Pumpkins

Well we didn't have to dredge through a red dirt pumpkin patch this year, although it was a little colder! This year we went with friends of ours to a local market that had a huge pumpkin patch, corn maze, horse rides, and many other fun things for the girls. Lucky for me Travis was home for all of this, so the girls were able to have fun and I could relax. Unfortunately I was only able to get one picture of the girls together and neither of them was looking at the camera, go figure. Maybe I'll have better luck at Christmas. Halloween pictures are coming soon...there aren't that many, H1N1 and ear infections reared it's ugly head in our house. Speaking of ear infections, Tessa gets tubes on Monday. We are so excited!!! Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,

Heather and crew

Tessa's 1st pony ride, such a big girl!

Taten and her Daddy, she is so happy!

All by herself!!!!

I swear Tessa will climb in, or on anything.

Taten looks so old here.

Taten's 1st Day of School

Ok, well I didn't cry, but I think that's because I knew there are many more first days of school to come. Taten was so excited yesterday that she wore her backpack all afternoon. I was so excited to see how my morning would go with just Tess. I must say it was bliss!! Is that bad? Anyway, her teachers were very impressed that she already knew all of her letters and sounds, and I was impressed that she hadn't bossed everyone into a full on Broadway show with coordinating dance and music in the four hours she had been there! She was also excited to see that three of her friends from Mrs. Renee's were there, and her friend Edi. I don't think it was that hard of a transition for her, and she loves the idea of school. So yippee all around for everyone!

The Lake's

Summer "Vacation"

Well, the "summer" has almost come to an end, and the warm weather barely showed. We did get to have a few warm days when we went to visit Daddy down in Cleveland and then made our loop around to Grandma's house.

This is real Michigan summer!

The joy of a long drive by myself with the girls was lost on me. The trip without children is supposed to take 6 and 1/2 hours. It took the girls and I 9! When we did finally make it there Taten had a bladder infection, and Tessa had yet another ear infection. Needless to say day one was spent at the walk - in clinic after Taten threw up at the grocery store! However, after everyone was medicated and had a good nights sleep we all went to the zoo the next afternoon. Taten was a little disappointed that the elephants and rhino's weren't there. The exhibit was being rebuilt, but overall she had a great time. Tess of course did not want to be in her stroller, she's all about being active! The next day we went to the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. I loved it. We all had a great time, but I think Travis and I could have stayed and ate all day. The streets were blocked off and lined with tons of Italian food. Heaven. We didn't stay at Daddy's as long as planned though due to a serious lack of space, and Taten wanting to see Grandma, so on we went.

Finally in Lexington we had a big house and yard to play in, and a pool to swim in. Peace for Mommy:) We got to see our cousin Ellie, and minus a tornado scare and having to go into Grandma and Papa's basement, we had a great time. Anyone who knows my parents house would say "Yuck!" It's an old Michigan basement that I have never, in the 30 years they have lived there, been in! The things I will do for the babies. Thank God Grandma was home for lunch because I had Ellie and my two girls that day. Ellie was so good and just sat there, my two were like caged animals!

I did get a great surprise from Travis when he showed up for the weekend to watch the girls so Mom and I didn't have to get a sitter for the Kenny Chesney concert. If you ever get a chance to see him, you must go. It was Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney. Over 6 hours of entertainment. Ford Field was filled to compacity with every redneck hillbilly (myself included) in the two neighboring states! Yee-haw.

Summer quickly came to an end and I am back to school and Taten too, that is our next post. Stay tuned, I'm sure it will be sweet. She's very excited to go.

Love to all,

Heather

She's walking!

I'm posting this more for Daddy and Papa, but it's fun for everyone to see. Tessa is moving all over the place. It won't be long before she's completly on her own. The best part is that she laughs the whole time that she walks:) Love to all. ~H

A Year Already!

We can't believe it either! Tessa has celebrated her first birthday surpassing all of the major milestones at lightning speed. Trust me, I kept comparing her to her sister all the way. I stopped with personalities long ago, but everything else I kept checking the calenders. The only thing that she couldn't get down (literally) was the food issue, and almost to the day of her birthday it all came together. Ahhhh. I no longer make three different meals:) So happy.

She has twelve, yes twelve teeth. Even her pediatrician was amazed. She has beaten the only other child he has encountered when he was a resident that had that many teeth, that fast. They started popping through on Jan. 19th and haven't stopped. Finishing up the molars now. She is up and mobile now too. Taten will yell from somewhere in the house, "Mom, Tess's is taking big steps!" We call them Big Steps in case you didn't pick that up. She isn't walking completely on her own, but it won't be long. It's funny because with Tess it was like, whatever just trying to keep up with my sister. I don't know what the big fuss is about. She'll smile when we clap and then keep on trucking, look at me like "Thanks Mom, see ya." I think there will be alot of that in my future with her.

Her birthday party was a blur, and if not for my Mother and Travis I would have lost my mind. I will never double book my weekends like that again. It turned out great though, and we had friends and family from near and far that could make it for a rare nice day. I prayed hard all day Friday and Saturday for that weather folks! Tessa dug into her cake and made me proud, very unlike her sister, she was cake from head to toe. I was washing it out of neck later that night and she still had some in her ears! Enjoy the pictures and love to you all. ~H

P.S. Love the towel Aunt Jenn:)

4th of July

It's a little past the 4th but here's our big project, well actually Trav's. Taten was so, so happy to finally have a swingset in her own backyard, and I was too. Swingsets are the equavalent to Mommy Xanax! Hope you are all enjoying your July, and are keeping warm. Yes Hawaii friends I said "Keeping warm". It was 46 degrees out the night we put this together! And yes, somehow Taten suckered her Dad into letting her ride on his shoulders. Needless to say, I finished mowing the lawn that evening. Someone was a little tired.

Family Update

Hi All,

Well, our little girls are growing up fast! Tessa had her 9 month appt. about 3 weeks ago and weighed in at 23 pounds, 29 1/2 inchs! That's 4 pounds more than Taten was at 9 months, and 1/2 an inch longer. Then to blow us all away she crawled at exactly 10 months. We've got our hands full. She says "Dada, Uh-0, and na-na" which I like to think is mama but who knows. She thinks her sister is a riot, it's hard to keep the two apart for the good or bad. I find myself saying things like "Taten get off your sister!", "Tessa don't pull your sister's hair." Didn't think I'd be saying that already.

Taten is doing awesome. Her swim class is almost over and she has learned so much. Last week they put on life jackets and jumped into the deep pool. I was so proud because she showed no fear, then I was a little concerned. We'll have to watch her this summer, at least she knows how to float!

Classes are going great too. A little bit of a breather this next week while we head down state for the Race for the Cure, and then I start up again mid-June. Travis is heading to Cleveland around then too, should be interesting. Just have to go with it. Hope you are all doing well. Enjoy the pictures, and hope to see you all at some point this summer.

Love,

The Lake's