Can you get over this face??? The baby face is almost completely gone! So scary and sad but another moment in Lo's life I guess...she's growing up! But, wasn't I just in the hospital giving birth to this child yesterday? Where does time go? Before we know it, she'll be 18 and heading off to college. So crazy. Anyway, Lo has been growing like a weed and seems to change every day. Clay took these pictures earlier this week and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them. Where is my baby girl? Her buddha belly is even going away and she's gotten so tall and lanky... I guess she's officially a toddler.
And, here's another baby that's growing fast. Adam & Brana had one of those 3-D sonograms. Kind of crazy and a little weird that you can see the baby chillin' in Brana's belly this clearly. Should we be able to see the baby this well? Technology rocks these days. When they sent these, I couldn't believe that Brana will have this baby in 2 months...2 MONTHS!!! This crazy too as it seems like it was yesterday when she told us she was pregnant. I told Brana that if she were me, she would be having Curry in 5 weeks (that's only 1 month and 1 week). I was 2 1/2 or 3 weeks early with Lo. It's just crazy that this baby will be here soon. We can't wait. Makes me crave a little infant of my own.
Alright, since this is a blog suppose to be about Lola and I've been going on and on about myself the last couple posts, I figure I'll post a fun moment we had with Lola a couple weeks ago. I have lots of updates on what she's doing these days...boy, this child is a real hoot!!!
Lo discovered clothes pins while digging in a kitchen drawer she wasn't suppose to be digging in...imagine that! Luckily, it ended up being cute and fun! She put them all in her hair, my hair, Clay's hair and beard.
Then Lo wanted to put them on her "beard" like her daddy.
Lo's little chin was bright red but she kept wanting us to put the clothes pins on it. Is this child abuse? High pain tolerance I guess...she gets this from me! I have an insane tolerance for pain. I sometimes wonder if I could win a "How much pain can you take" contest (Obviously my confidence has been boosted since winning the KGSR contest).
We were literally cracking up! Gotta love these moments!
Speaking of moments....we had a couple funny ones yesterday.
The first one involved a reptile. I picked Lola up from school and was cruising home on our normal route talking to Lo about her day when all the sudden my foot started tingling. I thought "Why is my foot going numb?" I looked down at my tingly foot which was on the gas petal at the time and saw a large reptile on it. I immediately screamed at the top of my lungs and shook the thing off my foot. All along I'm thinking, was it a lizard or was it a snake? EEEEKKK!!!! It was a HORRIBLE feeling! I proceeded to drive home terrified this thing was going to pop out and crawl on me again. I kept scoping under my feet. Lo was asking "Mommy, what are you doing?". She was confused by my screams and the awe struck panic still on my face. When we got home, the little guy popped out on the passenger side. It was a HUGE lizard! Thank goodness! This was much better than a snake running free in the car...right?!?!? I got Lola out of the car and tried to show her the lizard. Her response was "little alligator". I'm telling ya...the thing was massive. Anyway, I proceeded to scream again when I was trying to get him out of the car...I was unsuccessful. So, a large lizard is still running around free in the Sentra. Nice!
The second moment we had yesterday involved dancing. Last night we were winding down and a Michael Jackson song came on the tube. Lo went nuts! She popped up and started stomping, throwing the hands up, head banging and dancing around the living room. Once the song was over, she wanted more music. She kept saying "music, music, music". So, we changed the channel to one of our favorite music video channels called ME. Lo kept dancing around but this wasn't good enough for her. She wanted me and Clay dancing with her. She kept saying "Amy, dance...Clay, dance" as she was grabbing our hands and pulling us up off the couch to dance with her. Then Clay gradually and nonchalantly slipped away the kitchen to grab something and Lola said "No, Clay...over here...dance!" and she pointed to the area where she demanded Clay dance. So, all three of us were dancing around the living room while the dogs were barking at us. When a song was over she would say "Yea!" and put her hands in the air and clap. Then, she was ready for the next song to start dancing again. This lasted at least 45 minutes. Thank goodness it was finally bedtime b/c Clay & I were exhausted from all the dancing.
Have I ever told yall about the second man in my life? His name is Jeff Tweedy and he is just fascinating to me. I'm sure many of you out there thinking "Who in the world is this Jeff Tweedy man she's talking about?". Well, Jeff is the lead singer in a fabulous band named Wilco (my all time favorite). Oh, I absolutely love Wilco...I'm actually obsessed with them. Last night we had concert tickets to go see the show. The butterflies started before the band came on as the anticipation was running ramped. To recap, the show was unbelievable...loved it! But, I have even more to this story....
Let me back up a bit....before the show we met up with one of Clay's work colleagues which I was happy to finally meet. I was also glad to meet his wife who I really liked. They have a similar story to us....born & raised in Texas, moved away for several years (them Chicago/us NYC), came back to Texas to be around family and now we all live in one of the best cities in the world... Austin. They also have a 21 month old so we're excited to get the kiddos together soon. Anyway(I digress), they had backstage passes to meet the band after the concert. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I was very envious until they ever so kindly gave me the best news I've heard in a while (which was last Thursday when we found out we won the ACL tix). They needed to get back to their little one and wouldn't be able to take advantage of the backstage VIP passes. They asked us if we wanted them. UMMMM....YES!!!
I proceeded to tell them that I would marry Jeff Tweedy in a heart beat if he would take me (this is all in good fun b/c of course I would never leave the #1 man in my life). Clay's response to this was "You would go from ugly to uglier". Granted, Jeff Tweedy isn't the best looking man in the world but to me he is b/c he's basically a genius...a poet...I really do love him and he inspires me on a daily basis with the songs he writes and produces. Thanks Jeff.
Well, to make a long story short (or maybe this is making a long story long), we went backstage and met the band. I proceeded to make a fool out of myself and couldn't speak b/c I was so nervous being around my "favorite band"...my "favorite poets". I said stupid things like "I love yall so much" or "I'm your #1 fan". Seriously Amy....is this all you could come up with??? Anyway, this was all great, HOWEVER, Jeff Tweedy was no where to be found. JEFF TWEEDY, WHERE ARE YOU???? We waited and waited and waited until 2:00 a.m. actually. We even stalked the area where the buses were waiting for a glimpse. I asked one band member to please go wake Jeff up as I'm his "#1 fan"...OMG...what an idiot I can be. In summary, I never met the #2 man in my life but I still feel confident the day will come...surely!
As you know, we went to ACL last weekend and have had a week full of music. Thought I would post some pics from the festival. The weekend was one of the best weekends I've ever had...just fabulous....will definitely be on the top of the list in the memory book. I can't imagine how it would have been without Molly & Ben there to experience it with us. We listened to great music the entire weekend. This didn't happen without a car running over my foot though. Yes, I did just slip that in...a story for another time..no fear...I'm ok! Again, thanks to everyone for voting for our rockin' kid. I have to say...life is pretty good and it's all about having fun in the process and you helped us get there with all your votes.
There is nothing better than this festival! So many bands...so little time!
Me & Molly during Avett Brothers....another favorite band.
Clay & Ben before The Wood Brothers...a highlight of the festival.
The ACL gang!
We walked home every night from the festival. This night Clay & Ben decided to stop and sing a tune with our local homeless guy.
There is only one thing to say about this...dirty, dirty feet!!!
Out of the 272 contestants in the Kids that Rock contest, Lola won!!! Woohoo!!! Despite the fact that the majority of the contestants had a three week head start on us, they said we blew it out of the water! As I mentioned on my earlier blog this morning, thanks to everyone who dedicated time and energy to vote for Lola in the contest. It's good to know it really paid off!!!
ACL...here we come....with Molly and Ben in tow...
Lo washing dishes while Clay cooks. She loves to feel a part of what we're doing and we try to focus on making her a part of everything we do.
I just love the "show your teeth" big smile...it's one of my favorites!
Ok....Back to reality. I know I haven't posted a "real" blog in a bit but I've been focusing on voting for our rockin' kid so I haven't had time. My OCD is really obnoxious at times! But, voting is over...I'm back and ready to rock the blog. BTW...we still haven't heard word if we won but we'll know this morning...keep the fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone who diligently voted over the past couple days. Whether we win or lose, it's great to know we have such wonderful support out there! We truly appreciate it!!!
This week Lola has started something that I believe all toddlers do at one point or another. She's obsessively using the term "What's this?". Or, it actually sounds more like this "What's this Amy...Amy...What's this?" or What's this Clay...Clay...What's this?". Yes, we are still Amy and Clay but sometimes Mommy and Daddy too...whatever works for her I guess. Anyway, since Monday the "What's this?" questions have been non-stop and she uses it with EVERYTHING...even when she clearly knows what it is she is asking about. She'll look at the TV (which we usually don't turn on until she goes to bed but this week we've been bad) and says over and over and over "What's this?" ..."What's this?"..."What's this?"...."What's this?" Pointing the entire time. She also does this with her books. Last night we spent at least 45 minutes flipping through a Charlie Harper book and the entire time she was asking "What's this Amy...What's this?" She barely takes a breath in between the "What's this?" statements.
I have to say it's all really cute but like every other phase I'm ready to hear something else. It can get a bit exhausting answering questions throughout the day and evening....especially when it's the same one over and over. Now I guess I understand how people feel when they are having a conversation with me as I tend to ask multiple questions over and over...you know...really trying to get the full story. Clay says I interrogate people. I don't feel this way though...I just feel I'm interested and focused on what the person is saying. Everyone likes to talk about themselves so asking questions isn't necessarily a bad trait right?!?!?!?! With that, once again, maybe this "What's this?" phase is something Lola comes by honestly. However, I'm fairly certain it's just another one of those fun toddler phases!!!
I haven't done very good taking photos lately. Our battery has been dead on the camera this week and I kept forgetting to charge it. So, I'm going back to the archives. The pictures I posted today are some of my favorites as they really capture the moment (I think). We've been trying to teach Lola to help with the chores. In the evenings, she'll help me cook or pick up a mess or put things in the trash or wash dishes...it all varies each night. Lo actually LOVES washing dishes which is a good thing but I imagine it's b/c she's dealing with one of her favorite things...water. We also have Lola pick up all her toys/books before she goes to bed at night. We're still working on this but she's getting better. The great news is she practices "clean-up" throughout the day at school. The Montessori teaching is very hip on kids learning to do things on their own. So, any time they get a book or a toy out, once their done, they teach them to put it up. The same goes with a spill...any time they drop or spill something, they teach them to pick it up on their own. I've actually witnessed Lola doing this several times which is really fascinating b/c she still just seems like a baby to me. Oh, they grow up so fast!
Today is the last day to vote!!!! We have until 5:00 pm. Every little vote counts so please go vote.
Funny story. You know I've told yall I'm obsessive compulsive right?!?!? Well, since I found out voting had already started, I developed a strategy. So, I have three computers in my office. I work on my laptop and then I have another laptop and a PC on either side of me. As I work, I've been voting on the other two computers every 30 seconds. So, I've roughly calculated out the votes: If I get at least 60 votes in per computer per hour (at the very least), that would be 120 votes per hour x 9 hours = approximately 1000 votes x 5 days of voting gives us a grand total of 5400 votes plus all your votes out there. Now, you wouldn't think anyone would else in the contest would be as crazy as me but you never know! If we don't win, I'll be in shock!!! And, I would love to meet the person that wins b/c they are obviously more insane and dedicated than me.
Here's the bad news....due to my lack of understanding the directions, some contestants got a two week head start on us so we have a lot of catching up to do. With that, please help and vote as many times as possible today. We'll get the results tomorrow...keep your fingers crossed!!!
Well, summer is finally winding down and it's been a good one. I have to say I'm thrilled the heat is behind us...I hope! Over the past several months we’ve discovered that Lola absolutely LOVES water! I haven’t decided if she loves music or water more. Regardless, they are both something she is clearly very passionate about.
Since moving to Austin, we’ve spent lots of time in, on and around water. Whether it’s getting in the blow up pool in the yard or playing with the water hose or going to the pool at our local park down the street or going to Barton Springs or going to the lake or most recently going to South Padre. Even with all of this water fun, it still seems Lo can’t get enough of it. She has become quite the water baby. She even thinks she can swim on her own. I’ll recap this later.
A couple weeks ago we went back down to the lake and enjoyed a nice weekend with friends. It was great for the kids to play together and entertain themselves while the adults socialized. I laughed so hard the entire weekend. It’s been a while since I've had a real true good laugh….the kind where your abs hurt after you've finally recovered from the emotional fun…I was happy that I was able to have many of those moments over the weekend. We had a absolute blast.
Boat ride. Lo was a little hesitant at first (can you tell by the look on her face?) but she got over that pretty quick.
This is her "Show me your teeth" smile. We can't always get her to smile so we'll say "Show me your teeth" and she gives us a big teeth smile.
Lola is really into driving things right now. She always wants to go play in the car and pretend she's driving. Well, the boat was no exception to this new obsession. She was constantly trying to get in the drivers seat. Mark even let her drive on her own at one point.
Time to get in the water and have some good times!
As mentioned before, we spent an incredible week in South Padre. We were all in heaven! We couldn’t have asked for a better week. Wow, words can’t explain how wonderful it was.
We started the trip off right. As soon as we walked in the condo, Lo immediately started yelling “WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!” Then, she took it upon herself to violently throw up all over the patio. Nice! Not sure where that came from…we think maybe she was car sick b/c she threw up in the house when we got back home.
Once we recovered from that ordeal, it was time to hit the beach. Woohoo!!! This is one of my favorite things to do and as expected Lola loved it too. Over the week we picked up shells, played in the sand, played in the ocean (I was on the constant look out for sharks especially after watching the scary documentary showing all the shark attacks around the country), Clay & I attempted to ride the waves on the boogie board (this was surprisingly a ton of fun), we played in the pool, I read 1000 pages and of course sunbathed. It was all greatness!
Although Lola thoroughly enjoyed the beach, it seemed she enjoyed the pool even more. As noted above, she felt she could swim on her and needed no assistance from the parental guidance. The first day at the pool Lola became very frustrated by the fact that Clay and I were holding her. She would say very sternly to Clay “Clay, Walk away!!!” (Yes, she is now calling Clay by his first name too). She did not want us anywhere around her as she wanted to swim on her own. Clearly she didn’t understand that if we actually did “walk away” she would sink. This is something we didn’t want to prove to her so we had to come up with some sort of solution to this little issue. We ended up buying a little life jacket that allowed Lo to swim around the pool on her own. She was in heaven. By the end she was jumping of the steps and the side of the pool and swimming around like a natural. We’ll definitely have to start swimming lessons next summer b/c she is 100% ready to rock the lessons.
So, Amber was able to vote yesterday. I think I have the rules & regs wrong. It appears you can start voting now. You can also vote multiple times every 30 seconds. So, if you have a free day, vote multiple times. If you would like, please go ahead and vote every 30 seconds for the next week 24 hours a day every day! That would be great if you could help us out. We'll share the love down the road I promise.
To recap, go ahead and vote as many times as you can starting NOW and then make sure to vote October 1st multiple times too. Unfortunately, the rules are not clear so we want to do whatever we can to make sure we win!!!
We all think our kids rock right?!?!?!? Well, ours really does. This is one area where I'll be real blunt. Seriously, the child loves music! And good music at that. In this particular picture Lo was jammin' out to Wilco...head banging and all. Anytime good tunes come on the radio or tube, she throws her arms in the air and claps singing along to whatever great band happens to be playing.
So, here's the important part of this blog....there is a competition called Kids that Rock on the KGSR radio station. We've entered Lola in the competition with this picture. We need EVERYONE to vote for Lola on Thursday, October 1st. Our goal is to win two three day passes to the fabulous Austin City Limits festival. This is a $400 value!!! If we win, then Molly & Ben will be able to join us for an experience of a lifetime.
To recap - On OCTOBER 1st, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to the website below and vote for our little Lo Bear. You know she is a rockin' kid so just do it!!!
Ok. I'm going to post a mean blog. Well, it's not really mean I don't guess...maybe just some good critical criticism. We all need that every once in a while right!?!?!?
I don't understand Rachael Zoe whatsoever! Why in the world does she wear so much make up? Doesn't she realized she would be much prettier with less? Isn't less more? And, why she always complaining about how the media thinks she's too skinny but yet she prances around in front of the camera asking if she looks too skinny? I'm ok with her size but the fact that she's ALWAYS talking about it drives me insane. Maybe the media wouldn't be on her back about her weight if she didn't talk about it so much...maybe she's even brought this upon herself. You think? And, why does she always wear big huge bell bottom jeans? I mean...aren't you a stylist? Don't jeans make an outfit? I understand wearing them ever so often but seriously can't you ever wear some skinny jeans or maybe just some boot cut jeans. And, the most frustrating thing about Rachael Zoe, why does she always wear sunglasses inside and at night? All I have to say about this question is "SERIOUSLY". HUH!!!
I'm sure it's fairly obvious but Rachael Zoe really frustrates me so I figured I could get my anger out on the blog. This is why I say "Oh Rachael Zoe". Granted, I love the show and can't not watch it and I actually like her a lot but I just don't understand her. I mean the constant complaining. COME ON Rach!!! You work in the fabulous fashion industry and your job is to run around picking out clothes for beautiful celebrities and attending rockin' parties. How hard can it be? I guess any job is a job but in this economy I'm not so sure she should run around complaining about hers. HUH again!!! Not only that but the constant complaining about the media terrorizing her. Come on Rachael....you know you love it!!! Why else would you talk about it so much when you know cameras are recording you? And, if you hate the attention so much, then why do you have a show exposing yourself to millions of people?
Ok. I got it all out now! If you haven't seen the show you should watch it. It's full of greatness but I must pre-warn that the amount of make-up worn, the amount of bell bottoms to be seen, the amount of complaining to be heard can possibly send you overboard!
With that said, she is a great stylist and her sense of style is right up my ally. Her website http://www.rachaelzoe.com/ also gives some excellent fashion advice along with her "must haves" for the upcoming season. Gotta love that! I also LOVE watching the fashion on the show. Whether it's NYC fashion week or just an outfit she's putting together for Liv Tyler, it's all fab. Watch it! It's fun!
Once again, I’m so far behind on the blogs. I don't know how this keeps happening. Time flies! I have to get into a blog writing routine again. I think I feel it coming on. Especially since Lola continues to amaze us by constantly saying or doing something new and different. She makes us uncontrollably laugh out loud on a daily basis!
You know, I’ve always heard the toddler years are amazing and each “milestone” is even more exciting than when they are infants. I remembered reading a line in the great book Naptime is the New Happy Hour by Stephanie Wilder-Taylor. After she quoted the horrors of parenting a toddler she also noted the good news which was:
"Parenting a toddler is also a lot more rewarding. Baby milestones may seem exciting at the time, the first time your baby rolls over you may want to call everyone in your electronic address book , and when your baby takes the first steps you'll be tempted to send out a professional press release.....I agree the year between zero and one is chock full of exciting firsts but if you can believe it, toddler milestones feel a lot more monumental."
I never believed this would be possible as I was one of those moms who sent a mass text message out to everyone the first time Lola sat up on her own. But now I completely understand what she's saying. The author also continues on to say one of my favorite lines in the book:
"There is something about seeing my daughter ride her little Radio Flyer tricycle for the first time that made me want to stuff her back in my womb and refuse to let her ever leave the safety of my body again - but not before filling an entire digital memory card with pictures."
Oh, too funny and so true. Love it!!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a toddler as it helps you laugh at some of the things that have a tendency to drive you insane and it also makes you feel like your not so alone in the crazy toddler world after all.
With that, I have to say, Lola never fails to suck me in more and more as we continue to see her personality develop and as she continues to do new things. She is a quirky little thing. Some say I’m quirky so maybe she comes by this honestly. She's also kind of insane in ways. The things that come out of her mouth never cease to amaze me. Like yesterday when she was fake talking on my cell phone she said "Hello. This is Amy Odom at Marsh". Seriously, where does she come up with this stuff. Or, last night Lola wasn't feeling good and as expected she woke up in the middle of the night. We gave her some Tylenol and put her in bed with us for a bit. She took it upon herself to sing at the top of her lungs (basically screaming) for no less 30 minutes...ABCs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, etc. This was 3:00 a.m. mind you so it became irritating considering we were trying to catch some ZZZs. We finally took her back to bed and she was quite as could be. Was she just trying to irritate us to no end??? If so, accomplished! She's also so sweet and compassionate. The other morning she crawled in bed with me as I was sleeping and all I heard was "Mommy, I love you" then she gave me the sweetest kiss right on my lips. Oh, it just melts me. On top of her quirkiness, insaneness and sweetness, Lo's independent nature is a bit eerie...especially when you think of the teenage years...eek! When Lola wants something, she's going to go for it even if she has to go at it alone. She's also very daring and seems to have no fear whatsoever. She definitely didn't take after me or Clay here. All of this really makes for some fun times and some great "monumental" moments. I can’t wait to update you on all that is new but for now, it’s time to back-up and recap.
A couple weeks ago we went to Batfest on South Congress bridge. There were bands, food/drinks, shopping and fun for the kids. Lola had a great time and by the end she was walking around that festival as if she owned the streets. Moving in and out of the crowds and waving her arms like you wouldn’t believe. At the festival, she had her first pony ride. As you know, Lo loves “horseys” so it was great for her to finally be able to see and ride a “horsey”. She was a little hesitant at first but it didn’t take long for her to find out that she loved it and didn’t want to get off. Here are some pics from our fun at Batfest.
It was 105 decrees in Austin this day. Wowsers!!! We got Lo a snow cone to help cool her off. She thoroughly enjoyed. By the end, we were all soaked with sweat.
Lo's first pony ride! We actually kind of felt sorry for the ponies but lets not talk about that.
She's getting geared up to own the streets. Before long she was on her own...no need for Mommy's hand anymore. It should be noted I had ran 7 miles this same morning (hence the reason why I'm so swollen in all the pics). By the end of the day, I had easily gotten in 9 miles of exercise if not more. Amazingly, I wasn't the least bit sore the next day!
We decided to take a break from the heat and walked downtown to one of our favorite new restaurants - Franks. Hot dogs galore. It is so good! Lo took a huge gulp of water and gave a big refreshing "Awwwww" for the camera.
She loves the hats! I've developed a recent love for hats also.
Clay and Lo being goofy!
I love good 'ol family time....there is nothing better!
Well, we had another incident yesterday and Lola officially has Shiner #2. Not even 3 weeks after Shiner #1 mind you. Thankfully I did not have one of those "I'm a terrible mother" moments as once again it didn't happen in my presence...what a relief! Of course, I'm sure this will come all too soon.
Anyway, every Wednesday is "Wheels Day" at Lo's school. All the kids bring their bikes and/or tricycles and they all play and ride. Well, apparently Lo was riding the tricycle and took a big 'ol fall. She face planted right into the gravel. They said she was a real trooper. She got right up and didn't cry or make a peep. Once they wiped all the dirt off her face, they were horrified to see it was pretty scraped up. They called me at work to tell me about the little incident. I'm pretty sure they didn't know how I would react. Who knows...I could be one of those crazy moms that flip out every time my child stumbles. Obviously, I'm not one of those moms and I told Miss Corazon not to worry that it's all just part of being a toddler. They said they gave Lo two ice cream treats yesterday afternoon b/c they felt so bad.
We woke up this morning and the scrapes looked much better but her black eye was much more colorful and was swollen up pretty bad. She was pretty fussy so I'm wondering if it was bothering her. She kept saying something hurt but I wasn't able to distinguish what exactly hurt. Lets hope this is the last big fall for a while!
It usually makes me VERY happy to see Lo's beautiful face but this morning was a different story. Lola decided to wake up around 6:13 a.m. bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was very, very very tired and really wasn't in the mood for play time. She proceeded to run around our room laughing and talking. Took everything off my bedside table and kept saying "Here'ya Mommy, Here'ya Mommy". At least she was calling me "Mommy" rather than the usual "Amy". She was also trying to drink/eat all of my medications sitting on the table which included Chloraseptic, Zicam and Sudafed....I had a little cold this week. She then spilled a glass of water all over my book. She was punching on my cell phone and acting like she was talking to who knows who. She kept saying "poopy, poopy" or "tee-tee, tee-tee" as she knows this will usually get me up to change her diaper but not even that would work this morning. I kept saying "Lo, come lay with Mommy & Daddy or go to your room and play". Nope. She continued to stay right where she was. Apparently, she really wanted us to wake up. We finally gave up and roused out of bed around 7:00 a.m. which isn't too early so I can't complain I guess. Fun times!!!
I have a ton of work to get done over the next couple hours so don't have much time today but thought I would take a quick break and post a blog. Lola has developed a new obsession for shoes. I'm not saying this is a good thing but I have to say she comes by this honestly as I too love shoes. I was just thrilled when I found these adorable shoes at the Gap.
When Lola got home yesterday I was ready to try the shoes on her to make sure they fit and they fit like a glove. Then I put them back in the shopping bag so I could hide the purchase from Clay (he says she has too much stuff...I don't know why he thinks this) and thought I would phase them in slowly and maybe he would never notice. Well, Lola wasn't having that. She threw one of her little fits and kept saying "Want shoes on, Want shoes on, Want shoes on". I tried to put an old pair on her and she didn't want them. She only wanted her new little pink patent leather shoes. At that point, I let her wear them and she absolutely LOVED them. She kept saying "walk outside" over and over. So, we went for a long walk outside and she just pranced up and down the street in her new shoes.
Then, this morning I was looking for her sandals everywhere but couldn't find them. Well, Lo took it upon herself to go into my closet where the shopping bags were hidden, pulled out the Gap bag, pulled out her brown tennis shoes and once again shouted "Want shoes on, Want shoes on, Want shoes on" and she did this right in front of Clay...exposing my purchase. Man, I'll have to work on her there...she needs to learn to be inconspicuous about some things...right??? Anyway, once again, she thought she was "Miss Thing" prancing around in her shoes. She couldn't wait to get outside to try them out. Clay loved them too!
Look how cute these shoes are that I found on my new fav shoe website - http://www.littlemonkeytoes.com/. I love them! The problem....well, they are $119....Seriously! But, I have a solution, my mom is going to buy some converse and we're going to try to make some ourselves. They will be cute, cute, cute!!!! I bet they'll even be cuter than these...can't wait!Oh, we try not to spoil the little girl but sometimes it's hard when it comes to shoes (and maybe clothes too...I'll save that for another blog)!
I'm haunted! By the Twilight series. I know I've referenced these books in past blogs and they are literally haunting me. Why? Well, I can't read anything else until I finish them. Oh, I guess this is part of my obsessive behavior. So, I finally finished New Moon last night. The 2nd book in the Twilight series. It was ok. I hear the last two are fab so I knew I had to get through it in order to move forward to the next one. Do you want to hear how it ends??? Well, there were obviously vampires involved and werewolves and Edward and Bella end up back together happily ever after...imagine that!!!
Anyway, I'm alone tonight. Clay and Lo went to visit his parents in Baird. Clay's dad recently had open heart surgery so they went to Baird to check in on everyone and help out for a day or so. Unfortunately, I had to stay back for a couple reasons:
1) I had to run 5 miles this morning. I've really been slacking with my running so I knew I couldn't miss another weekend run. I was so happy to meet three girls that I clicked with wonderfully and we will be true running partners for the next couple months as we prepare for the half marathon. Then, hopefully the full marathon.
2) I have to work. Yes, work on the weekend....Ugh!!! Lola's school was closed on Thursday and Friday for staff development so I had to miss some work unexpectedly. I didn't want to take vaca days so I decided to make up the hours this weekend. I got 5 hrs in today. Woohoo! I'm very proud of myself as it is not easy to force yourself to work on the weekend. I need to work another 6 hours or so tomorrow...then I'll be caught up and ready to start the work week off right on Monday.
Now it's Saturday evening and I'm winding down for the night. I can't remember the last time I had a night alone. It's been ages. Maybe before Lo was born. Well, there was one other time but I was sick throwing up so that doesn't really count. So, what are my plans??? Well, I'm going to kick back, watch the movie Twilight for the fourth time (Yes, I know...obsessive! Did I ever tell you I watched Sweet Home Alabama in the movie theater 7 times...Yikes...obsessive again! Where do I get those from??? I think my dad) and get pumped to start reading Eclipse (3rd book of the series). I'll end the night reading and being haunted by gorgeous vampires and werewolves. I hope to blow through a couple hundred pages tonight!!! I have to say this is a fabulous way to spend an evening.
She actually has a little knot on her forehead too but I wasn't able to capture in the photos. She's a tough one!
At least she's still smiling...shiner and all!
Well, Lola has her first shiner. I'm happy to say this did not happen in my presence, therefore, I didn't have one of those much dreaded "I'm a terrible mother" moments. So, who's presence did it happen in??? Well, none other than Mena (my mom), Memaw (my grandmother) and Aunt Bobbie's (my aunt) presence. Hmmmm!!!! Yes, Lo fell straight off the porch with everyone watching. After the fall, when my mom saw Lola's eye, she had deja vu of when I was about 18 months and had my first shiner. Apparently, Memaw was driving me in her car and I was standing up in the front seat when she had to slam on her breaks and I went flying into the dashboard. Boy, how times have changed. Can you imagine having a 18 month old standing in the front seat in today's world??? Anyway, according to their story, there was really nothing they could have done to prevent Lo's fall/injury. It's all just part of being a toddler and I'm surprised it didn't happen before now!!!
I know I'm pretty far behind on my blogs. Once again, things have been crazy around here...never ending I swear. Just 3 weeks ago, I was going to tell you that Lo could say her alphabet from A to F and could count from 1 to 7. How quickly that has changed! She now can say the entire alphabet! It's adorable as she puts so much expression into it when she recites the song. And, she can count from 1 to 10! Wowsers. Crazy how quickly they learn! She can also sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". She uses the little hand movements on when she sings these songs. She tries to sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby" but this one hasn't been perfected yet. Finally, she sings a very special song called "Lola is a Good Girl". Clay's grandmother, Baba, wrote this song and sang it to Clay and Molly growing up. Here's how it goes:
Lola is a good girl yes she is I say
She will run and holler all the live long day
And when the day is over Lola goes to bed
And sleeps and sleeps til morning just like a sleepy head
Lola Lola is a good girl
Lola Lola is a good girl
Clay and I can even harmonize on this one. We've actually developed some stellar harmony on the Alphabet song too. We're elated that Lo can sing along with us now!
And, here's another baby that's growing fast. Adam & Brana had one of those 3-D sonograms. Kind of crazy and a little weird that you can see the baby chillin' in Brana's belly this clearly. Should we be able to see the baby this well? Technology rocks these days. When they sent these, I couldn't believe that Brana will have this baby in 2 months...2 MONTHS!!! This crazy too as it seems like it was yesterday when she told us she was pregnant. I told Brana that if she were me, she would be having Curry in 5 weeks (that's only 1 month and 1 week). I was 2 1/2 or 3 weeks early with Lo. It's just crazy that this baby will be here soon. We can't wait. Makes me crave a little infant of my own..jpg)
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Then Lo wanted to put them on her "beard" like her daddy. 
Speaking of moments....we had a couple funny ones yesterday. 
Today is the last day to vote!!!! We have until 5:00 pm. Every little vote counts so please go vote.
We decided to take a break from the heat and walked downtown to one of our favorite new restaurants - Franks. Hot dogs galore. It is so good! Lo took a huge gulp of water and gave a big refreshing "Awwwww" for the camera. 
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When Lola got home yesterday I was ready to try the shoes on her to make sure they fit and they fit like a glove. Then I put them back in the shopping bag so I could hide the purchase from Clay (he says she has too much stuff...I don't know why he thinks this) and thought I would phase them in slowly and maybe he would never notice. Well, Lola wasn't having that. She threw one of her little fits and kept saying "Want shoes on, Want shoes on, Want shoes on". I tried to put an old pair on her and she didn't want them. She only wanted her new little pink patent leather shoes. At that point, I let her wear them and she absolutely LOVED them. She kept saying "walk outside" over and over. So, we went for a long walk outside and she just pranced up and down the street in her new shoes. 
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