Summer Fun

As you can tell from the first picture (not meant to focus on my double chin), Kennedy should be making an appearance any day now. She's definitely knocking but the door's not opening. I'm predicting the next post won't be for awhile and will include our newest, sweet addition. Wish us luck!

Having fun with Daddy and the sprinkler

Getting to visit with Nelson and Bradley again!

We got to celebrate a belated first birthday with our buddy Bryson.

Isn't he soooo cute?!?!?!

Bryson didn't really "dig in" to his cake so Lily had to show him how it's done

Lately she's been sporting the Justin Bieber "do," but fortunately the babysitter is able to do something about it every now and then. Lily actually kept in the pigtails all afternoon!

Nana Camp

The following is a long overdue posting.
Most of it is from late July while John was in Alaska and Nana and Papa came to help with the Lilster. In the midst of it all, I was given an extraordinarily generous gift from my work buddies which allowed me to finally purchase a real, grown-up camera! I've been intimidated by it so it's taken me this long to download the pictures.
Enjoy!

Things that happen when Nana visits....

What do a pregnant mommy and a toddler do while daddy is away for a week???

We invite Nana and Papa to come visit and take care of us, of course!

Things we did: (and when I say "we," I mean "they")

1. Hung fans in the girls' rooms

2. Started to transition Lily into her big girl bed which included picking her up off the floor in the middle of night because she had fallen out.

3. Took Lily to get her first haircut.

4. Emptied out Kennedy's room to be ready for set up.

5. Filled Lily's room with big girl furniture!

6. Hung swings from our tree in the backyard. (When Lily wants to be pushed, she says, "I want some."

7. Had a clean house all week long.

It was loads of fun!
"Thank you" doesn't even cover it, Nana and Papa. You two are the hardest working grandparents I've ever seen and we truly appreciate it and never want to take advantage of it......well......unless I'm 9 months pregnant.

All in all, it was another week where I crammed in a lot of "firsts" for Lily. Big girl bed, haircut, new furniture, swing, and I think there may have been something else. I don't seem to be capable of spreading these things out, so wish me luck when I start trying to potty train her when I bring Kennedy home.

Alaskan Angler

Once upon a time there was a man named Ken. Ken was a smart man. He lived in a beautifully frigid place called Alaska during the summer and in a hot mess called Atlanta during the winter.

Ken met a boy at work named John and invited him to Alaska to go fishing. He told many tales of bears and whales, crabs and fish. Not to mention the heaven on earth scenery that surrounds his little cabin on a piece of land called Admiralty Island.

This boy, John, invited two of his friends to join him on this exciting excursion to the Alaskan outback for some "real" fishing. Todd and Tim jumped on board and the three of them took off early one Friday morning. After stopping in Cincinnati and Seattle, the men (and I use that term loosely) finally landed in Juneau, Alaska where it was only 54 degrees and rainy. Fortunately for the boy named John who is fearful of roller coasters and little planes and scary movies and ..., they had to take the hour long boat ride to the island instead of the floater plane which only takes 15-20 minutes.

Let the fishing begin! They fished and fished and fished and caught an octupus. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because octupus is the ideal bait for an ugly yet yummy fish called hallibut. The next day they couldn't get the fish on the boat fast enough! It was a clear day, 65 degrees and not another boat in sight. Just a bunch of whales breeching and feeding along with good company on the boat.

Once it was time to head back into the "big city" of Juneau, one of the "men" suggested they go see the glacier. Why do it the way normal tourists do it when you have free access to a floater plane? Yes, Johnny Boy got strapped in and even sat in the front seat for a bird's eye view of something you don't get to see everyday.

Everyone made it home safely and soundly and lived happily ever after with about 100 pounds of fish in our freezer.

The most handsome fisherman in Alaska
Tim, John, Todd

A look of excitement or fear?

Baby #2

Dear Kennedy,

While I'm in the letter writing mood, I thought it appropriate and important to address you, too. I have not given you adequate blog time over the past 8+ months and for that I am deeply sorry. There are many excuses I could list here for you that you won't understand until you're much older but let's just start fresh.

You are my baby baby. More than likely, my last baby.
I plan to hold you much more than I held your sister and I plan to love you till the cows come home. I can't wait to see your beautiful face and look into your perfect eyes and count all your fingers and toes while listening to you gurgle and coo.

I love having you with me each and every second because I know you're safe and being taken care of. I fear the day I have to leave you behind, separated from me on your own for the first time. Just know there will always be a piece of you and your sister with me wherever I go and that I'll never be too far away.

I can't wait to see you wear bows, dress you in frills and play dress up all for a little tea party with me and Lily. The girls. Daddy's girls. You cannot even imagine what an excellent father you have here waiting to meet you, Kennedy. You already amaze him with your active tootsies and your consistent hiccups. I think he's a little bit scared (as am I) about having you and Lily all to himself two days each week, but he's going to be just fine. I'm actually more concerned that you all will end up enjoying those two days more than the four I'm planning to spend with you!

You are a sweet, little soul who I can't wait to meet and hold and kiss on. I dream of the day the nurses bring you to my bedside and hold your anklet up to my wristband to listen to the little lullabye that indicates YOU are MY baby. There won't be a better feeling in the world!

I love you, baby girl! Keep growing. Keep getting stronger. You've got quite the big sister to contend with at home.

18 months and counting...

Here are Lily Grace's latest specs:

Weight: 24 pounds (50th percentile)
Height: 34 inches (95th percentile)
Head: priceless (literally off the charts) **I don't think there are enough chocolate Teddy Grahams in this world to apologize for this physical attribute, baby girl.**

It just means lots of brains, right?
Must be the case because her vocabulary strengthens everyday! Thanks to her father she has recently mastered the art of telling you where her butt is.

I would say she's exceeding 50 words and is definitely starting to put things together:
"Bye bye, Troy's dada."
"Ready go bye bye."
"Sit down, dada/mama/Bear."

Of course she can also identify animals and people in pictures and can recite what the animals say. Sometimes the praying mantis and/or hippo are called "mommy" (with a giggle) but other than that, she's usually right on.

Likes:
playing in water (pool, bath)
cold pizza
bagels, eggs, BLUEBERRIES
books
going to the tennis courts with daddy
tv (much to my dismay, she's a remote hog and loves her cartoons)

Dislikes:
getting out of the bathtub
going inside after playing outside
diaper changes are a hit or miss
brushing her teeth
anything I do to piss her off (i.e. hug and kiss John while saying, "MY, daddy." That doesn't go over too well.)

Contradiction:
She loves her baths but hates being bathed. Go figure.

Cheers to another fun 18 months!!!

How do I love thee....

Dear Lily,

I love you times 18 months.

78 weeks.

547 days.

A ton of hours and minutes.

And about a gazillion hugs and kisses.

...plus infinity.

I love how you know what most animals "say." Moo and ah-ah-ah being your favorites.

I love how you can say apple and duck and milk clear as a bell but you refer to butterflies and flowers as "ah-flies."

I love how you know what you want (when you want it) and how angry you get when mommy's ESP fails you.

I love the way you get irritated and throw your hands over your eyes, stomp your feet and try to cry as if to say, "This is too complicated! I can't take this anymore! It's so hard living with you people!"

I love how just singing the first few notes of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" makes you grin from ear to ear.

I love how good you are with your daddy that it makes him call me at work to ask, "How did this child become so perfect?"

I love your sideways glance and smirky little grin that tells me you're about to feed the dog your dinner........again.

I love when I find you in your room quietly sitting in the rocking chair listening to your music as you thumb through a book.

I love how you ask to see your "sissy" and give her kisses through my tummy and also how you very clearly let me know when you're not that interested in discussing anything at all about "sissy."

I love how your right thumb automatically inserts itself into your mouth when you grab onto your blankie (which you lovingly sort of call either "munkey" or "mine").

I love how you're being very patient with me and this potty ("poppy") training thing. I'm intimidated and I think I'm failing you. You are telling me when you're going but I'm too scared to start the process. Please forgive me if you grow up with bathroom issues.

I love it when someone wrongs you and you point to them and say, "Not nice!"

I love how you say "night night" and "bye bye" to everyone and everything.

I love how you rest your 95th percentile noggin on my shoulder when you're sleepy.

I love when you plop yourself down on the ground next to me with your hand resting on my leg as we blow bubbles.

I love how ridiculously excited you get when daddy gets home and you make him sick with happiness when you run into his arms.

I love these last 18 months more than other time in my life and I thank you for putting up with me as I continue to try to figure out this mommy thing. You definitely make it much more fun than I ever imagined possible!

My sweet Lily, how the time has flown and how you have positively changed our lives for the better.

Happy 18 month old birthday, my perfect bug!

Happy 4th of July!

Yes, I was toting around an unpatriotic, red-white-and-blue-less child to celebrate our nation's birthday. We didn't have anything appropriately American to wear this year and I couldn't muster up the energy to go to Old Navy the morning of the parade.
So, God bless the USA and all those other things.
(Hopefully that will make up for it.)
We headed out to the Marietta parade again this year! It was much cooler weather but a much longer parade than last year.

Lily took the chair from her pregnant mother

You know you're living in the South when you see:

Something called the Backyard Brigade...

...and this....

On the actual holiday, we were invited to a friend's pool for the afternoon which definitely provided a nice break from this oppressive heat.

Camp 2010

It's that time of year again!

CAMP SUNSHINE!!!

First of all, my anticipatory bawl fests made for an easy transition to the car when I had to leave my Lily Bug that fateful Saturday afternoon. However, things went downhill on Monday as I'm sitting in yoga for first period and look through pictures on my camera while listening to some calmin Josh Groban music in the background.
Note to self: Not a good mix.

Once I got my you-know-what together, things were fine. That's until I called home and heard her sweet voice say, "Hi, Mama!" Now I understand why we don't let the campers call home. It can be pretty darn upsetting. By Friday I was ready to get home to my perfect little girl.

BUT!!! The days in between were as magical and fun and exciting as they always are.
I think it was the first or second day at lunch when I witnessed a group of senior boys (either 18 years old or high school graduates) invade a table of younger boys (probably 13-15 year olds) who were slouching in their chairs with their too-cool-for-school heads on the table. The seniors went over to them, pepped them up, got them to stand on their feet and SING & DANCE!!! Nobody asked them to do it. They did this completely on their own because they know what Camp is all about and they want to make sure all the other campers get the same experience they've had.

There were somewhere around 230 TEENAGERS at Camp this year ages 13-18.

230!

Every year on Sunday night is the opening ceremony. This year it was held at a gorgeous new location on the grounds called Turtle Cove where everyone gathered to "pass the flame." How many places have you been where 230 TEENAGERS sit so quietly you can hear a pin drop? It gives me goosebumps every year. They understand the significance of the week and it amazes me to no end.

Sometimes you see kids who might not have such a great homelife and this is literally the best place on earth for them to be. It breaks your heart to know what they have to return to but it definitely helps you focus on making the week the best it can possibly be.

And, of course, you have some funny moments like out at the archery range where a young man was retrieving his arrows and people were already lining up to shoot their respective targets (not necessarily him). The okay had not yet been given, but he blurted out, "DON'T SHOOT! I'm too young to die! I've already had a brain tumor." Classic.

This is why I do it every year.
Moments like this that touch your heart and stay with you through the years.

Dawn & I looking fresh (and rested) early in the week

So there's this thing called Prom on Friday night. The campers really get into it and dress amazingly. Counselors, on the other hand, typically get into the theme of Camp for that year or we'll wear old, gawdy prom dresses of our own. (For example, one year they had a circus theme. I dressed up like a clown and put my 1993 prom dress on over the clown outfit. I was hot.)

This year's theme was Decades.
My sweet Dawn went Madonna Mode:

And my darling Deb really went retro....back to the Austin Powers days of the 60s! It was freaking me out that she was taller than me but doesn't she look amazing???

One of the Camp songs is called Love Is. I don't know who wrote it or who originally brought it to Camp, but the words are below.

Like someone said on our last day of Camp, "Wouldn't the world be such an incredible place if it were like Camp Sunshine?"

Yes, it would.

There's nothing to hide, nothing to fear.

Everything is crystal clear.

No phony disguise, no faces to wear.

There is nothing we cannot share.

'Cause I am at ease when I am with you.

I know love is gonna see us through.

Love is higher than the mountains.

Love is deeper than the oceans.

Love is wider than the miles between you and me.

Love is stronger than a freight train.

Love is faster than a jet plane.

Love is bigger than the troubles that we'll ever see.

Long is the day and dark is the night.

I know love is gonna be our light.

The valley is low, the desert is dry.
But love will never die.

(repeat chorus)

Frat Parties Everywhere!

If only I could be this creative and on-the-spot hilarious....
My BFF (holla, Sa) sent me this link that she thought I would enjoy and it's just too good not to pass on to whomever might read this little bloggy blog. The link is at the bottom if you're interested in reading some of the funny comments, too.

Enjoy!

WHY HAVING A TODDLER IS LIKE BEING AT A FRAT PARTY

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

One of my favorite comments added by a reader says something along the lines of "you try all night to get someone into bed and then when you're successful all you want to do is sleep."
Check out this great blog at www.suburbansnapshots.com. I might have to add this one to my list on the left!

Beach Baby

Memorial Day Weekend - 2010!!!

What a blast it was!

Nana flew into Atlanta on Wednesday and we packed up the car and headed to Charleston on Thursday afternoon. Lily's first trip the beach, mom's first trip to Charleston and my first......I'm sure there was something......

My dear, sweet friend Erin and her hubby and baby boy are living in Folly Beach for the next three years and allowed us to come take advantage of the situation. We are so incredibly grateful for the wonderful opportunity and the excellent southern hospitality that Erin is famous for.

However, I need to make some notes for our next beach adventure:
1. Take more than one swim diaper. And if I only have one and it's been used but we decide to go back to the beach, perhaps I should consider taking it off when we actually get to the beach. Just in case so we can avoid the possibility of peeing on the bathroom rug because she thinks she's taking a bath. And so we can maybe not slip and slide on a pee puddle in the middle of our hosts' hardwood floors. I might also want to think about the chance of her peeing in the wagon on our way to the beach. (And I thought she was dehydrated! Phewy!)

2. Don't be pregnant so I can wear a suitable bathing suit, drink lavender martinis and take a shooter at Pearlz restaurant.

3. Go into the first night with low expectations on the sleeping situation for Lily. I'm not sure who was screaming louder....Charlie or Lily. Needless to say, we ended up bringing Lily into our room and she finally got the hang of the routine on our final night there.

4. Take John with us. "Mama." "Mama." "Mama!!!" "No, Nana." "Mama." "Mama." It was a little exhausting. (Guess I should be careful what I wish for.)

Lots of pictures to share! Enjoy!

Nana's first photo op in Charleston at the market

Festival downtown with lots of fun things to do.

Met up with Bobby and Emily for breakfast one morning.

John used to babysit Bobby when he was Lily's age!

(Mainly to pick up chicks, I think.)

Tractor Charlie

Could she be any sweeter?!?!

Yes, Lily's first bath with a boy. They did well together!

My sweet Erin




Erin getting her work-out

The Awesome Arnold Clan

She really couldn't get enough of the water or the waves.

LOVED IT!!!

Enjoying the waves together for the first time thanks to Erin allowing me to stretch out her bathing suit

Lily and Brett enjoying the waves

Thank you for such a fun weekend, Erin, Brett and Charlie!

We love you all and can't wait to visit again!