My oh my

how time does fly.  Click here to visit Kirby's 6 month post a year ago.  Today she is 18 months.  How?  Where is the pause button?  The above timeline of snaps is me trying to get her 18 month pictures in the big green chair.  In the 2nd and 3rd pictures, she is at least saying "cheese" through her medicine cap.  Silly girl.  She picked up on saying "cheese" with a camera last month when I was taking valentine pictures of a little boy.  His parents kept saying, "say cheese", so, naturally, Kirby started saying "cheese" while we were taking his pictures. The little boy never did, but she sure let it rip.  Now every time someone says, "we are going to take a picture," the word follows shortly after.  In fact, yesterday when we went to the orthopedic to take a picture of her hips (x-ray) she said, "cheese" the whole time we were walking over to the place.  I am definitely putting that in the cookie jar of memories.
Her 18 month check-up is not until Monday, so I do not have the specs on here like I did in her other milestone months in the past.  I guess I have gotten lazy as a mother already.  Gruff.  I am going to guess though, and will post Monday how close I was.
Weight: 25 lbs
Height: 31"
She eats: just about anything I have her try.  She loves my daddy's spaghetti and meatballs and his zucchini perrini.  She loves anything with spice to it.  Definitely a South Texan with enjoying Mexican food.  She is going through a phase where she isn't a big fan of breads/muffins.  She does eat pancakes again, though, and the other morning she walked into the kitchen, pointed to the flat iron skillet and said, "cakes".
She says: a million things all day long.  What can I make out (from the top of my head) that is new: number 1-6, 10; hot dog; thank you; bless you; more (said while signing crazily like she will die if she doesn't get it stat); please (while signing); no,no,no; baby (while signing); love you; down; up; orange; apple; beery; daddy ray; eg em (while pointing her finger - trying to teach her gig em).
She loves to run, jump, march, and drive (we live on a farm so they start before they are potty-trained).  Lately she is becoming closer to CR, which is so great.  He has been taking care of her (even if its just a ride to John Deere or to check on the fields) on Friday mornings so that I can actually thoroughly clean the house.  It is amazing how much I can get done in 2 hours with the mindset of "this is my only opportunity".  I can clean the entire 2500 square foot house top to bottom and start a workout during that time.
Here are some other things going on around the farm, taken from Instagram on my phone.  Tomorrow I have a post brewing in my mind and heart, so come back late tomorrow afternoon or Saturday morning to read about "Suffocating".

 Well, this was actually last month at Grandma's.  Not sure if you can tell, but her leggings match my shirt.  I don't do that ever - so I had to since I found something so close.  It was quite fun I must say.

 She was all ready to go to John Deere with Daddy.  Pinked out so that those men over there would not call her "buddy" this trip.

 CR is burning some junk stalks so that the land is ready to plant.  Such a task driven job farming is, but what a blessing it is to see the harvest.  "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” " Matthew 9:37-38  This is oh so true in so many ways.  For us right now, this is a literal meaning.  We need work hands terribly bad.  The one we have full time, well, he is part time in his head if you know what I mean.  The wonderful Minninite we were blessed with for 6 months up and went back to Mexico.  So right now it is Ray, CR, and part time help.  Please pray that the Lord would send help in His timing.  He always does, but I really see it wearing on CR this year with so much more land.  I reminded him that "God does not start something He doesn't intend to finish.  He blessed you with this extra acreage and He will see it through!"

 Kirby playing with the toys at Driscoll Children's Hospital.  This is where we go for her hip.  At her 6 month update I noticed I celebrated her getting off her brace.  Yesterday they told us that it is 95% right, that we need to watch it because if it starts to go the other direction instead of towards the 5% correct direction, then she will develop a limp and not be able to open her leg the whole way.  Think of a toe touch in the air - her right leg would only go partially to the right.  Please pray that it would continue in the right path - a brace or surgery when she is 4 does not sound fun.

 This is how we entertain Kirby when we wait for long periods of time: she watches videos on CRs phone from when she was a baby.  Her favorite is a bath time video where CR says, "Kirby, your eating the L (her alphabet bath toys).  Hahaha, your eating the L out of that L."  She chuckles like she gets it.

 Going for a drive on the lawn mower.  Because of this rendezvous on an 80 degree afternoon in South Texas, we are now covered in mosquito bites.  In February.

The oat patch that has finally come up thanks to the blessing of rain the last few weeks!

Toodles,
Lauren