Farmers Market Fun

We loved our first trip to the Shreveport Farmers Market -- it's a great way to support our area farmers and the local economy, and is also super family friendly. It was packed and I kept running into old friends that we hadn't seen in years! We came home with some delicious homemade tamales and a bunch of fresh fruit. Two little people discovered that they love peaches after digging into my stash, so I guess we'll have to head back next weekend for some more. Oh yeah, and some beignets too!

Here are some of my favorite sights and sounds from Saturday...

Along for the ride

Loved this praline-selling diva!

Kern Has Coffee and "it is good" - according to Andrew

Free face painting from the Abrakadoodle folks

Jammin' out to "I'll Fly Away" in Festival Plaza

 

Wordless Wednesday: 'Mudbug Madness 2012' Edition

Manic Monday: 'Getting Caught Up on the Blog' Edition

It's been a while since written a post, but I've felt like I'm going to collapse into an exhausted heap at the end of most days lately. So... sleep has won out over blogging! In edition to starting our own business (another post on that later), we've been busy getting reacquainted with our hometown while spending time with the girls on the weekends. Here's a rundown of some of our latest adventures:

1. Ballet. I took Lucy to see the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's performance of Cinderella, her first time at the "big girl ballet." I had to laugh a few minutes into the first act when she asked, "Mommy, why does Cinderelly not say any words?" She started squirming a few minutes from the end of the performance, but otherwise it was a really special mommy-daughter date.

2.  ArtBreak. Andrew's guitar students were performing, so we took the opportunity to go downtown and watch them play and then got our craft on!

Decorating feathers to place on the paper maiche pelican

3. Fountains. I promised the girls on a recent Friday evening that we could head to the splash pad at 'Purple Park' (AC Steere) the next morning. We put on our swim suits and sunscreen and hopped in the wagon, only to discover that it was off that day. So we headed down to the fountains off of Clyde Fant Parkway to play. We had a great time exploring the gardens around the Barnwell Center and the riverfront.

One of my new favorite pictures. These sisters love each other so much!

4. Sci-Port. I have no idea why it took us almost a year to pay a visit to this area's best museum for children, but we are so glad we did and now plan to get the girls a family membership for their birthdays. Lucy enjoyed pretending to be a pilot of the riverboat on the main floor, Hannah was obsessed with the water table, and they both loved playing in the construction zone. We're looking forward to escaping the heat here in the coming months!

We still have many other places on our list to visit soon, so stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday: 'Sweet eyes' edition

My first baby

Wordless Wednesday: Swingin' with Boogie edition

Our Lady of Perpetual Motion

I've probably said it a million times since my firstborn's birth, "If I could bottle her energy...". This child DOES NOT SLOW DOWN. Ever. It took her 15 months to start walking, but once she did, she's been in a full sprint ever since. Lucy literally runs everywhere -- from room to room in the house, in circles in the yard, playing red light/green light down the sidewalk, through the halls of church... And when she gets where she's going, she flashes an enormous smile and starts talking so quickly about whatever's churning in her brain that you can barely understand her. I couldn't love that beautiful heart-shaped face with the gap-toothed grin and sparkling eyes any more if I tried.

Lucy talks all.of.the.time. She rarely employs her "inside voice", regardless of the social situation. She is stubborn and spends a lot of time in time out for choosing not to listen the first time. But, she is ever so funny and really smart and creative and sweet to Sister. The best way to describe her energy comes from one of my favorite children's books, "Olivia". While tucking Olivia in at night, her mom says, "You really wear me out, but I love you anyway."

It's relentless at times, but she reminds me that life is meant to be lived joyfully and to the full extent. Run on, baby girl!

Flashback Friday: What a difference a year makes!

Listening to Hannah talk in FULL SENTENCES this week has gotten me thinking about how big she's gotten and how much she's changed over the past year. In April 2011, she still had almost no hair and just a few teeth and was drinking a bottle, learning to blow kisses, babbling random words, and crawling.

Easter egg hunt ~ 9 months

Fast forward a year... In April 2012, Hannah is potty training with pretty regular success, feeding herself with utensils, talking up a storm, running, coloring with crayons, singing songs (You Are My Sunshine is a current favorite), sleeping 12/hrs a night, ditching the pacifier, using a regular cup, brushing her teeth, playing dress-up, and throwing tantrums. We are almost a 2-yr-old after all!

The one thing that has remained constant throughout all of her becoming-a-big-girl changes is her sweet nature, adorable nose crinkle, and a profound ability to LOVE. She loves to sing and dance, loves to laugh, loves to read books, loves to pet Evie, loves her grandparents and aunts and uncles, and of course, loves mommy and daddy. But most of all, she loves, loves, LOVES big sister "Lushee". No one else can make her  quite so happy.

St. Patrick's Day ~ 21 months

Big girl potty!

"Sister" has the most warm personality and funny sense of humor and her smile can light up a room. This baby fills me with so much joy. I can't wait to see how she will continue to change and grow. What a blessing she is to our family!