Beach

The girls and I decided on a Friday evening that we would leave on Sunday and go to Amelia Island to spend a week with Peepa Butch and Cathy. It was the first time that we had driven to his house since Audrey was born and I was a little nervous. Much to my surprise, we only stopped one time each way and it took right at 6 hours. On the way there, we stopped at Taco Bell, spread a blanket in the parking lot, and had a picnic. The girls ran around and played for a little bit and didn't even complain when we got back into the car. On the way home, we stopped at McD's, Morgan got an ice cream, and both girls played on the playground.
Most of the week we hung around the house and spent time with Dad and Cathy. Morgan got to make things from wood and nails with her granddad. She made several crafts and a chocolate cake with Cathy. She also spent lots of time in the hot tub when we were home.
The first couple of days made any beach visit near impossible. The wind was very strong and the sand stung our legs as it blew against our skin. Audrey was most upset by this and kept trying to go home. She didn't seem to mind that no one else was following her. She just took her little self up over the dunes saying, "ohm ohm." I wrapped her in a towel (one of her favorite things to do) to protect her until we headed home a few minutes later. Eventually, though, the weather improved and we spent some time digging in the sand and playing in the water. One morning the girls met a toy poodle named Louise and couldn't keep their hands off of her. Morgan was in her glory walking around holding the small pooch. The owner was one of those dog people who treat their small canine like an infant and she was a little uncomfortable but handled it well. We left with hopes of seeing Louise some time later, though that never happened.
Morgan played with Dad's 7 year old neighbor, Autumn most days we were there. Morgan waited impatiently each day for the girls to get home for school. I think Autumn is a very lonely little girl who doesn't have many children who play with her. She would come over to the house even though she acted like she was extremely annoyed by everything my girls would do. It didn't help that my girls were so tired that they couldn't really hold themselves together for very long. Autumn really wasn't very nice to Morgan, but Morgan enjoyed her company nonetheless.
We all missed Mark like crazy and were very excited to go home. One day while we were there, I voiced my feelings about missing him to Morgan. Her response was, "just don't think about it. That is what I do and then I don't miss him anymore." I felt like this was an important insight into how my daughter works and it tells me a lot about her personality. Anyway...she was thrilled to get home and couldn't wait for her daddy to hold her. Watching my girls run into his arms was an awesome sight. It was the perfect end to a great vacation with my daughters.

Jacksonville Zoo

We went to visit Peepa Butch and Cathy for a week and have been back for a week now. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Jacksonville Zoo. It was absolutely wonderful and definitely the best zoo I have been to. The children's section was worth the admission alone. The day was especially hot and it was too bad that we didn't have suits for the girls because there was a water park there. Luckily there was an air conditioned playroom that the girls really liked. Both of them dressed up as vets and took care of some stuffed animals. Morgan put on a puppet show and dressed up in animal costumes. We stayed in the room until a man came in and told us it was time for the otters to eat and that
we should go watch. They fed the otters live fish and they would occasionally spit the fish out half alive onto the ledge next to the window. The kids were amazed to see the bloody half fish lying there waiting to be consumed.
The girls played on the playground and rode the merry go round. Audrey wasn't very excited about the ride but was ok as long I put my arms around her.
Morgan's favorite part of our zoo visit was definitely feeding the birds. I think she could have stayed there all day. She loved having the birds land on her arm. When her cup was empty, she walked around calling the birds hoping they would come back. When we were finished, there was a hand washing station that just may have been Audrey's favorite part:) She stood there putting her hands up saying, "hands hands." Washing her hands is up there on her favorite activities list.
We stayed at the zoo until they were closing and to Morgan's disappointment, we were only able to ride the train once. The girls were exhausted when we we left and Audrey fell asleep almost as soon as we were in the car.

The smile is priceless

Park it in the rain

Morgan went with Diane this morning to have "special time" and to buy a present for Meridith's birthday. Audrey and I met them at lunch time for a bite to eat before Audrey's nap. Morgan was excited about what she had chosen for her aunt and was ready to be home to wrap it all by herself. We gathered what she needed and Audrey and went downstairs for a little siesta.
When I got up, Morgan cleaned up and wanted to make cards for everyone who has a birthday this month. She told me what to look for on the internet and we printed some pictures for the cards.
Though the clouds were rolling in, we decided that it would be fun to go to the park for awhile. Audrey got a baby doll (which we hardly leave home without) and we were off. As soon as we arrived, we could see Morgan's friend, Selena, across the park. Morgan could not get out of her seat fast enough. She ran across the lawn shouting her friend's name. When I released Audrey, she did the same. She broke into an awkward run, with her baby in arms, shouting "eena, eena." It was absolutely precious.
While Morgan played with the children on the playground, Audrey enjoyed sliding down the slides over and over. She climbed the rock wall sort of thing to slide down the big slides. There were 2 boys around 5 or 6 years old that would shout, "baby alert," every time Audrey came their way. She seemed to think it was funny and got excited each time they said it.
When we arrived at the park it was already thundering, yet there were many children playing. We were there for about 30 minutes before the sky got darker, the thunder became louder, and the other parents began moving their children toward their cars. I was about to do the same thing when Morgan said, "lets just go to the stage and we can wait until the rain is done." "No" was about to fall out of my mouth when I realized I had no good reason to go and she seemed to have a wonderful reason to stay. So, she quickly hopped the fence and I handed Audrey over to her before hopping the fence myself. We crossed the field and went to dance on the stage. Morgan was in a world of her own and pretended to go to "school" and "work" and fly on planes. Audrey joined right in and they had a blast. Morgan found a forgotten pair of "ip ops" (flip-flops) that were about Audrey's size. She was ecstatic! The world melts away for a pair of shoes. She insisted on wearing them until we left and actually walked fairly well in them.
The rain began to fall and the girls ran around getting wet. I sat taking pictures of my beautiful children and truly enjoying the moment. It was absolutely perfect. I had nowhere else I wished to be. I am so thankful that Morgan had the idea to stick around for the rain AND that I stopped myself from just saying, "no."

Weekend

We went to playgroup at Hannah's last Friday. Everyone had a great time and I got some awesome pictures. They are still on the camera and I hope to get them uploaded soon because I know the mom's will really enjoy them. It was actually a lot of fun for me to be behind the camera. I got to look at the children from a totally different point of view. It was like getting into their world a bit. The individual characteristics of each child stood out in ways I had never appreciated before.
Morgan and I got to go on dates together on Saturday and Sunday. At her request we went shopping and out to dinner on Saturday. We shopped at KMart and she almost bought a set of baby doll twins. She carried them around as she looked at the other toys, clothes, and items. I explained that if she spent her money on the dolls that she would not have any left. She looked at them a few minutes and decided to wait on making a purchase. Sunday morning I woke up to find her studying a baby doll advertisement we had received in the mail. She looked over the magazine many times and decided she wanted to go back to the store to buy the dolls. We visited KMart, bought the dolls and some candy, and then went to see Shrek 3. We both loved it! We hurried home and got Audrey so we could go to the pool while Daddy stayed home and watched the football game.
Today Morgan went to the library with Mark and got many books. She made a long list of topics she wanted books on before they left. She was so excited to show me what she had checked out. We read a bit about the human body and fish before heading off to her dentist appointment. The office had a new hygentist who was incredible. I sat on the floor next to Morgan the whole time and held her hand when she asked me to. She has no cavities and picked out a toy from the toy chest.
Tomorrow we are going to the lake with Diane and Margaret. Morgan has been talking about being with Diane for 3 days now. She can't wait to spend some time with her tomorrow.

To play, eat, and shop

We had a fabulous day. After Morgan and I did Pilates together this morning and had breakfast with Audrey, we headed out to meet Hannah and Stephanie at the park. Unfortunately, even though I made sure to charge the batteries for the camera and sit it next to my bag, I left it sitting on the table. Morgan and Hannah hugged the minute they saw each other and seemed to enjoy playing with each other. Audrey had a blast sliding down some crazy fast slides. She slid over and over and over. One was so fast that she actually slid off at the bottom. She also got to throw and make it "rain" sand (one of her favorite things to do).
Stephanie and I had a great time as usual. She had been gone for awhile visiting her husband's family and so it was nice to catch up.
We met Diane for lunch at La Parilla, got a movie for Morgan, and went home for a rest. Audrey and I took a nap while Morgan watched The Backyardagains. Once we all had enough downtime, we went to Target so Morgan could look at the toys. She is VERY interested in buying things lately and it doesn't matter too much what it is. She had $5 and couldn't find anything that she really wanted, yet she still wanted to buy something. She started to have a fit and was getting louder and louder saying, "You said I could get something." I calmly stood where I was and asked her to please come over so we could talk. She did and I explained that when she yelled when we were shopping that it was not fun for me and it made me hesitant to go shopping with her. She immediately stopped and said calmly, "ok, I won't scream." Though she still wanted to buy something, she seemed ok with saving her money and looking at another store tomorrow.
I am not sure if that interaction had anything to do with what she said at bedtime, but it seemed somewhat related. When Audrey is REALLY tired and we stop nursing, she cries for a minute. Tonight when she cried, Morgan said, "Audrey, your crying won't make you get to nurse." We talked about how that may be true, but that there is not anything wrong with crying to express your disappointment or sad feelings. It was a "fascinating" conversation ("fascinating" was Morgan's new word today).

Happy Birthday, Diane!

My grandmother was one of the most, if not the most, patient, loving, accepting, and gentle beings that I have ever known. It wasn't that she was perfect, or that I ever thought that she was. She just had an ever present peace about her that allowed me to relax and be myself around her. I can't remember even one time when I felt like she judged me or thought I was anything less than perfect just the way I was. Her love was absolutely unquestionably unconditional. My innermost darkest secrets couldn't touch the way she felt about me. If anything, I think my struggles actually deepened the love my gram had for me. Whenever we were together, there was always a moment when she would stop and ask, "Do you know I love you?" When I would reply, "yes," she would tell me that that is all that mattered in her life. Her question was never rhetorical. She was always so sincere in the way she asked that I knew my answer meant something each and every time I answered. The way in which she consistently asked this left me with no doubt that loving and being loved are truly the reasons for being alive. She held me, both metaphorically and literally, in such a way that my worries melted and acceptance of myself in this life would remain. Her love worked miracles. I saw it and it changed me forever.

I remember my grandmother today, her daughter's birthday. Even though she is no longer physically with me, my gram lives on through her daughter. On the days when sorrow fills my body at the thought that my children will never experience their great grandmommy, I am relieved as soon as my thoughts turn to Diane. Watching her with my girls is something I hold sacred. The way their faces light up and their bodies come alive with excitement when Diane shows up is truly a beautiful sight. I know from the way she speaks to them, the way she touches them, and the way she respects each one for the unique person she is, that my girls have in Diane what I had in my grandmother. There aren't many things I want more than my daughters to experience the peace and acceptance that comes with being loved as Diane loves them. I actually do sleep better at night knowing they have that amazing woman in their lives. I look forward to every moment we spend together and miss her terribly when she is away. We all do. We are all better for loving and being loved by her. Words do not even come close to being able to express the gratitude that lives in my heart for everything she does for my family. I thank you and hope you know how much I love you. Do you know I love you? Happy Birthday, Diane!

"Ewww"

Audrey is very sensitive when it comes to textures. The word "ewww" flies from her lips more times per day than I care to count. Many people have heard about her first experience with finger paints...she gagged the moment her little finger touched the stuff. For the longest time we thought she didn't like chocolate due to her reaction to her chocolate chip cookie cake on her first birthday. Really, it was the icing that disgusted her so because chocolate chips themselves are one of her favorite "num nums." Mud between her toes or yogurt that has accidentally dropped onto her hand provokes feelings of disgust in my youngest daughter. Recently she had another reaction that I found interesting. While Morgan was finishing up her bath, I held Audrey up to the mirror to look at her reflection. I decided to do one of those experiments that I had read about in college. If you put some sort of mark on a baby's face and then show them a mirror, they will reach for the mirror to try and get it off rather than their own face. Well, the only thing I had was some toothpaste and so I chose to put a tiny green dot of past on Audrey's forehead and hold her to the mirror. I couldn't hold back the chuckle. There was no reaching to get the object off of the baby in the mirror. She couldn't even continue looking in the mirror. Just the sight of the small gooey green dot triggered her gag reflex and my experiment was over.

Kids Classic .5K

The girls and I woke up today with no plans. I did, what is becoming, my usual Saturday morning check of the atlantaparent.com for fun things to do. I was thrilled to find a free "Family Festival" going on at the Galleria. Just the children's activities alone sounded great. The bonus was that there was a kids run at 11:00. Morgan was completely psyched and couldn't wait for her first race.
We got there early and registered. We still had about an hour before the run and so we checked out the sponsor booths and games that were set up. Morgan had a blast and basically had the place to herself since we were early. There were inflatables, mini golf, carnival type games with prizes, and a fire truck. Each booth had some sort of free giveaway and one even had free ice cream!
Around 10:45 we headed to the start line. Audrey was set in the stroller and Morgan was listening intently to the announcer. She was having a hard time waiting and kept asking, "When are we going to go?" She even "practiced" by moving her arms back and forth as you would if you were running. We were in the 4 and under group and had I known that she wanted to be closer to the front, we would have moved. However, we were back a little and there was that lag that happens in a race when everyone starts to get moving. It was made worse because I had the jogging stroller. Morgan actually said she wanted to win. I encouraged her to run as fast as she wanted and told her I would catch up to her and not to worry. I am still not completely sure what happened for her, but in the 7 minutes and 13 seconds it took to finish, she stopped twice for me to hold her while she cried. From talking to her about it this evening, I think that she was pulled in two directions. On one hand she wanted to run ahead and on the other, she wanted to run next to me. The whole situation just seemed to overwhelm her a little. Despite the tears, she still wants to run another race sometime. Next time, though, she wants Audrey to stay with someone so we can run together:)
After crossing the finish line, we went to get her shirt. She was so proud that she changed into it immediately. I took some pictures of her and then we were off for more games. She got to climb a rock wall which is something she has wanted to do for a long time. And then right before we were about to head out...we saw them...horses! She was beside herself. She stood in line twice and probably would have continued to do so had I not been so hungry. We left to get lunch after a wonderful day together and are actually thinking about going back to the festival tomorrow.