Ft. Lauderdale

After our visit to the Florida Keys, we headed to Ft. Lauderdale to visit our good friends, Kenny and Melissa, at their new home for an evening. They just bought a beautiful home on the water and we played in the pool and took a fun boat ride to dinner. I got to be the captain! The next morning, daddy and Mr. Kenny went off shore fishing and mommy and Miss Missy took us shopping and for ice cream before our flight home that that afternoon. We can't wait to visit again.

At the oh so popular 'Le Tub' restaurant

Daddy caught a big fish, but a shark got to it before daddy did! Mr. Kenny's fish next to daddy's fish

Heading to dinner with Captain Tripp in charge

My baby loved the boat ride

When in Rome...

The Florida Keys

Daddy had a conference in the Florida Keys this week and so we decided to tag along.

Dancing with daddy on the porch before dinner

Watching the dolphins in the dolphin cove

My baby LOVED the water!

...and she thought she was pretty stylish, too

Trying escargot for the first time - and yes, mommy and daddy told me what it was before I agreed to eat it. I'm such a sport!

Lunching poolside

Off to camp with new friends

Check out the pirate ship pool!

It's a baby coconut

The Pterodactyl

Check out my new surprise from Miss Becca? Perfect!

19 months old

Hi my beautiful Tatie - Tate:

This month has been huge and you seem to have grown and matured in so many ways in such a short amount of time. The biggest change? Talking. You talk all of the time but why am I surprised by that? You have introduced so many new words into your vocabulary and brother makes a game of it with you repeating words he says and then both of you yelling 'good jooobbbbbb'! You're putting words together and say 'night night' to everything as we're heading to bed from night night mama to night night book. You're using your manners with please and thank you and keep repeating yourself until someone acknowledges you. I couldn't be happier about that. My favorite new phrase is 'bye bye mama' as you wave and go up the stairs. It's the sweetest sound ever! You've also named your pacificer 'Y-Y' for some reason and you're officially addicted to it, which is another story altogether.

Singing is a favorite and you sing twinkle twinkle little star all of the time. Another favorite song is the 'Bye Bye' song from swimming and you go make sure to include everyone around you in the song. There is an advantage to this because if you're fussing or upset and we start to sing the bye bye song, you immediately calm down and join in. I wonder if that will work when you're 13.

Time-outs are a new fun activity and you're finding yourself in time out more often these days. I have a feeling it's not going to let up anytime soon. It really is funny because you make this little pouty face the entire time you're in time out and I have to leave the room because my discipline would become ineffective with my laughing. You're mostly in time out for hitting your brother. Your brother was never a hitter but then again, you're a little more challenging than your brother. After time out you always give your brother a hug to say sorry, which is sweet, but let's just not hit in the first place ok?

I know I always say this but you are smart and you understand a lot more than I typically give you credit for. You learn tons from your brother and you're his little shadow. For the most part, he doesn't mind until you start getting into his things and tearing things up. Then he's not so tolerant but part of your job is to annoy your big brother. You do it well. Other favorites: Books. Especially 'Good Night Moon' and ESPECIALLY when daddy reads it to you. You're completely fascinated with babies and love to get in their face and ooh and aah. The other day at the gym, you heard a baby crying and with your pouty look you said 'no rye, baby'. SWEET is what that is.

Eating has become a frustration for me. You used to be a great eater and would eat/try anything I put in front of you. Now, not so much. Let me just say man cannot live on grilled cheese and mac n cheese. You won't touch meat. If there is meat on the tray, you'll eat around it or hand it back to me. You've even gone so far as to take meat out of your mouth that accidently got mixed in with something else (sneaky mommy) and hand it back to me.

Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets are an exception.....sometime. I can get you to eat almost all fruits, some veggies and lots of milk. Goldfish and ice cream are a given and I'm glad daddy isn't around more than he is because if he had his way, you'd get all of the goldfish and ice cream you want. A friend told me the other day that I shouldn't be concerned about what you eat in a day but that you get what you need in a week. That makes me feel a little better, I think. You're just such a little peanut and I want you to grow up big and strong so please eat better so that I feel like I'm doing a good job as mommy.

I love your sweet and feisty personality. I love that you love your brother and your mommy and your daddy. No words can ever tell you how you complete our family but I'll continue to try with lots and lots of mommy kisses. I love you, baby girl, and happily look forward to the constant challenges that come with being your mommy.

First Camping Trip

Our church had a father/son camping trip this weekend and Daddy and I went together. I've never been camping andwas so excited to go exploring and sleep in a tent. We packed lots of special camping gear and although daddy said we were going to 'live off the land' over the weekend, mommy packed extra special snacks because she thought we'd starve otherwise. The camp was called Wilderness Ridge and we left Friday afternoon and returned late Sunday. They had zip lines, rock walls, art projects, archery, fishing and no camp is complete without s'mores. Mommy and Tate didn't know what to do without us around but since they're girls, they couldn't go with us. Maybe next time! It was a very special weekend just for me and my daddy.

I made a walking stick with an engraved leather handle with my name on it
My first target practice

I may be a natural.

Fishing was one of my favorite activies

Daddy took me on a canoe ride

Art Show

At my school, we do lots of art projects each week and tonight we get to bring our families for a kind of 'open house art show' complete with Mangia pizza! I have been talking about my art show all week and can't wait to show off some of my hidden talent.

Self portrait

Trippism - Making Music

Joe McDermott has a song about making music, and one sentence says 'Clap your hands, let your body make music'. The little guy has a different interpretation he likes to sing at the top of his lungs.

'Clap your hands, let your bottom make music'. He then asked, 'mommy why do we want our bottom to make music?'