I'm not feeling so crabby anymore

Thank you to our friend and neighbor Greg for the hot crabs Monday night, and more cold ones Tuesday night. Mmmm. My favorite. I'm just getting warmed up for the all you can eat crab feast at the firehouse on Saturday night. Small town life rocks.

Dino-Mania

Wednesday we went to the Virginia Living Museum with Susan and Chas. They currently have a 'Dino-Mania' exhibit that all the kids enjoyed. Libby loved everything she saw, and was busy pointing, walking and trying to talk.


Here she is showing Chas the lionfish. Or is he showing her?


This is Libby giving her best Dinosaur growl!

At the museum gift shop, Chas got a dinosaur kit with masks, stickers, and posters and he and Emma played with that all the way home. Each time they roared, Libby roared, too. It was a roarin' good time!

Water Country

Saturday we finally made it to Water Country. After a tentative start by Emma, she had a blast and went down every kiddie slide she could find. After lunch Libby slept in her stroller and I had a somewhat relaxing moment. Here's Libby with her friend Ashton. He turned 1 on July 5. Thanks to Sharon for the pictures.





Garrison, Emma, Linton (do these brothers look like strangers or what?)

It's all in my head

I've had several entries I wanted to write about lately. The yucky horned worm I pulled off my tomato plant that gave me bad dreams, the fortune I got in my cookie at the Chinese restaurant, the one about how Emma uses words every day that surprise me - today she said "stem" when she picked a dandelion. How we both still have coughs from our sick days, how Libby has been taking steps for a week but just today figured out how to stand up on her own without pulling up first. And how she says Mine! and No no no! But my head hurts. The headaches, they are back. And they are even in my jaw. At night I need to relax instead of straining my eyes and shoulders and fingers on the computer. Yesterday I took the kids to Water Country and took some pain medication before the pain even started. I knew it would catch up to me. I feel like my "quality of life" is being affected by all the headaches. And it makes me MAD. I need to chill. It's hard to chill while in pain. It's hard to look forward to the next day when I'm not sure if I'll have a headache for that activity or not. I love life. I love having things to look forward to. I enjoy the little moments and the big moments. I am like Tom Cruise, a "life zealot". I look forward to being free of this pain.

15 months

Libby is fifteen months today - here she is this morning taking the most steps we've ever seen her take!





She is a 26 pound bag of sugar! She has cheeks that are mushy and soft and must be kissed lots. She has chubby little feet, that are shoved into shoes now that she's a walkin'! She has a wonderful laugh, an extremely healthy appetite (and thus the butt of many jokes) and yes, she still has that glorious red (orange) curly hair. She won't keep a clip in it, and is rather feisty when she wants to be. She is on a mission when she sees something she wants, and she'll fight Emma for it, and sometimes win! She knows she's funny, and she knows everything we are saying. If I ask her to brush her hair, she does. If I ask her to brush MY hair, she does. She points a lot and tries to talk about everything. She can say, PopPop, Ghee(gay), bird, bee, boo-boo, baby, no, whoa and mwa! (for a kiss) I drove up to Ghee and PopPop's house and got Emma out to go inside. Libby was going to daycare so I left her in the car. She said "PopPop!" and started crying. She knew where we were and wanted to get out, it was so sad! She is a mommy's girl, but nothing like Emma. Emma is still attached to me like you wouldn't believe. Libby just needs the reassurance that I'm there, then she's off! Go, baby, go . . . no no stay, baby, stay. Stay.

We are still alive

We made it. Through the coughing, the sore throats, and the fever. I was the most sick, I actually had a fever for the first time since . . . probably high school or college. I went to the doctor and took Emma with me because she had a fever, too. She hardly knew it and acted like her usual energetic self. The doctor prescribed us both an antibiotic, so after paying $60 for our medications I was a little irritated that we never got Emma to drink any of hers. She's fine now-no worries. I was skeptical that she needed it, anyway.
Maybe I would have tried harder to get her to take it if I thought she was in serious need of it. We tried to bribe her with a brownie, taught her to hold her nose, suggested she chase it with water, poured it into a yogurt drink (she knew before the first drop hit her lip) and Chucky even held her down and poured some in her mouth. He says she spit and gagged and threw up a little bit. He tasted it and agreed with Emma. Why does it have to be so gross? This is 2008 - can't we make medicine taste good? She took the strawberry flavored Tylenol and even licked the cup. What would we have done if she really needed it? I told her if she didn't drink it she'd have to get a shot - I guess I wasn't lying. I hope we don't have to find out.
I told my mother about this . . . she said it sounded familiar. What? Oh, you were thinking the same thing weren't you? Yeah, me too. I even told Chucky - that's me all over!
Anyway, it was not a good weekend to be sick. We had to cancel going to Yorktown Beach on Friday, supper club Friday night, and Water Country on saturday. Maybe this was God's way of telling me to slow down. It was better than getting sick this coming weekend, as Chucky is going on a fishing trip.
Now we are all feeling better and my ebay addiction is in full swing. Currently I am searching for a girls snowsuit, size 6. I am selling one, size 12 months. I have found cute little hair clips for babies, and a monogrammed outfit with an L on it - it ends soon, I hope I win! I search for smocked, 24 months and I look and drool and have to shut down my computer before I go broke.

Photo Shoot, again

Swimming Lessons #2 and #3

At the second lesson, she didn't get in the water. At the third lesson, she sat on the edge and halfway through the class, the teacher pulled a wiggling screaming Emma into the water for a back float. She spent the rest of the class by my side on the bench. I am thinking we will not return to see what classes #4 through #8 have in store. She thinks it's torture, and the time frame 5-5:30 is a pretty inconvenient time, anyway. Done. Try again next summer.

Swimming in tears

Took Emma to her first swimming lesson today. All day long she told me how super excited she was. Libby and I sat and watched. Watched her cry when she had to float on her back, watched her cry when she had to go under. Watched her cry and shout, "Mommy, when will this be over? Can I get out?" One down, seven to go.

American Cutie Pies

Emma leads the way as Maggie pulls Libby and Mason in the children's parade.

Click here to see more pictures from Heritage Day!




Libby waves as she rides by in the parade.

Photo Shoot, 14 months

14 months and 4 years

Birthday Boy

My nephew, Mason turned one June 25. He had a party on Sunday and covered himself in cake. He will love this photo when he is older. This kid has a permanent smile on his face. Happy Birthday, you cutie!