Timing

So we are all ready to head to the beach. The car is packed, the dog is at the kennel, the mail has been stopped. We have soooo been looking forward to a vacation and we've been counting down the days until Sophie can play on the beach. And then that all changed this afternoon. I received a call telling me that my grandpa had passed away. My grandpa who use to carry me into school so I wouldn't get my feet dirty. My grandpa who when I was little meant everything in the world to me. Of course the questions always come. Why? And the selfishness creeps up in me and asks why now? I'm sad. I'm hurt and I'm mad. I've never lost any one this close to me. I've was lucky and got to know my almost all of my great grandparents so the thought of losing a grandparent at 68 never entered my mind. I guess they say that everything happens for a reason. :(

See this?

This is a device which I hope and pray will put my 15 month old into a zombie like state as we make the 8 hour trip to the "redneck riviera" during "coal miner's week" (i.e. Myrtle Beach for those of you not from WV and referred to as "coal miner's week" because I think every miner up every "holler" heads to the beach during the 4th of July and I ain't hatin' on anyone b/c I myself am a Coal Miner's Daughter so I'm allowed to talk some smack). However, I must admit that I do looooove the place but I digress. Up until this point Sophie has not been into TV. Well two days ago we hooked up the car DVD player so to test it out I've been turning on Elmo during our rides home from day care and she seems to get sucked right in...YAY! So at 3 am tomorrow morning we are heading south. We are also hoping that Little Bit sleeps from 3am until 7 but I'd bet the bank that she'll grace us with her presence around 6 when the sun comes up. Wish us luck and may the force be with us!

And in case there are any weird blog stalkers out there...please know that the only possessions we have worth stealing are a George Foreman grill and a Shrek 2 DVD. Nothing else is worth taking I promise. You can GLADLY take this POS lap top that I'm using at the moment. Oh and stay tuned because I'm sure to post while sea side!

Stop the Insanity

I've been a blogging slacker. But I must admit that I do have somewhat of an excuse. We have been busy packing for our trip to the beach! Steven and I have both made it our mission to have the car packed and ready way ahead of time. So I'm currently driving around town with a car packed with a beach tent, a wagon, and a stroller. The car is just waiting for the suit cases (oh and the golf clubs, god forbid we leave the golf clubs behind). As I was packing Little Bit's suit case I got sick. Yep sick. The kid has an ENTIRE brand spanking new wardrobe to take on a week long vacation. I had to take a picture to document this absurdity and utter insanity! She has not one, not two but SEVEN yes SEVEN never been worn, tags still on 'em, dresses! And what you may ask is mama taking new? Nothing, nada, zip. That's right, I'll admit it, for some reason I find it more important to dress my kid rather than myself. Sophia can make a pillowcase look cute (and I know this because I have purchase two adorable "pillowcase" dresses) and here I am trying to squeeze into skirts that I bought my second year of law school, which was a much smaller period of my life! All I can say is that I hope when she struts her stuff in her new outfits that all eyes are on the 15 month old and not the 29 year old mama in the outdated duds!

Reminiscing

I'm feeling sentimental today. Normally I don't have a sentimental bone in by body but for some reason I'm feeling it today. My good friend Beth is getting married in a few weeks and it got me thinking about weddings in general and then my own wedding. In December Steve-o and I will celebrate 3 years of pure marriage bliss (bwhahahahaha, if any of you out there have "marriage bliss" I'd love to hear about it, does that even exist?) But seriously, the past two and a half years have been wonderful, especially with Little Bit coming into the picture. So take a trip with me down memory lane, my wedding day.

Picture it, Puerto Rico, the El Conquistador Resort, December 14, 2004. We decided on Puerto Rico because Steven was stationed there for two and a half years while he was in the navy. I had lots of vacations in Puerto Rico during those 2 1/2 years. Is it wrong to want him to move back? It was nice having a place to stay! Oh and...I told my photographer that I didn't want ANY posed shots...well I think he took me a little to literal b/c I have ZERO frontal shots of us! If only I had known Anne then.

All dressed up and ready to go!

The one and only request made by my hubby, "can we please take some pics on the golf course."

Right before the ceremony a storm decided to visit us...we had to move the location of the ceremony to a covered veranda, that's the caribbean for you.

The typical "The Knot" photo

Awe....dancing to our favorite DMB song, "Crush"

Here's the entire gang. 25 friends and family members.

And if you know me at all...you know that this was my favorite part...THE CAKE! I won't even tell you how much I paid for this tiny piece of heaven but I will tell you that I ate the entire top by myself because you know where would freeze over before I'd let it go to waste (not to mention I could eat an entire cake on any given day.)

THANKS for looking!

Uneventful

I really don't have much to blog about today. I had a nice day off since it was West Virginia Day and I work for the state. I spent the day laying by the pool working on my non-existent tan while Sophia hung out with her peeps at daycare. And do I have any mommy guilt? Not so much. We'll be heading to the beach next week so Sophia will get PLENTY of non-stop pool and beach action. But this evening I was uploading some photos to an online album and I came across a few more pics of Sophia swinging. I know I've posted a lot of swing pics but this one cracks me up. She reminds me of the Joker in Batman!

And I fell in love with this one too. It highlights that big kisser of hers!

S'more

Ha! Get it? I've got a theme going here, camping, s'mores (the most delicious 3 ingredients on the face of the planet), some more photos. Man I'm funny. Anywho, I have to give Stephanie credit for the majority of these super cute pics. She had them posted on her blog but they are just too fun not to share with my peeps as well! I haven't had time to go through all of mine yet but mine are pretty much the same as were were following the girls around with cameras all day! Gees looking at these pics makes me realize just how busy these girls were! We were only at the camp site for 4 hours!!!!!!!! So warning...picture overload!

Some 4-wheeler action. Sophie couldn't figure out how to drive the thing...she tried using her feet like a push-toy. But not to worry Gracie has the driving thing under control (if you call not being able to steer control!)

Then they decided to hit the pool. And of course bubbles belong in a pool. Duh.

Moving on to a little action in the wagon.

Homemade icecream. YUMMY!

Finally they ended the day jumping up and down on the Dora couch.

So as you can see we had a jam packed day! I can't wait to do it again!

"A Good Friend....

will bail you out of jail. But a best friend will help you hide the body"...Anonymous (but whoever said it had a wickedly funny sense of humor!)

So obviously I hope that Sophie and Gracie don't grow up and murder ex-boyfriends who break their hearts but I do hope that they grow up as close friends (and perhaps burn a few pictures, prank call, and wreck havoc on previously mentioned ex-boyfriends). How many of you out there can say that you have been friends with someone or even known someone since you were 8 weeks old? I'm guessing not a lot! I didn't grow up with siblings so instead I learned to appreciate and value true friendships. And I have never ever for one second believed that blood was thicker than water. Seeing as Sophia is going to be an only child I hope that she learns to cherish the friendships that she makes.

Watching these two girls together is the neatest thing. I honestly believe that they truly love each other in the way that a 15 month old can love . After all, they spend close to 9 hours a day with one another. The rumor around day care is that you can tell they are best friends because they are constantly together but when they are mad at one another the ENTIRE room knows it. So here's to the hope that there really is a such thing as "Best Friends Forever." Oh and here's hoping neither one of them never need bailed out of the slammer!

And for your viewing pleasure, here it is in black and white.

Happy Father's Day

Steven is an old pro at this father's day stuff. I mean he's already celebrated two of them! I know I've said it before but Little Bit could not have hand picked a better daddy. He does EVERYTHING with her. The man even fixes her hair into a pony tail or pig tails before he drops her off at day care every morning! Truthfully, I don't think that there is much that he wouldn't do for her.

So here's Little Bit and her daddy throwing rocks into the lake. We visited Gracie's family at their camp site on Saturday. (I have some super cute pictures of Gracie and Sophie to post!) But for now Happy Father's Day...enjoy your day watching paint dry....oh I mean watching the US Open.

And once again the million dollar question...do you like the pic in color or black and white?

Look Up!

Anne ROCKS!!!!!!!! She made me a header with my all time favorite picture of Sophia, which by the way she took, because along with her mad PhotoShop skills she also has fabulous photographer skills! Thank you soooooooo much!

Clean Sweep

Swifting the floor has become a favorite past time around this joint. Any time I need to distract Little Bit for a solid five minutes or more I can pull this sucker out. Perfect for a day like today because the the Direct TV man had to come out and move our satellite. Apparently a leaf (I kid you not) was blocking our signal. So for a mere $70 the Direct TV fella comes to your house and will move said leaf. Of course I was unaware of the "leaf" problem when I scheduled the appointment otherwise I would have had Steven outside picking leaves off the tree. But no...according to Apu in India the problem with my Direct TV could be something major and coming out to my house was the only way to get it fixed. But I'll cut them some slack...they have provided me with the greatest invention of the 21 century...DVR. How in did the world manage to spin on its axis without this little jewel?

Two by Two Meme

Wendy tagged me with this meme. Since I didn't post any cute photos last night I thought that I'd play along to fill in the space.

Two Names You Go By:
1. Kim
2. Mama- the best title so far! Beats "Esquire" 10 to 1. Of course I'm not sure I've ever been referred to as "esquire."

Two Things You are Wearing Right Now:
1. white linen pants
2. purple shirt

Two Things You Want In A Relationship:
1. Humor
2. Friendship

Two Of Your Favorite Things To Do:
1. Hands down...going out to eat. ESPECIALLY new restaurants.
2. Reading a good book

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. A new house
2. A new wardrobe...i have things in my closet that are way beyond their expiration date!

Two Pets You Have Or Had:
1. Dinky the cocker spaniel- Aptly named for the dog in National Lampoons (you know the one that Clark accidentally ties to the bumper).
2. Boots the cats- Who went MIA while we were on our cruise this past December. I still think my friend Katie had him "erased" as she was in charge.

Two People Who Will Fill This Out First:
1. Anne
2. Lara

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. Watched part of "America's Got Talent" b/c I am a sucker for any reality TV show
2. Read "Good Night Moon" (which I'm not a fan of but it's quick) to Sophia.

Two Chores That You Don't Like Doing:
1. Putting clean clothes away
2. Mopping the floor

Two Things You Ate Today:
1. I think the better question would be "Two things You Haven't Ate Today." Anyway...watermelon
2. Turkey wrap

Two People You Talked To Last:
1. Steven
2. Carrie

Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
1. Coming to work
2. Tracking down a homemade ice cream recipe

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Halloween- I LOVE seeing how creative people can get!
2. Xmas Eve

Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Margaritas on the rocks with LOTS of salt!
2. Moca frappuccinos from Starbucks with lots of whip...but lately since I've been on the wagon I get the "Lite" DEFINITELY does not compare to the real thing!

At the Car Wash....

Workin' at the car wash, girl

Come on and sing it with me

(Car wash)

Sing it with the feelin' ya'all

(Car wash, girl)

Ooh!

And lets not forget that it's "better than diggin a ditch." Strange song. Anyway...on Sunday Sophia got to help her daddy wash the cars. She was a great little helper except for the part where she'd throw her rag on the groud, get it covered in grass and rocks, and then throw it back into the bucket of soapy water. An act that would have given PaPa Scott a myocardial infarction. Our silly girl HATED the water hose. I thought that all kids were suppose to love water hoses?! Mine hightails to safety when she see a hose! But come on now...I definitely think that Little Bit could raise more money at a car wash than those little high school hoochie mamas!

And can one of you computer savy, photoshop elements experts, out there point me to a nice and simple tutorial on how to make a header for this here blog o' mine. It needs some jazzing up and I don't know where to start!

The Dynamic Duo

A few months ago, Lyndsay challenged every mommy out there to step in front of the camera more. I have hundreds upon hundreds of photos of Sophia but sadly I can count on two hands the number of photos where I'm in the picture with her. I have a million pictures of me in all of my glory at WVU and shakin' my thing at Chi Omega functions. Now that I'm almost 30 and the old gray mare just ain't what she use to be, the thought of looking at my big ole butt in a photo is not high on my list of things to do. But years from now when I'm dead and gone I imagine Sophia going through old photos and not being able to find any pictures of me! Remember that scene in the movie Beaches where Hillary is frantically looking for a picture of her mother's hands? That scene has seriously played through my mind on more than one occasion. So here's me and Little Bit. And here's another challenge to all of you mommies out there to get in front of the lens!

Bucket O' Soph

My friend Beth (who's shower we wrecked havoc on a few weeks ago) just sent me this picture of Sophia. By the time this shot was taken the shower had just finished up and we were getting ready to head home. Notice the hair-do. This is what rolling around on any near by couch, chair, or floor will do to a girl's hair. Not a good look. But I do love Little Bit's rubber band and/or Michelin Man arms. Don't worry Beth I promise I'll be childless at the wedding!

Big Willy Style

So the other day I mentioned that my hubby has a thing for Will Smith. I figured that this evening would be the perfect evening to delve into that a little deeper seeing as he just ticked me off about giving Sophie a bath because he was "watching a good movie" (and I haven't taken an photos in a few days). So I did the bath thing (sometimes you just don't feel like doing it) and Steven eventually came into the bathroom to help finish up so I'm not too steamed...but when I walked into our bedroom I saw the "good movie" that had him so captivated, I ROBOT! Yep...a Will Smith movie and a crapy one at that! I'm telling you...he's got a man crush! When asked what he sees in Big Willy my husband replies...1. He's a good dresser 2. He's got a hot wife 3. He's a good lookin' fella 4. He's funny 5. He makes good movies and 6. He's got a rockin' bod. Ok he really didn't say that last one. But seriously, I think we've watched Men In Black and Bad Boys 234 times! But thank god his crush only goes so far, at least he doesn't make me listen to "Parents Just Don't Understand."

So muuuuuah babe! I just called you out on the world wide web! Maybe tomorrow night you'll do the dishes, and give Soph a bath! (All in good fun of course...I have one of the best husbands ever...he goes above and beyond especially with Sophia! We are two lucky girls!)

Lawn Girl

And you thought I'd hire the cutie patootie boy down the street to cut the grass! Our newest toy....the bubble blowing lawn mower. I have a feeling that by the end of the summer we're gonna end up with every bubble toy known to man and/or Walmart. Unfortunately our crack head dog enjoys chasing and barking at anything with wheels. So we learned very quickly that this toy can only be played with in the front yard. Gotta love the look of sheer determination and the pot belly ROCKS!

Poppin' A Squat...

...drinkin' some Motts for Tots. Ok so I hate to call the game to early but the first day at the new day care was a HUGE success. As evidence of that huge success...Sophie actually took a nap for them! This is REMARKABLE as there are 20 kids in the room. It was virtually impossible for her to sleep with 12 kids in the room let alone 20! Her new lead teacher, Ms. Brenda, told me that they must have worn her out with some hard core play action.

So here's to another successful day tomorrow. On a side note...just 13 more days until the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway here in our area. I proudly bought my $100 ticket for a chance at a $500,000 house (and my mom bought one too.) It's for such a wonderful cause....I can't even begin to imagine spending one nanosecond at St. Jude with Sophia, let alone months and months like some children. When I win the house I'll invite you all over for a BBQ!

3rd Times A Charm

Or is it 3 strikes you're out? I hope it's the later! This morning Sophie walked her butt into the "twosie" room at the new new day care. And guess what, there were NO TEARS when I left this morning! YAY! She was busy playing with all of the other kids. We decided on the older room since a few other 15 month olds will be starting next week. Last Friday we spent the whole morning playing in the room and she did great playing with the older kids. And she loved the play ground, actually she loved trying to eat the rubber mulch.

So for the most part we had an uneventful weekend. Steven and I managed to see 2 hours and 55 minutes of ole Cpt. Jack Sparrow yesterday (I have a thing for pirates in general and for some reason unbeknownst to me, Steven has a thing for Cap'n Jack (and Will Smith but that's for another blog)) Ok, now that I have officially ticked off the hubby, back to our weekend. We hit the pool on Saturday afternoon and I was shocked to find out Sophie was NOT a fan of the baby pool. And she even had the whole thing to herself! So we'll definitely have to try it out again. As for the pictures....these were taken in our back yard. I had this blow-up baby tub that has now become obsolete since Little Bit has mastered the big tub. So I thought that I might make a good splash pool. Here's the squirt trying it out sans H2O.

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

This just cracks me up. Could she possibly be any more laid back in her Mini Mouse chair!

Sophie has recovered nicely from the peanut incident. But I am beyond livid with the new day care. So this morning we are going to visit a new day care. I actually know a few people who go to this day care and they love it. They are NAEYC accredited and they are PEANUT FREE!!! But there are some negatives too. #1 there are 20 kids per room with 5 teachers. That's just insane to me. And #2 they aren't exactly sure which room to put Little Bit in. There is the Toddler One room which ranges from 11 months to around 19-22 months. And there is the Toddler Twoo room which ranges from 19 months up to 2 years. If she goes into Toddler One, she'll only be in there for a few months and she'll be moved up and she'll have to transition all over again. But if we start her in the toddler two room she'll be the youngest squirt by about 5 months but she'll be able to stay put for well over a year. I'm just not sure if she can hold her own with a bunch of almost 2 year olds. So this morning we are going to go visit the two rooms and try to figure out the best fit. I'm sure I'll pick the wrong room! My record is not looking good in the day care department!