Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend!




We left Nashville about 12:30 on Friday and it was a LONG trip because we stopped three million times - slight exaggeration - for various reasons. Our first stop was for lunch, then bathroom break, work break, fuel break, dinner break, etc. It works so much better for us to leave in the morning!

Evie was excited all the way there and did not sleep one wink. She was good as gold and continues to be easier in the car than anywhere else. I guess she feels at home on the road. She just watched movies, snacked and played with her toys. Evie thought we were near She She's house every time we changed roads. She was full of energy when we finally arrived at 8:45 and ready for some adventure. Poppy and She She enjoyed seeing all of Evie's new tricks.

I put her to bed. She slept in our room and we did not hear from her again until nearly 4. Evie got in the bed with us and went right back to sleep. She was so excited when her cousins, Mary and Lucy arrived that morning. They are VERY accommodating to her and it's just so sweet to watch. Evie calls Lucy - juicy which is too cute! We had a quick lunch on the porch and then it was nap time for Evie. I went to the slip and slide with Mary and Lucy and their parents. It was fun to see all the kids making their way down the Great Lawn. We hit the pool next and Evie met us there later with her Daddy, She She and Bessie.

Dinner was a street party in front of the market. It was really festive and the food was delicious! Evie and her cousins ate pizza. I had grilled chicken, watermelon salad, and a few other sides. Lollie and I were super impressed with the watermelon salad. It also had jicama and mint in it and was so refreshing. Bessie, Lollie's sweet mother, is Evie's best friend for life because she got her a large handful of olives. Then, Evie scored a brownie with frosting for dessert and then I took the girls to play. Mary and Lucy showed Evie how to cartwheel and we have been hearing the word cartwheel ever since. Carl took Evie to dance a bit since she loves live music just like her parents. We brought her back to the house for bed. Thank goodness for Mary and Lucy because they keep Evie entertained so she made it a lot longer than we thought she would at the dinner. I went to sleep before everyone got back and we all slept pretty well. Evie ended up in the bed with us around 5. It's not something that I'd want to do all the time but it sure is sweet to have your baby girl sleeping right with you.

We woke up the next morning and had some delicious waffles that She She made before we headed to church. Evie made it approximately 10 minutes in church. It's hard to be 2 in church especially when sitting on the second row next to your cousins. I took her outside to run around for a bit. Evie made friends with a little boy who walked right up to her and said, "pretty girl." Evie liked that! We met up with everyone after church and then headed back to the house for lunch. I LOVE Poppy's potato salad and had a large portion. Evie was extra tired by this point so it took her a bit to settle down for her nap but she finally did go to sleep. Everyone went out on the boat and then to Pooches on Parade. Hattie, Mary and Lucy's dog even won two prizes. Carl and I met up with everyone at the pool with Evie. It was the perfect pool day! We had more delicious food at the pool. Evie even had  a rib and some baked beans although the apple tart was her favorite. I learned to check Evie's diaper after dinner. Swim diapers are not quite as reliable as I thought. Mary, Lucy, Evie and I were in the pool when I noticed Evie was in desperate need of a diaper change. Needless, to say we made a quick and speedy exit from the pool. I did not want to be the one that shut down the pool!  We decided it'd be best to leave after a quick shower. Evie was ready for bed! Carl and I sat out on the porch for a bit until everyone got back. We stayed up way too late! Evie slept well and when she woke up she just wanted her covers. It was shocking that she did so well sleeping right next to us. We think it was the combination of the swimming and playing with her cousins. Maybe Baby Boy will sleep more soundly although Evie is a really good sleeper logging around 13 hours a night and 3 hours every afternoon. That makes a huge difference!

Evie woke up bright and early on Monday. We packed up and hit the road about 10. Evie was sad to leave everyone. Our trip back was a piece of cake. We stopped once for lunch and made it back to Nashville in a much more timely manner. Evie was thoroughly entertained by her new movies from her cousins. We swapped some movies which gave Evie something new to see. I took lots of cat naps on the way back and then we camped out on the couch when we got home.

We had a great time! It's going to be a long time before we head back to the Carolina's since Baby Boy will be arriving in about 6 weeks. It's time to hunker down and prepare for his arrival.

I will post pictures later. Server is rejecting pictures right now.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Evie on the Farm!





We got to go to the farm on Friday and it was such a fun morning! Evie took her little cow with her but decided that he better stay in the car. Don't worry, she tucked him in and gave him a kiss.

It was the perfect farm day because it was not too hot. Evie was so excited to see her boys and they had a blast. I think we probably could have skipped the tour and just met the animals. Most of the information went over their heads and the mommies were too busy trying to keep up with their kids on the farm. Evie enjoyed it all. My favorite part was seeing the baby calves that were just a few days old. So sweet! Evie liked sampling the delicous chocolate milk. Buy Hatcher Dairy milk if you are local because it's the best!

We came home and took quick showers before heading to South Carolina to spend the weekend with Carl's family. More on that later, I am on my way to bed!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Change of Plans

Evie was so disappointed that her trip to the farm was canceled. I really need to learn not to tell her things until they are about to happen. We are going tomorrow which is not the best day since we are leaving to go out of town but it will have to work since Evie wants to see the cows so badly.

We ran a few errands this morning. Evie's favorite spot was Babies R Us. We bought Baby Brother some "sassies." Evie has been very concerned that he had his own and did not share with her. I let her select a few and let's just hope he takes one. It took Evie FOREVER to take one and the screams were a lot to handle. Evie does not like when other people cry so this is going to be tough for her.

I was not real productive during naptime but made up for it tonight. Evie played in her room by herself for the longest time. I was shocked! This does happen very often and this was defnitely the longest stretch of alone time she has ever had. I made a HUGE deal out of it and told her what a big girl she is so maybe she will do a repeat one day soon.

Happy 37th wedding anniversary to my parents! That's a LONG time.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

"I like that Evie's Mommy"




Evie and I had a bit of a rough morning but it got better. It's not her - it's me and my pregnancy hormones! Evie had a babysitter this morning and had a blast until a cicada landed on her. Poor thing, I just had the same experience myself and I screamed too! Paige, the babysitter, told Courtney that one cicada landing in a bucket of water balloons caused every balloon to burst. Those things have some suction!

Evie was impressed that "Big Paige" came this morning and has been talking about her ever since with a some references to "Little Paige" too. "Little Paige" is 5 and is the one that Evie adores!

I got a bunch done during nap time. Evie and I worked in Baby Boy's room this afternoon. It's so sweet to hear her talk about her brother. She told me loves him and talks about matching his clothes. She picks out outfits and tells me how cute they are as she holds them up to herself. It's hard to believe that she was ever that small! Baby Boy does have a first name but we cannot figure out a middle name. Time is running short so maybe we can come to an agreement soon.

Evie and I watched Oprah. I cried and she climbed right on my lap and told me not to cry. We are working with Evie on not crying over every single that happens to her so it was not the best example. Evie said, "Bye Oprah" and I just loved that I was able to watch a few episodes with my sweet girl. There are lots of episodes that will be wonderful teaching tools for Evie one day so hope they show up on YouTube.

Carl got home early and played with Evie because I had a horrible headache. It came on very suddenly while we were outside playing and I left them to go inside. I took some medicine, used an ice pack and drank a coke. That helped a lot and then I had Mom's Night Out! It was so good to get out for a bit since my MNO's are coming to a close.

Carl was on the phone the entire time that I was gone with work issues but Evie slept through it. We are planning to go to the farm in the morning but we under a tornado watch with two warnings in our area. It's beautiful outside right now. Carl and I just sat out on our back patio enjoying the calm before the storm.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hanging out at Home!

Evie and I stayed home all day. We had a fun day together. She keeps me on my toes. We did a little ironing this morning and it looks like she is going to be a lot better at ironing than me. Carl will tell you that ironing is not my strong suit.

Evie requested painting as our next activity so we got busy painting. I am pretty sure that I spent more time cleaning up than she did painting. It was so fun for her though!

Evie is in a stage where she says the same thing over and over. Sometimes it is cute and sometimes it drives me crazy. She says, "it fell" all day and I pretty much tune that one out. It sounded pretty serious so I went to check and her diaper had fallen off her little tush. Anything out of the ordinary gets an "it fell", such as the channel on the TV changing, her iPad game disappearing or even the crumbs from her food. She also says "see else" multiple times per day when she wants something new. We were driving home yesterday and she kept asking me to "see else" in her Southern accent. I told her she was in luck that something new was around every corner. That's not exactly what she had in mind! She tells us what time it is and keeps us abreast of her agenda. It's lunch time, it's puzzle time, it's snacktime etc. She also tells us what it is not time for such "Not mowing time, Not night night time, Not bath time."

Evie loves her baby and takes such good care of her. I cannot wait to see her with Baby Boy. It will be entertaining for sure.  Evie took a nice long nap after her morning of fun. It was long enough that I napped and cleaned three bathrooms. My house is slowly falling apart since my chores are not getting done quite so well these days. I mopped the kitchen for the first time in a LONG time today. Normally, I mop 2 or 3 times per week.

Evie watched Oprah with me this afternoon. She got a little bored and had to go read some books. We played outside and two really cute boys came by to pick her up on their gator for a cruise around the yard. Evie was so thrilled and hangs on tight with a big grin on her face. She rode her "cycle" and has learned how to keep it in a straight line although she still needs to master stopping her vehicle.

Evie was so excited when Carl got home. She did not see him this morning since she slept late again! They played with Evie's new ball and she was really impressed that Carl could use his head to play soccer. Of course, she had to try too. I made chicken tacos for dinner and enjoyed dinner together. Evie needed a bath after painting and playing outside. It looks like baths everyday for the summer months.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Two year old Tyrant!

Evie slept late this morning! Carl and I tried to sneak in last night to check on her and she woke right up. She went back to sleep easily but that little 10 minute wake up helped her to sleep late this morning. I told Carl maybe we should wake her for 10 minutes every night before we go to bed. Evie discovered her shadow this morning and kept telling me she was going to catch it.

Evie wanted to go visit her Daddy at work today so we headed over this morning. She was so excited to be there and did not let go of him the entire time that we were there visiting. I think she would have stayed all day with him.

We went to visit the Onello's and Evie quickly became preoccupied with seeing Abby. I told her that we were going there and she talked about it for the next 45 minutes. Maura kept it under wraps until 5 minutes before we got there. I will try that approach next time. Evie and Abby  had a blast playing together. We enjoyed our visit especially the ice cream. Evie has been telling us all afternoon that Maura gave her ice cream. I did not take a single picture! Evie was tired and ready for her nap so we came home. She was requesting night-night and nap at Abby's house. I am so surprised that she did not fall asleep in the van. Evie crashed in her crib within moments of walking through the door. She slept until 4:30 and then did not get out of her crib until 5:15. I got so much done with her contained and happy!

She finally decided it'd be nice to get out of her crib so we did a few things around the house while we waited for Carl to get home. We all played outside with our musical cicadas. They are so loud that even Evie notices that something is going on. Carl video-taped it since it's the strangest thing. Evie went to sleep and then we had a late dinner. Our sweet girl is wearing us out with her two year old tyrant ways. Goodness, she loves to tell us just what to do and how to do it. We have lots of conversations about who is in charge and it's not Evie!

It's time for bed! I had my first night of baby anxiety last night and did not sleep at all. Let's hope tonight goes better!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Weekend Wrap-up






We had a fun weekend at home. Friday, Evie and I went to Let it Shine and had a blast. She swung from the rope like Tarzan into a pit of foam blocks. We have been there a few times now and she gets more excited every time. We ran a few errands afterwards including a quick trip to get a few birthday presents. Evie remembered right away that Elmo lives at this particular toy store and was a little concerned about seeing him. She loves Elmo but not life-sized versions of Elmo. We had fun playing with all the toys. Evie and I had a little picnic lunch outside until a huge cicada jumped right out at us. Neither of us liked that too much. Carl got home pretty late. He has been super busy at work lately. He mowed the grass and I put Evie to bed. Evie likes to tell Carl not to mow the grass.


Saturday was nice. Carl stayed with Evie and I had a nice long break. They went to Home Depot and planted beautiful flowers in the yard. I went for a pedicure and to run a few errands. It was so wonderful to have a break from my little bundle of joy. I sure needed it! Evie was not into napping but rested a bit. She was too busy talking about Courtney and Campbell. Evie kept saying, "Courtney nap, Campbell nap, Evie don't nap."

Carl went to pick up Baby Boy's chair and I love it. Evie is really getting excited about her brother and loves to talk about him. She will share her Raffi but he needs his own changing table. He also needs his own sassy and she thinks he needs to stay in the tan room not the pink room. She outgrew a pair of pink shoes and she told me that brother could have them.

We went out for ice cream and Evie got her own bowl for the first time. She knew exactly how to pull the lever to get the frozen stuff out and picked out her own toppings. She loves cherries! Evie's boys are back from the beach so we had fun playing with them in the driveway. Evie told us that it is her turn to go back to the beach. We'd love to go back in the fall for a long weekend but the drive is so long with a new baby. The pool will have to do unless we start feeling really adventurous.


Evie slept really late this morning and was still overly tired from her day of fun yesterday. She is just like me and needs lots of sleep and food to stay in good humor. Carl and Evie made waffles for breakfast. They were delicious! We played around the house. Evie had a major fit for some unknown reason. I just let her have her fit and then told her it was time for lunch. She said, "Okay, Mommy, let's go" as if nothing had happened.


After lunch, Evie went down for an early nap. I am telling you - sleep is extremely important to her. We went to a picnic this afternoon at Evie's favorite park - Owl Park. It was so fun
and the weather was perfect. Carl enjoyed seeing all the second children and how content they all are just to sit and play alone. Evie's friend Paige was there so we did not have to worry about Evie at all. Between Paige and her boys, Evie was thrilled to be outside having fun. We came home a little early so Evie could be in bed by 7 and she announced "Evie's hood" as we pulled into our neighborhood.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Teething Toddler!





We have had a long tiring day at our house. Evie has been waking up bright and early all week and it finally caught up to her today. Of course, on a day when we were out and about with friends. We met Kristin and her kiddos at Shipwrecked for a morning of fun. Evie was not too happy to be there and it was not too fun for any of us so we left. Lots of crying and fussiness although it was the perfect playday with just a few kids there.. I thought she was just tired so I put her down for a nap about 11:30.

She slept until 2 and woke up in a great mood. We decided to venture back out to Shipwrecked since the admission covers the entire day. Evie was much happier but still very fragile. There was just one other child there and his name was James. Evie said, "That not James" because she was thinking of her sweet friend James. We had fun reading books, playing dress-up and playing in the ball pit.  I took her for ice cream after playtime since I was really wanting some ice cream. Evie is always up for a sweet treat!

   She devoured her frozen green peas at dinner and her fruit but kept spitting out her tortelleni. Maybe that was too chewy for her tender mouth. Carl noticed that she seemed a little warm. She has had some yucky diapers and now she is telling us that her mouth hurts. YIKES! We have been lucky with teething so far but it seems like these must be really hurting her. Let's hope the medicine kicks in and she can get some sleep. Mommy does not want another day like today for a long time. Carl suggested that we may need to begin looking for an au pair! Only kidding, but days like this make us wonder how in the world we will do this with two children.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Catching up




Evie and I have had a very low-key week so far which is nice after 2 busy weeks in a row. Monday, we just hung around the house and picked up some groceries. Carl had a work meeting so it was just us girls so I was able to avoid cooking dinner for another night.

Tuesday was a fun day. Evie and I went to a music class with our MOMS group. My musical child was in her element and so very happy! I even thought about enrolling her for a summer session but the thought of lugging my humongous pregnant belly there every week in the heat kept me from writing that check. Evie talked all day about that class. She kept telling me, "Evie like that school." So funny, because all the way there she kept confirming with me that I would be attending the class with her and not dropping her off. Evie said, "Mommy don't bye-bye. Mommy go too." After the class, 8 of us braved taking our kids out to lunch at Blue Coast Burrito. What were we thinking? It was pure craziness! Evie actually did pretty well after she had a minor meltdown about dropping her lemonade. She was so embarrassed in front of the big kids. I told her not to worry that those things happen so she settled down to eat her lunch. Evie is missing her boys so much while they are at the beach. She told me, "Don't Evie's turn at beach. It Campbell's turn." I hear this every single time we pull in or out of our driveway.

Evie has worn me out this week or maybe it's just the last few weeks catching up with me. I was asleep on the couch at 7:30 last night until 9 and then went straight to bed. It's been cooler than average and we have been inside which gets so boring. We made a quick trip to Harris Teeter for Triple Coupon week this morning. It always seems like such a good idea but it's always jam-packed which stresses me out. Not sure it's worth it but I continue to go. Evie talked about the car cart all the way there and was so perplexed that "her" cart was not available. She quickly located it with another little girl in it and told her it was her turn. Oh goodness, thankfully the mom was checking out and had experienced the same issue with her little girl wanting the cart. She told me that she told HT that they need more double carts if they expect people to shop in their store. Triple Coupons must stress her out too. I mentioned to her that her sweet little boy had offered Evie a turn on the green dragon while we were searching for the cart. She thought that was just wonderful! I love to let parents know when their kids are doing a good job and I could tell it made the mom so happy!

Carl came home quickly before leaving again for a work dinner. It's been a pretty crazy week for all of us. He is super busy. I am super tired. Evie is super stuck on dinosaurs. She is convinced that there are dinosaurs living in our house and needs me to get rid of them for her on a pretty regular basis. It happens at the strangest times  . . . not even at bedtime which could be a great stall technique.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Weekend Wrap-up - Graduation Edition






We had a fun weekend in North Carolina! On Friday, my Dad and I took Evie strawberry picking. She loved it and was so gentle to take each berry off the vine. They had a playground too so that was a BIG hit. Now, I just need something to do with all these strawberries! Carl got to Gastonia on Friday evening and I was so happy to see him. We stayed up late because we had several people over.



Saturday was my brother's big day. Ben graduated from law school. We are so proud of him! He is a hard-worker and won the community service award from his school. Carl was sweet to stay home with Evie while I went with my family to the graduation. We decided it'd be way too much to try to take Evie to a graduation. It would not have been fun for anyone especially Evie's parents. Best decision ever! Graduation was very nice and we had fabulous seats! They had a reception afterwards with some delicious cake.  We all headed back to my parents house for some barbecue. Evie had napped while we were gone and was in a great mood. She liked playing with Ben's purple tassel. It was a fun day! Our family friends Terry and David spent the day with us and did a thoughtful toast for Ben. Evie enjoyed the toast too and loves to do "cheers" with her juice. Can't believe that my brother is a lawyer.

Evie woke up bright and early at 7:00. She was the first one awake in the house after such a busy day yesterday. We played and ate breakfast before packing up for our long trip back to Nashville. Evie did fantastic until Knoxville and then was fine after some snacks. She wanted her covers which were packed. I gave her a little blankie which helped but she really wanted her big covers which used to be mine. My mom made Evie's little brother is very own blankets which need to be put away before Evie claims them as her own.

Carl ran around with her at the rest stop and then I gave her a few M&M's. Believe it or not she fell asleep, we were shocked since she has not been sleeping in the car lately. She slept for about an hour and then we were home. Evie cried for her Ipop when we pulled in the driveway and wanted to go back to his house. It took both of us to keep her entertained then she settled right into playing with her kitchen and writing notes. She loves to write notes! Her flair for the dramatic has increased after a visit with the grandparents - at dinner she told us that the dinosaurs were coming to get her. Carl helped her find the dinosaurs which were in her washing machine. Oh dear, I can only imagine what the future is going to be like with Evie. I wish that I had more pictures and will try to get some from the more responsible parties that took their camera. My camera did not make it to graduation since Evie stayed home which meant no diaper bag! I did add a few pictures to my posts from last week. Hope you had a great weekend too.

Wednesday and Thursday




Evie and I made a quick trip down to Gaffney to see our sweet friends. We met Lindsay and Susan their little boys. Evie loves James and tried really hard to maneuver him around the playground. Thank goodness for James another girl showed up so Evie quickly attached herself to play. Susan's little boy Jack just hung out enjoying the scenery and taking a few snoozes. He is such a laid-back little guy and so precious. It worked out perfectly to see Susan while we were both in the area and I am so thrilled that I was able to meet her sweet baby boy. We played until www got too hot then tried to find some lunch. That turned out to be more difficult than we thought. All of our kiddos did great. Evie even sat in a highchair since James was in his highchair. Usually, she absolutely zero interest in highchairs. Evie and I played some more after everyone else left. I was hoping to wear her out so she'd sleep in the car. My plan did not work! We had so much fun seeing everyone and hope to do it again soon.


Evie loved the giant peach water tower along I-85 and wanted to hold it. She also thought there must be a store like the one at Peach Park. Evie never napped but she did okay since we kept busy. We picked up Nana from work and Evie spent a lot of time outside swinging. She watered flowers and inspected some pinecones. She sure can entertain herself. Evie went right to sleep after our busy day.


Evie seems to be getting on Eastern time which seems to happen more quickly the older she gets. Maybe she has learned to tell time. She woke up this morning so excited to see Gracie dog in her room. It is pretty funny to see her interact with the dogs and asks them how they are doing.


Evie told Nana and Ipop bye when they went to work then we left for her castle. We had the entire park to ourselves and it was a gorgeous morning. Evie had a blast running all over the place. We stopped by Harris Teeter to get the ingredients to make peach tea punch for Saturday. Carl arrives tomorrow and my brother, Ben graduates from law school on Saturday so I thought it would be fun to try out this new recipe that I found in Southern Living. I will be sure to post it if it turns out well.


Evie and I played outside some more. Ipop and Ben pushed her on the swing and she played with her sidewalk chalk. We made a huge mess with Moon Dough. Evie was getting worn out. I put her down for a nap and she has been asleep for more than 3 hours. She loves to catch up on her
sleep when she misses some.


We are having a fun visit to Gastonia. Can't wait for Carl to get here. Evie told me that she missed her Daddy. So sweet!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Airplanes


Evie was so excited to fly on an airplane this afternoon. She was so happy and content walking through the airport. All the people and planes kept her quite entertained. I have not flown with Evie in almost a year so I was not sure how she would do. She could not have behaved any better. Her little plastic airplane kept her entertained for a long time then I read her a book while she ate her snack. Evie was very impressed with the little cups of apple juice.


Evie "talked" to Nana and Ipop from the sky saying " Evie's coming." It was pretty cute. I told her that maybe we could fly to Charleston some time since she is such a good traveler. It's so funny to me how Evie always know when it is really important to be good and she really comes through.


Evie was so happy to see her Nana and Ipop when we landed. We ate dinner and she played a bit before bed. She is so tired but is in her room just chattering away.


We are so excited to meet my friends Susan and Lindsay tomorrow and can't wait to meet Baby Jack.

Monday, May 9, 2011

"Don't do that."

Evie has said, "Don't do that" at least a hundred times today. It's driving me nuts but I guess it's better than "No way" although the jury is still out on that one. Evie needed me constantly this morning and was not too thrilled to be at home. She wanted to go to the beach. I gently reminded her that the beach is a long drive from Nashville. Evie was testing my patience so perhaps I may have sighed a little. That did not go over too well with Evie because she exclaimed, "Don't insert sigh noise Mommy." She notices everything and I do mean everything!

Evie's teacher from school came to babysit this morning because I had a doctor's appointment. My right side has been hurting a lot lately and my doctor solved the mystery. Baby Boy is curled up on my left side and his extremities are where my pain is coming from but he will move soon. It's so weird to be able to feel his little bottom right in the middle of my stomach. His heart rate was 148 and everything seems to be going well. Evie had a blast with Ms. Linda. They went for a walk and were approached by a neighbor to ensure that Evie was in fact supposed to be with this babysitter. That makes me laugh and gives me some comfort knowing that our neighbors keep their eyes open.

Evie napped and I did too. She woke up on the wrong side of the crib. Evie has talked about her boys every single day since she last saw them. She was so excited to see them and talked about them as we walked over. Evie saw Courtney and was so happy. Our kiddos were so funny. They just smiled and started playing with each other like they just saw each other yesterday. Christian was driving the gator and Campbell hopped right off so Evie could sit up front. They are such gentleman! Courtney and I were wondering what in the world they talk about when they are playing. Evie was getting super fussy so we came home. Calliou works magic in our house and she was a different person just as her Daddy got off the phone. We had a nice evening at home with dinner and some outside play time. I think it's time to head to the library to pick up some new discipline books. It's time for me to get some new tricks so I can stay one step ahead of my toddler!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all of the mom's out there had a fabulous day celebrating the precious gift of Motherhood especially our own moms! I had a special Mother's Day with my little Evie. She started the day off perfectly by sleeping extra  late! Carl took her to get me a toffee nut latte and some breakfast. I loved having a few minutes to myself in our house and loved it even more when my sweet girl came bounding in the house so proud to give me a card.

We hung out at home this morning since we are still recovering from our long trip. Evie entertained herself with all of her toys which seem suddenly new to her after a week away from them. We played outside for a bit until Evie took an unfortunate tumble. Not sure who was more upset me or Evie. She recovered much more quickly by taking a super long nap without eating lunch. Traveling must wear her out because she slept from 12:30 to nearly 4. Carl and I enjoyed relaxing on the couch although there was certainly plenty to do around the house after being gone. We decided it'd be more fun to spend time together than to get the house back in order.

Evie woke up and we headed to Green Hills mall which is our favorite mall in the area. Carl drove down the road leading to our church to get us to the mall. Evie talked about all the way and wanted to "see" the church and say "hi" before heading to the mall. Green Hills is really nice but we always have a difficult time getting Evie around in there. Not sure what we are doing wrong! We made a stop at Trader Joe's for a few supplies which ended up being a cart full of supplies. Carl and I love that place and wish they'd open a location closer to us. I am keeping my fingers crossed that a TJ's goes in when Whole Foods moves to it's new location.

Carl grilled some chicken for dinner and we had a lovely picnic outside. Evie was so excited to find an Easter egg with a chocolate egg inside. Egg had been hidden so well under a bush that the chocolate had not melted so Evie took care of eating that egg right away. It has been a gorgeous day! Evie and Carl certainly made my Mother's Day very special. Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Beach Wrap-Up!
















We made it back from the beach . . . all 456 miles!Evie kept a real close eye on both of us this morning when we were packing to make sure that she did not get left. She even helped us pack the car with her most important items such as her float and assorted sand buckets.

 It really was not a bad trip at all just exhausting for some reason to sit in the car for so long. Evie did great although she did not sleep at all! Not one minute, we are starting to wonder if it is our new van that is keeping her from sleeping because she used to sleep just fine in my Jeep. Not really sure but she is still relatively quiet and keeps herself occupied with her toys and shows. We stopped three times including a stop at Peach Park. It's exactly halfway from Nashville to Navarre and it was so much fun. I felt like we were right on a movie set from the 60's. Food was good, they had a playground, a huge produce stand, acres of property, fish in fountains and an ice-cream shop. Peach ice- cream is amazing! We ordered a small to share and it came with 5 scoops! Make Peach Park a pit stop for your family. It's at Exit 205 on I-65. Delicious BBQ, fresh fruit for the kids and lots of ways to burn off some energy!

We had a wonderful vacation! I loved it all but my favorite part was getting to spend so much time with Evie and Carl without the everyday interruptions and stresses of life. We just enjoyed being together at the beach for our last time as a family of three.

It was amazing to see how much Evie's vocabulary changed over the week as new words were introduced. There's not too much of a reason to words such as shell, pier and wave in Nashville. It makes me want to try more new things with her while her brain is ready to soak it all up.

I loved hearing Evie talk to the beach as she walked down the path -"Beach, here I come. Evie's coming. Get ready, set, go!"

We were a little concerned about the restaurant part of vacation but Evie really amazed us with her behavior. I had a bad experience with her at McDonald's before we left town so I was just sure that she'd have a total meltdown in a restaurant. She played with her magnetic dolls, doodled in her notebook and ate when she was hungry. Evie loved all the lemonade at the restaurants and has had enough lemonade for very long time! She had her first shrimp which she stole right off my salad. We were a little worried that she may be allergic but she was fine! Shrimp is one of our favorite foods and we certainly had our fill this past week. Carl is suffering from a serious gout attach from too much shellfish. OOPS, we both forgot that shellfish is a major trigger for gout.

   Evie thought the beach was just magnificent. She loved it all sand, surf and people. Kite flying was one of her favorite things along with long walks on the beach. She loved the "hills" in the sand and dug lots of holes. Water made her a little leery unless we were with her but that works just fine for us. She had no fear at all last year which was much harder.

Stick sunscreen is our new friend and we only use the spray in dire straights. It's back to the bottle even for the legs and arms. Evie has a sunscreen phobia after our little experience with it getting in her eye. I did notice that the brand does matter. We used the brand with the little girl and the dog on it - not the best for the eyes! Even the rub-on type stings when it runs in the eyes. More natural sunscreen works way better for Evie and does not cause her to have a rash. I am avoiding using the companies name on my blog but the brand that caused two hours of screaming starts with a C and ends with an E. We have never had this issue before so perhaps it was just a bad bottle just think before you spray!

Navarre has an absolutely beautiful beach with sand that resembles sugar and  calm, turquoise water. We chose a quiet beach and there were only 3 restaurants in our immediate vicinity without crossing a bridge. May is a nice time to go to the beach because it's cheaper, cooler and not crowded at all. We did not have to wait anywhere for anything! Service was tremendous. Not to mention we could not have gone any later! Baby Boy is getting more active and is getting more difficult for me to get around. We saw his foot go swimming across my belly tonight during dinner.

Our week went by so quickly! Vacation always goes by faster than real life. It's good to be home too. Evie is glad to be home too. She was thrilled to see her toys!