Youtube!

We have set up a youtube page so that people can view our uploaded family videos.  We just put up a few of Shelby laughing (our latest obsession) at a toy box that her "Momo" made for her.  The link is below and also on the right side of the page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJkinnairdgt

Car trips and Shelby don't go well together!

This is an adorable picture of Harding holding a content Shelby's hand on the way home from the beach last month. That car trip went surprisingly smoothly. Apparently she was just teasing us.

If I had taken a picture of them (particulary Shelby) on the way home from Atlanta at 9, 10, or 11, or even 12 p.m. last night, it would have not looked like the sweet picture of sibling bonding above. You see, our normally good-natured smiley baby turns into a whole different infant when we try to drive somewhere for more than an hour. Trip and I agreed when we were on our 3rd nursing stop (for a normally 3 and 1/2 hour car-ride) that this was Shelby's last long car trip till she gets a bit older. Then we remembered that we have to go back to Duke next month. Oh well. We realize that Shelby is very laid back, sleeps through the night, and almost never fusses, so she should be allowed to "express herself" in the car.

On the upside, we had a really nice stay at Trip's grandparents' house in Decatur on Friday and Saturday. Harding absolutely loved being spoiled by his "Granny" and "Papa Gene". Also, Trip took Harding to the Georgia Tech game yesterday afternoon and they beat Wake Forest in overtime! It was an ugly win, but a win all the same. While the boys watched football, Shelby and I got to visit with my friend Melanie and her very cute baby Henry, and then eat at a really good Mexican restaurant with the Hannah family. It was great to hang out with old friends and I am kicking myself  now for not bringing my camera (five-month-old babies are really cute together).

Mommy's Funny

Laughter two days in a row!  This time it was mommy's turn to make her laugh.  Tiff started tickling her and Shelby was just cracking up.  Even better--she would start laughing in anticipation when Tiff told her she was about to get tickled.

More laughter

I am so glad I caught this father-daughter moment on film today. There are a couple significant things about this video. First, Shelby is cackling like crazy. She smiles all the time when she hears our voices and sometimes gives us a little bit of a giggle, but she doesn't laugh out loud on a daily basis. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that she can't see very much. She only laughs when someone is kissing her or tickling her, and not every time (she's a tough crowd). Second, notice how Shelby keeps reaching out and touching Trip's face. She is starting to do this with us more and more and it makes me really happy. The eye contact is not there, and I'm realizing that it doesn't matter--we are still connecting! She is initiating physical contact with us! Such a sweet girl. We love her so much!

Halloween Fun

, Even though it was rainy yesterday and Trunk or Treat was cancelled at church, we still managed to have a wonderful Halloween. Harding dressed up as a monkey. He actually wore the same costume last year, but since it still fit him and he didn't remember wearing it previously, we went with it again. Trip and I were prepared for Harding to be afraid of people in masks or scary costumes, but he wasn't at all. He got really into trick-or-treating and didn't want to hold our hands as we walked up to people's doors. The whole West Asheville Halloween scene was totally surreal--all the houses were decked out with scary decor and the streets were packed with costumed children and adults. I felt like we were in the movie ET. On the way home, Harding kept saying, "I think I like candy!". In fact, he wanted to start in on eating his "loot" at 7 this morning.

Harding and Trip carving the pumpkin grown by Barbara and John:

Shelby and her monkey brother:

Harding with our sweet next-door neighbor, Haven:

Do you see what I mean about West Asheville?

Happy Halloween!