On the green

This weekend we got to go golfing with Caleb's Grandpa and Grandma (my dad and Cindy). My dad has been golfing at Quaker Meadows Golf Course in Morganton for the past 22 years. Needless to say, they know him pretty well at the course and allowed our foursome to get in front of the morning dog fight.

Caleb loved his first golf outing and was a natural at putting. What's not to love about riding in the golf cart, running free on the fairways, throwing golf balls, and putting in the sunshine? Especially when you're a toddler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low country grub

My friend Bridget - who lives 3 hours from Durham - mentioned to me Saturday morning that she was hosting a "low country boil" that evening. I said, "What's that?"
A big steaming pot of corn, potatoes, crab legs, shrimp, and kielbasa. "Wow, that sounds fantastic," I remarked. "Why wasn't I invited?" and rudely asked.
"Because you live three hours away and I never thought you'd come for dinner," Bridget answered right on cue. "PLEASE come!" she kindly extended the invitation I was waiting for.
So hubby, Caleb, and I hopped in a car and hit the road. The three hour drive was going to be worth it to visit my dearest friend and her family.
The food was just an added bonus. And it was so delicious. Bridget and Tim claimed it is easy to prepare.

 

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this special occasion. It was exquisite.

Photo of the Day

 

I think most Durhamites would agree with me when I say I am thrilled to see the arrival of Spring. Our flowers have survived an entire week outside. Does this mean the warm weather is here to stay? I hope so!

Breaking news

My son Caleb is now sitting at the big boy table, in an adult chair, using a big boy plate. Folks, this is breaking news. I knew you'd be excited to hear it. We'll keep you posted with updates as soon as we know more.

Definition of a good friend

I was scheduled to throw an engagement shower for my friend Misty this past weekend, Saturday to be exact. All the plans had been made. The invites for the beach-themed shower had been sent out and excited responses had come back through my inbox. The clusters of white balloons had been strung throughout our little house in Durham.  The homemade seashell and starfish-shaped chocolates were ready to go on crystal serving plates. The champagne was chilled and fresh mojitos were being prepared in the kitchen. I had even planted some colorful flowers to help celebrate the crazy springtime temperatures in the mid-60s.
I started to feel nauseous around 2 pm.  The smell of crab cakes frying in the kitchen did not help matters. As shower guests began to arrive at 4 pm I found myself struggling to keep it together. I visited the bathroom 4 or 5 times within the first 20 minutes of the party. It soon became official that I had come down with a mean case of the stomach bug (as if there were a "nice" case).
Instead of entertaining the crowds of people congregated at my house to celebrate Misty's upcoming wedding, I lay either in bed or on the bathroom floor.
Misty - dear, darling, selfless Misty - chose to take off her party hat for a good portion of the evening and put on her nurse anesthetist hat in order to care for me in my sickly state. I must confess, it is very reassuring having friends in the medical field. She had phenergan (a drug that treats motion sickness) on hand, which allowed me to nap through most of the pain. She brought me glasses of water and pedialyte for hydration. She begged me to eat crackers and pretzels to help calm my tummy.  The whole production felt like being in a hospital receiving top notch care. My stomach bug was resolved by morning.
Misty was supposed to be enjoying her party. But she chose to take care of me instead. Misty called me Monday to let me know she had come down with the stomach bug. Yes, I feel terrible.  This wasn't supposed to happen!
But that my friends, is how you know you have a really, really good friend. They come around once or twice in a lifetime and you must cherish them for as long as you possibly can.

The warm fuzzies

Though Hubby and I have now been married almost six years, I can still remember our very first Valentine's Day together. We had been dating for seven months and had already shared those three little words, I love you.  It was official...we were infatuated with one another. So you can imagine my surprise when hubby told me he didn't believe in Valentine's Day. That is typically not a good phrase for a man to utter when he is courting a woman.  That Valentine's Day, as I stewed both internally and externally, whining to all my friends about my unromantic boyfriend, hubby was doing some behind the scenes planning.  Though he detested the holiday, though he thought it was a waste of money, and though he had been dumped by two different girlfriends on Valentine's Day, hubby managed to swing by the store to get me a rose.  Ahhh to be young and in love.
This year we celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday night. It is so rare now to have opportunities to hang out just the two of us that we could barely figure out something to do with our evening alone. As a last minute decision we decided to put our love on ice. We went ice skating, something I haven't done since I was seven.
As I laced up my very fashionable ice skates I came to find out that hubby was good at ice skating. He went to the rink weekly as a kid. Who knew ice skating was a favorite pastime of the Mississippi crowd?!
He skates backwards too. 

I skate forward only. Very, very slowly.

And I require to be taken out to a good dinner afterward. 

So while ice skating may not seem very romantic, time alone with my hubby is.  Happy Valentine's Day Jed.

Going with the flow

How do you prepare for a lazy Saturday, a visit to the museum, two toddlers, and loads of camera equipment? You don't. Instead, you go with the flow.
Going with the flow comes a little more naturally to a toddler named Caleb than to his mommy.

First things first, you go to the butterfly house and stare at all the pretty things fluttering about.

Make sure your friend Liam is close by.  Sprinting away from adult supervision is better done in pairs.

 

Make friends with the biggest butterfly in the room. This one landed on Caleb's shoulder, though we were unsuccessful at catching one on our finger.

 

 

 

 

Catching a Caleb is surprisingly easier than catching a butterfly.  Uncle Rick is a pro!

 

Next, meet an older woman.  She will lead you through the butterfly house, weaving you through crowds of people, holding your hand tightly.

And if you are Caleb, you'll let her. Because you have a thing for the ladies.

 
And then suddenly you'll be all done. You'll want nothing to do with your new female companion.

 

You might even try to escape out the back door. 

We adults listen and watch for clues that tell us when you are ready to move on. This is one of those signs that only a parent could understand. Who knew! Tugging on a door handle means "I want out."

So we move on naturally to the farm to look at the goats and the donkey, which you will call a cow.  Because you love animal sounds so much, you will be content mooing at the goats and donkey.

Until of course, you get the itch to go dancing in the music room.

 This is where you really shine, showing off those moves.

 

Oh, those moves.

Moves only a mother could love. Well, a mother and a father and all those who have seen you dance, really.

And we end with blocks, something constructive.

Now that is how you spend a Saturday morning.

Starts with an 'L'

Until 3 weeks ago, a coworker of mine was pregnant with a baby girl whose future name no one was allowed to know.  My coworker chose to keep the baby's name a secret until she was born.  Only her husband knew the name!  The only thing the rest of us knew was that the baby's name would start with an 'L.'

Being the nosy person that I am, I tried to pester the mom-to-be with guesses.  My three guesses were Lily, Layla, and Lauren.

Being the photo-obsessed person that I am, I practically invited myself over to take photos of her baby two weeks after she was born.

One of my name guesses was correct. Which one do you think she looks like?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting active

My coworkers and I had the pleasure of hosting a "Lunch and Learn" at our office where we each brought in a bag lunch and spent our lunch break in the conference room with the company of Annie, a programs manager with Be Active NC.  Be Active NC is a nonprofit that helps to empower North Carolinians to live healthy, physically active lifestyles. 
Because we are an office comprised mostly of women, and because women seem to never be satisfied with their physical appearance, Annie's visit to our little workplace was a Godsend.  She agreed to come visit us on six different Fridays in February and March, bringing with her loads of experience and workout equipment and extremely helpful suggestions and tips.
On her first visit last Friday we tested our cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.  Not a one of us was intimidated by the number of push-ups or jumping jacks we could or couldn't do.  We were simply measuring what our current limits are and how far we will progress in six weeks.  We set SMART goals for ourselves - things like, "I want to be able to run 2 miles twice a week" or "I want to be able to bench press 75 lbs in two months."
Be Active NC has given us the much-needed motivation in a group setting from which we women can really benefit.  Go us!!