Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Beach Trip 2010

There's nothing I love more than having an annual trip. And there's no better trip than a trip spent with great friends at a great beach. Sofia has gone on this trip every summer of her short life.

Here she is at six months with Tia Sara,



and again at a year and a half,



and finally this year in all her two and a half years.



I can't tell you how important this trip is to us. It is like a recharge, it is so relaxing and best of all it is spent with some of our dearest friends in the world, Sara and Kevin. They live in Laredo so we try to tack on a trip to Laredo so we can visit there first. In July we rented a car and drove on down.

Their family owns a really cool restaurant, bar and gaming place in Laredo called Hal's Landing and we went to check it out. Sofia loved running around playing every game she could. She even tried miniature bowling.



We visited with Sara's parents and Sofia got to take a dip in the pool.



She then made herself comfortable in front of some Nick Jr.



while we dined and discussed the details of the ashes we'd be spreading over the ocean.



No, I'm not kidding. Here's the very strange side story:
Michael Strickland, the man I work for asked me one day if I was going on my annual beach trip. When I said yes he asked if the water was blue in South Padre. When I again said yes he asked if I would spread some ashes in the blue water for a friend of a friend.
Seriously? Seriously.

I thought there was no way I would ask Sara and Kevin if I could bring a dead guy with us to the beach this year. But when they came for a visit to Houston and we brought up this crazy story I should have known that Kevin would love the idea. He's as odd a sort as Michael Strickland. Did I mention I love odd sorts?

Apparently this man, James, who died left his last request to a dear friend of his that his remains be left in blue water. Since his friend couldn't make that happen for whatever reason, we did. Over that dinner in Laredo, and over the course of the week we came up with several plans on how to make it happen. The plan ranged from the reserved to the absurd (think Viking Funeral). We settled on the guys renting jet skis, taking James out and spreading his ashes as far out in the ocean as they could.

This is the short version of the story. For all the details you must ask Dan about it, preferably over a couple of beers. It really ended up being a very comical story over all, but in the end James was treated with respect and his final wishes were fulfilled. As Kevin spread his remains he very fittingly said, "James, we're just trying our best just as I'm sure you did."
So after a few lovely days in Laredo off to the beach we went!

The beach is the same every year. These are the constants...

Pool time,









and beach time, of course!























No one needed this trip more than Dan.





It had been an emotionally draining couple of months for him and this week-long vacation was a much-needed respite. John was such a wonderful father to him and obviously he quietly taught Dan how to be a wonderful father as well. Sofia and Dan had so much fun together. She's a lucky girl to have such a great daddy.











She especially loved it when Daddy would help her fill up her little beach pool. They are such a cute pair!







Some other constants of our annual trip:

Resting,



Mexican house dresses,



eating,





being cute,



and Sofia's bathing suit fashion shows.

















And one thing that will always be constant about our annual trip is how sad it is to say goodbye.



Until next year... xoxo

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Identical Cousins

I found this cute pic while editing photos from our beach trip in June. So stay tuned for a beach trip post soon.

Doesn't it remind you of the intro to the Patty Duke Show?



Here it is again in case you forgot.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Things That Happen When I'm Not in the Room

I don't quite know what possesses this kid to leave me these piles of like items but every once in awhile I'll walk in a room and find something like this,



a pile in the middle of the kitchen floor of all her plastic cups on top of a folded up dish rack.

Or the time we went into her room after a bath and I found a pile like this,



all her Crocs lined up like little soldiers. But while I ran to grab the camera to document these mysterious piles she'd decided she needed to wear the yellow ones. Ok, maybe she has too many Crocs.



I don't know what it is about her little lined up piles of stuff but it is quite curious.

-----

Every parent knows of the dreaded moment where it gets too quiet in the other room. You know, so quiet that she must be up to something. Today when the quiet loomed in the air I walked in the living room to this.





Seems as if somebody had discovered a Fisher Price toy catalog which came in the mail that day. She later had me tear out the page with the humongous pink dollhouse because as she explained to me, "I need that. Do you think we should buy it, please? I need it. Should we get it at the store?" So cute, right?

But I told her that if she was a really good girl maybe she'd get it for her birthday. To which she responded, not like my sweet little baby girl would, but instead how a full-blown KID would. "Not for my birthday! I want it today! I neeeeeed more toys."

What the hell? When did that happen? Where did my baby go?

And speaking of babies it looks like we're going to have to keep a careful eye on Sofia after the new baby gets here. Because this is how she thinks baby dolls should sleep.



She does this every time she puts her dollies to sleep; she covers their faces. And every time I tell her the babies can't breathe that way. Don't worry, when she wasn't looking I removed the dishtowel, I mean baby blanket, and saved them from suffocation.



This little Sofia is so much fun! She's talking more and more these days. And full, complete, long sentences too. And she's always making us laugh. Here are some funny things she has said of late...

"When my boobies grow up and I have a baby in my tummy I'll be a mommy just like you!"

"Mommy, are you going to your-ami's house?" I've been telling her about our upcoming trip to Miami and I've just realized that she thinks I'm saying "my ami!" I'm not sure how to explain that one to her!
When Dan asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she answered like this. "A doctor to help animals. And a doctor to help people. And a giraffe. I want to be a giraffe when I grow up."