More & More Kids

Just a few pics over the past month. Hunter is crawling everywhere and cruising around the furniture on 2 feet. We've caught him standing for a second or two, so walking is just a matter of time. He's also cut his 1st tooth and is a drool-monster! Maddie is in a big-girl bed now, although we continue to work through the potty training. She loves to wear mommy & daddy's socks and shoes and her vocabulary is simply exploding! Our favorite new phrases are "Oh my goodness!" and "Hey buddy!" to her little brother. Sorry for the delay since our last post!

Watching tv together tonite.

All dressed for church.

We love to take baths!

A happy little boy.



Hunter enjoying Charlie, and vice versa!

A couple more from Grammy

Just started crawling...no stopping me now!

And another beautiful dress by Grammy!

Just returned from a impromptu trip to Tenn due to a death in the family, so the Halloween pics are a bit late. Shannon is still there due to an illness she came down with, and Bill & Maddie are back home. In no particular order....

Showing off Uncle Patrick's trade!

Maddie and best friend Tyler....cowboy & indian!!

Our little monkey, literally.

Mom and Maddie pre-trick or treating.

Weekend trip / Kids

So while the grandparents were visiting, Bill & Shannon got their 1st weekend away since Hunter joined us! They visited wine country in central CA, hitting Santa Maria, Solvang and San Luis Obispo. It was fantastic! Sleeping in, eating out, and tasting different wines...just a great, relaxing weekend. Thanks to Grammy and Pop pop for babysitting all weekend!! Below are a couple pics of the trip, and several of the more popular subject....the kiddos! Enjoy.

A Dutch colony in the middle of CA! More importantly, this is where Lance and the Discovery cycling team off-seasoned for several years.


Santa Maria was beautiful and we stumbled into a wonderful Fall Festival.

Shannon's new favorite pic.

Goofy little girl.

Hunter is sitting, but also beginning to crawl now!

Visit from Grammy & Pop Pop

A few pictures from the visit...

Maddie loves her Pop Pop!

Three generations on Pop Pop's harley!

No caption required....

Grammy made this dress for you know who!

B'day party!

Here's some recent pics from Maddie's b'day extravaganza, and some just hanging around the house. Enjoy!

The inflatable caterpillar was a hit!

Grandma w/the kiddos.

Maddie's fav. new outfit and accesories.

The Dora b'day cake w/kids galore.

Maddie likes to wear daddy's Marine cover.

Hunter sportin' a hoodie!

Another ER visit

Sept. 11th. A day we will never forget. Now, the Maples family has another reason not to forget it....it's the day our daughter broke her first (and hopefully her last) bone. She was playing on a jungle gym, and fell about 5 feet off a ledge and landed on her wrist. She has buckle fractures in both her radius & ulna, which meant that she got a full arm cast. She is handling it really well. She has to wear it for 4 weeks, and can't get it wet, which is proving to be a real challenge in the bathtub.

Critters & Kids

So the past few days have brought a number of different critters to our domain. Thought we'd share a few pics of those, as well as our harvest and of course the kids. Enjoy!

Maddie decided to wear daddy's socks & shoes.

Daddy's favorite time w/Hunter.

Unwelcome tobacco hornworms invaded our tomatoes! They died.

Pepper harvest

Another unwelcome visitor! It died too.

Friends' Adoption Fundraiser

Hi All! Some old friends of mine are adopting a little girl, and have set up a fundraiser to help defray the costs of airline tickets to bring her home from Taiwan. They are having a live auction via webcam on August 30th for many donated prizes. Most of the prizes are relevant only if you live in the Knoxville area, but there is still the option to make a donation if you feel led to do so. Please check out their website and keep them in your prayers. This has been a long journey for them, and it is exciting to see it finally coming to an end. To go to the website, simply click on the title of this post or type in http://bearsforclaire.blogspot.com

August

Hunter is reaching for everything now, and rolling at will! He is a smiley kid, and for that we're grateful. Maddie loves her little brother, even when he pulls her hair. Her vocabulary expands everyday, and daddy's favorite thing is her response when we call her: "Yeah dada?" He also enjoys when she says "hode you dada, hode you" as she's still working on her 'L' pronunciation. She's good w/it when it comes to "lol-pop" or "li-aid" (lemonade) though! Below are some recent pictures of random events.

Big sis & Lil bro

Just a few more pics from the week. Hunter enjoys his new seat and chew toys and Maddie enjoys climbing all over Charlie!

New Accomplishments

What a month we've had! We left our house with the noisy swamp cooler in June, and came home in July to A/C w/no noisy, flapping vents every time the wind blew. It has been so nice, especially since it has been somewhat humid out here (swamp cooler doesn't work well in humidity). Bill's mom flew back with Shannon and the kids so she wouldn't have to fly w/them both by herself. She then stayed to help unpack the house. I'm happy to say that within 3 or 4 days we had all but a handful of boxes unpacked (most of them books going in the library), and pictures hung back on the wall. While we weren't eager to move out and then back in, I have to admit that it was relatively painless (except for the nights spent in temporary housing w/the mice & roaches).



While Carolyn was here, we decided to try to potty-train Maddie. Carolyn spent a total of about 5 hours in the kitchen working intensively with her on teaching her to use the potty. Unfortunately, at the time, Maddie had just been diagnosed with a UTI, which made it hard to get her excited about going to the potty. Despite that major obstacle, I'm happy to say that she has had great success. She still needs reminders to go, but she is getting better about going every day. She's even had 2 days w/no accidents!



She's also communicating a LOT more. She repeats everything you say (so we really have to watch what we say). The other day she grabbed the squirt bottle, pointed it at Charlie, and said "Enough!". Poor dog, but that's exactly what we say when he barks incessantly. She's enjoying working her puzzles, playing outside in her water table or swimming, and playing with her brother. She can't get enough of that kid! We're very blessed that she loves him so much.



Hunter has become much more active. Since we got home, he has rolled over from his belly to his back and has come very close to rolling completely over from his back to belly. He's grabbing at toys, sitting up in his bumbo seat, putting everything in his mouth, drooling non-stop, and still smiling all the time. He's a very happy baby. As of his appt last week, he was 15lb 6oz!!! So, he's a solid little boy!

Hunter's 1st solid food!

Hunter no longer sleeps through the night since we started traveling a month ago :( Momma is up a couple times a night now. So, we decided to try the old trick of feeding the baby some cereal to fill his belly for the night. Great plan, but it didn't work out so well. He just kicked it all back out! We'll try again soon, though, cuz momma needs some sleep!

Tenn Trip

Well the month-long Tenn. trip has come to an end, so we thought we'd share some photos from our time there. Bill could only stay for a week, but Shannon and the kids got to stay for an extra 2 weeks to catch up with family and friends. We spent some time on the Maples farm, some in the Bell pool, and lots of time seeing folks. Hope you enjoy!

Maddie's new favorite pasttime.

Four generations of Galbraith ladies!!

Maddie got some seat time on Pop Pop's tractor!

Hunter being his usual happy self.

Quotes from Maddie

Maddie is becoming more vocal w/each passing day, stringing words together into short sentences so we can understand much more. Some recent quotes that have brought smiles to our faces:

• "All done dada." This quote was mid-hug as daddy was laying Maddie down for the night. She was obviously over the whole hug thing and ready to get on w/the sleeping thing!
• "Beep beep Charlie!" We've used beep beep to warn Maddie that a door is opening or that we need to pass by her. She used it today to get past our Great Dane.
• "I'm coming" or "running" She does this while running down the sidewalk, down the hallway, or anywhere else she has the room & freedom to run!
• "Excuse me" This comes after Hunter, Daddy, or Maddie toots or burps (Mommies don't toot or burp)!
• "Down low" We decided it was time to teach her "down low, too slow" since she'd mastered the high five. We get some good belly laughs out of this game :)

Here's some recent photos as well:

We're headed to TN this week, so we'll post our next update after we return next month. Until then....

Hunter's 2mo check

Hunter had his 2mo. checkup this week, weighing in at 12lb 1oz and measuring 22 1/2". He's a growing boy!

Maddie and daddy have had an off week, Maddie w/an ear infection and daddy w/a 24hr virus of some sort and a lingering sore throat. No big plans for the Mem. Day weekend, other than spending time together before Bill heads to Yuma and San Diego on travel. Shannon and kids will join him in Yuma to catch up w/old friends and to get some family pictures made, so stay tuned for some great pics!

Lazy Sat afternoon

Just a few pics/video from our afternoon. Our neighbors moved to NC last week and were kind enough to leave their swing which is Maddie's favorite! We have great shade in the front yard which makes the evenings wonderful to enjoy in the grass. Even Charlie gets to enjoy...

Think she's having fun?

Daddy's nap was quickly interrupted.

Hangin' w/the dog after mowing the yard.

Maddie and daddy.