Hopscotch Day

Emma turned 18 months old on Tuesday.  It's hard to believe that she's already a year and a half old.  It's so much fun watching her grow and change everyday.  I decided on Tuesday since it was her 18 month birthday that I would take her to a kid's play place here in town called Hopscotch's.  It's perfect for kids her age.  It has a small bouncy house with a slide, a jungle gym maze with slides, lots of toys, a playhouse with dishes and pretend food and play mat floors for safety.  I was a little nervous because Emma is never around a big group of kids.  I am a stay at home mom so I'm really the only person she ever has to share her toys with.  She is always great when she is around another kid and when she sees other kids out in public but in this new setting I was a little worried.  We walked in and took off our shoes, put on our socks and I proceeded to pay to get in and as I'm standing there paying a family walks in behind us and waits in line.  This woman had a boy around the age of 6 and two twin boys that were around Emma's age.  Emma is immediately intrigued by these two sweet little boys and all of a sudden out of the blue she hits one of them on the back.  She didn't hit him hard but I still corrected her and apologized to the mom who assured me it was no big deal.  I'm sure she deals with a lot more than that having three boys! My thoughts after this incident were "OMG, if we aren't even in this place yet and she's already hitting people what is it going to be like when we get in here".  After getting in and setting my bags down we were off to explore.  Emma was bright eyes and in amazement at all the new things to play with and all of the kids running around.  She kept to herself at first but after warming up started to "talk" to other kids.  She would get right up in their space and proceed to have "conversations" with them.  Also, I should add that my daughter has a crazy ear fetish.  She has had a thing for ears since she came out of the womb.  Sometimes I am surprised I have ears left the way she pulls and tugs on my ears.  She kept going up to these kids and pulling on their ears.  I was so embarrassed.  I just nicely apologized and explained her fetish to the parents and they just giggled and thought it was the funniest thing.  Overall, she did really good.  We had a few incidents with sharing but after I corrected her each time she moved right along to another toy.  After over an hour of playing hard she was ready to go.  As in, she was at the gate to get out saying bye bye bye bye.  I am looking forward to taking her back soon.  It's just so surreal that she's old enough to play like a big girl!

Camping on the 4th of July

I know it's a little late posting about our 4th of July camping excursion but I literally just got caught up on all the dirty laundry, unpacking and sleep.  We spent five nights and six days at a campground at Land Between the Lakes.  It was our first time at this lake and we were pretty excited.  We had always heard great things about it.  Great fishing, beautiful views, clean water and a lot of fun.  Well it disappointed on a few of those points.  This trip had it's highs and it had it's lows.  Maybe more lows than highs.  We had checked the weather every day before leaving and it was calling for some pretty high temperatures but we figured since we were going to be camping right by the water we should be fine.  NOT.  Yes, we were near the water but those "clean, beautiful waters" weren't so clean and beautiful.  I'm not sure if it was because it hadn't rained in awhile but the water was kind of stagnant, with TONS of seaweed like grass and nasty little baby fish that pecked at your feet.  Needless to say, we did not do much swimming right at the bank.

Since our plans on keeping cool in the water didn't pan out the only way to keep Emma cool was to create a make shift redneck baby pool.  Emma didn't care that it was a camping tote.  In her little mind it was a brand new kiddie pool. 

I'm telling you it was so incredibly hot outside.  By the end of the day each day we were exhausted just from being out in the heat all day.  To top things off two of the nights we were there, our air conditioner went out in the camper.  We suffocated on those two nights.  After spending too many days sweating to death, I convinced Dustin to rent us a pontoon boat.  We all enjoyed a great day out of the water where there was no funky seaweed and baby fish nibbling on our toes.  Emma had a blast and even took her nap on the boat.  We really couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

 Perfect weather for a day on the lake.

Dustin attempting to catch our dinner.  Let's just say we starved that night ;)

My little sleeping beauty.

Swimming in the lake with daddy.  I honestly thought it might freak her out but she did so good.

That night after a long day on the water we all couldn't wait to go to bed.  I was in bed that night before 10, due to a upset stomach.  At 2:30 in the morning I woke up sweating to death (stupid air conditioner) and hearing the sounds of a huge thunderstorm building in the distance.  It stormed for three hours.  I literally thought we were going to blow away.  When we woke up that morning we found our canopy outside had been twisted like a pretzel.  Everything was soaking wet and scattered from the wind.  Almost in unison, Dustin and I looked at each other and said "Let's pack this crap up and go home!"  After two hours packing everything up we pulled away from the campground and drove two hours home.  Beaten down, wet and exhausted.  I will say that we were miserable a lot of the time but some fun was had through everything.  We were able to watch fireworks right at the water, we had fun spending time with our family, we played games, we cooked great meals, we rode bikes, rode on a pontoon boat and had lots of laughs.  My lesson learned from this camping trip, DON'T STAY FOR SIX DAYS.  Make camping trips three days or less!

I would say that there were definitely rough times, but this view every night at sunset made it all worth while.

17 Months

It's hard to believe that in just one month my baby toddler will be a year and a half old.  I find myself going through old pictures of when I was pregnant, her birth, her sitting up by herself and her first birthday.  Just looking at them makes me so sad.  I remember feeling time moving in slow motion when I was pregnant and now it's going by at the speed of light.  It won't be too long before I'm planning another birthday.  Especially since this summer is already flying by.

It is definitely bittersweet.  She's getting older but she's at the cutest stage.  She changes every single day.  Here is what Emma is up to at 17 months.

• She can put multiple words together now.  Such as: Oh No!, Bo Bo (her cousin), Want Some, No No, Ringa Ringa Round, All Down (Ring around the Rosey) and Doh Owside (Go Outside).
• She is very defiant right now.  I'm not sure if we are hitting the terrible twos early or if it's just her teething.
• Speaking of teething.  She has 12 teeth! It has been a miserable few weeks for her cutting the big ones.
• Her favorite things to do are swing, slide, play in the sand box, play ringa ringa ringa (Ring Around the Rosey), play dress up (meaning pulling every item of clothes out of her drawers and putting them around her neck), read books, listen to music (her favorite song right now is Pontoon by LBT), ride in her wagon and sleep (major growth spurt I think).
• She is taking one nap a day.  Anywhere from 2 to 3 hours.  Sleeping through the night, however with these teeth she has been in our bed quite a bit.  I'm ready to have my bed back.
• Not quite sure her stats until next month at her 18 month check up but I'm guessing she's around 30 pounds.  She is in size 2T even some 3T stuff fits her.  Almost in a size 6 shoe.  Her toes are starting to dangle off in size 5's.
• She's quite the tomboy.  She absolutely hates bows.  She would much rather have her hair dangle in her eyes all day.  She loves playing with cars.  Hearing her make car noises is super cute but I'd much rather her be playing with baby dolls!  That's something I can do.  She is rough and tough and loves beating up on me and daddy.  What am I going to do with this child?
• She is still cuddly with me but I see it slipping away.  She is starting to be very independent with lots of attitude and No No No's.  I see lots of time outs in her future.
• Her vocabulary is expanding.  She will pretty much repeat most things.  She says dada, momma, maw maw, paw paw, pup pup, bay (for Bailey), tuh (for Tucker), BoBo (cousin), 'gan (again), more, bup (up), down, cup, No, Oh No, tanks (thanks, ringa ringa and lots of other stuff that sounds like she speaks a foreign language.
• She knows all her body parts.  Her favorite is her belly, belly button and thumb.  We will ask her to show us where Thumbkin is and she holds her thumb and pointer out in the shape of an L.  We are also working on her ABC's.  So far we've gotten as far as A.  I will tell her to say Aaaaaa. She'll repeat me.  Then I'll tell her to say Bbbbbb and she responds with Aaaaaa.  It's the cutest thing ever.

Overall, she is growing and learning and just being the cutest toddler ever.  I'm proud of her.  She's going to have her daddy's brains I do believe.  If she gets dad's brains and mom's looks we are going to be in trouble with the boys! :)

Sick as a Dog

With Easter coming and going I swear to you I've gained ten pounds in a week.  Why is it that holiday's revolve so much around the consumption of food? Thankfully after our huge Easter meal on Sunday we all got together and played our annual family softball game. 

I haven't ran that much in I can't tell you how long.  Every muscle in my body ached the next day.  Even my ribs and abs.  I never realized how athletic you have to be to play that sport.  I mean, I played soccer in high school and don't ever remember being that sore.  It could have been because I was the goalie and did more standing in the same spot than anything.  Don't be mistaken because being a goalie is a tough position.  You are the last form of defense and when you let a ball hit the net (which I didn't do very often thank. you. very. much) you feel so responsible.  Anywho, I'm getting off track here.  Back to me discussing holiday gluttony. 

Now, it wasn't just myself who gorged ate a few pieces of candy over the weekend.  My sneaky little dogs got pretty sick themselves.  Is it an old wives tale that dogs can die from too much chocolate, because I think mine almost did.  During Easter lunch, egg hunting and the softball game, my dogs were staying at my sisters house.  When we returned there were candy wrappers everywhere, along with multiple piles of doggy vomit.  There is no telling how much candy was consumed.  All I know is that for the next 24 hours they were literally, sick as dogs.  Fortunately the chocolate did not kill my dogs and they are perfectly fine now.  I swear, I'm a good pet owner, we just forgot to set the candy up high enough from their reach.  Whoopsy!

Speaking of being a good pet owner, I recently on Facebook asked for advice about a animal situation going on in my neighborhood.  A few houses down from us we sit and watch this poor dog stay tied to a tree all day long, with no food and water, no dog house, no affection and no room to exercise.  I've been pretty bothered by it so I asked people if they thought I should write an anonymous letter and stick it in their mailbox.  They thought it was a good idea so I jumped into action and wrote what I think is a pretty nice letter but stern enough to get my point across.  Take a peek:

April 12, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

As a homeowner in this subdivision I am very concerned about the well being of your dog.  Over the last several weeks I have noticed several things about the proper care for your animal.  They are listed below:

1.       He stays wrapped around the tree all day because he is not on a proper lead for him to run and achieve the proper amount of exercise and animal needs to be healthy.

2.       He is without food or water because what small bowls are left out get knocked over.  They are not large enough or heavy enough containers to hold enough food and water for being left out all day.

3.       He is being left all day with no shelter besides the tree he is under.  When inclement weather occurs, such as rain, heat or the cold, he has no dog house or other form of shelter to protect himself.

4.       I have witnessed other neighbors walking over to your property to give him water and untangling him from the tree.  It is not other people’s responsibility in this neighborhood to take care of an animal that is yours.

5.       I am also aware that when someone is at home, your dog is still left outside, unfed and no water is replenished in his bowl.

6.       He is not getting the proper attention from his owners.  In several weeks I have not witnessed any affection given to him.  Animals need love and care, otherwise they are at risk for feeling scared, timid and possibly turning mean.

7.       Because he is outside most the day, he spends most hours barking, which is a noise disturbance to other people.

I have witnessed these things and am truly concerned about his well being.  I think he is a great pet, very friendly and loves people.  All he wants is attention and to be taken care of properly.  Animals are meant to be pets.  I am hoping that by informing you of these things that changes will be made.  If changes aren’t made a copy of this letter will be sent to Animal Control.

Sincerely,

Concerned Neighbor and Fellow Pet Owner

What do you think? I don't think it's harsh but I want them to understand that I will take matters into my own hands if changes aren't made.  I am a pet owner and even though I've never been a huge animal person I do have a heart.  I just can't watch this sweet boxer puppy sitting out there, dying for attention.

I have one itsy bitsy problem though...I am TERRIFIED to go over to their house and stick it in their mailbox.  All day I've been watching to make sure when they are home or aren't home but I'm such a chicken.  My fear is they will come out their front door with a shotgun and shoot me for being on their property.  It's almost like a black ops mission for me.  Maybe I should dress in camouflage, paint my face and wait until dark...No? Ok, ok

Oh, I have a blog you say? I must have forgot.

Oh where oh where to begin...most of you are probably wondering that since my last post was me leaving for vacation that I just decided to stay at the beach.  I wish.  Instead I got back and lost motivation to write.  I think a six month hiatus is long enough.  I know you missed me.  At least I hope you did anyway.  Let's bring you up to speed on things around the Salyer house.  There is a lot to catch up on so let's get started shall we?

• We did have a great vacation in Florida back in September.  Emma did great at the beach, even though at the time she wasn't walking.  We sat her in her bumbo in the sand and she had a blast.  Slept under the gazebo we had brought and over all did a great job being a little tike.
• We joined the church we have been attending since living in Bowling Green.  It felt like the right next step and we truly enjoy the feeling we get worshiping there.  However, in the last few months we have definitely been slacking in our attendance. Somehow the hustle and bustle of life takes over and you start slipping.  We are getting back on track though and it feels really good.
• I got my wisdom teeth removed.  Talk about misery.  After it was over I asked Dustin in my delirious drugged state if he thought they could surgically put my teeth back in.  It was the worst two weeks ever.  I got dry sockets and thought I. Was. Going. To. Die. Literally.  I'm healed up now and all is well with the world that is my mouth.
• We got through the holidays.  Christmas was awesome.  Emma really enjoyed it this year.  Bright eyes and squeals at seeing all her toys.
• Emma is not a little tike anymore.  My baby is all growed up.  She turned ONE on January 11th.  We had a great party.  Elmo themed of course.  It was a lot of work but so worth it.
• Emma went from not walking to running overnight.  She just took off like a bullet and never looked back.  She is in 24 months and 2T clothing (chunky monkey!).  We've yet to cut out bottles completely.  She gets one in the morning and at bedtime.  She's a paci loving fool.  How we'll ever get that one away from her I will never know!
• We booked a trip to Washington D.C. in May.  I am so so so excited.  I have never been and am really looking forward to it.  I'm a huge history buff so it's right up my alley.  However, I hear that it's not much of a vacation because you are constantly walking and on the go.  I'll need a vacation from my vacation! Dustin, go ahead and reserve a condo at the beach will ya?
• We just got through a wonderful Easter weekend.  Emma hunted eggs like a champ.  We spent lots of time with family and friends.  There was a family softball game.  I am officially sore.  It paid off though because my team won, WoooWhooo.
• Emma took her first trip to the zoo.  She was amazed at all the different animals.  Everything to her was a rooster.  We walked through the zoo and she did her little rooster call for every animal.  I didn't want to crush her little spirit so I just went along with it and chanted my rooster call with her.
•  Dustin took a full time job in Tennessee so he's traveling everyday for work.  We will eventually put our house up for sale and move but for now we are content enjoying another beautiful summer in our house and enjoying the pool.  I will be excited to move closer to all my family though.

Well, I guess that officially catches you up on our lives.  I'm excited to be back and hoping I didn't lose everyone who read this blog.  I pinky promise that I will post more often than every six months.  I can't promise it will be everyday or every other day because honestly I barely find time to shower everyday (TMI? Yeah, sorry about that) much less blog every single day.  I'm a mother to a toddler who has already hit her terrible two stage (can we say TEMPER TANTRUMS) and she keeps me on my toes, ok?

Nom Nom Nom, this sand is tasty Momma!

Traumatized for life...

Dustin and his Mini Me

 

The Christmas loot.

 

 Celebrating New Year's in style :)

 New Year's Smooches

 Somebody isn't a baby anymore...

Playing outside on a warm spring day.

 Happy Easter from The Salyers!

Hoppy Birthday to Me!

Today I am 25 years old.  However, sometimes I feel much older than that.  I think it's the whole having a kid thing.  Before Emma I felt young and vibrant now I just feel tired, fat and like I'm living in a whirlwind.  Not that I would change that for anything because hello, I love my bebe.  I am hoping that this trip to Florida makes me feel young, fresh and full of energy.  I am CROSSING MY FINGERS that Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Katia don't put a damper on our beach vacation.  I really hope these weather peeps be wrong yo because they are totally killing my birthday/vacation mood! On a happier note, I got presents this morning.  Oh how I loooove presents.  Not just getting them but giving them.  I could spend all day shopping to make someone else's day fabtabulous.  My husband is the sweetest.  He got me not ONE but TWO cards.  I'm special like that.  One was just a cute one reminiscing about days of old when my husband thought I had a cute booty (those days are gone because well I gave birth to a baby).  I'm pretty sure he still thinks I'm cute though so that's good.  The second card was so sweet.  If you have heard the Carrie Underwood/Brad Paisley Duet "Remind Me", it's pretty much that song to a T.  How sweet is it when your husband tells you he wants to fall in love with you all over again? Need a tissue? He's so sweet.  Let's see what was inside my bag of goodies shall we...

This is the awesome Paul Mitchell flat iron I've been dying for!

 

This is my favorite hairspray ever.  It smells like cotton candy.  If you get it you will want to eat your hair!

 My most favorite candy in the whole wide world.

 WaaaawaaaawaaaaWipe Out!! (This game is hard! I opened it immediately and tried it out.)

 

This yummy candle.  Mmm I love the smell of vanilla.

So there you have it.  How did he do? I think he did GREAT! Well I'm off to finish packing for our rainy beach vacation.  See ya'll on the flip side!

What's going on around these parts...

Figured I would throw you a little bullet point post to speed you up on what's going on in our busy world.

First let's start off with Emma.

• She is officially crawling, for real.  Hands, knees and going wherever she wants when she wants.
• She thinks she is independent and can walk (but she can't).
• She is in size 3 diapers.  They are so big and I'm amazed that my baby is big enough to fit in them.
• She is hooked on Sesame Street lately.  Her bff is Elmo.  Sorry Mickey.  She's found a new love.
• She loves to climb (on the fireplace).  It's making this momma a nervous wreck.  Even with bumpers and a blanket on it I freak out.
• She's so healthy.  She has yet at almost 8 months old to get sick.  No colds.  No ear infections.  No tummy bugs.  Nothing.  I guess the breastfeeding for several months paid off.  That and getting her out of the house all the time.  I think she's built up a great immune system.  Should I knock on wood right now?  Yeah, probably.  *Knock Knock
• She is almost out of all 6 month clothes.  She has a few things that she can still squeeze into.  She's my little chunky monkey.
• Her sleep schedule has changed some.  She's now asleep at night by 8 or 8:30 and is awake every morning at 7:30.  I can't believe she let me sleep until 9 or 9:30 for MONTHS and now all of a sudden she wakes up earlier.  Boo.  She is taking about two naps a day at an hour and a half to two hours a piece.  Sometimes I can squeeze in a 30 minute evening nap.
• She is almost saying dada.  I can't tell for sure though because for some reason she whispers it.
• She has found her tongue.  She copies me by sticking it out.
• She is eating Puffs and Yogurt Melts now.  It's the cutest thing to watch her pick them up and put them in her mouth.

As for the rest of us...

• We are leaving for the beach in 8 days.  Wooo Whooo!
• We are having a new air conditioner and furnace installed Monday.  Thank the Lord.  We bought this house two years ago and it's needed one since then.  I'm ready for a cooler house.
• I changed birth controls twice recently.  I was on Yaz, then Natazia.  Both pills.  Hated them.  Was forgetting to take them and decided we did not need another little Emma crawling around so I switched to Nuvaring.  No need to worry to take a pill everyday and I'm loving it so far.  No babies for us for AWHILE.
• Dustin is working a LOT lately.  I'm a tired momma.  He's worked 7 out of the last 8 days.  12 hour shifts and mostly traveling out of town.  Talk about feeling like a single parent much of the time.  It's tough.  Now I know what I mom went through when we were little (my dad was a truck driver and only home on weekends).  I'm so thankful for vacation coming up.
• My birthday is in 7 days.  I will be 25.  Half a century, OMG.  What happened to the care free days of being 18? Since 21, time has flown by.  I have no idea where 22, 23 or 24 went.  I am looking forward to celebrating at the beach though.
• I'm also looking forward to presents *cough cough Dustin :)
• My mom makes me a home made carrot cake with cream cheese icing every year...Yum.
• Due to a busy summer we haven't been to church as much as I want.  I miss it and can't wait for traveling to slow down so we can get back there.
• My house is always dirty...I feel like being a stay at home mom it should always be clean and the laundry should be done but it's almost opposite.  The more I'm home the more dirty it is.  I can never keep up with it.  That might have something to do with a moving child.  She's into EVERYTHING.

Well that should about catch you up on us.  Crazy, hectic, busy life.  

Do you have a spouse that travels a lot?
If so how do you deal with it and keep busy?
What new stage is your child in right now?
Leave a Comment and Share!

Roughing it...kind of.

Recently we went camping, in a TENT, with a BABY.  Have we lost our minds, you might ask? Yes, probably.  The weather was actually quite nice which helped tremendously.  Why is it though you go camping to relax yet you come back more tired than you were when you left? It was extremely relaxing but it's just so much work.  Putting up a tent, gazebo, air mattresses, hauling tubs of food, gas tanks for the stove, a mini fridge, chairs, tables, fans, fishing poles, tackle boxes and coolers is not what you really think about when you want to relax.  Once camp was set up though it was great.  Dustin only got to stay two nights and had to go home the third night since he had to work.  Of course the day Dustin isn't there she was extremely fussy and cutting her second tooth (wooo whooo!).  Thank goodness I had my mom and step dad and sister there to help me out.  Overall, the trip was great but I've decided next time I'm renting a camper fo' sho'!

 My sweet niece Ashie.  We had a photo shoot.

 Baby girl swimming in the creek.  It was quite a challenge keeping her from eating rocks.

 Hanging out at the campsite.

 Our gorgeous weather.

 Sleeping beauty.

 My parents doing what they do best.  Fishing.

 Pick A Boo.  I see you!

My nephew "BoBo".  His name is Ethan but if you say that he will for sure correct you and say "No! My name BoBo!"

Couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  I'm telling you, we have had the busiest summer ever.  It has been packed full of fun weekends.  I am so ready for it to slow down though.  We leave for the beach next Friday so only one trip left until a slower pace.

Do you like to camp?

How do you camp? Roughing it or a Camper?

Leave a Comment and Share!

What Seven Months-ish Looks Like.

Wow, is time flying by or what! Little Miss is over seven months old already.  Not really sure when it happened but she is turning into her own little person.  I already miss the early days.  The days of peacefully sleeping all day, sweet little dreamy smiles, looking around in awe and figuring out her surroundings, little baby clothes, newborn diapers and the cuddling..oh how I miss that the most.  I may be missing all these things terribly but I really am enjoying this new stage.  She is so much fun.

Let's see what's new shall we...

• I'm pretty sure my baby is preparing herself for the army already.  She is scooting on her belly EVERYWHERE.  Baby proofing is already in the process.  Fireplace padded, CHECK.  Getting our dogs groomed tomorrow so that Emma can no longer pull out chunks of their hair, CHECK CHECK!

•  She says momma! Well, I'm sure she doesn't get that I am momma but she says it so that's all that matters. It sounds about like ma ma ma ma ma and she says it the most when she's eating so she probably associates "momma" with "food".  She's a smart one already folks.  Also, no dada yet.  I'm sure if he started whipping out his wallet she would start saying it.  Her only sounds so far are ba ba ba ba ba, ma ma ma ma, baby gibberish that I cannot understand and ear piercing shrieks.

• She has one sweet little toofer and more are coming.  She has been a little crabby lately and I'm positive it's those teeth bothering her.  I have to say I'm ready for those bad boys to come in already.  However, that one little snaggle tooth shining is just the sweetest.

• She is still sleeping through the night (knock on wood).  She is usually asleep around 9 if we aren't out somewhere (sometimes it's 10 or 11) and awake between 8 and 9 the next morning.  I am one lucky momma.  I can't believe I have a baby that sleeps.

• She loves to sit in a cart while shopping or in a high chair at restaurants.  She thinks she is so big.  She sits there smiling and just waiting for somebody to stop and say how cute she is.

•  Naps these days are rough.  I shouldn't complain, she sleeps 12 hours a night.  I only wish she would take a long nap everyday that way I had a little free time during the day.  The cat naps are killing me.  Twenty minutes here and thirty minutes there are better than nothing I suppose.

•  She's around 18ish pounds now.  My chunky monkey as I like to call her.  She's in 6 to 9 month clothes.  Some 6 month clothes are starting to get a bit snug though.  She's also a fat roll away from a size 3 diaper.  Oh those rolls....they are precious I tell you.  I think she also stores things in there for the winter. Fat babies have to eat ya know.

• Emma has the best personality right now.  She's really starting to come out of her baby skin.  She loves people but sometimes will tuck her head into me when a stranger comes up to her to tell her hello.  She's really not shy so I think it's just a game to her.

• She sits up on her own now.  She still wobbles sometimes but is starting to catch herself and adjust.  She still topples over sometimes though.  She is also pulling up onto things now.  She started making her way towards the fireplace and pulling up on it.  Hence the baby proofing in bullet numero uno.

My big beautiful girl.

Do you have kids?
If so, what was your favorite stage?
Are you baby proofing?
If so, what are you doing to make your bambino safe?
Comment and share!

"Down by the creek bank by the old holler log..."

Most of you are probably scratching your head right now wondering where I came up with the title for this post.  You probably don't get it because it was a song I sang in our Children's Choir at church when I was ten.  Man, did I love that song.  I wish you could hear me singing it right now.  You would probably point and laugh but that's ok because I don't mind accepting my inner cheesiness.

From my title you may have guessed that this post is about creek banks and if you did, you would be correct.  This weekend we drove to my old hometown to visit some family.  We stayed at my sister and her sweet boyfriend Jed.  It was such an amazingly relaxing weekend.  We slept late both days, lounged in our pj's for hours and made a trip to Jed's family's property.  They have a set up at their creek for campers and tents.  It's really awesome.  It's the same place we went for my sister's 21st birthday.  It was nice to go back and enjoy some time with the people we love most.

We arrived Friday afternoon and relaxed with my sister until her boyfriend got off of work.  We ate some delicious Mexican food for dinner and headed back to the house.  The night was filled with great laughs, fun games and some great mother daughter time.

 Mom and Daughter Facials? Check!

Letting Jed get in some practice for fatherhood someday? Check Check!

After just arriving at the creek we realized there was a massive wasp nest under the gazebo.  You see it was raining so it was our only shelter from getting wet.  Emma, myself and my sister hung out in the truck while my husband tried to dispose of this:

There was actually two of these.  I swear there were 20 wasp in it.  Every time Dustin got close I kept singing "My Girl" in my head.  At one point Leeha even rolled down the window and sang it to him.  It was a pretty intense situation until we were able to get some Wasp Killer.  I'm pretty sure we wasted an hour of our day just ticking off some pesky wasp.

After the wasp problem was under control, we fed our chunky baby.

Hair cuts were given.

Some of us changed into our bathing suits but forgot to change our shoes. This is my step dad.  You know you are so jealous of his sense of style.

I decided at some point during the day to get creative and use this new app on my phone called Retro Camera.  I found it thanks to this post from Kat.  Love her blog.  I'm always finding new things because of her!

Me and my best, Erin.

  I spent the rest of the weekend taking cool pictures on my phone while lounging at Jed's.  Emma enjoyed crawling around on his carpet.  She can't get around as good on our hardwood floors.

Auntie and her girl.  

Cuteness that is Tuck Tuck.

Bailey Girl.

I told you once before I'm a picture taking fool.  I wasn't lying.  Nine times out of ten my blog posts will be accompanied by pictures.  I just think it makes posts so much better.  It really lets you see a glimpse of our lives.

So far 2011 has been a fantastic year.  Non stop and I love every minute of it.

Do you have a creek near by?

What has been your favorite trip so far in 2011?

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