My little sour patch kid

*warning: totally and completely random post*
Blakely is officially our sour patch kid.  Maybe you've seen the commercials "first their sour, then their sweet".  Well, that's Blakely.  One second she'll throw a doll at your head, but then she'll come over to give you a hug and kiss.  I have to admit, I think it's so funny!  I know, I know....bad parenting!  I understand the throwing/hitting/biting stuff isn't cool, and she does get scolded when she's naughty.  She's sensitive, that one.  If I give her the look and tell her "no" half the time her little face will scrunch up and the tears will start.....which is heartbreaking.  So then we have to make up and snuggle.  Most of the time she really is sweet though.  For example, at night once we're ready for "nigh-nigh" she'll pucker up those precious lips of hers and make the kiss noise until she gets kisses from mama and dada.  Just adorable. 

Thinking about being sour.....

We have been at the pool a lot lately too.  She loves the water and the other kids that are usually at the pool too.  She even sticks her face in the water and blows bubbles!  She taught herself that trick in the bathtub and does it at the pool now.  As a former lifeguard and swim instructor....I couldn't be more proud of my little water baby! 

She's eating raisins here.  She LOVES raisins and says a high pitch "mmmmm" when she eats them!

This summer has been fun so far, but the best is yet to come.  The 4th of July, my birthday, my brother-in-laws wedding in Utah, and then a family vacation to St. George Utah.  This weekend we are planning on doing some outlet shopping for our trips on our way up to Dahlonega.  The fudge Factory and some road-side boiled peanuts are calling my name!  To avoid any serious meltdowns from the real fireworks we'll probably just let Jeff dazzle us with his annual firework spectacular.  I'll admit, I think I'm most excited about our trip to St. George.  I love traveling to places I've never been, especially with my family.  I'll give you a little sneak peak of some of the gorgeous scenery there.....

This is Angels Landing in Zion National Park.  We are hiking up to this!

So there you have it.  A little taste of what we've been up to and what we have planned.  I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!!  I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!

holy moly

Things have been super busy around here lately.  With a full-time walking toddler I barely have time to do anything, much less blog.  I'll admit that I have gotten on here a couple of times to write down some thoughts or things we've been up to and then.....blah.  Nothing.  Blakely is into everything.  She's a lot of fun these days--but a lot of work too.  We usually try to get out in the afternoons for some type of activity to tire her out.  We go to the pool, the park, run errands, visit with friends or go to grandmas.  She is growing like a weed and looking so much older these days.  It's scary how fast they grow up!

On a totally unrelated subject--I finally went to the dermatologist the other day.  I knew I needed to go for years now because of all the damage I have done to my skin over the years with life guarding and tanning.  I just put it off because I think I was afraid of what they would say about a few suspicious looking moles.  Sure enough, three {two on my back and one on my chest} had to go.  They were sent to a pathologist to see if they were "dangerous".  Turns out, yes, all three were dysplastic, meaning they contain atypical cells that could potentially turn into cancerous cells.  I have appointments scheduled to have them all removed.  They have to remove the entire mole and some surrounding tissue to make sure they get rid of all the atypical cells.  I just hope I don't end up looking like Swiss cheese when I leave.  I am a little nervous, but I am glad to have all of these bad moles gone.  I am just glad that the dr caught those moles now before they turned into anything more serious.  So my PSA for today:  go get your skin checked!!!!

like it?

I was inspired by all of you creative bloggers out there and decided to sit down and pretty up my page, one html at a time!  I only have nap-time to work on such things.  Little miss is super bust these days.  Blakely is offically walking now.  Wow.  Her first steps were one week after her first birthday!  She has been non-stop ever since.  She gets so proud of herself after she speeds across our living room.  So do I.  Even though she is exhausting these days, she gets into everything, and has fallen down and busted knees and lips--it's fun.  She is loving that she can explore more of her world, and I love showing it to her.
Another one of her new favorite activities is going to the pool!  She loves to swim!!  She will kick her little legs so hard, and even puts her face in the water to blow bubbles.  She perfected that trick in the tub!  She really enjoyed herself at the fountains in Suwanee.

It's short and sweet today folks.  Nap-time's over.