Monday, October 24, 2011

Looking Back to July and Lake Time!

It is time to do some "back-blogging".  Today, I am trying to remember back to July and our time at the lake with my family.  It was the last road trip from Louisiana for my sister and her family.  After they returned from Virginia, they had to pack up and move to Utah.  It was a wonderful visit for the most part, except for one very bad incident that left poor Nana needing surgery for a broken ankle.  But Nana made the most of it and the kids gave her lots of extra love and attention, so I think it turned out to be a successful Taylor lake "stay-cation" after all.  One of the highlights of our time at the lake was how well Callie and Brighton got along.  They just love each other and played constantly together.  Will also enjoyed getting attention in the form of laughs from Callie.  Callie finally got the hang of swimming (with a life jacket) and didn't ever want to leave the water.  I enjoyed being able to watch her swim from the shore when I didn't feel like getting in.  One afternoon, Becky and I sat on a bench and watched Callie and Brighton "race" into the cove over and over.  I will post the video.  Another highlight for the kids was the big slide that Papa built for THEM.  I emphasized the word THEM because, after begging Dad for a slide for most of our lives, he finally built one that can be used on land or off the dock.  The only problem is that the slide is too narrow for Becky and my hips!  This made us a little bitter.  We found a way around it but riding down the slide on a folded up life jacket, but we still brought up the cruelty of it all often!  Here are some pics of all the fun...





 At some point, Will skinned his finger.  Matt pushed on it and made it stop bleeding.  Now Will talks about how Uncle Matt is "some kind of magic!"
Magic Uncle Matt




Callie fell asleep with a cookie in her hand.







Callie didn't love boat rides this year.  She found them boring and frustrating because she just wanted to move around.


Rainy day craft time with Nana!



 Callie enjoying a rare moment of play time by her self.

 Brighton and Callie were extra destructive and messy when they were together!

 Brighton brought along her collection of Princess shoes and wands to share with Callie.




Just look at those little chubby toes smooshed in those plastic shoes!



 We celebrated Will's birthday a little early since none of us would be around for his actually day.


This was a common sight - three little heads on the other side of the counter, raiding the snack drawer without permission.

 Callie was still in her "self-drawn whisker" phase.

 Mom and Dad created the perfect nap spot for Uncle Nap (what Brighton calls him.)  Brighton would randomly announce that Uncle Nap was awake when he was up and walking around.  Matt's reputation really does precede him!

A few quiet moments with Nana.

 Best Buddies

 Callie was regularly exhausted because she refused to go to bed at night!

 Poor Nana, exhausted after her night in the E.R.

Making the most of Nana's constant sedentary position!

 We did our annual photo shoot in matching dresses.  They were sooo cute together!











I can't wait until Callie gets to see her cousins again.  I just know they will pick up where they left off with no hesitation.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Hokies Kick Some and We Visit Some...

I have given up on blogging in order and have decided to just start with the recent and then I will go back and fill in what I missed this summer.  Tonight's post is from the weekend of September 16th.  Callie and I first went to the lake for a very quick visit with Nana and Papa.  And then we met Matt, Mimi and Yoo-Hoo inBlacksburg for Callie and my one home of the season.  Matt goes regularly, but Callie and I prefer to visit Lane Stadium only once a year.  Besides going to the game, we were also able to visit my friend Sarah and see her new "babies".  She has recently added several miniature donkeys (called wooly asses) and one mammoth donkey to her extensive equine collection.  I was dying to see these new babies and Callie loves going to Sarah's house to visit her horses.  On Saturday, we went to the Tech vs. Arkansas State game.  The Hokies won by a lot which made it easier to leave at half-time once the novelty of being at a game had worn off for Callie.  She really did enjoy it, clapped a lot, giggled and bounced during "Enter Sandman" at the beginning and especially loved seeing the band and the tubas.  She made it onto the jumbo-tron once again this year but she was too busy coloring to notice.

The weather at the lake was very warm but it turned really cold overnight which made for a very chilly visit to the NRV.  Callie enjoyed outside time at the lake, including swimming and some croquet.  Nana's leg was healed enough for a swim.





 Yoo-Hoo came along for the donkey visit too.

Gives new meaning to the term "cow-lick".


Giving baby Valentino a big hug.


Valentino might seem like a normal donkey size but he is a Mammoth Donkey and will get bigger than a horse when full grown.

 Meeting Pippa who was born the day of the Royal Wedding.  My name suggestion was "Duch-ass" but Sarah thought Pippa was a much more civilized name for a donkey. 


 Nice ass Sarah!  (Sorry, could not resist!)

This little guy is Frosty.  He has been mistreated in his previous homes and Sarah has taken him.  He is very shy but he let Matt love on him some.

 Callie loved the horses and donkeys but she also loves rolling in the grass and playing with the gravel in the corral.









And, of course, Sarah let Callie sit on the sweetest horse in the world and, of course, Callie loved it!


Thank you Sarah!  I miss you very very much!





 This is about how interested I am in what's going on too.  And Yoo-Hoo is just faking interest.




Here is a video of Callie and Daddy jumping to "Enter Sandman" as the team ran out.







When we left the stadium, we got an unexpected treat - a ride up the hill to our car in the BT.  Callie LOVED this!  And so did Ma-Maw.  Otherwise, it was going to be a very long walk!