Reasons to Never Leave The Sunshine State

The flowers.  Oh, for the Love of God, the flowers. 

The humming birds.  Beautiful, tiny, winged things.

Sunshine on smiling faces.

Butterflies!  By the bazillions!

Weeki Wachee

With friends

Is required.

Pictures with Mermaid, not to be forgotten.

Much like The Sunshine State.

There are very few things more enjoyable in life than parking myself at Granma's house and watching the girls be kids.

Dirty, wondrous, playful adventurous and helpful girls. Nothing dainty, here.

The Sunshine State- In Pictures

As promised, here are the pictures from our visit to the Sunshine State.

First, we paid a visit to a local dairy farm.

Here Jeremy and Kyra are hand feeding a bottle to some baby cows.

Apparently, the cows enjoyed their lunch.

Next, Jer started taunting the cows. Or tried to kiss them, I'm not exactly certain which is actually going on here...

After the cows were fed we started on the corn maze. Even with a map, it took us 20 minutes to complete what I'm certain was 30 feet worth of trails. Kyra was extra cute and adorable during this part of the dairy experience thanks to the long strip of reed she used as a walking stick. Because you know just how well a dried up piece of long grass is going to help you.

A few days later we took Kyra to see the naked mermaid show! Okay, so really this statue was the only thing that was lacking clothes, but Kyra insisted on taking a picture with it while gushing "look at this beautiful dermaid, Mommy!"

Here Kyra and Jeremy are intently watching the bird show. Don't they look so sweet?

After the bird show, they posed for another photo op inside the clam shell. Jeremy told Kyra to act like she's afraid the clam is going to eat them. Some days I think I should only be too lucky...

We ended our trip at Granma's house. My most favorite place in the whole wide world. I keep trying to talk the old lady into leaving the land and her various number of critters to Jer and myself in her will. She refuses. Because I'm a spiteful person I posted a picture of her here. Not like it would do any good anyhow, she never reads my blog.

But I kid, I kid. Granma really is one of the most awesome people I know, even if she won't leave me in her will. My mom swears she didn't use to be so cool but often I beg to differ. As far as I know, this is the lady I hope to resemble in youthfulness and spirit when I grow old.

Think my mean ass has a chance in hell of aging this beautifully inside and out?

Ya, I have my doubts too!

Leaving on a Jet Plane....

HA! I wish.

We're leaving for another vacation tomorrow. In the car, not a plane.

Jeremy is already driving me absolutely insane. I'm not certain we're going to make it all the way to the Sunshine State without threatening to sign divorce papers. (lets face it, in 5 years of marriage we've only managed to make one trip together without our hands at each other's throat)

Mind you, I've done all the packing, double checking, making sure every thing is set and ready to go for tomorrow. And while he's helped, I would hardly say it was willingly. Unless you count loud gasps, sighs and mumbling as he walked away as excitement to help me get the show on the road.

When I told him I was almost finished with the packing, he proceeded to hop on the computer and play video games for the next two and a half hours. And when I jumped on (at 10:30 tonight) he informed me that I don't need to stay on the computer all night, I need to get some sleep.

Ahhh.....

Mind you, I have one last load of laundry to fold tonight, cords and chargers to find, gather and pack (cell phone, digital camera, etc.) and last minute toiletries to store away. Jer? He's gone to bed.

I really would rather not travel with him in tow. It's much easier to travel just Kyra and myself. Jeremy just throws an overweight monkey wrench into the picture and, frankly, you'd think a grown man would be able to help out just a little bit more with just a little less lip. One day I'm gonna surprise him with a plane ticket to our destination and inform him that Kyra and I will gladly make the drive. Alone.

Seriously, the toddler is more well behaved and helpful then the husband...

Easter in the Sunshine State

We moved to the Mason Dixon line so our lovely government could have our painted over rust clad boat torn to shreds. I personally think it would save a lot more time and money if they just took the damned thing out to sea, used it as target practice and made a reef out of it- all the while selling tickets and popcorn for all those who would love to watch the demise of the submarine that kept our husbands out to sea for so long.

But, instead they've sent them back out to sea again.

God bless the Navy and those head honchos who apparently hate seeing their wives. **insert eye roll here**

You see, the dry dock they are supposed to pull into is currently having problems shoving the boat currently residing there back into the water while still being in proper floating order. So out to sea we go. Apparently it's cheaper if they submerge our boys in a boat broken enough they're going to tear it apart then to just have them sit pier side and watch the waves slap the sides.

It'll be another Easter spent without Jeremy taking part in all the egg-tastic fun. So I'm taking my pity party back to the Sunshine State- and I'm bringing along a friend! Because, honestly, how can you really throw a pity party here?

Hey, don't make fun of our picture, we're a couple of hotties in person.

Miss Me Yet?

This summer has been just terrible with keeping up this blog. Between traveling across the world and living in the land of Dial-Up, I just don't know what to do with myself sometimes.

As it is, Friday I returned from a trip to Glasgow, Scotland to see my most wonderful husband. They had a 5 day port call, so I wrangled up a wad of cash and said "Fly me to that airport there... the one where terrorists are trying to blow it up. With all the added security it should be extra safe to fly in and out of now shouldn't it?"

Long story short, food over there sucks (although maybe that's just my inner southern bell side that must have seasoning on everything), the castles didn't meet up with my expected standards set up by Hollywood films, and there is nothing to do in the town of Glasgow even though it's the "largest city in Scotland." I mean, sure there is lots of shopping to be had, if you like the Gap and those kinds of stores. Really though, I could have saved a plane ride and shopped here in the States. The highlights were the amazing, breath taking, beautiful country side. There is no greener grass I've seen anywhere else then that of Scotland's Highlands.

If ever I get to travel again, and for anyone looking for my opinion, I'd spend a week over there hopping from bed and breakfast in one quaint town to bed and breakfast in another quaint town. Just hop around the country, search out the old distilleries, see the castles (impressive or not), and have a taste of their bland food (or head out to Mc D's, Burger King or Pizza Hut as those seem to be in abundance).

In other news, Sunday I will begin my long trip back to New England with two dogs, one bird (as bird #2 has passed away a few days ago) and toddler. Anyone on the I-95 corridor want to invite me in for a night? It'll save me hotel bills!

With that, this is also a warning for those of you who check with me often (only to be disappointed this summer) that I will be vacant again from this Sunday until August 1st, as that is when my telephone, cable and internet all get turned back on.

Until I sign off completely, I have a question for those of you who like to offer advice... Kyra and I will be taking on Round 2 of potty training. I know she's ready for it this time because she now asks to use the potty on a regular basis and has become uncomfortable sitting in a wet diaper for too long. Now, for your advice... how long after I start training her do I also start training her to go at night too? Does this come naturally for them or is it one of those "every child is different" things?

Oh, and if you don't mind, hop on over to Jennifer's site and congratulate her on her 1st pregnancy! Don't scare her with any horror stories, as she is already constantly exhausted and dealing with a case of morning sickness.

Incase You Were Wondering

Kyra's shoe count is up to 9.

I couldn't help but buy the cutest little khaki Mary Jane looking Stride Rite shoes the other day. They were size 7's (Kyra's next size) and they were $15 at Ross. Regular sale price, $48. Really, how could I possibly pass up a price like that?

The next pair she acquired today wasn't my doing, Mom found a pair of white dress shoes in size 8. I didn't buy them, but she did. Not that I was complaining, that's 5 less dollars that I had to spend to buy them.

I wonder if this could turn into an addiction that continues even after the boat returns... What do you guys think?

I Have Issues- With Scales

At the airport going to the land of the CornHusker, my suitcase weighed in at 48 pounds. (yes, I am a girl and thus must pack everything for which I own to travel) The guy at the ticket counter jokingly stated that I had better not come home with too many souvenirs or I'd be over the weight limit of 50 pounds and have to pay an extra fee.

These are the extras odds and ends I came home with: 1 pair of adult size pants, 1 adult size tee shirt, 2 Kyra size pants, 1 Kyra size shirt, 1 Kyra size dress, 1 Kyra jacket, 2 pair of toddler shoes, 2 pair of toddler shorts, 4 random souvenirs. All of this combined, I was afraid I was 5-7 pounds heavier then when I arrived. The father of the friend I stayed with (hi, Joelle!) weighed my bag on some farming scale ( I assume) and said it should be just a couple of pounds over the 50 pound limit, hold my breath when I get there to see what they say.

The airline weighs my bag at 63 pounds! Do the math, that's 15 pounds heavier then what I left with.

While waiting for me to pay my extra fee, Joelle and her husband graciously put Kyra up on the scale next to the one that is telling me my bag is over weight and Kyra comes in with a whopping 26 pounds! That's 3 pounds heavier then when I weighed her in April and 5 pounds heavier then March's 18 month "you need to fatten your kid up" well baby check.

I was all- "Yea! Kyra is successfully gaining weight and might catch up to the 'average' before we know it! Boo, my bag has become a fat ass in the last two weeks!"

Anyway, so I took Bishop to the vet today because he's been gimping around the house for the last 2 weeks and hasn't gotten any better. Turns out he has a sprained knee, which should have healed by now, but also we've found out with the x-ray that he Hip Dysplasia that is only aggravating the knee injury thus making it take longer to heal.

While busy paying my bill, Kyra is busy watching a cute little puppy being weighed on the scale. As soon as the scale is empty Kyra hops on just for the sake of mimicking. According to this scale, Kyra weighs 24.2 pounds, not nearly the 26 from the airport.

So who do I believe, the airport who is solely out for my money and said my bag gained 15 pounds in two weeks and my daughter has gained 3 pounds in 2 months or the vet's office who has to prescribe medicine based on an accurate weight and say Kyra has gained 1 pound in 2 months?

Clearly I like the thought that Kyra has gained 5 pounds in 3 months, which is completely out of the norm for her, but she has grown taller and finally put some healthy fat on her bones. However, before we weighed her at the airport I was guessing her weight to be closer to 24 pounds and my motherly gut instinct tells me that is probably the correct weight.

Either way, Kyra has gained weight and that is a great thing with our Project Fat. She still isn't the average weight for a 21 month old, which is closer to 30 pounds, but she's getting there.

The thing that really irks me is... how in the world did my luggage gain 15 pounds with bit of extra clothes and souvenirs added? Seriously, 15 pounds! I'm sure glad I didn't step on the airport luggage scale, it probably would have malfunctioned under my weight and I'd have to pay an extra fee for that one too!

Of Course Every Thing Breaks When You Need It

You know what really sucks? When your child is being super-duper cute and you take out your 35mm camera to capture the event and the damn thing won't focus, on anything, in any setting because it's broken or something and you have just now figured that out. Then you switch gears and run to get your digital camera that is so fantastic, it tells you the instant you turn it on that your battery is too low to take pictures but now low enough that it can still tell you its low.

Damn technology.

Half Way Home

Some people cope with deployment by going to the bars. Others like to sit at home and mope. I buy shoes.

So far I have aquired 4 new pair for myself, Kyra has picked up 7 new pairs, (hey, she's just had a growth spurt, I had to replace all of her old ones) (oh, and that counts the pair I just bought her of really cute size 10's, even though she's nowhere near that size yet) (shut up, they were on sale and it was the smallest size they had) and Jeremy, unbeknownst to him, has 1 new pair awaiting him.

Three months of deployment down, three more to go.

So, I Lied- And Other Updates

You won't be seeing anymore pictures from our trip into CornHusker territory, for now anyway. I still have a really great picture to show you all, but I think it might take another few weeks before I can get to a computer capable of the upload. We are back in the land of dial-up here in the Sunshine State. Kyra and I had such a good time there it took us (or maybe just me because I'm getting old like that) an entire week to recover from all the fun we had.

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You all should be so very proud of me, I have been shopping today for clothes at the mall for Jer and myself, and came home with nothing for Kyra! Seriously, that is a HUGE accomplishment for me. It is such a rare thing to happen that, well, I don't know when the last time that did happen. Every time I enter the mall, as far as I can recall, Kyra has come home with some new piece of clothing.

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Kyra really is my daughter! (aside from genetically and all...) She absolutely loves fresh fruit, especially the cantaloupe and watermelon variety. Little story for ya: When I was pregnant all I ever wanted to eat was fresh fruit. I ate fruit salads galore, not that it is far from unusual for me to eat tons of fresh fruit, but I mean, I was in hyper mode when it came to devouring any bowl of fruit laid in front of me. Kyra is much the same. I stopped on the side of the road this afternoon to buy another watermelon out of the back of some local grower's pick up (because that's what we do around here) and the rest of the way home Kyra's proclaiming "Wanela? Wanella!"

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Some new Kyra words and and phrases for you guys to figure out here...
1) la-ooo
2)I-sigh
3)I see-ooo

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And finally, as I'm trying to get Krya to say "tractor" so I can properly spell it the way she says it, she is screeching at the highest octave possible and then laughing hysterically until I ask her again "Can you say tractor?" Sometimes, I wonder what's wrong with her... and did it come from Jeremy's half of the DNA?

Why Birds Don't Belong on the Beach

Miss me yet? It's hard to post on a regular basis when you're on vacation in a part of the country you've never set foot in before and everything is completely different from what I'm used to seeing. I'm soaking in the life of farmers, and I don't know how much wider my eyes can get when trying to see every detail with out missing something.

Wonder where I'm at yet? I'll give you a hint... the state is all about the Corn Husker. There, that's all you get. Know where I'm at yet?

Oh, ya, about those birds on the beach. I took Kyra to the beach for the first time just over a week ago. As we milled around on the beach, Kyra eating a box of raisins, I try to catch a tan, and the sea gulls looking for an easy bite to eat.

Kyra spots the birds, "Mama, B! B! See?" She's all excited, running up to them hoping one will let her pet them. The birds fly away every time. Kyra, unfazed, comes back over to me and our plot of sand and sits down to eat her raisins.

As she notices a black spot in the sand several feet away she gets up to go get what she is sure to be a raisin she's dropped while chasing after the elusive sea gulls. She didn't get but a foot from the raisin before a sea gull swooped in to snatch it up before she can get to it. Kyra. Is. Mad.

"No! Go!"
"Kyra, baby, leave them be. The raisins are yucky when they fall down."

After that, the sea gulls were after her box. IN. HER. HAND. Okay, so it's not like they were swooping in for the kill or anything, but every time she shouted "Go!" she pointed with the same hand her raisins were in. With every shout a few more fell out, a few more got eaten by the "B".

Even after all the raisins had been eaten Kyra still chased the birds around the beach, only this time instead of wanting to pet them, she was telling the flocks to "Go! Go!"

Your answer to the question "Why birds don't belong on the beach" is simple. Birds don't belong on the beach when all they're going to do is eat children's fallen raisins and not let little children pet them.

Results Are In

1) side side = outside
2) dog dog = hot dog
3) isy, dowwn = Itsy Bitsy Spider, Down Came the Rain (the whole "went up the waterspout" doesn't exist as far as Kyra is concerned
4) fly fly = butterfly
5) b-na = banana
6) B = bird
7) eh-zen = raisin
8) jew-ju = juice
9) gi-gee = Gypsy, could also be confused with GeeGee who is her great grandmother (who we're currently spending the summer with) and is the owner of Gypsy.
10) me-na = Amiga, GeeGee's other dog
11) too-ah = two
12) booh = book
13) ba-pull = apple
14) dee-ah = deer
15) I-key = ice cream
16)belbow = elbow

With a score of 8 points, Heather is our winner! Coming in second with 5 points is Erica and a very close second is 4 points from Jennifer. Congratulations ladies, you all did a great job!

I know I told you all I'd write this next post of your choosing, for which you've chosen "Why Birds Don't Belong on the Beach" but I have a wedding to prepare for today (as I'm the photographer!), so I ask that you guys to be patient with me and wait for next time.

Kyra Speak

Here is a little quiz to see how many of you can understand Kyra speak. These are actual words and phrases she uses on a daily basis. (note: they may read one way to you and mean something completely different) Ready, put your toddler/baby babble thinking caps on... answers will be revealed next post.

1) side side
2) dog dog
3) isy, dowwn
4) fly fly
5) b-na
6) B
7) eh-zen
8) jew-ju
9) gi-gee
10) me-na
11) too-ah
12) booh
13) ba-pull
14) dee-ah
15) I-key
16)belbow

Now, to keep you all intrigued... you get to pick the topic for my next post (aside from revealing Kyra's words). To choose from you have "Jew-Ju", "No Also Means yes", and "Birds Don't Belong on the Beach".

Pee-Pee?

Yep, you read that correctly, Kyra can now tell me she has to go "pee-pee?" Yes, she always puts it in the form of a question. Of course, this comes a month after I originally tried to potty train her. Kyra doesn't always tell me when she has to do her business, but when she does she usually delivers. She has even started to, uh, clean herself (if you get my drift). I'm not complaining. I'm clapping for her and proclaiming "yea" with every new accomplishment. This whole not pushing it and positive feed back is really doing the trick. Who knew?

Maybe this means that when we finish our world travels and get back to New England she will be well on her way to a super quick potty training adventure! Maybe?

Got Advice?

Lets say you have a 20 month old who's favorite question lately is "What's That?" Lets also say that said toddler has some, uh, thunder storms, uh, in her nether regions. After several particularly loud, um, claps of thunder she looks to you with all seriousness, grabs her behind and asks "What's That?"

How would you explain this to said toddler?

A New Mile Stone

It's official, I have been trying off and on for 8 months and she's finally made it, Kyra can now fit into and wear size 4 diapers without the aide of duct tape to help hold them up.

**Updates for our friend(s) in Australia. I have added the link for a better understanding, as I have no idea how to compare pounds to kilograms. (If there is a new confusion, head on over to the comments section.)

I Love Granma's House

Have I expressed the fact that I love Granma's house enough? Because, I do. I love it with all my heart.

Kyra is sleeping and sleeping well. No, she's not going to bed at her usual 7 o'clock hour but she is getting there before 8:30. Not only is she getting to bed at a relatively decent hour, but she's also waking up at one too! Since we arrived Kyra has yet to climb out of bed before 7:45. I. Am. Thrilled!

Back when I was complaining all the time about her not going to bed while we were in the Bible Belt? It was due to the fact that she was staying up until 9 or 10 o'clock at night and still waking up at 6:30 every morning and still, with out fail, waking me up by screaming bloody murder at least twice every night for some unknown reason.

Neither of us were getting any kind of decent rest, and the chaos and negativity that floated through the air weren't helping things one bit. But everything has changed and for the better. Kyra is going to bed an hour later, sure, but she's sleeping in 2 glorious hours later!

Mom pointed out that everyone wants to go to sleep when they come here, which is true. Maybe it's because she has satellite TV. Everyone knows when you have 300,000 channels there will never be anything good to Watch. Maybe it's because we're surrounded by 10 acres of trees. There's not much to see except the deer wonder through the yard, a squirrel eating the bird seed, or a humming bird drinking the sugar water from the feeders. If you sit in the yard all you hear is the leaves rustling in the wind, the pond fountain rippling, nature taking its course... Doesn't that make you want to close your eyes and take a nice, relaxing rest?

Whatever it is, I love this place and I think it's safe to say Kyra and the Babies love it too.

Ahh... I. Love. Granma's house.

Project Fat- Month 2 & Why I Hate Wal-Mart and Love Target

I have a feeling that when we do make it back to New England and in to see the pediatrician, she will have only good things to say about Krya's weight gain.

Granma and I measured Kyra's height the other day because a dress that fit her three weeks ago is suddenly too short. It's not too short to the point of her little tushy hangs out, but it's getting there. It is short enough for it to look funny. Any way, got off track, so we measured Kyra... she's grown an inch! A whole, friggen, inch since her 18 month appointment 2 months ago. She now measures in at 33 1/2 inches.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you know your kid (or someone else's kid) is growing literally over night? I think Kyra has been doing that. I read somewhere when she was a new born that babies do grow overnight. I wonder if the term "baby" means infant-baby or under 2- baby? There have defiantly been days in the last few weeks that I've woken up, taken a look at Kyra and wondered if she had grown.

As for her weight, I have no idea what she weighs. She defiantly looks healthier. No more of her ribs are showing, and when Mom came down last weekend she commented about how Kyra's face is filling out. With all this growing up, I am thrilled that she is still putting on the pounds.

The only upsetting thing to me is she's starting to grow out of some of her clothes. Her dress I spoke of was a 24 month dress, from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart clothes in size 24 months goes up to 33 inches. I hate Wal-Mart. Not that she has a whole ton of clothes from there, but she does have a few, and I bet the couple of shirts I've been noticing her belly poke out of are from there too. Target clothes for 24 month/2T start at 33 inches. I love Target. Not only because she fits into her appropriate size, but because they are still cheap and oh-so-cute.

I've Been Tagged. Twice.

Guess I should get this done already... Both Heather and Lindsey have tagged me.

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

Elizasmom
a lifetime
Pieces of Me
The blog. Yep, the blog.
Slave To The Mommy Trade

Next select five people to tag:
1. Jennifer (because she's I have no idea how she'd answer any of these questions)
2. CJ (because she hasn't done it yet even though she's been tagged)
3. Hectic Homefront (because she has the cutest little boy, ever, and I'm superficial enough to tag someone because they have a cute kid.)
4. Um, ya....
5. I've got nothin'.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was probably busy with cheerleader tryouts. Ya, I was a cheerleader. Before you gag, I wasn't one of those kind of cheerleaders, you know, the snobby, slutty, or popular "in crowd" types. I was more of the girl you saw in the halls during the week walking quickly to my next class while looking down at my shoes. And if you happened on a Friday night game, you saw me and commented, "I didn't know you were a cheerleader! You don't act like one." It was one of the most frequent compliments I got.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Oh, gracious, lets see... I was probably with my girl friend Joelle on the pier watching the boat go out. Or if not that, then I was probably with Joelle anyway, as we both have girls roughly about the same age. The girls play, we talk, we get human interaction, the girls get socialization. Eh, yep, that's probably what was going down. The exciting life of a Navy wife with a new born... ah, yes. I know you all are in envy of me!

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. fruit salad
2. most anything from the chocolate family
3. cracker jacks
4. jello with fruit mixed in it
5. 100 calorie packs of chex mix (cheddar cheese flavor, yum!)

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:
1. Happy Birthday
2. Itsy Bitsy Spider
3. ABC's
4. Ring Around the Roses
5. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
No, these are not cop out answers, I truly can't think of one single grown up song that I know all the words to. I know, I'm sad...

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Buy the 20 acres of land I just looked at down the road from Granma's house.
2. Build our dream house on that land.
3. Buy out Jeremy's contract with the Navy so we can live as a family in our dream house on our 20 acres of land.
4. Put Kyra in a great private school.
5. Save the rest for impulse buying and rainy day expenditures.

Five bad habits:
1. Telling Jeremy how to drive.
2. Second guessing my first instinct.
3. expecting people to read my mind and know what I want
4. cussing people out in my head instead of out loud when they proclaim "you're not the one we/I expected to have a baby already. We/I thought you would have finished college, start your career, then get married and much later had family of your own." (maybe it is a good thing that people can't read my mind)
5. cracking my knuckles.

Five things you like doing:
1. Watching Kyra play.
2. Driving. Doesn't always matter where but I'd perfer not to be the one driving. I have this problem with looking at the scenery, it tends to distract me from the road. Not necessarily the safest place for me... or the those sharing the road with me.
3. Taking pictures. Of people, mostly.
4. Walking. I just like to walk when the weather is nice.
5. Laying in bed, with Jeremy beside me. Ahh... I miss him...

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Leg warmers.
2. Scrunchies.
3. Keds.
4. High tops.
5. Most things that came from the late 80's early 90's.

Five favorite toys:
1. My 35mm camera.
2. My digital camera.
3. My computer.
4. My TV.
5. My husband.

She's Gonna Win An Oscar One Day

Me: Kyra, are you ready to take a nap?
Kyra: NONONONONOOOOOO!
Me: Um, baby, you're getting cranky. I think it's past time for a nap.
Kyra: *shaking her head furiously while screaming at me* NONONOOOO!
Me: *picks her up to take her to bedroom*
Kyra: *still shaking her head furiously, while screaming, with tears* NO NO NO NO NO!