A Day Trip Even Farther South

We spent the day in Southeastern Kentucky visiting more family. Great Aunt Des hadn't had an opportunity to see either Em or Lex in person so she was clearly overjoyed to squeeze some babies!

Emmy cried and cried until poor Aunt Des had to give her her own birthday balloon. You're a good sport Aunt Des. Or a sucker. :)

Water Park Part II

Alright, we just couldn't get enough. We had to spend another beautiful day in the water.

Emily only got knocked over by the bigger kids a couple dozen times.

After 2 days of water play, Lexi made it home and quickly proceeded to pass out on the floor.

We Hit the Water Park!

A mini waterpark not even ten minutes from their house - doesn't get any better than that!

And why can't we have one of these in our backyard?

Who's the palest of them all...?

At one of our favorite restaurants- the Regatta

Emmy is contemplating feeding the fishies

Hi Grandma!

Em started sporting 2 hats. Which in hindsight was brilliant - it is hat country, right!?!?! Go bold or go home she says!

Lexi truly caught laughing at her big sister's antics

Auntie L and Grandpa (who is clearly unamused with his littler sister acting goofy)

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Smith in Kentucky

We hadn't made a trip to Kentucky in ages - since well before Lexi was born. So we headed down south for a few days. It was nice to have some hot weather and lots of sun for a change! As you'll soon discover, we hit the water just about every chance we got!!

Emmy had been chasing a cat around the house. A cat that did not want to be caught by Miss Em.

How quickly we go from kissies...

...to tickly/stranglies.

Grandma Smith, are those socks on? Thanks for taking us to Spindletop Great Great Aunt Roe!

Grandpa Smith has just been busted for water splashing. Old man, did you miss the sign behind you? Children under 6 only!

God love Great Aunt Roe, but this talking/musical bird is torturous company for anyone else over the age of 3.

Double Trouble

The girls are starting to enjoy one another more and more. Lexi is finally getting big enough that she can do things with her big sister without us worrying as much that she'll get trounced. Had to include the laundry day shot too. Lex could spend hours just rearranging clothes on top of her. This last photo wasn't staged; she completely did this to herself.

Emmy In Da Hood

Nighttime

Unfortunately Mommy Karen is away on another work trip for a couple of days. Enough already Mommy! So Mama S. is holding down the fort for a few days. And very successfully I might add. ;) Em who has recently transitioned into a toddler bed sleeps in it pretty well at night (although afternoon naps are a whole other story. Must be something with it still being daytime that throws her off and she just can't bring herself to stay in it. Too much to get out and do). But, occasionally in the middle of the night she wakes up and decides she'd rather sleep in the "Bigger girl bed." So 3:00am I awoke to the patter of feet circling around my bed and then felt the blanket shift a little as she hoisted herself up into bed by climbing up it. She was such a good girl though- she knew to lay down and settle down quickly so as not to make a ruckus. And she did just that and was fast asleep under the covers with me in no time. Couldn't turn that away for anything.

Bath Time

Here's baby sister trying so hard to do just like big sister.

Getting Ready For Work and "School"

Our mornings are often a mad dash trying to get everyone dressed and in the car, but we are going to make more of a concerted effort to try to slow down and be more in the moment with one another. Just some quick snapshots below of the pretty faces we get to enjoy each and every morning.

Lexi hanging in the crib and not crying. A first perhaps.

Emily hasn't noticed that baby sister has her grubbies on Mickey Mouse. Else there would be crying.

I know Emmy, this is how we feel in the morning too.

Emmy getting in just a little Mickey Mouse before she has to go to daycare (or what we call school)

A Sad Day

We are a house filled with heavy hearts today. I (Mama Steph) realize that much of this blog captures the wonderful, joyous moments in Emmy and Lexi's lives. Some posts are rather big events like weddings, others just a photo of what they wore that day so you can see how big they're getting. Of course life doesn't stop, nor take place in snapshots like that. Some days are rather uneventful. Some days can be truly devastating. I realize I haven't brought much, if any real sadness to this blog. I think that may in part be due to how little the girls still are and what they are capable of processing, and as such sharing only what is going on in their little worlds as best I can. But yesterday we lost who was arguably our third baby. Our pooch Sadie left us yesterday, and she left behind a family grieving and in shock that it was her time to go. While Lexi will probably only remember her through pictures, and ultimate perhaps maybe Emmy only will as well, Mommy Karen had her since she was a baby ball of black fur that looked like she came out of a dryer, so unquestionably, her sadness is probably deepest of all.

So perhaps today I am breaking with tradition and sharing more about what Karen and I are feeling, and the sadness we feel with her gone. There will only ever be one Stink Dog. She was one of a kind. She went everywhere with Karen, and then eventually with both of us, and then with all of us as these little babies started popping up. She went on just about every single trip we ever took - drives to North Carolina, Kentucky, and oh how she loved Fire Island. But not more than Frisbees. She loved nothing more (well, except maybe Karen, but definitely more than me), than Frisbees. And I can't imagine another pooch who will ever be more patient and tolerant and loving with two little girls as she was. She treated them with kid gloves, and even when they probably didn't deserve it, that's for sure. She has left big holes in our hearts that I only hope in time will be healed by the memories we have shared.

We love and will miss you Good Girl.

Kentucky Derby Day With Hats