Mommy's Day Out..........

We've had a great weekend!  Friday night Matthew picked up a pizza and we stayed home so that we could watching the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.  We sat up until the very end, taking it all in.  I can't say that I loved it, but there were a few highlights that I enjoyed.  It definitely made me want to visit London again.....SOON!

I can count on two hands the things that Kyndall will eat, and that's not an exaggeration.  To say she is picky doesn't even begin to describe it.  However, I've learned that she's much more likely to at least TRY something if it's covered in Ranch dressing.  So, here she is dipping her pizza in ranch!  (Her Aunt Kelly is very proud!!)

A few months ago, Matthew started getting up on Saturday mornings and taking Kyndall to breakfast.  It's something that we ALL look forward to, and I think it's important for Kyndall to spend this time alone with Matthew, since she's with me all week long.  It looks like she's mad in this picture, but she's actually saying "cheese".  (Sorry, this post is packed full of more crappy cell phone pictures!)

Ready to go out with Daddy

While they were out, they stopped and bought these for me.  How sweet!

I can't remember the last time I've had an entire day to myself!  I usually don't mind taking Kyndall with me wherever I go, but every now and then it's nice to just be able to take my time and not think about snacks or naptime or diaper changes or any of the other things that can slow you down when you have a little one in tow.  So, while Kyndall and Matthew were out together, I used that time to go run errands and just have a day for myself.  By most people's standards I didn't do anything exciting or special, but just having a few hours to do what I wanted needed to do was nice!

I started out by picking up my bridesmaids dress for my cousin's upcoming wedding.  While I was waiting for them to bring it out, I couldn't help but find myself in "awe" of all the beautiful dresses around me!  I had a perfect wedding and I wouldn't change a single thing about it, but sometimes I wish I could do it all over again, just to experience all of the excitement that comes along with it.  I saw this dress and fell in love!!!  If I was a bride-to-be, THIS would be my dress!

As I was shopping, I saw this in Bed Bath and Beyond and grabbed it for our upcoming beach trip!  Of course, I got the pink one!  Hopefully she'll actually sit in it!

I took a break and enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of my favorite places.  When I was younger, I never would've dreamed of going into a restaurant and sitting down and eating alone.  I guess I was afraid of what people would think.  Now, it's a TREAT!  Funny how things change!

One of my main goals while I was out shopping was to start gathering supplies and ideas for a basic learning curriculum I want to start doing with Kyndall.  I feel like she's getting bored at home everyday and not being stimulated enough.  Her mind is like a little sponge, ready and waiting for new things.  I'm in no way attempting to home-school or anything even remotely similar.  That is definitely NOT my calling and it just doesn't seem like the right fit for our family.  This time next year I plan on enrolling Kyndall in part-time pre-school which will prepare her for public school in a few years.  I know that home-schooling is on the rise right now, and I have a lot of friends who do it.  I just think in our case, it's important for Kyndall to learn from someone other than me and I also think it's important for her to socialize with other children on a daily basis.  Not to mention the fact that I am in no way, shape or form cut out to be a teacher!  So, all that to say this is just a small attempt to keep her mind stimulated while also teaching her some very basic things.  My friend Jenny in Tallahassee is helping me to get organized and providing me with lots of good ideas!  Her daughter Ali is a few months younger than Kyndall and they've been doing this for a while.  I'm very thankful to have someone to guide me, since this is all new to me!

So, what started out as "a few supplies" quickly became a lot more than that!  I took this picture before I was done shopping, so by the time I got home the entire back seat was covered!  Oops!  =)

I'm trying to get organized and decide just how little or how much I want to do with Kyndall each week.  I don't want to force anything on her, but rather just take it day by day.  If she seems interested, great......if not, we'll put it off for another day.  I've spent the last few hours just organizing all that STUFF! 

Since we're heading off on our beach vacation soon, I think I'll start with an ocean/beach theme.  I found lots of cool sensory objects like assorted sea shells, plastic fish, water beads and even sand.  I'm anxious to see what she thinks about all of it!  Wish me luck!

We have a fun week ahead, including a trip to the splash pad, lunch with friends at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, (don't forget to show your support on August 1st!!)  and possibly Kyndall's first theater movie!  Still not sure about the last one, but it's only $1 so if she hates it we'll just leave!  No big loss!

I hope that you had a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead!

Lately..........

I've had more than a hand full of people ask me why I haven't been blogging lately, and it wasn't until then that I realized it's been almost two weeks since my last post!  I'm very flattered to have been missed, because this means (maybe) people actually enjoy reading about my everyday, ordinary (yet wonderful!) life.  So, thank you---it feels good to have been missed!  Truthfully, we've just been so busy that I haven't had much time to sit down and blog.  Yet at the same time, I really didn't feel that our recent happenings were blog-worthy or exciting enough to share.  But, since you asked, here's what we've been up to the past two weeks............

(I'm not a big fan of cell phone pictures and I believe there is no comparison when it comes to quality.  However, sometimes life's precious, fleeting moments don't slow down and wait for us to grab our camera of choice.  So although most of these pictures aren't the best quality, I'm thankful that I was at least able to capture them in some way, before the moment passed and the memory became just that.  So please excuse my cell phone picture dump, which is this post!)

Two weeks ago, the owner of our house decided to do some major improvements, including a new roof, new garage door, new paint, new outdoor light fixtures, etc.  Our house was a bit of a zoo for a couple of days with all kind of workers and handy-men coming and going and making LOTS of noise!  Kyndall took a particular interest in this nice man who came to paint the outside of the house and the front door.  Little Miss Nosey wanted to supervise and make sure he was doing his job exactly right!

Before I knew it, Prissy had perched herself  in her lounge chair and was overseeing the whole operation! 

Last weekend we had a "Kyndall day" where we spent our entire Saturday investing precious family time into our daughter.  We started out with lunch at Firehouse--yumm!! (ok, so maybe this part of the day was for Mommy!)

Then, we spent several hours at one of Kyndall's favorite places---The Children's Museum.  It was Matthew's first time and Kyndall's second time.  We bought a yearly pass a few weeks ago, so I think we'll be making many more trips over the next 12 months.

After a few hours in the museum, we found a smoothie place in downtown Charleston and treated Kyndall to one of her favorite summertime refreshers

Last week I had a revelation---a wonderful, beautiful discovery which is SURE to make my grocery shopping a more peaceful experience!   I would like to personally thank whoever came up with this glorious contraption!!  This is one thankful Mommy!!  I'm just wondering why I didn't use this to my advantage months ago?!

Pair that thingie with a free sugar cookie from the Publix bakery and we are good to go!  Thank ya Jesus for the little things in life!

How funny is this?  Ya think she's picking up on Mommy's bad habits already??  Hey, at least she's a multi-tasker!

We've been spending a lot of time indoors due to the extreme heat.  Most days, my little Princess runs around in nothing but a diaper because it's just so darn HOT!

If we're not indoors soaking up the A/C, you can most definitely find us in the water somewhere!  Our new favorite place is the splash pad.   Mommy loves it because a.)  It's only $1 to get in for the entire day and b.) I don't have to do anything but sit back and watch!  I don't even have to put on a swimsuit!  It's a winner all the way around.

Kyndall seems to have taken an interest in golf, which as you can guess THRILLS her Daddy beyond description!  The other day I caught her doing this with her sparkly baton and a golf ball.  I think golf lessons may be in our future.......

Kyndall and Minnie Mouse have become BFFs this summer!  They are inseparable and where Kyndall goes, there Minnie goes also.  They even love to dress alike!  =)

One of our favorite activities to do with our Moms group is the open play at the YMCA gym.  Twice a month on Fridays, our group gets total reign of the Y's gymnastics facility.  For just three bucks, the kids get an hour of free play where they have total freedom over anything in the gym---the balance beams, trampoline, bars, mats, spring boards, etc.  I love it because it's a great way to continue improving Kyndall's gross motor skills and it's also a wonderful outlet for her energy!  I plan on signing her up for the Y's Tumble Bugs class once the summer is over and things slow down for us a bit.  I think she'll love it!

Last night we met up with our good friends the Marchants and had dinner with Wendy, Freddy and their 3 boys.  It's hard to believe that just a few years ago Will (who is now entering 5th grade) was Kyndall's age and I was toting him around on my hip while he affectionately referred to me as "Ash".  Geez, where does the time go??  Not to mention, their oldest, Avery is now 15 and taller than I am!  What happened to the little boys I used to babysit???

Kyndall and Brady (who is now 5), became good buddies last night at dinner.  Kyndall even tried to give him a kiss!  =) 

Today was a typical Sunday---Church, lunch at our usual Atlanta Bread Company, and home to do laundry, housework, yard work and catch up on important things---like this blog! =)

Ready for church

Lunch at our Sunday hang-out spot

 

And that pretty much catches you up on the last few weeks!  Nothing too exciting, but fun memories nonetheless!

In other news, I recently lost my ever-loving mind and decided to make a trip to the orthodontist for the first time in my entire life.  I am now the painful proud new owner of some shiny metal in my mouth, as well as a completely ridiculous speech impediment!!  It's terrible and I hate it---both the pain and the lisp, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end!  Right now I'm just wondering what I've gotten myself into!  I have a whole new respect for my past patients who complained about the pains (literally and figuratively) of orthodontics!!

Let's see, what else?  Oh!  This past Saturday I had the privilege of cooking and serving brunch at the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Charleston.  With the help of my sweet friend Maggie, we organized this as a community outreach project for our Moms group to parcipate in.  I'm not a morning person and I'm certainly not a cook----but I was so incredibly blessed yesterday to have been a part of this project.  It's a small way to give back, but it made me realize just how very blessed I am to have a healthy, happy family!  I'm looking forward to partnering with the RMH again soon, as I truly believe it is a wonderful organization!

As I said earlier, Kyndall has recently become engrossed in ALL things Minnie Mouse!  With this in mind, my wheels have already started turning in regards to her 2nd birthday which is less than two months away!  (What???!!!!)  The party location has been booked and creative juices are flowing!  I'm excited!

In less than three weeks we will finally be enjoying our long-awaited summer vacation!!!  I have to admit, seeing everyone's beach pictures on Facebook and their posts on Blogger have made this waiting game even harder for me!  I absolutely cannot wait to sink my toes into the beautiful white sands of the Gulf and soak in the warm sun, all while enjoying a week with 8 of my favorite people!  Lists are being made, necessities (like clearance rack shovels and buckets and swimsuits) are being bought, and my camera and I are ready for memories to be made!  St. George Island, we are coming for you!!!  Check out where we'll be staying for the week........

I hope that your summer has been as good to you as ours has been to us!  It's been a busy one, but we're having lots of fun! 

Princesses and Super Heroes

This morning our Moms group had a fun play date planned---A Princess tea party for the girls and a Super Hero party for the boys.  The two ladies who hosted the play date live next door to one another, so the Super Heroes dominated at Deanna's house while the Princesses played at Heather's.   It was a lot of fun!

Princess Kyndall

Heather let the girls choose a few jewels as they came in the front door

I promise, they really were having a good time!  These Princesses need to work on their smiles!

While the other Princesses had tea and snacks, this is all Kyndall wanted to do

She finally agreed to stop playing long enough to enjoy a marshmallow stick

But then she spotted THIS!  If there's one thing Kyndall is CRAZY about, it's Minnie Mouse!!!  This one was as big as she is, and she fell in love!

After the tea party, the girls made Princess wands

After a while, we got curious and decided to walk next door and see what the Super Heroes were up to......... 

Even though Shannon has two boys, she is still a Princess!

Laura also has two boys, but she came as Cinderella

Of course, Kyndall went straight for the truck.  Nothing like driving a dump truck while wearing a tutu and a diamond tiara! 

The boys had decorated masks and Kyndall swiped one of them for herself.  Princesses can save the world too, right?!

It was a really fun morning and a great idea!  Big thanks to Heather and Deanna for opening up your homes for us to destroy enjoy!  =)