In Some Ways They Haven't Changed a Bit

Christmas 2009

Ava's favorite song that year...



Ava's not so favorite song that year...

Growing Up Too Fast!

My sweet babies are getting so big.

Christmas Cards

Well, it was a little easier than last year, but it still took begging, pleading, and a promised trip to Tutti Fruiti to get them to both look at the camera and smile. Every year I swear I'll never do it again...

Ava's Thanksgiving Program

Ava was so excited about her Thanksgiving program at FUMC. She was almost literally bouncing off the walls. She was "a girl pilgrim, so that's an Indian".

The three year old classes.
Caroline and Ava
Ava, Lanie, and Ginny

The girls and Ms. Leigh, one of their favorites at school.

Cate's Pow Wow

Cate's class at Carver had a Pow Wow before Thanksgiving. Cate's tribe was the HopiTurner tribe. They made drums and t-shirts and sang several Indian songs. Ava and Mary Frances got to come watch too.

Ava and Nana

This Pretty Much Sums Them Up

Darby is growing long-legged and thin. She is also growing a spotted ear, which drives Joe crazy because he was hoping for "a distinguished dog". Maybe I'll teach her to smoke cigars. She is becoming mine anyway. She stays right under my feet and whines if I'm out of site. She loves to curl up in my lap at night, in fact, she's there now.

This is what I see now every time I turn around:


And this crazy cat has taken to the flower pots. She stays in one of these, or one of the two on the front. It kind of makes me nervous because I can't keep anything I plant in them alive.

Snuggling Sisters

The Tooth Fairy

Cate has a loose tooth, her very first loose tooth, and has been very concerned about the tooth fairy coming and what she will leave. Last week she decided to get everything cleared up with the ole fairy and left this under her pillow pet:



The tooth fairy wanted to avoid any wailing and gnashing of teeth when Cate discovered there in fact, was not $110.00 under her pillow pet, so she left a little note of her own:

Cracking Up

Cate: "Ava, you crack me up."

Ava: "Cate, don't say I'm cracked up. That's not good manners."

Cate: "Ava, you crack me up." (She just had to repeat it.)

Ava: "Cate, I'm curious, not serious. Stop saying that."

Decorating for Christmas, Act I

Ava:
"Cate, WHAT is a stample?"

"OH, you mean an activity center."

"Well, MINE has a fairy and yours doesn't."


Me:
"Ava, that's an angel."

Ava:
"Well, mine looks like a fairy."

A Visit to Pontotoc

Cate and Mamaw


Papaw and Sam


Ava and Grandpa

Mission Accomplished

Cate and Bully

Joe took Cate to the MSU vs. South Carolina game. She had a great time and is asking to go to another game. Ava says she's not going to see Billy.

No Boys Allowed

Pop-Pop (my grandaddy) is notorious for aggravating the grand-kids about their boyfriends/girlfriends. From the time I was in kindergarten on, I can remember him asking, "Well tell me one thing, have you been kissing any boys?"

Well, not long after Cate started school this year, we were visiting Granny and Pop-Pop and he lit in on Cate. She repeatedly asserted that she did not like ANY boys and she was NEVER going to have a boyfriend (which makes her Daddy quite happy).

It must have really been on her mind because later that night we were all sitting around the kitchen table eating and Cate said, "Well, if I ever HAVE to have a boyfriend, I'm gonna make him kiss Ava!"

The Barn Dance

Ava and I went to Carver this afternoon for Cate's Barn Dance. She was so excited we got to come and dance. She said her favorite dance was the Bunny Hop. Ava's favorite was the Hokey Pokey.


Thank you Ms. Pat and Ms. Sondra for letting us borrow the cowgirl attire.

The decorated gym.


"Mama, take my picture." (Ava, with her poor little chin- she bit it in a fall at school this week.)
Dancing sisters.





Ms. Turner's class.

Darby Dog

A few weeks ago, an old classmate of mine (who is now a vet) posted a picture of a litter of abandoned puppies on facebook. We had been talking about getting another dog, but were going to wait until after the first of the year. After seeing those puppies, I knew we needed to bring one of them home. I had my big run that weekend, so we asked if we could get her the day after I got home. So, Tuesday, October 11, 2011, we welcomed little Darby into the Babb home. She was supposedly the calmest in the litter. I cannot imagine what the others must be like because she definitely has her wild moments. Cate is crazy about her and Ava is warming up. She likes it when Darby is sleepy so she can cover her up with doll blankets and pat her without being gnawed on by sharp little puppy teeth. As I type this, she is snuggled beside me faintly snoring and we couldn't be any happier with our new fur baby.


Darby playing with our neighbor, Kate the dog.

No Lack of Self Esteem Here

Ava's response to Cate receiving her Carver Champion Award,
"Well, I'm the Preschool Champion. I'm the Preschool QUEEN."


And in an attempt to stall at bedtime a couple of nights ago,
"But I haven't looked in the mirror to see my beautiful self."

By Ava

Ava's recently been making up stories. Here's one from a few days ago:

"Once upon a time, in a land far far away, something was about to dry in fingernail world."

Carver Champion

Cate was chosen to be a Carver Champion at her school in September. She was so proud of her accomplishment and so were we.

A Declaration

Ava: "I'm not going to be a girl anymore. I'm going to be a boy."

Me: "Okay, what's your boy name going to be?"

Ava: "Ummm...ummm...CIN-DA-RELLA!"

Simon Says...

"Let's play Simon Says. I'll be Simon. You be says."
--Ava

Helping Daddy

Overheard Conversation

In the van after picking Ava up at Pam's on Cate's first day of school:

Cate: "Ava, do you want me to tell you about my day?"

Ava: "YYYESSS!"

Cate: "Where do you want me to start?"

Ava: "Lunch."

Kindergarten

I know everyone says this, but I cannot believe Cate is old enough to go to kindergarten. It really does seem like just last week we were dropping her off at the LeBonheur daycare in her car seat carrier. I know all the mamas cry, and there were a few tears at our house that morning too.

All summer Cate begged to go back to her preschool, which was a wonderful experience. All summer she said she did NOT want to go to Carver school. And the instant she leaped into the van Thursday afternoon, I knew our prayers were heard. She screamed, "I LOVE IT!!! Mama, I love my new school."

Now a few days before school started, Nana and Mama Sue and a few more family members had told Cate they wanted to know all about her first day of school. The night before school started, we were laying in Cate's bed saying prayers and talking about the upcoming morning and Cate announced that as soon as she got home from school, we had to write everything about her day down so she wouldn't forget anything important for Nana and Mama Sue.

So, the next thing she said when I picked her up that first afternoon was, "Okay, well first of all, we put up our backpacks..." I interrupted and told her we'd have to wait until we got out of the carpool line so I could start writing- I didn't realize she was so serious about it, but she was. She most definitely was.

And here is the story of Cate Babb's first day of Kindergarten, August 4, 2011, in her own words:

"Okay, well first of all, we put up our backpacks and I put up my lunch box. Second, we went and sat down in our seats. And then we colored a paper plate. And we walked down the hallway and used the bathroom. Wait. We colored a picture of a raccoon before that. Mine was pink and blue. After we got done in the bathroom, we walked back down the hallway into our room and had rug time.

That means story time on the rug. That means Ms. Turner reads a book. And she did. She read "The Kissing Hand". And then she gave us a little piece of white paper and we traced our hand on it and when we were done doing that, we put a heart sticker on it. And we colored it and we brought it home, so I can show you.



After that we played in areas. I played in all of them- books, puzzles, blocks, and homing center (I'm still not sure what that last one is). Then we read "The Gingerbread Man" and had gingerbread cookies. Alright, after that, we went to look for the gingerbread man, but we couldn't find him. At the end of the day, we heard the principal say on the walkie-talkie (intercom maybe?) that the gingerbread man had hopped on a van and said, "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man."

Then we ate lunch and then we had snack and guess what! We had a cookie and one chocolate kiss. Then, we ummm, we had a computer show, played on computers, went back to our classrooms, got our backpacks, examined all our work things, and went home."

She took a big breath and finished, " We did a lot today. Oh, and no homework."

When I asked who she played with, she replied, "Katie Grace, Lexi, Lily, and NO BOYS."

"Oh, and look what I found in my lunchbox."

Would You Like Some Fruit Loops for Breakfast?

"I don't want something that's in the pantry or in the freezer. I want something that's on the grill."

--Breakfast, and life in general, with Ava

Summer and San Destin 2011

I was working the weekend of the Koon's Care run this year. Joe did the 5K and Cate and Ava did the fun run (well, Ava did some of it).



We never get a picture of the four girls looking at the camera, so just thought I'd throw this one in. Cate and Ava loved getting to see Ta-Ta at Alyson's wedding.
We tagged along for Joe's conference in San Destin this year. The girls liked the sand and got the ocean a little to jump waves, but the pools were by far their favorite. Nana came with us and we all had fun swimming, shopping, and sleeping in. We tried for the classic family beach picture, but it was just not meant to be- not one decent shot of the whole family dressed up. Oh well, maybe next year.

Making "Monkey Lips" as Ava calls them, at the beach.


Building a sandcastle with Daddy.
The car trip was not bad at all this year. So excited to go in our mini-van.








Nana and her girls





A swing and a chocolate covered Krispy Treat WITH sprinkles. It couldn't get much better for Ava.







We went bike riding one afternoon. Cate rode with Joe and Ava with me. Ava absolutely loved it and we practically tied Cate to her seat to keep her from jumping off. She was not a happy camper for the first few miles. By the time we took the bikes back, she wanted to ride "for 2 more hours".
Waiting on shrimp and Cate's favorite- chicken strips.

One of their favorite places on any trip- the elevator.