A Woman Of Few Words (Well, Today)

Had an awesome time hanging out with Karen and Fam! By the end of the night, the three of them were holding hands walking out of the restaurant. ADORABLE!

It's been a tiring week and my brain isn't up for writing an actual blog, but we did get some fun pictures the past few days, so I think I'll just post those to show what adventures we've been having in Rhode Island. :)

Eating some more of that yummy soft serve ice cream. My favorite pic of the summer.

Being a beach bum and giving sneak attack hugs for friends.

Cuddling with her favorite kitty, Bean, in her kid-size Poang chair from IKEA. Man, I love that place. And yes, that is Bean's entire head in her hands. He is a very tolerant kitty.

Wordless Wednesday: Like Mommy, Like Daughter

Girls Night!

Roomies- Me, Karen, and Moe.

Old friends rock. We don't get to see each other nearly enough, but when we do, it's like college all over again- both laughter and alcohol flow freely! It's become tradition now to have a yearly reunion when Karen and her family fly in for a visit, and it's so much fun to catch up with these girls, and to reminisce about our wild college days. :) (Note: Stories will be omitted so my Mom still thinks all I did in college was study and go to church.) I think friendships that you can pick up where you left off every time you meet are hard to come by and it's one of the many reason's why I heart these gals. Plus, they have way too much dirt on me... Miss you guys, next time it's an overnight trip!

One of the best pics of the night- contemplating a crime! I'm giggling now as I write this.

Drinks and friends, what could be better? Well, as long as that drink is a Cherry Bomb, right Karen?!

Ginny and Kim, friends in college, now sis-in-laws!

Wordless Wednesday: Aww yaaa, Rhody

Kite Festival

I am now a big fan of the Kite Festival that is held every year at Brenton Park. We headed down there this morning and set up a little picnic area on the grass, ate yummy snacks, watched the colorful kites against a vibrant blue sky, introduced Sadie to soccer and had a blast with my $1 huge Walmart bubble wand I bought 2 years ago but never used. I didn't expect it to be so relaxing, laid back and fun, but it was. It's just kind of cool to see tons of kite's being flown all at once, especially on such a not-a-cloud-in-the-sky kind of day. However, I did not anticipate being down there that long and neglected to put on any sunscreen except for my face (thank God for that) and I am quite the crispy critter as I sit here and type. Oww. I must have gotten cocky with that post about me being tanner than John. A little overly confident in my melanin production. Perhaps it was all that gloating I did. Is this karma?! What was this pale-as-pale-can-be girl thinking. Well, my tanning euphoria is gone alright- and oh, and I'm not tanner than him anymore! Fairly short-lived, eh?! Anyways, we thoroughly enjoyed our extra big dose of vitamin D today!

Oh, and I got to see Eclipse today finally! Two glorious vampire-filled, kid-free hours- in AC! It was wonderous, I tell you. And the movie was great too! GO TEAM EDWARD!

Putting that $1 bubble wand to good use, Sadie loved it! This picture also captures why my shoulders and back are fried right now. My legs, however, are still a ghastly shade of white. It's like some cruel cosmic joke God enjoys playing on me. Every flippin' year.

Future World Cup Champ.

This photo has nothing to do with the kite fest. Just a sweet pic of Daddy and his little girl!

You Go, Girl.

Everything tastes better in a cream sauce, Sadie!

I am always reluctant to write about any possible food progress with Sadie because anytime she might seem like she has taken a step ahead, it never pans out, and we end up right where we started. But I think this time I will share a little because I'm really proud of her and I do think that she is honestly showing a little progress. This photo was taken last night at dinner. No, she was not actually eating fettuccine alfredo, but she is doing stuff here that she doesn't often do. Getting her hands dirty and really experimenting with the noodles, even breaking off small pieces and not spitting them immediately out but enjoying the taste of the sauce (even saying mmm!) and letting them stay in her mouth for a bit. The foods I make for her are starting to be accepted slightly more and she is doing better with textures. Just small things, but promising because she has been doing all of them for over a week, not just once. It's going to start small like that though, and hopefully build to more. Then last night, we found out a soft serve ice cream shop opened in walking distance (YAY!) and went to get ice cream. She did so awesome with it! This is definitely something very new- Sadie enjoying the ice cream and actually eating some of it! It was not long ago we wouldn't have been able to sit and enjoy ice cream with her, so to be able to do this with her, was wonderful in it's normalcy. And just really good for our spirits to see!

So we'll just see what happens with it, continue on with the program, and hope for the best!

Wordless Wednesday: My Funny Honey

CHEEEEZZZZ!

Looking at herself in the mirror in her new Hawaiian dress from Auntie Allie (and isn't it SO Allison?? Love it!!)

I'm sorry, I realize already posted a video of this. It's just that this kid cracks me up with her free-spirit dancing (and plus, my mom eats this stuff up).

Fun, Festivities and Frolicking on the Fourth! (whew)

Our tiny dancer, rockin' out to some awesome reggae beats, courtesy of The Ravers!

There was no lack of sunshine and outdoor time this 4th of July, we all lucked out with such a gorgeous 3-day weekend. We spent so much time outdoors lately that when I compared my arm to John's, the unimaginable happened. Me, the fair-skinned Irish girl, was tanner than my all-Italian husband. Yes, there was a lot of gloating and "wait, let's compare again, just to make sure." Can you blame me? This NEVER happens! I know I'll lose this race in a little bit, it's just not in the gene's for me, but for now, I'm gonna enjoy it. :)

Excited to be going to her first concert in her special red, white, and blue dress (thanks, Grandma!) !

So any chance we had, we headed outside. To the beach for some fun and cooling off, to the reggae band concert at the park, to eat some pretty bad hot dogs downtown, to go to the park and for walks, and to watch the fireworks last night. Which Sadie wasn't too sure of! The idea of it was fun to her, but when it actually happened, I think it was overwhelming to her. With all the people around, the many drunk people yelling things (thanks for screaming obscenities in front of my innocent kid!), all the boats blaring their horns, plus it had been a long weekend and way past her bedtime. She did pretty good, but I think she was fairly happy to leave and go home to bed after that. Laid right down on her pillow and was out in minutes!

No complaints here, an awesome 3-day weekend, one that I really don't want to end. Back to the grind tomorrow!

Waiting for the fireworks to start, Sadie excited to be up past bedtime and chillin' out in our beach chairs.

Gorgeous sunset that night! We couldn't have asked for a better night!