New Relatives - Day 106

Cousin C

Sharing rocks.






Aunt R and Cousin C

Kiss good bye.

Two tired, but clean, dogs.


Today LSP got to meet some more relatives. Her Aunt R and cousin C came out to visit. LSP took to them right away, though C was a bit shyer and had to warm up. LSP was SO excited to show C her swings and her toys. They found common ground over the water table, though, and had a blast splashing together. When they left LSP gave her a kiss. So sweet! We'll see more of them this week.

Meanwhile Uncle M powerwashed and oiled the deck, which was great, except for the part where the dogs slipped out and lay down on the still wet deck. This translated to two dog baths. The sticky nasty wood oil made their fur stiff and it took several washes with dish washing liquid to get them somewhat clean. Shiloh's tail was a total loss, we just cut the hair all off. The joys of dog ownership!

Tonight before bed Grampy took LSP outside and showed her the stars. She was confused at first about what she was supposed to be looking at, but then she saw them and pointed up to the sky. Wow! There are so many! She was so cute.

Recovery - Day 105

Hugging the guitar.






Nana found a toad!

Going down the slide with all her rocks, and a very wet diaper.


N and I woke up in the hotel room at 9 am after 5 hours of sleep. You do the math. We laughed our way though the photos in the camera, then managed to get up and out and found a Starbuck's for breakfast. We lounged in the hotel courtyard until checkout time and headed back to reality.

When I got back LSP was eating lunch and was so happy to see me. She hugged me and hugged me and said, "Momma! Mommy! Momma! Mommy!" over and over clinging to my neck. So sweet. N and I relayed some of our funnier wedding night stories to my family, then she had to be on her way back to her own family.

This afternoon LSP and I took a trip to the grocery store, we played outside for awhile, and I got to take a nap, hurrah! I had a fun time yesterday, but I missed my little girl. It was nice to be back with her, too.

Wedding Day - Day 104

Helping Uncle M sweep acorns off the porch.

Uncle M teaches LSP how to jump rope.



That is some cool hotel lobby, huh?

A little shopping before the wedding.

I can't believe he's married!!



Me, N and R when the night is young.

C&E completed our wedding reception posse.



Note the large, sweaty, drunk Croatian dude in the background.

We had us some really cute shoes.

Anyone know why I am standing on a chair?


This morning LSP and I hung out and visited with Unclc M before I had to leave. An old friend of mine was getting married, and I was going to have a genuine night out at the wedding! It was held at a hotel in town - very fancy. My good friend N and I attended together then stayed the night in the hotel. My first night away from LSP EVER!! Fun and scary.

We got to the hotel and it was indeed very fancy - too fancy for us! We couldn't make the elevator work and started laughing before we even got to the room. After checking in we explored a little, doing some shopping and eating some lunch. Then we returned to the hotel, got dressed and went downstairs for the wedding.

It was a beautiful ceremony and M and his bride K looked wonderful. We went back upstairs for the reception and found our old work pal R, and some more friends, E and C. We had a nice time at the reception, chatting and laughing and taking advantage of the open bar. When the reception was winding down, N, R and I hopped a cab downtown and ended up in an Irish bar laughing our heads off and chatting with a group of very drunk Croatians. Extremely surreal and a whole lot of fun. Getting back to the hotel was a challenge, as we could not get a cab and N and I were laughing too hard to be of much help. Eventually R got a taxi and we returned to the hotel and crashed.

Meanwhile at Nana and Grampy's house LSP had a fun time playing outside and with Uncle M's guitar. She went to bed for Nana, and woke up once in the night but went back to sleep easily! Yeah, Nana!

Over all a fun and successful night for all.

Hurricane Earl - Day 103

Standing on her toes to avoid the acorns the wind has blown onto the deck.

Outside in the rain.

Watching the storm come in.




The only thing good about the humidity is the cute things it does to her hair!

Watching George.


Well it appears as if Hurricane Earl is a bust. It's veered out farther into sea and we are getting rain, and some wind is predicted later, but no real hurricane. Oh well, better than a branch through a window, I guess.

Another quiet day here to day. Housebound this time by the rain and impending storms. LSP played with her water table, ate a popcicle and begged for more, played in Nana's craft room and watched some George. the highlight of the day was a bath for Shiloh this morning. LSP got very excited, "Shiloh tubby time!" she yelled. Halfway through the bath she asked, "Sarah too?" I can't imagine giving my parents' timid dog a bath, it would probably freak her out so much she'd be scarred for life. I told her no but later she asked, jut in case I didn't understand, "What about the other dog?"

After her own bath tonight LSP had a blast playing upstairs for awhile. She decided a section of the floor next to my bed was a car, and the blanket was the seat belt. She and I took turns sitting in the car, buckling the seat best and driving the car. Somehow a bunch of Nana's craft items played a part as well, but I couldn't really figure it out. It was all very cute.

Preparations - Day 102

Tea parties are serious business.



Both Shiloh and LSP enjoyed some water in the face on such a hot day.




LSP had a friend come over this morning. I told her J was coming about 30 minutes before she arrived and she must have asked for her 56 times. When she finally got here they played well together, with the exception of LSP's massive screaming hysterical tantrum when I told her we'd have to wait for later to play with the water table. They had a tea party, they colored, they played with the shopping cart, and they ran around the kitchen island screeching that high-pitched squeal that little girls can do. Very cute!

She was still housebound today as it was ridiculously hot and very humid. She did get to play with the water table for awhile, and had a popsicle. When I discovered we were low on baby wipes I had to brave the store to get some. I expected the usual pre-hurricane hysteria, but it was surprisingly calm in there. Grampy and I tied the porch furniture down. We're ready for it. If there's no blog entry tomorrow, then you can figure our power is out.

Water Fun - Day 101

A new flavor today - banana!

Another shot totally for the outfit. How cute are those shorts??

Shiloh enjoyed the water table, too!

So LSP thought she'd try.

Puzzles with Nana.


Today was yet another scorcher with swarms of mosquitoes everywhere. We took LSP to the playground for a short play session, then to the ice cream place. This particular ice cream shop is next to a very cute toy store, and Nana found LSP some puzzles and a rather cool water table. We came home and she spent a good deal of the afternoon playing with it on the screen porch. She played awhile, then asked me to take off her clothes. I figured it was because she was soaked, but turned out she wanted to try to climb INTO the water table! Not a great idea.

I went to the orthodontist because I have one front tooth that has been drifting outward fairly quickly in the last few years, and it turns out I will need braces! Only for a few months and only on my top four teeth but I have never had braces before ever! And I'm 40! This ought to be both comical and painful. Don't worry, there are sure to be photos.