Family, family, everywhere!

Mary Elizabeth playing at The Dish and Spoon. I still can't get her to eat any ice cream!

Mary Elizabeth started her day hanging out with LuLu and Joe while I rode Doodle. When we got back in the house I saw I had missed a call from Pat. I called her back and she and Big Joe said they wanted to come play with M.E. for awhile. How awesome is it to have great-grandparents that can come play with my girl! I went to Montevallo and ran about 6 errands in an hour. While I love my girl, it would have taken twice as long to do the same errands with her. After naptime today we went to get some ice cream at The Dish and Spoon. As soon as we got there Lea Ann and Jim (they just moved here recently) arrived. It was nice to visit with them and of course we talked about when they might babysit! It is great to have so much family nearby.

Trip to Scottie's house

On Tuesday of this week Mary Elizabeth and I loaded up for a trip to see Scottie in Huntsville. Scottie's husband was out of town on business, so we just had girl time. Tuesday night was pretty low key, dinner, playing and bath. M.E really liked Scottie's cat and the cat wasn't afraid of her. She followed the cat around waving and saying "hi". M.E. was not happy about going to bed in a strage place, but she finally gave up and went to sleep (or passed out!). Scottie and I ate a good dinner of boiled shrimp, potatoes and corn, then we stayed up way too late talking. Wednesday M.E. woke a little early (5:45ish) which would have been fine except that I had gotten in bed at 12:30! M.E. and I played and let Scottie sleep until about 7:30 (we tried to wake her up at 6 but she was still snoozing hard!). Once Scottie was up we took Sam for a walk and M.E. took a stroller nap. We headed to Chick-fil-a for breakfast and then we went to the botanical gardens. The gardens had a special "bug" exhibit that M.E really liked! She also enjoyed the butterfly house especially the frog fountains in the ponds. It was so hot! By the time we left we were all soaked, but it was fun! We did a quick swing through McDonalds for nuggets and milk then we did a quick Target run. We got back to the house around 1 and Scottie and M.E. played while I packed the car. M.E. slept for the first hour of the trip home then woke up when I stopped for gas, which was a good thing because I needed a bathroom break! A visit to a gas station bathroom with a toddler is quite an adventure! All in all it was a fun trip and my girl was a GREAT traveler! She entertained herself in the car and I learned to keep animal crackers at the ready.

Grocery shopping is hard work!

A car ride between 9 and 12 usually results in a sleeping girl. As soon as the car stops though she generally wakes up as I get her out and we go in the house, store etc. Today was different though! I unbuckled her, carried her in, turned on the lights and television, then put her in her chair and she slept on! It didn't last long though (5-10 minutes) now she is off and running. The things I put my poor child through to preserve the 2 hour after lunch nap!

Wednesday adventure

Mary Elizabeth and I went on a new adventure this morning. We went to storytime at the library, then for a walk in town and finally we visited with the cows on the way home. Storytime was pretty interesting. The storyteller had puppets, a guitar, banjo and two books. M.E. was pretty attentive during the music. After a few songs there was a puppet song and all the kids (who obviously knew the drill!) ran for the puppets and went crazy chasing each other on the stage and in the auditorium. M.E. just walked around in the chaos, then she saw the books. She picked up one of the books and went to a chair and started reading! Keep in mind there are about 20 kids with puppets running and yelling all around her! I couldn't help but laugh. Of course when we had to give the book back she went nuts. There is nothing like a good tantrum in public! We went for a walk down Main Street after storytime, then we spotted the cows on the way home. M.E. is a big fan of cows these days so we stopped to talk for a little while. It is almost naptime (M.E. not me unfortunately!), then Pat and Big Joe are coming for a visit this afternoon.

Swimming

Mary Elizabeth doesn't stay still long and pooltime is no exception. She wants in, then out, in the float, then out of the float, wants to be held, then wants to be free. We had a good time at the pool, but it is sure a lot of work to have fun and still be safe! It is going to be a busy summer.

Ice cream

Mary Elizabeth and I tried out the new ice cream shop last week. The Dish and the Spoon has terrific ice cream and several menu options as well. This was only the second time M.E. had tried ice cream and she is still not sure about it! I was glad to finish hers though!

Reading

I had forgotten about taking this photo. My girl really loves her books! Of course, she also likes digging in the dirt until she has black fingernails.

Summer!

We are having so much fun! Monday we went to see two of my friends after naptime. We visited with Heather and her new girl Honor, then we went to see one of my THS friends Melinda. Wednesday M.E. went to school and saw her friends while I ran some errands. Mike and I actually met with the architect and got the new house plans underway. We have been to the park twice this week and finally got in the pool yesterday for a few minutes. Today M.E. and I ran some errands in Alabaster then ate lunch with Mike. M.E. is turning into such a little girl. She likes to "dust", pick up trash (at the park) and put her animals down for naps. I know it is going to be a great summer.