JJ's 60th Birthday!

We recently celebrated my mom's 60th birthday. Her birthday was actually in May, but we wanted to celebrate with everyone, so we all traveled to the lake for the weekend. My parents got a pontoon boat for the day and we had a blast on Lake Martin. The babies were fearless in the lake water, but the same can't be said for Carey, who did an eternal crunch trying to keep her legs from dangling, tempting any deepwater lake creatures. What a weirdo.

We also attempted family photos that afternoon and actually came out with several good ones. This is shocking, considering we are a family of toddlers and, let's face it, goofballs. Sorry, it had to be said.

Another highlight was napping with Sylvie for about three hours on Saturday afternoon. So nice and super sweet to watch a peaceful baby sleeping. Of course, a nap will always be a highlight for me as one of my favorite hobbies is napping.

On Sunday we drove to Auburn to go to Lakeview Baptist and have lunch before having to head home. Sylvie did fine in the foreign nursery, although the same can't be said for Bailey. She had a hard time and I have to admit I was relieved it wasn't mine causing the mid-service cell phone call.

I covet these times with family, since Sylvie and Bailey get along so well and I love for Sylvie to be influenced by such a smart little girl like Bailey. Mom and Dad "renovated" their storage room to make a playroom for the girls, and it turned out to be a great idea...they can play in there together with only a little supervision. It is really funny to hear them playing together. We're currently planning a time when we can all go to an AU game this fall, with the concession that JJ & Ferg keep the little ones. Don't think this will be a problem. They'd rather be with them than us any day!

I can't believe I took so few pictures...hopefully Carey has some I can get later. I always forget that my phone is my camera and leave my phone behind since everyone who calls me was on the boat!

Fortner family.

JJ, don't get mad that I put this on here...I want to remember that you were a fun grandma!

Cap'n Sylvie

Loved the water.

God Bless,
Katie

Tongue progression

Another beach trip for the books...

How stinkin' cute is this picture? I love my husband.

This past weekend we headed to Destin to have my bf and her kids at the house for the first time ever. I still can't believe that I've been friends with Whit for over 10 years and we've never taken them to the beach house. It's really unforgivable, almost as unforgivable as Whit never reading my blog, but that's another story altogether. Anyway...

We had a great time playing in the bay with her two boys. Sylvie genuinely loved the pure entertainment of it all. They are in constant motion and she ate it up. It's hard to believe Braxton is six years old and going into the first grade...makes me feel oooolllddd. And that's nothing compared to how old he makes his mama feel since she is even older than me. (Wink wink). Although our trip was cut short (really, don't plan a trip with us. We have a really bad track record of things not going according to plan), it was great to see them for the time they were there. It turned out to be a really relaxing trip, which we really needed. Plus I learned a new song about the bay that Sylvie loves! So funny.

We headed home early on Sunday for my dear friend's daddy's funeral. He was only 50 years old. I was honored to sing at the service for her. So sad.

Munchkin's new top knot hairdo.

Swimming in the bay (I spent most of my time on the dock. Those tiny fish freak me out).

On the kickboard.


Crazy Braxton!

This photo-op cost his mama a whopping $20. "Betcha can't get him to look at the camera?" Don't underestimate the power of making a deal with a six-year-old...they'll do a lot for a cut of the winnings.

God Bless,
Katie

Perdido Trip

We traveled down to Perdido for a dental meeting with Parrish earlier this month. I thought it would be really fun to take Sylvie to the beach and pool and have some girl time...but did you know that we have girl time every day? And basically we did what we do every day, but in a hotel room? And that hotel rooms aren't baby-proofed? And that the munchkin's head fits through the railing on the balcony? Regardless, it really was fun. Besides having to pack up our whole house and move it south for a couple of days. Seriously, it was fun. Sylvie didn't mind the sand on the beach, but was terrified of the water. She didn't mind me going in, though, to constantly fetch buckets of water for her sandcastles. I didn't mind...it was hot! Highlights included getting to see Parrish's cousins Janna, Kayla and Janna's precious pooch Millie (whom Sylvie adored), Sylvie taking marathon naps in our bed, and Sylvie peeing in the elevator through her swim diaper. Oh yeah, and pitching monster fits while we had lunch in the hotel restaurant together. For those of you with a fear of eating alone, try doing it with a temperamental two-year-old, and you'll choose to dine solo any day. Did I mention I love traveling with Sylvie?

Sylvia enjoyed putting sand on Mommy...a lot. I hear it's a good exfoliant.

Sunbathing beauty (by the way, the guy that rented us our umbrella was SO rude. Who is rude to a pack mule toting a darling baby? He didn't even offer to carry some of our gear. What a twerp...I guess I interrupted his tanning session. Worst $10 Parrish ever spent).

Loves her glasses.

Obsessed with my accessory of the day, a very big belt. Also obsessed with getting to play/sleep/eat/nap on the big bed.

Had a fight with the cobblestone after dinner one night...the cobblestone won. Meet Sylvie with no skin on her little face...at least her nose wasn't broken. Did you know toddlers heal really fast? Truly amazing.

Refusing to sit in a highchair, booster seat, or regular chair. This is truly our biggest struggle currently...rule #1, we don't stand in chairs! (Thanks to Aunt Carey for this rule, but how do you %$*#@ enforce it?)

Watching the kids on the playground at the Crab Trap. This child loves other kids so much. If only she were bigger! She'd rule the roost out there.


We were treated to a silent ride home, as the munchkin slept off her beach hangover for three hours. Thank you Lord! Did I mention how fun it is to take a toddler to the beach?

God Bless,
Katie

How do you say nightgown?

Sylvie says...




I really think this is hilarious, especially since she continued to say it all night until bed.

I'm going to put on my nigh nigh gowna and hit the hay.

More later...

Scaredy cat...

Sylvie hates Aubie. How sad. All day, we talked about Aubie. We read his book, we looked at his picture, we did cheers. Before their fateful meeting, we heard "Where Aubie?" over and over. She looked for him, she couldn't wait to meet him. Until he actually showed up.

Before...

And after...

War Eagle!!

Happy Memorial Day!

This year we had a super fun Memorial Day weekend in Houma with Mimi. We drove down Thursday night, shopping on Friday in town. This was great...got new pillows for the living room and new shoes for the munchkin. Two tasks so very hard to accomplish in Andalusia! We also visited a really cool used bookstore that I'm sure we'll go back to...Sylvie got some books for her summer reading. We had a yummy meal that night at Melvin's, a unique local restaurant. The best part was how nice they were to my manic, Energizer Bunny two-year-old. Fine dining meets CRAZY.

Saturday morning we headed to New Orleans, first stopping at Frank's for a morning Bloody Mary. Apparently getting a to-go cocktail doesn't just stop at the drive-thru dacquiri in Southern Louisiana. I, of course, find this tradition right up my alley. We detoured to visit the Bonne Carre spillway right outside the city. It had just been opened for the first time in a long time in response to the flooding of the Mississippi River. What is normally a very large "park" is now filled with overflow from the river. Very interesting for history/engineering buffs. We were glad to see that it worked and prevented flooding of that area, which had its fair share after Hurricane Katrina. As I'm typing this, I feel like I need to be fact-checked. While Parrish was mesmerized with this event, I was more concerned with making sure the munchkin didn't fall into the spillway and was also marveling at how much the guy from the Army Corps of Engineers sounded like he was from New Jersey, like Marky Mark. But he was from LA. Weird.

Spillway spilling.

Sylvie running.

After our current events lesson, we headed to the aquarium in New Orleans. So neat. I've never been, so I think I had the most fun. Sylvie liked it too, especially the otters. "Where Otty go?" over and over is soooo cute. It really was a neat place. We had a great meal at Landry's (another experience with a patient waiter who didn't mind fishing several restaurant items out of the potted plant). I also managed to make friends with a stranger when faced with a poo situation with no wet wipes (I know, I know, what was I thinking?). Luckily the place was loaded with kids, so I was rescued in short order. Seriously, for a kid who eats so little, where does all that poo come from? It doesn't make any scientific sense.

Daddy really wanted her to experience the aquarium. He'd probably dunk her if I'd let him.

Terrified of the plastic frog. Go figure.

Creepy white alligator that didn't move but had really big white teeth.

Mommy and baby sleeping. So uncomfortable. Thanks for the picture, Daddy.

We had a very relaxed afternoon/evening on the bayou. Sylvie played in the sprinkler, watched the baby ducks and kept an eye on Casey and Tiger (a 4-month-old German Shepherd that insisted that Sylvie was her toy...might've been Sylvie's squeaky shoes driving the poor dog crazy). Mimi's house is very relaxing and I spent a lot of time reading and asleep! Yay.


We drove home Sunday, making a brief stop in Mobile for a Target/smoothie treat. We are trying to find the munchkin a small broom or vacuum...train 'em early, I always say.

We're back to normal now, but it's lonely around here this week. I really liked having Parrish home for the long weekend. Too quiet, even with Elmo, squealing, talking, running, laughing, crying in the background. Next up: more time with Mimi here in Andalusia, a trip to the lake, a trip to Perdido Beach and a trip to Destin. Busy summer...oh, and they are holding Mother's Day Out in July, praise the Lord!!

PS...Go see "Water for Elephants" if you haven't already...fabulous. Date night is so good.

God Bless!
Katie