Jones family beach trip!

We were so lucky to have a wonderful weekend with the Jones (and Tucker) family at DeBordieu Beach this year, thanks to the Buters for lending us their beautiful home!  We all had a great time and Libby played her heart out on the beach (and took marathon naps in the afternoon).

 Libby finally warmed up to Uncle Clay - she played cat and mouse with him all weekend!

 So lucky to have an awesome Daddy and 2 great uncles!

 Josh is on the right ;)

 Becca joined us at the beach this year!

 Snuggling with Callie after a long nap!

 Libby is really into digging and playing with her buckets (and we were all into it too)!

 King of the Mountain!

 Lots of Boce Ball!

 Libby's first bikini - I especially like how her diaper hangs out!

 Sweet moment with Allen...

 Finally got a family beach pic!

 Bye Bye Beachy!

Libby as a Flower Girl!

I'm a bit late on this post, but trying to catch up!  Libby was lucky enough to be asked to be a flower girl in Josh's cousin Erin's wedding.  The wedding was July 21 in Houston, TX.  The whole family made the trip and Libby surprised us all with how well she did.  She walked down the aisle with her cousin Sam perfectly twice in rehearsal and on the big day!  She was adorable. We even let her come to the reception to dance with her Daddy for a while :)

 The Jones/Tucker clan rehearsal night.

 The precious flower girl in the dress that cousin Lori made for her!

 Proud Daddy with his little girl.

 

Libby as a 2-year-old

Our little Libby is quite the 2-year-old!  She's sweet and fun and interested in everything. She's active and excited... she's difficult and is already enjoying challenging her parents :)  I frequently remember what our friend Jennifer told me when her daughter was 2, "there's a reason they're so cute when they're 2," - isn't that the truth! 

Libby is enjoying school with her friends. She loves seeing her family and is really into Callie and Allen right now.  Every day she talks about seeing them and playing with them.  Since we have sold our house, we are living in the same neighborhood as Callie and Allen and Libby asks to see them every day.  One day, they spoiled her with mini marsh mellows, and she will never forget - she calls their house the "Marsh Mellow House." 
I'm really impressed with her memory and what she picks up.  Yesterday, we were in the car talking to Bubbie and out of the blue, Libby thanked her for her high heels (that she got as a birthday gift from Bubbie 3 weeks ago).  I love seeing and hearing her make these connections.  This morning she was laying in her crib singing Jingle Bells, which although I love holiday music, we haven't sung in months!
She's definitely into telling us what she wants - she wants to go to the pool, or for a walk. She wants ice cream for breakfast.  She also is enjoying telling Buff what to do and punishing him when he's bad - "no, no, no buffet, no barking, go outside," "buffet, close the door." HILARIOUS!
Libby is still a tiny little one, but is almost exactly the same size I was at 2, but a few inches taller (thanks Jones genes).

Height: 50% 34 inches
Weight: 10% 23.8 lbs
Head: 20%
We had a small party for our her - Elmo themed of course!  She was very spoiled and got a cute new handmade Elmo dress from Bubbie!  Laura made her a fabulous Elmo cake - we were all very impressed!!  We also went to school to have cupcakes with her friends - she definitely knew it was her birthday and that the celebration was all about Libby.  The teachers asked everyone "who's birthday is it," and they all screamed "Libby's!"

Little Libby's Birthday Eve

Our sweet Libby turns 2 tomorrow.  Where does the time go?  Libby is a little girl now, no longer a baby, but always my baby girl.  I have always been sentimental, but motherhood has intensified my emotions.  I have cried off and on all day - partly due to the fact that we're moving tomorrow, but mostly, I am sure, because I can't believe how quickly time passes.  (Not sure who planned moving day and birthday the same day, but not a good idea for this momma!)
2 years ago I was resting in my hospital bed with Josh snoring in a chair beside me.  We were a few hours away from starting to push, and about 9 hours away from Libby's arrival - a moment that obviously changed our world. 
Today I am thinking about how lucky we are to have a healthy, energetic, strong, curious, sweet, funny, smart little girl.  She is lively and wild at times, and shy and clingy at others.  She loves her family, playing with her friends, going to school and playing with her toys. She is talking up a storm - there is rarely a time when we don't understand what she's telling us.  She says the funniest things and remembers and repeats things we say... "hot tamale" and "I'm just kidding" are two of her newest phrases. 
Tonight I read to Libby and sang her lullabies, I put her in her crib in her first room for the last time.  As I covered her with her blanket, she looked up at me, smiling from ear to ear - we locked eyes for a few moments and my heart was to the brim.  Then she said "rub my back mommy," and of course I did for her last night in this house - her first house, our first house.  I actually didn't cry (at that moment) because I thought about how having her with us was all that mattered and our new house would soon be our home. 
Feeling so lucky to be Libby's mommy tonight!

The Beachy!

We had the best Memorial Day Weekend in Charleston.  Josh, Libby and I stayed at our friend Beth's house on James Island, close to Folly Beach.  Libby played hard during the day, took great naps and stayed up late on her vacation schedule - which meant sleeping in each morning!!  On Saturday she event woke up at 7 and decided she needed to go back to bed and slept until 10!  She was very into playing in the sand and with her beach toys. She loved filling the bucket with water and pouring it into smaller buckets!  It was a much-needed family get-away and we can't wait to do it again!

 Let's Go Surfing Now!

 Loungin'

 Photo op with Mommy!

 Play time with Beth!

 Family Picture on Beth and Tommy's front steps

 Is Libby learning to smile for the camera? yay!

 Anniversary lunch at King Street Grill. Libby sat in a booster and ate with a big fork! She had a ball!

Playing in the fountain at the Spoletta Festival!  

LIbby at 22 Months (a.k.a almost 2)

Libby is so much fun right now!  She's loving singing and dancing, coloring, playing lots of games and talking up a storm! We are so impressed with how quickly she is learning and what she absorbs every day.  We love that we now have conversations with her - she can tell us what she wants, what she doesn't want, answers our questions and tells us things she did at school.  Some of them aren't quite true, but its still fun!  She is also really interested in potty - she asks us to pee pee in the potty regularly and does a really good job when we put her on the potty - we just aren't quite ready to go 100% yet!

Some of her favorite things to say right now:
- Momma or Dadda sit down right here
- by bye, see ya
- When you ask how she is she says "I'm fine, or I'm great"
- I love you
- Want to play
- Play outside
- I did it - when she's proud of what she did
- no, no, no (with a pointed finger and serious brow) - I don't love this one :(
- When you ask her where buffet should go for barking too loud, she says "time out"
- Pee pee potty - she's very excited about the potty
- Need hair bow

Favorite Foods:
- bananas, raspberries
- granola bars
- Cheetos
- popcorn
- gummies - either the gummy snacks or gummy bears
- jelly beans or "jelja beans"
- pasta with butter and salt only - still no tomato

Favorite Games:
- hide and seek - she likes to hide with me and have Josh find her and yells "surprise"
- Watching You Tube videos of songs
- Gymnastics - she goes every Saturday and loves it.  She tells us she wants to go and jump on the trampoline.  I asked her what she wanted as a treat for her birthday and she said a trampoline :)
- Playing egg hunt - we hide her eggs and she has to find them and tells us what color they each are
- Play dough is a huge hit
- Bubbles and side walk chalk
- She helps me water the flowers
- She loves to dance and sing. Favorite songs are: ABC, Its Bitsy Spider, BINGO, Wheels on the Bus, Jump up and Down, Little Teapot

Libby hiding in the pantry- Surprise!

Hiding behind the couch from her daddy!

Libby the runner -she's amazingly fast!

One of her favorite new activities - helping water the flowers.

Dancing to You Tube videos! I'm a little teapot...

Do I look like my Momma? :)

Taking a shower - ha!