PSF and almost two

Lately, Charlie has been giving me constant reminders that he's almost two.

He talks a lot.
And runs everywhere.
Then there's the biggest indicator of a two-year-old: is insanely opinionated.

So, with each passing day

And with each opinion adamantly voiced

I'm reminded that my baby is really changing and growing in many ways.

And in the midst of this multitude of changes, I appreciate that every once in a while, he takes a minute to remind me...

(July 2010)

that some things never change!

(July 2009)

Hosted by Cecily and Caitlin

A new hair-do and a sneak preview

After waiting three and half long years, I finally got to say to say these six words...

Melody, you really need a haircut!

If you read my blog regularly, you've probably noticed that her hair has actually gotten thicker and longer in the past few months. And, along with this insane summer heat, it was time for something a bit shorter and more stylish.

So, off we went on an impromptu trip to the beauty salon. The stylist cut off more than 2 inches! I almost fainted when I saw the hair falling to the floor. However, I'm very happy with the end result.

After all, what could be more stylish than the ever classic bob?

I know I'm a little biased, but I think she looks just adorable!

And the sneak peek in this post is a little hint of Melody's wall color.
I'm sorry it's not the best photo but with a little girl that can barely sit still, I have to take what I can get.
Melody's room will be finished in a week or so, so stay tuned for the big reveal!

PSF and cribs

A while ago, Alex and I had decided to swap Melody and Charlie's bedrooms.

Melody's room was right next to Jack's and we thought it would be best for the boys to be next to each other. Plus, Charlie's bedroom was bigger and Melody deserves the bigger bedroom...let's be honest, she does have to put up with two brothers.

Alex took the kids to Grandmother's house for the weekend, while I stayed home for some R&R to be here for the painters. (I know, my husband does rock!)

Since my painters work fast, I had plenty of time to rearrange the rooms and swap the furniture. It was all pretty easy (since they actually barely have any furniture) until I came to disassembling and reassembling the crib. As you all know, a crib will not fit through a doorway so it has to be taken down to be moved. I was on a roll and (anyone who knows me will attest to this) had no intention of stopping until their rooms were situated. Plus, I had seen my husband set up the crib numerous times in the past 6 years and it never looked all that difficult.

Looking back, thinking that was probably my first mistake.

It was quite a long *ahem, 2 hours, ahem* process and, in the spirit of educating others, I'd thought I'd share my new found knowledge with the blog world.

• When opening the drill case, make sure it's not upside down. If it is, the contents will spill everywhere.
• Drills have a lot of small parts. If you lose one, it will take forever and a day to find it.
• You don't actually need a drill to assemble a crib (at least not my crib.)
• Google is very informative. Without it I would not know what an allen wrench is.
• You do need an allen wrench to assemble a crib.
• Before starting this process, take a long, honest look in the mirror. If nothing about you screams handyman, it might be best to defer the responsibility to someone else.

Please take a moment to ohh and ahh over the assembled crib. I'll wait.

(Don't worry, a pictures of Melody's room are coming, but it will be another few weeks before we have her new furniture.)


Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Disney-mania

Upon entering, Cinderella's castle is the first sight we saw.

We headed over to Tomorrow Land and our first ride, which also happened to be Jack's favorite, was the Buzz Lightyear ride. He repeatedly asked (only about a million times) to ride it again through out the day.

After Buzz Lightyear, Lauren and I took Jack and Libby to ride Space Mountain. I had neglected to warn Jack how insanely pitch black it is. He was practically shaking when he got off the ride. (Yes, I felt terrible for him.) Thankfully, the next day, he said he was just pulling our legs and loved the roller coasters. I'm glad to know he wasn't scared for life!

Melody and Emma Jane weren't upset that they had to miss out on the wild rides...they had a blast in Minnie's house instead!

We needed a break from the heat, so we went to Mickey's PhilharMagic Show, which was a lot of fun.

The kids were hilarious with the 3-D. Melody almost swooned when Ariel looked to be practically sitting in her lap and Jack kept trying to grab the images.

And then Melody noticed the Carousel and was very excited and wanted to ride it right away!

Jack finally wore us down and we let him ride the Buzz Lightyear ride once more right before we left. When we came out, who should be loitering around Tomorrow Land but Buzz himself! All the kids, except Emma Jane, were thrilled!

We already can't wait to go back!!

Hosted by Krystyn

PSF and a moment to remember

A few days ago I blogged about the fact that we went to Disney last week. (And, yes, I realized I have not made good on my promise of more pictures.)

While visiting the Magic Kingdom, Melody had one of those moments in life that she we will remember forever.

Yes. She met the Disney Princesses.

She saw her favorite princess, Aurora, first.

I was trying not to cry and she was just completely speechless.

Princess Aurora asked her name and Melody just stared.
She then asked her age and Melody said, "uhhh."
And finally Melody just hugged and hugged her.
She found her voice as we were walking away, turned and said, "I love your crown!"

Next was Cinderella. I think the shock had worn off by then and Melody was actually able to carry on a conversation.

By the time she met Belle, it was as if she was meeting a fellow monarch.

Jack was very excited for his sister.

Or something like that.

Any guesses as to what she picked out at the gift shop?

And I came home and immediately submitted my princess application.

Yes, it was one of the best days of her our life!


Hosted by Cecily and Momma

Tree down!

Last week we went to visit our favorite friends in Tampa and, among other fun things, spent a day at Disney! Don't worry, I have several posts about Disney coming in the next few days.

However, we had a surprise waiting for us when we came back.

On Thursday night intense storms went through Atlanta. A friend told me that it was the worst he's seen in the 26 years he's lived here and that it sounded like a tornado going through.

He wasn't so far off. When we returned, we found a large tree in our backyard had been practically uprooted by the storm.

Aside from the fact that took out three other smaller trees and part of our neighbors fence, I was also really sad because it was a really great, old tree. I feel like our yard's kind of bare without it.

The kids, however, have been having a great time. It's perfect for jumping off of.

And for climbing in. And pretending to be a fort, boat, treehouse, etc.

They were mildly very disappointed when the tree guys came to cut it up and carry it away today.

Our Swiss Family Robinson days were pretty short lived.

PSF and the tube

On July 4, we all headed out to Eatonton, GA to visit with some college friends and hang out on Lake Oconee.

The weather was amazing. We all swam in the lake. Even me, which is amazing since I basically think a lake is a glorified puddle. We went out on the boat and did some tubing as well.

Jack was thrilled to get to go tubing. And I only had to bribe him a little bit.

Here we are starting out. I love the determined look on his face.

Lots of laughter accompanied that great smile.

The boat speed up a bit and the water was already a bit choppy due to all the lake traffic but we were still having a ball.

I'm pretty sure this is the point where I almost fell off. It's harder than I thought it would be to hang on to the tube and a six-year-old at the same time.

How did you celebrate Independence Day?

Hosted by Cecily and Serious Krystyn

PSF and fish

This week has been more of the same for us: swim, sleep, repeat.

On Tuesday, though, we decided to take a trip down to Barnesville and visit Grandma. Aunt Mimi joined us and brought cousins Sam and Madison.

We did a lot of swimming. I'm sure you're all dying to see the pictures. After all, I know I haven't posted enough of my children enjoying the only way to stay cool our current favorite past time. Don't worry. I have some to post at some point.

While the swimming was fun, the highlight of our trip was the fishing. Or at least the fish. Sam caught a fish and decided to keep it as a pet the duration of the afternoon. (Melody actually caught one too but it flopped back in the water too quickly.)

He put it in a wheelbarrow filled with water. Melody and Jack both enjoyed touching the fish and Madison would even pick it up. Charlie however was a little more cautious, preferring just to look at it.

He eventually got over the shock of seeing an actual fish and would then point at it saying, "dat, dat."

To which someone would say, "yes, fish."

Charlie would then reply, "ya".

Finally he leaned in to look at it and then decided he had better things to do a pool to get back to and lost interest.



There's never a lack of excitement at Grandma's house.

Hosted by Cecily