July 25, 2013

road trip!

Well, folks, we are back from our vacation in Michigan and I am proud to say that no husbands or toddlers were harmed on the 14+ hour drive!   Actually, Presley was nearly perfect during the treacherous drive up north and was equally as good (if not better) on the way back down to the dirrty south!  This trip was much needed--for all of us.  We even got to bring along my Mom who was in desperate need of a vacation from all of the animal rescue she has been doing!

Our trip started bright and early the morning of July 11th.  Adam brought down all of our luggage while I meticulously packed it into the trunk.  (We took my Mom's Toyota Camry since it gets much better gas mileage than our Yukon.) I get a little anal when it comes to stuffing luggage into vehicles (I get it from my Dad) so it's usually best to leave this task up to me.  We stopped for breakfast and coffee then were on the road by 9:00am--I think.  We stopped every now and then to let Presley stretch her legs, change her diaper and grab some food but for the most part Presley just chilled in her car seat with the iPad, DVD player, iPhone and books!  I don't even want to know how traveling goes without technology.

We split the drive up in to 2 days on the way up there.  We made it to Ft. Wayne, IN around dinner time and stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner.  Right next door was a very ghetto Motel 8 and a semi-ghetto Econolodge.  We opted for the latter, carried our luggage into our musty hotel room and hit the sack.  This was Presley's first time EVER to sleep in the bed with one of us.  To my surprise she slept like a log and Adam didn't roll over and smother her in her sleep.  A "Win, Win" y'all! 

We hit up the continental breakfast the next morning and finished up the rest of the drive.  We made it to Suttons Bay, MI and were greeted by Adams family.  They were all so excited to see Presley!

And for the next 7 days we were in full fledged "vacation mode."  I'm talking no make up, yoga pants and t-shirts, hanging by the water, walking downtown and having no worries in the world!

It. Was. Awesome.

Adams Mom and Aunt Vickie cooked dinner almost every night and it was fabulous! We were totally spoiled!  Monday we held a little birthday celebration for PDizzle and she was such a ham.  Later on I will upload some of the videos from her opening up her gifts but just trust me when I say that girlfriend loves opening up cards with the ca$h money money!  It was hilarious!

Adam and I did take my Mom up to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  It was perfect because we left Presley with everyone else at the farm and they had a chance to get some one-on-one time with her!

I had planned on getting some decent family photos of Adam, Presley and I but considering I didn't wear make up for almost an entire week--it didn't happen.  And no amount of photo shop can fix what was going on in my face regions.

Sorry!

We had such a nice time catching up with everyone and enjoying the farm house.  It's fun learning more about the history of the home and looking at all of the old (creepy) pictures.  It's so relaxing at the farm.  The house is right on the water and if you didn't know you were across the bridge from Canada you'd think you were somewhere in the Caribbean.  The water is crystal-clear and the pretties shades of blue!  I'm not really sure why we ever headed south for vacations :)

And now, I bombard your screen with pictures.  You're welcome!
Sleeping Bear Dunes.  This is a 450 foot hill down to the water.  It's breathtakingly beautiful!
front of the farm house
old barn--on the way down to the beach
looking up to the house from the beach (barn is on the right)
ginormous tree that is SO old and beautiful!
"sit long, talk much"
throwing rocks with Papa!

vacay attire



family!
smooches for Daddy :)


Adam & Grandpa

dolla dolla bills, y'all! 
on the way up to the dunes 
My Mama and I :)


 We are already looking forward to our trip back up to Michigan next summer!

July 21, 2013

Presley Grace- 24 months.

On July 15th our chick turned two years old.  How that happened, I'm not sure.  We are having her party in Tuscaloosa on the 27th and we can't wait to celebrate with friends and family!

Here is what she's been up to!

Weight:
We (finally) took her to a pediatrician (another story, for another day) and we *think* she weighs 28 pounds.  I say *think* because it's kind of hard to get an accurate number on a scale when the child is flailing around and screaming like she's being  possessed by demons.  Not even kidding, people were poking their head out of their rooms to see the Drama Baby do her thang.  And you can forget about getting her height.  Ain't happenin'.

Clothing Size:
Mostly 24 months.  Some dresses are 18 months and so are a few shorts.  Baby clothing sizes are whack.  She has finally outgrown all of her size 5 shoes!  She is now in a size 6, so we are definitely in dire need for new shoes!

Diapers:
It varies by brand.  Huggies Pure & Natural diapers only go to a size 5, which stinks because I love those!  I think she wears a size 6 in Luvs.  Potty training isn't even remotely in our near future, so I'm not getting my hopes up :)

Feeding:
Ugh.  Food.  Kill me now.

We are in the process of determining if Presley has a milk allergy.  I recently wrote a little about her current diet, but even since then things have changed.  When P was younger she was lactose intolerant.  We just assumed that she had grown out of it so when we were always changing her diet to determine what was causing the horrible rashes on her skin, we never once cut out dairy.  After talking to a few people we decided to cut out all dairy and so far, her skin looks much better.  We will do this for a month and then go from there.  But, DUDE! Do you know that dairy is in almost every single thing we eat? Things you wouldn't even think had dairy in the ingredients, has dairy.  Thankfully, we live right down the road from Earth Fare and they have tons of options.  We also have an at home allergy test coming, so I am very anxious for that!

Hair/Eyes:
PDizz had her first hair cut a few weeks back.  I had to get rid of the baby mullet she had going on.  Her hair was so uneven, so we basically just got a trim to fix that.  I thought that cutting it would help calm the curls, but it didn't.  Her eyes haven't changed, they're still green!

Sleep:
We kissed the baby crib "bye bye" about a month ago.  The transition was so easy for us.  She never once tried to get out and when she wakes up in the morning she just sits on her bed until I go in to get her! We have been really lucky in the sleep department with this girl.  She now goes to bed around 8:00 and wakes up around 7:00.

Fun Stuff:
Singing is still her favorite.  I go to bed singing Barney songs and the Little Einsteins theme song.  Homegirl knows most dances to the Barney songs and you would die if you saw it.  So cute.

She can identify and say all letters of the alphabet.  She can (almost) count to ten without help.  We are still working on numbers, though.  

She talks to everyone in the grocery store.  Everyone we walk by she waves to and says,"bbyyee!"  If we are at a red light, she's waving to the person pulled up next to us.  

She covers her mouth with her hand and giggles.  It's pretty hilarious!

Loves, LOVES baby dolls.  She pushes them around in a stroller, swaddles them, puts them in her high chair and feeds them her food.  It's adorable!

She is definitely attached to me.  I know it's just a stage so I try to soak it up, but sometimes I just need a break (ya know, to pee alone!)  We snuggle on the couch every morning and that's my favorite. 

We just got back from vacationing in Michigan and Presley was such an awesome traveller.  On the way up there we broke the trip up and stopped half way.  She was great in the car and in the hotel.  On the way back we did the 14 hours straight and couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy! 

There is so SO much more.  I can't believe that we have a TWO year old.  Gah, it flies by.  I'm not going to lie, though- this stage is hard.  Really hard.  The attitude, tantrums, wanna-be independence, the determination, the time outs, the spankings and the frustration.  It's just really hard.  But it's also really amazing.  I love her hugs, and the kisses I get when she's apologizing after getting in trouble, the excitement, the laughter, the personality and achievements.  It's so much fun to watch her grow and learn. (OMG, see what you made me do...I'm tearing up!)  If I could have 10 more baby girls like her I'd be the happiest (and craziest) Mother alive.  We love her to pieces and gush about her any time she isn't with us.  It's ridiculous.