Friday's Really Long Post

It's Friiiiiiday! We love Fridays because that means that the Daddy gets to join in on our fun for a few days! Here is how our day commenced:

6:40ish: Wake-Up call from an 18 month old who was barking like a dog and mooing like a cow.

7-9:30: Eat breakfast, watch Barney and Sports Center, put in laundry (I bet you can't guess which of us is doing each of these activities). Daddy goes to work. Get ready for Gymboree. I've decided that this child needs some interaction with kids her own age, so we are giving Gymboree another go. It was fun last time but our lives got really hectic a month later and we stopped going.

10-12:30: Gymboree. Preface: I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute, so feel free to skip on down if you don't want to hear it. Here goes. My child is 18 months old as you all know. The kids in her Gymboree group are 18-24 months. This is PLENTY old enough to behave, in most cases. I realize that toddlers are only capable of following a few rules, but seriously. Seriously! I can not stand to watch these little rascals run lawless around Gymboree. Why do parents even bring their kids, why pay the money, if you aren't going to at least try to make your kid participate in the program? And guess what happens when the child of the lazy parent starts pulling out all the cool hidden toys while my kid is supposed to playing an organized activity with a parachute? Yep, she drops that parachute like bad habit and makes a beeline for those cool toys. There goes my attempt at making my rambunctious, stubborn, nosey girl focus and participate. Stay home, lazy moms. I've got enough on my hands without trying to make your kid pay attention. You are ruining it for everyone else. Ok. I feel much better. It must be the teacher coming out in me! I'm sure it was because I snatched up those cool hidden toys, put them out of reach, and walked my girl straight back to the parachute with a smile. Anyway, she did love Gymboree and chattered all afternoon in her little language about everything under the sun!

12:30-2:15: Naps for all.

2:15-3:00: Lunch for all.

3-4: Quick trip to Target. Cereal, yogurt, bread, water, bananas...check.

4-4:30: Outside feeding ducks, throwing rocks in the lake, dancing, singing, playing with sticks, and such.

4:30-5:30: Some more Barney, dinner for AC, playing with her horses and babies.

5:30-6:00: Daddy gets home. More fishing.

6:10: AC bedtime. Daddy and I eat leftovers and start cleaning up the debris left scattered about by the little tornado that is our daughter. Oh, and I remembered that I put laundry in the washer this morning and forgot to put it in the dryer. Great.

I want to call this next section Friday's Favorites. These are all of our favorite things (this week)!

This week, AC loves...

1) This movie

I mean l.o.v.e.s.s.s.s.s. it!! She stands in her little chair and just yells at the TV with excitement. It trumps Barney every time. And that is a huge deal. I must say, it is adorable. I almost cried when I watched it the first time. Makes me miss my papaw. It's must-see, if you haven't already.

2) Ducks. Well, she actually likes feeding the ducks bread more than just the ducks alone. I have to keep her constantly preoccupied or she stands at the door and begs to go out all day long.

3) Dress-up clothes. More specifically, the princess outfit Mamaw and Papaw got her for Christmas. She wore it all day on Tuesday, even when we went to the park. No, I'm not kidding.

This week, Daddy loves...

1) Our new programmable coffee maker. It's nothing fancy. Just a Mr. Coffee. But we have fresh brewed coffee every morning at 6:30.

2) This show. He doesn't watch much TV, but he really loves this show. CBS. Thursday. 8 pm. Watch it!
3) His iPad. And he l.o.v.e.s.s.s.s.s.s.s it. I wasn't into it a first. I don't have an iPhone and am not into all these mobile devices. But it is so very cool. We are addicted. He won it in a contest. If you get one, I promise you'll love it.
This week, Mama loves...

1) Twitter. It's better than Facebook, for real. I am slightly obsessed. Just ask my sister.
2) General Hospital. I just love it and have since I was 13 years old. My very first episode was Stone's memorial service. They got me right then and there. Hook, line, and sinker. And today happens to be a big day on GH. Perhaps the pinnacle of my viewing history. I'll spare you the details, but I'm loving it!! I know, I know...I need a job, right?
3) This little foot filer. We wear sandals all year here and that is hard on a Mama's heels. I can't go without this little guy. I heart him.
4) Blogs. I have been reading blogs for a few years, way before I started one of my own. You really should find a few that you enjoy. I read blogs instead of watching TV. My most favorite blog is this one:
"Enjoying the Small Things" by Kelle Hampton. She is pretty awesome and really inspires me to be a better friend, daughter, sister, wife, and mostly, mom. If you are new to blogs, this is a wonderful place to start. Click on the red "Enjoying the Small Things" to check it out. Make sure to click on the "Start Here If You're New Tab" at the top. I promise you won't be disappointed.

And of course, we are all loving each of you! Happy long weekend, everyone.

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!