Under Construction

Phillip, Lu, and I just got back from a quick trip to Birmingham to do a little checking on our house, playing in the pool, and visiting with friends. If you didn't know, the house we rent out in Birmingham was damaged in the tornadoes a couple of months ago and we are having things fixed. Luckily we are very happy with our contractor and the work that is being done. The sad part is that our street is virtually unrecognizable. It is very sad. There are no trees left and just looks weird. They said that it was a F-2 tornado that didn't touch down. At least it didn't touch down. I can only imagine the damage it could have done if it had. Luckily everyone was safe. If you knew our house before, it is so crazy to see the change.

Below:

The house looks fine, but the yard is amazing. That green house was not visible before the storm.

Carport side of the house, looking into the backyard. The rebuilt addition is the yellow color.

Our backyard. Very sad looking. We used to have trees. Our yard stops where the trees begin.

The addition.

The neighbor to our left has A LOT of work to do. They had a ton of damage. We used to not be able to see into their backyard.
Our front yard. Still waiting on FEMA to pick up these giants.
So much for putting the house on the market. More fun pictures from out trip to come.

Chomping at the Bit

This weekend we found a new friend. His name was Froggy Froggy. We found him stuck to our back door. This cute little frog stayed with us for most of Saturday. We made the mistake of leaving him in the house when we went to a friend's house and when we returned he had made his great escape. Luckily Phillip found him all wrapped up in a dust bunny later that night. Poor thing was terrified. Lu kept saying how "cute" he was. We had to set him free so he could find his Mommy and Daddy. We thought he might be missing them.

And this girl loves some corn! She pretty much doesn't miss a kernel. I just thought she looked cute eating it.

Daddy is so silly.

Natural Science Lesson

Today we went to the LSU Museum of Natural Science. It is just a free little museum run by the department there. Lu was not quite sure what to make of all of the stuffed animals. Not the kind of stuffed animals she is used to. We learned that she doesn't like snakes or large bears. She does like rabbits and tiny frogs. There wasn't much to it, but it was something free to do on a hot day.

Attention Ben Skipper: This is Lu in front of birds of prey in your honor. We needed you there to tell us more about them.

She did like the polar bear, because it was behind glass.

We kept going back to the rabbit and saying "Aww, it's so cute."

Then she actually wanted to take a picture. That's because it was with Mike the Tiger. This is the actual first Mike that LSU had. I'm trying to be better about posting.

Rainy Days

It has been a little rainy here lately and today was no exception. The morning was touch and go and I thought that we would brave the zoo. We made it without getting really wet, so that was nice. It was a little break from the suffocating heat. Our friends met us there and the girls had a great time.

After nap we played in our big girl room for a while. We played beauty parlor and pretended her rug was a swimming pool. The tutu was her "bathing soup". That is why there is no shirt on. She also lined up all of her animals so they could watch her swim. All eyes on her, always. Do you think a new baby is going to rock her world or what?!?!

Linely and Lucy.

About to play beauty parlor and swimming pool. Notice the audience.

And meet our newest member, Jonathan. We "feed" him every morning. Tonight Jonathan got a haircut and we have really enjoyed taking care of him. He came from Lowe's if you're interested; they have other animals too. We're not really sure why she named him Jonathan, but it has stuck.

Ok...I'm Kind of Back

If there is anyone still out there, I'm going to make an attempt to be a better blogger. We have had quite a bit going on in our lives and blogging was just not a priority. A few things... we are expecting our second in October and this time it is a boy. We couldn't be happier. Lu is in a big girl room and has done GREAT! I can't even believe it. So, I'm so far behind I'm not even going to attempt to catch up. We are just going to start from here. First things first, I want the grandparents to see her big girl room. She is super proud of it and loves to be in there. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Most of the stuff we already had and the other things I found.

I got that special painting for her and I LOVE it! The picture doesn't do it justice.

Our newest addition "Baby Skippy" (as Lu calls him)...

This is like he is sitting on the camera. You can see his boy parts. There is no doubt. This is him looking at the camera. He was 20 weeks old here. Now I am 22 weeks along. He is VERY active. I was hoping for a more chill baby this time around. Evidentally we produce some movers!

Getting back up to speed with the Skippers

Hey guys! Sorry that the blog has not been updated in a long time, but Fran has been feeling pretty sick these days (baby Skipper #2 is on the way!). I asked if I could post a few photos to keep you all up to date on Lucy's adventures and dress-up parties. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I will keep the narrating to minimum.

The photos are:

1. Lucy's 2-year birthday party and the cupcakes she helped Mommy make.

2. Young Jedi at Mardi Gras.

3. Lucy helping Daddy wash Mommy's car.

I will post more this weekend. Hope all is well with everyone and Happy Easter!

Warm Weather, Finally

The weather has finally warmed up. I hope it stays that way for a while, not too hot though. Since it was finally nice enough to get outside and enjoy it, we headed to the zoo. Lucy likes it more and more each time we go. We stayed a long time, too long actually. We are working on two weeks without our pacifier during the day. I haven't mentioned it, because it didn't want to jinx it. It has gone really well. Sassy stays in the bed and if she wants it she has to be in bed. She was very addicted to it, so I was nervous. Knock on wood, it has gone great! But, a tired girl, past her nap time, in the car, no pacie: NOT FUN! We made it and I didn't give in, so I know next time will be better.

Lucy and Calvin posing in front of the tiger. They are flower girl and ring bearer in a wedding in April. Won't they be cute!

Smart girl. She had Calvin pushing her around the zoo.

Then they checked out the flamingos. Don't you wish you knew what they were laughing about.

Then Daddy had a photo shoot when she got out of the bath. This is one of our favorite times. She is usually really happy!