Fourths and Firsts

Note the much shorter hair in all the pictures - see earlier post.
Fourth: Here is Riley and Kelsey in their red, white and blue getups to celebrate the 4th. The Floyds came over and after dinner we went swimming. Then off to the Morrises for some dessert and Mexican dominoes. It was seriously the first time in a long, long time that losing a board game didnt spoil my mood for the remainder of the night. This was probably because Riley was present. I barely lost anyway!


Firsts:
Kelsey is now eating babyfood and has a blast at every encounter. This is actually a pretty clean Kelsey midway thru the jar.


This is Kelsey's "What you talkin' about Willis" look...love it. I know you know what I am talking about.


Another first:
First thing in the morning Kelsey and Riley like to chill together in the big chair. Usually watching Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse. Kelsey is in love with Riley. And Riley is just so sweet and big sisterly with Kelsey. I love it. Everytime I catch them in one of their moments that makes me want to cry I wonder if thats how my sister and I were at this stage in life.

Snip...snip....

well, i am sure some of you will be relieved to hear i took the girls to get their hair cut (#2 for riley). kelsey is just shy of 6 months and already needs a trim. thank you for being kind and not leaving any comments about my cute little shaggies needing a cut in all the florida posts. it was getting bad. poor kelsey couldnt see half the time cause her bangs were soooo long and riley was well on her way to a mullet. kids hair grows so crazy and is wild in the morning. i do see it as a blessing that my girls were born with beautiful hair.

kelsey sat in my lap while michelle (anderson) started the trim. big sister is supervising at the base of the chair. you can see her cute curls are still there after her trim.


"i'm not sure what's going on, but i am such a happy girl i smile at anything!"


still cute, but doesn't like to sit still


"hey, you better take my picture too mister."

Kelsey's Tribute to Kid Rock

"I WANNA BE A COWBOY ... BABY"

Or should I say baby cowboy.

Grrr....this thing is so heavy.

Ta-dah!!! I know I am so cutie!

And the Oscar for best costume design goes to: Riley Stephens for accessorizing her sister before church.

NOLA...holla

Oops. I forgot to keep up the day count on our trip. Day 7 and 8.
We went to New Orleans to see Eric (Jarrett's big brother), Claire and Jacob (our nephew).
Lots more firsts in New Orleans - none on Bourbon street.

Here is the Stephens cousins pic in Jacobs bed. It was the only place we could think of where Kelsey and Jacob would not fall over.
Kelsey and Riley's first matching dresses (courtesy of Michelle). I think they are so cute and makes them look like little Lifesaver rolls.


Riley's first hotdog. She did have that "what's in these things?" moment.



Riley's first beignet. Trying not to inhale the powder sugar.


After a full day at Eric's, we headed back to Dallas. All in all, the roadtrip was quite a success. Only one major meltdown with the girls. The Benadryl wore off in Tyler and coming from New Orleans, this was our longest day on the road. Kelsey was teething, Riley was tired of watching that Miss Patty Cake video for the millionth time and Jarrett and I were itchin to get home and out of the Caravan. We were grateful God allowed us a safe trip to see alot of family and make alot of memories - and no speeding tickets...Didn't even get pulled over once. Now that's a Stephens first.

F is for Florida and firsts....

Florida was full of lots of firsts for the Stephens family (mainly Riley). Here is a quick review.

Gammy's chocolate chip cookies eaten in the car (rental of course). Yummmmm.


Toenails painted by Aunt Michelle.


Not sure about the beach Dad...especially the pretty green water.


That's my Tigger kite Dad.


Love my Dora sand castle building equipment...at least for the first 10 minutes.


Kelsey and Riley in matching sparkle-y leopard swimsuits hanging out under Kelsey's cabana.


I'm trying to lay out here people.


Partial family pic (Kelsey was snoozing in her cabana).
Riley enjoying her Dora shovel "sharing" sand with Daddy.

Still day 2.
We made it to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house (Jarrett's grandparents on his dad's side). We drive down Shelby Stephens Road (Pawpaw's name) to get to their house. How awesome is that to have a street named after you? There is a Huffhines (my mom's maiden name) street off Greenville Ave. in downtown Richardson - my mom's side were the the founders of the city, waaay back in the day.
We were so excited to see them and for the girls to spend time with them. I was loving it. Like I said earlier, I was very close to my grandparents and they have been gone for about 10 years now. So I crave TLC time with this generation. My great grandmother, Mo (short for Modena - don't you love those names!) had the best stories. She was great. I loved to sit at my Nana's house and just listen about swimming holes and riding horses all around. She lived well beyond 100. I think thats cool too.
Uncle Big Shot (Jarrett's dad's baby brother) was there. He is living with Mawmaw and Pawpaw and taking great care of them. We are so grateful he is there, plus he redecorated their house and it looks awesome. Big Shot is quite the entertainer and cook. He is super talented on the piano. I didnt have my camera with me, but Riley and Big Shot had a wonderful time on the piano that night. We ate like absolute pigs the almost 24 hours we were there. Michelle and Ryan (Jarrett's baby sister and her husband) arrived in time for dinner (how convenient). We ate, played with the dogs, watched the NBA finals and went to bed.

Jarrett and Pawpaw having some guy time - probably saying nothing, like boys do when the bond.


Riley is hanging out on the porch watching all the dogs. I think there were 3 0r 4 adults and one litter of about 8 cutie pups. It was Riley's first experience with puppies. She had quite the animal filled day!



You should have no doubt that we, the Stephenses, love to eat. I think that was the true test of whether or not I was worthy to be a Stephens - could I put away some food or not. Lucky for Jarrett, I can and was quickly accepted in the family.
Thanks to Big Shot for the spread that night! It was like Thanksgiving in June.

Big Shot is in the top pic (Kelsey is in her Bumbo seat on the counter behind him). The pic on the bottom is the whole family, minus me (taking picture) and Big Shot (probably preparing more food).

Mawmaw with her great grandbabies, the "sweetest thangs" to her.

E-I-E-I-OOO

You will have to read my entries backwards for our trip to unfold - sorry.
Day 2 : Prentiss, Mississippi
We dropped by Jarrett's Aunt Delaine and Uncle Frankie's house on our way to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's. They live about 10 minutes away from them and own a chicken farm, horses and cows. And we got to see it all upclose and personal. It was like walking into an episode of Sesame Street on the farm or the latest version of Charlotte's Web (with Julia Roberts as Charlotte and Oprah as Gussy the goose), except none of the animals near us talked. It was awesome. Jarrett used to spend his entire summers here growing up (smart parents!). He has a zillion funny stories and great memories.
Here we are in the chicken house. They opened the door and little Cameron took off running (without shoes) thru hundreds and hundreds of chickens. No fear. Me- some fear.


Here is Riley's preferred place at the chicken house - by me at the door. She was curious but a little scared. It was super loud and stinky. We stood there with the door open for at least 10 minutes. They would come up to the doorway, peck around and strut away.....you would think they would bust out and run for freedom, but I guess they are too dumb, or smart enough to realize they get yummy food here all the time.


Next stop, Riley rode in the back of a truck with boys to a forest where a little horse family lived. We climbed out and walked into the trees (watching what we stepped in) and standing there a few feet away were all the horses - including a month old baby. So adorable. It was an amazing scene. It was cool and quiet in the trees and the horses just stood around us.





Then we ended our journey with a visit to the cows. Never been so close. And I like cows. But they are much cuter from far away. We all piled back into the truck, chatted a while and headed for Mawmaw's and Pawpaw's house. What a great little adventure. I just wish the girls were old enough to remember it.

Two Flies and a Whistle

And we are back....Sorry I am slow in posting, but we get back from Florida and had the busiest week of our summer. Now that it is over, you have my full attention.
We took our first family roadtrip to Florida and it was not flawless, nor was it flyless (hence the title). Let me back up. Jarrett was invited to speak at Istrouma (Baton Rouge) and Heights (Richardson)'s student camp in Panama City, Florida. We jumped on the chance. And knowing we were bringing the girls we began to pray for a nanny/manny to take with us. That following weekend, Jarrett's sister Michelle came to Dallas to see newborn Kelsey - we knew we had our nanny and her husband Ryan (our manny) was coming too. We were so excited. We reserved a Suburban (Ryan is waaaay tall) and packed up.
The day we were to leave, the rental company's largest available vehicle was a Dodge Caravan minivan. My goal and strongest prayer for this trip was not to panic and stress about things. Thanks for the test up front, Lord. I wondered (my term for a mild panic) where all our gear would go and where my sweet brother-in-law would sit - he is 6' lots". The Caravan has cool stow and go storage under all the seats and a ton of stuff fit in there. Luggage fit in the back. So off we went.
We had Jarrett behind the wheel (yikes), Riley all the way in the back and Kelsey and I in the middle row. We were set!
Departure: Saturday 1pm.
First stop, Bossier City. We wanted to start our trip seeing Gammy and Papa. 10 miles into the trip and this awful whistling noise was coming from the windshield/dashboard area. It wasn't shrill, but was loud enough to be annoying. It was like when you were a kid and held a piece of grass between your palms and blew on it - whistling.... It eventually subsided, but we thought it would be the catalyst for insanity. Then we realized we had 2 huge, uninvited guests buzzing around the car. Flies. Everytime we opened a window to shoo them out on the highway, more bugs would come in or paper would fly around. Eventually we got them, but it was a tense first 30 minutes. Made it to Bossier and spent the night.
Sunday, 10am.
We left Bossier and headed towards Prentiss, Mississippi. Jarrett's Mawmaw and Pawpaw live there. And his Uncle Bigshot. We havent seen those 3 since after right after Riley was born. We couldnt get there fast enough. I was very, very close to my grandparents and miss them dearly. I love that generation. It is bittersweet for me. I am grateful I married into two sweet grandparents. A must on this leg of the trip is boiled peanuts. Don't knock them until you try them, but know in advance what you are getting yourself into. Jarrett is obsessed with them and inhaled probably over a pound! Here he is at the roadside market making his selection. Don't worry, the pics get better as the trip goes along.