Amelia's Baptism and Good Cheap Fun

OK - maybe Delia SHOULD be a baby model. This was taken after church last Sunday. Thank you Nolan cousins for the beautiful dress!

Amelia got baptized last Sunday and we took the pictures!

"And after I get baptized, we're going to go out to lunch, and it's going to be soooo great!"

Like a pretty little cream puff!

Mamas and babies! I don't know how long I'm going to be able to heft Delia around. She weighs about 26 lbs now! That's heavier than one of those giant bags of dog food. Ooof.

Grady had a class all day Saturday, so we just bummed around the neighborhood. That morning we went for a stroll, then walked over and had coffee and banana bread on the patio at our neighbors', Tom and Barb's house. After nap time and lunch, we walked down to Dr. Wax's house. He has a big pile of pea gravel that Delia likes to scoop up and dump out.

"See how they stick to my hands?"

"Hmm. Scooped, now what?"

After that, we walked through the woods behind our house to the cow pasture and there were cows everywhere! I was carrying Delia, so I didn't get any pictures, but she was mooing at all of them. We cooled off with a cup of ice (one of Delia's favorite things) when we got back. It's funny because Grady used to always say that the only treats our kids would be allowed to have were "water pops. " :(

Sunday morning she wanted to sit in the big chair for breakfast!

What is sweeter than this? She won't be able to fit in that crib much longer...

Hard to believe she ever slept in a little baby swing!

Who Let the Dawgs Out?

"What was that? The Bulldogs completed a pass?"

"What? They scored a touchdown??"
That's right, it's that time of year again. The time when we consume insane amounts of food and drink and wear maroon from head to toe, in the hopes that the gods of football will smile down on our beat-down Bulldogs and the fans that cheer them on.

Wes, Jennifer, and Wesley came to stay with us for the weekend! The babies got up at 6am Saturday morning, ready for breakfast and play time.

First, we had to make a quick trip to town to get new MSU outfits!

Early tailgate this weekend. We were there by around 11:00am. This year we are trying out the College of Arts & Sciences tailgate. Free food and drink, and all we have to do is sign Grady up for the tailgate committee! His job this week was to pick up the beer. No setting up the tent and grill the night before, no cooking the night before, no packing everything up (and always forgetting something) - it was great!

Wearing an Arts & Science polo shirt is also part of the deal. Lookin' good!

"Mmmm cheese."

"Mmmm beans!

"MMMM beans!"

"MMMM BEANS!!!!!!"

Passed out Wesley. That boy can sleep anywhere!

Our friends Truman and Mary came up from Jackson for the game!

Before the game, Jennifer and I ran the babies home to a babysitter. I snapped these pictures quickly before we hurried back to campus, only to sit in traffic for a good 45 min. I am not one of those moms who thinks my baby should be a baby model, but I think this picture should be in the MSU apparel catalog... stay tuned.

Wesley and Delia Aug. 2009

Delia and Wesley Aug. 2008

As soon as the players ran out onto the field, it started to pour down rain and the officials called a rain delay due to lightning. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but we are DRENCHED. MSU beat Jackson State 45-7!

Sunday morning: 2 mouthfuls of Cheerios

Riding in the wagon, but not too happy about it.

Happier once the neighborhood dogs joined us!

"Here comes one now!"

"I love dogs!!!"

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

Last night Delia had been asleep for about an hour (she goes to bed at 7!), when the dogs started going nuts outside. I stuck my head out the door to see what was wrong, and there was a copperhead coiled up on our patio on the step that goes into our bedroom. I got the dogs inside and proceeded to call Grady at his cigar club screaming "There is a snake coming into the house!!" He said "Then shut the door!" The door was not open, but I did not like that snake even thinking about it.

After it slithered off our bedroom doorstep, it came on over to the kitchen doorstep, where I was leaving screaming messages on a neighbor's answering machine. I took this picture with my phone through the kitchen door. He was looking for a place to hibernate!!

Grady called our neighbor Tom who is an ex-Marine. He came over (cigar in hand) and killed it with his kaiser blade (some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade). Take that, nasty poisonous snake!

Our neighbor Conner is always on the lookout for deer, snakes, and other critters and he was quick to come take a look. Our house doesn't have many windows, but you better believe we won't be opening the doors this fall when the weather is nice.

Trip to Tuscaloosa

We've done a lot of fun things in the last month that I just didn't get pictures of. Grady and I went to the beach for a few days and Mama and Daddy kept Delia the whole time! Now she knows her "Nana" and "Papa"!

This weekend we went to see our friend Madison run in the USA Triathalon National Championships in Tuscaloosa. We stayed with Dave and Christina, and these are some pictures taken on their patio the morning of the race. Madison came in 11th!

Sweet patoot.

When Delia hears a loud noise, her mouth drops open, and sometimes she even holds her hand up to her ear!

What WAS that?

Pictures from cutting the grass a few weeks ago. Delia takes it very seriously.

Pigtails flying!!

Delia the multitasker

Here a couple videos from around the house last Saturday.

Hmm, I wonder what Mommy does on the way to work every morning.



Uh oh, Delia. Did you get some bad news? Did Dr. Wax hit My Little Pony with his train?

Ducky Weekend with Delia

Saturday we made it to the Market pretty early again, and got some squash, zucchini, and hot pepper jam. There were not as many dogs there to play with this week, so luckily, Delia's boyfriend Silas was there with his brother John Robert to entertain us.

Silas's faces crack me up! Just wait until he sees whose side of the wagon Delia is riding on...

No way José! She's mine!

We walked a few steps down Main Street to the Book Mart & Café and Silas's mom bought all the kids cookies. No frappuccino for you Delia - what a mean mommy you have!

Mmmm! Sugar cookies for breakfast!

Silas's drink somehow ended up all over his face, and then he began spraying it. Boys are soooo different - if Delia had anything get on her, that princess would not do anything until she was cleaned up.

Another one of those faces, mid-spray!

Playing nicely together, before books started flying off the shelves.

So happy!

This deaf cat was free to a good home. Delia likes to put her finger in animals' eyes and say "EYE." I'm pretty sure that's what she was doing here, in attempts to send this cat to the "deaf AND blind cat bargain bin."

That afternoon, Delia was walking about the house saying "Ducky! Ducky! Ducky!" so we rode out to a neighborhood on campus where there are always ducks looking to be fed. I took a few pieces of bread, but these ducks acted like they were STARVING. They were a little aggressive! There was one duck who would snatch up the bread, then take a peck at whichever duck tried to get the bread too. I didn't get very good video because I was trying to make sure that they weren't about to jump all over Delia! You can hear her nervous laugh as they come charging at us!

Then we went to Barnes & Noble, played in the kiddie section, read a few books, and rode the escalators about 5 times. Delia picked out a ducky keychain that she carried around the whole time we were there, so we spent the $3 and took him home. (She has been talking about him nonstop. "Ducky? Ducky!!") Then the sky turned black and we hightailed it for home. Here is the view to the south - where we were headed.

On the way into our neighborhood, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that looked a LOT like a tornado. By the time I backed up, put the car in park, and jumped out to take this picture with my phone, it was dissipating fast. Grady says since we were not in a tornado watch, it was most likely a "gustnado," a very weak, short-lived funnel. I say it's the first tornado I've gotten a picture of!

This weekend I finally got around to unpacking a new batch of beautiful hand-me-downs from the Nolan girls. Thank you cousins!

Before church this morning. Does it get any cuter than this???