a bunch of happy pictures

The first half of Andrew's 4-day weekend has been perfect. It's included:

*a summer bash for his squadron

*a visit to see Erika, Aaron and baby Ava

*a trip to Eglin Beach Park

*New Orleans Style Sno Cones

and...finally...thank God...some rain. I'm a SC girl but I have never experienced a summer this hot.

I am sure being almost 32 weeks pregnant doesn't help.

A picture speaks a thousand words, right? So here are lots of them. Enjoy!

RAINDROPS FALLING ON MY HEAD...

...and everything else. We got caught in a downpour in the grocery store parking lot. We looked pretty funny. Think ...  soaked. Drenched.

This is me and my big bottom lip. And of course Maddox is trying to copy me. We had just walked in our house and were dripping everywhere and freezing (which is a lovely feeling during a Florida July) but the moment was too picture-perfect to pass up. You know me and my camera....

I am a little giddy (funny word) because Andrew has a 4-day weekend ahead. We don't have much planned other than a beach party for his squadron, visiting the Lamkys and taking them some food (because we all know how amazing getting a meal right after having a baby is!) and probably some more trips to our favorite park.

Today I tried my hand at Mom's homemade brownie recipe. That's the reason we got soaked - I needed those ingredients! But it was so worth it. They turned out delicious. Maddox approves!

I already broke it to Mom that yes, I let Maddox lick a beater. *gasp* Yes, the brownie mix includes eggs. Now, let's hope and pray those eggs don't have salmonella.

Licking the beaters is just one of those good old-fashioned things that I don't want my kids to miss out on. Every kid should do it at least once. I still do!

WISHFUL THINKING

Being a parent can be so hard. At the end of the day, you think...

Did I teach Maddox something today?

Did I discipline him the right way?

Did he eat enough vegetables?

Does he know how much I love him?

Was I patient enough, fun enough??

There is a lot to think about.

It was one of those days that started out just right - we ate breakfast together, fed the ducks, played outside, and discovered he loves all the train stuff at AC Moore Craft Store.

I laughed when I opened his overnight pullups and saw that they were pink, complete with Disney Princesses.

I didn't laugh when I stepped in the gum...or when that Asian lady was being so obnoxious...or when Andrew let Maddox run into the dressing room at Baby Gap and slam all the doors.

My head started to hurt.

At home, Maddox ran into his room, screamed at us and shut the door. I'm sorry...since when did a haircut transform a kid into a teenager?

Sometimes I really miss turning the block into Ninny's driveway and eating a big yummy bowl of potato soup from Everyday Gourmet and then antique shopping with my favorite women...or making a big pot of coffee and just being together.

Growing up and moving away can be exciting and adventurous and the right thing for your family, but...it can be sad, too.

The TaTa Cut

Today Maddox lost about 5 lbs. He got the TaTa cut. And of course TaTa did the cutting!

I sat on the bathroom counter holding Maddox and assured him all was ok and that in the end...his hair would look just like TaTa's. And it does. It's so cute! He loves it. It has GOT to feel better, especially in this heat.

Maddox is growing up so fast. The new haircut helped me to see that my baby is now a little boy...a little boy who can put his shoes on the right feet, who can talk, who can give the best kisses, and who loves to cuddle on the couch with his cover and all his pillows.

How am I supposed to leave him for 3 days while I'm in the hospital?

What is he going to think? We do everything together and he loves it that way. I have been telling him that I will have to go to the doctor soon to have our baby and that NaNa will sleep in his bed. I know he'll be in good hands, but...

not my hands!

I am more sad about leaving him than about having my stomach cut open.

Oh boy. I am going to cry so much.

But I know all will be well. It's just these dang hormones.

8 WEEKS 3 DAYS

My coffee failed me this morning.
It's Saturday morning - 9:30. I've been up since 6. Do you see something wrong with this picture?
I do!
Andrew tried to let me sleep in, but that's hard to do while a toddler pulls on you and screams "MaMa!!!" endlessly.
In 8 weeks 3 days, I will no longer be pregnant. Thank you God. However, I will have another wide-awake little one...and I will probably think back to these 6 am mornings as the glory days.
But I do know one thing. When my mom stays with us for two weeks, I am going to lock my door and sleep all day and no one is going to bother me...unless they come bearing food. Jude and I will lay in the bed for hours, eating and sleeping. It's going to be heaven. (And yes, I know that isn't likely to happen, but let a girl daydream!)

Oh, good news! I finally got some living room and bedroom curtains. The bedroom curtains are the best because they are thermal curtains. They hang over the glass French doors and keep the heat from frying our bedroom during the day. I love anything that will keep me a little cooler!
The living room curtains aren't very functional, as Andrew says, BUT...they cozy up the room and add the finishing touch.

By the way, I really wish that alligator would come up and eat my neighbor's little devil dog. He barks at our house nonstop...especially when Maddox is trying to sleep or play outside. Besides, I think it should be illegal to have FOUR dogs in a backyard that is the size of my parents' swimming pool. Like I said in the beginning, my coffee didn't work, so...I am in a grand mood :)

ONE ZILLION ERRANDS

My night was jampacked with nightmares, mostly of a man chasing me with a chainsaw and me trying to lock my car doors in time to save my life. Don't you just hate that? The horror finally came to an end at 5:45 am when Maddox heard TaTa's knife drop in the kitchen. He popped up. "TaDaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!" He quickly climbed off the bed and had breakfast with his daddy. There was nothing else I could do but start my day.

We did the 40-min stroller walk again at 8:30. I had all our things packed by 7:45, hit the road, picked up Erika, and made it to Navarre in time. My legs hurt; I was sweaty and gross. But I pushed on, even while Maddox screamed his lungs out.
After that, it was the splashpad...that meant changing Maddox in a hot parking lot into his swim clothes, then changing him back when the fun was over. Naptime yet?

Maddox slept an hour back home. I had enough time to breathe a little and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before I heard "MaMaaaa!"
The going didn't stop. We took a bath. We grocery shopped. We went to the bookstore. And I got a Starbucks...because else I was going to die.
At 3:15 I had a doctor appt. Maddox came along. We had to wait so long that the doctor felt bad and told the ultrasound tech to give me some free pictures of Baby Jude. Maddox screamed as soon as I laid back on the table; he screamed throughout the ultrasound. He glanced at his baby brother on the big screen and screamed some more. Then, nose running, he proudly took the ultrasound pictures, held them on the way home, then showed his TaTa.

Baby Jude was sleeping so we couldn't see his face, just his little arm pressed up against his cheek.
So, folks, it was a long day. I'm pretty sure this all happened in 2 days but Andrew says no...it was just 1 day.
So I'm going to bed now.
By the way, I can drive gate to gate on base without getting lost! I am no longer scared of taking Maddox to the grocery store. Life is crazy and hectic, but it's moving right along and things are just as they are supposed to be.
Goodnight world.

THE POST-OIL BEACH

Today was our first trip to the beach since the big oil spill.

I got some brown shiny streaks on my leg (maybe it was oil? Maybe not?) and we saw a few "certified" people looking for tar balls, BUT...other than that, all was normal.

We had a great time. Yes, even me, at 7 1/2 months pregnant. Whenever I felt a meltdown approaching, I hit the cool water. The waves felt great.

Maddox went to the public potty. On the way, TaTa said he spotted the shower (you know, the one that washes off the beach sand). After that, we had to go home. Maddox wanted nothing to do with the beach anymore. That shower had him mesmerized.

This is what he looked like at just 6pm (see below). And yes, that is him, almost asleep on my kitchen table.

No matter what time he goes to bed, he ALWAYS (well, 98% of the time) wakes up at 6am. By 7pm he is lost to dreamland.

ON THE GO

I know walking by the beach may sound blissful, but throw in some ridiculously hot sun and clothes that are soaked in sweat after five minutes and...it's a workout! I met up with some great women and their babies today and we walked for 40 minutes, pushing our little ones (some happier than others - ahem, Maddox had a breakdown on the way back, but I can't blame him. It was HOT.).

Though we looked pretty scary with our frizzy hair and shiny faces, we met up for breakfast after the big walk and I had the best egg and cheese bagel and mocha frappe EVER. Really.

And Maddox picked up a girlfriend. Aren't they cute? He was the only boy there, but I don't think it bothered him. He loved touching all the girls' hair. Thankfully he doesn't bop kids on the head anymore or grab at them - he was a little sweetheart and Miss Hailey here decided she would claim him.

RAMBLING

Every Monday night we go to Moe's (because they have a 20% military discount on Mondays, not to mention their food is amazing).
I had a chocolate chip cookie. Bad idea. The sugar sent me into a crash, but nothing a hot shower can't fix! I just love clean hair. It always makes me feel one million times better.
My days start early. Maddox is early to bed, very early to rise. We ran some errands this morning and it was already stifling hot. At the post office, I finally got a sheet of stamps so my thank you notes can go out. Maddox got a sticker. That's the last thing he probably remembers, because he passed out in the car.
Check him out in my $1 shades. Literally - $1. I give up on buying nice sunglasses-they always end up broken.

We had a good and busy weekend.  Maddox was a weekend angel - he loves to go, go, go and be around people.

There was shopping in Destin (for TaTa) then a big Target trip. Maddox racked up. He left Target with a grill, a prickly ball, new spoons, a dish set, and water guns. We had a hard time getting him out the store, though, because he spotted a play kitchen - or, as he called it, a "'tove." He was in love. Head-over-heels love. He talked about it all day. He thinks it's "gone gone," but he'll see it again...on his birthday. Let's hope he still loves it!
On Sunday he got to flirt with Erika and play with her hair. He got to fire up his grill as TaTa fired up his, too.

I love having friends over. It makes a house feel like a home. We had smores on the grill to top it off and some good laughs. Maddox even wanted Aaron to put on his pjs. Maybe he is getting over his "man" phobia.

Now, back to Mom patrol. Andrew just offered Maddox milk and he yelled "No, CoCa!"

I think it's time for bed.

And time for me to make a pot of coffee.

It's been quite day.

FOUR YEARS AGO....

....I was walking down the aisle of a quaint country church, surrounded by all the people I love. I was walking toward this man. He had tears in his eyes and they were filled with love. We were 21 - young and with a lot to learn, but here we are, four years later and probably more in love now than we were then.

In four years, we've moved into two houses, lived in two states, had two dogs and are about to have two children.

We didn't do anything grand to celebrate. I told Andrew we were worse than old people! We just enjoyed each other's company all day - no presents, no fancy dinner (that's kind of hard to do when you have a toddler and no babysitter!).

But it was fun. And sweet. And we both gave each other the chance to have a nap, which...in my current opinion...is the best gift EVER.

I love you, Andrew.

You make great-looking kids.

You always ask about my day and try to help me out however you can.

You appreciate all the weird and quirky things about me.

You totally get my sense of humor.

You are gentle, generous and kind.

You're a wonderful daddy.

I am so proud of you and so thankful you popped the big question on that freezing day in the park in February.

"Kristen, will you be my bride?"

Yes. YES I will! Now and forever.

THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT TWOS

Of course, every week we have to watch TaTa cut the grass. (Oh, sidenote - check out this hair. It's no wonder why the deli lady at Publix called my he a SHE...)

But back to the lawn mower watching. We go all out - pop open the beach chairs, cheer when Ta cranks it up and then watch him go all over the yard.

My favorite Maddox word (well, one of them) is lawn mower. He calls it a "mawn mow." Other favorites include:
thunder = "thundah"
baby= "bebe"
Bella= "bubba"
bandaid= "banday"
booboo= "bObO"
snack= "'nack"

And he loves those "papa pants." He has parted ways with the diaper and only uses it when he sleeps. This means I get 9 weeks 6 days of not changing dirty diapers! We let him pee outside, too, like a "country boy." He especially loves that. The other day he peed on the deck, filled a cup with water, washed the pee away and proudly announced "PEE GONE!"

However...he has now also reached that fabulous stage in life that so many call...THE TERRIBLE TWOS. Ask him any question and he will immediately say "no no no."
His tantrums have been taken up a notch...well, a few notches. The whine is the worst. And if I'm not looking at Maddox, playing with Maddox, talking with Maddox - he will let me know.

But, as in all things in life, I suppose it is just a stage and WE WILL SURVIVE IT. I just hope it passes quickly!

THIS & THAT

This afternoon, Andrew and I enjoyed some of this on the patio...

while Maddox enjoyed some of this....

...and this.

And then we all enjoyed a little guitar from Ta-Ta...minutes before we spotted a downpour coming toward us across the water.

Needless to say, I've washed a lot of towels today. And Maddox got three baths. Yep...a pretty good day.

p.s.

I hear the Gamecocks could use some new talent. Spurrier should start looking here, don't you think?

SOAKED

It all started when Maddox decided to wash his foot under the spigot.

A wet foot became wet hair.

And then a wet face.

And a wet tummy.

It all ended in a bath.

And then he pooped in my tub.

Boys.

Can You Taste the Summer?

Summer days are long, but summer days with Maddox are...very long. He likes to get up when "TaTa" does. I am not so fond of the 6 am mornings. From then til bedtime, he is full speed (except for that blissful period known as naptime). He is a child who seldom entertains himself and he demands my constant attention. I can't whine too much about it because supposedly I had an identical personality when I was a kid. BUT...it is so exhausting. And yet...I look foward to these long days, where we eat our lunch together at the coffee table, where we play out back on the hot hot deck, where we read Llama Llama a couple times at least.

Today we shared a sherbert. And we also shared a frozen yogurt with blueberries. Maddox got a new chair to go out back. It was a good day.

We watched our ducks.

We played with leaves.

We had more ice cream.

Summertime is... sweet.