Sweet Kaitlyn

Things I don't want to forget about Kaitlyn at this age:
- The way she toddles around so unsteadily with her arms outstretched in front of her body.
- She knows the word 'yogurt' and if I ask her if she wants some, I better be able to give it to her NOW.
- She loves the White Grape-Pomegranate Juice that James calls "Red berry juice", and loved to toddle around holding a sippy-cup full of juice.
- She eats mostly everything, except eggs, and she loved to face-plant on her tray and shovel things into her mouth.
- She loves to go into my bathroom and unload the band-aid drawer, dropping everything onto the floor.
- The way she gets excited and starts to laugh and walk fast if you ask her where she's going.
- She is really starting to try to mimic everything we say... hi, daddy, step, stick, etc.
- The way she is starting to remember things, and how something is associated with an object. For instance, if she sees the graham cracker box, she whines for one. Or when we read the Touch and Feel book about wild animals, she always puts her index finger on the sticky tree frog's legs and looks up at me and waits for me to say, "stick!" and then smiles.
- When I sit down to put James shoes on, she tries to put on her own shoes.
- She just started to wave bye-bye.
- She's opposite James in the sense that she can fall asleep in the car within a minute and stay asleep or go back to sleep when we get her out of the car. James hardly ever slept in the car, always would fall asleep 5 minutes before we got somewhere, and then not go back to sleep the entire day.
She is so precious. I could go on and on forever.

May 30, 2008

Many family members have told me that they like the blog... I'm glad. I'm not just doing it for myself then. :)
Nathan left this morning, again, for Virginia. I know, it seems like he leaves a lot, but it just happens to be this month. May has been busy. He's in VA for a wedding, and he is meeting up with his parents, sister and our two nephews. They DROVE from Iowa. Never in my life would I drive for two days with a three year old and a 14 mo. old. You guys are CRAZY! :) On Sunday they'll be driving here to meet the kids and me at the condo in New Smyrna. I'm so excited to see them! They couldn't get here fast enough. Watching James and Harrison play is just hysterical.
One side story.... We went to Iowa a few months back, and it was a busy day. We drove to Sanford, flew on a huge long flight, then had to get the rental car and go to Aunt Beth and Uncle Chris' house in Des Moines. James was so excited to see Harrison when we arrived at about 7:30. Well that's when Diego is on Noggin. Harrison was on the couch watching Diego when we let James loose in the house to go see him. James ran into the family room, stood between Harrison and the TV and said, "Hi Harrison! It's so good to see you!" ... long pause, then putting his arms up in a why pose... "Aren't you going to talk to me?!?" Ha ha ha ha. I guess Diego was really good that night.
I'm beat tonight. The kids kept me busy today, especially when James had a super-duper tantrum before his nap. He has had summer "camp" at school for this week, Tuesday through today. I really think it wore him out entirely. By the time he had gotten up stairs for his nap today, he thought he should have a bath before his nap. Whoa Nelly. He was throwing such a fit I actually had to go hold him and hug him until he settled down. It was like he couldn't stop crying. Weird, very weird. I'm excited school is out for a while now... next week I might have a different opinion. Too much stimulation for a two year old.
We went to Target this evening, and then instead of trying to beat traffic home before Kaitlyn lost it from hunger, we went to Steak and Shake for dinner. See how I rationalize these things? We HAD to go. :) Kaitlyn likes their fries, and LOVES chocolate malts. ha ha. James too, naturally.

My New York Trip!

Ana really showed me a fabulous time in NYC! Wow, the food, the FOOD! Warning: most of this blog is about food, so if you're not part of the Focus on Food family, you may want to skip this one. :)
I arrived at Newark Airport around 1:00 pm on Friday. I literally almost threw up on the plane... bumpy, bumpy flight. Ugh. The poor girl in the row next to me looked green. That was the low point of the trip and I wasn't even in the state of New York!
I took a car to Ana's work, Pier 59 Studios, a gigantic mass of studio space complete with a restaurant, where ads are shot, scenes in movies (such as the walk-off in Zoolander), and MANY famous people frequent. LUCKILY for me (not), it was dead there that day and I didn't get to see anyone famous. Boo. I did meet a very nice Pinot Grigio, however, and my vacation had begun.
After I had the tour of the studios, Ana took me to her apartment and then out to dinner. I got to meet some of her friends, one which one I had met in Santa Barbara. We had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Little Giant. We also had lots of wine. Ha. See photos.
The next day, which was Saturday, we headed out of the apartment to do some shopping and to have brunch before Mama Mia. We had brunch at Extra Virgin, a cute little place where you get to know your neighbors since you're sitting so close to them. We literally had to move our table over to get our neighbor out of the booth. Ana and I split brunch: an order of french fries served with gorgonzola fondue (never had anything like it!), a Monte Christo sandwich, with all kinds of fabulous cheeses and meats, and the bread tasted like it was french toast. Whoa. Glad we split that meal.
Mama Mia was spectacular, Ana's boyfriend James scored us second row seats. What a show. It was fun, energetic, hysterical, and also a good story. The only thing that Ana and I kinda thought was weird was that not all of the ABBA songs went exactly with the story line. Some of them were a quite stretch. But, on the whole, it was a great experience. I even had seen one of the actresses in Beauty and the Beast when I had been in NYC with my parents back in college.
Ana and I continued to shop, drink coffee and EAT (Dean and Deluca has amazing cheesecake). I found Nathan a fedora, something that I actually knew that he wanted, and got myself a hat and shirt at H&M (best store ever except they sold me a purse that fell apart the first day I used it- RETURNED that one).
Finally when we really couldn't walk any longer, we landed our bottoms at Accademia di Vino, a fabulous restaurant. James' friend runs the kitchen... I could be really good friends with that guy. :) Unfortunately his friend wasn't in the kitchen that night, but the food was amazing anyway. We started with antipasti of meats and cheeses, then split grilled pizzas with sopresetta and red pepper puree, and a carbonara pasta dish. James picked an amazing wine for dinner and then a very tasty dessert wine to accompany our cheesecake with peach compote and our brownie with cherry butterscotch sauce. :) Ha ha ha, all of the details that I remember are from the desserts. Thanks for dinner James!
The next day, Sunday, Ana and I headed out for brunch again... this time to the Bowery Bar. If I lived in New York, I'd be 300 lbs. for sure.
Now that I've waited a week to do this blog, I'm forgetting all of the stuff that we did between meals (ha ha ha), but it all included taxi rides, shopping and getting coffee at Starbucks!
I really got a treat that night. James' friends had invited Ana and James over for a Memorial Day BBQ to their amazing apartment. So naturally, they had another guest, me. James made us dinner, you know, the usual burgers on the grill. But these were no regular burgers. NOT AT ALL. He made burgers that he had ground himself at home out of short ribs, and then served them with a bacon and onion compote. Holy cow. I've never had such a good burger. Only in New York. Ha.
I had a great time at the BBQ, meeting some of James' friends and talking to other New Yorkers. The hostess is about 5 months pregnant, so we had a lot to talk about. They were lots of fun, and I could see myself being friends with them if I lived there. The best part of the night (besides the burger) was getting to see their Great Dane up close and giggling as that huge head sniffed my face. HUGE! That dog could bite my head off... but he's so sweet.
The next day, Memorial Day, we headed out early and shopped. I bought a few souvenirs for the kids and me, I heart NY shirts, and fun bows for Kaitlyn's hair from Bergdorf's... the only thing I could afford at Bergdorf's. ;) I saw shoes for $945.00! Yes, I wanted them, they were gorgeous.
Food was mediocre that day, nothing to write about. Ha. The only thing I have to say about it is that only in New York City do you find goat cheese on a club sandwich! Mmmm.
I ended my trip with a delay in Newark, an uneventful (thank goodness) flight home, and greetings from my husband at Orlando International. Jet Blue was okay- major props though for them to have private satellite TV and XM radio at each seat. NICE.
Thanks, Ana, for a great weekend. Back to our diets.... :)

May 22, 2008

The kids and I are sitting here having snack time... James is having a purple popsickle, and Kaitlyn is having goldfish. Mom bought these things at the toy store that hold a popsickle stick on one side, and when you flip it over, it'll hold an ice cream cone. The grip is big and steady and the bottoms of each side catch all of the drips. AMAZING! One of those things that you say, "Why didn't I think of that?!?"
I'm off to NYC tomorrow to visit my friend Ana who lives in Manhattan. I'm so excited, sooooo excited.

May 21, 2008

Here is how to have the best birthday in a long time:
-Start with a fabulous, best-ever massage
-Have lunch with your Mom
-Get an AMAZING diamond/Onyx locket necklace from your husband
-Eat cake and ice cream with your Mom, Dad, Hub, and two wonderful kids
-Watch your baby girl face plant into the cake and ice cream and laugh hysterically
-Go out to eat at a restaurant with your husband and share a bottle of smooth red wine, and have an amazing dinner
-Top it off with watching the season finale of American Idol

What a birthday!

I'm 30... waaaaaaaa! But I still feel young and vibrant. :)

May 18, 2008

We have two cats. Saki is black and white and scared of everything, and Rosco is all black and scared of nothing. James has been able to distinguish between the two cats ever since he started talking (probably even sooner). He can say Saki fine, but Rosco, not so much. He's been known as Frocko, now Srocko or Rocko. :) Once in a while I'll hear Rosco, but it's rare. If I ask him to say Rosco, he will, but otherwise it's one of the more fun versions.

Tonight we ran and ran and ran until I worked up a sweat. I put the kids in the bath tub together (one of those precious moments), and after I had Kaitlyn in her jammies, she started to run out in to the hallway. James was running around naked except for his towel hanging on his head like superman. It was hysterical. James was chasing me and I pulled one of those run-over-the-bed-to-get-around-him moves and I thought he was either going to fall over in hysterics or pee. Kaitlyn was ROLLING around in the hallway, partly because she was laughing, and partly because I was tickling her and chasing her. We had a blast.

Tomorrow is very exciting. Daddy comes home, and Grandma and Papa will be home from Irleand!

May 17, 2008

Today was a super-Mom busy day! I started the day off getting the kids ready to go to Ben's soccer game with Aunt Mandy, Cam, Ben and Jack. They usually sleep in until about 7:30, but this morning Kaitlyn was up with me at 7:00. I had to WAKE UP James, which I never like doing. I got them breakfast and go them out the door at about 7:45. Mandy said they did very well, and loved all of the attention that they got at the game. Ben scored TWO goals! Way to go BEN! Unfortunately, the other team scored more goals. I'm so proud of my nephew. Thanks Mandy for taking them along with you!

While the kids were with Mandy at the game, I went to a photo shoot at Kraft Azalea Park located on Alabama. We started shooting that at about 8:30, and didn't end until about 10. We had so much fun though! This family was hysterical, and kept things interesting. There were 16 people, so I had my work cut out for me, but the shoot went well, and I'm so happy to be able to capture these moments for the family. Check out my photo blog in a few days to see some images from the session.

The birds... the birds! We had to go to the car wash after the shoot. It's probably a good thing since the Odyssey probably hasn't been washed in a year (not kidding). The poor guys there saw me pull up and I swear they sighed. ha ha. OH NO! NOT ANOTHER MINI-VAN WITH GOLDFISH ALL OVER THE FLOOR! ;)

After lunch the kids crashed hard, and then we ventured over to the Home Depot. We got two beautiful new plants for in front of our front door. I'm going to see how long it takes me to kill these "very hearty" plants that are virtually impossible to kill. I'll find a way. ha.

James has entered the "WHY?" phase a bit early. NO! He's not 3 yet! I used to crack up when our nephew Harrison would look at me and say, "why?" not in an inquisitive manner, but his top lip would contract up and it was like he was saying, "eeewwww". So funny! And now James is doing the same thing. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Well James, why do YOU think? That usually does the trick.

This entry is getting long, so I'm gonna end. The kids need my attention... maybe. Ha.

You know you're a Mommy when....

You know you're a mommy when...
- you can wipe snot off of your child's nose... with your fingers instead of a tissue. Ewwww.
- you get desensitized to cleaning up poopy bottoms, and actually starting to find the contents of the poop interesting.
- you start to eat your meals when they are already cold, and then start PREFERRING them on the cooler side so you can eat them faster.
- you wait until your coffee is lukewarm and then chug it like you were a college freshman chugging beer.
- you find JOY in PB and J sandwiches.
- you melt when you see your child smile and laugh.
- you stand over them at night while they are asleep and praise God for every day you have with them.

Pool time fun

May 16, 2008

Whew, I get to sit down now. Nathan is gone, in Tampa this time. The kids and I are doing well.

I ordered a bunch of shoes from Zappos, so the kids and I got to try them on this morning. If you knew my shoe shopping situation, you'd understand why Zappos is my best friend. I wear a narrow, and no stores seems to think people like me exist anymore. Rude. To sum up, I ordered 7 pair, and kept 2. Those two that I kept are the same brand, maybe also my new best friend. ha.
Anyway, the kids and I were playing in my closet, and James kept trying on my shoes. It was too funny. I just kept giggling to myself and thinking, "What the heck would Nathan do if he saw this." hee hee hee. We had fun. This reminds me of a picture that Mom has of Cameron at about 18 months wearing her Rangoni shoes and wearing some big clip on earrings. Love it.

Kaitlyn is now starting to show anticipation with having fun. When I say something like "I'm gonna get you!" she starts to walk fast and giggle. She's babbling a ton now, and really looking at my mouth and face when I read to her.

The aliens have returned our James back to us from some weird planet. He is back to his happy self, thank goodness. He is also starting to watch out and take care of his little sister. He'll get her sippy cup for her and give it back to her after she's launched it off of her high chair. He's also sharing his coveted yogurt covered raisins with her, which she now adores, of course. He tickles her and also adoringly shuts her fingers in a drawer... ok, maybe he's not watching out for her 100% of the time. :)

One thing I want to write down about Kaitlyn that I don't want to forget is her ability to do the "downward facing dog" yoga position. Inverted V. She loves it and does it all of the time. Then she'll look at me and say, "Hi!" 'Atta girl, Namaste.

Kona

We love this dog. We hate his hair. Love trumps dog hair though, I mean, LOOK at this dog! :)

May 14, 2008

Sometimes it's the small things that really brighten your day, isn't it?  This morning Kaitlyn and I were walking (well, she was in the stroller), and Nathan and James drove by on their way to school.  There really isn't much better than seeing your toddler yelling, "bye!" out the window and waving at you.  It's just one of those moments that you never want to forget.  These days when they are small are going to go by so quickly, everyone tells me this, so I'm really learning to focus on the best parts of my day.

Kaitlyn is a bit sick again.  This time it's a drippy nose and small appetite.  Man, if it's not one thing with her, it's another.  

James did a great job at school today with big boy pants on!  No accident, but I don't think he went to the bathroom either.  At least that's what he tells me.  I can't believe his first year of "school" is already almost over.  I have to admit- it's been a fun experience, which was all I hoped for when signing up!  Thanks Methodist School!

May 13, 2008

Kaitlyn's second word? Daddy. Figures. :)

She has also been hiding the fact that she cut a molar without anyone knowing. It just appeared a few days ago. Hmmm. Her personality is developing every day, and she's just so dang cute.

I think someone switched James. We have a stranger among us in our house this week. Wow. He really doesn't want to do anything we ask him to do. Tonight Nathan went to Big League (hair place for men where they have sports on the television), and James decided to cry, hard, and scream for about a half an hour. I rode out the storm! I kept my calm, tried to tell him to calm down and play with his toys, etc. Eventually after two time-outs he finally calmed down enough to play. GEEZ. Seriously, someone switched out my child.

I did, however, get a hysterical video of James today while we were sitting to eat lunch. I'll try to get it uploaded, but no promises. He was saying silly things, then after he ended, I would give him a goggly-eyed surprised look on my face. He was cackling!

I've had a super busy week, and with Nathan leaving for Tampa on Thursday, things will probably stay busy. I enjoy having a lot to do, it keeps me positive (at least that's what I hope... ha).

May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! I had a fabulous day. I got to sleep in, had breakfast served to me in bed along side a beautiful new orchid, got to work out, go shopping (Target AND Bed, Bath and Beyond), had dinner made for me, and now I'm getting to watch ER! What a day. My kids drew a special card for me and everything! I wish every day was Mother's Day! ;)
For the last few days James has been really tired at night and decides to throw a fit. We usually let him watch a TV show while we clean up from dinner and Nathan walks the dog. Then we give him a bath, and put him to bed. WELL... whoever is the one to turn off the TV is now James' enemy. He cries and cries and tells us that he wants to go talk to the other parent, and that other parent is then asked to give him a bath. Once getting into the bathroom and turning on the water, James gets upset again and says that he doesn't want to have a bath, he just wants to go to bed. Ok, so we go to his room. Then after the diaper goes on, but before the jammies are on, he decides AGAIN that he wants a bath. Oh, two year olds.
This afternoon when I was giving Kaitlyn her dinner, James told me, "C'ya later, I'm going to go tell Daddy..." and headed upstairs. It was so funny. C-ya later.
I took a series of pictures of Kaitlyn shoving lasagna in her face tonight. I'll try to get them edited and post one or two sometime. She was so red, it was hysterical! She's back to eating a ton of food after being sick. There is no stopping her!
I am putting together a photo album for my dad of his childhood photos. The original one was a true scrapbook that his mom had put together. I'm re-doing it though because it was falling apart and got even more torn up when we rifled through it taking out photos for his 60th birthday slideshow. I was looking at pictures of Dad when he was two... it's a bit freaky how James looks JUST LIKE HIM. Dad, I'll have to show you these when you get home. You'll be amazed. I love looking at the old pictures of my parents and seeing the family resemblance. It's amazing. Kaitlyn has the same facial characteristics that my Grandma Casey had! Weird.
Well, the power is out, better go sit with the kids.

May 9, 2008

It's almost midnight and I can't sleep. I thought about writing in the blog earlier, but was so tired I went to bed instead. Then I just laid there thinking about all kinds of stuff, so here I am.
James was feeling much better today. Not good enough to go with Kaitlyn and me to our Friday play group, but better. By tonight he was running around again and all hyped up. He and Daddy were playing "Captain" on the couch. They were conquering the stormy seas, battling pirates and scaring them away with hangers (you'd have to ask James about the reasoning behind the hangers, 'cause I have NO idea). They sailed all the way to Ireland to see Grandma and Papa! Can you believe that? All the way across the Atlantic in 5 minutes.
I got roped into playing "Captain" while Daddy made us a feast of scrambled eggs and pancakes. That was a treat. I love having breakfast for dinner. Ha.
Kaitlyn and I went to our play group today and met some friends at a park. We had a good time, but the hot summer is looming. It was good to get out of the house though, so we also made a trip out the the mall this afternoon. Kaitlyn was back to saying hi to all of the nice ladies that were helping me with whatever I was shopping for, it was quite entertaining.
I'm gonna get in trouble for this when she's a teenager, but after Kaitlyn had a bath tonight, I let her walk/play around naked for about two minutes. What an experience! She had so much fun that she left me a present on the hallway carpet! At least it was solid. Ha ha ha. I remember the first time I let James run around in the bathroom before his bath without a diaper on, he peed twice, and pooped, all within a minute! What on earth are my kids doing to me?!? No more bare buns for Kaitlyn.

May 8, 2008

Last night at 1:00 a.m. I heard someone calling, "Mama Bear! Mama Bear!" James was calling me upstairs to get him a drink of water. This is the second time he's called me Mama Bear, I think it's sweet! He's getting that from the gobs of Little Bear that he's been watching on Noggin. Sick kid= TV overtime. Ha. Poor thing couldn't do anything else.

He's doing better today, but wouldn't you know he seems to have a cold now on top of the strep.
Kaitlyn has been saying her first word for about two weeks now (maybe three). She says, "Hi!" It sounds more like "I" than "hi", but it means hi for sure. It's so cute to see my little girl walking around saying, "HI!" She says it to me when I walk into the room, and she loves to say hi to people when we are at the grocery store and such. People are taken aback. They won't be paying attention to us, and then they'll hear a little "hi", and then they turn around and see this little girl beaming at them the cutest little smile. They can't resist and then laugh and say hi back. It's so funny.
Kaitlyn likes to wander over to the island in the kitchen and scoot the stools on the floor. She was sitting there today doing it over and over again, in a very steady rhythm, making that annoying errrrrrr, eeeeeee, errrrrr, eeeeeee sound with the chair and James says, "Mom! Kaitlyn is making music!" Music to my ears.

May 7, 2008

More days of sickness continue, James still had a temp of 103.5 this morning when he woke up.  Kaitlyn developed a rash on her belly and back, then it spread to her forehead and temples.  That warranted a call to the doctor's office.  No big deal, probably just a side effect of the antibiotic that she's on.  

Kaitlyn had a few milestones today!  She has started to understand to give me kisses when I ask for them... slobbery, wet, open mouthed kisses, and it's adorable! :)  She has puckered up a few times though, which is also adorable.

Her second one was when she was sitting in her high chair this afternoon.  Usually when I ask her to make her silly face, she does it after I do... but today, she did it first!  On her own!  I just said, "Can you make your silly face?" and she did it!  I'm going to find a picture to portray this....

Happy Birthday Alex Powell!

May 6, 2008

Nathan got home last night! What a relief, and it was great to see him. I think he was glad to be home too. James sure lit up when he walked in the door! Harrison had sent a present too! A coloring/activity book about IOWA! Cool! Thanks Harrison!
The kids also went back to the doctor yesterday for re-checks. Once again, Kaitlyn's rapid Strep test was negative. The doctor thought she heard a little something funky in her right lung though, so we just put her on an antibiotic to be safe. She's MUCH better today, not quite back to herself but definitely better. She's making up for lost weight, she's putting down the food today! She's almost eaten a entire (small) can of green beans. Goodness.
James is back to normal today... thank the Lord. The doctor yesterday totally cracked me up. She looked into James' throat and said, "Dude... dude... DUDE.. that's a red throat!" The fact that my kid's pediatrician was saying "dude" just makes me laugh. She's got teenagers, so they probably have her versed with all the lingo of a teenage Floridian.
We decided that James has a penicillin resistant strain of strep. We had to get him a new antibiotic... for about the cost of half a cow. !!! Geez.
I've had an amazing day. I did a photo shoot this morning for designer Sharon Gilkey. We had a blast, experimenting with different settings/locations, and also different hats. A hat is Sharon's trademark. She looks great in them too. We got some fab shots!
Back to feeding the girl that won't get full. 1/2 PB and J, 1/2 grapefruit, a whole small can of green beans, and now I think I'll got get her some cheese. Good thing Nathan just went to the grocery store. :)
One more funny: the other day after James had watched some TV, he stated that, "I'm too sleepy to think anymore!"

Spiders and Monsters, OH MY!

One way we can get James to eat is to pretend that his hands are spiders. He dances them around the table and says, "SPIDERS! SPIDERS MOM!" Then I have to say, "Well let's see if this bite of ____ will make them stop!" He amazingly LOVES this game and falls for it every time. It's so funny.
The other game is when we pretend that he has turned into a monster, and a bite of whatever will turn him back in to MY JAMES. Wouldn't you know? It works! ;)
We used to have the luxury of getting him to eat his green vegetables by playing the game where everyone takes a bite together. Mommy has broccoli, Daddy has broccoli, James has broccoli, 1...2...3... go! He won't do that one anymore, so now I'm wondering how long the spiders and monster game will last. We're going on two months now, I'm afraid it's gonna be gone soon! NOOOOOO! :)
He actually LIKES green vegetables though, to my amazement.

May 5, 2008

Ugh, poor Kaitlyn. She won't stop crying. She has been crying the same way for a day now, and it translates to, "Mom I don't feel good and I don't like anything right now, not even you." Poor thing.
We're going back to the Dr. today for re-checks. James has been on an antibiotic now for 48 hrs., and last night had a temp of 104 with Ibuprofen in him. Thankfully it didn't get any higher during the night when his meds wore off. So now I want to get K checked for strep again, since she really isn't improving, and make sure James is responding to the antibiotic.
Both kids slept in this morning, which is good since I didn't get to sleep for real until about 2 a.m.
Nathan comes home tonight... we can't wait to see you Daddy!
I've finished updating my photography blog from last year... www.meredithwilckephotography.blogspot.com. I've actually had time to do stuff with my kids down and out. I'm thanking God that I haven't gotten it... yet.
Hope everyone else is well.

May 3, 2008

We went to the Dr. this morning because, even though I try not to take them there, a little voice in my head told me to do it anyway. You know... that voice actually has a name... Kathy. :)
Turns out James has strep, Kaitlyn has a virus (at least that's what we think as of now). Such a mystery what a hodge podge of germs are at the YMCA children's center. Ha ha.

May 2, 2008

This morning is our MOMS group playgroup, and I'm afraid we'll have to skip it. James still had a fever yesterday, so I don't think going to a "splash pad" with lots of water and other kids would be good. I really want to go though, so maybe we'll swing by in the stroller... but I can't imagine going by there and James not pitching a fit that he's not in the water... so maybe we WON'T go after all. Can you tell I keep going back and forth about it?
What can you do outside of the house with a sick toddler? Hmmm....
James had his picture taken the other day by Tom Marshall at shool... Tom does them every year, of every child. I always thought that they were kinda cheesy, since the are all the same, black and white and cocked to one side. BUT, James' picture is adorable, of course, so I'm suckered in (just like every other mom of a Methodist School kid) to buying an 11x14 PROOF that they sent home for $25.00. It's irresistible. Remind me again now why I don't do this for a living? ;)
Kaitlyn is walking more and more every day. She's so cute, I can't stand it. She's eating us out of house and home, putting down just as much, if not more, than what James eats. She eats everything, which is opposite of James who doesn't eat much variety, and is scared to try anything new. Kaitlyn wouldn't eat scrambled eggs though, until last night when she put down a whole eggs worth in about two minutes. Of course they had cheese on them. Ha. THAT'S the secret. Right now she's crawling OVER Kona to get to her toy piano. Maybe Grandma Kathy finally has a musician in the family. The hope is alive!

So now it's 7:21 and I feel like it's 11:21. James skipped his nap today, I'm not really sure why. Have I ever stated that I really dislike the over-tired two-year-old mentality? I love my James, but when he's over-tired, I see the demons come out. I can't imagine putting up with this on a day to day basis as so many parents do that don't let their kids get enough sleep.
After Kaitlyn's blissful hour and a half nap, the three of us headed out to do some stuff. We went to the New Balance store, and got Mommy some new work out shoes! Woohooo! Maybe they'll help me stay a bit more steady when I'm doing my lunges. Ha. Then we went to the toy store to get Kaitlyn some new Robeez. I picked the pink ones (um, are you surprised?!?) that have a brunette princess on them. How cute. Of course James threw a fit when we left, I actually had to put him in the stroller to go 30 ft. to the car because he wouldn't walk. F-U-N.
Then we went to Publix (grocery) to get something for dinner. Melt down city happens when an over-tired two year old doesn't get his chocolate in the checkout line. He finally settled down for a green balloon... and the choice of which color to pick literally took two minutes.
The funniest parts of the day were when James was CRACKING Kaitlyn up with the balloon in the car. I'm not even sure what he was doing, but she was laughing so hard. Another humorous moment tonight happened when I gave them a bath together. My ring accidentally scratched James leg slightly, and he whined. Then I heard him say, "I'm having a bad day." That makes two of us. :)