Goodbye Summer

Tradition.  I like new experiences, new places.  They're exciting.  Tradition has roots.  One year when I was in middle school, our annual family trip was to New England instead of the familiar stretch of beach in Maryland. When we got home though, my sister and I asked my parents when we were going to go on vacation.  It just wasn't a complete summer without the beach.

This year we introduced the kids to the Ocean City experience. Dillon stopped to play with any ball he could find, whether or not the owner was using it. Claire's feet conveniently hurt halfway through her daily walks on the beach with my dad. At least that's what she told us from her perch atop his shoulders.  They loved running full speed down the boardwalk, only stopping for dogs (Claire) or bikes (Dillon). They loved it. I think it's in their blood.

Jason has come with me every year since we started dating.  The summer he was gone, my parents came with me.  I think we spent more time eating at our favorite places than actually on the beach.  I fill him in on my memories.  Here is where we always get subs.  Here is where we stayed when our friends came with us.  I can't believe my entire high school class all came for the day when we organized it.  This is where I stayed with friends when I was in college...feeling so responsible on our first trip without any parents.  Wow, that was a long time ago... this one time...we always...

Why did you always go here? he asks. It's not exactly the prettiest beach.  There were practical reasons, but I forget.

We plan out where we will go next time.  This spot will be good for when we have kids.  Blurry mental pictures.  Other years we've gone to other beaches but we still squeeze in a day trip to Ocean City.  Because we love the beach so much or just because it's what we do? 

We always underestimate the drive.  We stop at my favorite gas station.  I tell the same story each time. One time when it was just my sister and I we ran out of windshield wiper fluid but were too cheap to pay for more, so I tried to stick my hand out the window and splash water on the salt-covered windshield while traveling 50 mph.  None of the water got on the windshield.  All of it got on my face. 

We get donuts.  We get sand in the car.  It's crowded.  It's full of tacky shops.  Full of memories.  Pictures from the past.  Glimpses of the future.  Tradition carried on until next year.

Chicken Nugget House and Other Stories

If you don't count the times my mom tells me to clean the bathroom, living at my parents' has had a lot of perks. It's been really fun living closer to family the past couple months, especially my niece and nephew. They are two and almost-one, and noticeably grow every time I see them.

In effort to make sure I remember the funny toddler things that they do, and to provide some cheer after the umpteenth snowstorm (it's like Narnia about now - always winter and never Christmas), here are some funny stories about my niece, Claire:

The first is from a few months ago when she only had a few words in her vocabulary: "boat," "wada boddo" (water bottle), etc." The funny thing was, when she was mad, she'd just say any words she could think of, including her favorite artists, Toby Mac. (Ok, he's one of my favorites too. This is what happens when you grow up listening to DC Talk. Yes, Mary and I are still ten at heart and dragged our kind hubbys to his concert last year. And since Claire really only hears the music that her parents choose to play, she was doomed.) So since "Toby Mac" was one if the few words in her repertoire, it became like her version of a curse word. For example, my dad had to pick her up once when she was running away, and she flailed her arms screaming, "No! No! Toby Mac! Toby Mac!"

Once she got more mobile, she started getting into things that she shouldn't, to which her mom would just say, "no no" and she'd obey. It didn't take long though, for her to realize that it's like a fun game when she does not do what she's told. The funny thing about Claire, is that she will defiantly do exactly what she shouldn't (touch outlets, play with scissors, scratch her brother), but she'll correct herself while doing it. She says, "Nooo nooo," while touching electronics, or tells her dad, "I'm disobeying." Let's hope she either starts obeying or stops tattling on herself. Clearly only one of those is a good option.

Have I mentioned how much Claire loves salt? We sometimes have to hide it at dinner or she will continually ask for it, dump some on the table, then eat it. I'm not totally sure how she made the connection, but with so many snow storms, she's been snacking on the salt that's spread on the porch to prevent ice.

The other day she said to me, "Sarah sad. Jasee long trip." Then she tells me to pretend cry because she thinks it's funny.

She calls McDonald's "chicken nugget house."

Another thing we laugh about is her penchant for nicknames. She normally says "Mommy" when referring to her mother, but sometimes has silly moods where it turns into "Mommy-a-ma," or "Mamu." "Pop pop," my dad's name, is sometimes pronounced "Popth" with the same ending noise and saliva spray as when you stick your tongue out and blow. I find it hilarious that these names aren't spontaneous either. She plans her silly names and once told my mom before my dad came home, "I'm gonna say 'Popsy poo.'" My mom decided she wanted to go by the Filipino word for grandma, Lola. "L" words seem especially hard for kids, so for a long time Claire said something closer to "Ra-rai" (said: ruh rye, like rye bread). But when my mom, who can sometimes have a hard time pronouncing words, tries to repeat Claire's name for her it sounds like "Wa-wai." But then my dad repeats what my mom says and it turns into "Wawee." Did you get that? There are three iterations of nickname that result in Claire saying to my mom, "Wawee, I call you wawee." I told you she plans out her goofy names. I didn't think the ESL in our house could get any better. Turns out that when you add a kid learning to talk it does! The best part is that with all her nicknames, she doesn't as many for her dad. Instead, her favorite name for him is calling him by his first name! "Jiiiiiim," she'll say through a clenched smile.

My last story involves her bed time story routine. You know how kid's books have all these rhymy nonsense words? (No wonder they come up with goofy words on their own! We encourage it!) One of Claire's favorite books is full of animals singing nonsense-word songs, Dooby Dooby Moo - I think from a Chick-fil-a kid's meal.  Even nonsense though, needs to be read properly. One night when her dad was reading it, she told him, "Mommy read it. Too hard for Daddy."

Family Florida Trip/ Goodbye Summer

Now that it is officially fall, I 'm finally getting around to organizing my summer pictures.  Jason and I had the chance to go with my parents and my sister and her family to the St. Peterburg/Tampa area of Florida.  I was so excited because it basically meant a week straight with my cutie niece and nephew, who as you will see from the pictures below, were the major highlight of the trip.  Although the condo itself had a pretty stellar view as seen in that first picture.

We flew down with my sister's family.  To all you traveling parents, flying with kids is no joke.  You are braver than I.  I am just glad we were able to fly with them and that everyone on the plan seemed kind and understanding.  Southwest had direct flights from Baltimore and those free checked bags really came in handy with all the kid-gear.  Once we arrived, it was worth it!  We enjoyed some pretty amazing sunsets, walks on the beach and mossy trees. 

No edits on these sunset pics.  It was just that beautiful.

       

 And now for some gratuitously cute pictures of my niece and nephew. Jason says I am the president of the Claire fan club.  I think it's true, though I probably share the title with her other aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas.

Goofing around with Pop pop.  Aren't they the cutest?

Isn't she just the cutest?  She loved the water!  There were these tiny mussel/clam type creatures that would wash up on the sand with the waves and then you could watch them dig into the sand.  Claire would see them and yell, "Mussels! Dig! Dig! Dig!" then try to pick them up and throw them in the water.  There was also a pool where she would practice what she learned in swim class: going "unda" water and paddling or as she said, "pado pado."

Not to be outdone by his sister, Dillon is equally as cute.  Poor little man was not made for the sun like his tanned sister though and actually got a bit pink even when sitting under an umbrella all day.  One day a spot around one of his eyes that didn't get enough sunblock turned pink, so he had a pink spot around his eye for a few days, like a puppy with a spot around one eye.  I don't think it really hurt him, so thankfully it was more cute than anything.

One of the few times we weren't spending the day on the beach, the four of us adult kids did some scuba diving.  Although it isn't exactly "tropical," the water was so warm, it's the only time I've ever dove without a wetsuit.  We saw some amazing wildlife, including the Goliath grouper below.  Nature has a way of making you realize how helpless humans actually are, especially when it takes the form of a 500 pound fish swimming towards you. 





It was a little hard to pose in a warm embrace underwater.

Getting up before sunrise was the only downside of the dive, but it sure was beautiful.

For anyone interested, the dive company was Tanks a Lot dive company in Clearwater.  We picked it because it was the closest to where we were staying.  They were friendly, but it was the only time we've been on a dive where they didn't go over safety drills and the dive master wasn't with us the whole time, so it seemed like the perfect company to go with if you are more experienced and want to be on your own.  We are all certified, so know everything in theory, but had a few moments of nervousness since we haven't had much experience. 

We actually stopped at a local restaurant the captain recommended called Frenchy's where we ordered grouper sandwiches, mostly just to try, but also seemed somewhat timely.  (The restaurant was fine, by the way, though didn't blow us away.  I forgot to get the crab soup the captain recommended.  Easy to forget soup in 95 degree weather.) 

All in all, it was a great trip.  We're so grateful to friends who let us use their condo and for the chance we had to enjoy the beach and build some wonderful memories.  Now just 9 more months until next summer.

Stuff my Mom Say (or How to Invent Words)

Sometimes I make up words or have unconventional ways of saying real words.  Sometimes I use words my friends' kids make up.  The best though, is using words my mom made up. When it comes to making up words, there are a few basic principles you can follow to be a new-word-inventor in no time.

If word-inventing is new to you, start out by using abbrevs.  That is short for abbreviations.  As in, "I got the hungs.  Are you ready for dins?" This means, "I'm hungry.  Are you ready for dinner?"  The trick is to choose words words that do not make you sound like you are the kind of person that says, "OMG. This cupcake is totes delish."

Meet Dillon

"Don't blink

 Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don't blink

You just might miss your babies growing like mine did...

Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink" 

- Kenny Chesney/ Casey Beathard

Meet my nephew Dillon.  He doesn't yet know how blessed he is to have the sweetest mama around, and I'm certain he's going to grow up to be this spitting image of his dad.  He's already got a strong pair of lugs and his cheeks are even chubbier now than they were during our photo shoot.  His sister loves him so much she can't be left alone with him because she'll squeeze him too hard.  She loves letting him "kiss" her and the first thing she does when visitors come to the house is point them towards Dillon.  Now to keep from blinking.