Moms Day Out (MDO)

Abby had her first day of Mom's Day Out today. This is a program that is set up through a church to offer child care for 4 hours at a time so moms like myself can have a little break. I have great plans for what I am going to do with my time in the future, but I wanted to stay close the first day just in case they had to call me to pick up Abby early. As most of you know, she is a bit clingy and doesn't do well in these situations. All the more reason for her to be in a program like this. I tried to make it exciting for her and she was really looking forward to going to "school". We talked about it and even made a special trip to Target to buy a lunch box! All the excitement quickly when I dropped her off. The minute she realized school was going to be something where I would not be present she decided she really didn't like the idea as much as she first thought she did. She wailed as I handed her off to the poor woman who would be in charge of her for the next four hours. I made my way down the hall to fill out the required paperwork. By the time I was done filling out the the forms, Abby had quit crying. Much to my surprise, I did not receive a phone call to pick her up early. She was such a champ and I was so proud of my little girl. It was very reassuring to see her playing and singing as I snuck up to take a peek before I picked her up. I did get a chance to relax a bit. I cleaned my car, and met Sam for a pedicure and lunch. It was nice to chat with Sam without the kids. Don't get me wrong, Abby and Nolan are cute and fun to be with, but it was nice to be able to talk to Sam as just a friend, rather than a mother! The first day was probably harder on me than it was on Abby, but I am looking forward to the benefits this program is going to offer both of us!!

Abby and her lunch box on our way to "school"

Abby and Nolan after Abby's first day! Nolan helped Abby to feel comfortable and showed her the ropes.

Sam and I reaping the benefits of MDO!

Birthday Extravaganza!!

Whew, what a wonderful, fun-filled day we had for Abby's birthday. While it was sad that Andrew could not be here to help us celebrate, we are lucky to have such wonderful friends that stepped in to make Abby's day special. The celebration started bright and early with presents waiting to be opened.



After we opened some presents, we headed down to Destin Commons with Sam,Nolan, Nadia and Tristan to the Build-a-Bear workshop. For those of you who live under a rock, or don't have kids, this is store where you create your own stuffed animal and "give it life". It is a pretty neat concept, but it can get pretty pricey, pretty quickly! The kids had fun though, although they were more interested in the miniature strollers they had for sale than the bears! They were having a stroller derby all around the store, the workers must have loved us!

Abby at the computer registering her new stuffed animal

Carrying her new purchase!

After Build-a-Bear we headed to Johnny Rockets for lunch, and then out to the playground/splash pad to work off some more energy. The kids had a blast playing and us girls sat in the heat and chatted for a while. We also made a stop at the fountain to make a few wishes. Abby got some wonderful presents from her friends who were more than generous! It was a very special day for Abby and for myself! I can't thank Sam and Nadia enough for spending the day with us, and for their boys Nolan and Tristan for being so sweet to Abby and letting her bask in the glory in a day all about Abby!!!

Nolan and Sam

Tristan and Nadia

"I need one more penny to make another wish!"

You would think after all the excitement Abby would have been pooped, but alas there was no nap to be had. I think I needed one worse than she did. After resting for a bit we headed back over to Sam's house because I had left my camera in her car but the celebration continued. We had a quick bite to eat, sang Happy Birthday to Abby and then let the kiddos have a little birthday dessert! Abby was more interested in the candle than the cupcake. She was dipping the candle in the frosting and licking it off. Sam and I found this to be quite amusing till I realized she was actually eating the candle!!!! Abby enjoyed her special day and she ate up all the attention she was given. Every time someone would ask her how old she was, she would reply 6! Thank you to everyone who made Abby's day special, both near and far!!!!

Abby "dipping" the candle in the frosting

Nolan enjoying his dessert

The partially eaten candle! What a goof!!

A letter for you on your birthday!

My Dearest Abigail,
I can't believe another year has come and gone. We have been so busy learning, exploring and playing that your birthday has blindsided me and I still can't fully comprehend that you are 2 years old. You are truly a joy to be around. You light up the room with your smile and your infectious personality. I am honored and delighted to be your mother. You have become such a little lady over the past year, you really are no longer a baby. You walk with purpose, you talk with amazing clarity and you really know what you want. You are a bit bossy at times and your mood can change at the drop of a hat. You are mommy's little helper, following me around trying to do everything I do. Your favorite chores include emptying the dishwasher, doing laundry, and picking weeds. I can only pray that your helpfulness will last into your teenage years! (Hey, a mom can dream, can't she?) You LOVE to play outside, but you don't really like being dirty which can pose a bit of a problem. You think the 4 major food groups are spaghettio's, fruit snacks, chicken (with dip), and popsicles and you rarely eat your vegetables, but I am going to keep offering them!! You are a little artist, you love to draw and color. To my delight, you are very athletic and have great coordination and strength. You can thank your father for that because we all know you didn't get that from me! You love to read, but you also love curling up on the couch or your Dora chair in front of the t.v. You love The Wiggles, The Doodlebops, and Laurie Berkner to name a few. If it were up to you the entire world would be hues of pink! You are a truly girly, girl....a princess! You have your moments of stubbornness and even downright naughtiness and you like to test your boundaries and my patients! But, at the end of the day you are more sugar than spice and I just can't imagine my life without you. You have taught me lessons I didn't know I needed to learn and you have made me a better person. I am wiser, stronger, sillier, and happier because you are in my life. Thank you for being you! Happy Birthday my little pumpkin head. I look forward to seeing you grow up, but don't let it happen too fast!!!

All the love in my heart,
Mommy

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

During one of the few days it didn't rain while we were in Wisconsin, we headed to the Madison zoo. I was floored that a zoo of this caliber was free. I mean, come on....the Crestview farm (a.k.a. zoo) is $6, I would have happily shelled out at least $15 to this place!! We had such a nice time. Abby and I were joined by Gramma Susan, Great Gramma Lo, Great Aunt Mary Jo, Great Uncle Mike and couple thousand bees! The bees only graced us with their presence while we were eating though! Abby just loves animals and nothing is better than seeing the zoo through a toddlers eyes. They are just amazed and enthralled with everything, it is really a shame we can't all go through our day to day lives like this! Abby loved the monkeys and the penguins, she gobbled up her hot dog and popsicle, and made out like a bandit in the gift shop thanks to Gramma! What more could a girl ask for!!!

Only in Florida

To go along with the insanely HUGE cockroaches, ENORMOUS spiders, GIGANTIC mosquitoes, GARGANTUAN millipedes, and other large, unidentifiable bugs, we also have toothpicks with legs....go figure. Just be careful next time you have steak stuck in your teeth. If your breath is bad your toothpick may just grow legs and walk away!!

Here Comes Felix

Just took this picture a few minutes ago. The sky has darkened and rain is beginning to fall. This should be a fun night. Hopefully my hooch will be able to stand up to this hurricane!

All Grandpa, All Day!!

Abby got in some good bonding time with Grandpa Pete one day while Grandma was at work. Peter took Abby and I on a whirlwind tour of the surrounding area! The first stop was a tour on the Duck boat. It is a tour of Wisconsin Dells by land and by water. It is given on WWII era amphibious (land/water) vehicle and goes all over the Dells. They can go pretty fast, about 45 mph on land and a whopping 6 mph in the water! Abby enjoyed the scenery and really liked the splash down into the water!

The next stop was to Timbavati Wildlife Park to visit some animals. Abby just loves animals and was so excited to see all of the different animals up close.

Abby was even able to feed the giraffes. They did get a little pushy however, and Grandpa had to take over. When we were walking away, they were actually licking another woman because she wasn't feeding them quick enough! The goats were a little bit more Abby style. They were pushy as well, but not quite as large or as intimidating as the giraffes!



After the wildlife park we headed to lunch in downtown Wisconsin Dells and then home for a much needed nap. The fun did not stop there! After Abby's nap we took Sophie to Devil's Lake for a little walk and sightseeing. The walk was short lived, Bulldogs are not known for their energy and Sophie got tired very quickly. It actually worked out well because we headed home just as the rain began to fall!!!