Rain. Go. Away.

We wanted to go swimming this evening, but it's raining. This is Erin watching...waiting for the rain to stop. We're still waiting.

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Like Mother, Like Daughter

Erin got another haircut today and she looks all grown up!! I was waiting for her top layer to grow long enough to make this cut look cute...and it looks oh-so-adorable!! She didn't cry at ALL. I even had to convince her that it was time to leave! She's still enjoying the two dum-dums that she got as a treat. She'll do just about anything for C.A.N.D.Y

Olivia says now Erin looks like me. I have to agree. Dang this kid is cute.

Sassy little thing, isn't she?!

I Go Fwimming!?

Now that the pool isn't 80 degrees anymore, we've been swimming, and swimming often. I mowed our grass yesterday and when I finished I jumped into the pool. I knew I wouldn't have long before Erin heard or saw me out there. After about 2.53 seconds, I looked up and there she was, standing at the back door with tears streaming down her sad little face. So, being the good mommy I am, I got out, found her 'fwimsoup', lathered some SPF 50 on her, and took her fwimming. These are a few of the pictures I took today when Tony got her in the pool. I wasn't such a good mommy today. I sat on the steps because mommy didn't think she needed that SPF 50 anywhere but her face. Mommy's shoulders and back are lobster red. Ugh.

Horsies

We took Erin to feed da horsies today. The horse park close to our house was closed. {Closed? Don't the horses need to eat?!} We got back into the car and headed to the little pasture up the road. We've never stopped, but I occasionally see moms with kids standing at the fences, feeding the horses. They didn't want anything to do with us for the first 10 minutes. Which, by the way is an ETERNITY when you have a discontent two-year-old. They finally came to the fence and ate every last apple and carrot we had. Erin was funny- she wanted to get close until the horse came too close for comfort. She loved seeing them up close so long as they didn't touch her.

Feed Da Ducks, Mommy

One of our favorite things to do...feed the ducks. We have special "duck bread" that we take to the pond and Erin squeals with excitement when she sees it. She asked me this morning to feed da ducks, mommy. So, I couldn't say no. We walked to the pond and these three little ducks swam over as soon as they spotted us. We fed them until their bellies were full and then went around to the other side where we found a mommy duck, a daddy duck and three baby ducks. They were under one of the trees at the top of the picture. They were such a cute little family! The daddy duck stayed behind the mama and the mama let the little babies come up to us to get the bread. They stayed on the shore and weren't the least bit afraid of me and Erin. Ahh good times!

Field Day

Olivia's field day was today. She had a blast running around and getting soaked. We loved getting to see her have such fun.

Don't Turn Your Back

L'Oreal #114. Need I say more?

Amazingly, she didn't get it on anything but her face. She was so pleased with herself as she came around the corner. In the picture above she has the lipstick in her right hand and her sassy in the left- true Erin style.

Best Friends

Erin and Annelise at the mall yesterday. I love this picture...Erin loves playing with her! We ate lunch with Annelise and her mom then headed to the play area at the mall. My little girl is growing up!!

Play Time

My friend Theann and her sweet daughter, Annelise, came by today. The girls played babies, pushed strollers, and played with a Candyland game. They were adorable talking to each other and following each other around the house. Erin was sad to see them leave, but we're going to get together with them again tomorrow afternoon! If the weather is nice, we might head up to the horse park and let them feed the horses {and goats and pigs and chickens and peacocks!}.

Weekly Update

Our past week was most like any other week...although there were a few notable events:

My little one got a haircut. She was so tickled to get a haircut- she laughed and repeatedly cried "I get haircut" from the moment we got in the car to go to the hair place. Everything was fine until the hairdresser put the cape on Erin. She seemed a little insistent on Erin wearing the cape, but after Erin screamed for a few minutes, I suggested we take it off. She LOOSENED it around her neck. That did NOT do the trick. In fact, it made things worse. Finally, I took it off. Erin still screamed. This was the slobbery, snotty, entire-face-wet, inconsolable sobbing that two-year-olds are known for. I even gave her a dum-dum and she refused it. Ugh. The lady did get rid of Erin's baby mullet, but now her bangs look a little funny. (Sorry no pic yet)

We went to my Nana's house for Mother's Day. I have to say, Mother's Days keep getting better and better. Nana loved playing with Erin and I loved seeing them play. That's her great-granddaughter!!

And this is one random shot of Erin getting a big treat! Erin begs me to let the kitty sit in her lap. Only problem is, Camille doesn't like to sit on Erin's lap...much. She's tolerating Erin's gentle pats and seemed to at least halfway enjoy the attention. Since Erin came along, the cat has been a little neglected. She's no longer the baby.

This Week...

Before we get started on our week, let's look back exactly one year and here's what Erin looked like. She was in Sissy's room getting into everything. She still does. I'm sure it isn't going to end any time soon.

We started off by doing a little laundry...

Erin likes helping me. This was one of those times where she really was helping me out.

Then on Wednesday we went to feed the ducks. There weren't many ducks. Okay, there were zero ducks, but we did get to make friends with this strange bird. He didn't like the bread we brought, but he came over really close and got in the water and ate a few tiny little fishies.





Then on Friday we went to the zoo with my friend Theann and her daughter, Annelise. We spent the entire afternoon wandering around. Erin got to pet a guinea pig and a rabbit. We saw a ton of animals, including all sorts of monkeys, bird, fish, a tiger and a gorilla. In the picture below Erin is watching the mongoose through the glass.

Tonight, while Olivia and I ran into 7-11 to get two cherry slurpees, Tony got Erin to count from one to ten all by herself. I know she can do it, but I haven't been able to catch her on video until tonight. As soon as we got home, I got the camera and started filming. She performed once again.

I love how she goes back to sipping on my slurpee as soon as she finishes counting. She just turned two, exactly 41 days ago. She may have her mama's "spice" as Tony calls it, but I like to say she also got my brains. This kid melts me every single day.

Easter

We celebrated Easter on Saturday morning at my Aunt Lou Ann's house. We ate brunch and hunted eggs...because that's what you do on Easter. Erin's too afraid of the Easter Bunny. She'll wave to him at the mall, but she'll also say "no lap mommy" meaning she doesn't want to sit on his lap. Period. Maybe next year...

Erin with a mouth full of candy. She was going to Mimi's house afterward, so we let her get all hopped up on candy. She loves candy and it doesn't seem to make her climb the walls.

Olivia hunting for eggs. We came home with more candy than we knew what to do with. THEN, we had Nana's Easter baskets to open. Which had more sweet treats.

Erin got the hang of it real quick. She carried her little basket around Lou Lou's house until every last egg had been found. Then she sat at the table eating as much as she could. We hope you had a hoppy Easter.

Two of the Sweetest Feet

The sight of these little feet make me smile. I absolutely love how she stands on her tippy toes when she's on her stool. It reminds me of a little red stool that I had at my Granny's house. It had a little rhyme painted on it and all I remember is one part about "reaching things I couldn't and other things I shouldn't". That's Erin.

My Kid has WHAT?!?

Does this little girl look sick to you?

What about this little girl?

Or maybe this little girl??

On Monday, Erin's daycare called and said she had a temperature of 102.8 under her arm and we needed to pick her up. Tony got her and took her straight to Dr. Frank's office. He said she might have a slight ear infection. This is our first ear infection. Ever. Okay, I can deal with that. But then, about 20 minutes later the results from the flu test were ready. She. Has. The. Flu. Yep, the FLU. She was absolutely lethargic Monday evening. The pictures above were taken about 24 hours after the doctor visit. She's a completely different child today. She's playing with her toys, playing chase with us, and generally having a great time.

I've always known that kids can act fine when they're sick. But this kid has totally amazed me. We have been blessed in so many ways.

Erin Turns Two

We celebrated Erin's second birthday yesterday at Mimi and Papa's house. We ate dinner and chocolate cake and Olivia helped Erin open presents. These are a few of the pictures we took...I can't believe my baby girl is 2.

She wasn't quite sure what we were all doing staring at her and this cake. She was sure, though, that she would get to eat some.

Getting ready to blow out her candle...

And getting to dig in. This kid lives for sweets. I think she dreams of cookies.

Bubbles

Isn't she adorable?!? So, we haven't been up to a whole lot lately...Erin started daycare two weeks ago and she loves it. She calls it "nur-see" as in nursery at church. She wakes up each morning with a "bye-bye? nur-see?!" not even a "hi Mommy" do I get anymore. I'm so thankful that she enjoys getting to play with the other kids. We couldn't be happier.

Disney

We're back from a week at Disney World. Okay so we've been back for a couple of weeks. I've been slacking a little when it comes to blogging. But here it is...I'm not quite sure why my husband thought taking an almost-two-year-old to Disney was a good idea. But here's the proof we were there. All four of us. In one room. With a kid that won't sleep in a pack-n-play. And a husband that snores. After the first night of getting absolutely NO sleep, I managed to get a second room for nights two and three. For Tony. How is it that he got the quiet room?! The first night there I never fell asleep. Someone sawed logs. all. night. long. But that's not to say we didn't have fun. The rest of the nights were absolutely dreamy. Literally.

Now we're going to pretend that the first night went well and that Erin wasn't a grumpy little turkey. Because Disney is where dreams come true. The picture above was taken as we were about to head to the airport on our way home. For some reason Blogger uploaded my pictures in reverse order.

Animal Kingdom. The tree in the background is HUGE. I was amazed as we came over the hill and saw it. It's the Tree of Life.

Erin in her bottom bunk. She was all about the covers. And sleeping in a real bed. She woke up in the morning with the sweetest little voice calling, "Mommy. Mommy?" She never does that at home. She knew I was close and wanted to get in bed with us, which is something I have wished for for almost two years. She has never fallen asleep with us in our bed. She just can't seem to settle down. But at Disney she was all about sleeping with us.

This was on one of our last days at the parks. I think this was the day we went to three parks all in one day. Thank goodness for Park Hopper passes and Fast Passes.

Animal Kingdom was my favorite park. We went on the safari ride three times over the week. We saw all sorts of animals on the African savanna. Even the cute rhinos below.

Ever feel like this?!? I think they're giving Eskimo kisses.

Erin begging for Olivia's pretzel. Actually I thought it was a cute picture of the three amigos.

Olivia was chosen to participate in the Lion King show. I think she was a little embarrassed.

So now I have to ask: what do you call a seven-day trip to the happiest place on earth with an almost-two-year-old, an excited, giddy nine-year-old, a dad that is as excited as his eight-year-old, and a mom just looking for a little relaxation all crammed into the most expensive five hundred square feet you've ever slept in? You got it. D-I-S-N-E-Y. Tony and I are now planning a real vacation...without kids. We'll keep you posted.

My Nana's House

A couple of pictures from my Nana's house. We were there on Thanksgiving and had the best time with everyone. A little late, but sweet nonetheless. We love you, Nana and Gordon!!!

Who knew that the newspaper could provide so much entertainment?!?

Pizza

We made pizza last night and usually it's something that I do with Olivia. But little you-know-who discovered the rolling pin, flour, and the chair pushed up to the island. She was too cute pushing that pin around. We experimented this time because I was out of the pizza sauce that we like. It must have been good because the girls ate every last bite.