Our Princess' Wedding Fund

When I was planning my wedding, I wanted to keep it small and simple, much to the dismay of my parents. If Grace's wishes today still ring true when it comes time for her to walk down the aisle, then Lola and Lolo will finally get the chance to be part of an extravagant wedding.

After ignoring much of the royal wedding frenzy yesterday, I finally succumbed to it this morning when there was a repeat of the event on TV. Grace and I cuddled on the couch in our pajamas and watched the highlights, but it wasn't until I told her we were watching a prince and princess get married when she really started to pay attention because, as she put it, "I'm a princess, too, Mama!"

Every time she saw something that she liked, she made sure to tell me that she wanted to have it when she got married, too. A couple of things that were high on her wish list: trees in church and a 'horse carriage'.

I immediately emailed Mike to let him know we needed to start our little princess' wedding fund ASAP if we were going to even begin to afford all the things she wanted for her dream wedding. He replied that he would make sure she got the wedding of her dreams as long as he got to pick out her prince.

Coloring with Lola.

A Playdate with Her First Boyfriend

Grace and her first boyfriend, Bryce, were reunited today. They met at Chick-fil-a for lunch, chaperoned by their mamas and Bryce's baby brother, Colton. While they were getting reacquainted over chicken nuggets and milk, Mandy and I were busy trying to catch up on all that has happened since we last saw each other a year ago. She and I used to teach together in what seems like a lifetime ago, but I'm so thankful that we still keep in touch. It was fun reminiscing on those crazy times as middle school teachers of moody adolescents and comparing them to our crazy times now as stay-at-home moms of busy toddlers.





In the afternoon, we helped Uncle Ninong go shopping for a new bedroom set. Then he agreed to hang out with Grace while I went out and saw a movie with my bestie, Michelle. We saw "Jane Eyre" and enjoyed it with the five other people in the theater. I really did like the movie, but I'm so glad she agreed to see it with me because there is no way Mike would have gone without expecting some kind of favor in return.

Eavesdropping

Grace was up way past bedtime last night, but woke up bright and early this morning. Because of this, I thought I wouldn't have any problem getting her to nap this afternoon. Silly me. Instead of going to sleep, she lined up all of her stuffed animal friends and talked non-stop with them. I was so tickled at the conversation that instead of insisting on sleep, I eavesdropped. After a few minutes, I opened up my laptop and started transcribing the conversation because she is so talkative I knew I wouldn't remember it all.


*Do you love your mama, sweetie? Oh, that's nice. You have to take good care of her.

*Oh my gosh! Did you fall down? Don't worry we'll get you a band aid! Sit down nicely. You have to be careful, alright?

*Are you hungry? Do you want some carrots? I'll go buy some at the store.

*Hold hands with your friends. Oh, that's so nice of you! You love each other.

*Do you like my nail polish? It's pretty. Oh no, don't eat it! Are you hungry? I will get you a cupcake. Do you want to have a tea party? Like Max and Ruby? OK. That sounds like a good idea.

*Let's get you dressed. Oh, that hairbow doesn't match. OK, that's a pretty one. Are you ready now? Oh, OK.

We visited Grandpa today, who is doing well. I had to warn Grace to be gentle with Grandpa, though, because she normally likes to jump and climb all over him. To explain why she needed to be gentle, Grandpa showed her his bandage. My sweet girl became completely silent and her face showed such concern at Grandpa's big boo-boo. She was on the verge of tears and we had to repeatedly reassure her that Grandpa is okay and will be all better real soon.

Trying on Grandpa's Navy hat.

Morning Prayers and Evening Fun

Our day started off really early and with lots of prayers. I dropped Grace off with Aunt Megan while I went to the hospital to keep Grandma company during Grandpa's surgery. Thankfully, the procedure was quick and, according to the doctor, went beautifully, so we will continue to say prayers for a quick and painless recovery.

As much as Grace wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa, I made sure to pick her up before Grandpa arrived home from the hospital in order to give him time to rest and recover before being greeted by his rambunctious girl.

After long afternoon naps for both of us, we hung out with Uncle Josh before heading out to visit with a couple of my oldest and dearest friends, Judy and Glenda. We have been friends since our junior high days and it was so much fun to see all of our kids running around and playing together. Between the three of us, we have three boys and three girls and we had to practically yell at each other to carry on our conversation over the ruckus.

Still, it was an absolutely wonderful evening. It's times like this when it makes me sad to live so far away because we rarely get to share these special moments. It definitely makes me cherish them all the more.

Trying to capture the kids on camera proved to be quite a challenge. Really, it was just Grace. She thought it was hilarious to run away every time I tried to snap a picture. It wasn't until Auntie Judy brought out the secret weapon, lollipops, when she willingly sat with the rest of the kids and put on her princess smile (top picture).

A few outtakes...

Winding Down

Our time in Virginia Beach is winding down. We had to say goodbye to Mike this morning as Farrah whisks him off on another adventure. I don't mind too much, though, because it's just a quick one this time and we'll all be home again real soon. I am so grateful for the last week and all the time we were able to spend together, even with all that studying. It's pretty funny that we had to travel all the way to Virginia Beach to get some time together!


Grace and I will stay busy these next few days just hanging out with family and visiting with friends. It seems like no matter how long we stay in Virginia Beach, it's never enough time to see everyone I want to! But I take solace in the fact that it's never too long before we're back again for a visit.

Happy Easter

Last year, I prepped Grace for Easter egg hunting by doing practice runs. This year, I decided to just let her go and see what happens. She did better, but only slightly. She wanted to check out what was inside each egg she found before moving on to find more. I was on the sideline, trying my best to encourage her, without looking like one of those crazy parents, to look later and keep moving because all the other kids were snatching up the eggs.

Grace loved the egg hunt and I loved that we were able to spend this holiday with family.



We even spotted EB under Grandpa's deck!

Trying really hard to blow bubbles with Aunt Megan.



We just couldn't seem to take a decent family picture today. The one after church where we were all in our Sunday best was a disaster because she was bawling for grandma to hold her, and we could barely get her to stand still with us after the egg hunt, much less get her to look at the camera and smile.

Catching Up

While Grace has been hanging out with the grandparents, Mike and I have been catching up with friends. It's fabulous having such reliable (and free!) babysitting. I don't think I've ever been away from Grace as much as I have the past couple of days. I'd probably feel a little guilty about that if it wasn't for the fact that she has an absolute ball when she's with the grandparents. She barely gives us a goodbye and even tells Mike and I to "go get in Ruby" so her fun time can begin.

Busy Day

Mike stayed up until 2:30 studying last night and then went right back at it first thing this morning. Grace was his wannabe study partner. She kept trying to sneak in there to be with her daddy. At one point, she even decided to 'help' by taking a highlighter to his computer screen, keyboard, and notes. When she realized her 'help' was not appreciated and could actually land her in time-out, she changed tactics and started snuggling with Mike and telling him how much she loves him.

Despite my husband's intense scholarly schedule, we did manage to squeeze in some fun today.

We went bowling where Grace outscored her daddy.

When the music came on, my little dancer couldn't help but shake her booty.

Mike and I enjoyed an evening out with Matt and Liz...

...while Grace hung out with Grandpa and Grandma and learned yoga poses from Aunt Megan.Tree Pose

Child's Pose

Forward Fold

EB the Easter Bunny

This year's visit with the Easter Bunny went much better than last year's. Sure, Grace has been talking about the Easter Bunny for weeks now and couldn't wait until her daddy got off the ship so we could visit him, but you just never know what will happen when the moment of truth arrives.

After all three of us took a long, late afternoon nap, we hurried to the mall before the Easter Bunny left for the evening. We made it just in time. Thankfully, the line was short and Grace chatted up the few little girls that were ahead of us. She complimented their pretty dresses and shoes and then talked nonstop about what she was going to do when it was her turn to see EB (the Easter Bunny)- give him a high five, a big hug, and feed him a carrot snack.

I became a bit nervous when those little girls she befriended screamed hysterically when it was their turn to meet EB. I was afraid Grace might see their reaction and then repeat it when it was her turn.

But true to her word, she gave him a high five, a big hug, and wanted to pluck one of the carrot decorations to feed him his snack. When it was time to snap the picture, she even held his hand and then smiled her 'princess smile'. I think Grace would have sat with the Bunny all night if we let her. We lured her off the bench with a promise of a movie outing.

We ended our perfect day with a movie, "Rio". It was cute. I love that we are at the phase where we can finally start seeing movies as a family. I just wish it didn't cost an arm and a leg to see one! Growing up, my family and I used to have lots of movie night outs, but the way the prices have gone up, we may have to save movie nights for special occasions. Either that or start sneaking in our own food and drinks.

We had a late lunch with Jess and the uncles at our favorite, Baker's Crust, where every single one of us ordered a crepe for dessert. No sharing! I think our waitress was taken aback, but that's just how we roll...

Happy Birthday, Grandpa

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday with lunch at a Greek restaurant. I don't particularly care for Greek food unless it's baklava. Or so I thought until I had some today. It was much better than I remembered and I was pleasantly surprised.

After lunch, Grace went off for some fun with the grandparents while Mike and I were left to our own devices. We wandered the mall for a bit looking for a new pair of glasses for me and some new Virginia Tech clothing for him. Then we headed back to my parents' house where he spent the afternoon studying while I did laundry.

We're an exciting couple, I know. But strangely enough, just having him around and near me was enough to keep me smiling and happy.

Of course, when it was time to pick up Grace from her day of fun with the grandparents, she refused to go. It took us a long time to get her to leave, and even then, it was under duress. The child wailed and begged grandma to come with her. And I think grandma very nearly hopped into the car with us just to stop the torture of seeing her grandbaby cry like that. We were able to console Grace, but only slightly, with the promise that they would see each other again tomorrow.

A Moustache Welcome

We picked Mike up yesterday and were greeted with a man wearing a moustache. I was forewarned about the facial hair, so I was a little prepared. Grace, however, was quite shocked and refused to give her daddy a kiss hello. I don't blame the child. As soon as we arrived at my parents' house, I made him shave it all off.

Even though he came back sporting a smarmy used car salesman 'stache, we are so very glad to have Mike with us. He was able to get a week of leave from the ship so we'll be able to spend Easter together! Unfortunately, the week of leave isn't for any fun purpose; he needs to use the time to study for his GMAT. I don't care though. At least we'll get to see him for meals and hopefully we can squeeze a date night in there somewhere.

I brought Grace's nanny, Uncle Josh, with us when we went to pick Mike up at Yorktown so he could keep her entertained.


We had lunch at our favorite Chinese take out place. I haven't been in years and years so it was fun to introduce Grace to the owners who have known me since I was a teen.

A Grace sandwich with Auntie Elvie and Lola.

Trying to get away from the moustache.

Weekend Highlights

It's been a busy weekend so here are a few highlights...

*Grace spent all day Saturday with Grandpa and Grandma. While she was enjoying herself, I was able to go shopping with a friend and indulged in a leisurely lunch that included a large chocolate milkshake.

*Grace got her ear re-pierced. One of the holes closed up and I've been dreading getting them re-pierced because she's older now and can actually tell me it hurts, which would inevitably bring on the guilt for putting her through it. But she did fabulously. She had fallen asleep on the way there and so she didn't see it coming when it came time for the piercing. I wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not, but it worked out for the best. When she woke up, she cried for just a few seconds and after Grandma bought her a ton of hair accessories to appease her, she actually left the store smiling.

*On Sunday morning, I visited my friends, the Shumates. We had a wonderful time catching up and reminiscing about old times. Grace had the best time playing with my sweet goddaughter, Maria, and making a big old mess in her bedroom.

*After Palm Sunday Mass with my family, Grace gave us an impromptu dance session, complete with booty shaking, in the church commons, much to the delight of all the parishoners. The girl will do anything for a couple of lollipops.

Getting her first guitar lesson from Barry.

Enjoying some cuddle time with my sweet goddaughter, Maria.

My cuddle time with Maria cut short because someone had a bit of a jealous fit.

Lollipop addict.

Saved By the iPhone

I had plans to go out to a new sushi place with Uncle Ninong and our friend, Jess. We made sure to go early to avoid any late evening grouchiness Grace sometimes gets when she's tired.

Still, about two minutes after we were seated at our table, Grace was screaming, "I'm DONE," and demanding to be let out of the high chair. And it was thirty seconds after that when we were saved by the iPhone.

Jess whipped out her handy dandy phone, found a Dora the Explorer TV episode, set the iPhone on the table and let it work it's magic. Grace was mesmerized with watching her favorite show on such a small 'TV' and she was well behaved for the rest of our dinner.


Earlier in the day, we had an awesome time visiting with the Baggetts. It was like old times for us- the kids ran around while Nellie and I tried to have a coherent conversation. Just the setting was different. We used to have impromptu play dates all the time in Jacksonville before they abandoned us for Virginia, ordered by the Navy. It was good to see them all settled and doing well even though Grace and I still miss them terribly and wish they could have stayed with us in Florida.



It was an absolutely fantastic Friday!