Georgia, Finally!

So...still no charger but Ryan took my pictures off my card yesterday so I could at least get our Georgia trip up before August arrives! I didn't realize how many pictures I was able to get before the battery died! Here are a couple shots I took outside the vet's office when we took Coco in for her first appointment.

And then here are some shots pre-Georgia. It's been a H-O-T summer in Indiana and we're doing what we can to stay cool. I think after being in an actual swimming pool, this just won't cut it anymore. And let's be honest, she is a bit big for it this year...

The girl knows how to strut her stuff. Nothing says "sexy" like a little diaper hanging out your skirt!

And then Daddy got home and thought a slide would make the pool much more fun.

I'd say by this face, that Phoebe agreed!

And the night before our flight, Ryan and I finally went to see Michael Buble in concert. Last time we had tickets, we missed him because Phoebe came a week early! Isn't my husband hot??? Man, how did I get so lucky!?

Once we made it to ATL, we had to take a dip in the pool. Nana got the best floatie I've ever seen. Phoebe was super confident in the water every time she put it on! The tube was rarely used after she was in about five minutes.

The main reason we headed down south was to meet this little beauty: Sophia Grace Ross. Phoebe wanted to "hold it" quite often but every time we got her to sit on the couch and put the pillow on her lap, this is what we got:

This is the other face we got a lot when she'd hold Sophie - just completely zoned out.

She did pretty well when we held her - I wasn't so sure how she'd react to Mommy & Daddy holding another baby.

Phoebe did better giving her love to Annie & Abby. They tolerated her pretty well, too!

We visited Dixieland one day. It's a little amusement park in Fayetteville and we were among the first to arrive. Phoebe enjoyed her first experience with mini golf.

Turns out she could throw further than she could putt, so that's how most of the holes were played.

She wasn't a fan of the kiddie rides so much because there weren't any other kids riding and parents weren't allowed on - so we headed inside to a big maze for toddlers - she had a good time running around.

Ryan enjoyed some of the big kid rides!

And towards the end of our visit we tried out the slides. Phoebe LOVED them. I bet they rode them at least 10 times. I can't wait for her to try them out at the state fair next month!

One of the highlights of our trip was getting to watch Phoebe and Ella play together. Despite the age difference, they did quite well whether it was babies or swimming!

I think this is an adorable picture of Phoebe waking Lucas up. He spent the entire week at Nana and Papa's house while we were in town so they got to spend lots of time together.

We went to the "market" in Newnan on Saturday with Aunt Debi and Ella - now Phoebe wants to go to the market ALL the time. They had animals, balloons, donuts, live music - all kinds of fun things to see and do.

It was nice to come home in the afternoons and just cool off in the pool. We miss it desperately!

We had to get in one last snuggle with Sophie before we headed home. Ryan thinks she looks just like Carrie. We can't wait to see her again at Christmastime and see how much she'll have changed.

Phoebe asks quite often to go swimming at Nana's house or to play with Ella or Lucas. She even asks about Sophie, Uncle Mike and Aunt Carrie. Oh how I wish Georgia was a quicker drive from Indiana...Thanks family for letting us visit - we can't wait to do it again!

Thank goodness for others' cameras!

As I impatiently await the arrival of my camera's battery charger, I've had to steal photos from my precious family just so I could upload pictures - not that there's much going on - but I just feel like I'm losing touch if I don't do it every so often. Coco is adjusting to life with a toddler as well as can be expected. Phoebe loves to pick her up and play with her as much as possible. I'm not sure Coco feels the same but she puts up with it nonetheless.




Yesterday afternoon, Phoebe got her hands on a blue ink cartridge - we got her washed up and the ink cartridge mysteriously disappeared. Ryan ran out to grab a movie last night so I was on the computer, wasting time - I should have been paying more attention... When Ryan returned, I left the computer to greet him, only to stumble upon Coco - with the ink cartridge. Her mouth and paws were blue - as was a large radius of our carpet and a few of her chew toys. Thankfully, we have very wise friends who bought me a Bissel Little Green Machine long ago and it worked its magic while Ryan washed the dog. Of course I didn't think to use our fancy camera and capture the moment in photos - we just went into cleaning mode. However, you'd think I learned my lesson. Tonight (the VERY next night) Ryan ran out to return the video and I sat at the computer - only to come out and find that Coco had removed the brush of my beloved little green. Ryan promises it can be fixed. Let's hope for this one's sake, it can...

Today we celebrated Father's Day a month late for my dad. Uncle Steve drove down for the day and we all went out to eat for lunch before heading back to YiaYia and Papou's for pie and ice cream. And a little family photo shoot. First, Phoebe got a little sky time with Uncle Steve.

I think Uncle Steve is pooped and oh-so-in love with Miss Phoebe Rae.

And ta-da! A family picture in which we're all (almost) smiling - I'd definitely call that a success!

And this, even more rare - a Wallis family photo in which Phoebe is full-on, voluntarily smiling for the camera. Love it!!!

And for the second day this weekend, Phoebe decided to pass on her afternoon nap. This usually means an earlier bedtime - but until then, she's prone to more bumps and bruises as she's not as steady on her feet. Don't get me wrong, she definitely gets her grace (or lack thereof) from her mama, but this, we blame the no-nap imbalance on - that, and the dog! We got home, I ran to let Coco out as she'd been in her crate from 10:30 - 5:30 and when Phoebe got out of the car, she ran and promptly tripped over Coco. It could have been a lot worse.

We got some neosporin on her and pray she's as good as new tomorrow.

We've only got a few more days before Auntie Kate heads back to Pennsylvania so we're hoping to see her one last time before Wednesday. She has some stiff competition when Uncle Steve is in town, so I think one last night with Phoebe and Auntie Kate will end her summer in Indy on a high note - for her AND for us!

Georgia in Video

Since I (or Phoebe) have misplaced my battery charger for my camera, it's officially dead - and now that we've placed the order for a replacement, I'm sure it'll turn up tomorrow! In the meantime, I figure a little video tribute to our time down south is the next best thing.

We spent a LOT of time in Nana and Papa's pool. Phoebe is certainly working on her way to becoming a fish.

On Tuesday, we made our way to the ridiculously expensive Georgia Aquarium and although we had one very cranky toddler on our hands, a good time was had by all. We saw some pretty amazing sea creatures. And I know a few of us got a good work out in chasing around our crazy two year old - I'm not sure why we bothered bringing a stroller.

Phoebe had a blast with cousin Ella - she turns four later this month and they became fast friends - in and out of the water. As you can see, we may have a little bully on our hands. I get a kick out of her crazy, evil laugh. If they weren't in the pool, they were playing with babies. Ella calls Phoebe "Phe-Baby" and has since she was born - it may just stick.

Here's just a short one showing off her new-found swimming skills.

And here's one with our newest family member - Coco. She stayed at YiaYia and Papou's while we were away and had a fantastic time with Kali. She's sleeping through the night but we're still working on going to the bathroom OUTside. She's a great puppy. She gained TWO pounds while she stayed with them but we're pretty sure it was because she liked Kali's food better than her own. She feels lighter already - which is a good thing - I'm not sure what Phoebe will do if Coco gets too big for her to pick up.

We'll post pictures once the battery charger replacement arrives - or we find the original one in some obscure hiding place - whichever comes first. Either way, we already miss Georgia - Phoebe has asked to go back to Nana's house every day since we've been home. We enjoyed every minute there and we can't wait to see everyone again over the holidays!