Bee City

Saturday morning we decided to take Olivia to a little place called Bee City.  I had heard it was a fun place for little ones and thought we'd give it a try before we moved.  Besides, we didn't have a single plan that day so we needed to find something to entertain our busy toddler!  She has more energy than I know what to do with and finding activities to fill our days help me out!

The smile she is sporting in the picture to the left is an accurate display of how she looked most of the morning!

she and daddy loved feeding the animals

The rabbits were her favorite!
She got in the pen to pet them 4 different times.

she was disappointed the horse wouldn't neigh.

celebrating Lucy!

Olivia has met a sweet little girl through MOPS.  I share a table with her awesome mom, so it has worked out that the two of us have actually gained a sweet friend through MOPS! Score!  On a side note, I just love MOPS and recommend it to anyone and everyone!  Find a MOPS group near you and join!

Lucy turned two and Olivia was invited to help celebrate!  What a fun, fun morning!

seriously, all of those chubby, yummy legs
are almost too much for me to handle! 
I love it!

Lucy got a water table for her birthday and it was a huge hit with the girls!

Cupcake time!  Lucy's mom made the most adorable piglet cupcakes!
I should have gotten a picture of one before the girls smashed into them.

Olivia had a hard time understanding that she shouldn't be
opening the present we bough.....as demonstrated here.

 Happy birthday, Lucy!  Thanks for inviting us to your great party!

ramblings from around here.

Today is Friday the 13th!  Some people are superstitious about this day and think that only bad things can happen.  However, Andy and I met on Friday the 13th (waaay back in August of 2004), so I have a special place in my heart for this silly day!

Our house is officially on the rental market.  View it here and then call me when you decide you want to rent it from us ;)  Seeing the rental sign in our front yard has begun to make our upcoming move a little more real.  It will be hard to leave Charleston for many reasons, but it will be very hard to leave this house.  This is where Andy and I moved after we got married, the home we brought our first baby home to, and just a place with a LOT of memories.  I know we will make more memories over the years in all of the places we live, but this house will always be extra special to me.  I love our house and I will miss it dearly. 

 We tried painting the other week.  Olivia was NOT a fan of finger painting.  As soon as her hands got dirty she would say "all done"  and "dirty"!  ha.  I gave her a brush and she was interested for a bit, but not as much as I thought she'd be.  She loves to color so much that I thought painting would be a natural transition, but I guess I need to give it some more time.   (Play-Do was received just about as well as the finger painting was!  Silly girl).

Summer is here in full force with humidity around 80% on most days!  I always forget about how HOT it gets here in the summer.  Maybe moving away in the middle of summer won't be such a bad thing!  It isn't the heat that gets me so much around here, but the humidity!  It is just. so. sticky!

We have been going through some sleep training here lately.  That is slightly embarrassing to admit, considering my "baby" is nearly two.  However, Olivia picked up a terrible habit while we were living at my parent's house this winter and I haven't had the heart to break it until now.  She got accustomed to being rocked to sleep and would scream bloody murder if/when she was put down awake.  We worked on it slightly after we got home, but then things like more sickness/traveling/visitors/mommy's soft-side got in the way and we would be back to square one before I knew it.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is something precious about your little one falling asleep in your arms, but that is not a habit I was used to.  We had worked to make sure she could put herself to sleep as a baby and that trend continued into toddler-hood, making bed and nap times a non-issue around here.  However, once the awful habit worked its way into our lives, I found myself spending anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes rocking her to sleep each night!  I would be beyond frustrated on the nights it took her nearly an hour to fall asleep and felt cheated of my alone time that I typically get after she goes to bed.  

I can now happily report that she has cried for less than five minutes the past 3 nights and then falls peacefully off to sleep on her own!  Getting to that point has taken us about a week, with her crying/screaming/stomping for an hour that first night - ugh; it was brutal!  I am posting this to give hope to any moms out there who are in need of sleep training again.  It will work on a toddler just as it did on an infant (but it is a little harder since they are screaming your name rather than just crying).  I hope we have passed the hump and will have our "happy to go to bed alone" girl back in full force by the time we move and add a new baby to the mix. 

Hope you are having a great Friday!  I am about to fill Baby Girl's kiddie pool (well, it is actually the neighbor's that we are "borrowing") and let the water warm up for her to splash around in this afternoon.  Sounds like a fun Friday afternoon to me!

wordless Wednesday.

I may not fold his socks, but I do love him with all my heart.

It all began here at The Battery in downtown Charleston.....October 8th, 2005

Our relationship has changed and evolved, but what has grown the most is our love. 
I thought I loved him as much as I ever could the day he asked me to be his wife, but then it grew. 
I thought I loved him as much as I could the day we said "I do", but then it grew. 
I thought I loved him as much as I could the day we first found out we were pregnant, but then it grew.
I thought I loved him as much as I could the day we finally became parents together, but then it grew.
I thought I loved him as much as I could yesterday, but then I woke up this morning and I realized I love him even more!
I can't even begin to imagine the love my heart will hold 10, 20, 50 years from now.  What an amazing life to be living!  

Andy, you have made all of my dreams come true.  No one can know the joy I have in my heart because they do not call themselves your wife.  Thank you for 5 amazing years!  I can't wait to see what our forever holds.   xoxox.

p.s. You wouldn't fold his socks either if you knew the specifics of how he does them......trust me ;)

(view it here)

 

how many grits can I fit into my suitcase?

One of my best friends visited this past weekend!  We have been friends since we started grade school and nothing has changed how important she is in  my life.  Not different colleges, not living thousands of miles apart, nothing, nothing at all.  The friendship that formed on yellow school bus #23 has stood the test of time!  What a blessing.

She and her boyfriend traveled all the way from Boston just to see us!  Well, perhaps it was for a little bit of warm weather and sunshine, but I'll keep telling myself it was really all about me ;)   They loved the city, but not nearly as much as they loved the grits! They bought several bags to take back up north with them.  Speaking of grits, how did those shrimp and grits turn out, anyhow?!

See how cute they are? 

I am sure she is thrilled to see that I posted a picture of her in her bathing suit, but its the only one I have of the two of them!  Besides, Kristina, you look great!

We had so much fun being tourists right along with them!  It gave us a great excuse to go to the beach (and for Olivia to wear her beloved frog suit!)....

...and to eat brunch at Hominy Grill.....

...and to take a carriage tour of downtown Charleston!  We have lived here for 6 years and never done this! Criminal, I say.

Olivia LOVED the horses!

The sun was shining and I was feeling generous, so we even let Baby Girl run through the fountain for awhile.  I mean, we probably won't have anything this wonderful in downtown Altus (holding back my tears...)  She thought it was fantastic and was crawling around on her hands and knees by the end of the adventure!  The cold water was no match for her daredevil spirit ;)

Then we took some time to admire the harbor.  Charleston really is an amazingly beautiful place to live.

It was a fantastic weekend and I feel so lucky to have a dear friend that will take the time and expense to travel all the way to Charleston to see me.  And Olivia is lucky that Miss Kristina let her play with her Ipad!  True 22 month-old excitement here, folks!  Pure joy.

There are some pictures from our 'Adult Only' night out Saturday night, but I need to get them from Kristina.  There is bound to be some cuteness worth of sharing! 

wordless Wednesday.

these glasses are becoming a permanent accessory!