Fun with friends

 I have been behind on posting reguarly, so here's a compilation of pictures from the month of May.  At the same time I can recap our busy social agenda!  Once a week, we still had Kindermusik class, which is over for a few weeks until the summer session begins.  We also met up with moms and kids from our church at different parks in the area.  I wish I had some pictures from these get togethers, and will have to do better about that.

My friend Sara hosted a Dove Chocolate party one Friday night, and even though the stuff was way too expensive to buy, it was fun to sample everything!  I went out earlier that night for sushi with a few girls from church, and then we all went to the chocolate party afterwards- it was the perfect Girl's Night Out!

L to R, Me, Tanessa, a very pregnant (and mid-laughing) Stephanie, & Amanda

Jessica, Sara, and I

Tyler and Felicia had a going away party/housewarming party a few weeks ago.  Bradley & baby Nevaeh got the biggest kick out of kissing each other!

And Bradley and Lukas played really well together.  Here they are inside, examining a bug together.  And no, that's not Bradley's empty Bud Light box.  The boys would eventually trap the bug under Lukas' snack cup, and then they would check on the "buggy" periodically!

The girls:  Me, Jennifer, Felicia, & Amy

I finally joined my local chapter of the MOMS club.  My friend Sara is now the president so she convinced me it was time to join.  Honestly I wish I done this sooner because they plan weekly activities for the stay-at-home moms and kids, like playdates, beach days, and trips to the zoo, which is what these next few pictures are from.  That's Bradley, Andrew, Sophia, and Victoria on the merry-go-round.

And this was my brilliant idea- to get all our kids together for a picture.  Not the easiest task!!!  And not the best picture either... oh well!!

One night last week our friends Justin & Jennifer through a dinner party and invited 3 other families to join in on the fun.  It was so much fun to watch the kids playing together while the adults got some quality time with friends.  Here are all our little ones on the couch.  L to R, Jospeh, Bradley, Andrew, Catalina, & Lukas.

We have made some great friends down here, and can find plenty to get us out of the house and keep us busy!

Sun & Sand, so far

We are well into beach season and I don't think I've posted any pictures from our time spent at our favorite place!  We've gotten into a routine where pretty much every Saturday we go down to the fake beach (aka Juana's) as a family.  Bradley likes the calmer water of the sound, and will venture into the water fearlessly with one of us holding his hand.  The times when Brian isn't with me, I head to the real beach for some relaxing waves.  It makes for a good compromise.

Bradley is super fair-skinned, so I have to be on top of my game keeping him slathered down in sunscreen, which he hates!  At the beach he wears a shirt, plus I always have a hat on him whenever we're outside during the day.  He refuses to wear sunglasses still.

Learning how to swim with Grandma Anna on Mother's Day 2010

The way the wind has blown his hat, I think Bradley looks like one of the Three Muskateers here!

Watching mommy build a sand castle.  He thinks the "pat pat pat" I do to pack the sand and smooth the edges is funny!

Bradley & Brian at the fake beach.  Thanks to Andrew Reed, Bradley stomps every sand castle we build!

"Cheese!"

Me & Bradley relaxing in the water

One of Bradley's favorite games to play is throwing a shovel into the water, watching it float away, and then going to retrieve it.  Here Brian has walked Bradley out to shoulder-level water to get his red shovel!

A rare moment playing in the sand, and not eating at Navarre beach with Grandma Ann!

Snacks!  Ahh, that's more like it!  I always make Bradley sit under the umbrella whenever he's eating for two reasons; one, to keep the food on the blanket, hopefully eliminating as much sand contamination as possible, and two, to keep him in the shade as much as possible.

We slather on the sunscreen, and hit the beach whenever we can.  Visitors are always welcome!

Terrible Twos & Old Navy Blues

I was THAT mom yesterday- the one with the toddler throwing a fit in the store, apologizing to the sales lady, trying to calm my child down, and trying to hurry up the sales transaction to get the heck out of there!

In Bradley's defense, it was wayyy past his nap time and I had drug him on several errands yesterday, and am surprised he did as well as he did. Could this be our first taste of the terrible twos?? Our last stop was Old Navy (it was supposed to be Target but we didn't made it that far, alas). Bradley spotted a bin of balls at the front of Old Navy, and proceeded to take and carry around a football all over the store. Whatever keeps him a happy shopper, I thought! By the time we were ready to check out though, my son was not so eager to part with that ball. And he let everybody in that store know it, and embarrassed the heck out of me! I hung my head in shame and left the store as quickly as possible.

I am so sorry for ever judging another parent who's been in the same situation, because as much as you try and reason with your tyke, as much as you threaten quietly, count aloud, and shhh them, your child is their own person, and it's impossible to control them!

the aunts and uncles come to FL

May has been an unexpected month of impromptu visits from a few of Bradley's aunts and uncles. At the first of the month, the passing of Brian's grandpa brought aunt Sarah in from Seattle. Even though the reason for her visit was sad, we were so glad to spend some time with her. We went to the zoo, and Bradley and Sarah posed as kangaroos!

They also took a break from looking at the animals to play on the playground.

Over at Grandma Ann's one night, Bradley got to help aunt Sarah shuck the corn for dinner!

After the memorial service for Grandpa Cimpher there was food for everyone in the church's fellowship hall. After Bradley and Sarah had their fill of all the food, they passed the time by dancing on the stage!

Even though Sarah brought the rain in with her from Seattle, we were so glad to have a few days with her. Who knows when we'll be able to make it out there, or when she'll be back here.

This past week, we were also treated to a visit from aunt Laura and uncle George. Laura had some time off before starting her new job, so the Murdochs decided to drive down for a few days. We cooked Mexican the first night, and I even ventured with them into the Navarre Seafood market the next day to choose some fresh seafood for dinner that night! The guy who worked there was kind of a pill though. He wasn't amused at all when I asked to see a live crab so Bradley could see one.

I knew this spot on the dock would make a great backdrop for pictures. Unfortunately, Bradley was hungry and in no mood for them! Even with us handing him goldfish crackers to eat, he still put up a fuss for all the pictures we tried to take!

 

Bradley's wearing his Little Monstah shirt that Laura & George got him on their honeymoon in Boston, and George is wearing his coordinating Red Sox shirt in honor of the team's game that night.

Bradley with Laura and George

A day at the beach! Or at least, half a day, til Bradley was cranky and was ready to go home. We saw schools of sting rays from the shore, too afraid to venture into the water and get close to them. Bradley planted himself under the umbrella and ate snacks most of the time as usual, and played in the sand the rest of the time.

Lulu and I at the beach. Check out all her freckles that finally decided to come out for the summer!

Bradley loves this book from Kindermusik. It's about a Choo-choo train named Shiny Dinah. Uncle George was kind enough to read it to Bradley. He also taught Bradley the word "Goofball" and the phrase "Hey Chief." Funniest of all was that if asked to say "Go Redsox" Bradley would respond, "Go Yankees!"

We are so glad for the visit from Laura and George and Sarah, and hope to see everyone again soon!

Armadillod and Ready

It's the little things in life that get one excited. Like seeing my first-ever, live armadillo! I may be wrong, but I don't think we have these in Tennessee. At least, I've never heard of anyone seeing them there. Anyways, here I was, leaving a friend's house late at night, driving through the dark windy streets of her neighborhood, listening to the 6 voice mails that had piled up on my phone, when all of a sudden I noticed the little armored guy in the yard next to me. This is the only decent picture I got of the nocturnal nuisance, between the head lights missing him, and my driver's side side mirror blocking my shot. I was too astonished to think quickly enough to adjust my photography any better. And all I could think of was, wow, he looks exactly like they did on Super Mario Brothers!

There's Something About Bradley

This is what happens to my kid's hair after a day at the beach. Sunscreen makes the perfect sculpting gel.

Carried away

Wednesday night Ann and I went to the Pensacola civic center to see Carrie Underwood. I hadn't been a to a concert in forever, and this one did not disappoint. We had a great time, had awesome seats, and had friends there to hang out with in between acts.

Sons of Sylvia was the opening act. 3 Brothers, whose real-life mom's name is Sylvia. Duh. When I took one look at the skinny-panted-doc-marten-clad Emo kids though, and I heard the loud blaring guitars, I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore... or a country music concert. The lead singer has "Edward" coiffed hair (Ann, the Twi-hard agreed wholeheartedly), and excepting one musical interlude (shown in below photo) where the brothers Sylvia proved they had some backwoods bluegrass roots, the rest of their performance was rock-heavy.

Speaking of rock, the bass player for the next act looked like he mistakenly got off the Def Leppard bus, and onto Craig Morgan's by mistake. He even "rocked out" a few times, banging his 80s hair with the music.

And what does middle-act Craig Morgan look like, you might wonder? Though I recognized almost every one of his songs that night, I couldn't have picked this Cheatham County High School graduate out of a line up if my life depended on it! Neither could these crowd members either I'd bet, if the spotlight hadn't followed Morgan up to the stands! This guy was good as far as middle-acts go, but I don't think he has the charisma, charm, looks, or voice, to make it to the top billing.

Finally Miss Carrie Underwood took the stage, changing no fewer than ten times. I lost count! Almost after every song she would change her clothes slightly, peeling off a skirt to reveal skinny pants, or a jacket to reveal a different top. The girl is gorgeous, and although she can't dance (and she doesn't attempt to, unlike poor Jo Dee Messina) her pipes make up for it! She worked the stage enough, and her set was constantly changing too, just like her outfits, to keep the show anything but boring. This dress was one of my favorites- Carrie emerged from the floor looking like a barbie doll with a "dress" made up of LED lights. She sparkled as she sang.

This set and dress was very reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks to me. Carrie looked every bit the southern bell with her full skirt as she sang from the big swing.

Another "what was he thinking" member of the bands tonight was Carrie's guitar/banjo player, who was channeling the Mad Hatter. Interesting. For a pre-concert, That Ain't Right caught on film, click Here.

Finally, our glam girl finished the evening with "Before He Cheats," the song I had been humming in my head all day getting ready for the concert. I was pleasantly surprised with how good Carrie Underwood sounded live. Her show was visually interesting, and she was sweet as she could be, besides sounding exactly like she does on her records. It made for a fantastic girl's night out.

Why receipting is so much better than giving

I am strolling down memory lane today. Not by choice, but by necessity. I keep all my receipts in a (hot pink) expandable file folder, and it recently came to my attention that it was bursting at the seams. So here I go, alphabetically pulling out piles of receipts from purchases past. It's really funny to me how the ones closer to the front are mostly things like groceries (aka evidence of my married/family life now) whereas the ones in the back are mostly makeup and clothes purchases from my single days (turns out I shopped at the Cosmetic Market and the Gap a LOT!)

Would you like to stroll with me? Here are some of the interesting ones I've found so far:

• Cheapside Bar & Grill in Lexington, KY- a receipt for 3 drinks (2 whiskey sours and a Long Island Iced Tea) from New Year's eve, Dec 31st, 2004!!!!!!! Yes, I told you this chore was long overdue!
• A receipt from a boutique in Houston called Hemline (4/14/2006) on a DIVA trip to visit Conley, where I purchased a white sundress; the same white sundress that I was wearing a few years later on the night I met Brian, and still wear and love to this day.
• Makeup and hair accessories purchased from H&M in New York City (7/19/2005) during my mission trip through Kairos
• A Goodwill store receipt with clothing items for our friend Beth's "white trash Halloween bash." (10/26/2006) Next to each item of clothing I have written an 'R' for Rhonda and an 'A' for myself so we would know how much Rhonda owed me for her items!
• an H&M store receipt from my Chicago trip with Mary Anna (7/20/2007). Weirdly enough, I'm wearing today a short-sleeved cardigan that I bought on this receipt.
• Greenhouse bar in Green Hills- 12/28/2006- I only went here a few times, even though it is a really cool bar. I'm pretty sure Sarah Scott and Lana were with me this night.
• Maternal Fetal Group (8/22/2008) from a freaking expensive ultrasound that my crappy insurance didn't pay for!
• Questionable items from Spencer Gifts for Ari's bachelorette party (6/22/2007)
• The grand opening of the brand-new Nashville Sephora store! (3/17/2006 at 11:12am) My friends and I skipped work that day to attend the grand opening! I am a little embarrassed by this (and shocked now), but I spent close to $200 that day on makeup!!!
• Tayst restaurant in Nashville (12/8/2005) where Emily Borders and I split dinner and dessert, and claim to have had the best "date" ever!
• Tootsies Orchid Lounge (1/9/2005)- no idea what's significant about this night, but it's the only receipt from my favorite Nashville Honkeytonk that's survived through the years
• Target (1/25/2008)- there were too many Target receipts in my file to count, but this particular one contains the evidence from our very first purchase once we found out we were having a boy that day (from the aforementioned way-expensive ultrasound!)- a blue "daddy's little wingman" onesie

This was such an unexpectedly fun chore! Now time to go file all my current receipts so I can do this in another 10 years!

Shrimping and Saving

My sweet husband does the bulk of our grocery shopping on base at the commissary. The food there is cheaper and tax free. Since I'm the one who does the cooking, I keep a running list of what we need, and every other week I email Brian a grocery list. He shops on his lunch hour, stores the food in his squadron's refrigerator, and brings the stuff home at the end of the day. It's a win win for me. Cheaper food, plus I don't have to drag Bradley to my (not) favorite place on earth, Wallyworld.

Last grocery list I sent Brian, one of the items listed was Cooking Spray. In parentheses next to this I put (NOT the kind with the shrimp on it). Most people know I have a terrible aversion to shrimp. I think they're gross, and I don't even want to look at them, much less eat them. Last time Brian bought cooking spray it was some generic brand that had all sorts of pictures on the can, one of them being a gross shrimp. I had to look at that thing for a month until the bottle was empty. It was awful!

Fast forward to this past week, and lo and behold, what do I see whilst unloading the groceries one afternoon? Yep, the exact same kind of cooking spray, replete with the gross shrimp! And so okay, I pitched a whining fit!
I TOLD you not the kind with the shrimp!!
Is it really that big of a deal? Brian asked.
Well I have to look at it every time I use it! (yes, I am fully aware of how neurotic I am being.)

So my wonderful husband finds a fast solution, and I love him for it! Nothing a little sharpie can't fix! Problem solved.

C is for Cookie

And here we are, back up and running after yet another computer virus!

Plus after all the sadness that's plagued our family this week with Grandpa Cimpher passing away (Brian's grandpa), it's time to look ahead and find new things to smile about.

Bradley is learning new words all the time. He repeats everything we say, and astonishes me with all that he knows now. We actually are able to have conversations now! He tells me what he wants, and I understand! Last week I gave him the other half to the banana he had for breakfast. I walked away to get some other food ready. When I came back, the banana was already gone. No way he ate that so fast. So I asked.
Bradley, did you eat the banana?
No, he said shaking his head, and then he told me he gave the banana to "Cha Cha" (Chandler). I couldn't be upset because he was just so darn cute, and I was thrilled that I could ask a question that my son understood, and that he could respond back so I could understand!

One of Bradley's favorite words right now is cookie. He wakes up in the morning and I'm not kidding, one of the first things out of his mouth when I walk in the room is "Cookie?"
No, I answer, we don't eat cookies for breakfast.
Well, Grandma B sometimes does, but I wasn't going to tell him that. And so without further ado, a few pictures and a short video of the cookie monster himself!

My little songbird

Today the most wonderful thing happened! Thursday mornings we have Kindermusik. Each week we begin class by singing the same hello song where we go around the room and sing hello to each child. This morning we were in the classroom, ready for Kindermusik to start, and Bradley, who was already sitting in my lap, patted my legs and sang the words "Our time."

I suppose I should explain further that at the start of the song we pat our legs in rhythm, and the lyrics go It's our time to sing together.

I was so taken by surprise at Bradley's outburst, that at first I wondered if I was hearing things, but then he did it again and again to much laughter and applause from everyone else in the room. I know this is a small thing to probably everyone else, but to this proud mama it means a lot. I have been waiting and waiting for my little guy to start singing, and it's nice to know he's actually listening and paying attention.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Two nights ago, I dreamed I was sipping an ice-cold Coke. I could taste the sweetness and the bite of the beverage, and in my dream, drinking this drink was a covert operation- no one could know I drank it, since I have given up Cokes for my 90 Day Challenge. I woke up that morning feeling two distinct feelings. Relieved, that I hadn't caved and consumed a Coke, and Disappointed that the sugary drink experience wasn't real. And now here it is 8am and I am majorly craving one!

I haven't been taking the 90 Day Transformation Challenge as seriously as I intended, but the one goal I have stuck to is No Cokes. I still have them in my house- heck, I still have them in my fridge, but I am halfway through the Challenge, and I'm not caving in now. I went to McDonald's on my way back from Tennessee, and looked longingly at the fountain drinks. No one would ever know, I thought to myself as I looked back and forth between the Coke fountain, and the Tea. But I would know, and that's enough. So I regretfully got my iced tea that day, which didn't go nearly as well with my hamburger and fries, which made me rethink that decision as well. Kind of the point. Maybe if I have to have Coke with fast food, maybe I shouldn't have fast food at all?

The same morning I woke up from my Coke fantasy dream, I came across this verse at the top of my daily devotional:

"I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." I Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)

All around me I am being convicted to get myself into shape. And as much as I hate running by myself, that swimsuit ain't gonna wear itself, so I have reclaimed my 90 Day Challenge goals, and am back to running 3 times a week (by myself, with my trusty stopwatch and ipod), and going to stroller class twice a week. And oh yeah... no more Cokes... even with pizza... and even with McDonald's.

Kim's Crew

This Saturday I am participating in the Pensacola Walk MS with my friend Kim to benefit the national Multiple Sclerosis Society. Kim was diagnosed with MS a little over a year ago but you would never know it by looking at the seemingly-healthy 33 year old. A few facts about MS, and why it should concern you:

• Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system
• MS is significantly more common (2-3 times) in women than men
• Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20-50 (the ages of which me and my friends are smack dab in the middle of)
• Orange is the official color of MS awareness, hence the font color of this post
• While there are treatments available now which can lessen the symptoms of MS, there is No Cure for this disease

I am signed up for the walk in Pensacola on Saturday April 17th as part of Kim's team, Kim's Crew. The money we raise for the walk goes directly to the MS society to raise money for further research for MS as there is currently no cure. If you feel so led, you may contribute to our team by clicking here.

Spring at last!

In the somewhat modified words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Spring at last, spring at last, thank God almighty it's spring at last!

What a fantastic weekend! The warm weather is finally here in Florida. Guess I had to drive all the way up to Tennessee to bring the warm sunshine back with me. Friday was Mama B's 57th birthday. Bradley and I called and sang Happy Birthday to her that morning before going to stroller class. Immediately following stroller class we went to a business meeting for our local chapter of the MOMS club. This is something I have been trying to get into forever, and for various reasons, it hasn't happened yet. Now my friend Sara is about to become the president, so I'm finally joining! They basically set up activities and play dates throughout the month to give moms and kids a chance to socialize, and even have monthly moms night outs.

Friday night Brian played soldier- at least that's what I call it. He ran around in the woods pretending to be one of the bad guys for a training exercise for his squadron. He came home exhausted and sweaty, but had fun even though he was technically working on a Friday night. I rented The Proposal and watched that after B went to bed and painted my nails. I am amazed at how all of a sudden, Sandra Bullock has become an actress I can tolerate!

Saturday was too cool for the beach, so Ann took Bradley to the zoo for a little while while Brian and I lounged around watching TLC, before heading to Zach's first birthday party later that afternoon. They had rented a huge bouncy castle for the party, which Bradley stayed in almost the entire time. Even when the bigger kids were in there he loved it and wasn't scared. We went home that night and had a low-key cookout with some of our friends, played a little corn hole, and sang a little karaoke.

Four of our little guys getting a wagon ride: Front to back, Zach, the birthday boy, Wesley, Bradley, and Joseph

Wes, pulling about 120 pounds of kiddos

Bradley in the bouncy castle

Sunday after church we had a little scare with Bradley. We had finished eating lunch, and B asked for an egg (a cadbury mini egg that he asks for by name that reside in our candy dish on top of the bar). I gave him one, and one to give to daddy. Just as he put the egg in Brian's mouth, he must have sucked the candy down his throat because he started to cry, and had trouble breathing. After a few swats on the back, and getting him to drink some water he calmed down. You could tell it really shook him up though because he was all clingy and cuddly for about 20 minutes after the incident. I'm sure it won't be the last time he chokes on something, but it sure gave us all a scare! I held in the tears during all the commotion to try and keep Bradley calm, but once everything was settled down again, I excused myself to the bathroom and shed several tears of relief!

We spent most of Sunday outdoors. We played with bubbles in the backyard with Bradley, and once he went down for his nap, I read out in the back yard, and Brian tackled yard work, pressure-washing, and washing the cars out front. I even made myself go for a late afternoon run by myself to keep up my rejuvenated commitment to becoming a skinny mini! We rounded out the evening with some homemade chicken fingers and our nightly routine of watching FRIENDS. It was a fantastic weekend, that has gone on to becoming a fantastic start of the new week. I heart this weather!

Easter weekend in TN

The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!

Bradley and I went up to Tennessee for several days for my friend Tadd's wedding, and also got to celebrate Easter while we were there. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and apparently brought the warm weather with us from Florida. The sunshine, low 80s and no humidity made for plenty of time spent outside while we were there.

Things Bradley enjoyed this trip:

• Being chased up the stairs
• Using the doggie door to go outside
• Throwing rocks into the pond and making a splash
• Swinging out back (for 2 minutes, then he was onto something else!
• Chasing Juju (Laura & George's wiener dog)
• Playing at the park with G&G
• Going to McDonalds and playing at that playground
• Playing with all of Laura's and my old fischer price toys with Grandma
• Learning where the fruit snacks were kept and asking for them by name
• Learning his colors and learning to count
• Blowing and chasing "buhboos"
  
  Things Mommy enjoyed about this trip:


• Amazing home-cooked food (ie. the seared filet that Laura made with a blue cheese cream sauce, and the to-die-for coconut cake made by mom)
• Spending the day shopping, eating, and getting pedis with Laura
• Getting to eat at some of my favorite restaurants (Royal Thai, Blue Coast Burrito, Calypso Cafe, Mellow Mushroom)
• Going back to bed after Bradley got up with Grandma at 6:30am
• Reading a book in its entirety (Shutter Island- way creepy!)
• Seeing her best friend from high school Tadd get married
• A long lunch with old co-workers
• The gorgeous weather, and Tennessee scenery
  

Chasing the bubbles out back one afternoon

Throwing rocks into the pond

Dying Easter eggs. Notice the blue hands on both me and Bradley, hence the reason for the bib!

Laura and I in our matching dresses

Showing us the car he found in one of his eggs. Bradley hunting Easter eggs didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped! He wasn't as excited about finding the eggs as he was wanting to stop and eat every piece of candy, animal cracker, and fruit snack that was in each egg.


Family Easter photo

Bradley with all of his Easter eggs... check out the enormous ones Grandma B found for him!


We had the most fantastic trip up to Tennessee. It was a bummer that Brian couldn't go with us, but a blessing too that because he didn't go, Bradley and I were able to stay for longer. Thank you mom, dad, Laura, and George for everything!