Art in the Park

We had an exciting weekend...here's a rundown of events:

1. On Friday, I got my hair cut, which may not seem like such a big deal, but it took weeks of contemplating until I finally decided to cut seven inches off. I am happy with the new look...drastic enough to tell a difference but not so drastic that my kids couldn't recognize me.

2. Lilly Grace had dance class again Saturday, and even though she was ticked about having to put on the leotard and tights, she actually had a good time and participated (for once). Of course, we did have to make our weekly trip to the store for M&M's as a reward. She has now developed a fondness for the ones in the brown bag and won't have anything to do with the peanut kind.

3. I went to Homecoming to chaperone the dance (oh, joy). I really went for moral support for Raygan...bless her heart. I found it interesting that kids now thing that simulating sex acts constitutes dancing...I mean, c'mon...they are taking "dirty dancing" to a whole new level...yuck.

4. On Sunday we went to Art in the Park, a little festival at Hurricane Shoals. We had a really good time...it brought back memories of going to Prater'sMill every fall with my Mom. I just love the South...as soon as the air starts to get crisp you are bound to have fall festivals on weekends. Lilly Grace liked seeing the animals at the petting zoo and feeding the ducks. I chilled with Pressley on a quilt by the shoals while we played and listened to good ol' Bluegrass Music (i.e., old men strumming banjos singing about seeing your family in heaven one day - LOVE IT!!!) All that was missing was endless groups of little kids in petticoats clogging. I love seeing the folk art and crafts and the smell of BBQ, fried apple fritters, boiled peanuts, and funnel cakes. I also like people-watching...believe me, some of the county's finest turned out:)

5. Lilly Grace and Pressley actually hung out together and watched Dragon Tales on TV...see picture...without Lilly Grace protesting that "she touched me!" or "she's on my side!" Yes, my five-month-old likes to watch TV...so what???

At some point during the weekend I realized that Lilly Grace is becoming quite sassy. At one point I was trying to sing a song with her and she stuck her hand up (talk-to-the-hand style) and said, "Mommy, stop, right now. You need to stop or you're gonna be in trouble. I will count to five and you're gonna hafta sit in time out...one, two, three, four, five!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...

Dancing Queen

Lilly Grace started her first ever dance class last weekend, and since I have had absolutely nothing interesting going on this week, I thought I would blog about it. I have to say I was a bit nervous about the process of actually getting her ready and on board with the whole dance class thing. She loves to dance...but only on her terms. The first obstacle was the outfit. As you have probably ascertained, LG is very peculiar about clothes and shoes, so I was fully expecting a meltdown, resulting in the forfeiture of my dance class deposit and a child who does no extra-curricular activities because she refuses to wear the uniform. Needless to say, it wasn't that bad. I tried not to make a big deal out of it...I just casually began to put on the tights (which she stared at which a very strange look on her face), then the purple leotard, and finally the skirt. As I started to put on the ballet shoes, I could feel the mood in the air begin to change, so I shifted into bribery mode (which does not happen often in my house). I asked her if she wanted to go to the grocery store with me, which I knew she would immediately respond to with a resounding "YES, Mommy, and I promise to stay in the buggy!" I told her we just had to make one stop on the way to the store, omitting the fact that the one stop was a 45 minute dance class in a place she had never been before. Then something happened...she began to realize that something was fishy, so she decided to milk the situation for all it might possibly be worth. She said, " I REALLY want to go to Chuck E Cheese, too, Mommy." How do kids know the precise time to ask for what they want and actually GET IT???? So, of course, I told her we might go tomorrow if she was good while we were out "running errands" (A.K.A. going to dance class).

Anyway, we got there and she was pretty cool with it. She didn't jump right in and chaise (I have no idea how to spell that word) immediately, but we got through the class with no major catastrophes. I, on the other hand, realized quickly how out of shape I am when I got winded after 30 minutes of the organized-chaos they call the Jump, Jiggle, and Jive class...there was some jump, a lot of jiggle, and zero jive on my part. Lilly Grace was happy to get to the store and spend two hours at Chuck E Cheese as a reward, and I was satisfied to see her in the too-cute leotard and tights. I just can't wait until Mike has to take her when I have class...he'll look cute in the circle with all the mothers and two-year-old girls waving scarves and "picking buttercups." (hehe)

On a side note, you'll notice her embarrassment at being photographed in unknown attire...in the bottom picture she is hiding behind her Easter Basket, which she now carries around the house with her in case she finds an egg.

Out on the Town

It is a glorious, yet lonely feeling when you are allowed a few hours of "adult" time without your kids. Sunday night we decided to celebrate my best friend Raygan's birthday. We were going to have "Grandmother" watch the kids, but Nana and Papa Chuck volunteered to keep LG overnight. I think it was out of guilt over the total meltdown she had when they all jumped out of the car on Saturday to go to the GA game, leaving her bewildered and alone, not understanding why she started with a carload of loved ones (and I do mean carload...people in the front, back, and hanging on to both sides of the vehicle) and suddenly they were all gone. Anyway, we packed her up and sent her to the lake, and Pressley went to stay at Grandmother's for the evening. Once again, we were alone...two parents, back in the big adult world of nice restaurants, cocktails, and good, uninterrupted conversation...we almost didn't know what to do. We quickly remembered...eat what we want (when we want), talk about things with our friends over a long dinner filled with appetizers, mojitos, and laughter, go to bed past 10 o'clock, and sleep late in the morning. Oh, glory!


We all met downtown and ate at DePalma's. We had yummy bruschetta with olive tampanade and smoked salmon cream cheese spread for an appetizer. I had a Grey Goose and orange juice, and Mike, in true Mike fashion, ordered a Pabst Blue Ribbon...don't ask me why. He kept going on about how PBR is really a delicacy...whatever. We ate until we were stuffed...mine was grilled pork tenderloin with an apricot demi-glaze with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes...his was spaghetti with Italian Sausage (go figure), which looked like a phallic symbol atop a mountain of noodles. Anyway, now that have bored you with my menu for the evening...sorry...food excites me, I will say that we had a really relaxing evening with old friends. We came home and sat on the front porch and talked, went to bed, and slept really late. It was really nice to be back in the adult world for a while, but I did wake up with a bit of an ache in my heart...the house was just too quiet. What did we do before we had the two most precious little angels in our lives? (oh yeah, we ate what we wanted, drank what we wanted, and went to bed when we wanted) I wouldn't go back for anything!

GO DAWGS!

I love the South. A friend of mine recently blogged about the joys of fall...musing at length about the smells, sights, and leaves in a pensive, poetic way. So here's my take on it...fall means football Saturdays in Athens watching full grown, highly paid, professional men act like 20 year-old frat boys stumbling drunkenly through the streets of campus...it means college girls in freakin cocktail dresses and heels in 98 degree temperatures to go see a football game...it means hearing the best of the Redcoat Band and Larry Munson coming from iPods at every tailgate...it means beer, food, and friends...it means miles of RV's and red & black as far as you can see...it means you have a connection to 80,000 perfect strangers, who, because they are GA fans, are instantly your best friends and will share their food, beer, and RV toilets...it means walking to the game singing "who's that walking down the tracks?" with every other drunken person hoping their high heel doesn't get caught in the railroad ties...it means another year of a tradition that will never die. God...please let my children go to the University of Georgia so they can know how it feels to be a part of the biggest, best, proudest family of football fans in the South. GO DAWGS!

Splish Splash

Who says a rainy day can't be tons of fun...not my daughter, that's for sure. She has been psyched about the rain all day. She was really pumped this morning that she was able to wear her green jacket, with the hood up of course because, 'it's rainin on my head, Mommy." Then when I picked her up, she made me open the sun roof so she could see the raindrops falling on the top of the car. THEN when we got out of the car, she insisted that I zip her jacket up and put her hood on so she could go stomp around in the pouring (and I mean pouring) rain and puddles all in the driveway. Pressley and I just stood in the garage for like 20 minutes while she got soaked from head to toe. I finally convinced her to come in, just in time I learned, since we were under a TORNADO WARNING and I didn't know it...yeah, I know I'll get "Mother of the Year Award" for that one.


Anyway, Papa Chuck came over for like 20 minutes in true Yuppie fashion...always in a hurry (I tease him but I enjoy seeing him even if it is only for a few minutes). He snuck out and a total meltdown ensued...I mean LG cried for at least 10 minutes...big, wet, crocodile tears, saying "I need my Papa Chuck!" I convinced her to stop crying by telling her we could go outside for round two of puddle jumping...who knew a little rain could be so darn fun?






I am including a couple of new pictures...not because they go with this post, but because I told my mom that I would. (Love You, Mama)

Just an Update

Update...quick facts to catch you up on all of our business:)
1. Pressley went for her 4-month check-up on Wednesday. She now weighs 16 lbs. 10 oz. ...I know, she's huge! They gave her four shots, which shouldn't even be legal. Bless her little heart...she turned bright red and forgot to breath for like a whole minute. She promptly yanked off one of her band-aids off in protest when we got home.
2. I now have zero sicks days left...a scary thought when you have two kids in daycare. I used almost all of them for maternity leave last year, then another two for our trip to Maine, a 1/2 day for Pressley's doctor's appt, you get it...
3. Classes have started back at UGA...what was I thinking again? Two kids, full-time job, Specialist degree..I must be crazy
4. Lilly Grace just keeps getting more like a two-year-old every day, and my patience is quickly wearing thin. I think we were up to four fits just today...the first one about having to wear the lobster shirt I bought her in Maine, the second because she couldn't find a leaf in the car that she'd picked off a tree (you would have thought she was missing some serious cash or something), the third because I tried to get a splinter out of her finger, then I tried to put Neosporin and a Band-Aid on it, which she ripped off in a matter of seconds, and the fourth because she didn't want to take a bath, and oh yeah...one more..because I pushed the button on the remote to start The Little Mermaid DVD instead of letting her do it...pray for me.
5. On a happy note, Pressley has started cackling every time she thinks something is funny, which totally cracks me up. LG and Mike were jumping in puddles in the driveway the other night and she just started hee-hawing because she thought it was so funny. Then we started laughing at her so hard I thought we were going to pee our pants...I am sure the neighbors were curious why we were all barefoot, jumping around in the driveway, laughing so hard we were snorting. We'll probably get a letter in the mailbox from the Homeowner's Association warning us about public displays of happiness

Baby Duckling

Isn't it funny how kids form attachments to fuzzy objects? Why are they always fuzzy? One morning, I handed Pressley a yellow duck "lovie" (definition - stuffed animal head attached to a blankie) that Lilly Grace never seemed interested it, and she immediately became smitten. She quickly realized she could put it in her mouth and start gnawing away or rub it on her face and cuddle. Now she's hooked! An immediate problem surfaced when LG remembered that the duck was once hers, and she promptly yanked it out of Pressley's hands. She eventually decided that the sisterly thing to do (yes, she is acknowledging that role now) was to give Pressley the duck as a love offering and officially name it "Pressley's Duckling." I not exactly sure how she knows it is a baby duck, thus calling it a "duckling," but hey, who can figure out the mind of a two-year-old. Not me...if I could, I would be a millionaire.

On a side note, we just got back from a fabulous long weekend in Squirrel Island, Maine, where THERE'S NOT A SINGLE SQUIRREL (or poisonous snake or spider, according to Marge). Mike said they all fell from the sky during a massive squirrel suicide or something...he was just looking to start a good ghost story. I can say a few things about the folks on Squirrel:

1. they know how to drink...any time of the day or night...they are professionals

2. they know how to make Southerners feel right at home...seriously, they were awesome

3. they don't lock their doors...in fact, I don't think I saw a single door with a lock the whole weekend

4. they think it's warm when its really friggin cold

5. they like to dress like pirates and run around the island yelling "AARRRGH"

6. they love their island...seriously, half the wedding was devoted to their "new member acceptance"...but for good reason...it's straight out of a postcard and absolutely breathtaking

Congratulations on your wedding Marge! Congratulations on your initiation to the island, Bill:) We can't wait to come back one day!