am. We stopped at McDonald's for breakfast then went to get Veronika from school. When she got in the car she asked where we were going. I said, "Guess." She said "Playtime Pizza?" "No, better!" "Chuckie Cheese?" "No, better!" "Dodi's house?" "No, Disney World!" She was SO excited! We headed to the airport and since Dodi had checked us in all online we went straight through security. Poppa and Josh had left the day before with all of our luggage so we only had our carry-ons. We met up with Dodi, Aunt Amanda, Evie, Uncle Brad, Aunt Paula, Jackson and Tucker. We loaded the plan and got as close to the front as we could. Mommy, Daddy, Phoenix, and Veronika sat together. Violet sat with Aunt Paula, Tucker and Uncle Brad. Dodi, Evie, Amanda and Jackson sat next to us. Our flight to Orlando was long but smooth and uneventful! We had a quick layover in Dallas where we had to switch planes. Then we touched down for a few minutes in New Orleans then straight to Orlando! We ate a late lunch in the airport at Au Bon Pain then headed down to The Disney "Magical Express!" We arrived at the Contemporary Resort where we were staying in the Bay Lake Villa. Our villa was AMAZING!! It was two stories with 3 bedrooms and 4 baths! We had floor to ceiling windows with a beautiful view of the lake. We all got freshened up and headed to Epcot. We went straight to "Nemo and Friends" and then "Turtle Talk with Crush" Jackson and Veronika both got to ask questions, Jackson asked if Crush had a girlfriend and Veronika asked how he swam so fast. It was getting close to our dinner appointment in "Italy" so we headed to the World Showcase. We took our time and stopped in England for some shopping. We had a yummy dinner in Italy then headed back to our room...we were EXHAUSTED!

Day 2: Thursday, January 14, 2010 The day started out with breakfast at Chef Mickey's. It is one of our favorite places to eat, I have lots of good memories eating there as a teenager. It is a character breakfast where Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck all come around to greet you while you eat. It is a yummy buffet with lots of good things but my favorite is the miniature Mickey Mouse shaped waffles! Phoenix slept through most of the breakfast, Violet was terrified of all of the characters, and Veronika was great. After breakfast we loaded up on the bus to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios. When we arrived we headed towards the Hollywood Tower of Terror. Me, Dodi, Brad and Paula got in line to ride while all 6 of you kids stayed with Daddy, Poppa, Amanda and Josh. The ride took longer than we thought, but ya'll were very patient and Poppa bought you all ice cream to keep you happy. After that we headed to Toy Story Mania but got side tracked by The Chronicles of Narnia attraction which was a HUGE waste of time and was basically a preview of the Prince Caspian movie. All of the fast-passes for Toy Story were distributed for the day so we had to wait in the hour long line! Amanda, Josh and Evie went to eat but the rest of us waited it out! Phoenix pooped when we got close to the front and this started his terrible diaper rash! Mommy should have gotten out of the line, changed you and skipped the ride! After that we headed to lunch which was very yummy! We had the Disney Deluxe Dining plan so we each got an appetizer, entree, dessert and drink at EACH meal...needless to say we NEVER went hungry! After lunch Dodi and Poppa took Veronika and Violet to play in the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" Playground so mommy and daddy could ride the Studio Backlot tour. Daddy enjoyed getting to see all the movie props but the best part of the ride malfunctioned so he didn't get to see it! Dodi and Poppa took the girls to see "The Little Mermaid" and we met up with them to watch the Pixar Parade. We were pretty exhausted at the point so us 5 took it easy and did some shopping and took some pictures. That night we ate dinner at Chef Mickey's and the Prime Rib Buffet! YUMMY! Veronika really liked it because they had a miniature buffet where she could serve herself.

Day 3: Friday, January 15, 2010 I am a getting a little vague on all of the details but hopefully I can remember the highlights for you guys. Friday morning we ate breakfast at Chef Mickey's and headed to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there we got you girls balloons...Violet had been wanting one since we got to Disney. You both got Mickey shaped balloons in a bigger, clear balloon. Veronika's was pink and Violet's was purple. We headed to Fantasyland because that is where we thought you girls would have the most fun. Phoenix fell asleep in the stroller so Poppa and Dodi kept him while Daddy, me, Veronika and Violet rode the teacups. We got Fast Passes to "Winnie the Pooh" and went to play in ToonTown. We did a little bit of shopping and went and played in the playground and had a quick snack. It was time for our Fast Pass so we all went and rode that and Dumbo. By that time we needed a little break so we went to see "Mickey's Philharmagic" 3D show. We all enjoyed it, Violet just watched it without the 3D glasses but both of you girls thought it was funny! We went and ate lunch at the "Harbor House," I wanted to eat there because I remember eating there when I was a little girl. We did a little bit of shopping and headed to the room. We left at 2pm to go get a little nap, well the monorail was down so we thought we would take the Ferry to the transportation depot and get a monorail from there. When we got to the depot we found out the entire monorail system was down so we had to catch a bus back to the Contemporary. By the time we got back to the room it was 4pm! We did have time for a quick nap before heading to Epcot for dinner. We ate in Germany which was SO delicious and had a really fun atmosphere with music and dancing. After dinner I went shopping and bought two Christmas ornaments, that is my collection now, someday when Daddy and I are gone you will all have lots of Christmas ornaments documenting our lives together. After dinner we went to "The Land" where Dodi, Poppa, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Josh, and Daddy rode Soarin', we also rode a boat ride called "Living with the Land." It was pretty late by that point so we all headed back and went to bed.

Day 4: Saturday, January 16, 2010 We woke up a little late and met Josh, Amanda and Evie at the bus stop to ride to Animal Kingdom. We quickly found a place to eat a quick breakfast and then went and rode the Kilimangaro Safari, it is a bus tour through a wildlife refuge. Phoenix slept, Violet enjoyed looking, and Veronika took lots of pictures! By that time, Poppa, Dodi, Brad, Paula and the boys had arrived from their early morning at Hollywood Studios so we met up in DinoLand. Daddy took you girls to play in the playground while I sat with Phoenix. After awhile Dodi took all three of you to a bird show while Daddy and I rode "Dinosaur." We met ya'll at the Nemo show; it was SO good! Phoenix and Violet both got a nap. Then we headed to "Yak and Yeti", an Asian restaurant for lunch. Violet was constipated and trying to poop during the whole meal. Near the end of the meal Uncle Josh went to pick Evie up and there was poop EVERYWHERE!!!! I was SO glad it wasn't one of you! :) Poppa and Dodi took you three and headed towards the front while me and Daddy made a quick run to Mt. Everest. We were all just in time to catch the parade before we left, we had a great spot right at the front. The whole vacation Violet was so scared of all of the characters but when Terk walked by you gave him "5"! We arrived back at the hotel and Daddy took you girls swimming while Phoenix and I watched from the side. Veronika had fun running around with Jackson and Tucker, there was a big slide and a baby slide and ya'll had so much fun! Violet loved to play in the fountain...it really hit me while you were running around that you are definitely a toddler, you looked like such a big girl!
We went to our room and got you all bathed then Daddy headed to Downtown Disney with Poppa, Brad and Josh to watch a football game...it was a big fiasco and they ended up not getting to watch the game. Aunt Paula, Jackson and I ran down to "The Market" to get dinner; we got you all fed and then called it an early night!

Day 5: Sunday, January 17, 2010 We took it easy this morning because the Magic Kingdom was open until 2am for Resort guests! We woke up and ate our final breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Phoenix was very fussy so as soon as I finished eating I took him up to the room and took a nap with him while Daddy took you girls to the pool. Around noon ya'll came back with snacks but by the time we got you all dressed it was time for lunch. We went to the Contemporary Cafe, picked up lunch and took it to our room. After lunch we laid you all down for a nap so we would have energy for that evening. Around 4pm we headed to The Magic Kingdom via Monorail. We went to Toontown and mommy bought souvenirs while daddy took you all to the Princess meet and greet. Veronika had an appointment at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique so daddy took Violet and Phoenix to the Toontown playground while I took Veronika to her makeover. After Veronika was finished we met up with you all and rode "It's A Small World" and then went for our dinner at "Cinderella's Royal Table" where we ate dinner in Cinderella's castle. After dinner Daddy and I took the babies back to the room for bed and I got us all packed up. Veronika stayed with Dodi, Poppa, Brad, Paula and the boys and stayed out until 2am riding Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Carribean and Space Mountain! I hope that is a night you (Veronika) will never forget...I loved watching how excited you were during your makeover and I beautiful you looked! You glowed! Then you got some special time with Aunt Paula when you stayed out and rode Space Mountain with just her!

Day 6: Monday, January 18, 2010 Poppa and Uncle Josh left around 9am with all of our luggage and we just hung around the room. We went and ate breakfast at "The Wave" one of the restaurants in our hotel; all of you kids were pretty worn out and we ended up getting our food to go. We headed back up to the room, got everything together, then gathered to figure out what we were going to do. We did some shopping to finish up our Meal Plan Snacks and you kids just ran around and played in the lobby for awhile. At 2 we got the Disney bus to the airport and we all ate lunch in the terminal. Evie threw up right before we got on but we got on anyway! It was an ok flight, thank goodness we didn't have to change planes! Evie got sick again and Phoenix was very fussy with his diaper rash but other than that you kids did really well. We flew from Orlando to St. Louis, then from St. Louis to Little Rock. We went to Walgreens to get some Triple Paste Diaper cream for Phoenix, grabbed a Little Caesar's Pizza and went home. You all were SO tired! Veronika ate half of her pizza and asked to go to bed! We all slept GREAT!

Iced In

We had a "big" winter weather event this weekend! Atleast in Arkansas terms! It has been nice being homebound. Veronika was out of school Friday due to the weather and Steve came home around 2pm. We spent the day watching TV and the girls pulled out every dress-up toy they have! I cooked and cleaned more than I have in ages! I am not used to cooking and cleaning-up three meals a day, usually Violet and I eat easy stuff and I do all of the dishes after dinner. Today we headed outside to play for awhile and the kids really loved it. Last year we didn't have any ice or snow so this was Violet's and Phoenix's 1st Snow!


Phoenix is such a happy baby and loved watching the girls play!


Daddy pulled the girls around the yard and then went sledding on our "hill" in the backyard.


Violet's favorite thing was eating the Icicles off of the trampoline. She and Veronika were even able to make Snow Angels on the trampoline.


My Snow Bunnies.

Hairbows

This is the year for me to develop some craft skills. Violet has a BEAUTIFUL head of hair but walks around looking like Shaggy 90% of the time because she won't keep anything in her hair. Nevertheless, I wanted to try my hand at some hair accessories. She really likes the yellow flower but likes to take it out and look at it. Next up, sewing an Abby Cadabby pillow for her with the AWESOME sewing machine Steve got me for Christmas...in 2007!!!

Happy Birthday Dad/Poppa!

Our trip to Disney World was in celebration of my dad's 60th Birthday. His actual birthday isn't until March 30th. We are so thankful that he chose to celebrate by sharing a dream vacation with us. Dad is one of 11 children and was raised as a farmer. He was very athletic in high school and played basketball and baseball. He was also the president of his senior class. He moved to Little Rock after high school and worked extremely hard to make his way in life. After he and my mom started dating he went to work for my Pepaw at Johnson and Moreland Radiator Shop. He and my mom were married on March 5th, 1977. Brad was born in 1979, I was born in 1983, and Amanda was born in 1986. They also surffered the loss of a miscarriage between Amanda and I.
They opened Southwest Radiator Shop, Inc. in 1985 and it has been a very successful business thanks to dad's hardwork, integrity, and diverse abilities. In 2004 he became Poppa when Jackson Ronald Dowler was born. Now 5 years later, he has 6 grandchildren and 1 on the way.
Dad is an AMAZING Poppa, all of his grandkids adore him! He has always been a wonderful father as well, he worked hard so that we could all have a better life than he had and he always made sure that we were able to take advantage of every opportunity we could. Most importantly, he was and is a Godly role-model of what a Christian man should be. Thank you for everything Dad/Poppa! We Love You!

More Pics!

Sweet Phoenix was so good! He napped well and just went with the flow. Towards the end of the vacation he got a bad diaper rash which made him fussy and quite uncomfortable, poor thing!

Disney in Pictures

I'm working on a detailed account of our trip to Disney World, but I will leave you with pictures in the meantime!

My silly Violet playing in Minnie Mouse's house

Veronika chowing down in Italy!

Posing outside of the Sci-Fi Diner

The 4 Loves of my life!

Steve has Norweigan Ancestry. We thought these Viking helmets were too funny on the babies!

Princess Veronika with her "Fairy-Godmother-In-Training" at the Bippity Boppity Boutique

I love this picture. Anytime Phoenix is fussy and I can't get to him right away Veronika lays down with him, pats his back and sings to him. She usually covers him up and turns the light out. He almost always calms down and often falls asleep. I think it is so sweet and she is very proud that she can make him happy!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Saturday is Steve's 32nd Birthday but since we don't have Veronika this weekend we celebrated tonight. We had Honeybaked Ham, Corn Casserole, and Green Beans. Throughout his childhood he had Rainbow Chip Angel Food Cake with Rainbow Chip Frosting. The Rainbow Chip Cake is very hard to locate now, so I made him a regular Angel Food Cake with Rainbow Chip Frosting.






Daddy's Mini-Me woke up from a nap just in time for cake!


Here are some facts about Steve:

• He was born on January 9, 1978 in Columbus, Montana
• His full name is Stephen Thomas Tripp.
• He grew up in Montana, Oregon, and Washington
• He was home-schooled with the exception of 1st Grade which he completed at Buckingham Elementary in Bend, OR
• He moved to Little Rock in August 1997 to attend the Missionary Baptist Seminary
• He LOVES movies...pretty much any kind, he collects and watches them all!
• He has awesome blackheads and when I get mad at him he lets me squeeze them to make me feel better (he will be so embarrased that I put that)
• He is a really good cook and can cook pretty much anything
• He is very handy. He has replaced 7 light fixtures/ceiling fans and installed 2 new toilets and 3 new sinks in our house.
• He likes speed but HATES going upside down (like on rollercoasters)
• His realistic dream vehicle is a Shelby Ford Mustang
• One of the best experiences of his life was getting to help deliver Violet. The doctor delivered her head and one shoulder then he got to catch her.
• He LOVES Superheros/Comic Book Characters...so much so that we named our son Phoenix Logan. Phoenix is a female X-Men character and Logan is Wolverine's "human" name. I am kind of embarrased that we named him after X-Men Characters, but yeah, we did it.
• He loves to go shopping
• He is the most involved, hands-on dad I know. He can change diapers, give medicine, do hair (kind of), pretty much anything. He gives the kid their baths every night, brushes Violets teeth and puts the girls to bed.

Happy Birthday Steve! I look forward to sharing many more birthdays with you! I love you!

First Feedings

I think Violet and Phoenix may look more alike than I realize. Compare photos of their 1st feedings. Poor baby boy has to use his sister's purple bumbo!

Violet: September 2008 had cereal with prune juice and made a HUGE mess!

Phoenix: January 2010 had mashed banana. Notice his eyes fixed on the spoon. He enjoyed every bite!

Dining Adventures

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to blog more often, atleast every other week and preferably every week. So, I figured I should go ahead and get a start on it. Phoenix will be 6 months on January 17, 2010. I had planned on waiting until he is "officially" 6 months old to start him on solids but he has been pretty interested in our food lately, so tonight we decided to start him on bananas. Now, when we started Violet on solids it was a slow process...she would get distracted and really wasn't that into her food. Not Phoenix! He ate every bite of what I had mashed for him and didn't get hardly any on him!

After: I think he was a little full, but even then he didn't really want to stop!

Miss Violet thought that is was very silly that "bubba" was eating food. This is her sitting in her new booster seat that she got for Christmas. She decided that she is too big for a high chair and will not even sit in them when we go out to eat. I think she looks so cute at the table like a big girl!

Christmas Day

Christmas Sunday

Goodbye 2009

Tomorrow is the last year of 2009, it seems like yesterday that everyone was worried about Y2K and in a matter of a few hours it will be 2010. 2009 was a pretty eventful and exciting year for us...the biggest thing was of course the arrival of Phoenix in July!
Veronika started 2nd Grade in August. She does terrific in school, she is a very advanced reader and does well in all of her subjects. She is getting guitar lessons from Aunt Amanda and got an acoustic and electric guitar for Christmas. She is a great dancer also and wants to get back into dance next year which I think is wonderful. Her dream right now is to be famous...she is considering acting, dancing, or being a rock 'n' roll star! She is a fantastic big sister, she WILLINGLY changes diapers, helps Violet get dressed, pretty much anything. Violet adores her and copies everything she does.
Violet is 20 months old...it is hard to believe that my baby girl will be 2 years old in a few short months! She is our little ham and mockingbird. She is VERY affectionate but also aggressive. She goes to bed each night with her "papi" (pacifier), two blankets, and baby; she also needs her lullaby CD and light show...but she sleeps for about 12 hours each night and takes a 2 hour nap! She is definitely like her momma in that regard! She loves to do art projects, mostly stickers and coloring.
Phoenix is 5 months old and is such a sweet baby boy! He loves his sisters and cracks up anytime they play with him. He is a pretty good sleeper, he wakes up 1 or 2 times a night and takes 2 or 3 naps. He is really trying to sit up and loves to blow raspberries and pull his sisters' and mommy's hair! He is the spitting image of his daddy; we all think that he should have been named Steve Jr.

Steve and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary in November; so in 2006 I became a step-mommy to Veronika, in August 2007 we found out we were expecting Violet and she was born in April 2008. In November 2008 we found out we were expecting again and we welcomed Phoenix in 2009! SO, I am praying for 2010 to be a quiet year, we are not planning on any big changes in our lives but who knows what God's plan for this year is! I want to sit back, relax, and watch my babies grow. I want to be a better wife and mother; I want to speak softer, kinder words to Steve and our children. I want to enjoy this life that God has blessed me with...it is everything I ever prayed for and so much more!

Random Pics

We have had a CRAZY month! Since Phoenix's birth it seems we've been going non-stop, but we've had LOTS of fun! It is so wonderful to see the girls with Phoenix; they both love him so much. We knew what to expect with Veronika, but we were apprehensive about Violet but she has turned out to be a little momma! She wants to comfort him whenever he cries; she brings him his paci, blanket, and bottle; every morning when she wakes up she says "Hi Baby!"; and she gets very mad at us when we pick him up to comfort him...I guess she thinks that is her job! Veronika has been a HUGH helper; she started changing Violet's diapers without even being asked. I let her get Violet up from naps when I am busy with Phoenix and she is enjoying getting to be the "biggest" sister! By the way; she starts 2nd Grade Tomorrow! GOOD LUCK BABY GIRL!

What a Difference a Month Makes!

Sunday we finally ventured to church! We had Phoenix's dedication and he did pretty well in church. Monday was his 1 Month Birthday! At birth he weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Today he was 11 lbs. 5 oz. and is about 23 inches long! He is such a sweet baby, he is happy and laid-back. He only fusses when he is tired or hungry and (fingers crossed) he is NOT COLICKY! I thought every baby had a fussy time of day and to this point he is pleasant all day long! Just this week he has started eating every 3 hours almost exactly...it is so funny how they put themselves on a routine! He sleeps for one 4 or 5 hour period every night! He is such a joy to have and is loved and adored by his family!

Happy Birthday Dodi!

In celebration of Dodi's Birthday we spent Sunday together. After church we all went to Poppa and Dodi's house and had chips and sandwiches and some pool time! Around 2 we all went home for naps then met up at Copeland's for dinner! YUMMY! We are so blessed to have a close family that gets along so well! Happy Birthday Mom/Dodi! WE LOVE YOU!

Pictures

Phoenix Logan Tripp was born Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:06pm. The entire labor lasted less than 12 hours and I only had to push for 8 minutes! Much quicker than last time around! He weighed 8lbs. 12oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is big, healthy and beautiful! Praise the Lord!

Pretty Girls

For Veronika's 6th Birthday last year Dodi bought them season passes to the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theater. Throughout the year they have been able to go to several plays. Tonight was their final play, "The Wind and The Willows." Jackson and Tucker got to join them this time. Veronika got all dazzled up and even got to wear make-up, when Steve got home he told her how beautiful she looked and she said, "I look like a lady."

She is doing great in 1st Grade and is excited about moving to 2nd. She is the 2nd highest reader in her class and really excels in all her areas. She gets in trouble occasionally for her attitude but she has done MUCH better this year. She will finish dance up for the year at the end of this month. She can't decide what to do next year; Upwards Activities, Dance, or Gymnastics.

Violet is REALLY close to walking! She got this walking/riding toy from her Grandma and Grandpa Tripp for her birthday and she really enjoys it. She loves walking up and down our hallway. She is a big eater and will not let us eat unless she is eating also. She is completely weaned from the bottle and is only using her pacifier at naps and bedtime. She is such a big girl!
She says "Ca" which means cat, sissy, mama, pretty much anything. She says "cup" "dada"

"tu"-for Tucker and one time she said "cla" and started clapping. She is a sweet baby and is so much fun!