Park Day !

I decided to take SG to one of the base parks today despite the heat. I like this particular playground because there is lots of shade and it has a smaller play area for smaller kids. I was so proud because she managed to go down one of the slides all by herself. If only I had 12 hands so I could videotape and make sure she doesn't take a nosedive off the edge of the playset all at the same time. It is so fun to see her grow on a daily basis. She does so many new things and she is always chatter chatter chattering....I can't wait until she starts talking in full sentences...or maybe I can !!!

Cape Fear Botanical Garden !

SG and I went to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden today and man was it hot ! We even went early but that didn't help a whole lot. Anyway, the gardens are very nice and there is even a nice walk along the Cape Fear River. I chose not to go down that path by myself however because it is kind of creepy. It is very shady and there was no one else at the garden today other then us and one other couple. I am guessing the "others" were smart and chose to stay inside !

At any rate, it was a fun place to explore and I am definitely looking forward to going back when it gets a little bit cooler. There is a children's garden with tee pees and lots of sand and sand toys to play with. The little miss was very excited about this part. I did learn something, however. Note to self: Stop at the children's garden on the way out and not half way through. I had to pick her up and make sure the children's garden was out of sight before I could put her back into the stroller without a fuss !!! Lesson learned...hey I'm still new at this !!

Mommy's Helper

For whatever reason, every time I buy a new box of diapers and try to refill the basket, SG gets very very excited about this process. So excited in fact that tonight she ended up sitting in the basket and the diapers that I loaded in were immediately thrown out. Hopefully, her "helping" skills will improve with time.

10 Years !!!

I truly cannot believe that 10 years ago this evening Aaron and I were getting ready to take the plunge...not into a pool...into marriage !!! We were a mere 23 years old, I was still in law school, and he was embarking on a career in the military. We truly had no idea where we were going or what life would bring. Well, it has truly been an adventure.

I would like to thank all of our family and friends who have shown us a lot of love and support along the way. We would not be where we are today without you !!!

Sitting At the Table Like A Big Girl !!!

So, this evening I let SG sit in her booster chair at the table like a big girl. I even bought her a Sesame Street placemat which lasted all of about 5 minutes before it was on the floor. At any rate, I have been reading and asking people what the right time is to make this transition and as with all questions I pose about this kid, the answer varies greatly !!! Overall though, she did ok and so we might continue with this. I mean she can't stay in a highchair forever and ever.

On a different note, I took SG to the doctor's office today. She was doing great sitting in the chair next to mine in the waiting room just hanging out (literally she was sort of lounging in the chair) and eating her snack. Actually, I was quite surprised that she was so content with this because there was a whole lot going on in that waiting room. Well, it all went downhill when another Mom with two boys came over and sat down right next to us. In a situation like this, I try very hard to stay away from other kids because I have quickly learned how much a kid's behavior is influenced by another kid's behavior. I thought seriously lady there are a million other seats in this place and you choose the one right next to mine. Oh well, I should have known her lounging behavior was too good to be true!

And She Floats !!

SG and I went swimming today at our friends the Barton's house. A few weeks ago I bought her some fancy pink floaties and I have not yet had the chance to try them out. We also put a small ring around her middle as well and she really enjoyed floating around their pool. I don't know if any of you have seen that Target commercial where the little girl is wearing floaties plus about three rings around her middle but we were almost there. Alas, I still have to carry her around a lot and that is tough on the old back....so I think I may get one of those baby floats where she can sit in it by herself !!!!

Froggy Potty

Earlier this week I was in Target. I was wandering down the baby aisles as I often do and I ran across the froggy potty. It was on clearance and so I thought what the heck I'll give it a try. Previously, I purchased one of those potty seats that goes on the potty and I have been periodically sitting SG on that before her bath. I know she is only 14 months old but I don't see the harm in introducing her to the potty and letting her become one with the potty !!!!

I have many a friend who have told me their arguments for and against these cute little potties that sit on the bathroom floor but I was just curious to see if she would have any interest in it at all. Guess what ?? She loves this thing. We have had it for less then a week and when I say "Sarah-Grace do you want to go sit on the big girl potty?"....she goes running to the bathroom door and waits for me to sit her on the potty. She has not done anything significant in there except for one time and boy did we do a potty dance !!!!

I am ecstatic that she loves the froggy potty and I am hoping that big and grand things come out of her relationship with it !!! Now, if I could only get her to stop trying to stand in it.

On the gymnastics front, Sarah-Grace and I went to some friends house for dinner tonight. She was entertaining everyone as she often does and she kept trying to do a forward roll. Just within the last couple of weeks or so, she will often stop what she is doing and attempt to do a forward roll at home because this is one of the main things they teach in our parent/tot gym class.

After a few tries tonight with me helping her, she did one all on her own. Then, she did another one !!! Yipppeeee, the class is paying off. Now, if I could only get her to stop climbing on everything, the couch, the chair, the ottoman...I even saw her try to climb in the bathtub on her own. I will say that I think gym class is only encouraging this habit. One time today when she climbed on the couch, I asked her (as if she understood me) "Can you show me how to get down?" Her response was to put her head and hands down as if she was going to do a forward roll off the couch. Uh, maybe we should stop going to gymnastics !!!!

Evening Tradition

Since Aaron left, SG and I eat at around 5 every night. I know you are thinking wow that is pretty geriatric of you. Well, you see it is all about the routine and the schedule....and my ability to keep a one year old entertained most of the day. So, after we eat and watch a re-run of Gilmore Girls, we head outside for our nightly walk. After our walk, SG gets some outdoor playtime which she absolutely loves. She uses this time to explore, examine, and get dirty regardless of the fact that she has usually been bathed.

This child definitely is not afraid of dirt. I have also considered on many occasions to just stop buying toys because adult things are waaaaay more interesting. When we were outside this evening, I took some photos of her adventures in the front yard.

New Pots and Pans

So, yesterday I had a wonderful anniversary surprise show up at my door....a brand new set of Calphalon pots and pans from Williams Sonoma. We have had our starter set of pots and pans for 10 years and they have definitely served their purpose but have also seen their day. So, that nice guy I am married to took all the hints I have been dropping about needing new ones and there they were !!!! I am one lucky gal !!!

On the SG front, she came to me with a pair of shoes last night after we put her pajamas on wanting me to put them on. So, I obliged. However, when it came time for bed, she did not want me to take them off. I decided to pick my battles before bedtime in hopes that she would actually go to bed without a fight. She happily went to sleep with her little shoes on and I took them off her after she was faaaast asleep. From now on, I will try to pick up the shoes after the pajamas go on. Today, she took a bunch of her shoes and lined them up on the couch. She really loves her shoes !!!!

A Girl After My Own Heart

If you are reading this, you probably know that Sarah-Grace loves dogs.  She hasn't met a dog she doesn't like !!!  Whenever I ask her to give the dog a hug she will go up to said dog leading with her head, place her head on the dog, and hug !!!  Over the weekend, I received a CD full of photos from SG's grandma from our little excursion to Texas last weekend.  I thought that I would share a few that are quite amusing.  

The first photo is of SG and Buddy !!!  Buddy quickly became SG's "Buddy" and she loved his tail.  She also loved to lay on him as she does with all dogs that will allow her to do this.  Grandma and Grandpa have another little dog named Angel but Angel is waaaayyy to fast for the likes of SG.

Typically, our dogs are too fast for her and she cannot accomplish her task but it seems that bigger dogs for whatever reason don't really give a hoot.  Our friend's dog Dakota will allow her to do this same move without quickly getting up.  The second few photos are of SG figuring out how to use Buddy and Angel's doggie door.  Sometimes I think she really would like to be one of these furry four-legged creatures herself.  Nonetheless, she loves them and her love for them pours out from her soul.  A girl after my own heart !!

Amusing Note

I just thought this was somewhat amusing.  Aaron told me that he went to the BX overseas where he is deployed looking for an anniversary card for me as our 10th anniversary is in two weeks.  Oddly enough, the only anniversary cards they had were for your parents or your husband.  We both found this quite hilarious considering that the majority of folks in the military deployed overseas are male !!  

Bean Bag Day !!!

Before I begin, I must thank my good friend and fellow blogger Kara for tinkering with my blog design and making it awesome!!!!

Today, SG and I took our road trip to the Shops at Southpoint in Durham, NC.  It is a very nice indoor/outdoor mall and the weather today was perfect for our trip.  We started out with lunch at Panera Bread (Yum !!!) and moved on to Nordstrom from there.  While at Nordstrom, I found some Lelli Kelli shoes for SG on clearance that were way too cute to pass up!!!  She has very wide feet right now and it is difficult to find shoes that fit right....not only are these rockin, they are waaay superific cute !!!!

From there, we moved on to Pottery Barn Kids for the real purchase of the day .... the beanbag chair !!!  I picked out a green one to match the rest of her room and away we went.  Before we left the mall, I let her get out of the stroller and play in the children's play area.  The photo above was taken after she edged another kid out so she could play with the matching game.  I think I am learning that I won't have to worry about anyone putting SG in a corner.

  Upon getting home, I set it up in her room and she LOVES it.  All she wanted to do was get in and out of it.  However, it is kind of big and she really has to crawl up in there.  Due to the fact that she was exhausted from our trip, this became a source of contention with her and caused quite the meltdown.

The beanbag meltdown was quickly resolved by carrying around her shoes.....but when I attempted to take the tag off the shoes, this lead to the shoe meltdown.  This was quickly resolved by putting the shoes on.  Then after putting on her PJ's, she came to me with the shoes again and wanted them back on.  You will notice in one of the photos below that she is wearing the pink shoes with her PJ's and if it looks like she is upset...she is.  Why you ask???  Because I was trying to take her photo with the shoes on and this caused the camera meltdown...she wanted my camera and I wouldn't let her have it.  I know soooo neglected !!!!  Needless to say, after the camera incident we moved right on to bedtime !!!!

Technically Challenged !!!

So I am learning just how technically challenged I really am.  I have been messing around with my blog background, font colors, borders, tags, etc...for WAY TOO LONG !!!!  I must go take a shower and go to bed now.  

Joining the Blog World

So, I have been inspired by my friends Kara and Jenn and finally decided to enter the world of blogging.  A long time ago I started a family website on the website application that came with my macbook but thus far I have not been very good at all about updating it.  I am a little skeptical about my ability to keep this up but I'll certainly try (famous last words right) !!!  

I have nothing really exciting to report today.  I think tomorrow Sarah-Grace and I are going to take a little trip to the Shops at Southpoint in Durham, NC for a little non-ghetto shopping. For those of you who have never been to Fayetteville, it's a bit "ghetto" for lack of a better term.  So, I think we will take a little outing tomorrow.  I plan to stop by the Pottery Barn Kids and purchase a bean bag chair for the girl with the curl.  She is very into sitting in the dogs beds.  Soooooo, I am hoping that if she has her own chair then she will be less likely to sit in their beds...yes I know likely wishful thinking.  

More on this later !!!!