Bubbles

So Tired!!!

So I learned today not to give Eva Children's Motrin just before bed. I gave her a smaller than recommended dose to help with her tooth pain. Not only do I think she's teething, but she fell on her sippy cup, cutting her gums very bad on Tuesday evening. Then she re-opened the wound last night. I'm sure her mouth was very tender and wanted to help her sleep through the night. Boy did I have the wrong idea. First of all, it took her a while to actually fall asleep. I knew that was off, but didn't give too much thought to it. But then she woke at 2:35am and thought it was time to get up. ?? As soon as I walked into her room, she said "nana?" Not wanting to deny her food, I gave her 1/2 a banana and a few sips of juice. I kept all the lights off and tried not to talk too much. But she kept asking to watch Pooh or Einsteins or Goofy or anything I would say yes to. I just told her they were all still sleeping and she needed to go back to bed too. It wasn't until about 4am that she fell back asleep. I heard her periodically throughout the remainder of the night. And at 7:30 this morning - she was ready to get up. ?? So - no more motrin before bed for her. If need be, we'll go with Tylenol. :)

Eva and Porter

This is Porter, my newest pet sitting client. Isn't he cute?!

Outside Porter's house. Eva finds flowers.

Hugs goodbye. It was instant love.

This is great on so many levels. Loosk like she's bending over specifically for Porter to sniff her behind. Also looks like she's flipping me off. Just great timing on my end :)

The night before Sean's 37th birthday. We were on our way to his company Christmas party.

Thanksgiving

Late in posting. We had a great Thanksgiving. Spent it with Sean's side of the family on Edisto Beach. It was a beautiful day, as you'll see, and everyone had such a good time.

No thumb!

I've decided, as of last night, to try and stop Eva from sucking her thumb. I wasn't going to do this for several years. I was just gonna let her suck her thumb until she was ready to stop. But I don't think it's going to be a big deal at all. Last night she was outside playing and fell - scraping her thumb. We went in and washed it off. It was then I realized it was her left thumb - the one she sucks. That meant I couldn't use peroxide or any type of ointment as she would end up eating it. I also realized if she did suck it, it wouldn't heal. Or at least not very well, or soon. I spent the rest of the evening telling her "no thumb" trying to get her to stop. Every time I told her, she stopped. The first few minutes were a little difficult, but that was it. Within an hour, she was stopping herself! She keeps forgetting, which I expect, but as soon as she remembers she pulls her own hand away from her mouth. She even put her hand under a toy simply to help her avoid the situation. She wasn't playing with the toy, just let it sit there. So I figured nows just as good a time as any. It's just not a big deal for her. What a trooper!

BTW - for those who know what good girl ear is, she hasn't had that for a week either. We lost it on Sunday. I didn't find it until Wednesday night after she'd gone to bed. She hasn't even asked about it once. :)

The next few pictures you'll see were taken before this decision :)

Eva's first pony tail

I made it!

you know I'm thinking about it...


hmmm...


I can use my block sorter as a stepping stool...


ya - this will work...


I can watch Pooh much better from here!

when I went to check on her, this is what I found. just chillin


"go ahead, punk...make my day!"



blowing kisses

Eva and Avery

Texas' Birthday

My sweet Texas turned 10 this past Monday. I can't believe she's that old! We celebrated with a nice walk around the neighborhood, new treats and extra hugs and kisses.

I'm starting to feel a little stressed these days. The holidays are just around the corner and that always brings chaos. Who's family to do what at, what to bring when we go, who will be there. I really try not to get overwhelmed since I don't have control over most of it. My car is in bad shape and needs lots of work. Work that we really can't afford this time of year. But we can't really NOT afford it either. (I know...double negative) I'm trying to do as much of my part-time work that I can. And I've gotten a new pet sitting client this week, so that should help. But help what...add to the chaos or the finances. Both I guess. Plus - I really hate the time change. Why do we still have to do this?

Ok - enough yucky talk. Once again FSU and Bama play at 3:30 this Saturday. What's going on with that. It's been happening all season. Either way, we'll be able to watch our teams whip up on both Boston College and Mississippi State. At least I hope so. :) There'll be plenty of cheese dip, wings or pizza and beer for everyone. I just LOVE college football!

Waiting for Dinner...

Just thought this was cute.

Eva and her cousin Chloe


My nephew Corey - I can not believe he's 18!!!!


Chloe's 9th birthday party

October

Jen and Andy at Chloe's party


Way to go Mike!

Scarecrow Festival with Grandma

Karissa as a beautiful fairy princess :~)

Happy Halloween!

This year was tons of fun. Eva went trick or treating with her cousins Karissa, Tristan and Mason. Everyone looked so cute in their costumes. Eva was a doggie (what else?!), Karissa was a fairy princess, Tristan was a sand trooper and Mason was yoda. I hadn't done that in soooo long and it was more fun than I remember. I think Eva really enjoyed watching all the other kids and getting to walk around the neighborhood. I dressed like a ghost - but was the only adult that decided Halloween wasn't just for kids. :)

Quite a busy few weeks have passed. My brother got his masters degree - Yea Mike! The whole family was in town for that one. I've decided to start working on Saturdays for one of my friends. She owns a grooming salon and I help with the baths. It's awesome to be able to bring in a little extra money for our household. Mostly though it's for me. I love getting out of the house and hanging out with a friend. It feels good to see such "pretty" dogs when we're done, too. Plus Sean gets quality daddy time with Eva. It's a win/win. We've also done a little more in our kitchen renovation. As you can see in some of the pictures, Sean put in new floors. We bought enough for the entire house (all the common areas) but have only done the kitchen so far. Little by little it's really coming along!

Write more later - I've been pet sitting all week and am extra tired.

I wont comment on FSU.

These pictures are from a wedding we attended on the Isle of Palms - absolutely beautiful!


Poor Eva had a terrible evening this past Tuesday. I had to spank her for the first time. She deliberately disobeyed me and then turned to laugh as if to say, "ha ha". That was not fun for either of us. Then she fell off the couch and bumped her head. Then I spilled her milk and she slipped in it trying to come see what happened. Then she spilled her spaghetti all over her legs trying to get one little noodle that had fallen on her toes. What a tiring hour and a half!

However, she is getting smarter by the day. She now knows several shapes, colors and can count to ten (with some assistance). I am constantly amazed at what all she knows. Just when I think I've got a handle on things, she does something I thought for sure she couldn't. Like climbing up on the coffee table all by herself!

We're in the process of switching from two naps a day to one. Some days it's easier than others. I'm following her lead on this, although the two naps really helped me get things done around the house. But I think she's better off when she only has the one. She sleeps better and then has more energy the rest of the day. Looking forward to having a relaxing weekend. Maybe a trip to the pumpkin patch?!

Congratulations!

Just wanted to say congratulations to Kristen. Her new baby boy, Dylan, arrived on Monday morning. After a long, difficult labor everyone is finally happy, healthy and home . Way to go, Kristen!!!

At the park

Finally got some video of Eva at the park. She normally likes to swing, but not that day. She did find a rock that became her new cool thing. Didn't want to let it go for the rest of the day.