Busy Friday

It took a bit of convincing (translation: whining and tears), but this is what Grace looked like at 9:15pm. For most children her age, that's late, but for my little night owl, this is an early night.

We ran around all day taking care of random things. All those pesky chores I left undone last night were tackled before we left the house this morning. But you'd never know it looking around at the scattered toys and crumbs on the floor. It's a vicious cycle of cleaning when you've got a toddler running around.

Tomorrow promises to be another on-the-go kind of day so I better make like Grace and turn in a little early tonight. No convincing necessary for this tired mama.

Waiting patiently in the dressing room. What you can't tell from the picture is that she was actually dancing. She loved the music they played at Express!

Empty Fridge

You know it's time to go to the grocery store when you open the fridge and it looks like this. After we dropped Lola off at the airport, Grace and I made a quick trip to Walmart to get provisions to last us until I can make a big grocery run this weekend.

I have yet to finish unpacking everything, the house is in shambles, and I'm super tired. At least Grace is asleep, but with that girl, you never know how long it's going to last, so I'm going to turn a blind eye on all the things I should take care of and head to bed instead. It'll all still be here tomorrow and maybe after getting some rest, I'll find the motivation to tackle it.

This is what you get when you ask to see her teeth.

Goodbye, Virginia Beach

It doesn't seem to matter how long I stay in Virginia Beach, it's never enough time. There's always someone I didn't get the chance to see or something I didn't get the chance to do. But whether it's a quick visit or a longer stay, it's always a good time there and the moment I leave, I already start longing for the time I get to go back.

Our last night in Virginia Beach was spent hanging out with family. Everyone came over to Lolo and Lola's for dinner and tried to get their fill of Grace. There was lots of begging for us to come back again soon, and although I don't have any plans right now, you never know.

We're finally back in Jacksonville and our trip down was great. This is due in large part to Lola's last minute decision to keep us company on the long drive. She and Grace had so much fun together that it took all I had to remember to concentrate on the road ahead of me and not look back to see what all the giggling was about. Thank goodness for Lola! I know Mike was really nervous about his girls going solo.

Playing a silly game to see which grandparent Grace would run to. Lola won this round, but Lolo said Lola had an unfair advantage of being closer.

Looking for birds at the rest area where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

Packing Revelation

Our Virginia Beach vacation is nearly over. I would be sad about that fact if I had time to sit still and contemplate, but I'm too busy trying to get our stuff together. I'm in the middle of packing and realize Grace is going home with a wardrobe that has doubled, thanks to her Lola and Grandma. The child can now go for at least a month without wearing the same outfit twice!

We had a nice lunch with Lola and Lolo today, followed by an afternoon of shopping with Lola.

Can you tell that Grace adores her Lola and Grandma? And that the feeling is mutual?

Hangin' With the Uncles

Virginia Grace, fifteen months old today!

Today was the last free day we had with the Uncles so we took full advantage by spending the day together. First it was church where Grace was a chatterbox and charmed the guy sitting in the pew behind us by dancing and singing whenever a hymn was played. Of course, she sang the only song she knows, "Rock a Bye Baby," which really just sounds like her saying 'baby' over and over again. Then whenever she heard a collective 'Amen' from the congregation, she would clasp her hands together and loudly exclaim, "Amen!"

By the end of the mass, he and his wife were ready to take Grace home. Literally. Because she went to them and it took a lot of coaxing from me and the Uncles to convince her to come back to us.

After church, we headed to Baker's Crust for some lunch because I was craving my corn and crab chowder and dessert crepe. I was actually able to enjoy my meal because Grace napped while I ate. That hasn't happened since she was a newborn! And even then it didn't happen all that often.

Then it was off to the mall where the Uncles babysat while I searched in vain for the perfect pair of jeans. No luck today, but I did get a nice surprise while Grace and I were in the pet store checking out the dogs and birds. Mike called! I handed Grace off to the Uncles and tried to find a quiet corner in the store to talk. I hid amongst the cat scratching posts chatting away when a little girl came up to me and started asking me all kinds of questions about what kind of animal would use this thing (A cat, honey) and what exactly is it (A scratching post, sweetie) and how do they use it (I'm not quite sure, hon).

I felt bad because she was a cute little thing, and I was torn between teaching her all I knew about scratching posts and ignoring her so she wouldn't ask me any more questions. The educator in me won out and poor Mike had to be patient while I ignored him and answered all her questions.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out at home together and watching a movie. What a great way to end a wonderful weekend.

Crepe Noisette- chocolate hazelnut filling, toasted almonds, coconut, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream! I normally don't share this dessert with anyone when I order it, and Mike can attest to that, but I was nice and generous today and shared with the Uncles.

Crazy Busy Days

No matter how long I stay in Virginia Beach, whether it be 2 weeks or 2 months, the last few days of my vacation are always crazy busy. The past couple of days have been filled with lots of last minute catching up with good friends. Grace and I have been on the go from the moment we wake up and don't stop until late at night. One benefit of our hectic days- she's been sleeping in until about 10 in the morning.

We leave for Jacksonville on Wednesday and I don't foresee our schedule slowing down at all before then. Which is fine with me. Trying to pack our last few days in Virginia Beach with lots of quality time with family and friends.

She just shoved a handful of m&m's in her mouth, her treat from Lolo for giving him beautiful eyes and dancing. He's training her like one of Pavlov's dogs- do a trick and get a treat. And this is why the moment she sees Lolo, she automatically starts batting her eyelashes and moving her bootie.

Hanging out with the girls tonight. We ordered pizza for dinner and had chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. And last night, Glenda came over for an impromptu gab session and brought me cookies and cake and ice cream to munch on. I'm afraid to step on the scale because all of this 'hanging out' is wreaking havoc on my fitness plan.

Happy Thursday

We had an awesome day because I got the chance to spend time with some of my favorite girls today- an afternoon at the aquarium with Michelle, dinner with my fellow former Landstown Middle School teachers, and a movie night in with Josyl. My day was filled with lots of smiles and laughter. Definitely had a happy Thursday!

Even though I was slightly freaked out by the horseshoe crab, Grace surprisingly enjoyed petting the thing.

Tried out the leash for the first time today at the aquarium. To the lady who was giving me dirty looks, don't worry, she lasted all of 5 minutes in the thing.

Mandy with her son, Bryce, Kathy, and Daria. I've had some great times with these girls, both in school and out.

Hungry Mama

Unless Lola or Grandma is around to help with Grace during mealtime, this mama usually ends up going hungry. Especially at restaurants. Tonight was the perfect example of why.

On the way home from visiting with the Hartigans, Uncle Ninong called to see if I wanted to check out a new sushi place for dinner with Uncle Josh and my BFF Josyl. I enthusiastically agreed.

From the moment we got to the restaurant, Grace immediately kicked into high maintenance mode- wanted to grab anything within her reach and throw it on the floor, let out piercing screams when she was denied the pleasure of grabbing things and throwing them on the floor, and required constant attention from me. Heaven forbid I try to carry on a conversation with anyone else. If I tried, I was punished with a protesting scream. The girl is petite, but her sounds are definitely not.

I quickly ordered our food and prayed that it would come out soon, hoping that stuffing her mouth with some dinner would prevent further screaming. Thankfully our order was at the table in no time. But the screams were only replaced with Grace yelling, "More, more, more!" I'm glad she enjoyed the shrimp tempura and Japanese noodles I ordered, but I was so stressed from trying to feed her fast enough for her liking.

Once she was full, she wanted to be released from the high chair. I tried to distract her as best as I could, but it was all to no avail. I took her out and sat her in the booth between me and Josyl, hoping that would satisfy her. But once she was out of the high chair, she wanted complete and total freedom. I finally had to admit defeat and said goodbye to Josyl and the Uncles. We left the restaurant before they had a chance to kick us out for being so unruly.

All this happened without my being able to take a single bite of food. I wish I could say that this scene is unusual, but sadly, this is how my meals at restaurants go these days. And why I'm almost always a hungry mama. When Lola or Grandma is there, the difference is they can distract Grace long enough so that I can quickly scarf down my meal.

I keep saying I need to stick with Chick-fil-a and not even bother with real deal restaurants until she's a little older, but I just never seem to learn my lesson. I guess it's that darn optimistic attitude of mine. Either that or I'm a slow learner.


Grace and Frank- friends since the womb!

Fuddruckers

I was without a car for half the day while Ruby the Volvo had a maintenance appointment. Thankfully, my mom didn't mind driving me all over town to wherever I needed to go. It was just like old times before the days of getting my driver's license.

So when she said she was craving a burger, we went to Fuddrucker's for dinner. I went all out tonight- bacon cheddar burger, onion rings, and a chocolate shake! It was fabulous and I'm sure my waistline and thighs will pay dearly for all my indulgence, but it was all so good. If I had enough energy, I would get up and work out now, but I seriously can't. I can barely keep my eyes open as I type this. Tomorrow is a new day and I promise to work hard then.

Grace making sure they know where to bring the milkshake.



Neither Grace nor I look particularly great in this picture, but I love it nevertheless because it captures such a rarity- Uncle Josh is actually smiling!

Time to go home!

All is Well

Super busy days have left me exhausted at the end of the night, but I was afraid that if I didn't post again tonight, I'd start to worry my blog followers. To the handful of you, all is well with the Augustine girls. I even got to go out and see a movie tonight while Grace hung out with one of her all time favorites, Lola.

And can you believe these pictures are the only ones I've taken in the past two days? Only 3 pictures in 48 hours. That's got to be some kind of record for me because normally I take so many I have a hard time choosing which ones will end up on the blog.



Having fun at Grandpa's birthday lunch.

Halfway Celebration

It was an important day for me and Grace because today was the halfway mark of our time away from Daddy. The journey has been a lot more challenging than I ever thought it would be, but with all the love and support from our family and friends, the two of us have done quite well so far. Here's hoping that the rest of our time away from Mike will fly by just as quickly as the first half.

Late Night Bribery

It's a rare night when I can get this girl to bed by 9. She is such a night owl. When my eyes were starting to get droopy, but she was still running around like the Energizer Bunny, I stuck her in the pack'n'play and hoped for the best.

I was prepared for lots of whining and more than a few crocodile tears. Instead Grace decided to take the charmer's way out. She smiled at me. She asked for hugs. She gave me beautiful eyes. And she even tried to give me kisses.

I stood strong through the attempted bribery to break loose and left her in there. Ten minutes later, she was out like a light and snoring away. Mama one, Grace zero.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

That's exactly what we did today when we spent the afternoon at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Although truth be told, Grace was really more interested in playing with the mulch. Nevertheless it was a gorgeous day perfect for walking in the gardens.



Look carefully at the name of this plant...

There was even a children's area that had a sprayground. Grace loved it! She was soaking wet by the time we were done and the only extra clothing I had was a turtleneck onesie, so she went around for the rest of the day wearing just that.

Grace drank from a water fountain for the first time today since I forgot her sippy cup at home.

Vaseline

Ever since she was a newborn, Grace has been plagued with dry lips. I'm constantly slathering Vaseline on them to help with the chapping. And ever since she could move, she's been dying to dip her hands into the Vaseline jar, but I've been successful in keeping it away from her.

Until this morning.



We were getting ready to head over to Grandma and Grandpa's and I was in the bathroom finishing up my hair when I thought how great Grace was doing. Normally when I'm trying to get ready, she's busy trying to empty out the bathroom cabinets or hugging the back of my legs. Basically doing her best to make us late for whatever appointment we're trying to get ready for. But this morning, she was quiet.

I should know better. Quiet is never a good thing when it comes to toddlers. It almost always means they're into something they're not supposed to.

I nearly died of laughter when I walked out of the bathroom and saw her like this. Yes, the hands were a complete mess, but at least she put some on her lips too!

What a hilarious start to our great day.

Quick Highlights

*Her favorite activity is opening every cabinet door she can in the house.

*She is so great at imitating now, especially words. Her new words for this week so far- butt (Thanks, Uncle Josh), cool (Thanks, Uncle Ninong), close (Thanks, Lola), and m&m (Thanks to her mama).

*Her new favorite gesture is nodding her head anytime she hears the word yes. She'll call out, "Mama!" and I'll say, "Yes?" and the next thing I know she's walking towards me while nodding her head over and over again.

*Lolo has asked her to show him her beautiful eyes (batting her eyelashes) so many times that now, whenever she sees him or hears him on the phone, she automatically does beautiful eyes without even being asked.

*She is into EVERYTHING, as evidenced by today's pictures. She took out the contents of this cabinet in the family room and then used it as her little playhouse.

Off to the Outlets

Lina, Grace, and Sadie

An afternoon of shopping is always a good time in my book, but when you're doing it with a couple of your besties, Josyl and Glenda, it's even better. I was a little bummed when Lola couldn't make it. Mainly because it's fun shopping with my mom, but also because I was nervous about trying to keep Grace entertained while looking for some bargains. Shopping with her has become pretty impossible lately. We do okay on short trips, but I knew it would be a challenge to get her to cooperate for an entire afternoon.

Thankfully, Josyl's mom, AKA 'The Baby Whisperer', was with us. The kids clamored for her attention and she was able to keep them busy enough so that we could do some decent shopping.

Grace starting the big escape...


Sadie following suit...


After the big escape, there was no convincing her to sit in the stroller again. I used to think those kid leashes were so cruel and unnecessary, but I totally want one now...