Secret City Festival

In mid-June, we took the girls to the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge.  We missed it last year because Grace was in Indiana so we were excited to go back again this summer!
I LOVE a good festival and (call me crazy) but they always remind me of home since we grew up going to the Apple Festival every fall!!  I can almost smell the cinnamon rolls now!!  Ohhhh I always seem to digress.  This particular festival has a great kids area with a petting zoo, pony rides, a million bounce houses, playground, etc.  Grace's favorite part was........the petting zoo of course!  She didn't hesitate and went right for the pony ride.....no surprise.  Then went on any and every blow up/bouncy house they had to offer.......again she has no fear!  Anna was a bit too little for all the "fun stuff" BUT there's always next year kiddo!  Unfortunately, we didn't stay too long since it was at least 115 degrees outside and we all lost at least 2 gallons of sweat while we were there.

Here are some pics of Grace in action!

Birthday Video!

Here is the video from Anna's birthday party that Matt put together. And, just in case you're wondering, YES that's NKOTB singing Happy Birthday! WAHAHAHA!! Enjoy!

Official Stats!!

LOVES corn on the cob!

First ride in her new carseat!

Anna had her 1 year check-up today.....sniff, sniff!!  She started out at a whopping 7lbs, 8oz and 20in long.  Drum roll please.......she's now 20lbs, 7oz (50th%) and 29 1/4in (75th %) long!!  Her head remains in the 90th percentile (no surprises there!).
It's been WAY too long since I've given you all an update on my little gal so let me catch you up on her latest and greatest tricks, words, foods, etc.
Anna is ALMOST walking but hasn't quite taken the bull by the horns.  She will stand up by herself and has even taken a few steps so I'm sure it won't be long now.  I wish there was a contest I could enter her into for the strangest type of crawl because I get that comment EVERYWHERE we go!  It is a sight to see!  There's got to be a way to make some money off of it......maybe YouTube!  HAHA!
This little piggy is a great eater and will try anything I put on her tray.  She's on all table food now (and has been for a while now) and got her first taste of whole milk last night.  She didn't flinch but will take a drink from her sippy cup, look at it as if thinking, "What the heck is this?", and then take another drink!  HAHA!  Her current favorites are:  blueberries (we constantly have green diapers around here!), mandarin oranges, Cheerios, those little Gerber crunchy things that resemble cornies (they are quite tasty!), macaroni, yogurt, and cheese (again, no surprises there!).  If I give her some crunchies and she eats them all BUT sees the container on the table, WATCH OUT!!!  She will let you know she would like some more by giving us a blood curling, high-pitched, makes your ears quiver kind of scream!!  Believe me, you'll know it when you hear it!  She still only has her two bottom teeth but manages to gum almost anything!  She reminds me of a puppy these days because any time she hears a wrapper opening, she scoots over and starts climbing up my legs to investigate!
Anna is still into EVERYTHING and is SO FAST when she is determined to get somewhere (namely somewhere she knows she isn't supposed to be)!!  Pete's dog bowls are still at the top of her list.  She will now even get a toy in her hand and scoot 85mph to his water bowl to throw it in!  WAHAHA!!  It's funny now as I write about it, but I have considered implementing a shock collar system when she does it for the 15 millionth time while I'm trying to cook dinner!  :)  Anna is also climbing onto anything she can hike her legs up onto.  I've turned my head for a second only to find her up on a stool, the picnic table (the little one, not the life-size one!), laundry basket, etc!  No fear + constantly climbing + a 3 yr old enabler = LOTS of bumps and bruises for AK!  When you see her and her body looks polka dotted because of the various shapes/colors all over her body, please know I AM NOT BEATING HER!!  HAHA!  And along those same lines, should you ever be walking by my house and hear a blood curling scream that sounds like her head is literally being ripped off, just know I am simply changing her diaper and again NOT BEATING HER!!  WAHAHA!

Travels pretty well!

We put her into her new car seat before we headed to IN for her 1st birthday party (pics to come) and she is definitely a big fan!  Who wouldn't be!  It was so sad to watch her strain her neck in order to see Grace or hear the movie while driving ALL DAY!  She sits, crosses her legs, and takes it all in.

Grace is still HILARIOUS in Anna's eyes, however, I am starting to notice a change happening.  In the past whenever Grace would take a toy from Anna, she would usually just turn the other cheek and go after something else.  She is now starting to hold her own and will start screaming if it's something she really wanted to play with.  While Grace's distraction method (that sounds a little like this......."Ummmm Mommy I think Anna would really like to play with..........this!") has worked in the past, I have a feeling this era is coming to an end.......sorry babe!  It was good while it lasted!  :)
Anna mimics everything we do these days and thinks she's pretty, darn funny while she's doing it!  Ohhhhh I do LOVE it that my girls have a sense of humor already!

Over the past couple of months, I have been trying to convince Anna that she is ready for the transition to one nap a day.  Unfortunately, she keeps trying to tell me, "I don't think so!"  HAHA!  For those of you with one child, you probably think I'm absolutely CRAZY for saying this and are wondering why in the world I wouldn't want to ssssttttrrreeetttccchhh out this two-nap a day phase for as long as possible.  I thought the same thing when a friend of mine said the exact same thing a few years ago.  ANNNND now I know why!  When you have a toddler who has obviously surpassed the morning nap and is ready to go, go, go, you want to make this transition AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!  Grace gave up her morning nap before she turned one, and I kept thinking Anna would do the same thing.  I know, I know......they're two different kids and they won't always follow the same timelines or hit milestones at the same time.....blah, blah, blah.  Listen people for my sanity, it's time to make the switch!  :)  Alright, moving on.  Anna usually goes to bed around 8:00pm-8:30pm and gets up anywhere between 7:00am-8:00am.  AHHHHHHH!!  Getting a full nights sleep NEVER gets old does it!!!  She is such a little snuggler when it's time to go to bed and I'm soaking up every little bit I can before I blink and this stage is over!

And I can't leave you all without telling you that Anna LOVES music!!  Every time she hears music or Grace starts serenading us with her rendition of "Part of This World" from The Little Mermaid, she breaks out her Jersey Shore fist pump and starts bouncing on her legs!  I'll try to get that on video for you.....you'll get a kick out of it, believe me!

I'm trying to come up with anything else I can think of on my one year old blue-eyed baby girl but I think that about does it for now!

ALWAYS climbing!

Pool Days

The girls and I have been spending A LOT of time at our neighborhood pool here lately!  We didn't make it there much during the first part of summer.  But now I've got a couple pool rats on my hands!  As recently as a month ago, Grace would barely get on the steps at the pool let alone put on floaties and come swimming with me.  Now, she gets in her tube, lowers herself into the water, and starts swimming laps!  She's convinced herself that blowing bubbles will not make her sink to the bottom AND if by chance she gets splashed in the face, she CAN wipe the water off her face without having a major meltdown!  HAHA!
Anna would much rather be scooting around the outside of the pool or playing with buckets filled with water and toys.  You all have seen her "sidewinder" video by now and know that she tucks her left leg when she scoots.  This form of "crawling" + concrete around the pool = bad news for Anna!  Last week, her leg got all scraped up and her big toe on her right foot was bleeding......poor baby!  You're going to have to get up and start walking before you have constant road rash on your leg, kiddo!
We plan on soaking up many more pool days before summer's end!  Who knows, maybe Grace will be diving in the deep end by Labor Day!  :)

Sisters!

Anna and Libby!

Swimming can wear a girl out!

Birthday Dinner!!

Cafe 4!

After we had our shower for Lauren, a group of us headed downtown to celebrate my birthday!  YAY!  As most of you know, my birthday is somewhat of a national holiday and should be celebrated during the entire month of June!  WAHAHAHA!!  And while it appears that I'm laughing about that, I could not be more serious!  :)  Why not CELEBRATE birthdays in a BIG way???  Especially when I've got a great group of people to celebrate with!!
This particular night was a big deal in another way as well.  This was the first night that we paid for a "real babysitter."  I know you're probably thinking, soooo what's a "real babysitter?"  In the past, we've had a neighbor (mainly Lauren!) or the daughter of Matt's coworker watch the girls.  We've been saying that we need to get a sitter that is our main go-to gal and that night we actually took the plunge!  It worked out great and Grace even asked about Mackenzie as soon as she woke up!  
We had dinner at Cafe 4!  It was my first time there and the food was FANTASTIC!  Their mac and cheese is absolutely out of this world!!  They also gave me a FREE, birthday cupcake...........BONUS!!!  After dinner, we stopped by another little place (I cannot think of the name of it for the life of me.) for a while before the monsoon hit and we were forced to exit.
We had a great time and will have to make it downtown more often!  Thank you to the Kings and Warmacks for coming with us to celebrate!!
 

Free cupcake!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Anna Kate!!

Brand New!!

 Today is a special day in our house!  Last year at 12:58pm, we welcomed little Anna Kate into the world!    It is SO hard to believe that it's been A WHOLE year ALREADY!!!  I know every mother says that, but it's SO true!!!  In the blink of an eye a year has passed and before I know it, we'll be celebrating her second birthday........ok now I am definitely going to get emotional!
Anna, you are such a blessing and I am honored to be your mother!!  Happy Birthday baby girl!  I look forward to celebrating many more to come!!

SO Sweet!!

LOVE HER!!

Happy Birthday!!

Celebrating Emma Blake!!

On June 11th, Erica and I were so excited to host a baby shower for Lauren!  Lauren has already thrown TWO baby showers for both of us and it was high time we thew an EXTRAVAGANZA for her!!
We had a brunch and tried to mimic foods from the Apple Cake Tea Room.....DELISH!!!!  We played a few games (if anyone is in the market, just let me know as I now have at least 5 zillion ideas for FUN games!) that actually were pretty, darn fun AND interactive!  HAHA!  And, of course, we wouldn't send Lauren away without showering her with lots of great stuff to help prep for her little bundle on the way!
We had a fun morning celebrating the upcoming arrival of little Emma Blake!!  We can't wait to meet you little girl.  BUT please wait until after August 1st so your mommy can stay in the nice, renovated rooms at the hospital!!  :)
 

How cute is she!!!

Games!

More Games!

Gifts!

This is how we do it in Tennessee.........

We have had TONS of HOT days around here!  And what better way to spend a hot day than playing in the water table!  The girls love it.  There's one small problem..........this seems to happen every time (see below)!
1.  They start fully clothed.
2.  Then the shirts come off.
3.  And then we have a couple kids running around in their skivvies for all of Franklin Creek to see!!  WAHAHAHA!!

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Happy Memorial Weekend!!

Sooooo I'm still trying to play catch up and trying to remember what all has been happening around here.  This post will be a short one since my brain is failing me and I can't remember what all we did over Memorial Weekend!
I do know we had Grace's last t-ball game of the season and hosted a cookout with several of our neighbors.  Have I mentioned that we live in the best neighborhood and have the BEST neighbors on this side of the Mason-Dixon line??  Shout out to FC!!
Here's a few pics I took during our cookout.  I'm not exactly sure what's going on in the last picture. But something tells me it was towards the end of the night!  :)

Prepping for a water balloon fight!

Not exactly sure what's happening here!!

T-Ball Party and a visit from Nana and Papa!

Nana and Papa with Grace "The Kid" Gentry

  

A little shopping and a glass of wine!

Saturday, May 21st was the Red Sox team party and "awards day."  Nana and Papa decided to come that weekend and got to witness our future all star in action!

After the game, we headed to The Cove for some pizza and awards.  Coach Jimmy and Coach Michael presented each player with a certificate and a trophy.  And let me tell you, these kids thought they were big stuff struttin' around holding their trophies!  We had a great, first season of t-ball!  The coaches (and helpers) were extremely patient all season long while trying to keep 10-15 3-4 year olds busy and entertained during each practice and game.  We'll definitely be requesting the same coaches again next year!

Mom and I decided to take a little time for ourselves while the guys took the girls home for naps.  We did a little shopping and were SO parched from all the walking around.  The solution seemed pretty simple to me.  A child-free afternoon + thirsty women = a glass of wine at Cru.....YES please!!  :)

 We had a fun weekend and a great visit with Nana and Papa!!

Red Sox team party!

Red Sox with their awards!

Coach Jimmy, Grace, and Coach Michael