oh boy

she tried stacking a third chair on top and climbing up 

but that's when i felt i should put the camera down and do some parenting. 

some firsts

annie mae's first trip to the dentist! it was really tough for her...they had a huge safari play place in the waiting area, large flatscreen tvs at each chair, and they let her pick which movie she wanted to watch while the hygienist and dentist did their work. oh, and then she got a token for doing well which allowed her to go pick out a small prize. maybe i wouldn't have so many cavities and fillings if my dentist visits were this posh when i was little. 

first hair cut!

first sighting of freckles! 

you can't see them in the pictures but little miss is getting freckles on her cheeks. and here i thought she couldn't get any cuter. 

 ok...this picture doesn't fit with the theme but her hair turned out so cute i had to throw it in.

shootin' the breeze with little miss

this girl definitely keeps me on my toes. here are some of her recent happenings:

******

annie and i were getting ready in my bathroom when she left to go get her toothbrush and toothpaste from her bathroom. i continued getting ready but noticed she was taking a while. rhet started crying so i went to help him then realized it had been quiet for way too long. i go to her bathroom to find her sitting, fully clothed, in her sink, the drain plugged up and the entire sink filled with water while the water continued to flow. she just said "mom, it's ok. I takin' a bath".

******

we were at one of our neighborhood pools the other day with a friend from church and a girl from my neighborhood whom i just met the previous day. the lifeguards temporarily closed the pool due to thunder so the kids went onto the grass to run around and play. i was talking to my new friend when i noticed she had quite a troublesome and almost horrified look on her face. she obviously stopped listening to what i was saying and interrupted me with a slow "um....Lyndi (continued horrified look in annie's direction) um...Annie is peeing in the grass". i turned to look and there annie was, legs spread wide, hands on hips and peeing. and then in one continuous motion she popped up from the split position and resumed her place in the running/screaming game on the grass. classy. 

******

most of the time if we are not going anywhere after annie's naps i typically let annie run around in just her shirt and underwear. in fact she has become quite used to this that she now protests when i make her put on some pants if we are leaving the house. so one day after her nap she was playing around the house and eating some grapes for a snack. i go to check on her and notice that she is walking funny and  her underwear looks lumpy. i ask her what is going on and she says "mom, it's ok. grapes in underwear. in pocket,"then pulls a grape out and eats it then continues going about her business. i then introduced her to purses--a more sanitary approach to carrying things.

keep the flowers

...and just give me tim tebow (his book at least). so i'm not really into getting flowers. well, i am when they are not expected. i am more of the send-me-flowers-on-march-10th kind of gal rather than getting them on predictable occasions and dates. i like them "just because". well, kev has done himself one better than to send me "just because"flowers. he has gotten me "just because" tim tebow. thanks babe for thinking of me and letting tim rest on my nightstand for a few weeks. 

2 months and some change

little man is, well, not so little. at his 2-month check-up rhet boy topped the charts with 97th percentiles all around. i just looked at annie's records and rhet is the approximately the same height and weight that annie was at 4 months. my dad suggested we possibly have a florida linebacker on our hands. i would be happy with that or a duke forward. let's hope his height and weight continue on this path (for my love of sports sake). here are some pictures of our sweet boy.

blessing day

rhet was given a baby's blessing a couple of weeks ago at church, and we were fortunate to have pops and mama b, heidi, brooke, jenny leigh and their families in attendance. unfortunately we did not get any family pictures with the whole gang, and in fact didn't get many pictures at all. here are the few that we managed to snap that day.

poor kev gets the end of the day, loosened tie, tuckered out photo.

still cute though.

per your request

more pictures of little man and little miss

i could just pour buttermilk syrup on this little man and eat him for breakfast. 

isn't he just delicious? i can't get enough of him.

 just part of the gang. 

annie's gang of dolls and stuffed animals, that is. 

 rhet joined us for annie's pre-bedtime routine. little did he know

that he was just one of the stuffed animals lined up next to her. 

annie was quite taken back when we took rhet away when she was ready to go to bed. 

i mean, we never take away her baby doll or animals so why should we take him?

if rhet is laying down with his "ne-ne" (annie's word for blanket) 

then annie is laying down with hers. right next to him. after we pick her

up off of him. we are still learning personal space.

this kid doesn't stand a chance. not only does his cheap mom

put him in a pink and purple bouncer, but his big sis insists on him always

having a doll next to him. 

lots of love

to grandma and grandpa ballard and papa and jules for coming to visit!

hand over your heart let's go home

Rhet Miller Ballard joined our little family today. we have handed over our hearts to our newest lil' love and are ready to start life as a family of four.

rhet came to us a week early weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz and measuring 20.75 inches long.

enjoy our sweet babe.

all my bags are packed, i'm ready to go...

actually, no. my bags aren't packed. in fact i don't even have the laundry done so i have nothing to pack. do you think perhaps that if i did go in to labor right now and went to the hospital that they could just send me home in the hospital gown along with a few supplies (of course on the condition that i keep the back tightly closed when leaving, wash the gown and bring it back...maybe with a thank you card?)

i have definitely prepped and cooked this little baby and can hear the kitchen timer dinging...he's done and ready to come out. to some, however, the prep work might be a tad questionable. i finally got this poor baby some clothes (well, other people did) but didn't do so until his crib bedding was completed and his room decorated. priorities, folks.

so now with the important prep work out of the way (see pictures below) i will try and get around to packing a bag and getting this place in order for our new little boy.

some pictures of the room:

and yes, there are clothes, diapers and even wipes in those bins.

i finally got somewhat of a maternity photo as well. now when ballard baby boy is looking back at pictures i can say "look! there you are in my belly!" instead of "ok, so you see annie sitting on my lap in this picture? you are right behind her. i promise."

music 101. i hear that playing classical music to your baby while he is in the womb can increase his intelligence. you think this little musical concoction of pearl jam (softer stuff), guster, kings of leon and billy joel is close enough? next week's lesson: jack johnson, airborne, rogue wave, beck and the beach boys... and perhaps mozart just to be safe.

i even made annie and baby boy semi-matching blankets