on the road and at the final destination

These past few days have been a blur! We have been pretty busy. On Monday morning, I kept hearing Colton yell, "Cheerios!" But it was long after breakfast. He did have a snack cup with crackers and raisins with a few cheerios inside. I guess he had gotten the cheerios out and here's where he put them. Two lonely cheerios stuck in a ball machine. "Help, Mommy!" He kept starting the toy--expecting them to come out, but they just stayed inside. The balls fly out when the toy starts ... why not the cheerios, too!?! Later that day, I heard a funny noise when I was updating my blog. It was a clop, silence, clop, silence. I looked behind me to see that Colton had put on Billy's shoe and was walking around the house. One foot clopped and the other was a quiet bare foot. I thought it was SO cute!
Just clip-clopping on a walk in my Daddy's shoes. Hey, why not!?!

On Tuesday, we decided to celebrate an early Father's Day. Billy will be back in Florida, and Colton and I will be on our last leg of the trip in Kansas City. He will be missed SO much! We had to celebrate it ... I just couldn't wait until July. Colton got Daddy a dry-fit polo shirt for Father's Day. It looks great on him!Happy Dad's Day!Cole was so excited to give Daddy his gift.He handed it to him and said, "Thank you!"Doesn't it look great!?!

Billy decided that it would be fun to eat at Johnny Rockets. We walked up to the restaurant, only to find it was CLOSED! Not closed on Tuesdays, but out of business! So, we'll have to find another location and go there some other time. On the plus side, Billy decided he wanted Siam Garden instead. I LOVE Thai food! I was afraid that Colton wouldn't eat anything, but he ate half of a veggie spring roll ... and I think he would've eaten a whole spring roll, if we had left any more for him! He also ate a good portion of my Red Curry. I was very surprised, but he really liked it and kept asking for more. I waited until after we started eating to remember to take a picture of our food, but it was just too yummy! This is Billy's Tofu Panang. Delish!This is Colton and my Tofu Red Curry. Yummy!Colton is enjoying the dinner immensely!Cole with his Daddy! Happy Dad's Day!
That night, we got some pictures of Cole in the bathtub. His hair is SERIOUS redneck hair! Can you believe how long it is in the back!?! I just love the curls when it is dry too much to cut it! That hair kills me ... it's so funny!
Business in the front; party in the back!!

On Wednesday, we got to have dinner with some of Billy's cousins. Another cousin, Mindi, just moved into town, and his cousin, Sarah, flew in this week from Taiwan. So, we all went to have Sweet Tomatoes together. Colton had a grand time. He really got into the grapes ... which I shouldn't have been so willing to let him eat so many all at once! (That story will continue later.) Anyway, he was so shy when he first met Sarah and Mindi. He kept covering his face with his hands! What a goof! He warmed up to them pretty quickly, though. We are excited that Mindi is living here now! It is always nice to have more family around. We played games at our house after dinner. It was a fun night with the family.

On Thursday, we rushed around to finish the last errands and to get the house cleaned and the clothes packed for our trip. While I was packing, I knew Colton was lining his trucks and cars up on the table ... a slightly OCD gift from his Daddy. Ha, ha! Anyway, I heard him talking to himself. When I got in there, he was counting them. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" I don't think there were 10 cars up there, but he wanted to line them up and count them. Here they are ... all lined up and ready to be counted.
To be fair, early that morning, Colton and I were lining ducks up on the couch and counting them. I guess he learns quickly! Anyway, that afternoon, we left the house at 3:30 p.m. to pick up Brenda from her job and take her and Colton to the airport. Brenda's friend had a flight at the same time, so we took her down, too. We were quite packed in the XTerra, but we made it down to the airport on-time. We went in with Cole and Brenda to make sure the check-in went okay. I was sad to leave Colton, but it was better for him to get to Lincoln quickly ... and not to have to ride all 23 hours with us in the car! Brenda and Colton made it safely after several long delays. They were supposed to arrive in Omaha at 11:15 p.m. or something ... they got in at nearly 2:00 a.m. and home to Lincoln by 3:00 and to bed by 4:30 a.m. (due to Colton having a hard time waking up and going back to bed so many times). He slept in until nearly 11:00 a.m.! I guess the grapes of wrath came back with a vengeance, and he had a pretty bad diaper for them right as he was going down for bed. Whoops! I forgot too many grapes were a bad thing!

Billy and I drove through the night. He did most of the driving, but I took the cruddy 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. shift. It was okay, though. At about 4 in the morning, we stopped in Tennessee for gas, and it was COLD! I guess Florida really does make you think the rest of the world must be having this warm weather, too. I guess not!!! I had to change into jeans and put on a sweat shirt. Billy had this incredible idea to get the sleeping bag we are returning to his parents out and sleep in that while I drove. I got my turn in it, and it was SO comfy! What a great idea! Any long road trips from now on will include a sleeping bag for sure! What a great idea! We did get to have a nice breakfast at IHOP just east of St. Louis after our long night of driving. We made good time, and we arrived in Lincoln at about 4:00 p.m. I am TIRED! And it's after midnight, so I better get to sleep. I actually went to bed before 10:00 p.m. ... then I got distracted. Good night!

party, party

Today, we went to our friend, Mei Li's, first birthday party! It was really a wonderful event. Mellie and Dave did a great job pulling it all together. It was, also, a super location. It was in Sanford at the park downtown, and the splash zone was a big hit with everyone! Mei Mei's theme was ice cream cones ... and even though it was too hot to actually have much ice cream, the decor and the cake and cupcakes were adorable. It was fun to see everyone, too! I can't believe how big everyone's kids are getting. It's amazing how time flies, and you don't even notice it. Here's some pictures from the party:Can you see Colton in between there? He's way up high with Daddy!Before the party started, we headed to the jungle gym for some sliding fun! The only problem was it was WAY too hot to be out of the shade and not in the water. So after a few rounds down the slide, we headed back for the safety fo the shaded picnic area. Whew! Summer is here!


These are some of the decorations and food tables. How cute are the ice cream cone cupcakes? I love the pictures of Mei Mei from each month through the year. She's such a sweetie!


Mei Li had a fun time eating her smash cake! At first, she didn't know what to do, but she figured it out quickly. She's such a cutie! Mellie told me later that she just ran Mei Li under the water the in bathroom sink to wash her off. Funny!









Colton really enjoyed the cupcake ice cream cone. As you can see, he really got into eating it! I'm glad I took off his shirt, but I should've removed his shorts, too. Oh, well. He cherished every bite! (I know I overtook photos of this ... and overposted them, but I think they are SO cute, so I couldn't help myself!)

Once he was all cupcake covered ... and clearly exhausted ... we suited him up, and he went for a splash in the fountains with Daddy. He had a lot of fun, and he got several faces full of shooting fountain.


Before we left, we had to get a picture with the birthday girl, wish her a "Happy Birthday", and of course, get in a little birthday smooch!

On the way home from the party, Colton crashed. He was so asleep that he didn't budge when I put him in the crib and put dry pants on him. He just snored through it! The only problem is that he only slept for an hour and a half! He sleeps more on regular days. All that sugar came back with a vengeance, and he was up and ready to go and play for the rest of the day. He was pretty tired by 8:00 pm, so we tried to get him to be early. He barely made it through our walk.

This week, we are going to be cleaning and packing. We head out on Thursday. Billy is going to miss us, but I know it will go fast ... at least for us. I'm just glad he'll be with us for the first week and a half. The summer is in full swing here, and I am anxious to get a much needed break from the Florida heat! Plus, I'm excited to see friends and family.

Well, even though Mei Li's birthday is officially on Wednesday ... also the day Oprah will end her show ... a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Miss Mei Mei! I can't believe she's 1 already!

pottery fun!

I am so excited! Today, I got to pick up the puppy "piggy" bank that I made for Colton last week. I love it! It's so perfect. I was nervous that the green I chose would be too dark, but it's not at all. I'm very happy about how it turned out, and Cole saw the puppy and got so excited and grabbed for it! He said, "Puppy! Puppy!" I know he likes it, too. It was the perfect thing to paint. I'm glad he likes it. Now, I just have to keep it away from him, so he won't accidentally break it.

The front view of the puppy "piggy" bank.
The back.And last, but not least ... my signature.

Colton and I had a full day! We spent the morning playing with his toys and reading books. Then we went and met Mellie and Mei Mei for lunch at Briar Patch. I had such a delicious meal! Thanks to Mellie, I enjoyed a yummy raspberry and brie turkey sandwich. It was fabulous! I meant to take pictures of the meal and of the kids and of Mellie and I ... and I totally forgot! Oh, well. I still had a great time. We also went to two cute stores on our way back to the car. One is an all organic store, so everything is made naturally. It had some really cool items. The other was the most adorable baby store. They had some really cute things, but SO expensive! It made me sad to have to leave some of the things in there ... but I just couldn't pay what they were asking for some of the most simple items. It made me want a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag so badly! But I have a very nice and very cute Coach diaper bag that I used for Cole, so I really don't need any new one. It was fun to look, though!

When we were in the backyard this afternoon, I picked a BUNCH of tomatoes! We really got a huge booty of tomatoes this year. Just today I picked all of these! Don't they look tasty! They are, too!

I'm excited that this weekend is Mei Mei's first birthday party! We are headed to a park in Sanford on Sunday to celebrate. I think Colton is going to have lots of fun!

Tonight, we are going to take it easy. We'll go on a walk ... even though, it's becoming deathly hot here! We'll probably have some haystacks, and we'll relax and enjoy the Sabbath. I am so happy it's Friday.

hair mess

I am very excited about my new hair cut. My hairstylist was super nice, and she did a great job! There were a few issues with the salon that were very unexpected. First of all, my hair cut started about an hour after my appointment began. I guess the lady ahead of me made an appointment for a wash and style. When she got there, she asked for a cut, as well. So, the stylist was way behind. I didn't mind the wait. I was enjoying some time to myself. My shampoo lady gave me the longest shampoo ever! I think it was because she felt so badly for me having to wait for so long. I was in the shampoo chair for nearly 15 minutes! It was great, though. The hair cut itself was really good. The stylist was really very nice, and I liked her a lot. When I went to pay, I used a gift certificate ... that I mentioned before was a gift from a friend. They couldn't find record of the gift certificate in their system. So, instead of eating the cost and issuing me a new certificate--because obviously, I had a valid one that didn't get entered correctly--they made a huge mess of it. I waited at the counter for 20 minutes as I listened to them try to figure out what to do. We typed in every name possible 10 times. Mine, the gift giver, the gift giver's husband ... both of which use the salon. No record. They gave me a discount and offered to add money to my certificate once they figured it out, if I would pay for it on my credit card today. It was a good deal, so I paid. My poor friend had to find the paper trail for me, so I could prove validity to the salon. I would think the name of the person who sold it to my friend hand written on the gift certificate would be valid enough, but the manager seemed really up in arms about what to do. They are going to call me tomorrow ... I guess they will have it figured out. It better end up with me having a valid gift certificate worth a little bit more than it was today. We'll see. What a mess! My new haircut! It may not look too different, but it is a lot smaller ... not so thick! She gave me extra layers and thinned out my huge hair. Yay!

Earlier today, Colton and I enjoyed a morning out. We went to Crane's Roost for breakfast. We ate out at the park. Colton enjoyed meeting a friendly duck while we ate. She got really close, and he was thrilled about it! He almost wouldn't eat, because he was watching her so intensely. He's giving her the stare down. He just loved to watch her!

Colton enjoyed the breakfast and then we ran around the park a little bit. He wanted to go look at the fountain, too. He liked looking at the water and trying to stick his hands in it. Me and my buddy having breakfast at the park.Colton is such a little cheeser! I love it.



He spent a little bit of time running from his shadow! It was so funny. He noticed it on the ground and would run and look to see if it was still there. Then he would laugh and run until it disappeared because he ran into the shade. Then he would go back into the sun to see the shadow again. I wish I had it on video!
We, also, ran down to look at the water and to see what all of those colorful flowers were about. Colton was happy to see some puppies at the park this morning, too!
He even found a cute flower.


After the park, I had to run some errands at the mall. We had to make a stop at the kids' play area. He loves to run around and climb up the slide. He had such a great time!



I saw while I was there that they have a marionette show twice a week for only $5 per person. The only drawback is that it's 45 minutes long. I would like to take him there, but I don't know if he'd last that long. I want to try it sometime, though.

Upon leaving the mall, I saw there was a really good sale at Children's Place. I thought I'd just pop in to see what it was all about. They were having 25% off of clearance. I got a bunch of things for $3 a piece! I really don't need to be stocking up so early, but it was such a good deal, I couldn't help myself. I can't even get clothes that cheap at Target. We really don't have fabulous garage sales here in Orlando. I know 25 cents a piece would be even better ... but I do what I can with what we have. Here's what I found for Sissy Wally. I got all of these onesies, a jacket, and even a pair of jeans for $3 each!And three pairs of footie jammies ... I prefer the button and not the zip, but they were so cheap!

Hopefully, I can get some hand-me-downs, too. I am willing to take anything I can get for this girl. I'm excited to get on painting her crib, so I can set it up in her room ... but I don't think I'll have time until July. Oh, well ... something to look forward to, I guess.

Colton had a little spill today while I was getting my hair done. His high chair tray didn't latch, I guess ... and he fell to the ground. This is why I hate tile! He's okay. Just a little bump and a scrape. He's definitely had worse. I think it scared him (and Billy) more than it actually hurt him. He's asleep now with blue blanket, so all is right in the world! This boy is going to have many spills and accidents. I'm just thankful for Arnica!