Uhhhh OHHHHH....

So, yes I have been a horrible blogger and it is not for the lack of fun and exciting blog material! Daddy was out of town all week and I was going nonstop, full time. Last weekend we went to a Fall Festival and the pumpkin patch after walking in the Corpus Christi Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. This weekend we drug Daddy to some Halloweenie festivities!
This past week Grace Anne acted interested in walking and when Daddy got home I was so anxious for her to show him the progress she'd made... but as luck would have it, she showed no interested at all. She didn't take one step Friday or today! Ugh! But, she did show off her new favorite word... "UH OH." She drops her bottle or a toy and then she says "UH OH." It is very cute!

This afternoon we went to a Carnival thrown by the organizers of one of our playgroups. Grace Anne sported her UT Cheerleader outfit and even covered it in chili (that I was eating and she was playing in apparently). After the carnival, Grace Anne and I went to pick up Daddy and change her into her real costume. She looked adorable at Trunk Or Treat and the Fall Festival!

pumpkin patch Playing with Sophia

pumpkin patch

PJ party at the Library

Grace Anne and Caroline

Elmo... Really?

Never ever in my life did I think I'd be buying Elmo toys. I thought Tickle Me Elmo (circa 1996) was possibly the most annoying Christmas craze in the past two decades (which might I remind you that the past two decades consists of the majority of my life)! I like Sesame Street and actually find it to be a lot better than most cartoons or kids shows... but Elmo has never been high on my list. Well, times have changed because my child loves ELMO!

It all began before the move.. Grace Anne and I were in Atlanta and she fell in love with this toy that Davis had. It was an Elmo kitchen toy and I thought it was a good idea since it went on the refrigerator . Well, when we got to Texas I bought her the toy. She loved it and really loved the Elmo phrases and songs! She danced and laughed everytime she heard him. We could be in the kitchen and push his "chef's hat" (which makes him "talk") and she'd be crawling straight for him... no matter where she was at the time! It was crazy! So we began showing her Elmo toys in the stores and she laughed every time. Eventually I started turning on Sesame Street... (the TV is rarely on during the day... I'm not a huge TV fan and I forget about it).... So, Grace Anne doesn't show a whole lot of interest in the TV until she hears the Elmo's World segment and then she is glued-- watching, chatting, dancing... (though she doesn't need a wardrobe or any room decor featuring Elmo! I'm not into character tee's --even though she has one from Old Navy that Daddy insisted she needed-- or heaven forbid that hideous character bedding/wall decor etc.) It's kind of funny now and I've accepted her love for the fuzzy red guy! We walked in Toys R Us today and Kris was holding her up to an Elmo and a Cookie Monster. She examined both closely then reached for the Elmo. She always points to Elmo on books or boxes. She's a true fan. I'm thinking she's like a Elmo groupie... what a rebel!

Let's face it.. there are not enough hours in a day. Really... just 24? They seem to get away from me! How do I manage bargain hunting, showering, changing diapers, picking up book after book, cooking dinner (when I do), chasing the fastest crawler in South Texas, watching Elmo's world... pretending to be an exterminator, AND socializing with both adults and kiddos?! Yeah, I'm telling you that 24 hours is just not enough

Regardless, we have had a great weekend at the Kepley Casa! Friday morning Grace Anne and I went to a 2 year old birthday party on the Island. She loves to swing so of course she was A-OK with being at the park! The party was so cute and Tamara, the mom, did such a good job with the Pink Poddle in the Park theme! Check out the super cute cupcakes!

Friday night was Daddy and Daughter night ... and Mommy's Night Out with other mommies! We went to a friends house and had amazing food and drinks... and interesting conversations! Saturday was great too though, the whole family headed over to a friend's house to watch some football and eat more yummy food. Grace Anne got to play with her little friends (and Daddy got to see adults and socialize in a non-work-related-manner!) Oh and did I mention the yummy food? Kris hasn't quit talking about the homemade BBQ sauce!
Sunday, well today, we went to San Antonio. It was so much fun. We shopped, strolled, Daddy had gelato while Grace Anne and Mommy shared yogurt with fresh raspberries from Orange Cup. Just as we were about to leave The Shops at La Cantera Kris decided we should run by the restroom. Grace Anne and I were headed to the ladies room when I caught a tall black man in the corner of my eye. I continued walking, but I'm beginning to have a trained eye for spotting athletes! (which is no surprise since we've played that game" for years now) As I turned to go into the restroom I heard a lady say, "We love you, we are fans!" and that was the only confirmation I needed! I turned back around and scurried to the mens room door. I dug for my cell phone, which of course I couldn't find because I never can... I wanted to tell Kris that an extremely tall black man was about to enter the restroom he was in. I was unable to give him notice but when Kris exited the bathroom I was certain by the look on his face that the former NBA star had not gone unnoticed. We stood there a few seconds and David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs' retired center.. also called "The Admiral, walked out of the very restroom Kris had just exited. He was so nice and we chatted a second about the good ol' days... okay thats a lie.. we chatted a millisecond and then asked for his picture. Obviously, I'm not shy and we got a great shot of Kris, Grace Anne, and the 7-ft tall, Olympian gold medalist/NBA hall-of-famer! Oh yes, and while I'm confessing the truths here, I must admit-- I had no clue who this dude was! I basically got the scoop on David Robinson after the fact!

Catch Up Time

So... I feel like this blog will be short and sweet and get you up to date!

Let's see... I celebrated my birthday the day after the last blog! It was a great day and as always I continue to use my birthday as grounds for celebration up to this point (hey I'm an October baby which means.. the whole month, right?)
Kris and Grace Anne got me some great stuff and much needed clothing (jeans... a couple shirts.. shoes)-- but I think my favorite things were the flowers, balloons, and new pandora charm. I love my pandora bracelet because it represents so much from the past year.. and our family!

This past weekend Poppy came to visit! We had lots of fun.. for instance, Sunday we got Kris' car stuck in the sand. We also had a fun adventure trying to drown the five gazillion baby spiders that popped out of the Mama spider Kris killed... haha
We actually did get a chance to have a little fun at the aquarium on Monday.. enjoyed some seafood... showed Poppy around. I think he liked it here. So now... we are ready for more visitors... :)
This week has been packed full of play dates and park time (Grace Anne loves to swing)!
We've been working really hard to getting back to the crib! It has been miserable for Mommy and I've had very little sleep but I refuse to give in and take her back to bed with me. (Even if that means that I sleep in her chair, floor, or even standing up)

Every other second of my day revolves around cleaning up the books that seem to get dumped off the shelf several hundred times, forcing Grace Anne to sit still long enough to eat "meals," pulling Grace Anne down from potentially disastrous situations (ie. climbing on Daddy's computer bag in order to get on top of the coffee table) and listening to Elmo's voice on various toys over and over (yes, we love love love Elmo for some reason). Am I complaining? Absolutly not! I love these days... some days I feel like a zombie still, but I love my sweet girl and can't even imagine being away from her daily! Kris is adamant about me staying home with her.. for a while.. like he would prefer until Pre-K or Kindergarten.. we will see. Right now we are just enjoying our time together-- she is our sunshine and we can't even remember what life was like without her! meeting some really fun moms and kids to share our days with!

Hellloooo October!

The weather isn't exactly fall like and the leaves aren't red... but October has arrived and since it contains my favorite holiday and my birthday then it is pretty much my favorite month!

Grace Anne and I started the month off in Kentucky at the family farm for the Farm Day get together! It was great to see my family. I am very close to my aunt and talk to her all the time, but I love when she gets to see Grace Anne. Its hard being really far away from family, but lets face it... its not like all our family was in Knoxville.. its basically just hard because everyone has different schedules and commitments. Since we will be making a trip to Tennessee in early November we won't be going back for Thanksgiving... and I love Thanksgiving (It is pretty much tied with Halloween) and will truly miss going to Betty and Randolph's. So, it was good to see that side of the family! Grace Anne had lots of fun on the farm and even got to take her first hay ride... I must say though... it was much colder than we anticipated...


After making it back to Corpus, we had to get ready for a very important day, Daddy-o's birthday. We made Daddy a cake (it was a dinosaur and said Happy Birthday, Daddy! You're DINO-MITE" and then we grilled out (on his new grill).