Thursday, October 29, 2009

Full of Croup

Yes, that title was meant to be a play on words...
It has definitely been a full week. We have been a bit housebound, battling a double serving of Croup and me throwing my back out {again}. We were thankful Croup was all it was after surviving a night of high fevers and coughing with Georgia. Now she has shared it with her brother, of course, but hopefully his won't be so bad. So they are pitiful, and by Sunday we needed to leave the house, if only for a bit.
We had wanted to go to a big Pumpkin patch farm fall festival event, but that was cancelled by the Croup and we needed something quick and easy. So we went down the road to a fall festival & carnival at a local church, St Patrick's. There were a few rides Georgia could enjoy, and we all were glad to burn off some energy out of the house.
"Riding the Horseys"- Georgia's favorite!

Doesn't she make it look so exciting!!

Not so excited about this one- we were told by the carni-guy operating it that it's "homemade"... great...

A big slide is always fun!

Maybe next year, little guy!

So he spent most of his time just running around, picking up trash off the ground. At one point Larry found him about to grab an old, dirty chicken bone! (so gross!)

Finally, we decided he could try out the horseys...

He was SO EXCITED!

He's definitely our little daredevil, not scared of anything. He LOVED going round and round on the horseys!

A little ice cream break... Georgia started off sharing...

...but soon decided it was too good to share!

Lincoln thought Grandad needed some help with his big cone...

He's currently getting his top side "fang" teeth, and the ice cream felt so good on those tender gums! He would hook on and not let go!

Daddy's girl!

Mommy's boy!

Sweet hugs!!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Daddy's Day Out

Sunday I surprised this special guy:

with Club seats to watch this Pro team:

It was our first time in Raymond James Stadium to watch the Buccaneers and it was pretty cool. Their record of 0-5 made good seats very available, and we enjoyed the high life at the Club level. Leather couches & armchairs, big screen TVs, food that ranged from hot dogs & beer to sushi & gourmet coffee awaited us... plus a nice view of the field.

Pro football is amazing- it's a super suped-up version of what I'm used to watching on college fields. The players are faster, the stadium bigger, the cheerleaders are skimpier... the fans don't always cheer as loud as I'm used to, but they are certainly committed to their team if they pay face value for those tickets! (I only share this pic of the cheerleaders b/c they were actually a little "covered" for the first half with pink shirts to support Breast Cancer Awareness- those came off for the 2nd half!)

We enjoyed watching Cadillac Williams do his thing on the field, but ultimately the Bucs extended their record to 0-6, losing to the Carolina Panthers in the last minutes. We did get to hear the canons blast a few times from the pirate ship in the end zone for touchdowns...


It's a true-to-scale ship, complete with talking parrot and giant skull...



After the game we ran by the house to clean up and change, and continued our night out with dinner and a movie. It was nice to spend the day together, experiencing some of the fun our new city has to offer, and treat my hardworking husband!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Water Bug


Our kiddos are both little water bugs, so they're loving now having a pool in the backyard and also the warm temperatures to go with it! Georgia is doing great in the water and is fearless. She is "kick-kicking" and using her arms very well! After we get her some swim lessons, I think she'll be wanting to ditch those water wings soon!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunset Cruise

This is why we live in Tampa... scenery & family! Some days, it's like looking at life thru rose-colored glasses...

Sunday night we got to take a little sunset cruise with the Waltrips & the kiddos after dinner. (For FYI:) The Waltrips are our family in so many ways. Aunt Laura & mom met as fresh-out-of-school nurses, and have worked together for many of the last 25 (or so) years. Our families have grown together ever since, and it's encouraging to me to see such a great friendship evolve, grow and love over my lifetime. They've always been "aunt" Laura & "uncle" Rick- their kids are Shawn (my age), Emily & Drew (my brother Wes's age), and Robbie (1 year younger than my brother Michael). And they've always been our "cousins". We love them and are excited about now getting to watch our kiddos grow up as cousins!

So, back to the sunset over Tampa Bay...

The kiddos enjoyed it too- Logan (3.75 years), Georgia (2.5 years) & Emma (almost 2)

Have I mentioned that my kids are loving being spoiled by this lady? They love her! :)



Grandad is pretty awesome too! Especially since he lets a 2 year old drive the boat...
Uncle Rick is a pretty awesome "Papa" too... ( I don't know how Aunt Laura escaped all my pictures! But yea- we love her too!)

It is still hot and humid down here- summer continues thru fall. But we're supposed to get a cold front the end of this week- meaning temps in the 80s! ;)

Thursday, October 8, 2009

On Sister's Trike

Look at me- so big, riding Sister's trike! (Even though my feet don't touch the pedals!)


Yea- Georgia's going to push me!


Faster, sister, faster! Wheee!!!


-OOPS!!!-


(Notice sad tears and dirty elbow)


Mom- why did you let her push me so fast??

Always Mommy's fault in the end! ;)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Ew, Ew and -seriously- EW!

So, if you're trying to call me today, or expecting a call from me and haven't gotten it- I'm sorry! Let me try to explain why...
Yesterday I got Lincoln up from his nap and we headed downstairs to make his bottle. I put him down while I made it and he toddled off, as usual. When I was done making the bottle, I wandered into the living room looking for him. He was playing with something on the floor in the far corner... I got closer...
EW!!
It was a Lincoln-sized puddle of dog vomit! Yes- and my baby boy was happily smearing his hands thru it, had it all over his lag, and I'm sure, though I couldn't confirm or deny, it made it's way to his mouth, like everything does!!
I whisked him straight to the kitchen sink, stripped him and scrubbed him.
Next...
Oh, yes, and he happened to be carrying my cell phone around with him as he was playing, so it now was also covered in dog vomit.
EW!!!
I tried to gently wipe the phone down best I could with a wet towel, but it still reeked and I talked on speaker phone the rest of the day.
Next...
So after Lincoln was sufficiently clean (I wanted to brush his {2} teeth, but had to be satisfied with a generous drink of water), we went back to the scene of the crime to clean up... only to find most of the puddle of vomit had disappeared... and my parent's other dog, Buddy, looking mighty happy and full...
seriously- EW!!!!

And the moral of the story is:
~always know where your baby is and what he's playing with/eating
~never let your baby carry around your phone
~never leave a puddle of dog vomit unattended in a house with dogs
~dog vomit will cause your phone to cease working

And that is why I will be getting a new phone tonight! This move to Tampa gets more expensive every day... (Oh yes- have I mentioned that in the last 2 weeks we've also replaced my transmission and 2 window motors in my Jeep!?)

Having a baby boy continues to be full of unexpected surprises!!

PS- On a side note, I do not blame Morgan (causer of vomit) in any way for what happened. Poor old pup has had a rough week and is not feeling so well! Thankfully, no more vomit since!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Lincoln: 10 Months

Dear Lincoln,
10 Months already and what a month it's been! You've put up with a lot of changes and craziness and still kept that sweet smile on your face. Thank you for reminding me daily that even though life can be crazy and busy and changing, all we need is smiles and slobbery kisses to be reminded of what's really important! Let's look at what you've been up to this month:

~While you'll always have Alabama roots, you have now become a Florida Boy! It's kinda sad to me that you won't remember having lived in Alabama,but know it was a great life for us there. We'll make sure you know the family and friends there well, and that will always be your other sweet home!

~While we've been moving our family, you've been doing some moving of your own- moving on to full-time walking! You have really taken off this month and will now -literally- walk laps around the house. It's so amazing to see you waddle past, arms out, legs moving as fast as they can! You can also stop walking, squat to pick something up, then stand again. You can't stand from sitting yet, you still crawl over to something you can pull up on and take off from there. That will be the last step!

~I have to mention some of the creative ways you learned to walk so well- Georgia has helped you by letting you grab the front of her shirt while you're standing, then she walks backward while you walk with her, holding on to her. You both thinks it's a hilarious game- till she gets walking so fast you tumble into her! Once we got to Tampa, you found you could use Morgan (Grammie & Grandad's lab) for the same purpose, grabbing her fur and walking alongside her! I think they're both glad you're doing so well on your own now!
~You continue to be my good eater, and we've been working towards more finger food (puffs, cheerios, crackers, etc). You were still having a hard time getting the finger food out of your little fist and into your mouth, but you're doing better now. You get a huge grin when some food actually makes it in your mouth! We were out one night and gave you a pizza crust to keep you occupied- what a treat! You would take a nibble, then make the happiest noises, then go for more!

~Boy, you've got some moves! You've discovered the joy of dancing this month, and do an awesome "Ray Charles" head swerve. You dance whenever you hear any sort of tune, from your sister singing, music on tv, or even a regular tap tap of a spoon! When you're standing, you get your whole body into it, moving your shoulders and bouncing your knees!
~You continue to be very vocal, but seem to be trying to make certain sounds now. You try to "sing", like "ahhhhhh ahhhhh", or copy something I say, like "all done"- "ba baaa". No actual words yet, but it's so neat to watch you start to understand how to communicate! You still won't try sign language, though Georgia & I keep trying to teach you. You continue to remind me that you're all boy, as your favorite sounds are an emphatic "bbbbbbb" or Thhhhhhhht"!
~Grammie taught you a fun trick- how to High Five! You reach up high to slap our hand and give a big grin to go with it!

~You have loved LOVED being around Grammie & Grandad's dogs, Morgan & Buddy. You have special excited noises you make when they come in the room, and your whole face lights up. They've learned to stay out of the way of your grabby little mitts, but you just think it's a fun game to chase them from room to room! They are very patient with you and it's great to watch you have so much fun!

~As always, you continually keep me on my toes as you look for mischief and trouble! You have been exploring all of your new territory, corners and cabinets here at Grammie & Grandad's house. You love to "steal" something out of a cabinet, then waddle away with it as fast as you can... then you come back for more! I think Grammie is starting to understand that her house may never be completely picked up while you are here!

It has been a wild month, but even when the last of my patience is gone, all I have to do is nuzzle your soft blond head to feel better! Thank you for being my sweet baby boy and giving me so many snuggles and slobbery kisses. We continue to thank the Lord for giving you to us, for your health & well-being, and ask His guidance and His will be done, as parents and as a family.
I love you,
Mommy