Social butterflies

Our social calendar was full to the brim last week. It was a whirlwind, to be sure, but a fun one.

Wednesday - Janie and I went out to dinner with my friend Jeannette, who took us to my new favorite all-you-can-eat-salad-bar restaurant - Sweet Tomatoes. So, so yummy.

And honestly, the timing was perfect because I was in desperate need of adult conversation. Janie and I had spent most of the afternoon dancing around to the new Wiggles movie that we had checked out from the library earlier in the day. Those darn Wiggles songs were stuck in my head in a never-ending loop. If you don't know the words and hand movements to "Lights, Camera, Action, Wiggles!" then, my friend, you should consider yourself very, very lucky.

Thursday - we went to the fair! The three of us dashed off to the fair as soon as naptime was over. We were just in time for a performance by Hi-5. (At one point, Hi-5 was Janie's ultimate, most-favorite TV show in the entire world. It's now been downgraded to top-five or maybe top-ten status, but for a few brief shining moments they were back in the coveted number one position.) Janie danced and laughed and clapped and had the MOST! FUN! EVER!

We also walked around the fair to smell the yummy fair food (hello - fried stuff!) and check out the animals. Cows and pigs = scary. Rabbits = cute. Climbing on hay bales = irresistible.

Friday - happy anniversary to us! Rob and I celebrated 11 years of happily wedded bliss. Our little family celebrated with night out on the town.

Saturday - to celebrate my parent's anniversary as well as my mom's last weekend before heading back to work, Janie and I drove over to the beach for some Grandma and Grandpa time. The beach conditions were similar to a category 4 hurricane, what with the gazillion-mile-an-hour wind, but it didn't dampen a certain toddler's enthusiasm for THE BEACH! THE SAND! THE WAVES! THE KITES! THE OCEAN! We also got to eat at a gorgeous beach-side restaurant, that was thankfully wind free.



Sunday - after conditioning my hair in an attempt to recover from the wind damage, we made it to church in time to see Rob preaching in big church. (He rocked!) I then proceeded to spend the rest of the day finding various ways to do nothing at all. It was a challenge, y'all. But I conquered it!

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Running

We live across the street from a really cool and really big park. It's full of trails and playgrounds and picnic areas and every amazing park thing you can imagine.

Now if you're thinking that this is going to be a post about how I take advantage of the proximity of the nature and the trails and the fresh air by heading to the park everyday and getting my work out groove on, then you would be wrong. So very wrong.

However, there is a group of moms who do a stroller work out in this park. They gather near the toddler park and then head off in a line, doing their lunges and leg lifts while pushing their strollers. In my head, I make fun of them and admire them at the same time. I mean, they look like total weirdos. But on the other hand, at least they are doing something, anything about the baby weight. And I have to give them props for that.

(Quick question - at what point does baby weight just become weight? I'm not sure, but I think I may be getting dangerously close to that point.)

Anyway, not too far from our home is a strip mall with a couple of our favorite restaurants. And sometimes we walk there using a little trail trough the big, beautiful park. A couple of evenings ago, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather to stroll on over to our favorite cookie place to get some dessert.

(The walk cancelled out the calories - I'm sure of it. And seriously, you have to try these cookies. They are so worth the walk.)

On on way there, Janie was riding along in her stroller, content to observe the water, the bikes, the ducks. We were almost to our destination, when she wanted out.

And as soon as her little feet hit the pavement, she took off like a rocket. Running with the freedom that only a toddler can enjoy. She ran with abandon. Carefree. Happy. Phoebe-like.

She ran all the way to our destination and all the way home. (With a brief, but tearful, intermission when mom and dad insisted that she hold a hand while we walked along a busy street.)

That's over a mile. Running at top speed. On short little two-year-old legs. She laughed and laughed and did her excited toddler whoo-whoo-whoo!

Rob ran interference, making sure that she was safely away from bikers on the path, and that she didn't veer into the rocky area next to the trail.

And I was in charge of pushing the stroller and trying to keep up with them. Man, that girl is fast.

When we returned home, I was way more exhausted than our little sprinter. I blame my footwear. If I had known the walk would turn into a high-speed toddler chase, I would have traded my oh-so-cute flip-flops for some oh-so-practical tenners.

As I watched her run, it hit me all over again. My baby girl is not a baby girl anymore. She's getting big and bold and has her own ideas about life. For example, why walk when I can run? Why say yes when I can say no? And then say no again? Why be quiet when I can laugh a loud belly laugh? Why take a nap when I can play? Why go down the slide only once when I can do it over and over and over? Why eat vegetables when chocolate chip cookies provide all the nutrition a girl could need? (She may have gotten that last one from me.)

And then this afternoon, during our pre-nap story time, Janie insisted on sitting in her own little chair instead of sitting on my lap. I think I actually gasped out loud and then prayed that it was just a fluke. But tonight, she had the same request. No thank you mom. I don't want to sit on your lap tonight. I'll sit in my own chair.

Is this it? Is her babyhood officially over? Just like that without any warning?

I feel sad. And proud. I'm excited to see what's next. And trying desperately to remember every little detail about every little moment. All at once.

Motherhood is such a big mix of emotions. But as I look at my little girl sleeping so sweetly, I know that I wouldn't trade a single minute of it. Not at all.

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Cat tails

About ten years ago, we got a cat. Calvin, an all-black rascally little cat, has been with us ever since. He is now well in old age, but in his prime he was known to leap over the sofa in a single bound. He really loved the hardwood floors in our old College Avenue house - he could run and slide and spin-out like the NASCAR driver that he dreams to be. It was a real blow to him when we moved to our new carpeted condo. I'm not sure that he's ever really recovered.

Calvin currently has two favorite things to do - drink out of the bathroom faucet and sleep on top of the TV. About the first one - yep, if you're heading to the bathroom to do your thing, he'll follow you in and sit on the counter and wait for you to turn the water on. So if you're ever visiting, please don't be offended - he's seen it all.

And about the second one - he will sleep for hours and hours on top of the TV. He will occasionally fall off - inevitably down the back of the TV so that in the course of his (not so) graceful fall he can dislodge as many cables and cords as possible. Which means that if I want more TV (and of course, I do) then I have to brave the land behind the TV which is more than a little dusty and really, really confusing.

His favorite TV-sleeping position involves a long black tail hanging down over the screen. Normally it's not that big of a deal, but he drives Rob crazy with his uncanny ability to cover the scoreboard or the game clock during a big game.

And, in total cat gross-out fashion, he often drools down the front of the screen. Because he's classy like that.

Anyway, this kind of long, random story is all to say that if we were to get a new TV, it would be a huge bummer for Calvin, but kind of awesome for the rest of us.

As luck would have it, the gals at 5 Minutes for Mom are giving away a big and beautiful flat panel TV.

Added benefit to a flat panel TV - no room for a cat on top. The folks at Best Buy should really add that to their marketing material.

If you want to enter, be sure to check out their site before the 17th.

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Springfield, here I come...

If I were a Simpsons character, I would look like this:



Cool, huh?

To create your own personalized character, check out this cool site.

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Remote Control

So, have you ever walked up to your front door, with car keys in hand, and stood there wondering why your door wasn't opening? I mean, there you are, clicking the unlock button on your car remote and everything.

No?

Just me then.

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A cupcake a day...

So lately I've been all about cupcakes. Love them. Any excuse to make them and I'm all over it.

Birthdays? Of course, call for cupcakes.

Visiting grandparents? Definitely a cupcake occasion.

Cake mix on sale? It would be a crime (a crime!) not to make cupcakes.

A new cupcake mix by Betty Crocker? What self respecting cupcake lover could walk by this in the store and not by a box or five?

Who cares if the new cupcake mix is just cake mix repackaged. Not me! The mix has just the right amount for one pan of 12 cupcakes. Which, let's face it, is better for my thighs. And the thing that really sold me was that they include 12 little cupcake liners. Too, too perfect!

Oh - and did you know you can substitute applesauce for oil in your recipes? Probably everyone in the world already knew that, but I just found out. This little fact saved me from a complete cupcake disaster and it totally worked. I didn't notice a difference in taste and neither did any of the other picky eaters in my house. Cool!

The cute picture above came from a way cool blog all about cupcakes. I will definitely be checking out this blog for more yummy cupcake ideas.

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The little engine that could

Oh my gosh y'all! Today we rode on Thomas the Train!

There was a little girl in our home that was SO EXCITED to see Thomas. She woke up talking about it this morning and the day did not disappoint.



Check out Rob's post about our morning for more pictures and scoop.

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