Puppa

During our recent vacation to Florida, Kaitlynn discovered a love for puppies. Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Jerry have 2 dogs, Gucci and Midge, as well as Uncle Justin with his dog, Shots. At first Kaitlynn was a bit fearful when the dogs came near her, but she quickly got over that and soon began chasing them all over the house saying, "Puppa! Puppa!" We would be on a golf cart ride with Kaitlynn in my lap when suddenly she would look up at me and exclaim, "Puppa!" And sure enough, I would look around and spot the dog she had seen.

Since we've been back home, she will spot dogs and puppies everywhere - TV, magazines, around the neighborhood. Now it seems that anything cute and cuddly is also a puppa. The other day we were at a mall play area when I found her admiring a baby in a carseat as she said, "Puppa!" No, Kaitlynn, it's a baby, not a puppy!

Last Trip of the Summer

Last week marked our last trip of the summer when I took the little kids to Dallas while Jeff was out of town on a business trip. It was an impromptu trip to visit 2 of my BFFs, Katherine and Dana, who just recently had new babies. I was SO excited to meet their new precious bundles, and the rest of our kiddos also had a great time playing together.

One of my goals for the trip was to give Katherine some time away from the older kids so that she could focus on baby Sarah. So I loaded up her boys, Jacob and Luke, as well as Connor and Kaitlynn for a day trip to the mall since it was 110 degrees and way too hot to play outside.

Here's a quick pic heading into the mall.



And here's another one inside the mall. You'll have to excuse my children -- I have no idea what they are doing but it sure looks indecent, haha!



We ended up going to 2 different mall play areas in 2 days. What did we ever do before indoor mall play areas?



Probably the most fun the kids had was eating at Sonic and Chickfila while we were at the mall. Here's Kaitlynn making one of her cute faces.



And here's one of Luke. I SO enjoyed getting to know Luke better during this trip. What a sweetie!!



At one point, I took all 4 kids into a toy store to look around and the store clerk looked at me incredulously as he said, "They're not all yours, are they?" Ha! Here's a pic of the three sweet boys.



Here is sweet newborn Sarah! Such a beauty! She is so lucky to have 2 older brothers to look out for her.



I am super bummed that we didn't manage to get any photos of Jackson or his precious newborn brother Ryan. But take my word for it, Ryan is SO tiny and precious!! Here is a quick pic of mine and Kat's kiddos.



We had originally planned to meet up with Dana's family again (and get pictures), but Kaitlynn ended up coming down with a high fever so we high-tailed it back to Houston so that she wouldn't infect any of the other kids. By the time we got back home, her temp was so high that we had to go straight to the doctor. (Another ear infection, surprise surprise.)

Since our visit, Connor has been talking nonstop about how much fun he had in Dallas and how much he misses his buddy Jacob. I'm so thankful we made time for this last summer trip. Maybe next time we'll have more time to visit with Dana's family, and if we're lucky Amanda will be there too! Love you girls!!

Temper, Temper

Ever wonder what happens when you say "No" to a strong-willed toddler?











If the pictures didn't say it all, then the video will:



In case you're wondering...

• Yes, she does this often.


• No, she wasn't sick or tired or anything -- just a typical afternoon.


• And yes, I'm afraid she gets her behavior from her Mama.

Fireman Tuna

One of the highlights of our Florida vacation was spending time with Uncle Justin (a.k.a. Tuna). He recently became a firefighter and now works with Engine 43 in The Villages, Florida. Since firefighters work 24-hour shifts, they sometimes spend part of their time in the firehouse cooking and making elaborate meals to enjoy for dinner. So Tuna invited us to spend an evening at the firehouse and he even cooked us a yummy spaghetti dinner! After dinner we had an awesome tour of the fire station and all of the neat equipment like the firetrucks and hoses they use to fight fires. It was so neat to see Tuna in his element and meet his fellow firefighters as well. Thanks for a fun evening, Tuna. We are so proud of you!!

Fireman Tuna



The Courtrights with Tuna in front of one of their firetrucks.



Tuna got out one of the truck's hoses and let everyone have a turn spraying the hose. Here's Connor's turn.



Kevin's turn.



Collin's turn.



Kaitlynn was just chillaxin' in her stroller.



And finally Jeff's turn. The water pressure is so strong that the water shoots out over 100 feet!



Jeff and Connor on the firetruck.

Big Brother

Recently Connor has been taking his role as big brother very seriously. Especially when other little kids come up to Kaitlynn to say hello, Connor will put a protective arm around her and guide her as she walks. When I ask what he is doing, he instantly replies, "I'm protecting her."

A Vacation Story

Once upon a time, there was a Courtright family from Houston, TX.



Every summer, they traveled by plane to join more Courtrights in Florida.



Each and every one of the Courtrights always had a blast during their vacation because there was so much to do. Riding scooters, ...



Golf cart excursions all over town, ...



Visiting a local fire station where Uncle Justin works, ...



Playing tirelessly at a local splash park, ...



Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, ...



Dancing in the evenings at the town square, ...



Bowling and goofing around with Uncle Chris, ...



Enjoying the annual men's fishing expedition, ...



But their favorite activity of all ...



Was nothing other ...



Than tons and tons of ...



Family time!



Stay tuned for more stories and adventures of the Courtright vacation in Florida!

Baby Doll

Last Christmas Kaitlynn received her very first baby doll, but we never got around to opening the box until just recently. I had noticed that Kaitlynn seems to love actual babies, so Connor and I thought she would enjoy playing with her doll. After we opened her baby and gave it to her, she immediately lit up and hugged her baby close. She gave her tons of kisses and wanted to show her off to anyone. Her maternal instinct is already kicking in at age 1, ha!





Later in the day both little kids were in bed and Jeff walked into the living room, tripping over Kaitlynn's baby. He chuckled to himself saying, "Well, THAT's never happened before." Out of all his years of being a Dad and tripping over lots of toys, he could honestly say he'd never tripped over a doll before. Ha!

In a Nutshell

The other night Jeff and I went out to eat with the 2 little kids. Kaitlynn was being a handful as usual and Connor was busy chatting in between bites of his dinner. As we were leaving the restaurant, a sweet man that had been sitting near our table walked out with us. Apparently he had been observing the kids during dinner. He said to Jeff, "Your little girl is a wily one, isn't she? And that one there (referring to Connor), he just wants to sit back and have a conversation."

Yep, that about sums it up. My 2 kids in a nutshell.

Wiggly Circus

Did you hear? The Wiggly Circus was in town last week! It was the Wiggles in concert here in Houston, and since we had so much fun last year we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend again this summer. Connor and I joined his best buddy Benjamin, Benjamin's brother Timothy, and Benjamin's parents for the show.

Here we are about to leave for the show.



The 3 boys in their seats. The anticipation is building!



And here they are, the Wiggles in their big red car!



They always put on a great show.



All 3 boys had a blast.



Connor really enjoyed the marching band number.



A couple final notes about the show.... You know your child is getting too big for the Wiggles when you try to buy a t-shirt and the biggest size they sell is too small for him. And you know you're getting old (and your life is completely lame) when you get totally starstruck seeing the Wiggles walk into the same restaurant for dinner after the show.