Well, Hello Year 29!

Today is my birthday! It is the day that marks the beginning of the last year of my 20's. All I wanted was for my girl to be happy and easy going. So, Daddy and I did things to make this happen. It all started early (because that's how we roll around here...e.a.r.l.y.) this morning when Daddy took her to pick up this little birthday surprise.

Of, course she ate one. Or half of one. The furry dog swiped most of it, as usual. After donuts, I got my gift. You know you're getting old when this present makes you jump for joy, literally. Hooray for steam mops!

Perhaps the best part of the day was the 2 1/2 hour nap that AC took. Thanks, sweet baby. After nap time, I continued my crusade for a tantrum and whine-free birthday. Therefore, we took a little trip over Monkey Joe's for the very first time.

AC had a blast. As soon as we got on the first contraption (for lack of a better word), she spotted a 3 year old boy who had on a Toy Story shirt. Well, that was it. She loved him. Who wouldn't? He had Woody AND Buzz on his shirt. Totally awesome! She spent the next 2 hours chasing him around all the bouncy things.

Getting ready to go into the first area.

This was my view most of the time. She never sat still. And yes, I had to go in with her. She is too young to do it alone. I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle and will most definitely be sore tomorrow. There's a reason almost-30 year olds don't get in bouncy houses.

I swear she heard the angels sing when she saw this beauty! Ride, ride, ride! Ride, ride, ride!

To end this wonderful day, Daddy took her fishing.

Watching Daddy bait his hook.

Yay! They caught one! She loved it.

And another! Look at that smile!

And another!

I think I've got a little fisherman on my hands. It was a wonderful day. Many thanks to those who sent birthday wishes. Every year that I get to spend my birthday with Daddy and my girl is a great one!

Headache and Haiti

I NEVER get headaches. Never. I've had less than 10 headaches my entire life and 2 of those I consider migraines. Well, I have one today. I think it is from stress or the fact that I have eaten nothing but junk today (PB&J for breakfast, Doritos for lunch, my birthday cake for a snack, and McDonald's for dinner). That's enough to make anyone feel horrible. I don't have much stress, actually next to none, but today was hectic. Breaks in the routine make me anxious and that could give me a headache. The reason today was hectic...the Daddy is back from Haiti once more. Here are few of his pictures.

Haitian kids

New houses for earthquake victims.

A large Haitian family living in a tent community.

Daddy informed me that this city (not this group of tents) is the voodoo capital of the country.

The harbor at Port-au-Prince

Aerial view of Haiti (Port-au-Prince). All the blue areas are tent houses.

The University of Miami set up a mobile hospital to treat cholera.

The Haitian National Palace after the earthquake.

As you can see, it is still a very devastated place. Count your blessing, folks. And say some prayers for those who don't have many to count.

So, this 6th trip to Haiti is why we celebrated Valentine's Day early and now life can get back to normal. And my headache can go away. We love and miss you all!

Park Again

The weather is wonderful right now and my girl wants to be out in it as much as possible.

So, so, so, so, so tired. I can't wait for tomorrow. Life gets back to normal around here.

Love Day

Love Day is a day for the daddy and his daughter.

And he made her a very, very, very happy girl with these two little tokens.

I love them both and am so very thankful for each day with them. One lucky Mama here.

Ordinary Day

Not much going on here. The weather was amazing today...about 70 with a slight breeze. Perfect. We ran some errands, played in our fort, read some books, watched Barney, ate leftover baked ziti for lunch. Daddy came home early and took his girl fishing in the lake out back. She loved it. I don't have many pictures of our day today, but here are a few.

Such a big girl.

Giving Mama the evil eye.

Here are a few pictures I found on Daddy's iPhone. I love them.


Happy Valentine's Weekend! We've already celebrated and I'll tell you why in a few days!!

A Fort

Today was a wonderful day. I woke up at 6:01 am and couldn't believe my ears. I had to wake up Daddy just to make sure it was really happening. I don't think he appreciated this very much. He mumbled, "Yeah, I hear her" and went right back to sleep. It was real and it was so, so, so funny. I heard AC babbling crazily and then busting into belly laughs. She was cracking up! It was almost as if she were telling herself jokes. This went on for about 2 minutes before I went to her. I never figured out what was so funny. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her or her room. Who knows, but it was a wonderful way to start the day, even if we were up at the literal crack of dawn. She was really good all morning. She slept for over 2 hours at nap time. She devoured her lunch and didn't fight with me at all to sit and eat. Not one single tantrum. You hear me. Not one. No time-outs. Nothing. Just a precious girl who was so much fun. Anyway, here is the highlight of our day...a fort!

I wanted to find an alternative to the couch cushions as they are getting mightily misshapen from all the play. Here is what I came up with. A quilt over 3 chairs. It was a big hit!

She would enter on this side, where the quilt was the shortest. And we want Aunt Meg to know that her hoarding tendencies were in full effect as she gathered EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, she could carry and brought it into the fort. *My child does wear clothes even though it may appear otherwise!
Here is what was left of the fort at nap time. Look closely and you will see my Nikes, a broom, a stick, the diaper bag, Barney, Doggie, a basket with diapers and wipes, and the list goes on. After nap time I put the quilt back on and we continued to play. Yes, I had to get in the fort. So did our 75 lb. dog. It got rather toasty inside there.
And here is G enjoying what is left of the fort after the munchkin went to bed.
We hope you all enjoyed your day just as much as we did! Hopefully we can make it two in a row!

Surprise!

When we left home about 4 weeks ago, our luggage was really, really heavy. So, Nina promised to mail us all the things we couldn't fit. Well, today we found a big brown box sitting on our front door step. It was full of lots of fun things for my girl. Guess what her most favorite was?

The girl loves her some Barney. She was so excited to find him. It made my entire day. And of course, we found our dress-up clothes.

And a wonderful Valentine's Day card! It unfolded to make a big horse poster. Perfect for this little horse fanatic.

And then there was her dog. I found him here, sitting by the window, with a balloon that she got from the grocery today. She even put it on his paw. This girl makes me laugh.
Oh, and yesterday was Mamaw's birthday! We hope you had a great birthday, Mamaw! We love and miss you so very much!!!