I'd rather it be free... but $6 is good!

Best yard sale find of the day.

Brand new, in the sealed bag, 'How to Train Your Dragon' costumes.

$6 for both.

They are ready for some good 'ole pretend play and Halloween!! 

We spent a couple of days...

with our toes in the sand.

Thanks to some good friends who invited us to spend some time with them.

And it was such a blessing. 

Turtles and Treats

Yesterday was a trip to Landmark Park to feed the turtles.

Shep named the turtle above "big guy". Pretty appropriate, I say. 

I've never seen a spider this big. She was just about as big as my hand!

GG was very happy about this swing. She can't hold on to a regular swing because of her cast so this was perfect. She had to borrow my sunglasses because, "THE SUN! IS SHINING! IN MY EYES! IN THIS SWING!". 

We left because Shep apparently doesn't do well in the heat. He wanted to be carried everywhere which made GG want to be carried because God forbid that one gets more attention from mommy than the other and then GG decided that her shoes hurt and then Shep sat down in the grass and cried and wouldn't move anywhere. I was never more happy than to finally get to my van and crank the a/c and the radio up and drown out all the whine. 

When we arrived home GG had treats from Grammy in the mailbox. 

They had discussed candy necklaces when we were visiting last. I don't think GG knew what they were.

So Grammy sent a little "happy". 

Perfect timing, because we all needed a little happy at that moment.

And she shared with her brother. Amazing. 

It was a fun, hot and happy day.

Emphasis on the hot.

And the happy. 

TWO!!!

This sweet guy is two years old today! 

Welcome to the terrific twos.

It's gonna be a great year!

just like daddy

don't all boys do this at some point with their daddy?

i just loved it.

    

watching shep

right there in his daddy's footsteps

made me smile.

these two...

really do love each other.

reality

Just from looking at these pictures, you may think we had a fun, care free day at the park. 

In reality, all of these were taken within 5 minutes of being there and then Shep ran away twice and then got a spanking and then we left. Reality of an outing (not all outings but, lately, most) with 2 under 3. 

Shep is entering the terrible twos and, I hate to say it, but I think his may really be terrible.

They really wanted this snack before we played and promptly spilled those horrendous drinks. Not a good choice on my part for little ones.

GG had fun and she was really sweet. She loves to play at the park and she obeys and understands the rules.

Shep, on the other hand, is my wild man. He played on the playground area for about 2 1/2 minutes and then decided to bolt. First towards the parking lot and then far away from me down the walking track. 

He's taking a time out right now. 

Then after the walking track incident which required me to leave GG on the playground while I ran after him, we left. GG was so sad but I promised her I would play on our backyard playground with her and she was ok then.

I don't think I ever thought it would be this hard. Sometimes, I'm so tempted to just not go anywhere because it is hard. There is usually crying, tantrums, running away... but then I straighten myself up and remember I'm the mom, but this is how he'll learn. Hopefully.

backyard playground

we finally broke down and bought a swing set. we had a perfectly good swing set that sophie got for her (i think) 5th birthday. but our house in helena had no backyard so we ended up giving it away. we had no idea, at that time, that we would be moving again. now we have a huge yard and we need some outside toys for these kiddos. this one was on sale at toys r us. and they are having so much fun.

We've got an artist in the family

Thank you Shep. I knew Sophie's room was missing something.

I'm so glad you got the comforter as well. It was so plain.

a little bit o' shep

Worldly

GG found Alabama!

When we first moved to Helena I joined, what I called, a "stay at home mom's" group. But really it wasn't just stay at home moms. It was dads and nannies and grandmas. Anyone who had children and wanted to meet others with children for play dates. It was a great way for me to meet other adults and for the kids to play. So when we moved to Dothan, I joined one here as well. Today was our first meet up with them. At a local art museum. It was cool because there was no cost to get in and the children's area is shut off so the kids can't escape.

The color changing wall

Admiring a statue

It was fun. i met some very nice mom's and GG and Shep ran and colored and admired statues and other art. And really had a good time.

An outing

It's been ccccold here. Well, for southern Alabama it's cold. So it's been challenging to try and find things to do for the littles. Sophie is back in school and not here to entertain them. So yesterday we ventured out and hit up the local Barnes and Noble for story time. I was three minutes late and missed the story. But we did a craft/coloring project and had a cookie. Then I sat on the floor and read as many books as they brought to me. Another little girl who was three started bringing me books to read as well. Her mom had been on her cell phone the whole time and not paying much attention to her. Finally she walked up to me and said, "I'm sorry, she never wants me to read to her." Ok. After she paced back and forth for a while she asked me if it would be ok if she went to get a drink of water. Sure, no problem. She was gone forever. I thought, maybe she had to go to the bathroom too. Then I thought maybe she left??? Eventually she came back with Starbucks in hand. Wow, she had a little mommy time to herself. Fun. Maybe I'll try that one day. NOT!

Anyway, here's a little glimpse of our outing.

After story time we went to the mall to ride the carousel. Again. That has become our go to activity. But they love it so it works.