Father's Day 5k

We kicked off our Father's Day with a whole family 5k adventure! Logan was in the baby jogger with SB, and we managed to stay together for pretty much the whole race (with me totally sucking wind trying to keep up with my boys).  We crossed the finish line in 25:45! Not too shabby!

 Post-race pictures!

 The whole fam -- we did it!!

The actual theme of the race was "All American 5k" - hence the patriotic paraphernalia

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, napping, watching golf, making (and eating!) banana pudding (recipe to come - I have finally mastered my husband's favorite dessert), and spending time together.  Loved every second!

Happy Father's Day!

We have had a wonderful weekend.  I love any occasion to celebrate SB, and Father's Day is especially meaningful in our young family.  SB is an amazing father -- one who is 100% actively involved in every facet of parenting.  He handles bath time, he changes diapers, he loves to run around and throw balls to Logan.  He helps train our dogs, and is an ever-constant rock to me. 

LOVE! xoxo

Beach Vacation, Part II

The second leg of our 10-day beach vacation was spent on St. Simon's Island, GA with some great friends.  We were also able to hang out with some of SB's family - which was a lot of fun! 

We did a lot of exploring the island by bike....

 The beach was wide (after Beryl departed) -- and the sand was nice and firm, which made for some great rides on the beach.  SB has a bike here, and I just got sized to order one too so we can continue our family bike rides on a trail that's less than a mile from our house! 

 (Side note:  where is my baby!!  This little kid is practically riding his own bike!  Eek!)

 Boys making their own rafts using pool chairs and noodles! 

 SB and Logan on the fishing pier. 

 Logan wouldn't take his thumb out of his mouth, so SB joined him!

Best friends with their boys!

 The littlest boys reading a "Melmo" story with SB.....really cute!

 And when we returned home to Missouri, Logan was really happy to be reunited with his dogs! 

Happy 48th Wedding Anniversary, Mom & Dad!!

And to think, if this fateful day hadn't occurred 48 years ago, where would I be now?

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for serving as great stewards of the institution of marriage.  They have always preached to us that it is necessary to devote time, energy, and effort into making one's marriage last.  We are lucky to learn from you.  Perhaps you have a few additional secrets?  (separate sinks?  cleaning lady?  spousal vacations?  double-dates?  husband filling gas tanks and washing cars?  wife cooking, husband cleaning kitchen?)

Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful day and year as you mark your day in history!!

Puppy dog tails...

Our sweet little Lilly has had a really rough go of it for the past two weeks.  On the fourth day of our vacation we got a call from our vet saying that the kennel brought in Lilly because she was involved in an accident.  They said her tail was cut down to the bone, and they would need to amputate.

Cue the tears.

Lilly is the sweetest, friendliest and most loveable dog on the planet.  She literally loves every single creature she comes in contact with, and wags her tail like no other dog I've ever seen.  She's just that happy 24/7.  The vet said they didn't see teeth marks, and it appeared it was slammed in a door.  Of course this happened on the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend.  We didn't get the message till after the vet closed (for the long weekend, of course), so the people at the kennel took Lilly to the emergency vet.  We advised that it would be ok to amputate if that's what they felt was best for her health (apparently the skin on a tail will not grow back, so an open wound like that, down to the bone would introduce a great likelihood that it would become infected).  They amputated about 1 inch of the tail - and then sent her home.  The owner of the kennel cared for her during the remainder of our vacation (though of course I wanted to come home immediately).

When we got home, she had a cone around her head, and her tail was stitched and wrapped.  All appeared ok.  This Saturday she got her stitches out, and then from there to today - it seemed like it got worse and bloodier.  I took her back in this morning, and they said it is infected.  They sedated her and kept her for the day with the bandage off to help the wound breathe.  I picked her up at 6pm tonight, and she's here in her crate, recovering in the living room.  We'll keep her sedated, and keep taking her to the vet so she can keep an eye on things.  I am really praying that they won't have to amputate her whole tail.  It is truly Lilly's essence -- that sweet, tail-wagging little personality that I love so much.  It is how she shows her emotions.  I have been a mess today -- it just makes me so sad that someone's negligence in closing a door could hurt my poor puppy so badly.  I know that people who don't own dogs won't understand how sad this can make someone -- but she truly is a part of our family.  I love her so much, and I am just praying, praying, praying that her tail will heal, that she will be pain-free, and that a year from now we will have only distant memories of this incident (though of course we'll never leave her there again).

Every day's a holiday on vacation!

Our family traveled to the beach for 10 days -- which incorporated a wedding in St. Augustine, time with my parents in Ponte Vedra Beach, and time with some great friends and more family on St. Simon's Island.  The beach was wonderful, time with family and friends was great -- but whoa -- perhaps whoever said "every day's a holiday on vacation" didn't vacation with a 14-month old who wouldn't sleep!!

Despite a few bumps in the road (ie: Lilly tail amputation, Tropical Storm Beryl, Logan with his first fever, Logan waking up before the sun every single day, etc.) we had a good time.  I played tennis with my dad and SB for the first time in 9 months and it was awesome.  SB and I were able to get away for an entire night while Logan stayed with Nana and Papa.  We ate Southern Soul BBQ every single day while on St. Simon's (I think I may have finally hit my max!).  We were able to sneak away for a seriously delicious dinner while K & K stayed home with Logan while he slept.  Logan absolutely loved the all the kids, and playing with his cousins.  We biked to the beach, around the island, to the pool, and to the pier.  We had many gator sightings in PVB, but no snake sightings (hallelujah!).  We ate lots of fresh seafood, and laughed a lot.  I unplugged, and relaxed (just not between the hours of 5am and 8am ;)

Here's the first installment of pictures from our vacation. 
Round 1:  Ponte Vedra Beach

 Gettin' comfy in the beach chair

Logan with Papa

 Hugs!

 Tropical Storm Beryl's a-brewin'!!

SO big!!

Family time!!

Pinterest Success! Framed Cork Board

With a stainless steel fridge, and not much in the way of a "command center" in our kitchen, I had been on the look-out for something so that we could use to display birth announcements, invitations, etc.  I had seen a cute framed cork board on the Ballard Designs site, but the dimensions and the price tag were not quite what I was looking for (close to $100!).  So, I took a look at Pinterest, and found a great tutorial on how to create one myself.  Here are the basics:

1.  Buy an inexpensive, but visually-appealing frame
2.  Buy a roll of cork (I found mine at Michael's for $14 or so - and it was self-adhesive, which was terrific)
3.  Buy/find primer & paint (spray paint didn't work well for me, but fortunately we had some primer and glossy white paint in our basement that did the trick!)
4.  Attach cork to cardboard backing of frame.
5.  Paint frame (covering the inside area)
6,  Let dry, then hang!

Voila!  So easy! Here is the finished product:

13.5 months old

 

Milestones:
Sleeping: Well, things were great till about 10 days ago. I think some teething, a stuffy nose, and fluid in the ears is throwing you off a bit.  We're now pushing 7:15ish bedtime (at which point you are just zonked out tired), but you're waking up earrrrrllllyyyy.....not like the usual 7am of months past.  This morning you woke up just shy of 6am.  There is a big difference between 6 and 7 in my book, and I am really hoping you'll go back to 7am wake-ups when you are feeling better!! (pretty please!)
Eating:  You love to eat.  You can sign "all done" and "eat," and most of the time you are signing "eat."  (admittedly, sometimes you are doing "eat" with one hand and "all done" with the other, so we have to work on that some more!)  I need to step up my cooking game this month to give you a wider variety of foods.
Clothing Size: Totally depends on the brand.....usually in the 18 month range.
Diapers: Size 4
Teeth:  4!  2 top teeth, 2 bottom teeth.....but plenty more starting to think about popping up!
Language:  You still love to say "Dada," "Mama," and "Dog."  We've also heard "All Done," "Yea," "Hi, " and "Daisy" -- and lots of gibberish that we don't understand quite yet!  This month you started saying "Ball" and something that seems to be "Lilly."  You snort when the dogs bark -- as if snorting and barking means you and the dogs are communicating.  I think if you could be a dog you would.  You love chasing balls, you lay in their dog beds, you love playing in water (though we do our best to keep you from their dog bowls), and you just love to cuddle and lay on the dogs whenever you can.  Lilly thinks it's awesome, Daisy is not so sure.
Etc: We traveled to WI this month.  You went to your first professional baseball game (Cardinals v. Braves).  You really enjoy playing with all of the neighbor kids.  Summer weather has started here, and the sprinkler has been running for the kids, and we've set up the water table that your Uncle Donnie and Aunt Leslie sent us for your birthday.  You think it's tons of fun!

Peony Season

Peony season has brought us a real bounty of beautiful platter-sized blooms this year!  We have vases and vases of flowers in our kitchen, our bathrooms, and on the front hall.  Our house smells peony-licious, and I love having fresh flowers from our garden everywhere!  The hydrangeas are up next :)

Celebrating Moms

We celebrated today by going to the Cardinals vs. Braves game.  It was my first Cards game (and Logan's first too!).  He was a real trooper....and we were pretty adventurous ourselves as it was right during his naptime.  Fortunately, we were in a big suite so he was able to run around and there was plenty of food too, which was nice.  

I feel like I really earned my "Mom stripes" this past week.  Scott was out of town for four days, and in that time I had a horrible stomach flu, Logan threw up all night one night (poor baby - I hate when he is sick - it just hurts my heart), and even one of the dogs managed to have some stomach issues.  Being a mom is a role that I am honored and blessed to have, and I put every ounce of energy I have into making every day a great one for my sweet baby.  It is rewarding, fun, fulfilling, and all-encompassing.  It is also exhausting -- especially in those rare instances when I've been sick but still need to care for Logan.  It does take a village -- and I am so grateful for SB and how wonderful a father and husband he is. 

I feel like my thoughts here are scattered, but the message I want to share is that I have so much respect for all moms out there.  Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs around -- tougher than I ever thought prior to becoming a mom.  There is no "off" moment.  You are on 24/7 - and your performance matters 24/7.  I am lucky to have lots of wonderful moms in my life -- my own mom, my sister, my friends who are moms, our great neighbors who are moms (and help to answer so many of my mom questions!).  So here's to moms everywhere -- wishing you a very happy Mother's Day 2012!!