Thursday, November 3, 2011

Halloween Vacation on the Coast Part 1

We have been having some major fun down in Biloxi these last few days. We've been fortunate enough to spend the past week down on the coast with Jennifer's family and we still have several days to go. It's been an all you can eat seafood smorgasbord for me and I am in heaven. The weather has been really nice the last few days with highs in the 70s and a nice chill in the air every evening. Kenzie and Nana haven't wasted any time catching up. Here they are picking some satsumas off PawPaw's tree.
Picking out the right one...
 found it...
Kenzie really putting some leverage into it!
 Got it!
 Despite the cooler weather, Nana's yard is still beautiful. Here is  one of her flower beds.
  
This amazing oak tree is just across the street from Nana and PawPaw's. I've always been amazed at its size (age) and the way it leans. It survived Hurricanes Camille and Katrina!
Kenzie finally got to meet her great-grandmother Mable. She also loves sitting on her new pink stool-She'll run across the room and sit on it every time I ask her to.
 Kenzie got to help me with the pumpkin carving this year. At first she was a little leery of the gooey stuff inside the pumpkin...
She warmed up to it after a little while though....
I think our first collaborative work was quite a success!
Kenzie was just a little uncertain about the whole Trick-or-Treating thing..fortunately we were able to spend the evening at Aunt Amber and Uncle Stephen's. They literally have thousands of kids that come to their neighborhood for the festivities every year.
After a short time we were more confident and definitely got the hang of things!
We even decided to hug some of the inflatable Halloween decor...
 Kenzie kept stopping to inspect the candy in her basket.
All the walking and candy had Kenzie 'in the zone'. Fortunately Aunt Kathy was there to carry her back home!
Jennifer's Uncle Richard has a beautiful waterfront home and he invited us down to his pier for some fishing one evening. It was fantastic and Jen took some great shots-
We caught some beautiful speckled and white trout.
 Kenzie couldn't wait to spend her first afternoon on the beach. We loaded up with Aunt Amber and Uncle Stephen and headed down to Ocean Springs. They had a great playground just off the beach and Kenzie loves to slide.

 The view from the playground-
Kenzie's first few steps on the beach....
 and her first time to touch the water....
I just couldn't help myself!
My favorite of all...
  
Kenzie's having a great time...can't wait for the rest of the week!
As an aside I got in my first shipment of Christmas lights. I've got lots of work to do!
 Ashley
















Sunday, October 23, 2011

Picture Post

Things are busy these days for sure....studying....work....life. Rather than getting more and more behind with the blog, how about I just post some pictures of Kenzie? Less reading and more fun for everyone!

Playing in the park

 Meeting some animals at the fair...



 Helping me blow out my candle on my birthday! (1 candle = 30 years)
Remember 1 year ago?
The best birthday gift of all!
Having fun on the hayride with Nana

Picking out a pumpkin....
Just a picture I like...
 Playing around the house....

Check out this video of Kenzie trying to tie a shoe after watching me do it. She gets a little frustrated but she gets an A for effort!
No explanation required...just a great picture!


Have a great week,
Ashley

Monday, September 26, 2011

Fall is Upon Us!

Fall is rapidly approaching and it's been a busy few weeks around the Harris household. Fall has always been my favorite time of year-It's just hard to beat that cool morning air. After a few months of miserable heat it's nice to see the grass green again and the flowers making a comeback before the first frost. The weather isn't the only thing that is changing around here. Kenzie is growing faster than ever.  Kenzie is one cool toddler....
and I think she knows it!
 We like 'shades' of all kinds!
  
We get lots of visitors in Tupelo these days. It' funny because when we lived here during residency it was so unusual for us to have guests. Hmmmm...I wonder what could explain this? It's probably the Tupelo Buffalo Park, right?
Here's Aunt Kathy and Kenzie hanging out in the front yard.
I am happy to report that I have a future yard/Christmas lighting assistant in the works. Kenzie loves being outside and is obsessed with picking up every stick, leaf, acorn, and insect in the yard! Her apprenticeship officially begins with this years Christmas light display.
We also got an unexpected visit from Uncle Larry. It was so nice to see him even if it was only for a few days.
Here's Kenzie admiring Larry's RANGER Tab. It's almost like she knows how much hard work Larry had to put in to get it!
A few more yard pictures....
and being silly for the camera!
One of the most terrifying things I've done in a long time is sign up for the MSHA program through UAB. Each semester requires an intensive 7 day period of on site lectures (8 hours a day). It has been a LONG time since I've tried to keep my attention focused that long in one place. What's particularly scary is the fact that most of this material is like a foreign language to me. Balance sheets and income statements...What are those!? Jennifer and Kenzie came along with me to Birmingham and Nana and Pawpaw came up too. While I was being tortured by Quantitative Methods they were out having a blast :-)
Here they are at a nice mall in Birmingham...
Here's Kenzie playing with a gigantic Light-Brite at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham. Remember those?
Playing in the water with Jennifer....
  
and checking out a goat that looks like it is about to mistake Kenzie's finger for a treat. 
Kenzie is, as you might expect, is a Bulldog fan by the natural order of things. In preparation for her first MSU game, Honey picked up some accessories. Is she happy or what?

I am a little concerned regarding her comfort level with public nudity!
 Pops stealing a little sugar
 Recently we've noticed a brisk uptick in the amount of food that our outdoor cat Tux has been eating daily. His food and water bowl are just outside my study window. As you can see below we have an explanation! Now what are we going to do about it? Fortunately Pops is well trained in the art of vermin capture and removal!
  
Finally the day of the big game arrived. Here is Honey and Kenzie in the parking lot.
Everyone keeps stealing Kenzie's sugar. Even Aunt Lisa is guilty!
 
 Kenzie really enjoyed the game...well at least the first quarter. It was a great experience and we look forward to many more!
The biggest change in our household has happened over the last few weeks. We've been patiently waiting on Kenzie to realize that she has the strength and balance to walk. We've not pushed her, knowing that once she took those first steps things would be very different for us. It really is quite amazing...almost like throwing a switch. In a matter of one week we went from...
to this.....
And just like that...life is forever changed. While I am more than excited, I can't help but feeling that my little girl is growing up way too fast. I'm going to enjoy every moment!
Here's one last picture of my little monkey!


 Ashley