Speedy Saturday

Just a few more hours and this Saturday is done! Thanks to my sweet friend, Liezel, who answered my call for help and came to hang out with us today, the day went quickly. And it was much more fun hanging out with her than reorganizing closets. We were supposed to head to the beach for the afternoon, but a thunderstorm kept us inside. Grace enjoyed a Kipper DVD and I enjoyed some adult conversation with a girlfriend. She said she'll be 'on call' for us tomorrow as well should we need her. Isn't she a sweetheart?

We went out to dinner and this little monkey did not behave very well. I'm sure Liezel was secretly wishing we had just stayed home and ordered a pizza. I know I was.

Nesting

So busy today that I forgot to take a picture until after I had already put her to sleep.

You'd think I was 8 months pregnant the way I reorganized the linen closet and bathroom cabinets. I also washed, ironed, and rehung the curtains. I opened up a few of the space saver bags, shifted the contents around a bit, and then vacuum sealed them again. I was going to reorganize all of my shoes too, but then Grace woke up from her nap.

I know Mike could care less about how organized the closets and cabinets are or how clean and well pressed the curtains hang, and he definitely doesn't care a bit about how my shoes are organized. But I did all this in an attempt to keep from being idle. I need time to move quickly right now and doing these mundane things helped to pass the day away.

Hopefully tomorrow, I can find a way to pass the time that involves a little less cleaning and a lot more fun.

Here are a couple pictures that I found on my other camera from a few days ago...Even though the pantry is baby proofed, she still managed to pull out the box of orzo pasta.

Hanging out with Uncle Josh.

Keepin' Busy

My goal from now until Mike gets back home is to stay as busy as possible. Because when I'm not busy, I feel like time just stops and homecoming will never get here. So here's our attempt at busy today...
During story time at the library, all the other kids sat down criss-cross apple sauce style, but not Grace. This is how she likes to enjoy story time.

In serious thought over how to complete her story time craft, a paper plate fish.

Being silly during lunch at Chick-fil-a.

After a grocery trip, hanging out on the coffee table while I put everything away.

Bye Guys

Goodbyes are always hard so maybe it was a good thing that Grace was completely passed out when we had to say goodbye to the uncles. The poor girl skipped her nap because we were running around trying to do last minute things around Jacksonville before the guys had to catch their flight back to Virginia Beach.

Grace and I are definitely going to miss the guys. Now I'm back to taking out the trash again. It was nice having a little break from that pesky chore for a few days.

We don't have too much longer before Mike is finally home. My heart starts palpitating with anticipation and excitement every time I think about how close we are!


The little diva demanded that her sunglasses stay on while eating lunch.

Terrific Tuesday

We went rock'n'bowling with the uncles and Grace had a blast dancing to the Chicken Dance, Macarena, and YMCA.

Unfortunately for me, she had as much fun laying around on the dirty floor. It was no use trying to keep her off it though because she would scream and cry if I tried. After a while, I gave up and figured- that's what baths are for.

I had a wives' night out this evening and we had a great time anticipating our husbands' homecoming.

The uncles babysat so I could enjoy my night out. I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating- they are awesome!

It makes my heart happy that even though Grace had a good time hanging with the uncles, she still missed her mama. I missed her too. I rarely leave the house without my girl by my side so it always feels a little strange to be going somewhere solo.

7th Percentile

Grace had her 18 month well baby check up today and she jumped up two growth percentile points from fifth to seventh. She finally broke into the twenties and now weighs all of 20.8 pounds. She is still petite, but growing steadily.

We continue to enjoy the uncles' company. Grace is going to really miss the 'guys' when they have to leave in a couple of days. That's how she refers to them too. When she's looking for the both of them, she says, "Guys?" Individually though, Uncle Carl is 'Ninong' and Uncle Josh is 'Josh'.

St. Augustine Sunday

Castillo de San Marcos in the hot, hot sun.

We took a break from the sun by checking out Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

Grace thought this moose stuck in a window was hilarious. We just couldn't capture it on camera.

Uncles to the Rescue, Part 2

We started off our day with some time at the pool.
And then I dragged the uncles to the outlet malls so they could babysit while I shopped. They were very patient with me as I said 'just one more store' over and over again. Uncle Josh enjoyed having a little pet. The little pet enjoyed pushing her stroller around.
After dinner, we came out to Ruby with a flat tire. Thank goodness the uncles were here because I have no clue what to do about car issues other than call Mike, and obviously, that's not an option. They went right to work and we were able to get back home safe and sound. Uncles to the rescue, for real! They really are the absolute best.

Uncles to the Rescue

I was told that the last little bit of a deployment are the hardest to get through, but I didn't understand how that could be. Until now. I completely understand what my friends were talking about. You're so, so close, but time seems to have slowed down to an agonizing pace.

I hinted heavily that I would love some company to help pass these last few days away and the uncles came to the rescue. They arrived this afternoon and after a few minutes of uncertainty, Grace warmed up to them and has absolutely loved all the attention she's gotten.

Introducing the uncles to my favorite yogurt place, Mochi.

For most people, a night out eating pizza and frozen treats means a tighter waistband, but apparently the opposite is true for Grace. The girl's shorts kept falling as we took a walk.

One Little Monkey

Jumping on the bed. She doesn't actually know how to jump yet, but she definitely bounces. She's not allowed on the bed unsupervised, but she snuck up there while I was putting clothes away in the drawers and closet. And when she gets caught doing something she's not supposed to, she immediately pretends she's asleep, complete with loud snoring. I don't know where she got the idea that she can't get in trouble if she's asleep, but it's genius! It works like a charm every single time. I end up giggling at her silly antics instead.

This age is a lot of work for a mama, but it's also so much fun!

"Sleeping"


Still on the bed after I asked her to get down...

"Snoring"

At Least It's Free

For the past three weeks, I've been taking Grace to the family movie festival at our local theater. No matter how interesting the movie is, we've never made it all the way through. Our longest stay lasted about 45 minutes. I think she enjoys running around the lobby and playing in the arcade better than actually sitting in the theater. Oh well, at least it's free.

This morning, the Baggetts decided to meet us at the movies. Grace has been missing the boys something fierce because every time we go someplace she asks if Eli and Turner will be there. She was thrilled to see them again. And I was equally thrilled to see Nellie and baby Deacon. I even got to hold Deacon for a little while. It was nice to get my newborn baby fix, although it may have made my baby fever worse. I forgot how teeny-tiny and cuddly they are at that age.

But then I remember how they like to keep you up all night and make you walk around like a sleep-deprived zombie, and that definitely cools the baby fever a bit. I just got Grace to start sleeping through the night and I don't think I'm quite ready yet to start that cycle of sleeplessness.

Grace and Eli hanging out in the lobby of the theater.

Checking out Nellie's brand new 'Swagger Wagon'.

Popsicle Face

Grace loves popsicles! Several times a day she drags me to the freezer and begs me to give her one. And it's hard to say no when she looks so darn cute eating one.

Fifteen

That's how many teeth this girl has now! I can hardly believe it. She is quickly leaving her babyhood behind and I'm having a hard time accepting it. Okay, so technically, she officially left babyhood behind months ago, but I was in major denial. With a mouthful of teeth, not to mention a sassy attitude, it's getting harder and harder to pretend that she's a baby still.

Sweet Sunday

I realized about two minutes after I put her to bed that I didn't take a single picture today. So I snuck in there to take a quick picture of my very sleepy baby.

We had a very laid back Sunday, the highlights of which included a two and a half hour nap for Grace and an hour long conversation with Mike for me- both rare sweet treats.

I love Sunday nights because it means we made it through another week and are that much closer to being together again. Hurry up and get out of here, July! We're so ready for August already.

The First Meeting of the Tri Delta

The Dewey Decimal Dolls (AKA the Tri Delta)

Being a total bookworm, I've always wanted to be in a book club. Not just Oprah's, but a real deal kind where you have regular meetings at fun places. So when I met Liezel and found out she was interested in starting one too, we joined forces and our little book club was born. And I do mean little. It started out with just the two of us, but has now grown to include her sister, Lorelie, and a couple of satellite members- Jojo in San Diego and Julie in Japan.

The first order of business at our meeting tonight was picking a name for our club. 'Book Club' just sounds so dorky and we wanted something a little more sexy and fun. We were supposed to come to the meeting with a few suggestions and then vote on the one we liked the best. I'm terrible at coming up with catchy names so I turned to my husband for some help.

He took my plea for help and ran with it, maybe even taking my need for a sexy name a little too literally. One of his suggestions was 'Novel Nymphos'. That's my husband for ya. Thanks, Babe, but as hilarious as it would be to actually name ourselves that, we could never make reservations at restaurants for the 'Novel Nymphos' without blushing beet red.

Thankfully he also came up with less risqué options, and we especially liked Dewey Decimal Dolls. The old school throwback to the Dewey decimal system made us feel nostalgic and we liked the acronym, DDD, because then we could refer to ourselves as the Tri Delta which makes us sound like a sorority. And when you think of the stereotypical sorority girl, you think of a cute and sexy, fun-loving girl. We thought it was perfect! And it feels so much cooler to say "I'm off to my Tri Delta meeting!" than "I'm off to my book club meeting!" Even though they're one and the same, which one sounds like more fun?

I was in charge of the first book selection and meeting venue. I chose "Little Bee" and the Cheesecake Factory. I didn't realize when I picked the book that I was dooming us to such a depressing read, but it did make for an interesting discussion. And the cheesecake that I made sure to save room for was a delicious ending to our first meeting. Can't wait for Tri Delta's next gathering! (See, doesn't it sound like I'm such a party girl, instead of the nerd that I really am?)

While I was out with the Tri Delta's, Grace had movie night at the babysitter's. Here she is, my dancing doll, before we went out for the evening.

Hot Friday

Can you tell it's the middle of summer in Florida?

Our day through pictures...

Quickly finishing up her breakfast because I promised her we'd go to the pool.

After naptime, we went to check out the Museum of Science and History with our friends, the Stricklands.

Then we hung out at a park where Sarah and Grace found some interesting things to play with. We ended our night with dinner at Chili's. The kids kept things lively, but Alicia and I still managed to have a few moments of conversation.

Just when her boo-boo was completely healed, she falls down and scrapes her knee again!

Her first band-aid- Hello Kitty, of course!