Toddler Town

Well, it has officially been a long time since I have posted anything.. I have thought about it more than a few times, but just haven't really been in the mood to write.  It's been a busy few weeks kind of across the board at work and at home, and with some travel thrown in for both Hunt and I we've just sort of been on the go a lot.  I just looked at Facebook to see all of the pics that I have uploaded and not posted about here, and we have been busy! There was kite day in Zionsville, feeding the ducks with friends at West Park, Zoe's birthday party, Sesame Street Live, my roommate reunion weekend in Va Beach.. A lot of time pushing HG on the swings at the playground (like cumulatively hours) and some very fun impromptu gatherings with neighbors.  

At work I have been preparing to head out to Phoenix next week where I was accepted to present some information about sports injuries at the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association conference.  I am a little anxious about having to be in the spotlight as it were for an afternoon, but hopefully it will go well and it is certainly a nice resume addition and skill builder.  I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable with the information, so fingers crossed I will sound quasi knowledgeable.

At home it appears that the true toddler switch has been turned on and HG has turned into a little bit of a handful.  One minute she will be the cutest thing ever, and the next totally stubborn and defiant.  She is clearly testing boundaries and asserting her independence.  Teeth brushing for example is a nightly 10 minute battle of Harper "do it" which involves her sucking off the toothpaste and then brushing the exterior of her cheeks while walking around which of course is a trauma just waiting to happen and me saying AAAHHHHH and fifteen expletives in my head.  She has been announcing all week that she "is not listening at school" but then when you ask her about she recants and says "oh I listen" and "Carson and Ronan and Luca not listening".. Preeetty sure the truth is in the aforementioned disclosure.  We have, however, managed with much prodding and coaxing on Hunt's part for me to get on board with to transition her crib into the toddler bed.  I was convinced that she would never stay put in there, but surprisingly she has remained in her confines and hasn't really skipped a beat with the change (thank God!!).  I had visions of her creeping out of there all the time, but maybe she just hasn't figured out yet how easy that would be.  Current toddler faves are Candyland before bed (we may be rigging the cards to make that one go by faster..), and "Christmas Princess Mermaid" which is a Disney Christmas DVD with the princesses in little vignettes.  Unfortunately, she only wants to watch one part of and over which is the 12 days of Christmas tune princess style.  I'm sure come time for actual Christmas she will want nothing to do with that movie also of course.  Mac N Cheese appears to be fading in popularity, replaced somewhat by hot dogs.  I have recently started making green smoothies aka "green juice" which I sweeten up for her but am sneaking in avocados and spinach so that makes me feel slightly less like a shit parent on the nutrition front.  Some day one day we might get on the potty train.. there is still a lot of talk about underwears, but very little interest in actually sitting on the potty.  She did, however supposedly go once at school so that is exciting!

Last weekend I went to Va Beach to meet up with Erin, Meade, and Meredith.. It was a very relaxing way to spend Mother's Day and we had great weather at the beach.  It had been a really long time since I had seen all of them.. everyone is a little bit different in a lot of ways since we were in school together, but then a lot the same too.  It was very funny to relive some of our time at school together, and I laughed about some things that I literally haven't thought of for years.

My Mother's Day art from Harper's school this year.. So sweet.. Love having these little things they do to hold onto

A few cute pics from our time at West Park with the ducks, and of course the swings always.  We met CeCe and James and Audrey and Charlotte and had a super fun morning.. Also some cute pics from Kite Day in Zionsville with all of the above plus Zoe and Miles and Harry..

Hugs with Audrey

Toddlers running towards each other = adorable

The running is the cutest. EVER.

I borrowed Mindy's landscaping once again for the backdrop ;-)

Ok, so I feel better now.. not the most thorough work, but at least got me back in the game!  Now if I can just motivate to start working on some Shutterfly picture books too.. I get so far behind that starting become daunting.  It's going to be a busy 2 weeks, though.. I'm off to Phoenix, then Hunt to Chicago, then me off to OBX for Carson's Bach weekend! Whew.. Super excited for the Bach beach weekend, though, and getting to run around with the girls there for a few days- hopefully I can keep up!!

Road Trippin to Nashville

Who says you can't go home again??  Nashville will always hold a special place for both Hunt and I, and it was delightful to have a few concurrent excuses to make a little weekend road trip back down there.  Spring was in full bloom so it was incredibly beautiful.  I had the opportunity to give a Trauma lecture for the NP students at Vanderbilt, and it happened to be the same weekend as Harrison's 3rd bday, so we turned it into a family weekend.  The cousins were enamored with each other- you could really tell now that Harrison and HG are only about 6 months apart, and they were super cute playing together.

Nothing like an iPad and some toddler puzzles to draw the kids into one place.. 

On Saturday, the kids got to go to Cheekwood Gardens to see trains and the amazing tulips while I was giving my lecture.  Looked like a super fun morning!

Little twirl

Love the tutu wearing girl digging in the mulch and dirt

Toddler tickle time

On Saturday evening, we went out for an early outside dinner for Harrison's birthday.  It was the perfect excuse to pull out this adorable dress that Sue got for HG when we went down to Bloomington!

When in Nashville, a girl must always wear her boots.

Couldn't resist some legs shots with twinsie boots.

Not the most flattering chin shot, but still sweet.

A few family shots on Sunday prior to our departure.. Not a small feat to get all the little people looking at once and smiling.. hence the second shot where it all starts to fall apart with general squirming and fussing, and HG getting a good sniff of her flower.

A Decade

It's been TEN years!!  Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that Hunt and I were standing on that beautiful grassy area overlooking the Atlantic as we said our vows.. And sometimes it truly feels like several lifetimes ago.  I think that it is entirely safe to say that I really had no idea what lay ahead for us or honestly what it means to be a married couple, and the twists and turns and ups and downs over the last ten years have definitely been somewhat of a crazy ride.  Despite all the bumps along the way, though, our little family is still together and we are blessed in so many large and small ways.

Mommy Squeaky Day Off

Harps and I had a super fun day off together yesterday.. We woke up to a huge rain and thunderstorm, and much to my delight got to spend several hours in bed together watching Frozen (the current household favorite.. "I want to see the ice".. "I want to sing the snowman song".. "Where's Elsa?".. etc). We may have had juice and breakfast pastry in bed, followed eventually by some popcorn, and Winnie may have enjoyed some as well.  In the softest of little voices, she will sing along with the movie which is beyond adorable.

This is her "pony" which is a little tricky to do with that super fine hair of hers.. But she gets super excited about it

Eventually we motivated into some actual clothes to head out for a Target run.. "Mouse" got to join us for the ride.  Well accessorized to run some errands for sure.

And then we spent some time checking out the worms, post rain, which were totally slimy and gross but it felt like the right thing to point them out for the inquisitive toddler.

And then it was off to see Dr. Martinson.. HG did amazingly well with her exam, and Dr. Martinson was really good with her, giving "Mouse" a thorough evaluation as well which seemed to assuage the usual fussiness.  The doctors office also has Frozen stickers, so much excitement and pleasure for that to complete the visit.  HG is getting big and tall!! 34 pounds and 36 inches!  We reviewed her milestones, and she is doing exceptionally well.. She can pick out most letters and can pretty much spell her name, as well as pick out words that start with various letters, etc. so that little brain of hers is a sponge.

Diapies nakies, but still well accessorized for the visit.  She told Dr. Martinson about her bracelet from Daddy in Africa which was very cute.  All agree that the little nugget is quite verbose for her age!

We came home for some outside stroller time and to get Mommy/Baba some exercise.  She has been asking for sunglasses- specifically Care Bear ones.  These proved difficult to find, so Mommy ordered some Tinkerbell ones and told her that she was Care Bear's friend.  I am so thankful to have a nice stroller to exercise with, and a toddler that with enough snacks and entertainment, will still tolerate being in it!

All in all, just a really awesome day!!

Criss Cross Applesauce

Toddlers are pretty funny little people I am learning.  Everyone talks about how challenging they can be, in fact one reference to three year olds as being "assholes" actually had me laughing out loud recently.  And it is definitely true that there can be some toddler moments that literally make me want to beat my head against the wall.. But some of the stuff she says lately just cracks me up and must be documented.  If only I could have it all recorded in her voice, though, since that is honestly mostly what really makes it all so funny.

HG- "Sit. Sit on da floor. I want to do mermaid matching game in da playroom."
Me- "Ok."  As I sort of sprawl out on the floor..
HG-  In the most emphatic of tones- "NO. SIT LEGS CROSS APPLESAUCE HANDS IN YOUR LAP."
Me-  Laughing out loud.

I must keep writing these little gems down.  So glad she is learning some good stuff at school everyday!

Gammy Susie Comes to Town

These are just a handful of shots that I was able to catch with our real camera from the visit.. We had lots of other cute and fun moments.. playing candyland, reading at the library, brunching and lunching, and a day down in Bloomington at the science museum and shopping.  It was a super busy few days that helped pass the time for both the toddler and I, especially over the weekend which can seem to drag on a bit when I am doing the single parent thing.  HG is obsessed with Gammy which is absolutely precious to see, and it just warms my heart that she gets to experience that special relationship that is so uniquely pure and wholesome as she grows up.

I love this one of their two hands side by side