I'm A Barbie Girl

I love Barbie! Always have! And I had hoped that one day, Elleah would also love Barbie! I figured she would be 3 or 4 years old. I was wrong. 

A while back, we bought Elleah a Barbie movie out of the $5 bin at Wal-Mart because.... well.... because it was $5 and we needed her a new video to watch in the car for a road trip. Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. It changed our sweet girl's life. She loved it. And now all she wants to do is watch Barbie, play with Barbie, watch Barbie, sing with Barbie, dress like Barbie, watch Barbie, and watch Barbie. Whew. So, I bought her two more Barbie movies: Barbie in Swan Lake and Barbie the Princess and the Pauper. She loves them both as much as the first one. If she is upset, we turn on Barbie. If we have a long drive, we turn on Barbie. If we want her to settle down and rest, we turn on Barbie. 


I have decided that I will collect all the Barbie movies (like some people do the Disney movies) for her and give them to her for various occasions. I am super excited. I will definitely pay $15-$20 for one movie, but not now. I found a few movies at Target and Kmart for $5 or LESS. So I think I am going to pick them up as I see them for a good price, at least for a while since I am in no rush. I got her Barbie in a Christmas Carol to watch for the holidays and well, she loves it. So here is my mission:

Barbie Movies
1. Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) <~~got it
2. Barbie as Rapunzel (2002) <~~got it
3. Barbie of Swan Lake (2003) <~~got it
4. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004) <~~got it
5. Barbie Fairytopia (2005)
6. Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (2005) <~~got it
7. Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006)
8. The Barbie Diaries (2006)
9. Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
10. Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow (2007)
11. Barbie as the Island Princess (2007)
12. Barbie Mariposa (2008) <~~got it
13. Barbie and the Diamond Castle (2008)
14. Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008) <~~got it
15. Barbie Presents Thumbelina (2009)
16. Barbie And The Three Musketeers (2009)
17. Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010)
18. Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale (2010)
19. Barbie: A Fairy Secret (2011)
20. Barbie: Princess Charm School (2011)
21. Barbie: The Perfect Christmas (2011)

There are also lots of toys I would love to get here, and of course, collectibles. I still have the collectible Barbies I was given when I was younger too! My two faves-

My Two Favorites:

...This is the reason God gave me a little girl......

The GNO

I will admit it... since I became a mom, I don't get out much. Not because I can't, more because I don't want to. You always think that you will miss going out with friends when you have kids.... but you don't. You would rather just stay home with them. Kiss them goodnight.... and then pass OUT as soon as you can. But you have GOT to get out sometimes and just be with friends. So when two of my friends (Katey and Anika) and I decided that we would all go see Breaking Dawn together. We ended up getting straight up giddy about this "event". We giggled on the phone when we talked about it, we planned and planned even though the plan never actually changed, and we talked about it like we were talking strategy in the huddle - "Ok Ok Ok..We will both pull our cars up next to each other at approx 11am, I will get out and go get my ticket and you stand in between the cars watching the kids. Then when I get back, you go get your ticket and 'break'. We will meet back here at 4:15pm. No, lets make it 4pm to be safe. We will get our popcorn and pee and meet back to take our position in line. If we get in there early, we need to save a seat. Lets sit in the middle. Not too close. Not too far. I don't want to have to turn my neck at all to see the movie." hahahahaha Strategy!! We came very close to getting matching shirts to remember the date! 


You see, it really was not about the movie. Well, we WERE really excited that Breaking Dawn was finally out. But not near as excited as we were that all 3 of us have kids, all 3 of us are married to the military, and all 3 of us were able to go AT THE SAME TIME. This was an EPIC event. Monumental really. Our husbands are not on the same rotation (one is not even on the same kind of boat) and it seems like making something like this happen is tough. The good news was, our husbands/babysitters were on alert from the beginning that Nov 18th posed a great chance for a Girls' Night Out and were ALL for it if it meant that they did not have to attend this movie as our date themselves. Their words - "oh Gosh GO... stay out all night... why don't you get dinner afterward... for gosh sakes I will stay here and clean toddler pee off the floor just do not make me be the one that has to go with you to see that movie." hahaha. <3 them. 


So off we went!! We had SO much fun. Our little theater here in town is just that.. little. So it is not like you have to stand in obnoxious lines and crowds. I happen to LOVE that about this place. We sat there for what felt like 15 minutes watching the movie (oh wait, that movie was 1hr, 50min??? didn't feel like it haha). Then two of us headed out to dinner. We laughed...we cried... we found out our waiter had a vasectomy 6 days earlier... it was a good time. 


We have GOT to start making this a monthly thing. Us mommys need it!!!! It is hard because we ARE each other's family. We usually call upon each other when we need someone to watch our kids last minute or whenever. We bring the kids along on outings because our hubby's are out on the boats so much. We kinda depend on each other. I envy people that can call their mom's, aunts, or sisters/brothers when they need a night off! Us girls call upon each other and therefore, we do not get to spend any of those nights TOGETHER!!! But while I envy those other people, I would not change anything in the world. I am just thankful... thankful to actually have friends like that in my life at all... that I can depend on and that I trust! Also thankful to have a hubby that supports the GNO. That's right, I said it.... The GNO! haha. Lets do it again!! 


As a side note - I was supposed to meet my bestie Maria somewhere half way between her place in Raleigh and here in GA. Girls weekend away!!! It didn't work out..... Just an example of how hard it is to plan something and have it stick when you have the jobs, and the kids, and life to worry about!! The good news is, we get to REplan for another weekend! :-) Having a GNO was probably what kept me from being bummed about not getting to see my Maria. Love all these  darn girls!! <3 <3  

Awesomeness.....

As many of you know, I have become a pinterest-aholic. It is SO a word. Look it up!!! I started a board on there called Genius because I kept running across things that I had nothing more to say about than "That is genius." Well, I sometimes think "I should have thought of that!!!!" You can check out my board here but here are a few samples: 

This is great.... you can put it away hot!

I should have thought of this....
it would be more useful in a diaper bag though! ;-)

I am just speechless with this one...

This got me thinking about other awesome things!!! Things you cannot find on pinterest because there are no pictures for such. Like my doggie's "innocent" look or Elleah's "innocent" look. I am such a sucker for that look, what can I say. Or when I am watching my dvr and I am skipping through commercials... how awesome is it to stop right when the show starts back up?? How about when you get an answer RIGHT when watching Jeopardy. Just shut up now if you get NO thrill from guessing the answer before they even buzz in... just shut up!! Oh and especially when other people are in the room. I also think it is so super awesome when I am sitting at home alone and something makes me laugh out loud. Literally. (ps-just being at home alone is pretty awesome too, all in itself). You know what else is really awesome.... fedex showing up when you completely forgot you ordered something online! SCORE! Oh and when I forget to set my alarm but I manage to wake up in time all by myself. That really is divine intervention right there (or sometimes Elleah). 

The other day, at Walmart, some guy who had a lot of things let me go ahead of him in line because I only had 2 things. THAT GUY, that guy is pretty awesome! Oh and when I can successfully pick something up with my toes!! And when your 28 year old friend hangs upside down from the bars at the park... AwwwweSoooome! 

When the score of the game is tied near the end of the game, when you high-five strangers, and when you say the exact same thing the sports commentator said minutes before he actually said it.. ALL awesomeness! 

I Love My Crock Pot! Chicken

I do not fancy myself a chef by any means. But I DO love to cook. I used to be an awful cook. These days, however, I am getting pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). And while I do love to cook, I do not like to cook the same thing again and again, and I do not like to cook too extravagantly. After all, I am a mother to a two year old and usually want to crash by the time dinner time even rolls around. I am a crock pot kinda girl. I love that dang thing. I can prepare my meals while Elleah is at morning school and serve it up easily at dinner time. The only down fall... you have to plan ahead to use the crockpot. I stink at planning ahead. But last night, I took out some chicken and grabbed my crockpot cookbook and started planning. 


I am one of those people that has a TON of food in their pantry and still think I have "nothing to cook." I made a promise to myself that in the coming weeks, I would try to cook something using EVERYTHING I have in my pantry. Not all at once, of course. With that being said, I needed to search for a recipe that involved not only chicken, but potatoes too! Because I had a whole 5lb bag of potatoes that has to go. 


So anyway, here I am looking for a recipe and I come across one that involved chicken, potatoes, and velveeta cheese...?!?!. I love velveeta cheese, but it sounded a little too heavy for me. I like my velveeta cheese on a chip, with a little rotel. :-) I stopped looking though, because I came up with recipe in my head based on this recipe I found in my book. 


It turned out AWESOME and I thought to myself "Self..... you may need to blog about this stuff." 


Here is the recipe: (in a "dinner for two" style format)


2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually get 3 in a Tyson pack, so I just saved it for another day)
4-5 red potatoes
handful of frozen chopped bell pepper (any or all colors)(I keep these on hand bc I use them like its my job) 
handful of frozen chopped onion (I also keep these on hand)
1 can cream of Chicken Soup (any cream soup would work)
1 "can" of Milk (use the empty soup can)
salt 
pepper
Garlic Pepper Grinder (or just Garlic salt)


I sliced the potatoes into coins about 1/4 in thick. Then, I layered them in the bottom of the crockpot and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, I mixed the can of soup with the can of milk and whisked it till it was combined. Add a little salt and pepper to the mixture. I poured it over the potatoes and then added the handfuls of peppers and onions. I laid the chicken breast on top and used my Garlic Pepper Grinder to season the chicken (you could totally just use pepper and some garlic salt). I popped the top on it and let it go. On high for an hour and then on low for another 4 hours. I just made sure the potatoes were done and then declared it ready! 


So simple and so easy. You could even add a little butter down with the potatoes if you wanted to. I am not exactly a recipe book writer, so it is probably hard to follow my directions. LOL. There is no exact anything though. Add as much peppers, onion, and salt that you want. I have learned that potatoes NEED salt. RIGHT? RIGHT! :-) These are things I ALWAYS have in my pantry so I am excited that I combined them to make something yummy. I have this meal as "I have nothing in this house to eat" back up!! haha. 

Yummy

Did you say, Ghost? *Zoinks*

As I have mentioned before... I Don't Do Scary!! Halloween has never been my favorite event and I pretty much down right hated it. However, like most things in my life, that ALL changed when I had Elleah. And this year was by FAR the best!! She is at the age where she really gets into it all and seeing her so into everything has totally sucked me in. We decided that this year, we would attend Trunk or Treat on the base here in Kings Bay. Basically, a bunch of cars line up around this block and kids in their costumes go from car to car "trick or treating." Elleah dressed up as an Angel/Devil. I think this costume is the epitome of what being TWO is all about. haha.

The trunk or treat block!

Devil and Angel

The next weekend, we went to the zoo in Jacksonville for Spooktacular. It is an adorable presentation of mixing the festivities of Halloween with the animals at the zoo. You follow the path lined with thousands of carved pumpkins and "trick or treat" at stations along the way. There are also Scare Zones where if you are 12 and up, you can go get spooked. No Thanks!! haha. But after telling me the first one was not so bad, I entered the 2nd one with my friend Katey. I literally walked about 10 ft in and when the first "monster" jumped out at me through the fog, I turned around and started to walk out. Katey and I had our arms looped and she dragged me back in. "Strategy thinking" kicked in and I decided to stay on these other people's heels in front of us because as long as they were ahead, nothing spooky could jump out without scaring them first, so I was more prepared! :-) Since I am typing this now, you know I made it out alive, but it was a close call and I will probably never attempt such pish posh again! LOL.

Some of the MANY MANY pumpkins!

The Saturday night before Halloween, TJ was out hunting and it was Elleah and I doing our thing. Which would have been fine if Elleah did not tell me she wanted me to play with her and her ghost!!!! In the spirit of Halloween??? Big imagination??? I don't know! But I know that I do not care to play with a ghost! A few hours later, while she was watching TV, she lifted her head up said "Hi Ghost" real quick and laid her head back down. I don't dig that kinda stuff! lol. So I came up with a great solution.... We built a tent. Naturally! Two blankets, three dining room chairs, and one piece of duck tape and WA-LA... ghost protection! You might be saying, "Katie, why not just put Elleah's little tent up in the living room?" Well, because one, I would not fit in it and two, where is the fun in that? So we made snacks and piled in there and watched Charlie Brown's Halloween special. It was a fun girls' night..... except for the ghost thwarting, of course!

Waiting for me to join her in the "tent"

Halloween FINALLY came and with all the practice Elleah had, she was a pro at trick or treating! Well, besides the fact that she does not talk to people she don't know, so she did not say trick or treat. She just walked up, waited for me to ring the bell, stuck her bucket up and got the candy, and turned and went running to the next house. She made it all the way around our block with her friends (Lily and Dylan) and filled her bucket to the top!! She dressed as a clown (another good costume for her personality, lol) and wore every piece of it the entire time! I was thinking that at some point, her wrist cuffs were comin off!! But nope, she stayed in tack!! :-)

Dylan as Bam Bam

Lily the Owl

I just think each year will keep getting better and better!! So, I guess Halloween isn't so bad! As long as the ghosts and monsters stay away.......

Next year I will call Scooby and the gang to help me out though! :-)

True Freedom

Guess what?? I grew into my nose and my forehead. Well, maybe not, but mentally I did. When I was in middle school, I was BEYOND insecure about my looks. I felt inferior to my friends and, in my opinion, was shy and awkward. I am not sure what everyone else thought, but that did not matter. When it came to ME, I was blah. I remember a friend of mine (whose name I will not mention but she may be reading this and was a DOLL for trying) talked to a guy I had a crush on about me and reported back to me that he said "Her nose is too big!" Yeah, it stuck with me. Even when I got to high school, those words never went away. I did not dwell on it, but it never... went... away! I had great friends in high school though, and even though I felt awkward and like I did not fit in much, they never made me think that THEY felt that way. It is only NOW that I can look back and realize I was lucky for that. 

I am not sure at what point in my life this all changed, but it changed BIG TIME. I love my nose. :-) And my forehead. What is not to love? Yes, Elleah looks a lot like her daddy, but when I look at her, I see a lot of myself as well, and she is perfect!!! So how dare me think anything about myself that may cause me to be hard on myself. I have become comfortable with who I am. I am honest about who I am. I am serious and silly, and definitely have my moments... both the blonde variety and the bitchy variety. I speak before thinking, and even though my body has suffered a tragic loss after Elleah, I still rock my swimsuit at the beach. I do not wear make up every day and I have been known to mosey up into Wal-Mart in my big tshirts and comfy pants. I do take pride in myself but I have become comfortable with what is realistic for myself.... and so even though I may look a-mess sometimes, I take pride in WHY I look that way. 

I think that this is TRUE FREEDOM. When you reach a point in your life where what others have to say about you and what they may think about you does not matter, that is an amazing feeling. I know that most of us say "Oh I do not care what other people think about me." But if you think SERIOUSLY to yourself if that statement is true, and it truly truly is, then you have true freedom. I think that there are times we steer away, but finding your way back to yourself is what it is all about. Right now, I feel that way. I am extremely content with being me and I hope I stay that way for a long long time (like as in FOREVER ;-)). 

I know a lot of people that spend their days thinking/saying/judging things that are so insignificant. And it is their right to do so. But this is not the kind of thing that I want to surround myself with. It is hard to stay content and happy when there are so many negative nellys out there. And while facebook is awesome, I think that it is time for me to step away for a little while. Gradually. And by basically saying bye-bye to people as their negativity is shown (whether it is shown ON fb or in person). Most of you won't even see the difference though, because most of you are amazing people!! :-P  

.....You Might Be a Mommy.

This one is for all you mom's out there!! OR for those of you that just get IT!! The past week or so, I have been posting "you might be a mommy" lines! Ya know, kinda like Jeff Foxworthy's "you might be a redneck" lines. As I have said a BILLION times, being a mom is the greatest experience, and also a very educational one. TWO years and I have learned more than I did in the previous 25 years of my life. So here are a few of my personal experiences where I said "omg, I KNOW I am a Mommy now." (ps-I am adding the ones a few of my friends have posted too)


If you have ever watched an entire TV show on mute.... you might be a mommy.
If you can keep a rocking chair RoCkInG while drifting away into a dead sleep.... you might be a mommy.
If you pray more than 6 times a day..... you might be a mommy.
If your prayers usually start with "Please God" in lieu of "Dear God" ...you might be a mommy.
If you have ever crawled on your hands a knees out of a room to avoid being seen above the bed level....you might be a mommy.
If you are willing to exchange cookies for silence..... you might be a mommy.
If you hear the word "poop" before your eyes are completely open in the morning.... you might be a mommy. (thank you Lisa)
If you are home EVERYDAY between 1-4pm.... you might be a mommy. *crucial nap times*
If you are planning an awesome party, and the theme centers around a cartoon character... you might be a mommy. (thank you Lisa)
If you cuss bedroom doors for making that "creaking" noise.... you might be a mommy. 
If you think 6am is entirely too early and insanely inappropriate for the garbage man to be in the neighborhood... you might be a mommy.
If you think that 1-4pm is an inappropriate time for the mail to be delivered....you might be a mommy.
If you can make an apple pie with one hand..... you might be a mommy.
If you can do almost anything with one hand.... you might be a mommy.
If 78% of your camera roll consists of blurry shots.... you might be a mommy (of a toddler for sure).
If you consider a night on the town going to the grocery store alone.... you might be mommy.
If you have ever woken up in the morning with extra people in your bed.... you might be a mommy.
If you have never called a pacifier a "pacifier"... you might be a mommy.
If you have ever held out your hands to catch vomit.... you might be a mommy.
If your "me time" consists of the 15 minutes it takes you to clean the kitchen... you might be a mommy.
If you call your husband "daddy".... you might be a mommy. 
If you have ever FAKED needing to go to the bathroom just to get some peace.... you might be a mommy.
If anything you might possibly need can be found on the floorboard of your backseat.... you might be a mommy. 
If you have ever crawled on the floor at 2am searching for a paci like your life depended on it.... you might be a mommy.
If you are in the car alone for a full 15 min before you realize Toddler Tunes is playing on CD player..... you might be a mommy. 
If you have cheerios in the bottom of your purse and it does not phase you to just leave them there.... you might be a mommy.
If the loud, obnoxious noise in a restaurant is coming from your table.... you might be a mommy.
If you have even gone 3 days without remembering to take a shower.... you might be a mommy. 
If you head out on a road trip and snuggle in the car to a mickey pillow and winnie the pooh blanket... you might be a mommy. (thank you Michelle)
If gifts are always being sent to your house and none of them are for you... you might be a mommy.
If preparations for a nice relaxing bath consists of removing toy boats and rubber aquatic animals that squirt water.... you might be a mommy.
If you ever thought having kids was a stupid, crazy, idiotically wonderful idea... you might be a mommy. 


I could go on... and maybe I will one day! ;-) 


Please remember... these are "you MIGHT be a mommy"! I am sure some of you with NO kids call your husband "daddy!" But that is just weird. And I am sure some of you with NO kids also think that 6am is too early for the garbage man. Call your city officials, but do not lessen my meaning for posting that! lol. 

Jim Cantore? Is that You...Again?

My hurricane stories HAVE been told. It is one of my favorite things to tell about. I am sure you have all heard them before. BUT with Irene looming just East of where I am now, it got me thinking... Here we go again! Looks like Irene is missing us, but still... HERE WE GO AGAIN!! It really is a rather interesting story....


I have lived in 5 different areas and there is only ONE area that I have lived in that I was NOT hit by a hurricane! That ONE place? HERE! In South GA! And so it is safe to say that I have not been hit by a hurricane while in GA... YET!


I grew up in Pensacola, FL which is the City of Five Flags. It should be called the City of Hurricane Alley! My most memorable Pensacola hurricanes were Erin and Opal! Opal being my most scary one because we had to evacuate to a shelter so we went up to the a high school and had to leave my beloved Benny (Benji, my dog) home. We put mattresses in the center room of the house and locked him in there. It was SO SAD. Luckily the house was fine and so was Benny. But the high school we went to (which would later be MY high school)... well... the gym roof got blown off. Should have stayed home!! HAHA. No power for weeks.


After marrying TJ, he went up to Yorktown, VA for A school. I went up there after a month away from him... we rented this studio place. We were there TWO months and a week before we were leaving, hurricane Isabel hit Hampton Roads in VA. It had been a while since their previous hurricane!! I come to town for two months and BAM! FROM nhc.com- "Isabel is considered to be one of the most significant tropical cyclones to affect east-central Virginia since Hurricane Hazel in 1954." 

We then moved to Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, FL. That is when the real fun began. We lived directly on the ocean on Patrick AFB. While we lived there, Hurricane Charley (cat 4 by landfall) hit the WEST side of FL, coming up through the Tampa area. I really did not think we would see THAT much damage. But as the neighbors trampoline, dog houses, grills, and patio furniture went flying by my back door and water began to seep in my bottom floor, I thought otherwise. 


Frances was next. Hurricane Fances (cat 2 at landfall - Sept 5th), however, forced us to a mandatory evacuation of the island because it was coming in directly from the Atlantic. TJ had to, of course, leave on the boat, so I left with Gracie and headed to Pensacola to stay with mom and dad. I could not get back on base where I lived after the hurricane so I stayed a little while in Pensacola. A little over a week later and I had to go because Ivan (cat 4 by landfall Sept 16th) was headed up to the Gulf Coast. By the time I got home, and realized my house had flooded again (worse this time of course), I had to leave again because Hurricane Jeanne (cat 3 by landfall Sept 25th) was forcing another evacuation with another east coast hit on FL. This time I went to a hotel with another one of the wives in Orlando (that is another blog for another time....looooordy), and was not able to return home for a quite a few days. Trust me, two women, 3 dogs, in a small hotel room with NO POWER is not that fun. When I did get home, my house was flooded again. Needless to say, I got 1 good steam cleaning and 2 complete carpet changes that year!! PS- those were the first FL east coast hurricanes in over 10 years. 


I finally ended up in South Texas! After two smooth years of no hurricanes, Hurricane Dolly (cat 1 by landfall) found me! Although TJ was not stationed on a boat at the time, the CG had convievently sent him to VA for a school that week. Mom and dad had come to see me (without knowing Dolly was headed that way as well) and us three rode it out together. No power for over a week and the flooding was ABSURD!! That hard hard hard South Texas ground does not drain well. From weather wiki - "Hurricane Dolly is considered to be the most destructive hurricane to hit the Rio Grande Valley in 41 years; the last such storm was Beulah in 1967, but Beulah was not more damaging; it was just deadlier."  


SO, now I live in South GA, and I have come to the conclusion that it is now IF a hurricane comes to find me again, but WHEN! Although this part of GA has not been hit in like a billion years and the last time any part of GA was hit was in 1979 when David hit Savannah! I will still believe that it is not going to happen AFTER I move. 

Elleah, you are the greatest! (Elleah's Antics Pt 2)

I am always saying that spending one day with Elleah will give anybody enough material to write a bestseller. Or at least a pretty entertaining blog post. Seems like the last 3-4 months has been a whirlwind of entertainment for the Runnels' household. Here are a few of my favorite instances:

• We were dog-sitting for a week to a dog named Sprite. Well Sprite got out of the fence quite a bit and we had to chase her down. One time, she got out while Elleah and I were napping--for 3 hours!!! We hopped in the car and when scouring the neighborhood. I had the windows down in the car and from the backseat, Elleah starts yelling "Spriiiiite, where you? Spriiiiiite." I though it was adorable so I told her to keep it up. Then she starts shaking her cup towards the window and saying "Spriiiite, chocky juice...." trying to lure Sprite back with her with Chocolate Milk!! HAHA. PS-the lure of chocolate milk did not work, BUT we did find Sprite safe and sound. 

• She is seriously into singing. She has recently found the spare plunger (yeah I said it... our spare TOILET plunger) from the bathroom closet. She carried it into the livingroom, set it on her lap tray, and started to sing into the handle like it is her microphone stand. She then puts it in our face saying, "You want some?" No Elleah, I do not want a toilet plunger near my mouth. And try to take it from her and it is ON! PS-We got her an actual microphone and stand for her birthday and it has replaced the plunger for now! 

• We have been teaching Elleah to say please and thank you. She is great at this actually. Maybe a little TOO great though. When I tell her to do certain things such as pick up her crayons or go get in her bed, she says "Please No mommy, please" OR "Please stop mommy, please"! Haha what do you do about that? She is saying it like you want her to & you do not want her to think that saying please does not work. She also says thank you about everything... I lift her onto the potty "thank you mommy", I wash behind her ears "thank you mommy", I let her out of time out "thank you mommy", and even when I change her pull-up (if necessary) "thank you mommy". This is not a bad thing, just super funny that she says thank you about EVERYTHING! Gotta love her!

• She used an old cellphone and dialed 911 the other day. That was fun. 

• She gets me up every morning by climbing on top of me and saying "moooooommy, I want eeeeeeat" LOL

• She gets OBSESSIVE over certain people. Out of the blue she dials in on a certain person and will not stop saying that she wants them. For Example, Mike's first day of football camp, the first day in MONTHS that we can NOT call him up any time and she wants MIKE. And that is all she says ALL DAY "I want Un miiiiiiiike." 

• When Gracie barks, she yells "hush Gracie" and puts her finger to her lips. LOL

• She says "oooooo ooooooh." It is kind of hard to type how it actually sounds, but it is when she is excited. It kind of sounds like something Oprah would say. haha. She also says "Oh boy" and "Oh YAY." 

• While in a restaurant one time, she saw a big, tall guy come in. Kinda looked like her Un Mike, but he was black. So instead of yelling "Miiiiiike" she yells "Chocky Mike"!!!! Kinda freaking hilarious and as far as I know, her noticing the difference in her milf and chocolate milk is what prompted this same distinction! PS-the only thing better than a Mike to her is a chocolate Mike... but then again, who wouldn't love that?! 

• She stops dead in her tracks to yell "Yay, Home Runny" every time the crowd on TV gets excited during a game. They are ALL home runs to her. Awesome!

• When we tell her it is time for bed, she says "I play morrow?" Yes baby, your ONLY worry in this life is whether you get to play tomorrow.... and I intend to keep it that way for a while!! 

• She thinks she is a big girl when she says "I'm gonna go outside, k?, bye". 

• She has begun answering Dora's questions. When Dora waits too long (you know that pause that Dora does?) she yells the answer to her again in a frustrated manner!! hahaha

• When she toots, I say "Did you just toot?" and she laughs HYSTERICALLY!! Then does it again, on purpose! She is the only girl I know that can stand there and toot on demand!! (she will read this when she is 16 and just LOVE me..haha)

• She kisses MY bobo's. Love her! 

• She told me she had a bobo and this when I asked her where, she turned around and pointed to her butt and told me to kiss it. I know to her it was an innocent bobo that needed a kiss... but I could not help but laugh at the thought of her telling me to kiss her butt. One day that will not be so funny! 

As I am sitting her typing this, I realize that I could be sitter here forever typing up all her little things! Maybe I am the only one that finds them funny, but watching her little personality develop is soooo adorable and fun!!! I guess this is a good idea of who she is, so I will leave it here!!

Telling her to "smile"...

Telling her to give me a "funny face"....

This is what she decided to do with the BOX one of her birthday presents came in! hahaha 

 

Camping - With 2 Kinds of Hot Dogs

In every happy marriage, you must learn to give a little and compromise. I am spoiled and well taken care of, I have never denied that. So in order to show my husband how much I appreciate and love him for all that he does, I must occasionally give in and do what HE wants to do. That is why I went camping.... in a tent.... in August, with a (almost) 2 year old. God love TJ though, because I am not sure what is worse.... me camping in a tent, in August, with a (almost) 2 year old, OR TJ having to camp with ME and a (almost) 2 year old... in a tent.... in August. We took our dog by the way.. so that made it extra fun.

So TJ picked a campground right on the beach and let me just say... he did GOOD. We went to St Augustine to Anastasia State Park. So gorgeous out there! We got out there at about 6pm on Friday and started to set up. It took approx. 2 hrs and 7 minutes (just an estimate of time) to construct our tent. WHY? Because TJ bought us a new 10 person tent a while back and this was only our second time putting it up... just the two of us.... with a TEN person tent..!! A family of THREE, that all sleep on the same air mattress... yeah, its large. But I guess that makes it fun. By the way, if you are not completely in LOVE and have a stable relationship with your hubby or significant other, do not try putting a tent up together... it could cause serious issues in the relationship. haha

TJ....so proud of completing the "tent task" 

Elleah started having the time of her life as soon as we stepped foot out of the truck. I decided to just let her get dirty and go at it hard. And she did not disappoint. No bow, no shoes, and no snazzy outfit.... the girl looked a-mess!!!! Still cute, but.... well... you can see for yourself...

Such a mess... but still amazingly cute!!! 

All that playing ended up like this though.....

Tuckered

I don't know if you can see it, but she IS wearing her glow in the dark "I heart Vampires" tshrit. And don't judge me.... the way I see it... we were out in the woods.... in a TENT... she needed to be on somebody's team.

We woke up the next morning and after TJ cooked breakfast, we hit the bikes and headed to the beach. Gracie couldn't go to the beach so we left her in the tent with 2 fans and a bowl of food and water!! Yay.... such a good idea. I will revisit this in a second. First of all though... the beach!! What a perfect day to go. We took the bikes down along the water and rode for a good while. Then we decided that the water was looking too great to not be in...

Mr Hasselhoff himself (TJ said that when he saw this pic)

Well... we had a great hour and a half by the water and then returned to the campsite.... where Gracie had decided NOT to stay. Why I did not think she would be able to get out is beyond me. This is something I should have thought about when we decided to leave her there. I should have said to myself  "Self, this might not work." So in a panic, I hopped in the truck and roll off to search for her. It only took me a minute to remember I had a smartphone and I looked the # up to the rangers station! I called them and they called the rangers to check if they had seen her. One guy had seen her.... and she was riding around with him in his golf cart!! hahahaha. He took her to our campsite # and told TJ that Gracie told him that she did not like camping without a/c. This particular park ranger spoke cocker spaniel. The vision I have of Gracie finding her own thing to do and cruising around on the cart cracks me up. The ranger said he went around asking if anybody lost a dog, but then decided she could ride around with him until somebody reported her OR he was able to get a chance to take her to some a/c. THANK GOD he was such a sweet guy!! We felt so awful though... and pretty stupid! We got cleaned up and decided to get in the truck and go riding around St Augustine. We were not even out of the park gates and Gracie and Elleah were BOTH knocked out.

Our second trip to the beach that day was a little different.... we took the truck, not the bikes, and we left the truck running with Gracie in it. Oh yeah folks, we are awesome. But in our defense, we could not PAY Grace to get out of the truck. I swear if she could talk it would have sounded a little like "Rorge, I ran away once, and I will soooo do it again.... just try and call my bluff... I am keeping my a** right here!!" By the way, I do not know WHERE she gets that naughty language from! So we left the auto start on and let it run its course.... then every 15 minutes, we had to walk back up, recrank the truck, and go back down to the water. Needless to say, we had a BALL, but it only lasted about 45 min hahaha.


This was no ordinary camping trip, people! We took glow sticks, water guns, and silly string. The glow sticks and water guns were a HIT with Elleah. The silly string?... not so much!! She could not work the can and did not want TJ's help and DID NOT want to be sprayed!! 

This is what TICKED looks like... haha

So, you know that expression... "Go fly a kite." Well, we did...

Elleah flying her first kite!

You know how I am always trying to be festive?! Well, camping is no different....

Our setup for dinner!!! hehe. Working with what I had!! 

How come even when it is 5 thousand degrees outside one still feel the need to start a campfire when camping?! To roast a weenie of course! 

Teaching E to roast a weenie! 

I hate sleeping outdoors, in the heat, with the bugs and the raccoon's and the other scary things. I hate being sticky and sweaty and icky. I hate my doggy running away. I hate camping. BUT... I love camping with my little family!!! I LOVE sleeping ANYWHERE when I have them to snuggle up with (even if it IS 5 thousand degrees). I LOVE teaching Elleah to fly a kite and roast a weenie. And I even LOVE that she hated silly string. I LOVE that SHE has so much fun camping, so it is all worth it and I will go whenever my duty calls again. TJ and I really do camp well together though. He loves doing and prepping and grilling and the whole kitten kaboodle. And I love letting him do all that while I do not-much-of-anything. Teamwork folks!!! TEAMWORK!!! 

A few things I learned this weekend:

1. I need to try harder to make E hate camping! ;-P

2. Do not wear white while camping!

3. OFF is my BFF!

4. Dogs can open tents!

5. Some park rangers conveniently speak Cocker Spaniel! (who knew) 

6. If the campsite is secluded enough, one could go all weekend without having to wear a bra! *a camping PLUSside* 

7. A tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either side of yours vacant!!

More pics on facebook!!!!!!! Till next time.... 

Parenting like.... Pinocchio!!

I was reading a 'mommy' forum on facebook the other day and this question was asked: 
What lies do you tell your kids?


More than one person said that they did not lie to their children. Oh... that is SO noble!! But it is bull honky! We all lie to our kids. No, we do not tell them lies like, "Mommy weighs 105lbs" and "Mommy never had sex before marriage." That is just silly. ;-) But we totally lie to our kids. I could not even answer that question because the asker was like, "One answer please." And I was like.... No Way. I cannot give you ONE answer.... I tell Elleah so many lies that I could blog about it. So here I am....


First of all, I lie to Elleah when she wants to wear something like a coat to the park on a 100 degree day. She does not care if it is too hot, so I tell her it is dirty. She grasps that concept of it being dirty, so I just lie. :-) 


She thinks cereal is cookies. So if you are ever around her and she asks for cookies, she is not trying to tell you to go whip up some oatmeal-chocolate chips. She is tell you to pour her a bowl of cheerios. And I did not technically teach her this.... but I lie by omission because I never tell her that cereal is not cookies. To me, it is quite ok if she thinks this. 


If we are in the car and I cannot fathom listening to the same episode of Dora or Blue Clue's again, I lie and tell her the DVD player broke. She just goes, "Broke? Oh. Ok." She is happy, I am happy.... its all good. 


I tell her that my cola is icky. It is NOT icky. lol. (see my old post about cola here - and for those of you following along, the answer is NO, I did not stick to this resolution, I suck, oh well). But when Elleah says, "I want mommy's juice." I lie and tell her it is icky. 


Lets not even get me started on Santa and the Easter bunny.... (a perfectly safe lie that helps create wonder and excitement)


Lying to our kids is ok. Small fibs will not emotionally damage kids.  We are not distorting their future and eroding their reality!!! We lie to them to encourage them to try new things, to NOT do certain questionable things, and to minimize a BIG explanation that they will not understand into a smaller one that they can comprehend. So imo, those mommies that said they do not lie to their kids.... they were probably LYING. haha. 


As Elleah grows and learns, the lies will fade away.... BUT I kinda can't wait until I get to use the ol' "eyes in the back of my head" lie, the "store ran out of toys" lie, and the "it is bed time" lie (a lie because it would be after i secretly set all the clocks back an hour). 


PS-I am 74.7% sure my mom still tells me lies like these. Harmless, but sometimes necessary! 

Party In the City Where the Heat is On

So, if your husband had a 'conference' for work in MIAMI, where most of the expenses were paid, and your daughter was with her grandparents for the week..... What would you do? You would go to Miami, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!! As did I. We decided to drive down and take our time. We stopped at outlet strips along the way, took A1A through our old haunts of Cocoa Beach, and made it to Miami in plenty of time to have a great first night!!

My cousin Nate lives in Miami, so naturally, I called him up. He scooped us up at the hotel and took us to the Clevelander in South Beach for a drink!!!

Mojitos, anyone? 

After our Mojitos, we moseyed on down (wait, is moseyed a word?) to a place Nate suggested called Mangos Tropical Cafe. And I know what you are thinking... Oh a cafe... it must have bagel sandwiches and coffee and spiced tea and such. And maybe it did.... but I sure the heck didn't noticed. I had an awesome Cubano for dinner on the patio and after dinner.... I walked inside to this------

And THEN I get lead to a special seat at the bar that had THIS waiting on us----

We had such a great time!!!!!!! It was Latin Night and the girls did salsa and belly dances, and then.... the GUYS came up. There was a little something for everyone. They even did a Tribute show to Michael Jackson and it was UUHHH-MAAAZZ-IINNG (click here to watch it)!! And in case you are wondering, yes, they wore very little clothing, but NO, the clothing did NOT come off. haha. It was not THAT kind of establishment. However, we did not leave until the whole bottle was gone! FUN FUN NIGHT!!! 

The next day, I decided to walk down to the beach and rent a chair and umbrella! I took a book and was down there for about 4 hours. Not much else to tell there.... it was GORGEOUS and the water was PERFECT! 

After TJ got back from the CG station for the day, we rested for a few, took showers and headed out to dinner!! Texas de Brazil. If you have not been to one. GO! Be sure you do NOT eat breakfast or lunch! No snacks and I would not even drink water if you can help it. This place is crazy crazy CRAZY! You start by making a trip to the craziest salad bar you have ever seen. If you name it, it is probably there on the bar. Cheeses, meats, salads, sushi, tuna, hot sides, and MORE! Then, they walk around the place holding absurdly large cuts of meat. And slicing whatever you want right there on your plate. Leg of lamb, skirt steak, filet mignon, pichana, chicken and bacon, ribs.... you name it!!! www.texasdebrazil.com/ 

Thursday came and Nate scooped just me up but this time.... we shopped!!!! He took me to Dolphin Mall..... it was big, gorgeous, and loaded with the word OUTLET!! Which, as most of you know, is like one of my favorite words ever!! (along with CLEARANCE, SALE, and CLOSEOUT haha)

the commons

TJ got back and we grabbed a drink at the bar and started walking down the boardwalk to the beach. We ended up walking straight down into South Beach. It was sooo fun down there and lively! But we had dinner plans, so we snapped a few pics and walked back down the boardwalk to the hotel. 

South Beach

Lummus Park

That night was the BEST!!! We went to STK. One of the nicest places in Miami. We got seated in this awesome corner booth. I was told Alex Rodriguez sat at this booth when in town. We ordered the YUMMIEST hamburgers called Lil BRGRs and Tuna Tartare as an appetizer. I cannot even explain how yum they were.... pretty much absurdly yum! And so was dinner!!! Crazy good!

Tuna Tartare

Dinner - Beef Filet and Sesame Peanut Tuna

We skidattled (is THAT a word?) out of there and went to a place called the Playwright! We had a few drinks there and then everybody decided to get a tattoo!! So we went to the tattoo shop! Did we get a tattoo?! HMMM??

HECK NO!!!! We had all drank enough to THINK we would get one, and in the end, we sobered right up and got the hell out of there!! 

This was truly one of the best weeks ever!! I LOVE Miami!! Most of you know that I am not really one to have a few drinks and let loose. But when it Rome. Or in Miami!! ;-)

Huge shout out to Nate though!! He made sure we had a good time and I cannot thank him enough for showing us what MIA is all about! And Steph, of course, for putting up with us all week! :-P