Sunday, July 3, 2011

Half Year Resolution?

Well, here we go again. How many times will I start my post off by saying that I've been away far too long and promise to be better about updating this blog? Ugh. your guess is as good as mine, but let's hope this is the last time. Consider this my Half Year Resolution (since clearly any New Year Resolution to do so has long since failed!).

So, I went to Florida. :) Dottie & Jay were kind enough to come in town and stay for a week to help Craig take care of McKenna. I'm sure McKenna was quite pleased to have some undivided attention for a change. :) I took the little man and flew to Tampa where my friend Michelle picked me up and we drove to Satellite Beach, to my grandma's (now empty) house. Our 3+ hour drive from Tampa to SB felt like it was about 30 minutes. We had so much to catch up on! Not to mention, even when it hasn't been a long time since we've seen each other, we can still talk for hours non-stop.

Some photos from our trip...

The dude waiting patiently on a bench, just beyond security, while I got all of our stuff back together and convince the TSA agent that he did NOT need to open, sample and test one of my containers of baby food!  Thankfully I had emailed TSA prior to our trip and brought a print out of their reply email (with the pertinent sections highlighted.  Geek.) to show the TSA agents if they tried to make me open the baby food.  Ha!! 
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I brought two blankets with me, one for a little playtime at the gate and one for use on the plane.  Good thing considering they now offer you next to nothing on a flight.  The flight attendant told me, "I'm sorry ma'am, we no longer provide pillows and blankets". 
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I nursed him just before/as we were taking off and he was out like a light.  That's some serious sleep right there.  ;)
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Seamus couldn't take his eyes off this girl.  lol  It was really cute.  Finally she asked if she could hold him, so I snapped a pic.  Of course Mr. Squirmy pants was all over the place as usual, which I think may have freaked her out a little bit, and she was quick to pass him back.  Check out his face in this pic!  Oddly enough, it reminds me of my grandfather for some reason.  lol
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 Seamus' first time in a bar.  New Orleans Airport.  (What a dump!)
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The flight attendant on our first flight gave Seamus a certificate for his first flight.  How cute is that?  He told me to stop and ask the pilots to sign it, but I didn't bother.
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Our second flight wasn't full, so we had an entire row to ourselves!  I don't think he knew exactly what to make of it all.
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We arrived safely in Tampa (beautiful airport!) and jumped in the truck with Michelle, and her two furry companions, and headed to Satellite Beach.  Seamus was already pretty pooped from his big day of travel.
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After we arrived in SB we got settled and ready bed.  Unbeknownst to us, the shuttle return had been pushed back and was slated to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere around 3:00 am.  Well, this just happened to be right around the time that we were arriving and getting all of our luggage brought in the house, etc.  We heard the sonic boom and had no idea what it was.  All I kept saying was it sounded like something had just crashed into the house!  I'll admit that I was completely freaked out.  lol  It wasn't until the next day that we realized that it was the shuttle we had heard.  Kind of like a special welcome for us... one that won't ever happen again.  At least no time in the near future.
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We didn't waste any time getting out the next morning and finding some yummy breakfast spots. 
Michelle's smiling face at The Scrambled Egg Cafe.
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Check out the groovy wallpaper in Ma's (my grandma) bathroom!  If it weren't in such crappy condition, I'd almost be tempted to keep it. 
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Seamus loved our pool time each day!
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Cocoa Beach Pier
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Stay hydrated!  ;)  This little water bottle became his most cherished toy during our time at the beach. 
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He was waving Hi to Mommy!
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Being in a new environment and being put in a pack-n-play to sleep, he didn't sleep much if he wasn't in bed with Mommy.  So.... this is what I woke up to each morning.  Not bad at all.
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Look at those tired little eyes!  So sweet.
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We sent a video to Daddy this morning, wishing him good luck on his big interview in Dallas (he got the job!).
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Seamus' first skinny-dip experience.  I think he liked it.
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On the pier behind Squid Lips in Melbourne.
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First taste of frozen yogurt!
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He's a fan.
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More pool time with Mommy (with Herbie keeping a close eye - lower let corner of the pic).
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The beach just a few blocks from Ma's house.  Seamus & I came here each day for a walk on the beach.  I miss those.  A lot.
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Bath time!
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Clean baby = Happy baby.
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I follow a blog written by a Mom of two young girls.  She is an amazing writer!!  I read a quote in one of her recent posts that I just loved.  It came to mind during my trip visiting with Michelle, and when I saw these next two pics.

"Can I get an "amen" for how good it feels to watch your friends love your babies? These kids are my heart and when you love them, you consequently just found yourself a deeper place in my own heart." - Kelle Hampton, http://www.kellehampton.com/
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Just before I took the little man down to put his toes in the ocean for the first time.
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Whoa!  What's happening Mommy?
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Blurry, but still cute.
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How cute is this chair?  We found this at a local thrift store.  Perfect for the little men that will be regular visitors... Seamus & Connor, Michelle's grandson.  Yes, she's a grandma.  Pretty cool huh?
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I can't wait for our next visit!!  Hopefully next time I can take both kids.  McKenna would LOVE it there.  Michelle has offered to come through Phoenix after her next trip home (Vegas) and fly out with me to help with the kids.  She's awesome like that. :)


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Back home and back to life as usual. 

A glimpse of things to come?  "Stay on your side little brother, or I'll bust a cap in your a**."  She's so gangsta.
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Thankfully, most of the time, she loves her little brother.
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Me & my little dude.  Taking a pic of Seamus' little soccer outfit to send to G.
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Weeeee!!
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Date Night!
We finally got a babysitter (she's awesome) and went to the Motley Crue & Poison concert with our friends Kris & Dan.
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Kris & Dan... and Craig chugging his Shock Top in the background.  lol
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McKenna helping Daddy fix the kitchen faucet.
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Seamus hanging out with Koal.
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My little diva.
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Look who's pulling himself up!
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So proud!
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McKenna & Daddy pretending to sleep. lol
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It's like she's 2 going on 6!
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Lovin' his little hat on backwards.
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*********
 
So I have a bit of an obsession with my hair color lately.  More specificly it's the battle with my grey hair.  It's getting heavier and heavier and it's really noticeable against my dark hair.  So my stylist suggested I go blonde.  We started lightening my base and adding highlights.  We'll evidently my hair has a tendency to "pull pink" and gets  a really copper/orange appearance.  No beuno.  I tried to wait it out and it did continue to lighten up, but I just didn't like it.  I think I could used to lighter hair, but the key will be finding the right tone.
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So I went back to brunette.  :)  I'm sure I'll have to start the lightening process again, but for now I'm back to where I feel most like "me"... dark hair.
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He wants to stand.  All. the. time.
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All he needs is a John Deer.
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My sweet girl and her beloved Monkey.
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I took the kids to get frozen yogurt.  To say McKenna enjoyed it would be an understatement.
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My big girl has officially moved from a high chair to a booster seat at the table.  She loves it.
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I was quite proud of myself for taking both kids in the pool by myself.  However, it was just enough that I don't foresee doing it often.  McKenna is getting more and more comfortable with her floatie vest that she's getting more and more adventurous.  That's just too much for me to manage by myself.  Nonetheless, cute pic.
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Dining with my two loves.
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All dressed and ready to head the aquarium!
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She loved it!  She was continually searching for and finding Nemo.
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It was so nice to have the whole family out together.  Hopefully we'll have lots more of these now that Craig has a reasonable work schedule.  Yay!
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We had lunch at the restaurant where we could watch all the sharks swim by.  Very cool.
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Pretty pretty princess
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She has recently fallen in love with her tutu and wears it all the time.  This day she decided she had to wear it to the store.  :)
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Wearing Daddy's baseball hat.
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He had more fun with the toilet brush!  lol  Don't worry, it's still wrapped in plastic and never used.
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Finally!!  Mr. I Have No Interest In Finger Foods is showing some interest in Mum-Mums.  Of course, the fact that he STILL, at 10 mo old, has no teeth may have something to do with his lack of interest.  :)
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The tutu is even required to "do wash".
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She loves to give Seamus his binky, whether he wants it or not.  lol
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 .... And help him drink from his sippy cup.  She's so proud of herself.  Love her.
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Cutest baby boy ever!
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I love this picture.  This is at school, after stopping for a drink of water from the water fountain.  That is part of our daily pick-up routine.  "I need drink of wa-wa".
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My sleeping little dude.  He had fallen asleep on the way home from school.
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This picture cracks me up!  I was getting ready to give him a kiss (why I can't seem to time photos right that I'm taking myself is a mystery). I just love the look on his face.  lol  I'm certain I'll be seeing more of it in years to come.  "What choo talkin' 'bout Willis?"
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Sticking to my running schedule has definitely been a bit of a challenge since I ran my very first 5k in April.  I've only been averaging 1 or 2 runs a week and only 2 to 2.5 miles each time.  Even at my 5k I had to take walking breaks.  I had yet to run for full 3.1 miles without walking.  Well this week I finally did it, AND I increased my pace.  Yay me! 

My face gets so red when I work out.  lol  Seamus was excited for me too. 
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We needed to get out of the house (damn these desert summers!), so I packed up the kids and headed to IKEA.  I love that place.  I swear every time I'm there, I just want to move right into one of their little vignettes.

McKenna had a blast testing out all the beds in the kids section.  I LOVED this trundle bed!!  I feel so conflicted.  I absolutely love her current furniture and it converts to a toddler & full size bed, but each time I go to IKEA I want to buy her a new, fun and kid sized bed.  I love this one because it would be great while she's getting used to a big bed (if she rolled out, she would simply fall onto the trundle), it could be convenient for guests (since we won't have a guest room in the new place) and could also work for when/if we put the kids in the same room one day.  Love it.
I think she did too!
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"I go under here!"
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She loves running through all the rooms!   I have one of these lights packed away for her new room.  Right now I'm still a little freaked out about her having access to that much cord.
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I turned around to find her in bed, under the covers! lol
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**It's no wonder I never get my updates posted anymore.  I started this blog update a little before 8:00 am (truth be told, I uploaded the photos two days ago and started the post text yesterday!) and am just now finishing it at almost 11:30.  This will definitely have to become a nap time or post-bed time activity... along with cleaning, sleeping, running, showering, etc.  There's just not enough time in the day anymore. ;)

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