Dance Party

It isn't often that we get Husband home for dinner. Today, he was not only off work for the day, but he cooked dinner! Catherine and I took a two hour nap and woke up to the smell of a steak dinner being prepared. What a nice surprise!

C was dancing to some Sinatra during dinner, so we went to the living room for a little family dance party. She loves to dance to most music, but really loves pop music. We danced to some favorites from the fifties, but when Husband changed the station to Gangnam Style, she really started to move!

Funny girl.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

This week, Husband crossed over the precipice and left his twenties behind him. He made me promise not to throw him a party for the big 3-0, so we celebrated with family this week instead.

Last Sunday, his parents joined us for lunch and presents. Catherine helped me make Husband's favorite meal - pot roast, mac and cheese, and fried okra; and his mom brought her famous chocolate chess pie. 

It was such a nice, relaxing way to celebrate our favorite person. And C loved getting to spend time with her Mim and Pop!

Since his actual birthday fell on a work day, we settled for a quick celebratory lunch in the food court (and a carousel ride of course). 

Last night, we were able to celebrate with my family. My brother-in-law's birthday is this week, so we had a combo dinner complete with way too many cupcakes.

I somehow managed to get zero photos of Husband or my brother-in-law; but I managed to get plenty of C dressing up in my and my sister's old dance costumes! We had so much fun relaxing and celebrating with family this whole week.

Husband's favorite response to people making a big deal about his birthday is this quote:

There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11. -Dave Barry

Nevertheless, I can't not celebrate the life that has changed mine so much. This man is truly my best friend. He makes me laugh. He has been beside me during some of my favorite memories. He is my late night movie marathon partner, my early morning dance partner, my toughest critic, and my biggest fan. It's tough not to love him or all that he is. He is selfless, gentle, and loving. He is thoughtful and loyal. He works tirelessly to provide a beautiful life for our family; and, above all, he is the best father to the best gift we have ever received. 

I can't imagine my life without this man, nor do I want to. I am thankful for his birth today and every single day. 

Happy birthday, my love (and don't worry, you don't look a day over 29)!

Under the Sea

Few things are better in this life than experiencing something new through the eyes of your child, so we took advantage of being in Atlanta for the weekend and spent Sunday exploring The Georgia Aquarium. 

To say it is impressive is an understatement. We were there all day and only finished half of it; but C was exhausted from partying the night before at Stone Mountain and ended up taking a cat nap in her stroller while we ate lunch. 

We still had the best time walking through the exhibits and watching C's face light up as animals we'd read about swam over her head.

We watched the dolphin show and C was mesmerized. She clapped and gasped with glee each time a dolphin surfaced. When a ball dropped down from the rafters for a trick, she excitedly pointed and said, "ball!" and when it was pulled back up after the trick, she cried out, "oh no!"

It truly is magical to watch her experience new things. I love watching her eyes widen as she sees something thrilling or watching her brow furrow as she tried to make sense of it all. I love watching Husband carry her all over the place and point out different creatures. I love that in every experience is a lesson and in every place, a classroom. And I love that I get to share this sweet, smart little girl with the man she calls Daddy.

Georgia Aquarium, we'll be back. There are many more memories to be made.

Life's a Beach

This post is mostly photos, but I couldn't let our family beach vacation go un-blogged. 

Husband works a lot. A lot, a lot. As in, seven days a week, early mornings, late nights. He works so that we can live in a nice house and have the things we need. I appreciate him so much and am so thankful for everything he does to provide for this family. But, we also miss him. So, the one week he takes off in the summer for our vacation is huge. We never get that much uninterrupted time with him. C was beside herself with all the quality Daddy time!

This year, we ventured to Navarre. My parents were able to join us for a few days and we spent the rest of the week as our family of three with some friends. C loved everything about the beach, but she also loved all the mirrors in the condo. She danced in front of it, watched herself eat snacks, and played dress up with bowls. Apparently, we need to install wall to wall mirrors in our house. 

Things were a little different from last year's trip with 6 month old C. Going to the beach with a baby is hard work. I spent the majority of last year's trip going back and forth to the room for bottles, meals, and naps. Going to the beach with a toddler is so much fun. It's busy, but it's fun.

There is nothing like watching C run and play in the sand. She would have stayed on the beach all day long if I'd let her. Last year, we spent a lot more time in the pool, C perfectly content floating in her flower float. This year, she was not a fan of floating. She's somewhere in between wanting independence and being able to actually be independent in the pool. She doesn't want to be held, but she doesn't want to be in a float. She seemed to like the freedom of the beach more. 

So, we spent our days digging and climbing in the sand, going for walks and collecting shells, and sitting on the hard sand as the tide washed over our toes. C was in paradise. She had both Husband and I with her all day, every day, and got some quality beach time in with her CiCi and Poppa. Life was good.

We're already looking forward to next year!

Mommy's Day Off

When you become a parent, whether you are the caregiver or the family provider, there is never a day off. When you're sick, you're still a parent. When you are exhausted from working until 3:00 am with out of town clients, you're still a parent three and a half hours later when little bit wakes up. But in order to keep our sanity, Husband and I try to give each other a "break" every now and then. 

I let him sleep past 6:30. He lets me shower. It's the little things in life.

But, Husband outdid himself for Mother's Day and gave me a day "off." Really, what he gave me was an "Andrew Day." A few years ago, he dubbed the days in which he did whatever he wanted with no schedule and no accountability as "Andrew days." Sometimes, I would go with him. We may get a late lunch and some drinks while watching football on a fall day. We may catch a random movie. But, whatever we did, it was spontaneous - something I find difficult to do these days.

I cashed in my "Andrew Day" this past Sunday. I woke up early with Catherine, mostly because it was 5:30 and Husband was in a coma, but also because I wanted some mommy time before my day "off." We played fetch with Banks in the back yard. We watched some Sesame Street. We read some books. And I rocked her to sleep for her morning nap. Then, it was officially my day!

Because I am a planner, I had to have some sort of schedule for my day and started the day with a late brunch with my sister and my girlfriends. I can't remember the last time we were all together and it was so great catching up with everyone. We celebrated Heather's birthday and talked about new jobs and new houses and important things like the Real Housewives. I love these ladies. They keep me sane.

During brunch, I received this text from Husband: "Is it okay if she eats the yogurt dip by the handful?... Just checking..."

We're going through a dipping stage. She will eat almost anything if she can dip it in this dip, which is plain yogurt, lemon juice, and dill. Ha. Whatever works...

After brunch, a few of us ventured to get mani/pedis. It was much needed and so nice to just relax and talk about nothing in particular. 

Then Ashley and I went to see a chick flick. Husband and I take the occasional movie date night, but I wanted to see something ridiculously cheesy that I knew he would never see with me. So, we went to What to Expect When Expecting. It certainly delivered in the cheesy department, and is probably a renter, but I had so much fun hanging out with Ashley and contemplating buying CKOne and lip gloss from the machine in the bathroom.

I had the best "Andrew day!" I was able to relax, catch up with friends, and enjoy some time to myself. The best part? I came home to dinner, a fridge full of groceries, and was home in time to give C her bubble bath. Time off is needed to keep my sanity, but I'm always happy to come home to my happy little family. 

I have a beautiful life.

A Day in the Life

Today was a good day. It was filled with a morning of coloring and a make believe tea party, lunch and an escalator ride with Daddy, a carousel ride followed by MORE escalator rides, another dance recital, a bubble bath and a bed time story filled with snuggles and giggles. Strike that. It was a great day.