FEELS LIKE HOME TO ME: August 2009

Boxes

Libby is such a funny girl. I think she gets it from her momma, but that's just a guess. Since she's so cute, charming and funny, you probably want to buy her presents all the time. But really, you shouldn't. Libby likes to have fun the old fashion way...with anything that will stay still long enough for her to explore it.

For example, I bought a box of diapers. She didn't wait two minutes to drag the box into the living room once I had emptied it. This was at least 30 minutes of entertainment.

"Just lift the sides..."

"Then close me in. Perfect!"

Fun times!

Now go and resist the urge to buy Libby (or any children) expense toys. Save that money for my child's diapers, ooh, or her college fund!

12:00 PM
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Chores and John Deere Green

We stayed busy around the house this weekend. Drew was away for four days last week at a conference in Omaha, NE and boy did we miss having him around the house. He returned home safely and we had a long "to do" list to knock out this weekend.

Friday night Drew cut the grass in our back yard. We'd all been outside playing until he cranked up the lawn mower. Libby and I came in to grab a drink and play inside while he cut the grass.

Obviously, Libby missed him terribly. She stood at the window and watched him the entire time. Every row, back and forth, she followed him.

I think she wanted to be out there with him. What do you think?

"There's Daddy!"

What a sweet girl. She loves her daddy, no doubt about it.

As soon as he finished I took her outside and let her take a turn on mower. I think she's gonna do just fine as daddy's girl!

Yep, she really loves the green and yellow mower, tasty!

10:00 AM
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Baby Love

I wanted to share a few more pictures from this weekend. Libby and Jackson (Cory and Jennifer Cooper's 6-month-old little boy) had fun hanging out together. Courtney and Jennifer took these precious pictures Saturday afternoon. Think of all the fun they will have in the years to come.

Jackson and Libby

I think he's flirting with her!

What a happy boy!

On a totally unrelated topic...

I have another friend to feature on the blog. Kaley and I both grew up spending lots of time around the Cooper household. I hung out with Courtney and she hung out with Courtney's little sister, Cassie. We've had a lot of laughs over the years and we've covered thousands of miles tagging along with the Coopers.

She asked me a few weeks ago, "So what do I have to do to get on your blog?" Well, Kaley, your day has come!

You might remember me telling you about Coop's "Homemade from the Heart" cakes. If not, you can catch up here.

Kaley had been reminding Coop that she'd never had a cake make just for her. So Coop surprised her this weekend with her very own cake. Kaley was very excited! (Even though it was almost 2 months after her actual birthday!)

Coop and Kaley with the long awaited for cake.

Happy Birthday, Kaley. Congratulations on finally getting your own cake!

3:00 PM
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Lake Harding

My friend, Courtney, has a new toy. She bought a Caravelle ski boat. Thanks to Jennifer, whose family has a place on Lake Harding, we enjoyed a day of fun riding the new boat, tubing, swimming and riding jet skis.

The girls

Drew took a turn driving the new boat

We named this impromptu swimming area the Redneck Swimming Pool. It was great for keeping the babies entertained!

Baby Jackson

Libby's turn in the "swimming pool". {Keys to having fun in the RNSP: cooler with 6 inches of water and an empty water bottle.}

Courtney's Aunt Ruth and Libby on the hammock

A few more shots from the day:

We had a great time! Thanks to Courtney and Jennifer for organizing a fun day with friends on the water.

7:15 AM
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New Tricks

I must say Libby is at an exciting and entertaining age. She seems to discover something new almost everyday. Just this weekend I captured two new surprises.

At meal time, she loves to try to steal the spoon from me. It's cute the first few times, then it's all downhill from there. She likes thinking she's in control at meal time.

She bites the spoons and holds it with her teeth. {Look Ma, no hands!}

Then again...

And then she starts to laugh, which makes it hard to hold on to the spoon. So silly!

Her newest trick happened Saturday afternoon. We were hanging around the house when I noticed Libby had been quiet for a while - usually a sign that she's up to something. I made my way to the back of the house to find her sitting IN a bucket and playing under the bathroom sink. To get to to this point she had to open the cabinets, clean out the bucket, which held a few supplies, pull it out and crawl in it. She was busily playing, so I ran to grab my camera.

You can tell by the sweet expression on her face that she's not scared of me at all. Infact, she's quite proud of what she's discovered!

If you ever need a laugh (and have ample energy to burn) feel free to borrow Libby for the afternoon!

7:00 AM
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Farewell, Andrea!

We had a quiet weekend. I enjoyed hanging around the house and spending time with Miss Libby. We did get out Saturday night. After dropping Libby off to spend-the-night with Mimi and Papa, we joined our friends for a send-off celebration for Andrea Smith.

I have known Andrea for a long time. She's few years younger than me, but I've always enjoyed spending time with her. She's being a brave lady and picking up and moving to Wilmington, NC to follow her dreams. (Wilmington is the location of EUE/Screen Gems Studio. Home to such shows as One Tree Hill.) She is interested in film and she has the talent and drive to seek out new adventures.

Me and Andrea

Andrea has been working at our local ABC affiliate station in the sales department for the last few years. Several times a year I go to the station to film segments for the morning news called 'Business Break'. I promote the college and share new programs or upcoming events. Andrea is the studio coordinator. The whole process takes about 30 minutes to film and Andrea and I hang out and talk the entire time.

I'm holding photo shopped pictures of Andrea and the host of Business Break