New tricks

Kinsley has finally perfected the art of riding a bike (with training wheels). It amazes me how hard of a concept it seems to be to pedal. She got her bike this past Christmas and it took her a few months to even get up the courage to do more than sit on it. But we have been practicing all summer and she has been riding her bike at Grandpa's house too. Finally we have mastered it! The pedals must go forward- not back- to make it go. Why is it that now that we can pedal, we have suddenly forgotten that pushing the pedals back will make us stop? After a few trips off the sidewalk and into the grass, we have learned...to just stay away from that part of the sidewalk.

What is Karlie's newest skill? Self- feeding...

Devils in Disguise...

Here is a recent photo of our two little angels for those of you who don't live close or get to see them very often. As you can see, Kinsley still looks just like her daddy. We are still trying to figure Karlie out. Some think she looks like me, others think she looks like Jamie, and some think she and Kinsley look like twins(?!?!?!). Anyway, you can decide for yourself.

Chattanooga

This past weekend Jamie and I took Kinsley for a mini vacation to Chattanooga. It was quite an adventure and lots of fun. We left Karlie at home with Granny and Pa (her own mini vacation). We figured Karlie wouldn't enjoy being in a stroller for 2 days looking at fish- we also figured that it would be a good chance for us to spend some quality time with Kinsley. We were wrong about one of those. Instead of enjoying the one on one time with mom and dad, Kinsley worried herself to death about her baby sister. For 2 days all we heard was "Where is my baby?" "Can we go get my baby?" "What is my baby doing right now?" "I want to go to Granny's to get my baby." over and over and over... But even with all of that, we all had a good time.

We went to the Creative Discovery Museum on Friday...it took Kinsley a little while to get warmed up since there were so many people there, but eventually she took off playing and had a great time. We went to the Aquarium on Saturday and I was a little nervous about whether or not she would enjoy it. She is not a big animal fan (terrified, actually) and some of her friends from church had been to the aquarium and did not enjoy it because they were afraid. I worried for nothing. She LOVED it! In fact, I don't know who enjoyed it more- her or Jamie. Her favorite part was the penguins (mine, too). Since the aquarium was such a hit, we decided to go all the way and take her to the Chattanooga Zoo. For those of you who haven't been there, it is probably only about a 10 acre zoo and takes less than an hour to see all of it (even walking slowly). Kinsley again had a good time looking at the animals. However, I like to tease Jamie for making us look like the "Rednecks go to the Zoo." The very first cage we walked up to Jamie says to Kinsley "Look at the owl, Kinsley. " Then he proceeds to "HOOT" at the owl. As he is hooting, I notice the sign beside the cage says "Red Tailed Hawk." No wonder the other people were looking at us and laughing!

We had a great trip. And we look forward to going back in a few years when Karlie can go, too. In fact, from now on Karlie will go on ALL vacations to save Kinsley the stress from worrying about her.

Pictures?

Do any of you know how hard it is to get a child who doesn't want anyone to look at her to smile and pose for a camera?

Photographer #1 sitting fee- $30 + 45 minutes without 1 picture taken
2 weeks of bribing with candy/drinks/toys- $10
Photographer #2 sitting fee- $55
Tears shed- Thousands

......Finally getting your 3 year old to get her picture made- PRICELESS!!!

I was determined that I would have pictures made of Kinsley this summer...I mean, we have portraits from 1 year, 2 years, ... we MUST have 3 years. It was the battle of a lifetime. Everything was going great at the first photographer until Kinsley spotted his 2 dogs...(no likey dogs). She decided right then and there that she would NOT have her picture made. We had 3 people trying to convince her it was okay, we even tried to bribe her with chips, drinks, candy, books- all to no avail. So then mom resorted to threatening...I made her call her daddy and tell him how she was acting (all he got from the conversation was her screaming...) I told her she had to go home and go to bed early...the threats continued until I realized that she wasn't going to cave in (strong-willed child) but her little sister was as happy as could be and was posing for the camera already. My cheapness decided if we had to pay a sitting fee, might as well have SOMEBODY sit and pose for the camera...Karlie gladly stepped in and filled the role.

While that made things a little better, I still did not have 3 year old pictures of Kinsley, but swore I would not go through that again. As the anger wore off, we found another photographer that Kinsley agreed to go to once I promised her that there were NO DOGS. So, we went today. Things started a little shaky, but we ended up getting about 30 pictures made. The problem? This photographer is MUCH more expensive than the first...

Whose idea was it for her to get her picture made anyway?

What's Happening...

Well, since everyone else has a blog we decided to jump on board and give it a try! I am not convinced that our life is interesting enough for other people to actually read, but here goes nothing! :) I don't really know where to begin so I guess I'll tell you what's going on with the Spears family currently.

We are living in Williamsport, Tennessee. Jamie works for the Federal Government with the Social Security office- finally a job that he enjoys and can see himself staying with. (Thank Goodness). I am still teaching 2nd grade in Hickman County and LOVING it. I am getting ready to start my 6th year. I am also a graduate student at MTSU working on my Masters in Educational Leadership and Supervision. I just started this summer and have 2 years left...

Here is our last family picture which was taken in February. You can see what Jamie and I spend most of our time doing...taking care of the 2 princesses. Kinsley is 3 and Karlie just turned 9 months. Things around our house are always fun. As you can see, Kinsley looks just like her daddy. However she acts just like her momma (poor thing). For those of you who remember me as a young child, I was shy (to say the least). I didn't want anyone to look at me, nor did I want to talk to anyone that I didn't know very well (and sometimes didn't want to talk to those I did know!) Well, my mother is laughing because I am getting paid back for all that I put her through- JOY JOY! Karlie on the other hand is not even a year old and already a complete opposite of her sister. She is laid back, always happy, and loves everyone and everything. She is full of personality. She has changed so much since this photo so I will try to post more recent pictures soon.

Jamie and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful, healthy family. God has truly blessed us in many ways. We pray each day that he will continue to bless us. That's what's happening with us right now...more to come later.