Swim Date

Winnie's main squeeze, Al, came over to the Murphy's to swim today. We were glad to share the afternoon with him and Beau and Aaron. Al and Winnie were both just the cutest little water babies...not even minding the cold water! Here they are trying to make an escape. This is one of those pictures I am going to treasure and save, because I am SURE they are getting married some day:)

New Toy

I wanted Winnie to have a fun push toy...but no ordinary plastic stuff for her! In honor of my LOVE for grocery shopping, we bought W a shopping cart. It is from Land of Nod ( by Melissa & Doug) and is metal, complete with a little fold-down seat. Too cute! It goes perfectly with her purse and little Whole Foods shopping bag. She loves it, and only gets frustrated when she's trying to push it onto the living room or her bedroom rug (they are nice Crate & Barrel rugs that are thick and hard to roll on to). We have to hide it in the guest bathroom to keep her from just pushing and pushing it all day long.

Mini Summer Vacation

We lived at Andy's parents house for a few days this week while Andy was finishing up all of the painting in our loft.  We had a great time...they were very wonderful hosts!  It was rainy most of the time, but Winnie had fun climbing up and down the stairs and giving her toys rides in the wagon.  We are glad to be home now, but it was a nice little mini-vacation (ha! to Webster Groves) for us!  The highlight of the trip was Winnie being able to swim for the first time this summer.  As you can tell from the photos, it's all about the clothes right now.  The floatie--well, we need to work on that.  She did enjoy being held by Grandpa in the pool and splashing around with Aunt Becky.  And she just looks so cute in a suit!

Don't Tread on Me

Well, there is plenty of room left to improve, but Winnie has started walking! If you set her up on her feet, and back away, she'll come strolling on over. It is really exciting, and we can't wait until she starts doing it without as much prompting and a little less wobble.

Summer Day!

Winnie and I went to the zoo today with a couple of my friends and several of Winnie's friends--Baby Claire, Luke, and Noah.  She had fun visiting with the goats in the children's zoo.

Then and Now

Our good friends Patrick and Katie have a baby named Finn (and another on the way, too). We love Finn...Winnie and I get to share time every morning praying for him.  Katie and Finn came over for lunch the other day and enjoyed a little wagon ride. I had to post photos of how much these guys have grown and changed over the past year!  Some visible differences:  Winnie's hair has been electrified, and Finn has slimmed down a bit.  Ha! They are so cute!

Branson Visit

Andy was working on our loft improvements last weekend, so Puddy, Winnie, and I had to get lost.  We went to Branson for the weekend to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their family.  It was probably the best time we've had at their (new and improved) house!  We even got an extra day because Andy needed more time to work, so we didn't come home until Monday afternoon.  A lot of our time was spent outside on bikes, in wagons, on walks, with sidewalk chalk..the weather was beautiful!

Winnie is getting old enough to "know" her cousins, and she had a great time playing with them.  They even took a bath together--all 5 of them!  (I wish I could've posted a photo of that...I didn't get one that at least one of the kids wasn't exposed. It was super-cute, though) They are so great with her!  Pierson kept trying to keep up with her, and Clara was good at sharing her toys.  I wish Grace lived with me--she's the best helper. Winnie's favorite thing was following Owen around and attacking him with kisses every time she got him.  I kept telling her that only flies in Arkansas:)  On Friday, Jenny and the kids were there for a little while, so that was an extra bonus!  We got to visit my Grandpa and Grandma Winnie on Sunday, and had a little picnic in their yard for lunch.  

She had fun sliding down his outdoor cellar door with Clara.  It was so great for me (and a little emotional) to see Winifred playing in the yard that I grew up playing in.

Winnie got a silver dollar from Grandpa for her belated birthday gift. He gives those out for his great-grandchildren's birthdays. (Sidenote: My grandpa is getting inducted into the Darby's Rangers Hall of Fame this summer. I'm so proud of him!) The whole weekend was so much fun...Winnie fell in love with one of Clara's push toys, so I had to order something similar online.  

Thanks, Deans, for a great visit!