The Downing Family

We had a huge day in the Downing house today! Sally went to her first day at Alpha Academy, Ted started his new job as a marketing director in Dallas, and I started my new year at Liberty.


The pictures were a great indicator of a great day for Sally. She loves her school! She didn't take a nap today, but we didn't expect her to....just way too much going on! She's told us all about her first day and she's ready to go again!

Ted and I also had good days! I love new beginnings!

Sally's "baby brudder" will be here sometime around January! We're all so excited to welcome a new little boy! He's already got a painted nursery, bedding, and even some clothes!

So far I think Operation Big Girl Bed is a success!

Last week I put her new bed in her room. I didn't think she was ready to move into it, but that night there was no convincing her to sleep in her crib. The bed wasn't completely ready. I had to quickly put sheets on it at bed time and in she went!
Thursday, July 28, 2011...Big Girl Bed night # 1.
The first night we told her that she has to stay in her bed and if she got out she would have to get in her crib (its still in her room, hence the awkward bed positioning). Now she tells me before bed, "Remember, if I get out of my bed, I have to get in my crib." So, as long as this works, the crib might have to stay in there forever! Now, she did fall out that first night. Our sweet girl just rolled over on the floor and went back to sleep. She never flinched when I moved her back to her bed. Since then she's been happy (and still) as a clam in there!
Since last Thursday she has been sleeping like a champ and taking marathon naps!
These pictures were taken during a 3+ hour nap yesterday afternoon. I tried to wake her up once and it didn't work. I guess that bed is comfy!

Her room is definitely still a work in progress. I thought moving to a big bed would be a process and it would give me a little time to get everything together...I better shift into high gear now and get that big girl room finished!

One of the highlights of our OKC trip was fishing off of Grandmums and Grampa's dock. Sally caught her first fish!
She loved fishing with her daddy (but doesn't she look hot in this picture??).
"More bread please, Grandmums. Those fish are hungry!"
Patience....
This makes me think of the song "She Thinks We're Just Fishing," and I tear up a little each time I think about it! I love these two!

And-- of course the picture of her prize first fish is on my phone.....

One HOT weekend in July we went to OKC to spend some time with Grandmums and Grampa. We had such a good time! We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to the OKC zoo to see the baby elephant. Grandmums knows how to visit the zoo...in a golf cart! We had our very own golf cart and driver. It was wonderful! We loved the baby elephant! She is so cute!
"Wow, your hand is big, Mr. Monkey!"
She's telling us what a monkey says!
Daddy and his girl!
Sally and Grandmums love the zoo!!

One of the joys of summer is having time to have some of our good friends over to play!

Lisa and Will, Jennie and Harper, and Kristen and Ava came over a few weeks ago to let the kids play for the morning and give the mommies a chance to catch up!

(Sally really was having fun...but her happy faces were on the other pics...I got the pick the best of the six or seven takes! Photographing toddlers is a whole new animal!)

We had a fabulous 4th with our sweet friends, the Johnson's. Sally asks about Piper and Bash almost daily, so I know it was a highlight of the summer to spend the afternoon with them!

Our silly girls! They really are two peas in a pod!
This was the most normal picture that we took with our camera...oh, two year olds!

Oh man, Sally loves baby Campbell. She thought it was so cool to get to lay on the floor with her two good friends! An action shot of dessert after swimming. I promise Taylor was there. Somehow we never got a picture of her!

What a fun afternoon!