Katydid

I LOVE the great outdoors!  Though it is often very difficult for me to enjoy the beauty of nature with all of life's distractions.  But when we let loose, and we are released from the pressures of our everyday, God makes Himself known to us!  And it even feels good to get a little dirty and stay a little dirty for 5 days straight.  It makes you appreciate a hot shower with plenty of soap and shampoo! 

"To meet a Katydid in person is to experience an amazing event, definitely on par with sighting an elusive lizard or small exquisite bird."  http://www.drycreekgarden.com/science/entomology/katydid.cfm

While camping for four nights, we spotted a black bear, a coyote, many beautiful caterpillars, wild turkeys, a yellow necklaced snake, inchworms, and a Katydid (which I originally thought was a grasshopper until my friend just recently posted on Facebook that they had also just sighted one at their house)!  And Andy also had a brown snake swim through his legs in the river!  I'm glad I missed out on that one!  We spotted the coyote approximately 20 feet from our campfire one late evening around 11 p.m.  I am pretty sure he smelled my pound cake smothered in chocolate, marshmallows and butterscotch.

And our Katydid that we found in the evening actually hung around until morning as well!  So both girls got to enjoy the beauty of the Katydid!  I am pretty sure he was attracted to our lantern in the evening.  I am not sure why he didn't leave before dawn though.

Sophia was excited to see the black bear in the tree until he moved his head!  Then she clung to me and said, "I don't like him!"  She told everyone she knew later that when the bear moved his head she didn't like him and she held onto mommy.  I am guessing she expected the bear that everyone in the campsite was running to see was a big stuffed bear.  Bless her little heart!  She was definitely a trooper!

It Says

According to Annabelle, "It says Mommy and Daddy like me!"

As we were touring Fort McAllister State Historic Park for our last stop on our trek home from our vacation, Annabelle stopped at these signs within the fort and said, "It says Mommy and Daddy like me!" Eventually, she told us that "It says Mommy and Daddy love me!" The above picture caught her in the act of reading the sign to us.

We began our tour of Fort McAllister, near Savannah, Georgia, at 3:30 p.m., and Annabelle had not had a single shut eye for the day. She kept going strong though. She's a trooper! If only I had her energy.

As we were finishing up our hour long tour of the fort, she wanted me to hold her. This was pretty typical of the trip. And, if Daddy asked her, "Would you like to ride on my shoulders?," she promptly answered with, "No! I want Mommy to hold me!" Go figure! She's a Mommy's girl these days.

As I held her, she'd say, "Go dat way Mommy. I want to read dat sign to you." Can you guess what those signs said?

The girl's got some confidence, doesn't she?!?!

My CVS Bag

Just this morning, hubby was making fun of my toiletry bag that I brought on vacation because it was full of stuff that he apparently thought I didn't need. He called it my CVS bag. Oddly enough, it honestly did not have much stuff that I haven't already used. And, honestly, I should probably be bringing more to prepare for toddler accidents.

So, this evening, when he arrived back from his evening excursion geocaching (his new found hobby), I believe he was thankful that I brought my CVS bag with me.

He had literally punched holes into his stomach in his attempt to climb a fence to reach his treasure. I'll be sending his boss the hospital bill later (if a hospital visit is warranted)! Why? Because we have his boss to think for this new found hobby. LOL!

I played "mom" to hubby and cleaned his wounds with hydrogen peroxide. He whined more than Annabelle does when I clean her wounds with hydrogen peroxide. Now I know where she gets it! Does anyone else think that hydrogen peroxide hurts?

And, honestly, I should have been the one whining! That wound looked nasty, no joke! Hubby's description of it described it best, but I won't gross you out like he did me.

Here is a picture of hubby and one of his new found treasures today. Annabelle joined in on the fun when she realized there were treasures for her too. Hubby wouldn't let her take the Hot Wheel she liked and wanted to play with. Instead, he opted for a string of red Mardi Gras looking beads.

This picture was taken on May 6th, 2009 at 11:01 a.m. at the Orange Hall House Museum in St. Marys, Georgia where hubby found his treasure under the stairs.

Exhausted

Sometimes I think I push her a little too much some days. Some days I wish she'd stop taking naps. Other days, I'm watching the seconds on the clock until naptime is near.

Today, I think we pushed her beyond her limits. But, despite that, she was still a very sweet little girl! Thank goodness though because we were visiting with long-time friends Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill (more like family than friends). And, I wanted them to at least get the impression that I'm a somewhat good mother.

It is 7:25 p.m. She fell asleep for naptime around 5:30 p.m. I guess we should have just waited for her to just go down for the evening. However, I've never really been good at that style of parenting. If my child is tired, no matter what the time, I generally (notice I didn't say always) put her down for naptime or bedtime. Unfortunately, that also normally means a much later bedtime.

Perhaps I should wake her? Nope! Again, not really my style of parenting. Not that I haven't done that many a time just to figure out my style of parenting. And, I'm still working on figuring out my style of parenting. But, today, that isn't my style of parenting. I mean, seriously, you never wake a sleeping baby (or toddler), right? Of course, I'll regret her napping at 7:25 p.m. later this evening.

Hubby got her down for naptime this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. I sat in the business center in the lobby of the hotel to catch up on my e-mail and the news. While I sat there, my heart ached for some reason that I couldn't quite figure out. Now I know why. When I got back up to the hotel room, hubby looked pretty frustrated. He said he had just gotten her to sleep 1 minute ago. She apparently was less than thrilled that I wasn't there. She needed her Mommy, and as a result, she made his life for the past 45 minutes pure hell.

She did finally fall asleep around 5:30 p.m., but awoke again at 6:00 p.m. I picked her up and then held her for a few minutes. I then asked her if she wanted me to lay her down in our bed. "Uh huh," she said. So, she laid her head down on one of those soft, feathery pillows, and she's still sound asleep as the night draws near.

Howard Gilman Memorial Waterfront Park

Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill met us at our hotel this morning to spend the day with us exploring St. Marys, Georgia. St. Marys is the ferry departure point for Cumberland Island.

During our visit to St. Marys, we visited Howard Gilman Memorial Waterfront Park. It was opened in 2001, and it is a beautiful park.

Annabelle spotted the playground instantly, so she spent most of the time playing on the playground. Go figure!

Here is one of my favorite pictures from the day. She has recently (over the past few months) learned to swing like a monkey, so here she is at her best.

The little girl in the background is actually home schooled. Aunt Mary and I spent some time talking to her mother while we were at the playground, and we learned that they have been traveling on a catamaran for the past 6 months. Her husband and her are retired police officers. They had worked for the police department for 20 years, and they are now both retired. They were very young too (probably in their early forties)! They have three kids (ages 4, 10 and 17), and she home schools them all. She said that the girls were very easy to home school, but the boy was apparently a challenge for her. It sounded like he had a hard time staying focused. I've always heard that is pretty typical of boys though.

But, anyhow, it was so very neat to hear their story and how she did it. She used the Calvert School for her 10 year old son, and something different for her 17 year old daughter. For the 4 year old, she said she just made stuff up since her studies are very basic right now.

Some of you may know that thoughts of homeschooling have crossed my mind for Annabelle (and any future siblings). However, I just don't know if I have it in me. I know it has got to be a lot of work! And, I just don't know if I have it in me.

The argument (for most) against homeschooling is that home schooled children are "weird" and don't receive the socialization skills that government educated children receive. I'm not so sure I buy that at all! There are other ways for children to learn to be social, and much is learned from just watching their parents. Those children today were very interactive!

So, I'm off on a tangent now, but their lifestyle just seemed so neat to me. How cool would that be for both parents to be retired at such a young age to enjoy their children and travel wherever they like? I would LOVE to be able to travel with Annabelle all the time, but at a much more leisurely pace! However, I would prefer to travel in an RV versus a boat.

Nice Legs

This morning, I was downstairs in the hotel breakfast room preparing my Belgian waffle to start my day, and a lady came up to me and said,

"Nice legs. I wish I had some like them."

The lady was an older lady, in her seventies probably, and she sounded like she was from New Jersey or somewhere up North.

It cracked me up because I have NEVER had anyone tell me that. My own husband has never told me that, and he'll admit that to you.

I mean, have you seen my legs? They are very, very white and skinny. They look a lot like chicken legs, especially when they are cold.

Perhaps I am gaining some weight as I've suspected, and the weight is going to my legs as well or perhaps she meant to say "nice....something else" and I just misunderstood her.

Of course, if she did say something else, I have no clue what else she could have been referring to. What other body part would another women have the guts to comment on besides the legs?

Singing My ABC's

Apparently, when one is at the pool, and they decide to sing their ABC's, they are supposed to crawl around on all fours with their butt high in the air pointing out the letters on the poolside.

I only wish I could have caught this on video camera! It was hilarious! As she crawled around and literally sang her ABC's to the letters and numbers written on the side of the pool, she would say, "I singing my ABC's." Of course, keep in mind that her ABC's aren't quite the complete set of ABC's yet, but she's getting there!

She knows the letter A without a doubt! She says, "A for Dannabelle!"

Mommy's Cheddar Cheese Pies

As sassy as Annabelle can be, she is also a very sensitive little girl. She is very protective of herself, her things and her Mommy.

While playing at the playground in Crooked River State Park, Annabelle made me some "cheddar cheese pies." She got the idea for these cheddar cheese pies from her cousin Molly earlier this year.

Cheddar cheese pies basically consist of playground mulch and dirt. And, a picnic table or playground bench is the platter of choice for these cheddar cheese pies.

This time, she asked me, "What kinda cheddar cheese pie wouldya dike Mommy?"

I think my response was coconut, aka as "coke-nut."

So, she prepared my coconut cheddar cheese pie on the nearest picnic table, and then she proceeded to run as far away from her Mommy and Daddy as possible (despite the fact that we yelled for her to stop)! Can you find her in this picture? If not, just look for the red circle in the center of the picture. I tried to make it easier for you. She and her Daddy are hard to see because she ran that far away from us!

Do you want to know why she ran so far away as we yelled for her to "STOP!"? Because she wanted to play on this.

She then "got a talking to" from her Daddy. Notice how she will NOT look her Daddy in the eyes. She has never wanted to look either one of us in the eyes after she's done something wrong. And, this started at a very young age. Is this an early sign of guilt? Do children this young really know and feel guilt? I guess this is just an early sign of our sinful nature as human beings.

So, after their talk, we all headed back to the playground. As we arrived, Annabelle noticed that someone was sitting at the picnic table where she had earlier prepared her Mommy's cheddar cheese pie.

She got upset and whimpered, "Mommy's cheddar cheese pie!" as she pointed to the picnic table. I caught this magical moment on camera (note the first picture on this blog entry). I love this sweet expression! She was just looking out for her Mommy!

Dear Annabelle,

I hope you will always be as sweet and sensitive as you are today. Despite your sassiness and attitude, you show true signs of love and sensitivity. You are a very caring person, and you already want to protect the ones you love.

I hope your heart will never be hardened by this sometimes very cruel world. I'm afraid you will learn all too soon the cruelty of some people. However, for every cruel and resentful person, there are many more people who are very loving and caring. You just have to find it in your heart to forgive those who have hurt you (which is often very hard to do).

May you always live your life loving, caring and forgiving others!

Love always,

Mommy

Read it to me!

Since hubby and I took our "Trip of a lifetime" across country back in 2005, I have always been interested in reading the trail leaflets normally available at the start of any state or national trail or at the visitor's center. We've always stopped at just about every marker along the trail to attempt to learn something new. Unfortunately, for me, if the learned fact is not reinforced constantly, I quickly forget what I had just learned. But, it makes hiking that much more interesting, and maybe something I've learned will one day stick with me.

i.e. Cypress Knees - This is the 2nd time within 12 months that we have visited a swampy area. I think the term cypress knees has finally stuck! Apparently, hubby is much more intelligent than me because he supposedly remembered the facts about cypress knees from our hike in Congaree back in 2008.

As for Annabelle, she is also following in her Mommy's footsteps. For every trail marker we hit, she'd run to the trail marker and say, "Read it to me!" She even insisted that we read them again if the trail circled back around and we passed them again on the way out.

I'm not sure if this little bit of information will make her any brighter, but for now, we'll hope that she's storing this information in all of those little file folders in her head. And, just maybe one day it will pay off!

This picture was taken on our hike along the Sempervirens Trail at Crooked River State Park in St. Mary's, Georgia (near Kingsland, Georgia) on May 5th, 2009 at 10:25 a.m.

Favorite Past Times

If you were to ask Annabelle what she's enjoyed most about vacation, she would probably tell you picnics, pushing buttons, playing on the playground and "distening to her moosick."

I am quickly learning that vacations will never ever again be the same, but more than anything, they are all about her! No matter how hard you try to enjoy the things you used to enjoy while vacationing (such as packing in as much stuff into one day as possible), it is the little things that make the most difference in a child's life.

I believe that every day Annabelle has asked, "We going on a pic-a-nick?" Oddly enough, she barely eats anything when we do have a picnic. Sandwiches just aren't here thing, no matter if they even have peanut butter and chocolate chips on them. This week, cantaloupe has been her food of choice!

The above two pictures were taken at St. Andrews Picnic Area at Jekyll Point on Jekyll Island on May 4th, 2009 at 11:46 a.m. And, yes, we had a very, very early lunch (for us) because once again, we got an early start on another very hot day!

Ballerinas?

Or karate students?


The one who is actually taking ballet looks like a ballerina. The other child, who I won't call by name (Hint: She's my child!), looks more like a karate student.

Annalee was teaching Annabelle some of her new ballet tricks. Monkey see, monkey do! Annabelle has enjoyed watching and imitating Annalee all weekend.

Slumber Party

This evening, Annabelle and Annalee had a slumber party. Annabelle attempted to "borrow" Annalee's pillow, but Annalee persuaded Annabelle to use a place mat for her pillow instead. And, yes, Annalee is the one who actually came up with the idea all by herself and made the suggestion. One creative little girl if you ask me!

So, here is one of the best shots I was able to get of the girls having their slumber party! You try taking a picture of two very busy little girls, one two years old and the other three years old. Not a bad shot considering the circumstances.

Her First French Braid

And, probably her last!

I asked Annalee's Mommy to show me how to French braid on Annabelle's hair this evening. Annabelle sat very still for her to braid her hair. She braided it loosely so that Annabelle wouldn't complain too much.

Does her hair not look beautiful? I love it! Annalee's Mommy made it look so easy, but I doubt I'll be able to figure it out when I actually sit down with Annabelle and try.

Skee Ball

Here is a picture of Annabelle playing skee ball with her Daddy for the very first time. She preferred to throw the ball overhanded.

Cereal Bar

Annabelle's snack of choice on the beach is an apple cinnamon Nutri-Grain bar. She refers to them as "cerealreal bars," and she asks for them pretty much as soon as the bags are set down on the sand. I just wish I could write "cereal" the way that she actually pronounces it because it is quite humorous.

She insisted that "Annalee want cerealreal bar too." I don't think she quite understands yet that Annalee isn't quite as big of a fan of the cereal bar as she is.

Does it surprise me that my daughter was the only one who needed a snack at the beach (besides me)? Nope! That girl loves her some snacks when they are offered (or in this case, expected).

Windy Day

It was a beautiful, but windy day at the beach today. Shortly after we arrived, I told Annabelle that we should take a walk along the beach and pick up seashells. As we were walking towards the water, Annabelle piped in with the following.

Annabelle: It making me go da wrong way!

Mommy: What is sweetheart?

Annabelle: Da wind!

I couldn't help but laugh at her comment. Poor baby! The wind even almost blew her over a few times. I'm not sure if it really made her go the wrong way (since it didn't matter which way we went), but she definitely had a point!

She just cracks me up!

My Baby

is no longer a baby!

But it is these subtle moments that remind me that she still needs me (and Teddy) for comfort and support.

This morning, I allowed her to watch a little Sesame Street in bed at our beach condo while I put on my makeup and finished packing a few things so we could get out the door to go shopping. I glanced over at her, and I noticed that she was snuggling with Teddy Bear (which is the norm) and one of her baby blankets that made the trip. It was such a precious picture, so I grabbed the camera. And, naturally, she changed positions. I finally coaxed her to sit back up as she had been sitting so I could capture this precious shot.

My baby is realizing that she is no longer a baby. During our drive to Hilton Head yesterday, Annabelle and her Daddy had the following conversation after Hubby referred to her as a baby for some reason. I cannot remember the specifics as to why he called her a baby, but she was obviously quite offended.

Annabelle: I not a baby Daddy! I a big girl!

Daddy: I know sweetheart.

Annabelle: Why'd you call me dat Daddy?

Daddy: Because you'll always be my baby sweetheart!

Oddly enough, the blanket shown in the above picture is actually the very same blanket she refused last night as I was tucking her in. The blanket in the picture is normally hung at the end of the crib to block the headlights at night and sunlight in the morning. I always tuck her in using her "Annabelle" blanket, but we left it at home because it smelled like tee tee.

Well, last night, I was wishing we would have just ignored the tee tee smell and taken it with us. I didn't know the "Annabelle" blanket had become yet another lovey. She gets a peppermint every evening instead of "Mommy's milk." That was my success to weaning her! And, yes, I do brush her teeth after she eats her peppermint. Well, she reminded me last night that she had not gotten her peppermint. She started to fuss, but I was able to quickly distract her with an animal cracker to replace the beloved peppermint.

But, the blanket was a different story. She said, "Cover me up Mommy." So, I covered her up with the blanket shown in the picture above. "Noooooo! Not dat one! I want my udder one!" I told her that we had left it at home. You would have thought the world was coming to an end based on the way she was acting. She finally did settle down, and tonight was not an issue at all. I guess she has become attached to yet another lovey!

Dear Annabelle,

These are some of the little things that remind me that you still need me! Sometimes I find these habits and your behaviour annoying and frustrating, but it is the moments like these when I sit back and think and realize that you are only acting this way because you need someone to love and comfort you when the world seems big and scary.

The world is big and scary sometimes sweet girl, but I hope you'll always find comfort in knowing that I love you and that I'm always here for you whenever you need me, no matter what! And, I mean, no matter what!

Even though I want you to be as independent as possible, not depending on anyone else for anything, I still hope you'll still need me for some of the little things, even when you are grown, married and with a child of your own. Goodness knows, I still need my Mommy and Daddy!

Love,

Mommy

What do you see?

We visited some old college friends in Clayton, Georgia this weekend, some that we haven't seen since we got married in July 2000. Most all of us have children now, and the children are all very close in age, so everyone had a blast, including the children.

Hubby, Annabelle and I spent the night at the cabin. After Annabelle was dressed on Sunday morning, we caught her peeking out the bedroom window right next to another little girl. This other little girl just happened to be one of those baby dolls without facial features that props against windows. I guess Annabelle was just curious about what that baby doll might have seen.

So, here is a picture of Annabelle following her lead! Is this not precious? She stood there long enough for hubby to say, "Are you not going to take a picture," and for me to then pull the camera out of the diaper bag and camera case. I was lucky enough to actually capture a great shot!

By the way, if I can remember, I am going to start posting the dates and times for some of these pictures with the exact date and time that the pictures were taken. This picture was actually taken on October 26, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. This is just one of the many benefits of a digital camera (knowing the exact date and time the photo was taken after it is downloaded to your computer)!

Boyfriend # 4

So, while we were floating in the lazy river yesterday (Thursday), we had yet another boy follow Annabelle around the pool. Of course, look at that sweet little face! Should I expect anything different? I thought it was one of the same boys as had spyed her the other day, but after looking at the picture I posted in my blog, I believe it is actually a different little boy. But, it is definitely the same boy who swam next to us yesterday as we floated along in the lazy river.

We befriended the little boy, as he was completely harmless, and he seemed very interested in Annabelle. He told us his name is John, he is four years old (he'll be five next week) and he is from North Carolina. After a few times around the lazy river with him swimming right next to Annabelle, I decided to grab the camera. Big surprise, right?!?! I needed some pictures of Annabelle with her Daddy floating in the lazy river because it is hubby's favorite place to be, so I thought it was an excellent time to grab the camera! Hubby said "He could stay in the lazy river all day long. He didn't even need a room." That would sure be a lot cheaper! :)

So, I grabbed the camera, and I continuously took pictures of Annabelle, John and hubby. John stayed near Annabelle the entire time, and he even grabbed Annabelle's float and pulled her around the lazy river.

I was trying to figure out who John belonged to as they all floated along, and I finally smiled at a lady as they passed around a corner. Based on her smile, she gave me the impression that he belonged to her, so I asked her if he belonged to her. She said yes, so I sat down next to her to tell her what a kick we had gotten out of John. He really gave us some good laughs with all of his flirting (for a four year old)!

John was staying at Ocean Reef Resort with his grandmother, Ramona, the lady I met. They are from High Point, North Carolina, and they came to Myrtle Beach for a few days. She said they visit Ocean Reef Resort every year.

I can tell you from experience that John is a very, sweet young boy. He is a cutie too, so Annabelle knows how to pick them (or attract them)! I was amazed at how polite the young boy was, and he was so interested in Annabelle, who is half is age. According to the Grandmother, John wants to be a father. I told her that she better watch out in about 10-15 years because John was a little flirt! She laughed and said she knew that from him being in preschool. Apparently, he already attracts all of the little girls in his preschool who he hugs and who hugs him. Ramona also said that he loves little babies. He doesn't have any baby brothers or sisters, but she said that he really wants one. I think he would do wonderful with a baby brother or sister. He reminds me of how proud my brother apparently was of me when I was born (according to my mom). My brother was four years old when I was born, and he asked the doctor, "Have you seen my beautiful baby sister?" I picture John being the same way. And, I think my brother turned out alright!

So, to the parents, grandparents and loved ones of John, you have a very sweet boy on your hands! I only hope he'll always be that sweet for you, but I suspect he will be. You have obviously done a great job teaching him manners! Maybe Annabelle and John will meet again in another 28 years! Ha! Ha! Like I've said before, Annabelle cannot date until she's 30, so that is why I say 28 years!!!

Oddly enough, for the many boyfriends that Annabelle has had this trip, she had one little stinker try to attack her today. What a little brat! He had a surf board in the pool and he told Annabelle, "Get out of the way! You are going the wrong way!" with hubby standing right there next to Annabelle. Hubby said, "Can we get through?" He said, "Only if you'll get out of my way!" Then, he passed Annabelle while I was right next to her and he said, "Get out of my way!" I turned to him and said, "That was rude!" We believe the father was sitting right there within a few feet of him, but maybe it was an uncle or something. I still couldn't believe that the guy didn't scold the child. I am hoping that he just didn't hear him, but for a child that age (he was probably 3-4 years of age), he probably wouldn't act that rude if he'd been scolded for his wrongdoings before.

For goodness sake, Annabelle grabbed her beach bucket as another little girl neared it last night when we were by the ocean, and she said, "NO!" I ran over to her and said, "Now Annabelle, that was rude. You can share your sand bucket with that little girl." I then apologized to the Daddy for my daughter's rude behaviour (and we're talking about my 19 month old daughter who really doesn't know any better). And, believe me, I do not have this parenting thing down at all, but seriously, do these parents really not have any manners?!?! It is no wonder some of these kids are so rude and impolite. I just really think parents should teach their children to apologize by example. If the child does something wrong at a young age, they often do not realize it, but if the parents lead by example, hopefully, the child will follow their example in the future.

Here is hoping there are more John's in this world for my daughter to date and marry one day!

Mommy, help!

I absolutely LOVE the above picture, and I am completely surprised that the picture even came out decent! As you can see, Annabelle was reaching for me. Take note of her Daddy in the background. I hope he doesn't mind that I've posted a picture of him on my blog.

When this picture was taken, it was breakdown point (aka meltdown mode) at the beach this morning. Annabelle's Daddy had just gotten his $6 kite from Wal-Mart to fly without any problems (compared to the $12.99 kite from Bargain Beachwear that he tried to fly last night). Here is proof that it was flying. That is a picture of the Ocean Reef Resort below the kite.

Annabelle even helped fly this kite with her Daddy. Is that not adorable? Look at her very sweet expression!

And when it finally crashed and burned, she wanted to help her Daddy rescue it.

So, she followed him into the softer sand. That was mistake # 1 as she got sand in her water shoes! Not good! She does not like dirt on her at all. I am not sure where she got her hate for dirt from though because I used to love to play in the dirt and dig for worms with the boys when I was a little girl.

Before mistake # 2 occurred (I think), I was busy taking pictures of her helping her Daddy rescue the kite. I never got a picture of them together with the kite because I was distracted by ANOTHER (completely different) little boy who was around 4 years of age who had grabbed his own underwater camera to take pictures of Annabelle! And, I am not even kidding! This child just snapped away. It was so hilarious to me that I didn't even think to take a picture of her new boyfriend taking a picture of her until hubby said, "Take a picture of that." By then, it was too late. It sure would have been a cute picture for this blog entry though. What is up with her and all of the boys? They even think she's a hottie in her bathing suit that covers all! What are we going to do when she's 16 or 17 years old wearing a bathing suit that shows all? Oh my! Now I'm wishing we had all boys! :) Only kidding! I love my little girl, and I'd love a house full of girls!

Mistake # 2 occurred when she fell into the sand when she tried to help Daddy rescue the kite. She cried, and she wanted help up, and then she was not happy because she still had sand on her hands. I tried to get her to wash them in a bucket of salt water, but her response to me was "NO!" So, instead, I grabbed the camera and took some pictures. Take note of the sand on her face and hands in the first picture.

Honestly, this bathing suit is the best bathing suit in the whole wide world! I have not even dressed her in any of the 10 other bathing suits I bought for her (even though they are adorable). I guess I'll be taking those back (except for maybe one or two of them). She would have never played in the sand if she had worn any of the other bathing suits. She just does not like to get dirty! She's my girlie girl, that's for sure! I guess that means she'll be a tomboy when she's a teenager and adult. Oh well!