Once Upon A Time...is Now

What's New at the Zoo?

2011-10-02T01:40:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 24 = Zoo Day!!

Monday Brian & I realized that the weather for the weekend was supposed to be nice and cool. Because of that we decided we wanted to take Cate to the zoo (something she hadn't done since she was an infant). We talked ALL WEEK with Cate about the fact that if she was a good girl during the week, we would go to the zoo on Saturday. She was GREAT this week and as such, we found ourselves heading to Zoo Atlanta Saturday morning.

This was one of Mommy's first big events with her new camera, so be prepared for a picture heavy post! Lots of animals {and lots of Cate} to see!

The first stop was to the flamingo pool. Cate thought it was neat that the flamingos stand on one leg like she does at karate. We also taught her that flamingos are pink because of all of the shrimp they eat.

Next stop was the parakeet house. This was super neat because once we were inside, there was nothing to separate us from the parakeets.

We didn't think it was important to pay to buy a stick of food, but someone gave us theirs when they were finished with it and Cate was able to feed the parakeets. So many people bought sticks of food that the birds weren't very hungry, but a couple of them did eat off of Cate's stick.

After we finished feeding the parakeets, it was important to wash our hands.

Daddy and Cate had fun drying their hands with the hand dryer, something Cate usually skips because she doesn't like the sound of it.

Next up were the warthogs. Cate was excited to see Pumbaa.

We noticed that there was a Mom & Dad Warthog snuggling with two baby warthogs.

Then we saw the lion. There was only one lion and we talked about how big his paws were!

The were huge!

The giraffe was really tall and he liked to eat leaves off of the trees.

There were two giraffes that wound their necks around each other while they were eating.

It made Cate laugh.

We saw the zebra and talked with Cate about its' stripes.

We taught Cate that zebras are black with white stripes.

Cate thought the meerkats were funny. She named them Timon. All of them.

They were standing up and playing in their habitats.

We looked through the glass to see a gorilla eating a shoot.

He did not seem to be affected by us watching him.

When we went into the "Living Treehouse," Cate got to stand in a pretend bird's nest.

She thought it was REALLY cool.

Cate also played with a bucket in the treehouse that taught us about what animals eat.

The bucket went up and down.

Cate posed with a statue of Willie B.

He is a Zoo Atlanta icon.

Then we got to see another gorilla ~ and this time there was no big piece of glass between the gorilla and us.

Cate was very excited when the gorilla looked at her.

He looks grumpy, but Cate was excited that he saw her and noticed that she was wearing a monkey dress.

We decided to take a snack break in the Kimodo Dragon lounge.

The kimodo dragon had a really long tongue.

The next stop was the Naked Mole Rat Playground. We didn't stay for long, but we did stay long enough for Cate to play out a little extra energy.

We don't have any pictures of the next stop because Mommy is a big scaredy cat.
Daddy and Cate went to the Reptile House and had a lot of fun. Mommy sat on the bench outside and people watched. Everyone was happy.

After the Reptile House, we finally got a chance to see the tiger. We looked for the tiger a couple of different times but we could never find him. Finally, after the trip to the Reptile House, we found the tiger walking around.

After noticing that the tiger was a little shy, we noticed him "staring" at Cate. Even the other people standing around us noticed that the tiger seemed smitten with Cate. We don't have any pictures of the tiger staring at Cate, but it really did happen!

As we were beginning our trip to the exit, we noticed a handler with an owl on her hands.

Cate was interested in it and said, "Hooo! Hooo!"

It was really cool when the owl spread its wings!

The last thing we saw before we left were more elephants. It was really cool to see the elephants this time because we could see their entire bodies and not just a little piece of them.

Daddy was able to get some great pictures of the elephants when he and Mommy switched places

(thus far in the day, Daddy carried Cate and Mommy took pictures).

Cate thought it was really cool when Mommy told her that Ama used to do tricks while trick riding on top of elephants!

After we saw the elephants we headed to the car after a GREAT day at the zoo!

As is our tradition when we are in the Atlanta city limits, we headed to Fellini's for the world's best pizza after the zoo. After our early dinner, we were all exhausted and headed home to relax. It was a GREAT day!

Project Three Hundred Who The Heck Knows

2011-08-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't posted since the middle of July (and it's now the middle of August).

No, I'm not posting much tonight.

No, you're not making me feel guilty.

Yes, I am working my hiney off with Mary Kay (and had a +$750 week last week). Yes, Cate went back to school last week and was awfully cute on the first day. Yes, Brian has fallen off the face of the Earth because he's been working on such a big project at work.

More will come. I promise. I just can't promise when.

XOXO,
Sam

Precious Girl

2011-07-12T00:20:00.001-04:00

Oh, my precious, precious girl.

Today was a day that I've been holding my breath about for the last three years.

After Cate's doctor's appointment last month, I'd started to relax [a bit] about her condition. I wondered if we'd made a mountain out of a molehill, placing too many restrictions on her, being too proactive in an effort to keep her safe and in doing so tried to place her in a proverbial bubble. Perhaps we were being just too cautious and not letting her be a child when we really didn't need to be so strict.

And then came the phone call that literally made my heart stop beating.

Around 1:40pm, I was in the van, ready to leave the house to pick Cate up from camp when my phone rang. I thought it was weird that it the school on my caller id so close to dismissal, but I wasn't concerned.

"Sam?"

"Hey Tina. What's up?"
"Sam. Cate overheated."

In the brief, half-second between that statement and her next one, I actually thought,

'Ugh. We've done so well lately. Why did she have to overheat? To remind us that this happens? That we have to deal with this. Why did she overheat today? Dr. Choate said overheating is going to be a way of life for Cate and we have to just be prepared for it. I'm tired of her overheating. I don't want to keep getting these phone calls for the rest of her school career. '

[Yeah, I know that's a lot to think in half a second. My brain moves pretty quickly.]

Did you hear the annoyance in my thoughts? The aggravation? The pettiness?

Did you hear the selfishness?

I'm not proud of it, but I will admit that I thought it.

Then Tina continued.

"She overheated and passed out. You need to come in."

And then my heart stopped beating.

I told Tina I was already in the car and would be there in ten minutes.

"She's okay, Sam. We got it under control."

No, you don't understand. That's my daughter. That's my precious girl. She was hurting and I wasn't there to save her. Moreover, if she passed out then this abstract thing that we always worried about as a worst-case scenario isn't abstract anymore, it's real. It's really real. It's not okay that I'm not there RIGHT. NOW.

But all I said was, "Okay."

When I got to the school it was indeed under control and she was indeed just fine.

"Mommy, I played with the fishies!"

HUH??

Ms. Marines (prounounced 'Mary-nez') told me that Cate didn't like it when they put her in the sink with cold water and ice to cool her down as fast as possible. Cate was upset and crying and so Marines told her to pretend she was in the ocean and the ice cubes were actually 'fishies.' At that point she calmed down to a whimper and began to play. By the time I got there, she was happy and excited to show me the fishies.

Heart attack averted and adoration for Marines soared.

By now I, like you, wanted to know what happened.

How did she overheat to the point of passing out?

The camp group went outside with Ms. Tina for afternoon playtime. After about 8 minutes, Ms. Sonia went outside and talked to Ms. Tina. At that point, Ms. Tina noticed that Cate had become a little pink/red and suggested Ms. Sonia take Cate back inside with her. Ms. Tina called to Cate and as usual, Cate ignored the call to go inside. (Glad to know Brian & I aren't the only ones she ignores.) Ms. Sonia then walked toward the playhouse in which Cate was playing. She called to Cate who became unresponsive. At that point she poked her head into the playhouse to call her again and Cate fainted, falling into Ms. Sonia's arms.

At this point, they all said things moved very quickly. Ms. Sonia made all of the other kids leave the playhouse and ran Cate over to Ms. Tina. Ms Tina then ran with Cate toward the door and Ms. Marines threw the door open while Ms. Tina ran to the kitchen. Not knowing what else to do to cool her down quickly (especially since Cate already had her ice vest on), she put Cate into the kitchen sink fully clothed and while Ms. Marines filled the sink with cold water, Ms. Tina threw the ice from the freezer into the sink, too.

She began to wake up at that point, very upset and crying heavily. The teachers were able to convince Cate that they couldn't help her feel better if she was crying and she needed to calm down.

Enter the fishies.

By the time I arrived, they were removing Cate's wet clothes and redressing her in dry ones. I talked with the teachers, who all seemed to be still on an adrenaline high, and they filled me in on the story. Once again, I'm incredibly impressed with how the staff at NAIA handled one of Cate's overheating situations. I knew when I received the phone call from Tina and she said, "She's fine now," that she really was doing better. I felt confident that if Cate hadn't been better by the call she would have said, "and we've called 911," instead.

In the end, everything is okay. I took Cate home, Brian came home from work early to be with us on this scary afternoon, and we put Cate down for a nap. Overheating really takes a lot out of her and coupled with a full day at camp, she was exhausted. I was a total pushover because I was so happy that she was okay, so I let her take a nap in our bed instead of hers.

Cate: 1 Mommy [pushover]: 0

She's okay. We're okay. It's all going to be okay.

I'm still scared, though.

Even scared, there's always, always, always something to be thankful for. Tonight we have so very many things to be thankful for. And my sweet girl is going to get an extra kiss before I go to bed because of it.

Imagine It!

2011-07-09T23:59:00.000-04:00

Today we got to go to Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta to celebrate Viva's birthday! We'd never been to the museum before and Cate was in for a real treat. The entire museum is an interactive learning experience for children. She was able to drive a food delivery truck to Publix and then use the conveyor belt to unload the boxes. She was able to play in a forest and a treehouse, then go fishing in a water table. She was able to try on all types of sports uniforms and learn about the science behind many different sports. It was really so much fun.

If you're considering a birthday party there, I highly recommend it. The workers did a great job with a bunch of three and four year olds and kept them entertained for over an hour. By the way, Bruster's ice cream cake? Divine.

Enjoy the pictures!

Cate and Daddy enjoying a cuppa in the grocery delivery truck.

Driving to Publix

Cate operating the forklift put the groceries into the delivery truck.

Cate and Smith were so excited to see each other!

Getting ready to drive the tractor.

"I'm just like my friend, the farmer!" -- Cate

Building with blocks and coloring as we waited for the party to start.

Viva was a little shy in the beginning.

Cate trying to convince Daddy to go under the limbo pole with her.

(Daddy prevailed.)

Cate was so loving when she grabbed Viva's hand and helped her limbo.

Enjoying some pizza.

Cate & Viva thought it was HILARIOUS to blow their noisemakers at each other!

Mmm...Bruster's ice cream cake...

Playing in the tree house.

Whoosh!

Cate spinning the "cake" she made with moon dough.

So proud of herself!

She even sang, "Happy, happy birthday to YOU!" to Mommy.

All dressed up as a hockey player, ready to play with Uncle Keith!

Baseball, anyone?

Or maybe basketball!

Gymnastics.

Yup, that's the one!

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-04T18:53:00.024-04:00

Happy 4th of July, y'all! In honor of our country's birthday, I want to start off with my favorite patriotic pictures. For the last two and a half years, it's been this one:

I took this picture at the Citadel in September 2008 when we spent two weeks vacationing on Folly Beach and in Charleston, S.C.. The Citadel is South Carolina's military university and it was really neat to see all of the cadets doing field work that hot Friday afternoon. This American flag seemed to mean a little bit more on that campus.

My new favorite patriotic picture is this one:

You've seen it recently because I posted it during our Road Trip Extravaganza day in Newport, R.I.. This is when Cate and I were riding on the water taxi through Newport harbor and she was mesmerized by the ocean and the boat ride. I love her innocence and joy in it even though you can't see her face.

We're having a great three day weekend. Friday and Saturday I was at Georgia Rainbow Girls' Grand Assembly in Macon. I was given the honor of performing part of the Majority service for the girls who were aging out of Rainbow and that was Saturday morning. It was an emotional day as one of my favorite college age girls received her majority degree on Saturday. After the service, I hopped back in the van to drive home and see Brian and Cate. They spent the morning grocery shopping and Brian cooked a fabulous dinner for us on the grill.

On Sunday, we went to Grandma & Grandpa's house for a quintessential July fourth celebration. Paul, Emily, KK and Luca were also there Cate was elated to get to play with her Georgia cousins for the first time this summer!

After playing the piano and playing all over Grandma & Grandpas's house and on the playground, we feasted on hamburgers and hotdogs, potato salad, green salad, watermelon-feta salad and red, white, and blue cupcakes for dessert! Next up, pool time! This was the second time Cate was able to play in the pool this summer, the first time being at Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Tony's house in New Jersey. She was quite shy at first and clung to daddy, but eventually she warmed up enough to come off of the steps and let mommy hold her, too. We finished our day in the baby pool where all the kids enjoyed playing "Dump the Water Bucket on Uncle Paul's Head!"

Today was an exciting day, even though we didn't get to see the fireworks. We went to Rooms to Go Kids in Dunwoody and Cate had a blast looking at all of the new bedroom furniture. She especially loved this bed, but we decided as a family that it wasn't the most practical choice for Cate's room:

In the end, we found a bed that Cate loves and helped mommy and daddy live their childhood dreams out through her, so Cate will be proudly sleeping in her big, big girl bed next Wednesday! This isn't the bed she picked, but she definitely had fun playing on it!

After going home for naps all around, we braved the rain and celebrated America's independence with some Mexican food! Cate played the role of the walrus:

We hope you had as great a weekend as we did!

Ahhh...

2011-06-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

We're home.

We pulled in the driveway at 5:30 this morning.

I'm still exhausted.

Will. Blog. After. Sleep.

Til then...

Road Trip: Day 20

2011-06-25T23:19:00.001-04:00

The road trip days are coming to an end. Tomorrow is the three week mark and Cate and I are both ready to go home. We miss Brian, our beds and the normalcy of our routine. We're ready to go home, but are still looking forward to today and tomorrow!

We woke up this morning in New Jersey, but we're going to bed in Virginia! We left Scott & Megan's house around 12:30pm and the cars on the highway were moving but I got a bad feeling about traffic pretty early. After a bit, I could see that traffic was slowing (and the electronic signs said "Caution: Traffic." REALLY helpful, New Jersey DOT. Thanks.), so we pulled into one of the NJ Turnpike rest stops for gas and a potty break.
[Side bar: Did you know that pumping your own gas is illegal in NJ? Yup, no self-serve allowed. The guy in the safety vest pumped it for us.]
I thought I was being smart by stopping before we got into traffic, but I apparently wasn't ready for the serious traffic or serious potty-ing that was too come in the next hour. By 3pm (2.5 hours after leaving), we had only traveled 75 miles and most of that was while traffic was still moving, not during the two hours we were stopped on the highway. In the end, Cate stopped to pee four times in that hour from 3-4 pm, two of which were at rest stops and two of which were on the side of the NJ Turnpike while I prayed that an 18-wheeler didn't come flying into us and kill us both.

Now, because Cate peed four times in one hour, when we stopped at a Cracker Barrel to return a book on cd that I rented and Cate said, "Mommy, I need to go potty," I felt confident that she could wait just a minute.

I was wrong.

The next thing I heard was a very sad three year old crying softly, "Mommmmmmmy. I'm going pee peeeeeeee." Poor little thing. All over the floor at Cracker Barrel. As soon as it happened, it was clear that there was nothing I could have done to get her to the bathroom in time because it happened too soon. I have no idea why she had to go to the bathroom so many times in such a short period, but it happened. Thankfully, after the stop at Cracker Barrel, the flow and the traffic seemed to diminish, so we were back on our way to Alexandria.

We drove over this bridge.

When I saw this sign, I freaked out for a second.

Then I remembered about Newark, Delaware.

Oh. Okay.

We finally arrived at Aunt Kim & Uncle Tom's house around 6pm and are very happy to be here! We stretched our legs at the house for a little while, and checked out the house. Cate really enjoyed playing mailman with Aunt Kim & Uncle Tom's mail slot. She REALLY enjoyed it because we played the game for at least 20 minutes.

Then Cate asked for permission to play in the grass "with no shoes on so the grass will tickle my feet!" She loved running around and playing with Aunt Kim.

We went around the back to their shed where there weren't any chickens, but there was a lawnmower with no electrical cord!

This is about as artsy as you can get with an iPhone camera, but their hydrangeas were gorgeous!

We went back inside where Jinx the Cat let Cate pet him.

The other cat was not as happy to have a three year old in the house.

Next we headed to Old Town Alexandria for dinner. Tom & Kim suggested we take the scenic route to dinner and I happily agreed. I loved seeing all of the sights of Alexandria and D.C.! The following pictures are HORRIBLE because I took them with my iPhone, because I took them from so far away (and in a moving car) and because I took them at dusk. They're bad pictures, but I'll guide you through them. :)

This building is where Kim's office is located.

She writes for POLITICO as their senior technology reporter. You can read her bio here.

If you look through the trees you can see an American flag and a bit of a statue. That just happens to be the United States Marine Corps Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Perhaps you'll recognize it better with this picture:

Photo credit

I didn't get a picture, but we saw the Jefferson Memorial.

Not quite sure which one that is? Perhaps this picture will help:

Photo credit

We saw the Washington Memorial from afar.

You may know it by this picture.

Photo credit

And this one, I took for my Brian. It made me think of him.

Tom even called me out on it when I took the picture!

We had a fabulous dinner at Chadwick's down by the water. I am still dreaming about the lobster macaroni and cheese that I had. YUM! Cate was very tired since it was so late but she was still very calm and Tom, Kim & I were able to enjoy our dinner. Sadly, that changed drastically when we got back to our car. Cate had the meltdown of all meltdowns when we tried to put her into the van to go home: she revolted against me, against Tom & Kim, against sleep, and most importantly, against the van. The poor child is so tired of riding in the car and I can't blame her. Between the three of us, we were finally able to get her hooked into her car seat so we could head back to the house. I called Brian and put him on speakerphone to try to calm Cate down, which he was able to do after about 15 minutes. It was quite a night! Now she's sleeping peacefully in bed next to me and I'm going to go to bed myself. What a night!

Road Trip: Day 19

2011-06-25T00:45:00.000-04:00

This morning was lazy. Yes, I know Monday was a lazy day, but today wasn't that kind of lazy. This morning Cate and I hung out and played in Brian and Stacey's apartment before we prepared to make the drive back to New Jersey. Around 11:30am, we loaded up the van and headed to Brown University in Providence. Cate fell asleep in the van on the way there so I carried her into the bookstore to look at all of the loot. Just around the time I was heading back to the van and figuring I'd just start driving south since she was asleep anyway, Cate woke up. She announced that she's like a hot dog for lunch so we walked a block to Johnny Rockets and feasted on mini hot dogs and a strawberry shake for Cate and an egg salad sandwich and a blessed fountain Coke for me (Providence is a Pepsi town. Bleh.). Since Cate was awake after lunch, we headed back to the bookstore so I could pick up my coveted t-shirt. Then we jumped in the van and took off for our 3.5 hour trip to Montville. Or so I thought. After SIX very long HOURS, a 32 oz Coke, a chocolate milk pint, a few handfuls of Goldfish, a strawberry PopTart, peeing in a cup because traffic was not even moving, The Wizard of Oz, Strawberry Shortcake Movie, 2 Fraggle Rock episodes and a Barney movie later, Cate and I arrived at Scott and Megan's house.

Abbie was ecstatic that Cate was back and proceeded to paint Cate's nails and toenails while Scott, Meg and I chatted on the porch. They joined us on the porch after the nail salon closed and chased fireflies around the front yard. When bedtime was finally enforced, Scott and Katie sat with Cate to say her prayers (Scott is one of Cate's godfathers) and I sat with her while she fell asleep. Now that I've caught up on a sastisfactory amount of trash TV thanks to Bravo, it's time for me to turn in and catch some zzz's myself.

Photos will be posted some time tomorrow because I don't have the cord to upload my photos inside the house tonight!

Road Trip: Day 18

2011-06-23T20:42:00.002-04:00

Thursday

Today was a great day! Brian and Stacey both had to work today, so Cate and I set off on our own to explore Newport. We hung out at the condo until about 10am, then set off for the day. It's only about an hour trip to Newport, which was nice. Cate watched a movie in the backseat (The Wizard of Oz, of course!) and I enjoyed listening to the book on CD that I rented for the trip.

Newport has a number of private parking lots along America's Cup & Thames Rds. It appeared that they were all $10/day, but given their close proximity to the wharfs and the fact that they are daily, not hourly, it wasn't that high of a price. Once we parked, we began walking down Thames. The road and area are quite old and not exactly stroller friendly. We made it work, but most stores have relatively small aisles and are usually up at least one step from the sidewalk, so we didn't go in many shops (shocking for me, I know!).

It was beautiful to see all of the sailboats docked throughout the harbor and Cate decided early on that she wanted to go on a boat ride. She was very excited to go on a boat, so it was something that I really wanted to make happen. We began looking for boats and were pointed in the direction of the Madeleine and the Rum Runner II. I would have loved to go out on the Madeleine, a huge, beautiful sailboat, but I didn't think it would be the best option for a three year old. The Rum Runner II is another large boat, but it has better seats than a sailboat, so we chose that one. Unfortunately, the next sailing was to be at 3:30 and it was only 12:30 when we talked to the schedulers. The skies were not looking their best so the schedulers said they would call if the sailing was cancelled due to weather.

Knowing we needed to sight-see for about three hours, Cate and I went in search of lunch. I desperately wanted seafood of some sort but we had a hard time finding seafood and a restaurant that was kid friendly so we finally settled on a place called Handy Lunch. Interestingly enough, after lunch I found out that my fabulous friend Ali (who grew up in Newport), used to go to Handy Lunch regularly before the school day started when she was in high school! It made our not-so-exciting lunch a little more fun!

When we started walking down the street again after lunch, I noticed a sign in front of the International Yacht Restoration School that mentioned taking a water taxi across the Newport Harbor to the Museum of Yachting. In addition to my concern over what the weather would be like for the Rum Runner II at it's 3:30pm sailing, I was especially concerned about the boat's hour and fifteen minute sail time; it was not something with which I thought Cate would do well. Assuming a water taxi ride would be shorter, we stepped into IYRS to see if the taxis were running and how long the trip is. I was informed that the water taxi could pick us up in 15 minutes, the roundtrip to Fort Adams and back would only be about 20 minutes and the ride was only $6/person (Rum Runner II was going to be $16/person). This was definitely the boat ride for us! As we walked through the restoration warehouses to get to the dock, we met a man named Pear who works at the school. He said he overheard that we were going out for a ride and expressed concern over our clothing, saying he was afraid we'd get cold with only one sweatshirt between the two of us (I had planned to put it on Cate). He was so kind that he went out to his truck and brought back his very nice sailing raincoat for me to wear on the boat ride. It was such a sweet thing to do and once we got out on the water, I was so thankful for it because without it, I would have been a Popsicle!

We went out on the water taxi and I was pretty excited because Cate and I were the only two on the boat! We rode through the harbor, looking at all of the sailboats, the mansions on the shoreline and the party goers at the yacht club. We sailed to Fort Adams, though we didn't get out because the weather was starting to look really bad. We picked up a couple and their dog at the yacht club and took them to their boat in the harbor (where Cate asked, "MOMMY!! Are we going to get on THAT boat now??"), then we went back to the dock where we boarded. In the end, the taxi captain only charged us for my ride, so we had a perfect 25 minute boat ride (the perfect length for Cate) for a grand total of $6!

When we got back to shore, we dropped Pear's raincoat back to him at IYRS then went back up to the street. At that point, the heavens finally opened up with the rain that was threatening all day and I decided it was time for us to go home. Cate was disappointed that we didn't get a chance to play on the playground, but overall, it was a wonderful day in Newport.

After we jumped in the car and I got Cate settled with a dvd, I wanted to take a ride in the rain past the Newport Mansions; everyone said that it was necessary and I figured I might as well take a look. I drove past some really nice houses and thought about how I'd be enjoying them more if Brian was with me to see them ... and then I saw it. I was driving through the Salve Regina University campus and I suddenly saw The Breakers. The Breakers is the former summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Now that is a mansion. I suddenly understood why everyone said I needed to go see it! I don't know when it will be, but I know another trip to Newport is in our family's future and I definitely plan on taking a tour of the mansions. Wow. Just wow.

Cate and I really headed back then and it took a little while longer than expected due to traffic, but it wasn't that bad. Much like the last few days, I really enjoyed the drive and the time to just sit and think. When we got back to Providence Place, I attempted to go to CVS to pick up a few things Cate and I needed, but that was an ill-fated plan. Forty-five minutes later we made it back to Brian & Stacey's apartment. For a little perspective, you can see CVS from Brian's apartment. Parking in downtown Providence is a little crazy and if you make one wrong turn, you're in trouble. Cate and I made more than one wrong turn. I am, however, pleased to announce that we were not using Google Maps to get around; I got lost all by myself! =)

Once we got back to the apartment, Cate had mac 'n cheese, watched a show and went to bed. Brian and I were then able to sit down for our own dinner (that Brian did a great job making for us!) and chat, catching up with everything we've been doing over the last few years. It was great to visit with BC and I realized just how much I've missed him. BC is the smartest person I know and is currently in his second year of fellowship at Women & Babies Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. When he finishes this year, he'll start a two year fellowship in infectious diseases. He's a rockstar and I can honestly say that if I ever have an infectious disease, he's the doctor I want in my corner. I have him on speed dial just in case. We are, after all, moving into Malaria season.

I'm going to let you know right now that tonight's pictures are ahh-mazing. Given the fact that I'm taking all of my photos with my iPhone (as we save for our dSLR), I don't get a lot of super great photos, but today's setting was so good, I couldn't go wrong. Be prepared, I couldn't pare down the number of pictures today. Enjoy!

This windmill makes me giggle every time I see it.

It just seems so random in the middle of the highway.

Welcome to Newport!

Me: "Do you see that building over there, Cate?"

Cate: "Yes."

Me: "It's not a building. It's a boat."

Cate: "Whoah."

I adore this picture.

My best girl and me.

One of the many, many sailboats in the harbor.

I really liked this "house."

Another one. Adore it. Adore her.

Can you read the name of the boat?

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat.

Awesome.

How cute is she?

International Yacht Restoration School.

Super cool.

One of the boats on which they were working.

I had to stop for a picture with Pineapple Willy. The parking attendant cracked up when he saw me trying to take the photo and offered to take one that I could be in, too.

Driving along I found this beach and had to stop to take a picture in the rain.

Not my picture (it was raining), but this is the view I saw of

The Breakers from the road.

Um, wow.

Road Trip: Day 17

2011-06-22T20:41:00.037-04:00

We woke up this morning in the Ronald McDonald House and it was wonderful. After plying Cate with videos on the computer for a bit so I could get a few more minutes of sleep in, we headed downstairs for breakfast in the dining room. We chatted with Esther, one of the House volunteers, and some of the other guests, then headed back upstairs to dress and prepare to leave. After gathering our things to leave, Cate and I played for a few minutes in the sunroom, where it became quite clear that she needs a dollhouse at home. We said our goodbyes to the staff and volunteers of the House and headed out to stop #6 on our road trip.

Cate was introduced to Cocoa Puffs this morning.

Cate checking out the dollhouse that was styled after the Ronald McDonald House in which we stayed.

She definitely enjoyed playing with it!

The Ronald McDonald House emblem.

Cate playing with her new unicorn,

a gift from the Ronald McDonald House.

Cate handing our bag of soda can tabs to Ms. Cathy,

the director of the Connecticut Ronald McDonald House.

Ama and I have saved tabs for TWO YEARS to fill that bag!

My mom grew up in Branford, a Connecticut town just outside of New Haven, and her sister (my aunt) and many of her nieces (my cousins) still live there. Through Facebook, my cousin Patti and I have gotten in touch with each other and have enjoyed spending time together over the last few years. Brian and I were thrilled when Patti and Dave were able to join us for our wedding in Las Vegas and we've been able to meet up with her the last two times we were in New Haven. Today was a nice treat because Cate and I were able to visit with Patti and her two girls at their house in East Haven. Patti and I had a great visit with some good laughs and Jess, Carissa and Cate really enjoyed playing with each other. I'm hoping we'll be able to meet up with Patti on our way home to spend some more time together, and she offered to take me out to our grandfather's gravesite in Connecticut. I really appreciate her offer to do that because I've never been out to it.

My mom and sister grew up in this house in Branford, Connecticut.

Cate and I drove by to take a peek after visiting with Patti.

When we left Patti's house, we jumped back on I-95 and worked our way up to Providence, Rhode Island. It was an enjoyable drive and Cate watched a movie (What do you think? The Wizard of Oz, maybe?) while I got to listen to my book on CD. We got to Providence around 3pm and knew Brian wouldn't be home from work yet, so Cate and I headed to the Providence Place Mall, a stone's throw away from Brian and Stacey's apartment. We enjoyed lunch/dinner and shopping, then got lost trying to get to Brian's apartment. Yes, I know I said the mall is only a stone's throw from the apartment, but Rhode Island has some crazy streets. We couldn't figure out how to get to the apartments (which we could SEE from the parking deck) and one wrong turn turned into another one way wrong turn after another. We finally made it to Brian and Stacey's and were welcomed with great hospitality. It was so nice to see Brian after a number of years. We were able to catch up for coffee about four years ago, but it was eight years ago, when BC came to Atlanta for Davi & Calvin's wedding that we really got to spend a good amount of time together. It was a real treat to spend some nice time together and it was also nice to finally meet Brian's partner Stacey. Brian and Stacey have been together for nine years and it was great to spend some time with both of them.

Tonight, a nice, relaxing night in Providence, tomorrow, a day with the Monkey in Newport!

Cate and I rocking the sunglasses in Old Navy.

Cate picked them out.

Cate felt the need to take a picture of me.

She's becoming quite the budding photographer.

Road Trip: Day 16

2011-06-22T00:28:00.000-04:00

Yale - that was our destination today and I'm pleased to report that we had a wonderful appointment with Cate's dermatologists! We woke up to our last morning at Scott & Megan's house and said our goodbyes to everyone has they headed off to work and school. After that we got on the road and headed out ourselves, off to New Haven, CT with The Wizard of Oz playing on the dvd player in the backseat (again.). It was a nice drive that, thanks to Cate's cute little pink earphones, I really enjoyed. After our longer drives on days 1 and 2, the shorter drives of only two or so hours have become quite enjoyable. So much so, that I'm looking forward to tomorrow's drive as well, since it's also only about two hours.

We arrived in New Haven around 1:15pm and although our appointment wasn't until 2:30pm, we drove straight to Doctors Building on Church St, hoping to get in a little early. It wasn't until we checked in that I remembered Dr. Choate was coming in specifically to see Cate today, so he wasn't even there until our appointment time. The wait wasn't too bad, though because they have a decent sized play area for their pediatric patients and Cate and I were able to play while we waited.

Cate sported a new look inside while she pointed out all of the exit signs in the building.

She came up with her new look all by herself. Could you tell?

Still showing off her style while we played in the waiting room.

When we were called back, we met with Dr. Choate for a few minutes alone, then were joined by Dr. Millstone and adoctor we'd never met before, Dr. Lot. After an hour long appointment, a hair test and many, many pictures of Cate's skin, these are the takeaways:

Overall, Cate is doing well.
The fine lines on her skin show that we've not found anything that is treating her skin yet (collective 'we'). Dr. Choate said that when those specific marks begin to go away, we'll know that we've found something that is working for her skin.

Her itchiness is disruptive to our lifestyle. When I commented on the fact that nighttime is when it is most bothersome and difficult to deal with, Dr. Choate agreed, saying this is because the mind has nothing else to distract it from thinking about the itch.
Due to the severity of her itchiness, we are going to increase her Atarax and get it to a better dosage. With the appropriate dosage, Cate will be able to sleep through the night without problems due to itching.
We are going to keep her on the nightly Zyrtec, as well as adding in daytime Zyrtec. If problems continue, we will increase the Zyrtec dosage, as well.
Dr. Choate wants us to do phototherapy with Cate! This is different from everything that we've ever done with her because we've always been told to keep Cate out of the sun. I can't even tell you how excited I am that we were just given instructions to not only take Cate into the sun, but to spend extra time in the sun! Dr. Choate said he wants Cate to get a tan so we should go to the pool almost everyday! I expressed concern over what chlorine did to her skin last year when she was taking swim classes at the YMCA, but he said to make sure we rinse her off immediately and then coat her with copious amounts of Aquaphor (which we did last year) and then we can discuss if it's still a problem. We will need to be outside before 11am or after 3pm due to the very low levels of sunscreen that we are to put on her now, but it's not good for anyone to be outside between 11am and 3pm, so that's not a problem. I have to laugh because I don't think anyone but Brian really understands how excited I am about being able to go out in the sun; this is very exciting!
And finally, Drs. Millstone and Choate are ready for us to be less proactive and more reactive in regard to Cate's overheating. They said that overheating is inevitable with Cate's condition and now that we have a general baseline understanding of when and how often she overheats, as well as an understanding of how long it takes to revive her from periods of overheating, it's time to let Cate do more and react after she starts to overheat. The phrase that helped me understand best what they were saying to me is "We want Cate to have a normal childhood." All of the things we have been doing to be proactive and prevent Cate from overheating are fine now (keeping her out of the sun, keeping her inside, spaying her and having her carry her fan), but as she gets older, they will single Cate out from other children and make her different. They stressed that Cate will overheat and we will have to treat her when that happens, but until those times happen, let her do what she wants. I think it will take some trying on Brian's and my parts to let her do more and to understand just how far we can test the boundaries, but it opens us up to a lot of other things. It's going to be difficult to train myself to be reactive rather than proactive because we've always worked to try to keep Cate from ever overheating. Now that they've said "she will overheat, just expect it," our life just changed a lot! It was also interesting to hear the doctors say that the fact that she overheats at least once a week is normal because, like I said before, we thought the point was to prevent it from happening. I think the difficulty is going to be in allowing it to happen and making sure we're on top of the situations so that it doesn't get out of control. Over heating is still a very serious condition and can lead to all kinds of problems, some similar to what happened last summer, some with even worse results, so we have to be sure that when she does overheat we're ready to deal with it immediately.

I'm not entirely sure that I'm making sense at this point. It's a little difficult to explain what the doctors were telling me, even though I fully understand what they said, plus it's late and my brain needs to sleep. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please let me know and I'll be happy to talk it out with you! I'm tired and I know there are many, many people who are waiting to hear what happened with the doctors today, so I'm going to publish this now and tomorrow I will write Day 16, Part 2 to tell you all about the wonderful people at the Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut, where Cate and I are staying tonight!

Road Trip: Day 15

2011-06-20T21:06:00.054-04:00

Today was the epitome of a lazy day! The easiest way for me to explain it is that Cate was still in her nightgown at 3pm! I can say with total certainty that she has never, ever done that before and today was a special treat! Being two weeks into our trip and following the busyness of the parties this weekend, I decided early in the day that we just needed a 'chill day.' Everyone else was away at work and school, so Cate and I had the house to ourselves and just played, watched tv and took naps. I even managed to get a little Mary Kay paperwork done, which was a nice treat. This is a horrendous sunburst picture, but I had to show off Cate and her 'artwork!'

After we completely wore out our laziness, Cate got dressed, we snagged Abbie as she got home from school and we headed off to exchange some clothing that didn't fit Cate. We girls had a fun time out, even if it took us longer to get home than it did to do all of our shopping! Darn New Jersey roads just don't make any sense. In case you've never driven in NJ, be forewarned that there are no left turns - only right turns that circle you around ~ sometimes. Sometimes they take you where you want to go, sometimes they take you somewhere totally different. Either way, you're not going to get there the way you think you should get there. There you go. You've been warned.

I took this picture when we the girls and I were on our way home from the store today because it always makes me chuckle when I'm on Changebridge Rd. The very first time I ever drove on a real street was on Changebridge Rd. It was a short-lived trip because in all honesty, I had no business being on a real road yet! Changebridge Rd is one of the most traveled streets in Montville ~ I backed out of a driveway, pulled into traffic (the opposite direction I was supposed to be going because I didn't know how to back out the way I needed to go!) and drove until I found a parking lot into which I could pull so that I could get out of the car and let the adult driver take over! It was super scary then, but quite funny now.

Well, it's our last night at Scott & Megan's house. Megan and I were discussing tonight how it feels like we just got here, when in actuality, it's been a full week. With so many preparations for the party last week and then the party itself, and then the clean up from the party, the week just flew by. I'm sad for the week to end, but eager to get to Yale tomorrow and meet with Cate's doctors.

Blogger - UGH.

2011-06-20T08:33:00.002-04:00

Hang in there with me ~ I'm trying to update but Blogger is having issues and will only publish some of my posts. The most frustrating thing is that it's only doing it to some accounts so you may be able to read some blogs but not others. This account is unfortunately one of those "others" that isn't publishing. Truthfully, I don't even know if this will post but I'm going to give it a try.

I *hope* to have Road Trip updates soon!

UPDATE at 1:48pm: Blogger is working and I was able to publish each of our updates! Woohoo! You're now caught up on our trip and I'll hopefully be able to get each post up daily now.

Road Trip: Day 14

2011-06-19T22:30:00.041-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

First and foremost, Cate & I want to send lots of love and hugs to the best daddy in the world. We're really missing Brian right now, especially today when we should be with him for Father's Day. We're sending you love all the way from New Jersey!

Today we all slept in after the big party last night. Cate has been waking up pretty early lately, so sleeping in was a very nice treat. We all pitched in to clean up ... more clean up ... and had good NJ bagels for breakfast. The whole family took early naps and when we woke up we headed to Grandma Nancy & Grandpa Tony's house for a big father's day celebration.

We had a great time visiting with everyone, playing in the pool and eating wonderful food. It took Cate a little while to get used to being in the pool, but by the end of the day she was in and swimming around without me!
It was a long but wonderful day. Cate's passed out in the bed across from me and I'm ready for another round of sleep myself!

The view from Grandma Nancy & Grandpa Tony's house.

Grandpa Tony & Alex playing chess after dinner.

Cate & Kira with the fabulous babysitter/cousin Katie

Classic Abbie!

Jumping with Katie

Watch me jump!

Sean's logo pose for the his new shirt line

Getting thrown into the water!

All smiles.

Playing on the castle swing with Samantha

Sunset view of NYC

Road Trip: Day 13

2011-06-19T10:09:00.011-04:00

Party time! Saturday was Chris' graduation party! The day began with more party prep ~ we were expecting 80 people to attend and that means you have to make a lot of food! We also set up the tables and chairs out on the lawn and picked up last minute stuff at the store.

Guests started arriving around 3pm and I don't think I sat down again until 1am! We had a fabulous time and it was great to see so many of Scott and Megan's family members who I only see when we're up here visiting. Cate had a blast playing outside (yes, you read that right ~ playing OUTSIDE! In June!), jumping on the trampoline and snacking. I was exhausted when we started putting food away and was so excited to crawl into bed at 1am... while the party was still going!

Congratulations Chris!

The makings of broccoli salad for 80 people!

Do you see the size of that stock pot?!

Cate took a 2.5 hour nap during the party!!

Don't you love the pink hair?

Road Trip: Day 12

2011-06-17T22:28:00.002-04:00

Today was all about party prep. Our wonderful nephew Christopher is graduating from high school on Wednesday and Scott & Megan are throwing him a graduation party tomorrow night. There are tons of people coming, so there is much to do to get ready for it. I've been a member of Lavenburg/Fetters/Pio Costa party prep team for over 6 years so when I was planning our trip I knew I had to make sure to be in town early enough to help get ready for tomorrow's party. It's always a lot of work but it's also a lot of fun!

Tonight when we were finished for the evening, I gave Babe, Katie and Megan Mary Kay facials. I love having a business that I can work with my family and while I'm on vacation!

No pictures today because my hands were a little busy prepping!

Road Trip: Day 11

2011-06-16T21:31:00.017-04:00

After we had our normal morning routine of snuggling on the couch and waking up, Cate looked at me and said, "It's a bagel kind of day, Mommy. I think we need to go get bagels." Never one to argue with the consumption of real New Jersey bagels, Cate and I headed to Eli's Gourmet Bagels and purchased two plain with cream cheese. We quite enjoyed our feast and Cate was cute enough to score a free cookie from the shop workers. After that we got lost on our way to Target (Damn you, Google Maps! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.) but finally found a Target (not our intended one) and picked up the things Aunt Meg needed for the party. We headed back to the house for naps and found out that everyone had a half day at school! We skipped nap time and hung out with Abbie, Katie and Chris and watched Uncle Sparky do some more work on the screened in porch.

After dinner we played some more and the girls took a bath together in the BIG bathtub. Now it's time for lights out because we begin cooking tomorrow for the party!

Mmm... Cream cheese.

I feel the same way, Cate!

Cookie!

Road Trip: Day 10

2011-06-15T21:20:00.017-04:00

Day two at Scott and Megan's house, and the preparation for the graduation party began! Cate and I ran some errands for Megan today and in doing so got to go to the mall. There wasn't a ton to do with the kids at school, so we ambled through the stores and enjoyed lunch at Friendly's. Cate wasn't having a great day of following directions and listening today, so we headed back to the house for naps and some downtime.

Nothing exciting happened today, but that's another one of the things I love about visiting here ~ it feels just as comfortable as being at home!

"Look, Mom. I'm reading a book in my beach chair."

(Where does she come up with this stuff?)

Taking a 'nap' on the Lands End couch.

Enjoying chocolate milk at Friendly's.

And another night of sleeping hard!

Road Trip: Day 9

2011-06-14T21:43:00.032-04:00

We made it to Scott & Megan's house! Yay!

We left Carmel this morning after everyone went to work and started the drive to New Jersey. It's not an overly long drive, only about an hour and forty-five minutes, but we were sad to learn that the dvd player we have in the car isn't working right. I'm glad we had such a short drive today, but we'll definitely need to have Uncle Sparky take a look at it before we leave so that we have it for the rest of the trip.

Megan had to work today and all of the kids were at school, but we were excited to see Scott was home when we got there. He decided to add a screened in porch onto the back of the house and he's working hard to get a good bit of it finished before Chris's party on Saturday. We chatted with him for a while, then both took naps and relaxed until everyone got home. We spent the rest of the evening visiting with everyone and now it's time for bed! One of the many reasons I love coming here is because bedtime is early for everyone in the house!

Crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge

Picking flowers in Uncle Sparky & Aunt Meg's backyard.

Lots of flowers.

Uncle Sparky teaching Cate how to play the ball game.

A nice white wine spritzer before dinner.

Abbie loved dressing Cate up in her old dance costumes!

Here's Cate in a ballet dress.

Sleeping soundly after a long day of playing with cousins!

Road Trip: Day 8

2011-06-13T22:27:00.003-04:00

What a fun day! Aunt Gayle had the day off today, so she, Cate and I spent the day together shopping!

We headed to Danbury, CT and our first stop was the Christmas Tree Shop! I'd never been to the Christmas Tree Shop, but I'd heard great things about it and was very excited to finally shop there. I was able to purchase a bunch of decorations that I've been wanting for the master bedroom and even better, they were at great prices! I was shocked when I checked out and my total was only $29.63! I can't wait to get it all home and decorate the bedroom.

After the Christmas Tree Shop, we went to the Danbury Fair Mall (the same one we went to with Tom & Ann Marie) and met up with Reed for lunch! It was great to see her and catch up on everyone in her family and she even stayed with us for a bit while Cate played on the indoor playground. She had to leave to pickup Luke and Aunt Gayle had some shopping to do, so Cate and I played for a bit longer, then met back up with Aunt Gayle to get Fred the Bunny some clothes at Build-A-Bear. Thanks to Aunt Gayle and Cate's stylings, Fred the Bunny is now dressed in white shorts with rhinestones and a pink Disney princess t-shirt. His look was completed with a red bow on his ear and his entire outfit matched Cate's! We kept asking Cate if Fred the Bunny is a girl now and she finally said yes, though her name is still Fred the Bunny!

After a long day of shopping, we headed back to the house and helped prep dinner. After dinner, Cate went to bed and I stayed up with the adults for a bit. It was then that we received the phone call about the rogue duck in the area who the police believed belonged to the A's. Aunt Gayle went down to the barn and confirmed that she had all of her ducks in a row, but we got quite a few laughs out of the situation. The police were very concerned that they couldn't find the owner of the rogue duck!

I'm heading to bed now because we're back on the road tomorrow morning!

Reed, Aunt Gayle & me

She really seems to like the caterpillar!

Playing the drums on the train.

Giving Fred the Bunny a bath before picking out 'her' clothes.

Road Trip: Day 7

2011-06-12T22:15:00.001-04:00

We were back in the car today, but I didn't have to drive! After breakfast Cate & I hopped in Uncle Rich's new car and drove out to Long Island with Aunt Gayle and Uncle Rich to celebrate cousin Kerry's birthday. We had 17 people at one table as we ate at Long Island's "Best Buffet." After lunch, it was back to the house where we hung out with the boy cousins and played. Cate occupied herself on the ride home by taking pictures with my phone, none of which were good! Tonight's dinner was amazing homemade pizza made by none other than Uncle Rich!

Cate's photo: Uncle Rich driving

Cate's photo: Her feet

Cate's photo: Uncle Rich driving & her foot

Cate's photo: Me

Grumpy Gus didn't want to take a picture even though I tried.

You can never go wrong with that much cheese!

Uncle Rich making the pies.

Project 365: 156 - 162

2011-06-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

365/156

SUNDAY

Shaggy was in desperate need of a haircut before we left for our trip.

365/157

MONDAY

Hello, South Carolina!

365/158

TUESDAY

Brian & I can only hope to own a wine rack as lovely as this one day.

365/159

WEDNESDAY

A classic Cate pose. At the mall in Danbury, Connecticut.

365/160

THURSDAY

Why, it's Firefighter Kerry!

365/161

FRIDAY

We ran around a lot today, so it was nice to go back to Tom & AnnMarie's house to have a relaxing dinner. AnnMarie made homemade reuben sandwiches and they were SO good! I'd never thought to make one myself, but I think they're going to be added to our menu at home!

365/162

SATURDAY

Cate & I went to the Ossining Street Fair today while Aunt Gayle worked at it for her nursery school. We had a blast and the weather was fantastic! Cate walked up to this truck and said, "Take my picture, Mama!" How could I say no?

Road Trip: Day 6

2011-06-11T22:53:00.001-04:00

Greetings from Carmel, NY!

We left Ann Marie & Tom's house when they left to go camping this morning and drove to Aunt Gayle & Uncle Rich's house. It was nice because the whole trip only took about 45 minutes ~ a big change from our last driving day! The weather was PERFECT for Cate to be outside today ~ high 60's and cloudy ~ so we were able to go to the Ossining Street Fair! Aunt Gayle is the director of Torbank Nursery School and they were one of the exhibitors at the street fair, so Cate and I tagged along and checked out all of the vendors. We had a GREAT time and really enjoyed getting to be outside and in the fresh air. We drank colored slushes, got lots of trinkets that will probably be thrown away in a day or two, a balloon - red, of course, and even got to climb on and in a fire truck! Cate proudly announced for the rest of the day that when she grows up, she's going to be a firefighter!

Afterward, we went back to Aunt Gayle & Uncle Rich's house to hang out for the evening. Everyone else had plans, so after putting Cate to bed, I'm enjoying a nice, quiet evening all to myself and loving it!

Checking out the inside of the fire truck.

Cate walked up to this truck, sat down and announced,

"Mommy, take a picture of me with this truck!"

Road Trip: Day 5

2011-06-10T23:17:00.005-04:00

Today's our last day in Poughkeepsie and we had another great, full family day. Cate and I got to join Ann Marie, Bridie and Kerry for Kerry's gymnastics class. Cate had a blast playing on everything (especially the trampoline!) and we had so much fun that I didn't get the chance to take any pictures!

After gymnastics, we headed back to the house and Tom's parents came over for Mr. Hollywood's birthday celebration. We had a yummy lunch of chicken fajitas and then enjoyed a chocolate cake that Ann Marie made, complete with homemade frosting! The kiddos went down for naps and then we went out to run some errands. Ann Marie & Tom are taking the kids camping tomorrow and we needed to pick a few things up, too, so we went to Target, then took the kids to the Poughkeepsie mall (Cate and I spend a lot of time at the mall when it's hot out ~ and it's be in the 90's this week.). We had another special mission today ~ to let Cate & Kerry build there first Build-A-Bear! I helped Kerry pick out his and Ann Marie helped Cate decide. Interestingly enough, both kids chose the same bunny to stuff and love. Cate name hers "Fred the Bunny" and Kerry chose "TTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEE" (pronounced "Tee").

When we got home, we put three very tired children to bed and Ann Marie enjoyed a yummy dinner of homemade reubens and had our last evening of girl talk. I'm sad that we're leaving the Hollywoods tomorrow, but excited to go on to Aunt Gayle and Uncle Rich's house.

Pushing the pedal to stuff the bunny.

Bunny feels good! Let's keep going!

"No, Kerry! You're supposed to kiss Bunny's heart, not me!"

"Here's your new friend!"

Kerry picking out his bunny's heart.

Pushing the pedal.

Kerry with his new bunny friend!

"Riding" on the school bus at the mall.

Kerry and Stuart Little

Both kids loved the ice cream truck!

Dinner ~ YUM!

Road Trip: Day 4

2011-06-09T23:01:00.001-04:00

Day two in Poughkeepsie and we headed back to the mall! Tom had to work today so Ann Marie and I braved going out with the three kids and just the two of us, but we went for a special reason. When Cate was about three months old, Ann Marie came to visit in Georgia and ended up getting pictures of the three of us taken at Picture People. Because I have a portrait club membership that still has credits on it and because I thought the pictures would be super cute, Ann Marie & I decided to take the kids to Picture People to update our kid pictures.

The kids were unbelievably cooperative and the photographer was able to get some great shots! Enjoy!

Road Trip: Day 3

2011-06-08T22:34:00.021-04:00

Today was our first full day with the Hollywood Family! Tom was off from work, so we were super excited that he spend the day with us, too. We had a big family breakfast of homemade pancakes and after getting one preschooler, one toddler, one infant and three adults ready for day out, we headed to Danbury, CT to go to the Danbury Fair Mall. With the two older kids in the stroller and Bridie in Ann Marie's wrap, we walked around the mall, ate lunch and best of all, played at the mall playground. Cate and Kerry had a blast playing with each other and took great naps when we got home!

Ann Marie made a fabulous dinner and then she and I stayed up and chatted until Bridie was ready for bed at 10pm. It's so nice to spend some relaxing time with her since we're usually busy with the kids when we're together.

Kerry & Cate playing on the train.

Isn't he a cutie?

Such a sweet little girl!

Climbing.

Climbing some more.

Look how tall I am!

Cate was SO excited to hold Bridget Grace.

Road Trip: Day 2

2011-06-07T23:02:00.002-04:00

We were excited to get on the road this morning because at the end of the day we were going to be at Ann Marie & Tom's house. We were also excited because today's travels were *supposed* to be only 6.5 hours, as compared to yesterday's 8.5 hours.

We hit the road at 8:30am and I saw very early that we weren't going to make the good time that we did yesterday. Cate and I couldn't coordinate our schedules and we seemed to stop every hour. Ugh. As we drove through Washington D.C., I made a split second decision and decided to get off the interstate to drive through the city. I knew this might be a bad idea because I've heard driving in D.C. is crazy, but I've never been there and desperately wanted to see some of the buildings. I'm so glad we did because it was breathtaking to see all of the national buildings. My favorites were the U.S. Capitol building (seen up close) and the Washington Memorial (seen from afar). I enjoyed telling Cate the names of all of the buildings and she seemed to like it, too. My favorite part was when we drove past the Supreme Court. I pointed it out and told Cate it's called the Supreme Court. She got very excited and said, "Ooooh! Is that where Jesus lives??" We pit stopped at a gas station in D.C. for an emergency potty break where the owner was nice enough to escort us behind the locked doors and glass enclosures inside so we could use the non-public bathroom. I was very grateful for his kindness. Our D.C. detour took about 30 minutes, but it was well worth it!

We had hoped to stop at the FIRST offices (just outside Philadelphia) to say hi to everyone since our directions were taking us through Philly, but because of so many other stops earlier in the day we ended up skipping it. It was shortly after traveling through Philadelphia that I realized our directions weren't quite right. I don't know what went wrong (other than the fact that I was using Google maps, which ALWAYS gets me in trouble!) but we somehow ended up with three extra hours added onto our trip time. I was so tired and felt like we'd never get there, but we finally arrived in Poughkeepsie around 7:30pm, 11 hours after we left Richmond.

Cate was tired and went to bed just after eating a little something for dinner, but I was revived after getting some snuggles in with Ann Marie's two year old son Kerry before he went to bed and lots of time with three month old baby Bridie. Ann Marie and I last saw each other in October so it was nice to catch up and have some girl time while Tom was working. It's about 11pm and it feels great to stretch out in a bed and not have to travel again for a few days!

Today's Mileage: 451 miles
Total Mileage: 974 miles

Getting ready to leave the Corkish's house.

Washington, D.C.

WOW!!

"Is that where Jesus lives??"

Road Trip: Day 1

2011-06-06T18:37:00.000-04:00

We got a late start this morning and didn't get on the road until about 10:30. I didn't worry about it too much at the time, which was surprising (I like to leave very early for trips), but it ends up that we should have left earlier since we didn't get in until quite late.

It was a surprisingly easy day of driving and Cate did really well. Mom and I attached a dvd player to the seats for Cate and she did great watching movies. Estimated travel time to Richmond, VA was 8.5 hours, but when all was said and done, it took us almost 11 hours and we arrived at the Corkish's house around 9:15pm.

Cate was really wound up from being in the car for so long, so she stayed up as the Corkishes and I visited for a little while. They had a long day as well, so we all headed to bed around 10pm.

Today's Mileage: 524 miles
Total Mileage: 524 miles

We started the trip by picking up Pineapple Willy from Maria's mailbox. He wanted to go on the road trip with us.

We stopped at the South Carolina visitor's center for a potty break and to walk around.

It was a beautiful day outside!

It was a pretty easy drive and Cate was very good in the car.

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel so I could get a book on CD.

Cate took a little nap.

We made it to Virginia!

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Thought #1: Heat

As most of you know, Cate is unable to regulate her body temperature because sweat can't escape through her thick layer of skin. That makes high temperatures really rough for us because she can't go outside and can overheat quite easily.

Credit

Thought #2: Family & Friends

Brian & I have a number of family and friends scattered up and down the east coast. Whenever we vacation and get to visit someone in the northeast, we usually get to see one family for a decent amount of time, get a short visit with another family, and one family gets gypped because there's not enough time to see everyone. We've always thought it would be nice to have our own car with us so that we could drive around and spend time with everyone. Credit

The marriage of Thoughts 1 & 2.

Credit

Brian & I came up with the idea for Cate & I to take a road trip. After researching average temperatures, we realized that many northeastern states have highs that remain in the high 70's and low 80's throughout the month of June. Georgia is already into the high 80's and 90's by June, so we are automatically indoors 100% of the time. BUT... if we could get into the 70's, Cate could actually spend some time outside. By undertaking this as a road trip, we would have our own van with us and could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, without burdening friends and family with having to drive us. Since we wanted to get a good amount of time in the nice temperatures, we could spend the entire month of June visiting family and friends and have the added bonus of being in cooler temperatures for Cate. Other than being apart from Brian for an entire month, it seemed like a win-win situation. So, after much thought, discussion and prayer, we've decided that on Monday, 6/6, Cate and I will embark on

Roadtrip 2011: The Quest for Cooler Weather!

Project 365: 149 - 155

2011-06-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

365/149

SUNDAY

I know I'm biased. I know I have to love her. But really, isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?

She was overjoyed when Mommy & Daddy took her to ride the carousel today.

365/150

MONDAY

Two days in a row!

Cate got to ride the carousel with Ama today!

365/151

TUESDAY

On our way into the doctor's office today, Cate looked up and said, "E - X - I - T. That says Exit, Mama!"

There is no need to tell you that I was one proud mama!

365/152

WEDNESDAY

Max was excited we were coming over and told his mommy, "I can't wait to show Cate my mattress!" (a play airbed) While we were a little concerned at first, later inspection determined it was because they wanted to jump on it. I had a great time chatting with Sarah while the kids played ~ a good playdate all around!

There were no good pictures, so I went with the one that had the most action!

365/153

THURSDAY

Today's playdate was at McDonald's with Ms. Denise and Bethany & Malachi. They played for almost TWO hours!!

365/154

FRIDAY

99 degrees? On June 3?

Really?

Could the child that doesn't sweat catch just a little break?

365/155

SATURDAY

Cate & Sally gave us a puppet show today. I swear, that child is going to grow up to be a ventriloquist.

Project 365: 142 - 148

2011-05-29T00:00:00.046-04:00

365/142

SUNDAY

Since Cate & I will be on our whirlwind out of town adventure on Father's Day, Cate gave Daddy his Father's Day present today. She took a few minutes to relax in his new chair massager after giving it to him.

365/143

MONDAY

Cate got THREE life skills stripes in class today!

365/144

TUESDAY

Cate invited her friend Emma (known in our house as 'Big Girl Emma') to go to karate with her today. Because Cate brought a friend they both got to participate in 'Splash Attack,' by throwing a water balloon at today's teacher, Mr. Husband.

365/145

WEDNESDAY

Graduation Day!

Stay tuned for a full graduation post.

365/146

THURSDAY

NO MOMMY! Don't take a picture!

We went to Glazed & Fired today for their Toddler Thursdays event. After listening to Mrs. Debra read Pinkalicious, Cate, Kamryn & Kaiden each painted a pottery cupcake, then got to eat a cupcake themselves!

Such fun with good friends!

365/147

FRIDAY

More cupcakes!!

Ama brought home cupcakes to celebrate her last day of school today.

Yummy!

365/148

SATURDAY

A beautiful sky to celebrate a beautiful day.

I love the weekend!

Project 365: 135 - 141

2011-05-22T21:56:00.045-04:00

365/135

SUNDAY

Cate went to Alexande's birthday party at Andretti's today. She was a big fan of the ice cream cake!

365/136

MONDAY

Summer is here.

Havoc has been wreaked on Cate's skin.

365/137

TUESDAY

Take a look at that face and you'll understand how I was conned into letting her watch tv on my bed in lieu of nap time. Un-huh.

365/138

WEDNESDAY

Clearly, it was a long day at school.

365/139

THURSDAY

I have mad Etch-A-Sketch skills.

It's on my Mommy Resume.

365/140

FRIDAY

We have entered the 'girly' phase.

Oh my goodness.

[I'm totally faking. I so love it!]

365/141

SATURDAY

Cate, Aunt Mar, Uncle David & I went to see a sneak preview of Kung Fu Panda 2 today. When it was over we walked around the Mall of Georgia and Cate & Aunt Mar enjoyed an Orange Julius!

Project 365: 128-134

2011-05-15T22:28:00.076-04:00

365/128

SUNDAY

Mother's Day 2010: Relaxing in a grassy cabana by the pool at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Ahh. Oh, wait... was I supposed to be with my kid on Mother's Day??

365/129

MONDAY

Willy is all comfy-cozy, ready to fly home on our Delta jet. Time to head back to the real world.

365/130

TUESDAY

Go out of town for four relaxing days then return home two days before a HUGE fundraising event of which I am 100% in charge? And Brian is out of town all week? Awesome. Great plan.

365/131

WEDNESDAY

High Heels & Handbags 2011: Atlanta. A HUGE success!

365/132

THURSDAY

Attention area criminals! Bathing Suit Girl is here and not afraid to use her Slinky Vision in her efforts to protect us. You have been warned!

365/133

FRIDAY

Tonight after karate, Brian, Cate & I went to a private event and tour of the brand new Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Forsyth facility. Our family and the Campbell family got to go because Stephanie & I are members of Forsyth Friends, a volunteer group that works for the benefit of CHOA. It was such a great event; look for a post about the event soon!

365/134

SATURDAY

Horrible picture, I know, but the story is good. Tonight Jill & I went to North Springs, our former high school, to watch a choral showcase that included a reunion of Show Choir members from 1986-1998. It was a ton of fun to return to school and see old friends, many of whom I haven't seen since graduation. I missed my 10 year reunion because I was doing the Breast Cancer 3-Day, so this was a fun way to reconnect.

Project 365: 121-127

2011-05-08T22:26:00.031-04:00

365/121

SUNDAY

Today's P365 photo is brought to you by Cate.

Surely I get some kind of points for posting this picture.

365/122

MONDAY

The CHOA helicopter was out and about tonight, checking out the new CHOA facility at The Avenues. Pretty cool watching it land and take off at the new facility.

365/123

TUESDAY

We are working hard right now at Mary Kay to be a Pink Cadillac Unit! Let's go PINK!

365/124

WEDNESDAY

Another donation for High Heels & Handbags!

Things are moving right along with our fundraiser!

365/125

THURSDAY

Cate & I chatted a little on the floor at Ms. Nicki's office today.

How great is this picture?

365/126

FRIDAY

Las Vegas, baby! Pineapple Willy decided to enjoy a pina colada on the trip. It was yummy.

365/127

SATURDAY

Damn! That's a big damn ... dam.

Project 365: 114-120

2011-05-01T22:23:00.021-04:00

365/114

SUNDAY

Happy Easter! It was an exhausting day.

Cate & Rapunzel needed to take a little break.

365/115

MONDAY

Before we go to bed each night, Cate gets to watch a tv show. Usually we sit, but tonight, Cate wanted to stand. To each her own...

365/116

TUESDAY

Doing P365 correctly means that you don't always get the best pictures, it means you get the pictures that are most representative. Today has one of those pictures.

365/117

WEDNESDAY

I had a Mary Kay appointment in a gated community today. Brian & I have totally tired to get into this neighborhood before with no luck. I totally hit the jackpot.

365/118

THURSDAY

Cate had her third private lesson with Mr. Dietz today. Finally today Mr. Dietz said that Cate is ready to begin classes at Karate Atlanta. We are so excited for her to join this amazing facility.

365/119

FRIDAY

In honor of the Royal Wedding, we dressed up for MOPS today.

This is the epitome of American's-trying-to-wear-British-hats.

365/120

SATURDAY

How cute are these shoes? They just came in for the High Heels & Handbags event. It's getting very exciting!

Project 365: 107-113

2011-04-24T22:20:00.069-04:00

365/107

SUNDAY

This is the man who paints the lines on the road. Something about seeing a man sitting in the back of an open truck painting lines on the road struck me today.

[It kind of made me laugh, too.]

365/108

MONDAY

Hi. My name is Piper and I like to sport a mullet.

[FYI, Piper's mom approved this message.]

365/109

TUESDAY

Monks fell asleep in the car today and it was easier to transfer her to the couch than it was to her bed. How sweet is she?!

365/110

WEDNESDAY

I was asked by the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types to host a fundraiser in Atlanta. This purse represents the first donation for High Heels & Handbags 2011.

This is so exciting!

365/111

THURSDAY

Brian & I know of two other families in the Atlanta area who are affected by Ichthyosis. Interestingly enough, after just receiving the first donation for my fundraiser for FIRST yesterday, tonight I went to another fundraiser for FIRST, hosted by the Klafters (who live just down the street from Gram & Pop!). One of the AMAZING raffle prizes was a 6 day/5 night trip to Costa Rica with 2 full days on this fishing boat. Sadly, we didn't win. Happily, even though I don't know an exact number, I know the Klafters & Briggs raised an INCREDIBLE amount of money. Yay!

365/112

FRIDAY

Cate & I had an impromptu playdate with Big Girl Emma, her mom Randi, and Ms. Jennifer & "A" from MOPS today. BG Emma & A had a slight accident involving a table that resulted in many tears, a big bump, slight bruising and an urgent care diagnosed non-concussion. Cate was a spectator in the accident but it still somehow resulted in free ice cream for her too. No bumps and free ice cream = good day for Cate.

365/113

SATURDAY

After KK's birthday playdate today, we went to Grandma & Grandpa's house to dye eggs and have a pre-Easter dinner. Daddy made a volcano in the egg dyeing cups after we were finished.

Cate thinks he's pretty darn cool.

Why did Jesus wash the disciples' feet?

2011-04-22T19:44:00.002-04:00

Around Christmas, we started adding Bible stories into our nighttime routine with Cate. She received a lovely children's Bible from the church when she was baptized and she's at the age where she is starting to understand the stories. This week we've been reading our way through Holy Week. When we started tonight, I asked Cate to remind me what happened when we read last night.

Here's our conversation:
Mommy: Cate, do you remember what happened last time we read?
Cate: Jesus was with the men.
Mommy: That's right! He was with the disciples. Do you remember what he did for the disciples?
Cate {whisper}: Can you remind me?
Mommy: He was washing their...
Cate: FEET!
Mommy: Great job! He was washing their feet! Why did He wash their feet, Cate?
Cate: Because they were dirty, Mommy.

Hmm. Perhaps we needed to spend a little more time on why exactly Jesus washed the disciples' feet. I thought I had explained it was because we should do nice things for people, but clearly, they were just dirty!

Project 365: 100-106

2011-04-17T14:52:00.001-04:00

365/100

SUNDAY

Our own version of "Where's Waldo?"

Where's Cate?

365/101

MONDAY

Horrible picture of a super cute kid.

Cate got a haircut today!

(So did I!)

365/102

TUESDAY

The back of my 'new hair.'

What do you think?

365/103

WEDNESDAY

Cate, Ama & I went to Chick-Fil-A for a little ice cream treat today after school.

Yummy!

365/104

THURSDAY

Cate's friend Addyson came over today. They had quite the tea party!

365/105

FRIDAY

The Milano cookies at Target were sending me subliminal messages today.

I think I'm supposed to go to Tahiti.

365/106

SATURDAY

Brian & I went to JordanCon tonight to meet up with friends who were in town from NY. I took my picture with two of the attendees who were dressed for the parade. That's right, I did.

Project 365: 093-099

2011-04-10T11:08:00.037-04:00

365/093

SUNDAY

What a little cutie pie. Cate had fun playing at church in the beautiful spring day today.

365/094

MONDAY

It was H-O-T, hot today ~ above 85! ~ but we found some solace from the heat when a thunderstorm prepared to come through our area in the late afternoon. The overcast skies combined with the wind gave us about an hour to play at the park with our friends Miss Randi, Jack & Big Girl Emma.

365/095

TUESDAY

Doesn't Grandma look pretty? I gave her a facial today and she loved it. I'm entering her in the Mary Kay Get Beautiful, Give Back makeover contest.
Cross your fingers that she wins!

365/096

WEDNESDAY

For the first time ever, Brian's 'pile of stuff that needs to be dealt with' is bigger than my 'pile.' This is very much worthy of photographing and commemorating!

365/097

THURSDAY

I really love what I get to do with Mary Kay.

Today I did a color consultation with a customer and was invited to stay for lunch afterward. I'd say that's a pretty nice workday!

365/098

FRIDAY

It's not delivery. It's DiGiorno.

365/099

SATURDAY

We went to Fernbank today and got to enjoy the Mythic Creatures exhibit.
Right up this family's alley!

Florida Part 2 - Friday Evening

2011-04-05T01:01:00.000-04:00

Mark & I have a 'thing' where we have take a picture of ourselves when we're out somewhere. We're getting *somewhat* better at positioning the camera so that our entire faces is actually in the picture.

Our visit coincided with the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, which means there were wonderful flower displays and fun topiaries everywhere. There was a Winnie the Pooh section in the area between Future World and the World Showcase. Here's Pooh.

And a sunlit Eeyore

A very proud Tigger

Lightening McQueen welcomed us to the World Showcase

We found a duck near the lagoon in Mexico. He was VERY close to us.

Cate enjoyed looking at all of the ducks. You can see how the one close to her was completely unphased by us being so close.

As it got darker, I did a little photo shoot with the Garden Festival plants in China.

Cate tried out some of the seating in Morocco

And took a little break in Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco

It's possible that we told our waiter that Shara & I are twins and we were celebrating our birthday that night. Don't ask me, I don't know where it came from.

We wore Moroccan hats and danced

And then hugged for our 'birthday picture.'

After dinner, we bundled Cate up to head out into Epcot

Daddy is such a pushover that he decided Cate should have a new light up toy. Cate chose Minnie Mouse.

Cate & Aunt Shara tossed coins into the fountain in Italy

I wore a tiny sombrero and had a margarita in Mexico

Cate wore a giant sombrero and did not have a margarita

Brian: giant sombrero and margarita

Mark: Giant sombrero. His margarita was camera shy.

Shara wore the giant sombrero, too. (Apparently I was the only person who favored the tiny one) She didn't want Cate to feel left out, so she skipped the world's best margarita, too.

Oh wait! Mark decided to try the tiny sombrero as we were leaving!

And Cate decided to play the drums.

Another shot of Winnie the Pooh. It was an awesome topiary.

Cate just being cute in MouseGears.

Spaceship Earth at night

A Toy Story display for the Flower & Garden Festival was at the front of the park. Here's Woody!

And you can't have a Toy Story display without Buzz!

Here's Lotso Bear! (He smells like strawberries!)

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The sign of a very good night.

Florida!

2011-04-05T00:12:00.001-04:00

Brian came to me in January and said he wanted to take Cate & me to Walt Disney World in March to celebrate the five year anniversary of our engagement that, of course, happened at Walt Disney World. After I finished swooning, I told him that I thought it was a fabulous idea. The trip we ended up taking was a little different than what we originally thought about taking, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Here's a little peek into our trip!

Ready and excited for her very first boat ride ~ on the way from the Polynesian Resort to the Magic Kingdom.

Aboard a pirate ship, of course!

Standing on Daddy's lap to get a better view.

Mommy insisted on a photo with the ship's captain to commemorate the first boat ride ever.

On Daddy's shoulders to watch the Castle Forecourt show.

Excited to have seen all of the princesses and princes.

Right after we glimpsed the princesses for the first time ~ after standing in line for 70 minutes. {Yes, 70. And the pictures you'll see in a second show that it was worth every. single. one.}

Excitedly waiting for her turn with her new friend from line standing behind her.

Belle!

"You have butterflies on your shirt!"

So pretty together.

Meeting Cinderella

Smile!

"OH! Sleeping Beauty!!"

(I, by the way, am in LOVE with this picture!)

Sleeping Beauty was AMAZING. She spent at least 3 minutes with Cate (maybe more) and didn't rush her at all.

After the first hug and initial hellos, Sleeping Beauty sat down on the floor and pulled Cate onto her lap for an intimate chat.

They discussed the butterflies on her shirt.

(Apparently a popular topic with princesses!)

Then Sleeping Beauty taught Cate, step-by-step, how to make a butterfly with her hands.

Demonstrating...

Working on it...

Almost there...

And finally a fluttering butterfly made with their hands!

Cate STILL talks about Sleeping Beauty teaching her how to make a butterfly and shows me how to do it almost every day.

(At this writing, it's been over 3 weeks!)

And the visit ended with a special Sleeping Beauty hug.

After all was said and done, I would spend those 70 minutes in line all over again. It was an absolutely magical experience for Cate. I can't wait for her to eat with the princesses ~ maybe on our next trip!

Apparently Princessing is very tiring. We jumped on the Monorail and headed back to Aunt Shara and Uncle Mark's house for naps (some of us falling asleep faster than others).

To be continued...

Project 365: 086-092

2011-04-03T00:32:00.003-04:00

365/086

SUNDAY

Nothing like a lazy Sunday hanging out in your jammies!

365/087

MONDAY

Sometimes I send Brian little picture texts to remind him that, well, I love you...

365/088

TUESDAY

Doesn't she look great? Brandi and I have been friends FOREVER. {Or 20 years, whichever is longer.}She joined me at my Mary Kay meeting tonight to enter the $2,500 Makeover Contest and this is her 'after' picture. After her 'after' photo, she decided to become a Mary Kay Consultant. Welcome to the team Brandi ~ I'm so excited to experience this with you!

365/089

WEDNESDAY

A pictorial double whammy to illustrate a point I made last week ~ doing the new puzzle we do every day while wearing the Dorofy dress Cate wears every day!

365/090

THURSDAY

Ama, who lost over 15 pounds while she was in the hospital last month, had a craving for McDonald's today, so off we went to eat and play.

365/091

FRIDAY

I was so excited to go painting with my girlfriends Randi and Stephanie tonight! We painted "Purple Poppies" and had a BLAST!

365/092

SATURDAY

Our friends Jodi & Jim were in town this weekend with their two fabulous boys. They came over to the house tonight for dinner and to relax and we had a great visit. Brian & Jim hung out in Brian's new car for a little while listening to the Spice Girls. They're so metrosexual.

Project 365: 079-085

2011-03-27T00:05:00.001-04:00

365/079

SUNDAY

I LOVE this sign! I found it in the Cracker Barrel store this morning when we went to breakfast after church. I took a picture so I can make one. Or pay someone to make me one.

365/080

MONDAY

Cate & I did this huge puzzle today and she was really good at it! It's 2ft x 3ft; wow, that's a big puzzle.

365/081

TUESDAY

My reasons for getting up every morning. Love them.

365/082

WEDNESDAY

Cate & I had an amazing afternoon together. We played on this slide for at least 30 minutes.

365/083

THURSDAY

Can you believe what a big girl she is? This is currently my profile picture on FaceBook and everyone is amazed at how big she is. Their comments made me really take a look at the picture and realize...Cate's growing up!

365/084

FRIDAY

Today and Saturday I attended Mary Kay Career Conference at the Gwinnett Center. Amazing. Mary Kay really knows how to put on a conference! One of my favorite parts of these conferences is getting to watch old videos of the real Mary Kay speaking. She's very inspirational.

365/085

SATURDAY

Cate LOVES the "Dorofy" dress and "Dorofy movie" that Aunt Meg & Uncle Sparky sent her for Christmas. The dress is worn EVERY day and she watches the movie whenever we allow it! {She's pretty cute though, isn't she?}

Project 365: 072-078

2011-03-19T00:03:00.000-04:00

365/072

SUNDAY

Brian & I met Aimee & Nick when we went to Florida for the 1/2 Marathon in October but Cate wasn't with us, so she didn't meet them. She got to meet Aimee while we were there this time and she fell in love with her! She was very excited that Aimee made a special trip out to see us today after work! (She didn't get to meet Nick because he was still in Japan trying to get home after the earthquake! We are VERY thankful that he made it home safely.)

365/073

MONDAY

We had to drive home today. The end of our trip came way too soon and we were sad to leave Mark & Shara. We intended to leave early in the morning but we were awfully sleepy and didn't leave until after 11am!

365/074

TUESDAY

How stinkin' cute is she?

365/075

WEDNESDAY

Hilarious! Thanks for sending this Shelly!

365/076

THURSDAY

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

365/077

FRIDAY

Look at that amazing moon! It was closer to the Earth tonight than it will be for another 200 years.

365/078

SATURDAY

Pop outdid himself with the St. Patrick's Day dinner, as usual. (And Aunt Emily made a killer celery salad in the upper left corner!)

Project 365: 065-071

2011-03-18T23:27:00.000-04:00

365/065

SUNDAY

An m&m cookie as a special Sunday treat. Thanks, Daddy!

365/066

MONDAY

Some 'cheesy pops' for dessert tonight.

{Apparently I'm blogging about all of the crap we feed our child this week...}

365/067

TUESDAY

Cate wrote her name for the first time today!!

No dots to trace or anything. I'm such a proud momma!

365/068

WEDNESDAY

The fire truck and ambulance came to our house today because Ama was sick and had to go to the hospital. The reason wasn't fun, but Cate did enjoy seeing the lights.

365/069

THURSDAY

Monkey eating dinner with Daddy at Denny's as we drove to Aunt Shara & Uncle Mark's house tonight

365/070

FRIDAY

This sign always makes us smile. Welcome home to Disney!

365/071

SATURDAY

Welcome to Hogsmeade!

Happy Birthday Luca!

2011-03-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

Coming Soon

2011-03-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

Never fear! Project 365 Days 065-071 are coming soon! I have lots of pictures to edit from our trip to Florida last weekend and I would like to get them up before I post the P365 pictures from the same week. I don't want to spoil any surprises!

Stay tuned!

Project 365: 058-064

2011-03-07T00:11:00.000-05:00

365/058

SUNDAY

I spent this afternoon with Kayla and her bridesmaids to do their practice looks for her wedding in April. I'm so honored that she asked me to be the makeup artist for her big day!

365/059

MONDAY

I'm looking for a new pair of glasses and these are my favorites so far. What do you think?

365/060

TUESDAY

I forgot to take a picture!

365/061

WEDNESDAY

Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Oh Lordy, I'm in trouble!

365/062

THURSDAY

Every day starts with an Ensure on the couch.

365/063

FRIDAY

Photo 1: Cinderella came to MOPS with me instead of Cate today. She got thirsty during the meeting.

Photo 2: Brian, Cate & I had dinner with Kim, Gary & Grace tonight and had a great time. Kim and Gary are having TWINS in 5 weeks. It was so nice to spend some time with them before Abby & Zackary arrive.

Photo 3: Cate LOVED hanging out with

"Baby" Grace at dinner. They had fun 'punching it in.'

365/064

SATURDAY

Lazy Saturday morning, munching on some "Honey O's" and watching cartoons.

Project 365: 051-057

2011-03-06T23:14:00.004-05:00

365/051

SUNDAY

Sunday in the park.

365/052

MONDAY

A sick day for the Monkey.

There was lots of snuggle time though and that makes it a-ok for both of us.

365/053

TUESDAY

Another day home from school.

Poor little Cough Monkey.

365/054

WEDNESDAY

Turns out that it was all allergies. We escaped to the Y for some fun. Here's Monks taking a little rest outside the YMCA.

365/055

THURSDAY

Yes, that's a 109 point word on
Words With Friends.

I'm a vocabulary rock star.

365/056

FRIDAY

Don't you love that face?

We had fantastic time trying on jewelry with Aunt Mar at the mall today!

365/057

SATURDAY

Mmm... Bagels...

Project 365: 044-050

2011-03-04T23:18:00.001-05:00

365/044

SUNDAY

We take a lot of baths at our house. A lot of long baths means we have to spice them up.

This is the Bath Monster. Scary, isn't she?

[Since you're wondering, she's covered in baking soda.

Have dry skin? Put baking soda in your bath!]

365/045

MONDAY

It was so beautiful today that some outdoor bike time was a definite MUST on our agenda today. Cate had a blast!

365/046

TUESDAY

I went into Cate's school today and this was hanging on the wall outside of her Mandarin class. So cute!

[The Chinese characters next to her name explain that she did it herself.]

365/047

WEDNESDAY

Edamame for dinner. Always a hit!

365/048

THURSDAY

Yesterday Cate & Anna informed the moms afterschool that they were going to have a playdate today. Three years old and she already thinks she should be in charge of her social schedule. I'm scared.

365/049

FRIDAY

Cate & Emma had a playdate at Chick-fil-a after Cate's haircut today. It's been a very social week.

365/050

SATURDAY

Beautiful, isn't it?

This was the scene on the drive to Tallulah Gorge.

Three-Fifths of the Pineapples and their husbands had dinner tonight. This is the party-crasher Pineapple Wilhelmina and her extra-large glass of wine. She's a lush.

Patience...

2011-03-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Don't give up on me. Please.

I'm still blogging {in my mind}. I'm still taking pictures for Project 365. I'm going to post all of the above.

I just need a little time.