The fair, fountains, and potty time!

We have been enjoying Stephens Lake Park and the fountains . . . Carly loves the water and watching the other kids.


We have had a potty in the bathroom for several months now, hoping Carly will get used to it and maybe even curious. She knows it is her potty and that you "pee" and "poo" in the potty. She has even done one of each in the potty in the last couple of weeks. We realize she's not quite ready and can't always tell us when she has to go, but we want to encourage her all we can. Hopefully if we keep it in our conversation it will all sink in sooner rather than later. This is a picture of the first time she went and we clapped and cheered.

We went to the Ozark Empire Fair at the end of July. Carly attended her first concert. We saw the Beach Boys with my parents. It was a really great day and we had beautiful weather. You couldn't have asked for a better day at the fair and an outdoor concert. Of course, Carly loved the music and danced, danced, danced.

SDC - Splash Harbor

Independence Day

(For some reason I cannot rearrange the pictures - but I think you can figure them out.)

We went to FG for Independence Day and we had some great adventures. On Thursday we went to Silver Dollar City. This was Carly's first visit to SDC that she has really been able to enjoy. There were lots of things for her to discover and try.

On Saturday we went to the Dickerson Park Zoo. We weren't sure quite what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised. It made for a great afternoon and we got up close and personal with a couple of giraffes. Then we spent some time in the pool at Jody and Tiffany's. That night we enjoyed a few fireworks and a campfire at my parents' house.

Summer Fun

On Sunday we went to a free concert in the garden at Shelter Garden.



Carly and I were able to spend another afternoon in the pool with Jody and Tiffany. Carly had a great time and made Jody's day by saying his name for the first time.

We have also had some fun playing in the hose at home.

Vacation June 2009

We have been busy having fun over the last couple of weeks. Jon and I celebrated our 6th anniversary and my dad's 56th birthday on May 31. We went to my parents' house that weekend and they kept Carly on Saturday while Jon and I spent the night in Branson and went to Silver Dollar City. We love Carly more than anything, but we really enjoyed the toddler-free day. We were able to ride the roller coasters, walk around without a stroller, and witness no temper tantrums for 24 hours.

Jon was on vacation that week, so we spent part of the week in FG. We spent an afternoon with Jody and Tiffany hanging out in the pool. Carly wasn't sure at first, but she warmed up to the water and had a great time.

We also spent a couple of nights at one of my favorite places, the Hermitage State Park campground! We borrowed Dad's camper and headed to the lake. Carly LOVED camping. She thought the pop-up was exciting and she really enjoyed being outside all the time.

She enjoyed the "beach" and dropping rocks in the water to make a splash.

As you can see, the beach took all of her energy and she enjoyed a relaxing evening at the campsite. Uncle Tom would be proud!

Willis/Class family pictures

We had family pictures taken about a month ago. I wanted to try to share them with everyone, but I didn't get very good copies loaded.

The Park and Relay for Life

Just wanted to share some pictures of Carly at the park. She loves to watch the big kids and follow the boys around. She is definitely a fan of the slide.

The last picture is one of Carly and my mom at the Relay for Life in Springfield. Carly got to meet her first clown.