Florida Vacation

We had a great time in Florida. The weather was perfect

This is Callie's new favorite pose. Get used to it.

Jason and I went out to eat a few times while the kids stayed home with Grandma. We had some great seafood, and giant strawberry daiquiris.

Best story of the trip: My brother, Jason, came down from Tampa one weekend and we rented a boat. We pulled up to a beach and got out to do some shelling. Connor was having trouble digging a hole with the shovel, so I showed him how. Then I sat down to read my book. A few minutes later, Connor said "I buried Callie's shoes". What ??????????? For some reason, he decided to bury Callie's super-cute, hot pink Mary Jane Crocs. Where did he bury them? Hmmm . . . I forgot to put the "X" was his answer. Even though he was digging right next to me, we couldn't find them. We dug a HUGE hole, and they were no where to be found. Connor felt really bad, and insisted he would buy Callie some new "cracks" as she calls them. Notice the beach girl face down in the sand.

Marco has a great park, and the kids had fun playing there. This year they added a splash pad.

Callie had a great time in the pool. She loved holding onto the swim noodle and paddling around by herself.

Connor enjoyed looking for shells at the beach. One of the first days, he saw a boy who was selling sand dollars out of a cardboard box. Connor decided he should collect shells and sell them too. Except he just picked up broken pieces! When no one wanted to buy them, he started yelling "Free shells" which is pretty funny on a beach full of shells!

We had a few windy days at the beach, and Callie decided she would save the umbrella by holding onto it. She likes to think she can command nature by saying things like "Stop wind!" and holding out her hand like Diana Ross. It's pretty cute.

"I don't want to resty"

House Materials

I took a couple of pictures of some of our materials last time I was at the design studio--for those of you who care (and there's probably not too many out there!).



This one shows the maple floor that is on most of the first floor. The darker wood is the kitchen cabinets, trim and doors. And the other piece is the quartz for the kitchen counter top. We are going to do a two-tone wood effect throughout the house. For example, the floor in the kitchen will be the light wood, and then the cabinets will be the darker stain, with a light stained crown molding to pull it all together. All the doors and trim throughout the hosue will be the darker stain. Upstairs, the bathroom cabinets will be the lighter stain with the dark doors and trim. It might sound strange, but we've seen a house done this way, and it turns out really nice.

This is the carpet and the paint color that will be on the most of the walls. We are going to paint the dining room, bedrooms, and kids bathroom some different colors.

This one shows the materials for our master bath. The cabinets will be the light wood, and we have a split vanity with a linen cabinet between, which will be the darker stain. The tile around the tub will have the accent strip, and then it continues into the tile shower. We are using the same tile on the floor, around the tub, and in the shower, so it should flow nicely. The small, darker square is the corian for the countertops. It didn't photograph very well--it is not that dark in real life.

Anyway, we are getting really excited and we've had a ball picking out stuff. I know some people hate this part--but I love it!

I surrender!

It all started with my Mother--I'm sure I can blame this on her somehow! My brother Jason had long, white-blond hair. I vividly recall her taking a yellow plastic bowl and putting it over his head and then cutting his hair around it. If all my photo albums weren't in storage, I would give you proof. You can ask him though--he'll tell you the same thing. Anyway, I must be genetically disposed to thinking that I can cut hair. I used to watch the woman who cut my hair and I was sure that I could not only give a basic haircut, but layer as well. In 6th grade, my friend Michele and I barricaded ourselves in her bathroom and I proceeded to "layer" her hair. I "layered it" so well, that she had to get a very short, boy hair cut. But that didn't stop me. A few years later, I decided I could cut my cousin Kellie's bangs. Pretty much the same result!

Fast forward to 2002, when I gave birth to this beautiful boy.

Clearly God gave this child to me because of my superior haircutting abilities. At 3 months, he looked like this:

Jason decided our cute little "girl" needed a hair cut. Unfortunately, he was only vaguely aware of my past. I was able to convince him that we didn't need to spend $9.95 at Cost Cutters--No! I could cut his hair at home. We started with a beard trimmer, but that didn't really work, so we had to go and buy a clipper set.

There was nothing to it! Before we knew it, we had our very own GI Joe.

Doing a buzz cut is actually pretty easy. So, as long as that was what he wanted, we were safe. We did try to get him a "real" hair cut once, and it was a disaster. It ended with all three of us sweaty and covered with hair, and then we had to pay someone for the pleasure.

I even branched out and did a fun mohawk last summer.

Which leads us to his winter. For a while now, Jason has argued that we should grow out Connor's hair. He finally convinced Connor, and now they both insist it should be "fluffy" as Connor puts it. It turns out, I haven't gained any skills since 6th grade. I have been trying to keep the sides and back short, using the clippers, but then I try to blend it in so the top is longer. Finally, even I could not ignore the fact that his hair looked ridiculous. I'm sure that people all over town were thinking "Wow, he's a cute kid, but too bad his Mom is still cutting his hair." This picture doesn't really do it justice. You really need to see the patchy back to get the full effect. Keep in mind, this is just AFTER I cut his hair. He still looks like he needs a hair cut!

So, on Monday, we went to Cost Cutters, and Connor got a real haircut from a real live professional. He looked through the books and picked out a picture of what he wanted. I have to admit, it looked adorable when she was finished. He was so excited, and he made sure to tell everyone at school that day that he got his hair cut. Jason has also taught him the correct response if I try to cut his hair again--RUN!

It's not Christmas anymore!

I know, I know . . . I'm the world's worst blogger! But, there is just NOTHING going on right now. We are in the midst of the worst winter since 1978 with record snowfall. We are holed up in our teeny, tiny apartment, just dying for fresh air!

Sometimes we bake cookies. Notice Callie isn't wearing any pants. This must have been one of the one thousand times I have tried to potty-train her--unsuccessfully.




Sometimes we throw the kids up in air.














Sometimes we do Callie's hair and then talk about how beautiful she is.













Sometimes we make faces at each other.











Please, someone save us from this winter misery! The only bright spot is that we are only a few weeks away from our Florida trip. If we can make it until then, things will get much more exciting. When we get back, they will start digging the basement of our house. We can't wait to drive by and actually see something happening. In May, Jason and I are going to Charleston for a meeting, and a visit with our Florence friends. I can't wait to see everyone! We are closing on the house in late July, and then Connor starts kindergarten!

Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year, despite the enormous amount of snow. We were only stranded one day, but unfortunately it was the big family picture day, which ended up being cancelled. We did take this shot ourselves--not too bad. It's kind of fun to be the short one in a picture.








We decided to let the kids open one gift early, because we were stuck at Grandma's due to snow. Jason let Connor open "his" gift, which was really something Jason wanted. Can you tell?










Connor took his role of elf very seriously this year. He can actually read some of the names on the gifts (mostly his own) which made it kind of fun.








On Christmas Eve, we had a visit from Santa, who looked suspiciously like Grandpa. The kids were pretty excited.

Ready to Sled?

They seriously couldn't move.

Note to Self

2 year olds and finger painting do not mix. Doesn't she look like an extra in Braveheart?