Impromptu Hilton Head Vacay

This scrapbooking design created with Smilebox

While Ted had to work and monitor the big NASCAR race here in Charlotte, Katy and I took an impromptu road trip to Hilton Head Island over Memorial Day weekend. Last week, my friend, Stephanie emailed me to say that her sister wasn't able to join them, as originally planned- would Katy and I like to join her and her two children, Jackson (almost 3) and Macy (18 months), on part of their vacation? Why yes, yes we would!

So, I quickly packed our bags, did some grocery shopping and away we went! It took five hours to get there and all of the kids did GREAT! Only toward the last ten minutes did the kids start to get fussy.

Since we got there in the evening, we hit the beach first thing the next morning, Sunday. The kids had a blast digging around in the sand, writing their letters and numbers in the sand and dipping their toes in the water. We lasted about an hour before the windy conditions, compliments of Sub-tropical Storm Beryl got to the kids (winds were close to 25 mph and kept blowing sand all over).

We moved the party to the pool where the kids swam around in the pool. Katy was a little daredevil jumping into the big pool with her "poolies" (as she kept calling them) on her arms. She swam and swam until she was blue in the lips- she did NOT want to get out of the pool!

Rain put a damper on our beach adventure Monday morning. So, we took the kids to a nearby museum called, The Sandbox. While the place looked small from the outside, it had plenty to keep the kids occupied all morning. There were various play areas where the kids could create art, play in the kitchen, with sand, build, "drive" a plane, make music, etc. The place was PACKED as pretty much every parent with young children decided to also visit The Sandbox.

Monday night, Katy and I met up with Uncle Paul and the gang for dinner. The weather cleared up and we enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner al fresco. We listened to music, ate our dinner and Katy had a great time dancing with Uncle Paul and playing with Aunt Sue's sunglasses and comb.

We hit the beach one last time Tuesday morning before heading home. It was a whirlwind trip and totally unexpected but we had so much fun! Thanks, Drew family, for a fun Memorial Day Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday- Geese Crossing

Muffin Tin Mondays- Happy Memorial Day!

(Starting in the upper left corner, going around, clockwise) Apple slices, Cheddar Bunnies, more Apple Slices, Fruit Snacks, Carrot Sticks (which Lil' Miss actually ATE!!) and Fruity Mini Marshmallows.

As we are packing and getting ready for a fun-filled Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, today's tin is more of a snack, rather than a meal. I needed to keep Lil' Miss busy while I got some packing and general organizing done. Happy Memorial Day!

Sentence of the Day- Prayer

We've been teaching Katy to say "grace" before meals and "prayers" before bedtime. We had to start differentiating them because Katy started associating prayers with bedtime and she most definitely did NOT want to go to bed (when does she ever?!). We taught her the simple ones; "God is good, God is great...." and "Now I lay me down to sleep..." etc., etc.

Recently, however, Katy decided that she wanted to say her own prayers- none of this rote memorization for her! Her mealtime grace before lunch, today, went something like this;

"Dear God, Help me! Amen!"

Ha! Preach it, sister!

Wordless Wednesday- Sweet, Sleepy Baby

Muffin Tin Monday- Brought to You by the Color Orange

(Starting in the upper left corner, circling around clockwise) Oranges, Homemade Mac and Cheese (with mixed veggies and ham), Carrot Sticks, Sweet Potato and Carrot Casserole, more Mac and Cheese and the other half of Orange.

Today's MTM was unintentionally brought to you by the color orange. Part of the beauty of MTM is the fact that you can put a little of this and a little of that together and voila! (I've been reading WAAYYYY too much Fancy Nancy! Haha!) Lunch is served!

This lunch may not look like anything special but it is! Do you want to know why? See those four carrot sticks in the upper right hand corner? Katy ate them all!! Katy ate FOUR CARROT STICKS!! I know I shouldn't be this excited, but I am!

Greek Festival with the Keys Family

Two little angels, sitting in the church pew (can't you just imagine the crooked halo above Katy's head?) :-)

Monkey See, Monkey Do! Catch Me If You Can!!

Best Buds Forever!

Today, we joined the Keys Family on their annual visit to the Winston-Salem Greek Festival. We ate more than our fair share of spanakopita, baklava and gryos. We watched the school children perform some traditional Greek Dancing (Katy would have danced in the aisles if it weren't so crowded- she LOVED the dancing and music!). We also *quickly* looked through the marketplace but the girls were kind of antsy so we didn't get to see a whole lot of the arts and crafts.

The majority of our time at the festival was spent enjoying the playground. It was a constant game of the girls trying to find one another in the sea of children playing and swinging and sliding. Katy LOVED doing whatever Cecilia was doing and she only wanted to hold Cecilia's hand when we were walking. While the girls chased each other around the playground, Justin and Ted got to catch up and Karen and I got to catch up. The weather was warm and sunny and the girls played until they were both flush in the face and asking for water.



After the festival, we hung out at the Keys' house. Katy was thrilled to be playing with a whole new set of toys (other children's toys are WAY better than your own!)! After we said our good-byes, we made it down the road about a mile before Katy conked out and fell asleep- veggie chip in hand, mid-way to mouth. She was one tired puppy! Opa!

The Perfect Pout

When something doesn't go her way, or she is upset, Katy has started to stick out her lower lip and form the perfect pout. It is so fake and so pathetic but oh, so cute! I've even caught her crossing her arms in front of her in the perfect little Drama Queen protest! So hard to be serious and stern when Lil' Miss is pouting like that!

Flashback

My little cutie sporting a shirt that I wore at her age. 

(When I find the picture of myself in the shirt, I'll post it, too.)

Wordless Wednesday- The "Zircus" is Roarin' into Town!!!

Sentence of the Day- Cautionary Tale

We must tell Katy to "Stop that!", "Don't touch that!", "Watch out!", "Hot- don't touch!" about a thousand times a day. She's two. She's curious. She's into EVERYTHING!! Lately, the tides have turned and we regularly hear our cautionary warnings coming out of her mouth. For example:

As I step onto the step stool (that has a permanent home in our pantry for me to reach the top shelf), I hear Katy say from her perch at the kitchen table, "Be careful, Mommy!"

I was cutting fabric on our double-sided desk in the art room, the other day. Ted's hands were close to where I was cutting (don't worry, I was aware of their placement and wasn't going to get fancy with the scissors!) when Katy pulls Ted's hands away and says, "Watch out, Daddy- sharp!"

Katy was playing with her dolls and her kitchen in the play room- she was making "lunch" for her baby dolls. When she placed a plastic plate of pretend food in front of her favorite doll, I hear Katy caution the dolly, "Very, very hot!"

While precariously juggling a cup of coffee, Katy and miscellaneous items that needed to go from one floor of the house to another, Katy admonished me, "Keep it (the coffee mug) level. No spill it!"

And my personal favorite warning from Katy... While cuddling in bed, reading a story before bedtime, Katy wraps her arms around my neck and says, "Keep you safe, Mommy. Don't fall off (the bed)!"

Sentence of the Day- Mixed Up Nursery Rhymes

As I've mentioned in the past, Katy loves to sing. This morning, I woke up to Katy singing,

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the street. Merrily, merrily quite contrary how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row...." :-)

Muffin Tin Monday- Happy Mother's Day!

(Starting at the top left, going around clockwise) Blueberry Blitz Mashup, Cheddar Bunnies, Cheese Wheel, Pizza Snackers, Blueberries and more Pizza Snackers

After a lovely Mother's Day lunch/dinner at my favorite Korean restaurant, Ted and I weren't really hungry for dinner. However, Lil' Miss still needed to be fed come dinnertime. So, I made her a muffin tin meal. I guess I went a little heavy on the cheese and blueberries- oh well. At least the Mashup had carrot hidden in it and Katy ate all of that, so I'd consider that a win!

"Sew" Adorable!

No Child Labor Laws were violated in this blog post ;-P

It doesn't take a psychology degree to realize that children learn by watching their parents and those around them. Katy ALWAYS wants to be doing what I'm doing, she wants to eat what I'm eating, and more than once, I've caught my phrases and words coming out of her mouth.

Lately, I've been putting my sewing machine to good use. I've sewn some clothes. I've sewn some gifts. And I've sewn lots and lots of reusable snack bags. Of course, Katy has been right by my side, wanting to get in on the action. One evening, we were in the art room and Katy pulled out my sewing machine, pulled up a chair, turned on the machine, looked at me and as she was putting a piece of material under the needle, she informed me, "I use sewing 'chine. I sewing all by myself!" The funny (and slightly scary!) thing is that Katy knew exactly what buttons to push (literally and figuratively ;-) and she understood that you needed thread, pins and material in order to sew.

Happy Mother's Day 2012!

Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day 2011

Mother's Day 2012

For all of you hard-working, muli-tasking, talented, strong, beautiful, intelligent, confident and protective mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Fly Swatter

Yesterday, I attempted to squish a spider that I found roaming around. For those who know me best, this is no small feat as I really dislike bugs and usually defer to the hubby to take care of such unsavory tasks. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to thwart the little bugger as he scurried right up into a crack by the window.

Later in the day, Katy must have seen him because I watched her suddenly stop playing with her toys, go into the shoe closet, grab one of my flip-flops, slap the wall with the shoe and then she very proudly informed me, "I got buggy. I took care of buggy." Then, Katy walked over to the bathroom sink to rinse off the shoe/fly swatter. While no bugs were harmed in this act, I was CRACKING UP while watching Katy's antics!!

Katy's Got Style!

Dress up with Kermit!

In honor of Kermit's birthday (It's today, did you know?!), I thought I'd share this picture. Yes, Kermit is wearing pink. More specifically, he's wearing a pink plaid skort and pink shoes. 

Wanna know why? 

Well, our little fashionista, Katy, decided that Kermit was looking a little "green" and needed to spruce up his spring wardrobe.(pun intended) ;-P Kidding aside, Katy did pick out this outfit all by herself. She matched the blues in the shirt and skort perfectly (seriously!) and if it weren't for the fact that the outfit is being modeled by a stuffed frog, I'd deem this an acceptable, matching outfit! 

Maybe our little girl has a future as a fashion designer or stylist! :-)

Wordless Wednesday- Run, Dodge and Swerve- Katy is Always on the MOVE!

Katy Vs. Veggies

Because of Katy's allergies to eggs, nuts and soy, we've taken to telling her that foods are either "Katy approved" or "Not Katy approved." Today, after discovering that I had tried to sneak some green beans into her macaroni and cheese, Katy pointed to the offending bean and emphatically stated, "NOT Katy 'prove!" Hahahaha! Nice try, little one!

Sentence of the Day- Hello, My Name is Heather

As Katy's early Mother's Day gift to me, she has stopped calling me "Mommy." Instead, I get called either, "Mom" or "Heather." Yes, I know, I know- my two-year old calls me by my first name. It's not that I promote this, she just does it on her own. *sigh*

Yesterday, I was apparently taking too long getting ready for our walk to the park because I heard Katy call out, "Mommy! Mommy! MOM! HEATHER!"

Today, while I was in the art room and Katy was in her room, I called out and asked her what she was doing (a quiet Katy is never a good sign!!). She replied, "Just second, Mom! Right there (in a) minute, Mom!"

Watch Your Words Carefully...!

We were having dinner at a friend's house the other night and Katy was enjoying their very kid-friendly backyard. Trampoline! Swings! Swing set! Slides! Tree house! At one point in the evening, I caught Katy trying to climb up the rope ladder in her beloved Kermit flip flops.

I said, "Katy, those are not appropriate shoes for climbing. Please get down from there!" 

I pulled her off the ladder and distracted her with the swings and went back to talking to some friends. I looked over at Katy a little bit later only to see that she had taken off her flip flops and was half-way up the rope ladder. I guess it's all in how you say things.... Smart (too smart for OUR own good!!) Girl!! It's all in how you phrase things...!

Muffin Tin Monday- Little Chef

Breakfast Muffin Tin Meal- (starting at top left, circling around, clockwise) Cantaloupe Chunks and Baked Oatmeal Squares (I substitute extra applesauce for eggs in this recipe, due to Katy's allergies. The extra applesauce and addition of raisins makes it extra moist).

Today, when I got the muffin tin out to make Katy her breakfast, she insisted on helping. Katy's been "helping" in the kitchen since she was an infant wrapped up in the Moby wrap, so she's very vocal about wanting to "stir" and "pour" and other small tasks in the kitchen.

Side note, last night when I was making Beef Stroganoff (Thanks MOMS Club Meal Planning!), Katy helped get out and hand me each ingredient in the recipe as I needed it. I was getting ready to thicken the sauce with a roux and Katy asked, "What making, Mommy?" I replied, "I'm making a roux- it helps to thicken the sauce." She then proceeded to walk over to where I keep the flour, point to it and say, "Need that?" I guess she's seen me do it enough times that she knew that I'd need the flour! I must admit, I was quite surprised that she knew that flour goes into a roux!

We love to cook (and eat!) so we want Katy to grow up with not only an appreciation of food but also the ability to cook and prepare it, as well. So, while this tin won't win any awards for aesthetics, it was 100% put together by our very own Little Chef.

Sentence of the Day- Manners

Being a parent is hard work! It's an around-the-clock kind of job and sometimes, there is no measurable way to gauge your success. However, when Katy uses her manners (without prompting) and others (even strangers!) comment on how well she does at saying, "Please" and "Thank you,"- that makes us proud!

After Ted refilled Katy's water bottle tonight at dinner, Katy replied, "Thank you fill my water, Daddy!" So sweet!

Growing Like a Flower!

Our little girl is growing up and getting so big!

Memorial Gardens, September 2010

Memorial Gardens, September 2011

Memorial Gardens, May 3, 2012

"Walking on, Walking on Broken Glass"

Mad Hatter Teacup

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later- broken china, that is. It only took seven years, but this afternoon, while Katy was eating her veggie straws from a Fiestaware teacup (the Fiestaware being part of our wedding gifts), she accidentally knocked it off the table and I ended up with my first (but surely not my last!) piece of broken china. Nobody was hurt and the damage control was pretty contained. Katy has eaten out of Fiestaware for a long time, now, and never had a problem. Still, I'm sad to now have 11 teacups and not a full dozen!

Wordless Wednesday- I Sewed Myself a Dress!