Frankie: (long pause) "Um.... I learned... that... Justin Beaver... has skin??"
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Beebs
Me: "What did you learn at school today, Frankie?"
Frankie: (long pause) "Um.... I learned... that... Justin Beaver... has skin??"
Frankie: (long pause) "Um.... I learned... that... Justin Beaver... has skin??"
Edisto Pictures
I can't believe it's taken me so long to post pictures of our Edisto trip. Bad blogger! Bad!
The trip was, of course, wonderful. We picked the perfect house, just steps away from the ocean. Some might say that renting a house with a pool that's a block away from the ocean is overkill, but I'm SO glad we splurged on it. The pool was one of the best things about the entire trip. After an hour or so of the sand, sun, and humidity on the beach, it felt amazing to dive into our clean and shady pool. Absolute bliss. Plus, it kept Frankie busy pretty much every minute of the day. If we ever decide to go back to Edisto, I would rent the exact same house in a heartbeat.
I didn't take as many pictures as I probably should have. Sorry. But in my defense, it was so darn hot and humid that every time I turned on my camera the lens would instantly fog up, turning most of the snapshots into this:
The trip was, of course, wonderful. We picked the perfect house, just steps away from the ocean. Some might say that renting a house with a pool that's a block away from the ocean is overkill, but I'm SO glad we splurged on it. The pool was one of the best things about the entire trip. After an hour or so of the sand, sun, and humidity on the beach, it felt amazing to dive into our clean and shady pool. Absolute bliss. Plus, it kept Frankie busy pretty much every minute of the day. If we ever decide to go back to Edisto, I would rent the exact same house in a heartbeat.
I didn't take as many pictures as I probably should have. Sorry. But in my defense, it was so darn hot and humid that every time I turned on my camera the lens would instantly fog up, turning most of the snapshots into this:
Kind of like I'm taking pictures from inside the Bermuda Triangle. Or 1973. Or next to an open barbecue pit.
I did manage to get a few good pictures, though. Here are a few of the amazing house we stayed in:
And here are a few of our Beachy Goodtimes:
beach!
ocean!
grandma!
sandwich monster!
waterbug!
mama!
grandad!
shark tooth!
actual live shark!
parents!
running!
climbing!
shelling!
safety vests!
jetties!
deadly crab claws!
sunglasses!
glamour!
sitting!
posing!
gross sea plants that look exactly like Frankie's hair!
palm fronds!
sunsets!
It was probably the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken. We did absolutely nothing other than swim, eat, sleep, and play Yahtzee. Our daily routine went like this:
1) wake up late
2) eat breakfast
3) head to the beach for shelling and/or wave riding
4) walk home and jump in the pool
5) eat lunch
6) drive to George & Pinks veggie stand to buy boiled peanuts and the pie of the day
7) swim in the pool
8) eat dinner
9) take a quick evening beachwalk
10) put Frankie to bed
11) drink white wine and play Yahtzee
12) sleep
13) repeat...
Doesn't get much better than that. Pretty darn perfect.
Mama Crazy Horse
Much like the early Native Americans who hated cameras and believed that being photographed would allow a piece of their soul to be stolen, my mother similarly refuses to pose for pictures. I did manage to convince her to take this one, though. Adorable, right?
Buzzed
Matt was out doing yardwork yesterday, and accidentally ran afoul of a huge wasp nest. He got stung a bunch of times, and spent the rest of the day all red, swollen, and itchy. I tried to persuade him to let me take a picture, but he understandably wasn't too interested in being photographed. Suffice it to say, his face puffed all up to the point that he looked like Rocky Dennis.
Giant wool socks pulled up to his shins ...check!
Long sleeve shirt with pegged sleeves ...check!
Thick gloves ...check!
Nerdy goggles ...check!
Ski mask ...check!
Thoughts of murder and revenge ... check!
After spending the majority of Sunday afternoon in a Benedryl-induced haze, he seems to have pretty much recovered. He's home from work today, and has begun work on his revenge: Operation Wasp Apocalypse. I tried to take a covert picture of his wasp extermination getup, but was once again rebuffed. Allow me to describe:
Hiking boots ...check!
Jeans tucked into hiking boots ...check!
Giant wool socks pulled up to his shins ...check!
Long sleeve shirt with pegged sleeves ...check!
Thick gloves ...check!
Nerdy goggles ...check!
Ski mask ...check!
Thoughts of murder and revenge ... check!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Happy birthday Frankie
Frankie's sixth birthday was today, and we had a lot of fun. Frankie's pre-birthday wish was to sleep in the Big Bed with me, so she could wake up next to me on her birthday morning. How could I resist that? I tucked her in our bed. Then when she was asleep, I decorated the living with balloons and birthday banners, and Matt installed an awesome swing chair that hangs from the ceiling in her bedroom.
Frankie was very excited for her birthday. In the middle of the night, she woke up twice. The first time was at 3am when she woke me up to tell me that it was her birthday. The second time was at 4am when she woke me up to tell me "I CAN'T STOP SMILING!!!"
When it was finally morning, she was thrilled to see all the decorations and the new swing in her room. We opened a few presents, and then it was time to catch the bus to school. She had a great day at school, and Frankie's teacher did all kinds of special activities for her: a birthday crown, a birthday song, Frankie got to choose the activity at afternoon recess, and so forth. When Frankie got home, she told me it was THE BEST DAY EVER.
After a quick after-school snack, it was time for her party at Chuck E Cheese. Five out of six of her guests showed up, and the kids spent the whole time running around, playing games, and just generally bouncing off the walls. Uncle Mark was there (Yay!), as was Matt and the parents of the kids Frankie invited to the party. We had pizza, cake, and ice cream. Chuck E Cheese himself made an appearance at the party, and Frankie also got to take a turn in the "ticket blaster" booth. (It's kind of like a phone booth with a big fan at the bottom that blows prize tickets round and round while the kid trapped inside the booth tries to catch them.)
The sixth guest that didn't show up, sadly, was Frankie's old friend Brookie. Frankie and Brookie were best friends two years ago before we left for England, and she hasn't seen Brookie since. Frankie told me that the only present she wanted for her brithday was to have Brookie come to her birthday party, and I tried so hard to make it work out. I tracked down Brookie's mom through the school Brookie and Frankie used to go to. I called Brookie's mom, left messages, and played a near-endless game of phone tag with her. When I eventually got a hold of her via text messaging, she said that she and Brookie would definitely be at the party... But, alas, they never showed up and never called to cancel. Frankie was really heartbroken. Seeing Brookie was the #1 thing she was excited about today, and it's all she talked about all afternoon. It broke my heart to see her get stood up like that. It's especially hard because I know that I can never call Brookie's mom again. It's too hard to get a hold of her, and it makes me feel like a weird stalker. (Plus, now I'm mad at her.)
Despite the Brookie drama, Frankie had a really good time at her party, and it was great to see her having a ball with the other kids. Me? I'm pretty pooped! Think I'll have a piece of cake and crawl into bed.
Frankie was very excited for her birthday. In the middle of the night, she woke up twice. The first time was at 3am when she woke me up to tell me that it was her birthday. The second time was at 4am when she woke me up to tell me "I CAN'T STOP SMILING!!!"
When it was finally morning, she was thrilled to see all the decorations and the new swing in her room. We opened a few presents, and then it was time to catch the bus to school. She had a great day at school, and Frankie's teacher did all kinds of special activities for her: a birthday crown, a birthday song, Frankie got to choose the activity at afternoon recess, and so forth. When Frankie got home, she told me it was THE BEST DAY EVER.
After a quick after-school snack, it was time for her party at Chuck E Cheese. Five out of six of her guests showed up, and the kids spent the whole time running around, playing games, and just generally bouncing off the walls. Uncle Mark was there (Yay!), as was Matt and the parents of the kids Frankie invited to the party. We had pizza, cake, and ice cream. Chuck E Cheese himself made an appearance at the party, and Frankie also got to take a turn in the "ticket blaster" booth. (It's kind of like a phone booth with a big fan at the bottom that blows prize tickets round and round while the kid trapped inside the booth tries to catch them.)
The sixth guest that didn't show up, sadly, was Frankie's old friend Brookie. Frankie and Brookie were best friends two years ago before we left for England, and she hasn't seen Brookie since. Frankie told me that the only present she wanted for her brithday was to have Brookie come to her birthday party, and I tried so hard to make it work out. I tracked down Brookie's mom through the school Brookie and Frankie used to go to. I called Brookie's mom, left messages, and played a near-endless game of phone tag with her. When I eventually got a hold of her via text messaging, she said that she and Brookie would definitely be at the party... But, alas, they never showed up and never called to cancel. Frankie was really heartbroken. Seeing Brookie was the #1 thing she was excited about today, and it's all she talked about all afternoon. It broke my heart to see her get stood up like that. It's especially hard because I know that I can never call Brookie's mom again. It's too hard to get a hold of her, and it makes me feel like a weird stalker. (Plus, now I'm mad at her.)
Despite the Brookie drama, Frankie had a really good time at her party, and it was great to see her having a ball with the other kids. Me? I'm pretty pooped! Think I'll have a piece of cake and crawl into bed.
Monday, August 22, 2011
First day of first grade
Mom and I walked Frankie to the bus stop this morning and watched her climb on the big yellow bus for the first time. She was really nervous as she walked up the stairs to her seat, but she put on a brave face and hopped right in. I was a very proud mama.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Exciting Visitor!!
My mom is coming to visit today! Yay!! I'm too busy cleaning the house right now to compose a proper post, but I just wanted to go on record saying that we're all *super* excited.
