It's 6 am...

do you know where your daughter is? 

Mine is in the floor. Why? I'm not exactly sure. When she got there? No clue. But I know that that's the worse case of bed head that I've ever seen! 

(please ignore the horrible flash!) 

Sneak Peak

I still need to hang the curtains, get fames for these super cute prints that I found on Etsy, and find a pink lamp and the big girl room with be fini. The girl has one awesome mattress too. How she just doesn't melt into a blissful sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow is beyond me. But each day gets better and better. Stay tuned for pics of the completed room! 

10 on Tuesday

1. My little girl is showing a whole new level of independence. We just got back from swimming at Gracie's house and I didn't even have to get in the water. I just sat on the side of the pool and watched her go to town. Man maybe by this time next year I can go back to reading 5 books while on vacation.

2. My parenting skills also went to a whole other level this weekend.  I bought my two year old a $4.50 Starbucks drink because I didn't feel like listening to her cry because she wanted mine and I was in one of those non-sharing kind of moods. And I HIGHLY doubt it was caffeine free. But seriously, in the grand scheme of things, it's not like I handed her a crack pipe. 

3. Do you guys remember those ultra cool shoes of the 80's called "Roos?" Well guess what. They still make 'em. And guess who's gonna be sporting them this fall. And they still have the little side pocket for your change!

4. I'm ashamed to admit this but I have not had a hair cut (or a dye job) since OCTOBER! And it looks like I haven't had my hair done since October. That's just pathetic. 

5. I found THE FUNNIEST blogspot ever the other day, www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com

It all started because of this cake, which made it's way around the Internet. Whoever is writing the commentary on this blog is hilarious! FUNNY STUFF! My personal favorite this little number. I'm thinking we need that for my friend's shower this Saturday. God, what is wrong with people! 

6. Someone I know was taking the bar exam today and it hit me that it's been 5 long years since I sat for 2 long days taking that stupid test. I probably couldn't pass that thing right now if my life depended on it!

7. The big girl bed transition has been going much smoother. Tonight Little Bit went right to sleep. However, last night she did make a break for it.

8. Soph is getting to be a big fan of the show Max & Ruby which I CAN'T STAND. Seriously, Ruby is just a bitooochy big sister. That's basically the gist of the show. 

9. My mom, aunt, and I are trying to work out an all girls vacation this fall with my grandma. BUT I think my grandma is getting to the age where she doesn't want to leave home for very long. I pray that when I'm 80 I'm anywhere but HOME in WV. Please let me be in a retirement home in Florida playing shuffleboard. 

10. Is this not the biggest chair you've ever seen?

Havin' a Blast

Hola from Snowshoe West Virginia! We are having  one fabulous weekend! The train ride at Cass went off without a hitch. The pool up here is probably the BEST resort pool for kids we have ever been too.   Carrie and Noel's condo is awesome! Sophie is currently passed out for the night.  And there's wireless internet and a Starbucks! Here's a few pics from today. Tomorrow morning we are going to take the ski lift down to the lake/beach area. Then it's home to pick up Oscar the Boxer :(. 

1905, nope, just our ride for the afternoon. 

A little scared of the whistle.   

And a little bored waiting to head out. 

A little mama time at our stop. 

And a little daddy time. 

Getting some tips on how to go down on your belly. 

Large and in charge. 

The indoor slide with some new friends. 

Blah

So I've got a case of the blog blahs. Nothing exciting to share. No exciting photos. Nada. Oh this weekend we are taking a little mini family vacation to Snowshoe. Just the three of us. The three of us have never been away by ourselves so I'm excited about our little adventure. Our big plan is to take Little Bit for a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad. I'm really hoping that the weather cooperates. 

And in daycare news, Little Bit is finally getting use to the new room. The past 3 days we haven't had any crying. YAY! However, on the way to day care she learned a new trick. She was in the back eating Cheerios and says "WOOKIE MAMA!" Yeah, learned how to shove a cheerio up her nostril. Nice. I just about wrecked the car reaching back to jerk the bag away from her. I can just imagine taking her to the ER and explaining that she shoved cereal up her snout. Nut.

And here's a cute one of the birthday boy! I can't believe he's one already! 

 

A Rose Among the Thorns

Being the only girl can be tough. No one ever wants to play baby dolls instead toy trucks are always laying around. Wrestle mania seems to be a favorite past time. And boogers and butts are the funniest thing on the planet. But none of that seems to bother Little Bit for even a second. She loves these boys more than anything. And I don't think that any other girl could hold their own like this one does. She's definitely one of a kind. 

No Fear

I have to agree with my sister in-law who says that a little bit of fear of the water is a good thing. Otherwise, you turn your back, and you see your 2 year old doing this off the diving board. Check out the form. 

I'm serious, you have to watch this girl like a hawk. Swimmies or not, she just jumps right in. We had a great weekend in Pennsylvania. Tyler had a great first birthday. And all of the kids swam until they literally passed out! Can't beat that! I'm exhausted, so I'm off to get a good night's sleep! 

28 Months

My dear sweet Little Bit,

I'm actually writing this month's post on location. No, I'm not laying on a tropical island sipping on margaritas. I'm currently camped out in front of your closed bedroom door. Occasionally, I lay as flat as a human can possibly lay and peek one eyeball under your door to ensure that a little pair of size 6 feet aren't dangling from your big girl bed. Little feet that are ready to make a bee line for your door which you open, run down the hall, giggle and yell "wookie at me!" 

 So I'm camped out in front of the door and I will remain here until I win this little battle. And yes, I have held the door shut a time or two when you've tried to open it. Your daddy thinks that you'll probably end up needing therapy for that little number. But come on, you were virtually "trapped" in your crib. And you're no worse for the ware. Besides, as I've had my eye ball to the crack beneath the door, I watch you grab a book, crawl back into bed, read it, toss it to the floor, and then pass out. But if your life ends up spiraling out of control and you end up selling sea shell necklaces on a beach in Taiwan to make ends meet, there is now documented proof of when it all went to hell and we can all blame mama.  But as I'm finishing up this paragraph I'm pretty sure that you're in between that funky state of sleep and awake. And you'll wake up in the morning and say "I sleep in big girl bed." Like it's the proudest moment in your life and winning a gold medal at the Olympics couldn't be much better. 

So you're a fourth of the way into your second year of life. You amaze us every single day with something new that you either say or do.  BUT sometimes you completely puzzle us. Why is it that you still flat out REFUSE to learn colors. I'm mean seriously. It's getting a little old. Not everything in the world is pink or yellow. And all of your little friends can say "oooo red truck!" Or "oooo green ball." What's the deal? I know darn well that a kid who can hook a dvd player up to a tv or say her ABC's  , can surely to god tell us that a banana is yellow.  You still get totally ticked off at us when we ask you "which crayon is red?" I swear if you could, I think you'd like to tell us, "I really don't give a sh*t which crayon is red, just give me the damn crayon!" What am I saying "if." Wouldn't surprise me if you'd bust that one out on us next week.

This month has been really hard on yours truly. I know I've beat this topic into the ground but it really does pain me that you still aren't lovin' your new room at daycare. Actually I think you hate it with the fire of 10,000 suns! At least you do in the morning when I drop you off. You king to me as though I'm about to toss you into a volcano. However, I've had reports from people who see you shortly after I drop you off and you're just fine and dandy. So maybe  you are just trying to rip my heart out because you get some kind of enjoyment out of it.

So that's month 28 Sophie B. Carr. You have such spunk. Oh one funny thing does stick out in my mind. After we got back from the beach we headed over to Joel and Shannon's house for a surprise birthday cookout for Joel.  You love birthdays parties more than anything. Well I think everyone got a kick out of you singing screaming "Happy Birthday" to Joel with your dress pulled up over your head. Who needs Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to them when they can have Soph B. 

Delicioso!

Nothing says healthy like sweet deep fried dough doused in powered sugar! And yes she's chowing down on the hood of the car. It felt like hanging out in a sauna last night but my 20 minute wait for a funnel cake was WELL worth it. And I'm more than willing to go BACK to the fair after work one evening if anyone would like to go. There's a few things that I didn't get to eat. I'm very curious about the "fried oreos" and the "fried Twinkies."

Despite the heat, Little Bit had a good time at the fair. I think she could have hung out in the rabbit exhibit all day! For a traveling carnival, they actually had some decent (safe looking) rides for little ones. AND I feel that you should know that she even won a giant blow up Dora by herself . Ok, so the carnie did have to give her 8 tries but she finally got that baseball to land in a hole! 

Adored

From Webster's:

Main Entry: adore  Pronunciation: \ə-ˈdȯr\ Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): adored; ador·ing Etymology: Middle English adouren, from Anglo-French aurer, adourer, from Latin adorare, fromad- + orare to speak, pray — more at oration Date: 14th century 1 : to worship or honor as a deity or as divine2 : to regard with loving admiration and devotion <adored his wife>3 : to be very fond of <adores pecan pie>

I'm just not sure who adores who more. 

Digging A Ditch

We are HUGE Dave Matthews fans up in here. As soon as I snapped this photo the DMB song "Digging a Ditch" started playing over and over in my head. Sophie B. has one serious shoveling technique, don't ya think? The kid could be digging for buried treasure. Or a hole to China. If only we knew what went through that that head of hers! Whatever her thoughts, she was really concentrating, for about 10 seconds that is! 

I did a little "faded color" action on the above pic a la Mac since I STILL don't have  a new photoshop. Here's the original. Which do you like better? 

Ten Again

1. The transition to the big girl bed has been somewhat tricky. Last night we had to put ole girl back into bed 1, 443 times. She FINALLY fell asleep and slept like a rock. I haven't taken pictures yet because her room isn't finished. We still need to take the crib out and buy a few accessories.

2. The county fair starts this weekend and I am ten kinds of excited. Ahhhh carnie food. Sweet, delicious, fried, and fattening carnie food. So many choices and so little time.

Here's Little Bit enjoying the sugar goodness of some cotton candy!

3. Sophie now acts as though I'm making her walk the plank when we go to daycare. I hate it that she hates the new room so much. I miss my happy little girl in the morning. 

4. And speaking of nice of my part. Yesterday, I managed to pinch a little boy's finger in little wooden door when I was picking up Sophie. NICE! And of course as he was screaming bloody murder his mama walked in. Man did I feel bad, and continued to feel bad all evening!

5. So I talked to my dad the other night and the pumpkin patch is sprouting like crazy! I'd like to make a sign for it, but I don't have an arts and crafts bone in my body. 

6. Oh how cool is this. Last week at the beach Buncle Sean bought 4 shark teeth and PapPap "planted" them on the beach so the boys could find them. Now how cool is that. Deceitful, yes. But ultra cool, heck yeah.

7. Little Bit and I made "red velvet" cupcakes over the weekend. I think for the rest of eternity red velvet will remind me of Steal Magnolias and the armadillo grooms cake.  

8. The daughter of a guy that Steven works with may be able to give Little Bit some swimming lessons. Which would be AWESOME! I worry that I'm gonna turn around and she's going to be doing a triple flip off the high dive!

9. I'm now addicted to "Runs House" on MTV. 

10. As I've been typing, we've had to put Sophie back to bed 7 times. And now she's in her crib. Great.

The Inner Circle of Hell

Or as some might call it, "Build-a-Bear at the busiest place in South Carolina." Now there are Build-a-Bear stores in malls across the United States but apparently no one goes to those stores. Instead they all wait (like us) and all go to this particular Build-a-Bear. And I'm not lying when I say that they have a velvet rope outside the door with a lady (who no speaka da English very well) ushers people  in like cows off to slaughter. This was our 1st experience at such a magical place. I think this kind of thing is better left to the 3 and above crowd as Zachary thoroughly enjoyed making his dinosaur.

So for those of you who don't know, the 1st thing you do is pick out what kind of stuffed animal you want to make. They have some seriously cute stuff. However, my child picks out a fugly monkey. Who cares that we have 3 monkeys at home! But whatever. 

So off to stuffing. The chick asks us if we want a soft or hard stuffed animal. I'm thinking that for cuddling purposes, soft would be better. This would prove to be a bad choice.

Here is where Little Bit was suppose to be giving her monkey a bath. 

Finally, this place has more outfits than Macy's to choose from.  ANYTHING you can imagine. Bathing suits, princess outfits, cheerleader get-ups. You name it, they've got it. Cute stuff! Our child grabs the first tank top that she sees. So we slap it on. The mission at this point is to get out of there and get out of there fast. After standing in line for an eon to pay, Steven even told the checkout girl to "screw putting it in a box" we otta here!

The result, a monkey that looks like a hooker, with a mashed in face because we choose the "soft" option. Apparently, it didn't get enough stuffing in it's face. So it sort of looks like a cro-magnon man. But Sophie seems to be pretty fond of it. 

Semi Disastrous

So trying to take a good photo of five kids between the ages of eleven months and six years is NOT easy. In fact, for me it proved to be impossible. I snapped off around 70 pics and none of them turned out. It didn't help matters that our little photo session was cut short because Sophie stripped off her dress because it got "yucky" (wet). I didn't even have it in me to try again. I don't know how pros do it! I guess that's why they are called pros. Maybe next year. Or the year after. Or the year after that!

This was definitely the look I had in mind when I set out to take group pics!

"Might as well JUMP!" 

They may have been born on the same day, but they couldn't be more different! 

 

We're Back!

Howdy! It started off a little rough, with the pink eye and all, but all in all our beach trip was fab! The car ride was a breeze. Thankfully none of the cousins caught the eye funk. Little Bit is like her daddy and is more of pool fan than a beach fan. Sand is just way to messy for her. Girlfriend is Greg Louganis when it comes to jumping into the pool with her water wings or swim bubble. And we aren't allowed to touch her. No fear = a scared mama and daddy. 

    We also found out that another cousin will be joining the crew in January! Aunt Amy and Buncle Sean are going to have another baby and we are pulling for a girl! Little Bit can sword fight and wrestle with the best of 'em but a girl to hang out with would be awesome! I have a ton of pics to go through so here are just a few for now. 

Day one and you can kind of see that her right eye is all squinty. Zachary is three and Little Bit ranks him up there with Dora.

Our last day. I have a TON more from this little session. 

The gang after dinner (which really wasn't that hectic!) Tyler, Little Bit, Zachary, Jacob, and Steven. 

Pam Anderson, err, Sophie B! 

Girlfriend having enough of the sand and sun.