Mama's helpers

I love these "little" behinds!


This is my girls' favorite play spot these days - especially when I am cooking. I think Rhodes could stand on that step stool all day and splash in the water - but our kitchen would also turn into a lake. I love my two little helpers so much and am enjoying every second of them these days (or at least trying to!).

Sweet snow angels

Almost 2 weeks ago, we had what very well could be the blizzard of 2010. I have to admit, I was hoping to get snowed in (not that the girls had school that day or anything) but just to have an excuse for an entire weekend not to have to leave the house! Rhodes even had her 15 month checkup cancelled by the office b/c of the snow - so that was a nice treat! The snow turned to ice and the temperatures were pretty miserable but we still had fun running around and spending time together on our little snow day. Here are some pictures of my 2 favorite little snow angels...

Running around..

Ali catching snowflakes with her mouth...
Rhodes driving her car (or pulling the steering wheel out)
Snow sisters

Ali making snow angels

Rhodes enjoying her first real snow!! I think after a few minutes out in it, she was ready to head back in and warm up!

15 months!

Our littlest babe is 15 months old...hard to believe! She has turned into such a little person lately and it is such a fun age to watch and play with! We had her 15 month check up yesterday (it got postponed from last Friday due to the snow!) and it was funny b/c she was a lot more clingy to me and is starting to realize what going to do the doctor means....shots! She had to get 3 shots - one combined shot of the 3 vaccines she needed, H1N1 and seasonal flu. We hadn't gotten her the flu shots yet b/c she has been on and off sick for the past few months. I also got both of the flu shots while there and I have to admit, I felt like a little kid again waiting for the nurse to come back in with the shots - scary! Anyway, my little baby weighed in at 25 lbs 12 oz (90%), 31.5 inches tall (75-90%), and her head circumference was 19 inches (97%). What a big girl!

At 15 months, Rhodes loves to talk - she talks a lot in her own language, but she is dead serious when she does it - looks you straight in the eye and uses a lot of hand gestures, so you get the point. Her favorite real words are bye bye, bah bah (for Baxter and interchangeably used for baby), ball (she likes the "b" words), Mama, Dada, Papap (Pappy - our word for pacifier), No no (along with shaking her head as fast as she can), yay and she pretty much tries to copy every word we throw at her. We also think she says things like "I want that!" when she wants something or "I want out!"or "Get dowwwwn!" when she wants out of her high chair. She also loves to high pitch squeal, make a noise that sounds like "daguh daguh daguh" and blow raspberries and kisses. She is hysterical and knows it. She loves to get in trouble by sticking things in her mouth (like dog food, Ali's cup, anything & everything!) and has this silly mischievous grin when she does it. She also loves to stand on chairs, shake her bottom and dance, take baths, scribble & color, smile, laugh, eat, and run around and around and chase her sister. This girl does not move in slow motion - everywhere she goes - she runs!The girls play ALL the time and it is so fun to watch. Rhodes wants to do everything Ali does which sometimes drives Ali crazy but I love it - she also loves to give Ali hugs and kisses when she is sad. She is finally (probably as of this week) getting down to 1 nap a day and I am loving it! The nap is longer and it makes it much easier to get out and about (we are not homebodies!) without having to worry about a morning nap - although Rhodes is a big fan of car napping. She is our barrel of laughs and of course we love her more every day!

Anyway - Ryan got me a Flip video camera for Christmas and here is my first try at posting a video on here....we'll see if it works! It is from around when Rhodes turned 15 months (1/2/10) and, if you notice Ali in the background, we had just had an incident where Rhodes took off her diaper and had to go to the bathroom right after - diaperless. I will leave out the details - I am sure Rhodes will love that I put a bathtub video of her on the internet one day!!

Make new friends, but keep the old...

One is Silver and the other's gold!

Despite the craziness in our lives this holiday season, I was excited to get away from reality (to Buckhead) to celebrate KCP's 30th birthday! I treasure these "gold" friendships so much - friends that I have had since day one, or not long after, and who I can completely be myself around....as scary as that self may be! :) How refreshing it is to be around friends like this and how much I wish I could see them way more than we actually do! We had so much fun celebrating 30 years of Kate - thirty years that I have pretty much known her through it all (even though I wasn't born until 5 months later), but our heritage goes back decades and decades before. It was a night I will never forget! I told my mom when I got back to the hospital the next morning when she asked how the night went that I wondered when the time will come that all of us will get together and act "mature" and not like we are young, crazy girls dancing and singing at the top of our lungs and telling crazy stories of things we used to do! She said probably never and I am holding on to that! Happy 30th Kate!!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Finally some pictures from our Christmas! It was a different Christmas this year with the Tumlin family and my mom in the hospital but we stayed very busy! Unfortunately, I stayed at the hospital with my mom and missed the Patrick family Christmas and, therefore, did not get a chance to remind Ryan to take pictures....but I know the girls and Ryan had so much fun celebrating with everyone!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas Eve and Christmas celebrations (that I got pictures of...

Christmas Eve started off with a Mother-Daughter tea at our friend's, the Goodman's, house. We had a lot of fun with friends and Ali made some reindeer food to put out on our lawn. We went from there to a Happy Birthday Jesus party at our friend's, the Gilland's, house. There we heard the true Christmas story, did a little Christmas caroling, sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes to celebrate Jesus' birth! Both of the parties were so much fun. I went up to the hospital for a little bit before heading out to our Christmas Eve Children's service at our church. The girls were angels and were so precious. It is one of my favorite traditions on Christmas to get to be at church, sing Christmas carols, watch the girls dress up and celebrate our Savior's birth with friends and family! Below are some pictures of my angels.....

On Christmas Eve, Rhodes finally discovered all of the gifts under the tree...she decided she was Santa's helper and loved to take each and every one of them out from under the tree and hand them out or put them on the table. Such a cutie!
Santa came to see the Patrick girls!
Ali got a new baby that she named Drizella! (Where did she get that name, you ask? It is one of the mean step-sisters from the movie Cinderella!)
Rhodes also got a baby that cries and says "Mama" and she LOVES it. She walks around giving her hugs and holding her against her chest/cheek/neck.

I love when these sisters play together...
The girls in their new Anywhere chairs...with their babies

Ali also loves Rhodes' new car!

Ryan dancing in his new red coat! :)We were excited to get to go to Grandmommy & Granddaddy's on the 26th to celebrate Christmas some more and exchange more presents. The girls loved it and had a blast spending the night that night with them!!

Ali with Drizella in one of her new outfits!
A whole week later, we had a very belated Christmas celebration with the Tumlin clan (missing Ty & Ashley who were in Hilton Head for Ashley's b-day). Since Mom was in the hospital over Christmas, things were definitely very different for our family this year, but it was such a neat treat to get to extend Christmas an entire week longer in the end. (on New Years Day!)

Rhodes being silly...
Ali was so excited to see what Santa brought to Mimi and Papa's!
Coming in to see what Santa brought.....
Rhodes loves her new grocery cart!
The girls got Zhu Zhu pets.....which they (Ali) named Gus and Jaq (a little Cinderella theme going on here with names!)

And of course they go straight to Rhodes' mouth!

Ali showing off her new Zhu Zhu pet....Rhodes loves to play peek-a-boo and puts everything over her head - have to keep a close eye on that one!
Ali in her Monsters Inc chair

Our other little monster in her pjs - check out her monster toes slippers - they are so cute!

Merry, Merry Christmas 2009!