Saturday, July 30, 2011

Beach Trip

(Lots of pictures in this post so just know that you’ve been warned!) 

A few weeks ago we headed south to visit our Texas beach.  I decided if we were going to sweat in this awful heat that we should at least do it with sand and water around us.  I wasn’t sure what to expect with a toddler(experiencing terrible three’s), an 8 month old, and us all in one hotel room.  Taylor thought the whole concept of a hotel room, and her own bed, was awesome.  Plus she liked the idea of watching TV while in bed and pushed our normal bedtime routine limits, but we’ll just call those vacation exceptions. 

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I wasn’t sure what either girl would think of the sand or ocean, but they both loved it.  Taylor asking to go swimming from the moment she woke up and I think she might have been muttering something to that affect when she fell asleep.  Elizabeth loved the waves splashing on her.  Sorry there won’t be any those pictures posted here because I do not want to scare you with me in a swimsuit.(definitely time to lose those remaining pregnancy pounds… and maybe a few more)  Elizabeth also loved the sand.  She took off as soon as I put her down and then spent time prying shells and misc beach items from her hands before they made it to her mouth.  Chris and Taylor had fun with the bucket of beach toys that Ya-Ya sent with us.

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Lizzie tried to join in on the mud pie fun and was covered from head to toes in sand.  I felt bad for the maid who had to clean our bathroom!  After an afternoon on the beach, we showered and headed to Bubba’s Icehouse for dinner.  It’s a great little family restaurant outside of the downtown area and had the best fried green beans!  Lizzie had recently started more finger foods and enjoyed a dinner of carrots, too bad most of then got mushed in her hair! 

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Elizabeth decided that hotel life and snuggling with Daddy was pretty good too!

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We had planned to go to the aquarium, but a certain toddler wanted to swim again so we jumped in the truck and headed for more water and sand.  Taylor thought it was funny that Daddy’s truck was going to ride a boat(the ferry across to Mustang Island), Lizzie couldn’t care less. 

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I think my car lounging styles are rubbing off on Taylor.  I looked back at one point to see her little foot propped up.  Once on the island I loved seeing all the sites.  They have these cute little car/carts you can rent to get around.  How fun would that be!

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Once we spied the perfect spot on the beach Chris attempted to drive across the soft sand to the edge of the water.  Let me preference this next picture with the fact that Chris drove a truck that I almost needed a stool to get into when we first met.  Mudding was a frequent hobby of his and therefore a little sand should not have been a problem.  I guess marriage and two kids have taken a toll on his dirt driving skills and he proceeded to make some nice ruts in the sand.  Taylor still gives him a hard time about the sand on the bumper! 

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We had a blast on the beach.  Unfortunately, Lizzie was running a bit of fever due to teething and preferred to hang out in the tent and play with toys.  Taylor really enjoyed the ocean and we played follow-the-leader, jumped the waves, ran from them, and just enjoyed the water splashing on us.  Our beach time ended when Taylor needed to go potty and didn’t like the ‘ocean option’.  At least our potty training skills are working.

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Lizzie and Chris enjoyed a little father/daughter naptime later on.  After that we enjoyed some time in the hotel pool but the lighting was so bad that my pictures didn’t turn out too well. 

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I was so thankful for a weekend away with my three favorite people!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Happy Friday

Someone wanted to say 'Hi' or 'aaaiiiii'.  Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

elizabethursday

I've already had the discussion with Elizabeth about drinking(her sippy cup) while driving(her scoot toy), but it looks like I now need to discuss not stealing Daddy's beer.  At least she knows good beer!

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Taylor Tuesday

With all the heat this summer we are looking for any way to keep cool.  Taylor definitely found a way to stay cool this day.

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elizabeTHursday

Daddy, did you know...

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that this is your nose???!!!

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(a bonus for my bloggers when I discovered that this was supposed to post a month ago for June 30th)

Monday, July 25, 2011

elizabethursday

I actually sent my weekly email out on time, but never made it to creating the blog post.  So you get a few days late, but I’ve included a few extra pictures to help complete the story.

Will you please tell Taylor to quit trying to make me a fairy???

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Our little fairy trying to pull her wings off and crawling away.  Little does she know this is just the start of many years of torture from her big sister. 

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Taylor Tuesday

Her super power skills include:

speedy twirling, little sister entertaining, and card maker extraordinaire

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Super powers must run in the family because Mommy can see through walls and change a diaper in 5 seconds; Daddy can build anything; and Lizzie is a whirlwind that leaves toy destruction in her path.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

elizabethursday

Dear little green stool,

13 years ago you headed to west Texas with me and helped me reach all those high spots in my dorm room.  You quickly became a tv tray on a dorm floor for a best friend.  Then you served many years as a way for this short girl to reach taller parts of her closet.  Three years ago I had no clue that you would become so popular to my first girl.  You help her see the bathroom mirror better, reach to wash her hands, and climb up into our bed to snuggle in each morning.  Then my next girl came along and she finds new ways to use you too.  Normally it is to pull herself up to see what sister is doing, but I was reminded of those days you were a tv tray when she sat down at you.  Thank you for all your hard work and for continuing to make important women in my life smile!

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Taylor Tuesday

We spent the weekend in Corpus Christi/Port Aransas and there seemed to be a theme to Taylor's questions... can I go swimming?  Can we go swimming in the ocean?  Can we go to the pool?  Can I make mud pies?  Are we there yet and can we go swimming where we're going?  Chris and I took turns playing following the toddler through the waves.

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Thursday, July 7, 2011

elizabethursday

Elizabeth was very glad that we let her jump into finger foods last week so that she could enjoy some of the yummy pizza too(even if it was just the crust)!

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Peek-a-boo

I apologize now for the high-pitch of my voice in the video but I couldn’t resist posting Elizabeth’s new skill.  You also get some commentary from Taylor.

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Look at that, it’s only the 6th and I am already working on your monthly post.  Maybe one of these days I will finish Taylor’s 3 year old blog post Smile

Elizabeth’s personality is really starting to shine through and she can be the happiest baby and so loving!

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Here’s a few things our girl has been up to lately:

  • size 3 diaper
  • 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes (almost ready to move up to 9 month for length)
  • not sure on height or weight, but we’ll find out in a month at her 9 month checkup
  • Nicknames: Lizzie, Lil’ Bit, Sister, Pickle(but only from KK), Chavalita(Lita says this is another way of saying Elizabeth in Spanish)
  • She started crawling last month, but now she’s a speed demon.  Obstacles are taken on as a challenge of something else to plow through and we now find her into all sorts of stuff.(I really wish I had my camera when she found the dogs food)
  • Elizabeth is also pulling herself up on everything and loves to see what her little hands can now reach.  She kept Chris on his toes while I was gone for a few days and decided to explore some of my nightstand drawers.

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  • Meal times are getting a little easier as she is able to munch on Cheerios and puffs(picks these out first).  Elizabeth figured out how to use a straw when she grabbed my cup with a straw and managed to get a few sips out(luckily it wasn’t a Mommy drink was water).  Now she is fascinated with any drink I have with a straw!  I also have to watch out for little hands finding big sister’s cups now.  Strep taught us a fast lesson in this precaution among siblings!

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  • Taylor never really showed a huge interest in Sadie, but Elizabeth is in LOVE!  Now that she is crawling more Sadie is not sure what to do or where to lay down.  Elizabeth finds Sadie’s toys fascinating and always wants to ‘taste test’ them for herself.  Good thing our dog is so sweet and just lays there until we make Lizzie give the toy back. 

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  • We have discovered that Elizabeth is quite the little water bug and enjoys swimming and bath time.  Chris even took her underwater and it didn’t even phase her.  She learned to splash and finds this quite amusing in the pool and at bath time.
  • Beware of our little one if you are sitting on the ground.  You might just be the next victim of her crawl by raspberries.  This entails her crawling over to your leg or arm and making a raspberry(or fake fart) noise on it.  Then she’s off again.

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  • Those aren’t the only raspberries that Lizzie makes.  It’s hard not to laugh when she gets mad or frustrated and blows raspberries while she’s crying. 
  • Elizabeth also learned to play peek-a-boo this month and will go find her blanket in the diaper bag to play by herself.

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  • I love watching the friendship and love growing between my two girls!  Elizabeth wants to do everything Taylor does and finds her toys so much more fascinating.(I’m sure this is just the beginning of many years of this)  Elizabeth loves to play in Taylor’s bed each morning when she gets up.  They laugh and giggle and are a great way to start my day!

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Slow down little girl!  You are growing up so fast and I’m not sure I’m ready for you to not a baby for much longer but I love the little person you are becoming! 

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Taylor Tuesday

I know how much you love seeing Taylor's face, but she was having so much fun being a ghost to entertain Elizabeth.  I normally do not like ghosts, but this one giggles the entire time.

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Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July

Wishing you a happy 4th and a big thanks to all the soldiers who made it possible for us to enjoy this day!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Princess Dance Camp

Last week Taylor got to spend each morning at the dance studio in Princess Dance camp.  A morning filled with crafts, activities, dancing, and everything princess is just what she(and I) since preschool has been out for a month.  Each morning was an adventure in what twirly outfit she would want to wear and which shoes went best with it. 

Monday - ready for the first day with her new princess shirt and skirt from Nana

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Tuesday - So busy that she didn’t even have time to wait for Mommy.  She was a woman on a mission!

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Wednesday - She wanted to dress like Ariel, but told me a she couldn’t dance in a mermaid tail.  Twirly purple skirts work better!

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Thursday - I caught a sneak peek of her practicing their dance.  Yes she’s wearing the same outfit again, but that’s what she picked.

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Friday - After some convincing she decided Mommy had a good idea of wearing a true princess costume today.  Chris and I gave her the new crown comb to wear in her hair and of course she had to wear the matching shoes.

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Good thing she wore the dress because wouldn’t you know it… Cinderella came to visit!

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And a week at camp wouldn’t be complete without learning a new princess dance.  I know there are Mom’s out there that princess thoughts keep our daughters from becoming strong women, but nothing could compare to the stories I heard each day and the smile on her face as she danced for us.  The Mom and dancer in me was thrilled to see her enjoy this and learn steps that I learned as a child. 

 

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