Summer Bites

My two favorite things about summer are going to the beach and the food you get to eat this time of year. Since we ate our way through the Memorial Day weekend, I guess you could say summer is officially here!

Friday got things started right with a happy hour at the Players Retreat. Sitting outside with a beer and some sausage dip sets a nice tone for the weekend.

Saturday morning took us to a strawberry farm in Apex. The outing wasn't the charming scene I had pictured in my head- there was lots of sweating involved, the strawberries were pretty much gone because it was too late in the season, and the wagon wouldn't cooperate. But on the upside, Collins figured out there is nothing tastier than a fresh strawberry and consequently ate her way through strawberry picking.

 

Adorable Emma Overman turning one on Saturday was a great cause for celebration. A perfectly-planned birthday party menu also showed us what we've been doing wrong in the meat department with Collins- we hadn't been feeding her lots of meatballs and Chick-Fil-A nuggets. She ate her body weight in both!

On Sunday, a trip to the Farmer's Market was proof that summer is here. The place was packed, and the options were endless. I'm in a happy place when I can purchase a fresh peach, a ripe tomato, and some gorgeous gladiolus all under the same roof.

Alli and Missy joined us for a cookout on Sunday, and Brian tried something new for the menu- fried chicken. I am not kidding when I say it was better than Bojangles- that's the biggest compliment I can give it.

Yes, there's more. Last night, we had shrimp bisque which is one of my favorite summer recipes. Seafood alone makes the next three hot and humid months bearable.

So thankfully that concludes the weekend's food fest because looking back on it the calorie consumption was obscene. Good thing we have five whole days to work it off before we have to get in bathing suits for the first time. Bald Head Island here we come!

Fourth Time's a Charm

We signed up for four weeks of toddler gymnastic classes. The first three weeks did not go so well...

Week #1 was overwhelming I think, and I spent most of the class carrying Collins around while she watched the other kids play. Week #2 Collins threw up on the way to gymnastics so we never made it to class. Week #3 she fell and cut her lip on a bucket of balls as soon as we got there. I didn't have high hopes for Week #4...

But Collins proved me wrong- she did great! She eagerly tried out all the different equipment, she ran, she climbed- she had a big time. I was really proud of her. Guess it just took a couple of times to get used to it. Too bad it was the last class before summer break! Oh well, we'll have her watch some of the Olympic gymnastics this summer and get her excited to resume classes in the Fall. :)

This is my favorite picture. Collins yawning while a little girl and her snake bounce behind her...

The good job sticker that you get at the end...

And the good job hug you get when you get home...

Farm Noises

We make a lot of animal noises at our house. We have lots of books, toys and puzzles that are farm-related so Collins gets her fair share of "moo", "quack" and "baa". It's good that she got to see real, live farm animals (and got mooed at by a huge cow) this weekend at the Got to be NC Festival so she doesn't think her parents and all their sounds are insane. The festival was not overly impressive, but I got a couple of cute pictures.

Standing Tall

Collins had her 15-month check-up this week, and the big news is that she is tall! All along we thought she was of average to below-average height. But this week she measured 31 1/2" tall, shooting up from 37% to 81% on the growth chart! The doctor thinks there was some inaccuracy in past measurements, so they measured her twice this time to make sure. Brian is very pleased with the news- his hopes are still alive for a future women's basketball scholarship at Davidson.

Also, I have never been a fan of Crocs but have now purchased two pairs. Brian got a pair for grilling purposes and Collins got a pair because she likes getting dirty in the backyard. They are almost cute when they are tiny and pink.

The Trolley Pub

You have got to try this.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but this is a portable bar (a Trolley Pub) that transports 14 lucky people bar hopping around downtown Raleigh. You saddle up to the bar, crack open a beer, and then strangely enough- start pedaling- pushing the trolley towards your first destination. You hang out at a bar, then hop back on the trolley to head to the next place, and then just see where the night takes you!

We got to try this on Saturday night, and it was a hoot. It's only been in Raleigh three weeks, and you could tell. As our trolley pub weaved its way through downtown, people on the streets and in the restaurants were equally confused and amazed by what they were seeing. People were taking pictures and video of us and asking how they could get in on this.

You rent the trolley pub by the hour, and it would be perfect for a birthday party or bachelor party. I would highly recommend giving it a try!

http://www.trolleypubraleigh.com/#!home|mainPage

Mother's Day

I've decided Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday. Not only do I get the chance to tell my Mom and the other special women in my life how much I love them, but I also get spoiled all day long. I could get used to it.

My baby gave me several precious gifts yesterday- an extra-long snuggle session after she woke up, an impromptu dance on a stack of books, and her first-ever kiss. I've been trying to get her to kiss my cheek for awhile and she hasn't done it- guess she was saving it for Mother's Day and the moment she was eating cottage cheese. :)

My hubby was equally as sweet- he made me feel very appreciated all day, took the cleaning/store chores away from me, and made me a tasty deep-dish pizza for dinner.

This is the only picture I got of Collins and me together on Mother's Day, but it is appropriate. The little monkey is climbing all over the place these past few days (including on Mom).

New Interests

All of a sudden, Collins has a new-found love for several items I would have expected her to like many months ago. Go figure!

1) Stuffed animals- it's like she's seeing them for the first time. She gives them hugs and even invited a pink bear to join her in her crib last night.

2) Bows- it's been a love/hate relationship with bows for a long time now. She pulls them out of her hair during the day, but then insists on wearing one or two bows at night after we put on her pajamas.

3) Push-toys- she got all these great toys to help encourage walking and had no interest in them when she was learning to walk. Now they are super fun.

4) Reading- we are really excited about this one. We have always worried that Collins didn't enjoy reading books, but lately, she is all about backing up into your lap for story time. A lot of mornings, the first thing she asks for is to read books. Now I didn't say she sits still for a whole book at a time- we like to speed read through lots of different books. But we'll take whatever we can get at this point!

Mealtime Update

It's getting worse. Things got particularly ugly earlier this week when Collins faced off against a chicken casserole. Collins won (I think).

Little Moments

As we go about our day- in between the routine of unloading of the dishwasher, changing diapers, running to the store- there is always at least one moment every day with Collins that makes me stop and marvel at the coolness or the hilarity of what just happened. Yesterday, we had two little moments.

I've been trying to teach her how to say the different body parts. Yesterday when I was changing her diaper, I was talking and randomly said the word nose and she looked at me, said the word nose for the first time and then reached up and touched my nose. So cool!

To contrast that- we were at the Belk yesterday trying to find me a slip/spanx for a dress I'm wearing to a wedding this weekend. As I'm trying to figure out what I need from the millions of options for support undergarments, I look around and see my child having a big time being chased by the sales person around the racks of underwear. She is grabbing packs of undies off the wall at rapid speed and then I spot her with the bras. I just had to stop and laugh (and get a picture). Nice choice, Collins.

Love these little moments!