Snow Day

I am definitely a southern girl. I like it hot. Give me 102 degrees over snow any day. But, even I have to admit that the kind of snow we get it is a nice compromise. We get all of the fun and beauty with none of the hassle. It's pretty, enough sticks to play in it, and it's usually gone by the next day.

It snowed a little over a week ago. This was the first snow that C was old enough to enjoy. We got a little on Christmas day last year, but missed it because we were travelling. It was worth the wait because she loved it! We talked and talked and talked about it while we watched it fall. I opened the door to let her see it and touch the pile that had formed on our doorstep. Then, I tried to close the door. She was not having it. She pushed it back open and tried to go outside. So, I dressed her in layers while she cried (because we weren't already out there) and then we went outside, camera in hand, to make some memories!

She loved the snow so much. She touched it with her hands, she opened her mouth to catch it, and she ate TONS of it.

Of course, we built a snowman.

But she really wanted to eat his nose.

Twelve hours and a hint of sun later, and a puddle dressed in a crumpled pile of hat, scarf, and sunglasses stood where our snowman once was. It was the perfect snow day!

Painting, Baking, and Memory Making...

...That's what rainy days are made of.

Monsoon season is upon us, which means our favorite outdoor activities are off limits and we are in desperate need of fun indoor activities to keep an active toddler entertained. Luckily, C has a million toys and dress up clothes; and she loves to paint and help me in the kitchen. She's so funny these days and has kept me thoroughly entertained while trapped inside.

We got some new finger paint and she had so much fun. She loved it so much, she asked to paint again while I was making dinner. So, I let her.  I had to put the paint out of sight because she asks to paint whenever she sees it and we aren't always set up for such a messy project! I love that she enjoys it so much though.

We have had so much fun with her new dress up clothes and dance outfits. The ballet outfits are for when she starts dance this summer, but she already loves to wear them. She brushes her outfit and says, "pink tutu," and smiles. We've already been working on ballet positions.

Aunt Mallory and Uncle Pete went to Disney World after Christmas and brought C a pink princess purse and gloves. She has recently gotten into "princesses," so this princess/ dress-up combo was right up her alley!

Baking with C is one of my favorite things to do. I love to cook, but am honestly not a baker. Knowing how much fun it will be to make a giant mess and taste test with my favorite sous chef makes me want to bake every day. 

I am so ready for this weather to pass so we can run around at the park again; but, until then, I'm enjoying our rainy day fun together. These are the days that memories are made of.

Gingerbread House

This one time, I thought decorating a gingerbread house would be a fun, easy, rainy day activity. I assembled the house last night and provided only icing and two types of sprinkles for decorating. Easy enough, right?

The first thing she did was dump every single sprinkle out onto the table, sending them rolling and scattering across the kitchen into corners that will no doubt hold them for months.

Then, I introduced the icing... 

And then, because she hadn't made a big enough mess with sprinkles, I gave her a shaker...

As soon as we were finished, I scooped her up, beater and all, marched upstairs and plopped her straight into the bathtub (which I will be cleaning tonight because it is dyed by red and green sprinkles).

It was fun. And, is that not the most beautiful gingerbread house you've ever seen?

Making memories is messy. Mommy has much cleaning to do.

Remembering it All

It's been a couple of those months where the living of life gets in the way of writing about it. Mostly for good reasons like a wonderful trip to Denver with Husband and a summer full of play dates and trips to the lake with Little Bit; but, partially due to some not so good stuff like my grandfather being admitted into the ICU, having major surgery, and remaining in the hospital for another week only to go to a rehab facility before going back home.

Everything is relatively fine now. After surgery and a stint in the rehab facility, he is finally back at home, healing and getting stronger every day; but, there is nothing like a call that your grandfather is in ICU to make you step back and take a look at things. Sitting in their home, surrounded by the photos and toys and memories of my childhood, I was suddenly trying to remember it all - trying to remember the feeling of waking up to ham and biscuits and hot chocolate on a Saturday morning; or staying up late with my sister watching I Love Lucy recordings on VHS and eating Bon Bons (no, seriously. Bon Bons). I wanted to remember the simplicity of days spent doing cartwheels in the grass and pushing each other on the rope swing my grandfather built in their backyard. I wanted to feel the crisp mountain air of nights spent catching fireflies. I wanted to somehow etch everything into my mind with the permanence of my name burned into the swing's wood frame. I wanted to remember the pure joy of spending time at Nana and Big Daddy's house before the reality of adulthood and responsibility and mortality sunk in.

It reminds me of how permanent the smallest memories can be. My grandparents have taken countless trips with us. They have helped put my sister and I through private schools, purchased safe cars, and taken us on shopping sprees. But, even after a life full of being spoiled, my favorite memories are still the simple ones. They are full of love and sheer happiness. 

It's easy to try to be perfect. It's so easy to get caught up in the world's expectations and forget about your own. It's so easy to compare yourself to the seemingly perfect people on facebook and tv. But, those people aren't real. And the reality is that people get sick and bad things happen. The reality is that life is not perfect. There is never enough money or enough sleep or enough time. There is rarely enough patience. But, there is always enough love.

It doesn't matter what we buy Catherine over the years. It doesn't matter how fancy her school is or what trips we take her on or how fabulous her wardrobe is or what car she eventually drives. What matters is that she lives a life full of happiness. What matters is that she knows that no matter what, she is loved. I hope we can give her a life full of simple memories.

So, in the essence of remembering it all, a peak into the past couple months of our lives, Cliff's Notes style, so we can get back to the present:

• Husband took me to Denver for a long weekend. We ate delicious food and he surprised me with tickets to The Avett Brothers concert at Red Rocks. It was so freaking awesome, words are insufficient. It's nice to remember that we like spending time with each other. And sleeping through the night uninterrupted. We missed C tons, but she had so much fun with her CiCi and Poppa, I'm pretty sure she forgot we were gone.

• My sister turned 24. But, to me, she'll always be 7.

• Our newest nephew, Major Andrew, was born to Husband's brother and sister-in-law while we were in Denver! That is one handsome little man. :)

• We made a day trip to meet Major and spend time with Husband's side of the family. We squeezed a lot of togetherness into a few hours!

• Spent the weekend at the lake with my family and forced C to look patriotic and adorable for a mini photo shoot. (photos being held hostage by Husband's work computer)
• We had a slight lapse in sanity and filled a baby pool with 600 plastic balls in our living room. It is still there and she plays in it daily.

• C watched the Olympics in her custom made London bubble. My mom is awesome.

• C entertained Big Daddy in the hospital.

• We bought a membership at the McWane Science Center and have enjoyed every minute of it!

• We spent lazy weekends at the lake.

• I turned 28. My family gave me way too many presents and I spent the day celebrating with my favorite little lady followed by dinner and cupcakes at my sister and brother-in-law's place. Getting old isn't so bad...

That pretty much brings us up to speed. We just got back from nine glorious days at the beach. Stay tuned for adorable photos of a happy baby playing in the sand...

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.

The View From Here

Sometimes I find it difficult to recognize the view before me. I watch her every day. We play games. We go on outings and adventures. We learn together. My view is the same every day. Everywhere I look, she is there.

But sometimes, like today, I don't recognize what I see. Sometimes, I look at my baby and she is trying to put socks and shoes on her feet because she knows that is where they go. She is sorting her toys into categories... correctly. She is pretend drinking from pretend tea cups. She is placing a bow on her head and putting the top on her sippy cup. She is putting dirty clothes into the hamper and trash into the trash can. She is brushing her hair and her teeth after her bath.

When did she learn all of these things?

It's funny, really, to think of such simple tasks in the eyes of a child. With each new task she learns, she lights up with excitement. Her eyes widen and she flashes her seven toothed smile because she has never been prouder.

I hope she knows, neither have I.

The Baby and The Bunny

We visited the Easter Bunny for the first time this week. Last year, C was a tiny six weeks old, so we didn't attempt the photo opp; but, this year, she loved him!

I had a feeling she would given the fact that, like all her favorite things, he is fuzzy. But, there was still the slight chance she would be one of many babies crying in terror in the photo (which I still find adorable).

She opened her mouth wide and giggled as we approached the big bunny. She willingly left my arms for his and, as I stepped back to entertain her for the camera, I found I was not needed. She was perfectly happy petting him! She posed for the camera and then cried when I picked her back up.

A few minutes after, she slowly walked over to his chair and peered around the corner to see if he was still there. She really is the sweetest thing.


P.S. I'll have to take a close up of the precious Easter outfit she is wearing. My mom made it for her and it is smocked with three fat bunnies with big bows on their heads. My mom has super powers. 

Happy Easter!

A New Twist on Valentine's Day

I have never made a big deal about Valentine's Day. I really don't care about roses and chocolate and expensive dinners. That doesn't mean that Husband hasn't gone above and beyond in celebrating over the years; but when we decided to go easy this year, I wasn't disappointed. Instead, we celebrated our little love's very first Valentine's Day together. Because the day is really all about love in general and, we LOVE this little girl more than words can say.

We started the day with heart-shaped cottage cheese pancakes with raspberry-banana puree.

Then, we met Daddy for lunch at the mall. Conveniently, his office is in the Galleria Towers, so after eating a romantic Chick-fil-A lunch, Daddy headed back to work and Catherine and I enjoyed her very first "double doozie" cookie (I enjoyed 98% of it all by myself. She enjoyed a couple mini M&M's and some frosting).

Then we picked out a pretty pony and enjoyed a carousel ride...

...and Catherine enjoyed reading her first Valentine's Day card from Mommy and Daddy.

As far as Husband and I, we exchanged cards and enjoyed watching our favorite little love spend a day engrossed in love. Best Valentine's Day yet.