Germany in Georgia

This past weekend we visited with Nana and Papa and had a full weekend.  What a great time and we are now home, exhausted, and 5 or 10 lbs heavier!!!   Madison loved playing with her cousin Carson and couldn't get enough of the "Big Pool."  Saturday we spent the morning in the pool and the afternoon visiting with Aunt Debbie, Uncle David (Tribo), Lauren, Uncle David and Carson.   As you can tell by the picture, I think she was completely worn out by the end of the evening.  I couldn't get my meal finished before she fell asleep!

Sunday we did a daytrip out to Helen, GA to see the sights in the mountains.  It was hot when we left Canton and it felt even hotter in the mountains.   There was a reason the river was filled with tubers (not the ones served as a side dish).  After lunch we took a walk to the bridge over the river to check out the scene.  What a great time the tubers must have had.  Drifting down the cool river on such a warm day.  Madison was ready to go tubing as well.  When asked if she wanted to go, she immediately took her flip flops off and would have jumped into the water from the bridge if we would have let her!  To distract her, and I know some people will find this hard to believe, we enticed her with a bit of ice cream!

Monday was a day of relaxation...well if you'd call a day packed with pool, visiting and hanging out relaxing! With the thermostat that continued to climb a bit more each day, Madison (mom and dad) were ready to be in the pool at any time.  Monday morning we went up to the pool for a couple of hours.  Saturday we had introduced Madison to the big slide at the pool.  Dad took her down on his lap the first couple of times and then we thought we would try her on her own with Jeff at the top and me catching her at the bottom.  She ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!  I've tried to download the video to the blog with no success, so I'll get it on PicasaWeb for all to check out.  Oh so cute!  In the meantime, here's a picture of her showing off her new bathing suit before going down the slide.

Tuesday it was back to Raleigh. Madison is taking the road trips fairly well.  She isn't exploding from sitting in the car seat and she is entertained with her computer and "talking on the phone" with Allie to let her know where we were.  We stopped at a rest area for a packed lunch and Jeff showed Madison how to eat boiled peanuts.

First you take the peanut...

Then peel back the shell like this...

Then you eat the peanut!

The best part is throwing the shell to the squirrels!

I DID IT!

...Now Ready to Go

Now that her nails are done and her outfit has been changed, she's ready to go out and face the world! It's the Fourth of July and we're heading to Carrboro to walk around and check out the festivities.

We stopped for lunch then walked around to work off the good food we ate. The temperatures were running in the mid-90's but with low humidity it felt pretty nice outside. And what else would you do on a hot day other than eat I-C-E C-R-E-A-M!!! Madison splurged and had not just a few tastes of Mom and Dad's ice cream but also indulged in a strawberry milkshake. YUMMY!

You need to grab the straw oh so delicately so you get just enough.

Now it's time to work off the ice cream. She loved the playground and only after many eye rubs and a bit of slowing down did mom know it was time to go home. If my memory serves me right she was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. Our precious little girl sleeps as hard as she plays! By the time we got home she was all recharged and ready to start again!!!

Happy 4th of July to all!!!

Getting Ready...

Our little girl is turning into a "girly girl"! Sunday morning she and I started our "spa time" and she requested pink fingernails and toes. Unlike last time, she actually paid attention and wasn't rubbing the paint off before it dried. She was letting me know when I missed a spot or if I wasn't doing it to her liking. She has already informed me that next time she wants RED!

Give a child a camera...

...and see the world from her perspective!

Neighborhood Pool

Lisa and Jeff joined the pool this year and we've decided we will tag along as guests when time allows. This past Saturday was the second time we were able to get up there. Madison couldn't wait to get there and all I've heard since then is "big pool." She had such a great time playing with dad and Ms. Lisa. This time Allison even asked to get out of her float to be able to join in the fun.

The lifeguards were ready to go home, unfortunately out little two year olds weren't as eager to leave. When I told Madison it was time to go home this is the look I got...

along with a minor temper trantrum (she is two you know!). She sure does love the water! Thank goodness for us because I think with the summer heating up this will be the best way to keep cool!

Pool, Big Pond and Fun

We are so glad summer is here but boy did it hit us hard! This week is suppose to be over 90 degrees every day. Thank goodness we were given one of those above-ground pools for us to be able to just keep our sanity on the hot days that are ahead of us! Thank you Terry and Betty!!!

This past weekend we took Madison to the beach for the first time this year. A little different reaction than last year. She wasn't as eager to get to the water as she was last year. After a few hours she had finally worked up enough courgage to actually "body surf" in the shallows. This was about the time I was ready to hit the road. She had a wonderful time and we will be hitting the beach a few more times this summer I am sure.

Mackenzie's Memorial B-day Celebration

A road trip to DC over the Memorial Weekend? Call us crazy but we wanted to get the girls together. It's been hard to believe that the girls hadn't seen each other in a year! Saturday we spent the morning socializing and getting ready for the party.


After the girls got up from their naps it was time for the fun to begin. Madison had such a great time meeting new friends but she really enjoyed the bubbles and Mackenzie's playhouse. If she could talk (well, really talk!) she would be asking for a playhouse just like Mackenzie's!

After all the crazy party-goers took off, we stayed around to help clean up and let Madison and Mackenzie play a bit.

Sunday was spent with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Gregg. Jeff had a chance to master his Wii Resort skills and Madison had plenty of time to play with Chloe and Cooper! Madison was a bit tired from the previous two days of visiting so she wasn't as playful and cooperative as she usually is. Thinking a nap would help we tried to put her down. I had made the mistake of telling her we would go to the pool when she go up from her nap. Needless to say, she didn't take much of nap!!!

Of all the things to forget when going to the pool, it had to be the swim diapers. But it lead to great picture taking when her diaper became so big that she wasn't even able to keep her balance for the diaper pulling her to one side!

Ms. Lace worked up an appetite at the pool, so we head back to Uncle Gregg's for dinner and more Chloe and Cooper time.

We left for home on Monday morning. We were all a bit tired from all the visiting but loved the time we got to spend with everyone. Just don't want to wait as long to do it again!