My big 3 year old.

I just snapped these before we went to a birthday party yesterday afternoon. :)

He was a willing subject and just looked super cute. Glad he humors me sometimes!

busy busy....first day of pre-school

We got home shortly after midnight after a slight flight delay coming home from wedding/family festivities in Texas. I am so thankful that Connor is a great little traveler. I just wouldn't recommend letting him fall asleep on the at the end of each leg of our journey....he can be a bear if you have to wake him up. I really should write out our account arriving in Houston yesterday for our connecting flight home, but I am still a little exhausted.

Anyway, I guess I should be thankful that he did sleep pretty well on the plane because he started stirring at 7:30 this morning, just in time to get up and get ready for his first day of pre-school at our brand new YMCA (5 minutes from our house). I will add pictures as soon as I get them off my camera. He was very excited and talking about his cubby and the "little sink" in the car on the way. I'm really glad he was in "school" one day per week last year too because he now knows that I will always come back to get him. When I walked out of his classroom door this morning he waved, told me he loved me and blew me a kiss....and then went back to eating his english muffin and banana for breakfast. There were 4 little boys there, so I know he is going to have a great day!

I am going to rest and get work done....and I need to unpack and do some laundry too. Thankfully, at midnight last night we came home to a wonderfully clean house thank you to my husband's extra effort while we were away. That is the best "welcome home" I could have received. :)

real friends

I am so thankful for amazing girl friends. I just had a 3.5 hour "dinner" with 5 of the most fabulous ladies I know via Skype. I may not have been able to attend GW2K11 (6th annual Girl's Weekend 2001), but I was even more than there in spirit....I was there technologically. :)

Thank you for driving 25 miles to get a computer charger so I could be included dinner...my most favorite time of the weekend.

Thank you for being a source of strength, admiration, inspiration, adoration and love. I know that God had to pick you out as my friends, because I never could have put together such an amazing group of women. Love you, Meg, Nikki, Stef, Megan, & Kristin!!

I don't know that I've ever been described as spunky until tonight. I like it and am going to embrace it. Now if I can just get that spunk to clean the house. ;)

that kid....

I totally just had a "that kid" experience in Kohls. I took back a big bag of stuff from a while ago and exchanged some shorts for Brian (since he is so skinny now). Connor was dancing around so I asked him if he needed to go potty. "No." Yeah right....the dance continued. We needed to go downstairs so I told him if he went potty then he could press the button on the elevator and we would go down that way. He was crying all the way to the bathroom, "doesn't want go potty," over and over. The bathroom was full of people and we go into a stall. I beg him to go. No, he screams louder. Fine. Don't go. Walk out of the bathroom without tears. Go down the elevator. Head to check out. Screaming begins. "I need to go potty!!" Oh....my.....goodness.....want to hurt the child. He is screaming that he needs to go potty at the top of his lungs. Tears streaming down his cheeks. I'm trying to pay, while I clearly say (loud enough for at least the cashier to hear me), "no, we were JUST at the potty and you refused to go." So, I'm sure anyone else that heard him just thought I was horrible for refusing to take my child to the bathroom. I soooo wanted to hurt him at this point....jerk him up by the arm and carry him by the leg out of the store... I carry him out of the store (not by the leg.....but he was still screaming) and he proceeds to cry/whine/scream all the way home. I told him he was more than welcome to go potty AT HOME. "No, push the button (on the elevator I'm assuming). Turn around. Back to the mall." Sorry, kiddo. Not happening.

So, he is now in his room, in his bed. I took him a "butter-n-honey" (peanut butter and honey sandwich) and milk. He began crying that he did not want a butter-n-honey. "put back on the counter". No, I'll leave it on your night stand. "Take it away!" So, I give him a big hug and start carrying the plate to the kitchen. "MOM, I want my fan-ich!!" Oh my goodness, child. Go to sleep. I'm assuming he is eating it now.

Problem Solving 101

Connor was quite the little problem solver tonight. I saw one of our neighbors outside and asked if I knew much about our other neighbor, Alek, being hit by a car on his bike last Friday, breaking his leg...tibia. (He is now in a full cast for 8-12 weeks, and his 16th birthday is on Sunday...)

While I was talking to him, Connor was running all over the place. He asked if he could go home (across the street at a diagonal) and get his bike. I told him "no" because the garage door was down. A couple of minutes later he asked to go home, so I said "sure" and I would be there in just a few minutes. As I was walking home I noticed the front door open. A few seconds later, I saw Connor....carrying his bike out the front door.... He wasn't about to let a silly garage door stop him from getting his bike. He carried it up 3 steps from the garage into the house, through the kitchen and entry-way, out the front door, and down 2 more steps to the driveway.

What a smart little guy. I obviously couldn't get too upset that he was on his bike even thought I told him "no" since he figured it out all by himself.

On a similar note, (although I NEVER would) I feel like he would survive if we left him at the house alone for a few days....except maybe for the emotional trauma that we would cause. He is a pro at getting pretty much whatever he wants out of the pantry. This includes opening the straws of juice boxes and inserting them into the box correctly. Our microwave is also installed in our kitchen island...at his exact level. So, he really enjoys cooking things "by self". If I didn't have to vent the box for him, he would cook his own microwave pasta dishes all "by self". He also takes out the steamed veggies from the microwave and puts them on the counter and when he wants me to make him something on the stove, he just gets out a pan and puts it on the stove. (Thank goodness he can't turn on the gas oven/range yet!) Anyway, it is so nice and yet also scary that he is so independent.

I can't believe he is almost 3!

Camera

So, the news on my Nikon D5000 was not good. Everything is basically toast except for the shell of the camera....and that doesn't do me much good.

Although I certainly hadn't planned on buying a new camera anytime soon, I am now the proud new owner of a Nikon D3100. It arrived yesterday (purchased online: great deal, no tax, no shipping). I just needed the camera body itself because thankfully my lenses are all fine.

I LOVE my new little camera. It has features that my other one did not (even though I technically downgraded...ah, technology). It has a "guide" feature that is awesome for someone like me. I know enough to act like I know something, but I am really camera stupid.

Anyway, yay for our new little family member: 3100. :) The mamarazzi will be back in action very soon!

air

I just caved and turned on the air conditioner. It was just too humid....

Meg's Wedding Weekend!!! (my poor camera....)

My poor camera has suffered a bit of water damage. I am heart broken. It won't turn on now, and I missed photographing a WONDERFUL wedding weekend celebrating Meg and Jeremy in Jekyll Island, Georgia at the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel. I only have a couple of shots that I snagged with my mom's camera. Hopefully my camera will be diagnosed and fixed quickly (and without great cost) or I will have to bit the bullet and fork over the $ for another one....

I hope to add more pictures taken with the cameras of my beautiful friends. :)