The Second Child Syndrome

Some say that the second child doesn't get photographed as much as the first. I... sort of don't think so. Well, at least not at our house.

The First Day

Georgia started school today. "Big Kid" school, as she calls it. She's attending a Montessori school in the neighborhood (not close enough to walk to, like her "little kid" school, but a pretty quick drive). She's been talking about it like crazy and we knew she would have a great time, but, like any other new experience, it was a little daunting.



She was willing to take her new lunchbox, which has a picture of a shark on it; she had concerns that it might scare some of the kids. We assured her that, as big kids, they could handle the shark.



Then she got silly. (And a tad overly sunscreened. Whoops.)



After school, I went to pick her up, she threw an enormous fit about leaving, I had to physically carry her out of the schoolyard, and I was reminded that she's not really as big a kid as she pretends to be.

Which is ok with me. I mean, it was just yesterday she was this little, right?!

The Happenings

So! I've been seriously lax with the posting but I promise to remedy this... especially since G starts school on Tuesday. Yes, preschool. Let's hear a collective AMEN from across the country. (Well, from those of you who have seen her in action this summer.) In all honesty, it's been a good four months, but G is so used to school and being around lots of kids and frankly, I bore her. I'm trying not to take it too personally.

Since we've been back, we've had a few monumental occurrences... I celebrated my birthday (31 feels an awful lot like 30, in case anyone was wondering), my sister moved to Austin for grad school (yahoo!), and Casey got his diploma and started his full time job. NOW let me brag about Casey for a moment, since I know he won't spread this around on his own... he graduated with honors! Smarty pants. We knew that though. The girls and I are proud proud proud.

In kid news, Adele is mobile with a capital M. Crawling everywhere, pulling up on furniture, and what did I see when I went into her room the other morning?



The girls are starting to have a lot of fun together, since Adele is a lot more interactive than she used to be. Sometimes G needs to be on her own, so she finds places Adele can't get to.



It's been a fun summer, but we're ready for fall! (That means days with temps lower than 100 degrees, for those of you outside of the Austin area.)

Entertainment

This was endless entertainment for the girls while we were at the beach... it was just as amusing to those of us watching.

Porch Sitter from narmalie on Vimeo.

Crazy, crazy sisters!

A Month in Photos

Too many photos! Where to begin? Chronologically? Maybe.

Sandy Cot... the oldest home on the family property. Sits right next to the ocean. Best porch ever.



Daddy Buck's... the home built by my great-grandparents in 1954(?). They retired there and Daddy Buck lived there until his death in 1980 (any family member can correct me in comments, as I probably have a date wrong there). This is where we stay every summer; it's now owned by my grandmother and by the children of her younger brother.



Georgia's first view of the ocean right when we arrived.



One morning when I actually got up early on purpose.



FRIGHTENING. (It is exactly what it looks like. Hi, I'm now afraid to swim in tide pools. A hammerhead, in case it isn't apparent from the photo.)



Much cuter than a shark.



We got to visit with lots of family.

Aunt Meriwether


Aunt Jean


Opa (with a small pioneer)


Danny *aka the "Ice Cream Queen"




G the amazing and tireless (she read about 4,444 books to Georgia)


Aunt Lizzie


Lala!


The Cousins (Or, as Georgia called them, "those guys")


And just a few more favorites:







And now, proof that I was actually there.

A Month Away

It's hard to believe that we were gone for a month! On one hand, it went by really quickly... but on the other, it was a WHOLE MONTH. A quick summary of happenings:

Adele:
got 2 teeth
learned to sit
learned to scoot
learned to army crawl
likes: avocado, peach, banana, apples, applesauce, sweet potato, carrot
dislikes: yellow squash, grits (in this family?! I refuse to accept this and will continue to try these)
road trip claim to fame: eight hours each way from Austin/Abita, and 16 hours each way from Abita/South Carolina with no major diaper situations.

Georgia:
ate a popsicle every day
ate her weight in grits
manages to get multiple splinters from the boardwalk in her forehead. (I KNOW. I have no idea either.)
decided that naps are for babies and are therefore unnecessary
developed into one of the most restless sleepers I have ever had the misfortune to come across
adores the ocean
can dunk her head under the water and jump off the side of Opa and G's pool all by herself
enjoys the not wearing of clothes to a rather unusual degree
road trip claim to fame: never once asking us to stop so she could go to the bathroom. Bladder of steel, I tell you.

(I know that both road trip notable moments involve the bathroom, but really, we spent over 50 hours in the car this summer. This was a major concern during the planning stages of the trip.)



More photos to come!