The ABG

When I tell people that we go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens a lot I often get a confused smile or a glazed over look of boredom. It's not the Georgia Aquarium or the Atlanta Zoo. Therefore, it's not the place you would normally think of to get a membership and take your toddlers/preschoolers to. I am here to tell you that it is the place. It so is.

Here's why:

1) It's almost never crowded. The only time it's crowded is during the lights at Christmas. Even then it's awesome. My kids run and run and never get bored. And, they aren't being run over by older kids or massive school groups with one chaperone. Just sayin'.

2) The scenery and exhibits change and they are always amazing. My girls especially love Scarecrows in the Garden in the fall and the Garden Lights at Christmas.

3) They have story time!

4) They have a children's garden with a small playground/treehouse, small splash pad, and various other little details that my girls can't get enough of.

5) While the cafe there isn't cheap, it has delicious and incredibly healthy food.

6) They have members events that are often kid friendly. We have only done one of these, but it was more fun than even we expected.

If you have little kids it's a must try at least once. I do think the children's garden is very geared towards littler children, but I have seen big kids enjoying it too.

Yesterday we took the girls for the first time since Christmas. Usually we go a lot in the spring, but this spring was just busy. The newest exhibit was a hit to say the least. The pictures above are overcast (I am a terrible picture editor) because we braved yet another day of possible rain in Atlanta. Good choice on our part. We never even made it to the children's garden because they were so enamored by the larger than life plants in the current Imaginary Worlds event.

If you go try it out let me know! We would love to join you.

A Good Challenge

Boyfriend Look by janaburrow featuring 
Boyfriend fragrance sephora.com

Not that long ago I posted this status on Facebook:

"I need a stylist...that works for free...any takers?"

I actually had quite a few responses. Apparently everyone else has some sort of clue about how to dress themselves but me. It's cool though. I'm totally up for learning the ropes.

Here's the thing. I'm thirty-ish. I go to most stores and see what I fear my girls will want to wear someday, clothes for my mom's age that my mom shouldn't even wear, and nothing in between. I went on a brief shopping trip with one of the responders to my Facebook post and got a jolt of confidence in my attempts at looking my age while looking fashionable. It was glorious. Now if I just had the funds to run with my new found desire to be cute all the time. For now, Polyvore fits the bill. Sort of. My sister told me about Polyvore forever ago, but at the time I felt like it was overwhelming. Then I started seeing these little "sets" all over Pinterest and tried again. Low and behold it's more like a game and less like a commitment to finding the perfect outfit. Sold! I get to pretend I have the money to splurge on these sets without actually spending any money. And, I can look at a set like the one above and probably find something very similar in a store someday that I can afford. At least there's a jumping off point now. Instead of wandering aimlessly I might have a goal beyond finding a shirt I love and buying it in three different colors (don't pretend you don't do that).

Then, while cruising Bloglovin, I came across a bit of a challenge. It said, "WIN KATE WALSH'S BOYFRIEND". Don't get the wrong idea. This was obviously one of those "huh?" moments. Apparently, Boyfriend is the name of her new fragrance line. AND, she is hosting a blog challenge. I love a good challenge (please send me your pictures!). Anyway, the idea is that you create a Polyvore set or look board and include the fragrance. Kate Walsh picks ten blogs out of the entries, sends you her Boyfriend (wink, wink), and promotes your blog. Not only do I love a good challenge, I love a little free promotion of the good stuff I'm trying to do here. I figured, why not? 

I went straight to Polyvore and whipped up the cute little "boyfriend" inspired set above. Honestly, this is a tough week already so this form of retail therapy was just what I needed. Especially since I didn't spend a dime!

Now let's hold our collective breath and see if I win! 

A Day

When the really bad days hit you like a swift kick to the yoga pants you've worn for days, every person has a laundry list of things they do to either survive the day or chase it out the door. Thanks to a little blog called Awesomely Awake and the little project there that I joined called The Abundant Mama Project, I have tried really hard to settle in at the end of the day and assess the situation. I haven't been as on top of being a part of the project recently as I would like, but the message of trying to acknowledge your own abundant life sticks with me daily. Sometimes things get so hairy that it can be good comic relief to really hash it out. Sometimes you just eat a lot of chocolate and go on your merry way into the next new day. Today I choose to do both. This is not a woe is me post. Do not feel sorry for me. Many mothers all over the planet gripped the chair and held their breath over far harder things today. It's just a bad day. Honestly, if my bad day can you make you feel better about your next bad day my job is done. 

Sleep has been a sneaky bastard for me of late. Spring has sprung which means my life as a pretend single mom is in full effect. I would seriously rather stay up all night long and not get a single minute of sleep than wake up every thirty minutes to an hour like I did last night. Not to mention I am 99% sure there will be no mother of the year awards coming my way anytime soon. Anyway, here's the rundown. The good, the bad, and the grateful...in no particular order.

Lila

THE BAD

I convinced myself yesterday that she had a bladder infection based on the fact that she went to the potty eighty six times but only peed eight of those times. That and she spent the whole day telling me her back hurt. I say my back hurts constantly. Because she has a flair for the dramatic, I thought she was either trying to be like me or she was mocking me. I learned at around 4 am that neither were the case. This is when I put her in the bed with us and she mumbled something about the poop being stuck. But, in the haze of interrupted, terrible sleep it slipped my mind until later in the morning when she began pacing the entire house screaming with random, unsuccessful jaunts to the toilet. Good job mommy. Instead of asking enough questions to get the right answer I made an assumption that led to world war three in her tiny little belly. The panic in her face coupled with Evie's need to practically be under her every time she ran to the bathroom really made for a rough morning.  

THE GOOD

Neighbor friend Sonja saved the day. Seth had already left to go out of town when the full blown hysterics happened. When I mentioned to Lila we needed to get in the car to go get medicine I'm pretty sure she wanted to slap the bejesus out of me. One call to Sonja and she brings an arsenal of pineapples, pears, plums, prune juice, a laxative, and a suppository. Thirty minutes later (I'll spare you the gory details) Lila is free and clear and fiercely sure she hates prune juice. 

THE GRATEFUL

I have a child who has spent 99.9% of her four years on this Earth in perfect health. Thank you sweet baby Jesus that her biggest health concerns thus far have been a few stitches to the forehead, pollen, and getting really backed up before her mother realized it. We are so very lucky.

Lunch

THE BAD

There are these shelves in my kitchen in an area that I don't walk around in much. Every once in a while I walk over there to look for a passy sweep up and smack my head on a shelf. This happened and I may or may not have let out a gigantic bad word...in front of Evie. Major lack of sleep plus a head injury leads to bad words and migraines in my world.

THE GOOD

While I may not be mommy of the year today, I was most certainly mommy on the spot. I started saying, "DUCK! Evie I saw a duck! Did you see it?". And then I started quacking and before I knew it she forgot about the passy (and hopefully that word that rhymes with duck) and was doubled over laughing. You do what you have to do.

THE GRATEFUL

No migraine!!!

After Nap Adventure

THE BAD

Dekalb county BLOWS. No really. Worst. county. ever. We are on this support Tucker (the "town" we live in) kick because of a whole bunch of political goings on that are just too tedious to mention here. So, I liked the Tucker Farmer's Market and the Tucker Patch on Facebook. Both mentioned today that there was an Earth Day event at Tucker Rec from three to five. I got the girls all excited to go and was pretty pumped myself. We show up and after many dirty looks and three attempts at finding it (the place is tiny mind you) it became clear that no such thing was happening. So irritating, but so typical. 

THE GOOD

I have a two and a four year old (almost). The minute I said there was no Earth Day event but there was a playground all was well with the world. 

THE GRATEFUL

My kids live in a neighborhood where amazing, safe events like this happen all the time...they are just run by the neighborhood and not the county when they actually happen. 

Dinner

THE BAD

1) We order meals from A Dinner A'fare. I have mentioned this before. It makes my life SO much easier. Except for when it doesn't. Sometimes there will be a meal that is so spicy Evie will spit it across the table if I haven't tasted it first and had a chance to stop her from eating it. This happened right as I finally sat down to eat.

2) I made sweet potato fries as the side for the girls knowing they might not eat much of the entree. This is something I do every night with some sort of side because it can be so hard to get Lila to eat. Seth apparently broiled something this weekend and I didn't realize it. My whole house now smells like burnt sweet potatoes. 

3) Because of numbers one and two, my children have no dinner and I have just sat down to eat mine. 

4) Lila spills her water on my dinner before I have even touched it and Evie is practically licking the water off the table because her mouth is on fire and I CAN'T FIND A SIPPY CUP! I promise you that one day I will find the black hole that eats toy parts, sippy cups, pacifiers, and socks. I know it's in Evie's room somewhere. I just can't seem to find the magic button.

THE GOOD

I was able to overcome the mommy guilt and just give them strawberries, a slice of bread, and half a yogurt for dinner. Ironically, they have never been so happy about a dinner in their entire lives. You know, once Evie regained sensation in her mouth and Lila changed her wet clothes.

THE GRATEFUL

When the food isn't suitable or gets burned I have a back up. I have a back up for my back up. My children are never truly hungry. Watch A Place at the Table if you can. It's very eye opening. Every meal I make, or pretend to make thanks to the luxury of A Dinner A'fare, I think about how I have never experienced hunger and what a blessing that is. 

So, at the end of this mess of a day both girls went to sleep without a peep. I made myself that lovely little single serving of a brownie pictured above and plopped down to share my day with you. Thanks for stopping by. 

PS - The photo op challenge will continue weekly until no one sends me a picture. That or it will just be filled with pictures of me!

To assume makes an ass out of "u" and me

Sorry for the language. I should probably just apologize for this entire post now before I even write it. I told you this was ugly. Now you are going to see why.

We are going through some stuff. Some tough stuff that gets tougher by the minute. Unfortunately, this toughness technically has to do with money. It's not the cancer kind of tough. It's not the losing your job or your home kind of tough. It's actually on the very low end of the tough stuff totem pole. Unless you factor in that a death is involved.  I have always struggled with what's hard for me may not be hard for the next person. What seems unbearable for me is a walk in the park for you. But, at the end of the day I believe in feeling what you feel. Even if what you feel seems like it should be minor when really it isn't.

I believed in my dad. I trusted him to a fault. I knew he was smart and made good choices. That was all before he passed away. Now I know a different man. A man who would knowingly leave his children out of his will. A man who would knowingly trust someone who didn't have his children's best interests at heart. That man is so foreign to me. The most unfortunate part is that maybe I didn't really know that man like I thought I did.

It's hard to live a regret free life. If you're doing it I would love to know your secret. I want to share a massive regret that I have. I regret that I believed he would make responsible and educated decisions for the future of his family. Most of all, I regret not making sure he was going to do just that.

It's astonishing to realize the power you might have had after you have had the chance to have it. Today I understand fully the power I have to not only do the right thing, but to leave my family feeling like I did the right thing. It's an overwhelming power that I am learning most people shove under the rug. Most people assume it will work itself out or be taken care of over time. Most people are very wrong.

I posted this status on Facebook today:

"Feeling so stupid and angry today. Please, if you do nothing else today consider speaking to your loved ones about what will happen if they pass. Know every last detail. Ask hard questions. Be informed."

After posting this I got a handful of messages asking that I be more specific. People were wanting to know how to avoid the situation I am in. I can't answer that for you. What I can tell you is what I think you should ask and know before you find yourself in the situation that I'm in.

First and foremost know this. You are someone's child. You see your parents in one way for so long that when you see them in another way it can completely change who you are. They have secrets. They have a past. They are not perfect and they have kept things from you. The sooner you know that the better equipped you will be to do the hard things like ask these questions.

As a disclaimer I should note that my parents are divorced. While I still think these questions are beyond applicable, take that part of it into consideration. That is where my experience is coming from.

My second disclaimer is that I am not a lawyer or anywhere near proficient in matters of law. Therefore, there are laws involved in a great deal of this. Just know your rights. I still have no idea what mine are.

1) Do you have a will? What kind of will exactly? Who is the executor?

2) Who is your lawyer? What is his name and phone number? And, if you change lawyers please contact me immediately and let me know the new information.

3) If you have a will or trust who are the beneficiaries? Are they outright beneficiaries or is there an ordered list where the first is primary and if something happens to them the next is primary and so on? If so, what exactly is that order and who is on the list? (This could easily be asked about anything from the actual will/trust to life insurance, retirement, etc.)

3) What is included in your will? Did you include every last thing or just the big stuff like house, car, etc.?

4) Do you have a plan for funeral arrangements? Do you want a funeral? If so, what do you want to take place? This is tough one. But, funerals are astronomically expensive. Unless you (or your family) have gobs of money laying around you should ask this one. Plus, in the event of an unexpected death you will not know up from down. At least know the basics of what the deceased would have wanted.

5) If I, your child, am not the executor or a beneficiary (I know, CRAZY of course)...how will I be able to access your will or trust when you pass? If something happens to your beneficiary (assuming it's not me) what happens then?

6) Of course, it may seem silly to list out personal possessions and say who gets what. However, when you are grieving the last thing you want to be doing is having a discussion with your sibling over who gets what because it wasn't outlined properly. If there are things that may seem of importance such as antiques, jewelry, photo albums, etc. ask what the plan is for those things. Make them decide so you don't have to. You can decide those things for your own children/family. Everyone gets a turn.

7) This is the biggest one. Make sure to ask why/how the answers to all of these questions came about. You may not agree with decisions/answers, but I believe you have a right to an understanding of them. You have a right to that closure.

8) Lastly, you must talk about debt. Debt makes things that are already ugly get way uglier. Again, unless you have a money tree in your backyard you do not want to be surprised by these things.

I think that's it for now. I'm sure now that we are headed down this road I will come up with more.

Being that my parents were divorced and my dad was remarried I feel that I must say this. You must ask these questions every couple of years. The lawyer could change. The house could be sold. The will could leave everything to a person you hardly know. Always be informed. Do not assume or you will feel like an ass.

This is my public service for the day. Oh wait. It's hump day isn't it? How ironic. Okay, my shout outs go to my lawyer friends for the support, my family for the hand holding, and my friends for understanding the mess I am destined to be on our annual trip to St. Simons this weekend.

Let's start small shall we?

I should be going to bed. I keep feeling the blogging urge. However, for whatever reason all of my blogging thoughts are in a jumble. There are things I am working on. BIG things. No, I am not making a baby. That is not one of the things. Because that would just be crazy town at this particular moment.

The big things are far reaching, distant dreams. Do you have any of those? Can you see yourself experiencing the success of a dream? I had a daydream about that very thing. I daydreamed about my dream coming true and what that would feel like. I used to daydream about my babies being born. It's a zillion times better in real life. Fingers crossed someday this will be too.

Until then, here we are. You waiting to see what I could possibly blog about after the last post. Me waiting to see if what I blog about is ever going to fill the void a little. Let's give it a go...starting small of course.

Lila still wears pull ups to bed. I fear she may go to Kindergarten doing this. But, it's a habit. Like all habits it will be hard to shake. Last night she woke up because the pull up had leaked. She was very upset about this. After all the sheet changing and pajama changing we were both wide awake. She was upset that I was telling her she had to go back to bed.

Anyway, today we were sitting on the couch while Evie was napping and I asked her if she was tired. She said that she was because she didn't get good sleeps. She told me that her "eyes had drips" and that she couldn't go back to sleep last night. I tried to explain that the drips were called tears, but she wasn't having it. It's so brilliant how the mind of a little kid works. Of course they should be called drips right?

In my daydream my eyes were dripping and Lila made me think of it during this little conversation on the couch. She doesn't understand crying because you are happy yet. Here's to hoping that she gets to see that kind of crying from mommy instead of the other kind in the not too distant future.

Randomness

What you read when you come to this blog is essentially what's on my brain.

Now you get to see my brain at 6 am.

This week was a turning over a new leaf week. You know, eat all the crap you want over the weekend so that you can start fresh on Monday kind of a week? I can't even begin to count how many times I've done that. At some point it has got to stick right?

One of my goals for this new leaf turning is to wake up before my kids every day. This, in turn, means going to bed earlier. One might say, "Jana, this is your only job (sort of)...why on Earth can't this be an easy accomplishment?". Well, it's not. I am not a morning person and will never be. I am the definition of a night owl. I believe you can make positive changes to yourself, but at your core you are what you are. Plus, the inconsistency of sleep begs my brain to think I need every possible minute of it I can get.

For instance, I went to bed before 11pm last night. Lila is sick and sort of called out a couple of times but then went right back to sleep. Mind you, I am also a very light sleeper. So these little yelps woke me. Inconsistency. Then, around some late hour like 1 am she apparently had some awful dream. She was talking about swimming or something and I can't really be sure what happened because we were both so half asleep.

And here's the difficulty of blogging in the AM. We have a visitor....

Does it look like she slept much?

Anyway, needless to say I ended up in the bed with Lila until she went back to sleep. This took an awfully long time. She just couldn't seem to settle which means I spent over an hour dozing. Dozing is not to be confused with sleeping. Any parent who rocks the baby and tries to "sleep" in the chair can tell you that.

I eventually got back in my bed and when the alarm went off at 6am I had a serious conversation with myself. I pro'd and con'd the getting up early in a weak attempt to stay asleep. I seem to go back to the same thought every time. If I get up now or get up later I'm still going to be really sleep today. Might as well just get up.

I had a lot more to say today, but I hear the littlest Burrow stirring now too. Maybe you'll get lucky and get a double dose today. WAIT! It's Holla Hump Day. Therefore,  you will for sure see me later.

Lila wanted to type her name here. A special treat! You get a goodbye "signature" from both of us!

LILA

The life and times...

...of a fake vegetarian.

That's right folks. I have a confession to make. I have been pretending to be a vegetarian for two months now. Let me explain.

This has been a slow progression for me. I made the choice to learn a few things about the factory farming industry. With this knowledge came less and less of a desire to eat meat. It just kind of started to gross me out when I would eat it. This is a big deal people. Like a REALLY big deal. Never in my life has it been easy for me to voluntarily turn away any kind of food. That's pretty much how I knew I should probably just give it a go. So give it a go I have.

I also feel the need to discuss another aspect about eating that is and isn't related to the not eating meat. With this progression of fake vegetarianism into my life came more and more of a desire to break the cycle. I grew up Southern. Fried, fried, and fried when it came to many meats and vegetables at times too. Southern food is comfort food. That's just what it is. And by God there is a time and place for all that goodness and comfort. Unfortunately, I inherited the Bateman way of eating. This means there was no form of moderation for me when it came to food. Batemans know how to cook up a storm. In fact, I'm convinced my dad and my uncle missed their calling when they went into the jewelry business. I bet if the Food Network had been even a blip on their radar back when they were looking for a way to make a living they would have been up there with the likes of the Iron Chefs. No lie. I'm not calling anyone out here, but there's no denying that cooking amazing food goes hand in hand with eating it. And eat it we do.

As I started feeling less fond of meat I also got the notion that I needed some big changes. I grew up playing sports, but the notion of exercise just for the healthy sake of exercising wasn't really a part of my life. Back then, the sports made up for that. Then I became an adult and organized sports got shoved out by jobs and then babies.

Being a parent opens your eyes really wide to the example you are every. second. of. every. single. day. I do not strive to be perfect, but I feel like maybe if I start now my kids will grow up loving being active. Don't get me wrong. I want them to love to eat too! But, I want the choices of what they eat to matter much more than they mattered to me growing up.

Enter fake vegetarianism! And the long term goal of doing a sprint triathlon. What's the point of being a vegetarian if you are a fake one you ask? Well, I went the first month only eating meat once. It wasn't hard at all. However, there are situations that make it tough. Or, there are just times when I do feel the urge to eat a piece of steak or have my favorite soup that happens to have chicken in it. I know myself well enough to know that if I go all or nothing I fail. I told myself going into this that if I really wanted meat at some point I would just have it. As long as I keep myself on track as much as possible I'm okay with that. This has been really successful for me. Lila already refuses most proteins unless I sneak them in, and Evie eats EVERYTHING. Seth has been more than supportive while also letting me know he is not a fan of tofu. I appreciate his perspective and his honesty. As far as the triathlon goes I have been talking about doing it for forever now. It's probably about time I just start training already.

There you have it. It's highly possible I will go back to eating meat. Or I may never go back. I'm not roping myself into a commitment. I am making the choice to be much healthier. Between NGD and the fruits and vegetables I need to eat before they go bad I am never at a loss for something to eat! I also have a new love for things like beans, quinoa, and lentils.

Every day something about being a parent makes me a better person. I want to be the kind of example they can be proud of and learn good habits from. Here's to making strides in that direction. Happy Monday ya'll!

Today was better than yesterday...

...because Evie rediscovered Albie (abnormally large bear) and had a twenty minute cuddle fest with him.

...because I created the perfect chore chart for Lila and she LOVES it.

...because I have the best friends in the world who commented and sent me emails about my funk. HUGS.

...because for the first time today I feel like the third year of organic vegetable gardening is actually working.

...because Lila and I got to spend some much needed one on one time together at her music class (thank you Katie!).

...because the Fooducate app just made my life way easier (thank you Crystal!).

...because writing that post last night gave me the chance to wake up today and start fresh. I feel like something is coming. More than that, I feel like if it doesn't or it takes a long time I can let go of the funk when I'm ready and be better at my current most important job.

...because Seth is home and the weekend is coming.

Have a great weekend.

Easter

It would seem that if you aren't hosting a holiday it should be a breeze right? I guess when you have two Easter egg hunts, three places to be within 48 hours, and two children the word breeze doesn't come to mind. But, we had a blast. A big thank you needs to be said to those that did host us. I said a little thankful prayer for you people all weekend as I didn't have to have a clean house or food on the table. Praise the Lord. Evie slept through both hunts which is why you don't see her a ton in the pictures. There are some randoms of the past few days thrown in simply because I have actually decided to use my big fancy camera.  Enjoy!

Let's start with an impromptu photo shoot with Evie. Doesn't she look thrilled? 

So yea, this is how it ended. This would be a visual of the scream, string of snot and all.

Egg dyeing... I've decided it's such a weird thing to do. I mean, Lila liked it. I guess that's what matters.

Random botanical gardens picture.

*Easter morning*

Um, what exactly is the point of this gigantic bunny again?

Look closely at the puzzle. Yea, it's 101 pieces. It was bought in the dollar aisle at Target. It has since mysteriously disappeared and the Easter bunny has decided it does help to pay much closer attention no matter how distracted while shopping.

Egg hunt round #1.

Evie's post nap appearance with Grammy. I promise her hair does that on it's own. 

Egg hunt round #2. I just love these pictures of her.

I hate profile shots of myself, but this profile of her reminds me of pictures of me as a kid so much. This is my favorite picture from the entire weekend.

Here's what's happening: Patrick and Madelyn can't figure out why we are still waiting to take the picture. Carson is talking up a storm about something. Lila is having a very hard time staying on the slim piece of wood that they are all standing on therefore delaying the taking of the picture!

While the light was amazing at Seth's mom's house on Easter, I am sure the pictures I took could have been a million times better. I had the best time taking them though. She was looking out the window at the cat and following him from the door to the window. I could just smooch that little face all day long.

The pictures start to get a little out of order here, but Blogger is a pain in the rear so this is how they shall stay. This one was taken today. Lila got a big kick out of the flower crown and necklace I made for her. Anyone else make these as a kid? I just adore this picture too.

See! Wrong spot...weird but beautiful picture.

This was today too. We are entering the land of more and more attempts at playing with each other. They had the best time!

This is just hysterical to me and a great way to end the photos. The slide gave them matching hairdos. 

Have a good weekend ya'll!

A little inspiration

My children, music, and great writing are three things that inspire me on a daily basis. I would like to share a little bit of those inspirations with you! As you will see, some are intertwined. For instance, Lila's "songwriting" incorporates all three nicely...



Good music...like the stuff that gets under your skin in the best possible way and won't go away...is hard to find these days. It seems it's everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The brilliance of Mumford and Sons and The Civil Wars gets mere minutes at the VMA's or the Grammy's, if that. Even further still there are so many amazing artists under the surface that you don't hear on the radio and you really have to seek out. In the music tab above I finally posted new videos. Ironically, Gotye is all over the place. This video is mesmerizing to me. I watched it ten times in a row because that's what I do. I have used nap time to just dig and dig and dig for the good stuff because the Princess CD that is on repeat in my house and car, while beautiful, isn't really cutting it. Mommy is about to lie to her daughter and say we can't find the Princess CD today so that I can break out some good old fashioned brilliant music.

If you are wondering where I have been looking for the good stuff, there are a few spots. I found this little blog forever ago and then totally forgot about it. Again, that's what I do. I rediscovered not only her amazing idea and writing today, but her taste in music that often mirrors mine. I know it's not for everyone. If you aren't into the music you should at least check out her blog. She's pretty inspiring.

Then there's Black Cab Sessions. If you love live music this is quite the stroke of genius. Unfortunately, their USA cab sessions aren't viewable anywhere yet by actual Americans. At least not anywhere that I can find. They filmed in Athens, GA though which should let you know that they know what they're doing.

As far as writing goes, I have come across a few new mommy affirming reads that I think I was meant to find this week. Every day a good mommy should say to herself, "I am not supermom, nor should I try to be". If you need a little nudge that you are a rockstar mom, take a look...

The first is from this blog that I had never read before. Most good posts I find are through someone else on Facebook. This one made me laugh a little. I love me some Pinterest, but I have fallen victim to feeling not enough because of stupid things that don't get done and don't need to. Remember that lampshade I was going to make for Evie's room? After THREE attempts I trashed it and bought one on Ebay. It was incredibly liberating. Personal life lesson number 9, 347...stop believing that because you are creative you have to make everything.

The second was also posted on Facebook the other day. Thanks Lindi!

The Scary Mommy Manifesto

I shall maintain a sense of humor about all things motherhood, for without it, I recognize that I may end up institutionalized. Or, at the very least, completely miserable.

I shall not judge the mother in the grocery store who, upon entering, hits the candy aisle and doles out M&M’s to her screaming toddler. It is simply a survival mechanism.

I shall not compete with the mother who effortlessly bakes from scratch, purees her own baby food, or fashions breathtaking costumes from tissue paper. Motherhood is not a competition. The only ones who lose are the ones who race the fastest.

I shall shoot the parents of the screaming newborn on the airplane looks of compassion rather than resentment. I am fortunate to be able to ditch the kid upon landing. They, however, are not.

I shall never ask any woman whether she is, in fact, expecting. Ever.

I shall not question the mother who is wearing the same yoga pants, flip-flops, and T-shirt she wore to school pickup the day before. She has good reason.

I shall never claim to know everything about children other than my own (who still remain a mystery to me).

I shall hold the new babies belonging to friends and family, so they may shower and nap, which is all any new mother really wants.

I shall strive to pass down a healthy body image to my daughter. She deserves a mother who loves and respects herself; stretch marks, dimples, cellulite, and all.

I shall not preach the benefits of breast-feeding or circumcision or homeschooling or organic food or co-sleeping or crying it out to a fellow mother who has not asked my opinion. It’s none of my damn business.

I shall try my hardest to never say never, for I just may end up with a loud mouthed, bikini-clad, water gun–shooting toddler of my very own.

I shall remember that no mother is perfect and that my children will thrive because of, and sometimes even in spite of me.

From Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood — The Good, The Bad, and The Scary by Jill Smokler.

Judging

People look at other people every day, sometimes all day, and snap judgements are made at a maddening rate. If you believe that you go through your day without judging others based on simple appearances stop reading (and, for the record, I don't believe you).  I'm not saying all of these judgments are negative. Many are probably quite positive. They just happen. I'm not judging you for doing it either. In fact, I'm trying to embrace it...to some degree.

This is going to start off sounding really obnoxious if it doesn't already. But, I have been wanting to spell this out for myself for a while. Just follow me here. My first recollection of being judged based on appearance was in high school. Or, it could be that I don't really remember anything before high school. Anyway, I remember early in high school feeling like people saw me as pretty. Knowing nothing about me, I would say that's what they thought off the bat. They may have also thought I seemed snobby. I was quiet and not really very involved. That means what people saw initially is often what they knew of me. To be clear, when I say people I am referring to strangers and the very surfacy acquaintance.

College judging had a completely different feel. People went to class in their pajamas for God's sake. Some were obviously walking in shame. Others went to football games as if it was a modeling competition. I remember thinking I could feel superficially judged, but really what was the point?

Fast forward to now. Honestly, the whole reason for this post is that I have realized something. Never in my life have I felt more judged than I have since having children. I'm not talking about your run of the mill absurd judgments like I am poisoning my child with formula. I'm purely speaking of the snap judgements made in public. If you are a parent of very young children you know that "public" can be a daunting place. Target, the grocery store, and every restaurant in town seem to send subliminal messages to toddlers that nows the time to make the world believe your mommy is completely incapable. But, in my experience it's not always based on the child.

The other day I went to the Big Green Egg store to get starters for our grill. Lila has a recent fear of giant blown up things with faces. This particular location has a giant blown up Big Green Egg with a face. I began to prepare myself for the disaster I was forcing upon our day. She panicked as we walked in, but once we were looking for the starters she was good to go. I decided to hold Evie instead of wear her because this was meant to be an in and out kind of stop. I found the starters, grabbed two boxes, and let Lila hold them to keep her occupied. I turned around and in a matter of seconds there were four other people in this smallish place. In an effort to be quick I rushed us to the counter to pay. In front of me was an elderly man who worked for The Make A Wish Foundation. He was trying to get the teenager behind the counter to get someone important to help him get a donation. Thankfully, the important person was not there and the conversation ended quickly. My kids are being more than well behaved as I fumble to get my wallet and pay. I turn around to see a rather attractive forty something guy in scrubs, another man a bit older in a very nice suit, and woman who could have been a grandmother. All were staring at me. Not at my children. But directly at me. The guy in scrubs actually looked me up and down. The guy in the suit noticed that I noticed that he was staring and quickly looked away. The grandmotherly woman gave me a big, fat, sympathetic smile.

When we got in the car I started to dissect the situation. Both of my children were very well behaved. Why were they staring? My body has clearly had two children. So Mr. Doctor was not checking me out. In fact, I felt an air of disgust. When we got home and got settled I went to the bathroom to check myself out. I had showered, but my hair was pulled up in not the most graceful fashion. I had on a UGA T-shirt that may or may not have had something food related on the sleeve. The rest of my ensemble consisted of jeans with flip flops. I had makeup on, but no mascara because I'm out. I looked very tired and bordered on disheveled.

This isn't an out of the ordinary situation. Would they have stared if I looked really put together? Maybe. What is it about a mom with multiple small children that draws stares and judgments so quickly. I don't know what they were thinking. It's just intriguing to me for some reason. Were they waiting for the meltdown? Were they thinking, "bless her heart"? I try to think about life before kids and what I would have thought. Knowing me I would have been looking at the kids and secretly gushing over how cute they were. Maybe I would have even been fantasizing about the day when I would be that mom.

Now, let's take this from a different angle. After checking myself out and thinking more about it I realized I had judged them too. It's highly possible they were looking at me because I had just turned around, they were all facing the counter waiting in line, and it just happened to be me they saw next. I judged the doctor thinking that because he was attractive and in scrubs (and wasn't looking at me so nicely) that he was arrogant and wealthy. For all I know he's a nurse or a tech and he has five kids of his own.

Either way, I'm curious if anyone else with kids feels more snap judgements from strangers just based on how they look at you. As I said, I believe things like this are just human nature. We all try to be so politically correct, but at the end of the day a tired mom of two crazy little girls probably warrants some stares ;-)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This POA business has gotten off to a fantastic start. I'm actually pretty excited about it. Honestly, the way it came together just fell into my lap via Pinterest. I read this post and my jaw hit the floor...initially that is...

If you actually clicked and read the post it should be noted that that every last item on her list has been or is on my ever growing list. I read that post and slowly started to sweat. How could it be possible? I needed the secret. I needed answers. Again, if you read the post you know that I did not get what I needed...or did I?

As it turns out, I got more than I ever thought I needed. I got to start on a journey to actually accomplish everything my little heart desired when I first posted about needing a POA. AND, Modern Parents, Messy Kids is pretty much doing all of the research for me. It's brilliant.

If you are at all interested in any of this you will need to go to the link first mentioned and read on from there. Basically, this blog is going to tackle organizing life step by step. They are keeping different personalities in mind. They are giving SO many choices (maybe too many!). Only one step has been conquered, but it was a big one. I didn't expect an overnight overhaul. Baby steps are the key to success. But I also didn't expect the process to be so clear cut. I honestly read the posts about creating a cleaning schedule and my mind started swimming. I came back and read them again. I saw all of the printables, checklists, and the cute home made charts that looked so time consuming. I tried to figure out what would work best for me and how my mind works. It wasn't until the end of one of the more recent posts that it hit me. I need easy access to something very low maintenance. Enter APPS.

The Ipad is an amazing thing. I am just breaking the surface of all it has to offer. Using Springpad on it has streamlined dinner beyond belief. And now, after much consideration, I have found the perfect cleaning schedule thanks to an app created by Motivated Moms. I paid a whopping $7.95 for it though. Of course, it was the most expensive. It seems silly. I am aware of this. But it does everything I want it to do. It tells me what to clean every day. I set up three sections of the day (before 9am, during nap, and after bedtime). Today was the first day and it worked like a charm. Plus, it factors in that random crap you never remember to do like changing batteries in smoke detectors and cleaning behind/under the fridge. Brilliant I tell you. In one day I feel like it was worth every cent.

My hopes are high and I feel very refreshed about my POA. I'm going to continue down the "organize your life" path that Modern Parents, Messy Kids is taking me down. Brilliant.

Do you know what else is brilliant? Drive through convenience stores. Do they exist anywhere other than Tucker, GA? I had never seen one in my entire life until the day I met the Milk Jug down the street. Aside from the obvious convenience store items, the Milk Jug carries the most random stuff. Today, I drove through to buy soy sauce if that tells you anything. The thing is, it is very convenience store esque. You pull up and all you see are trashy mags (and I'm not talking about People or US Weekly). The guys that own/run it pretty much don't understand a word you say. I was sure they had soy sauce but it took me almost 5 minutes to get across what it was that I wanted. This mom who doesn't love hauling two littles into a store for just a few things thinks that someone needs to take this idea to the next level. Someone needs to make this their million dollar idea and franchise it to death.

Just sayin'. Happy Monday!

Productivity? Cross your fingers

I'm still working on my POA. I've actually found a blog that is helping me do it. I'm not sure if I want to join in the bloggy fun and project by project spell it out here or do one big post later on. Details coming soon.

In the mean time, I am going to tackle Pinterest. For you seasoned pinners you know exactly what I mean. For the newbies, let me break it down.

I have 25 boards with a total of 1800 pins. That's right folks. EIGHTEEN HUNDRED. If you are new to Pinterest or haven't done it at all you are probably scratching your head. Or you're thinking, didn't Jana just babble on and on about not getting things done? Why is she on Pinterest instead of getting things done?

I won't say I disagree with your interrogating looks. I get it. That's why the POA and the Pinterest battle must begin.

The POA is going to include some life changing, home changing, mind altering WORK. The Pinterest battle will be like a break from the work while actually accomplishing something.

If I lost you after 1800 pins I don't blame you. It won't hurt my feelings if you must ignore me now. If you're still following, here's my Pinterest battle idea.

Pinterest is basically a house filled with boxes of junk that you would love to do, will never do, think it would be cool if someone would do for you, etc. etc. Pinterest is the house, the boards are the boxes, and the pins would be the junk. I have been using Springpad to sort of clean house and empty boxes. But, I don't want to get into Springpad right now (unless you are curious...in which case ask). Springpad will be a part of the POA post later.

Right now I just want the easy, fun, and accomplishable pins to come to the forefront. So what do you do when you have too many pins?  You create a board that shows the pins that fit the above criteria. I was doing Pin it Friday or something wasn't I? That didn't stick. Maybe this will. I titled this new board "To ACTUALLY DO in the next month (by 3/22)". Without entering the abyss of the gardening, cooking, or clothing boards I went through the other boards and started repinning the easy ones that I can do in the next month. As I do them I will post them here. Again, sorry for the massive amount of "holding myself accountable to get things done" kind of posts. This is more for me than for you. If you get a good idea out of it let me know.

First on the list will be this little gem for Evie's room that will be finished by the end of the day tomorrow. IT WILL HAPPEN. Stay tuned for an actual picture of my actual finished product.

POA

Sorry for the lateness on the header. It doesn't really even make sense anymore. Initially I did it on the 13th of every month because Lila's birthday is the 13th. Now it seems I just do it whenever. Technically, the ages are close enough. Not to mention, everything about this header is just awkward. Kind of makes me giggle too though.

This should be an indication of the scattered nature of my brain. Thoughts like that race in and out. It's a seemingly pointless thing to care or worry about right? But the pointless often gets mixed in with the absolutely necessary and I get all bent out of a shape about this or that not getting done. Sometimes what isn't getting done is pointless...sometimes, it's pretty necessary.

This is unfortunate. I used to be maddeningly on top of things. Before I married Seth and had kids I overdid everything. The difference is, back then I overdid five things. The married mother of two I have become is now trying to overdo five hundred things. It's isn't working.

I want my house to be clean, my kids to be clean, my clothes to be clean, and myself to be clean (sadly, in that order). And I want all of that every single day. I mean, I really would be even happier if the dog could be clean. On top of that I want the meals to be planned, the money to be in savings instead of in Target's bank account, the bills to be filed, the pictures to be in photo albums, the clothes to be sewn (by me), and the list goes on, and on, and ON. And the truth of the matter is, I don't feel like this is too much to ask. I mean, I don't work for goodness sake (please sense my eyes rolling). I should be johnny on the spot about every last detail of my house right?

Here's why I'm not. One day long, long ago in the land before children I married the man of my dreams. We lived in a neat, organized, spotless house. I did everything a homemaker would do. And I worked. Ok, so maybe I didn't cut the grass. But had I had a clue how to use a lawn mower that you stand on while it ferociously cuts your grass in 2.2 seconds I would have done that too. This worked for a little while. Said man of my dreams would tell you what I'm describing was actually a dream and not real life. Please understand I am basing my memories of those days on my current situation. Anyway, one day I started relinquishing things to Mr. Dreamy. One of those things was paying bills and handling the money. That was a big one. Something monumental changed in me that day. I turned over that job and never looked back. In fact, some would say this kind of reckless abandon was like a gateway drug. I wanted more. Instead of handing over more responsibilities I just took that as permission to let go of some of my obsessive ways.

Here we are five years later and on a daily basis I miss the old me terribly. Where's the girl that always had the checkbook balanced to the penny? Where's the girl that moved things around to find their perfect spot yet still knew where they were? I NEED HER TO SHOW UP.

Instead I'm dealing with what's left of that girl. I've lost my Ipod. I live on coffee and peanut butter because somehow in the grocery shopping for the week I always forget that I have to feed myself lunch every day too. It's not that I forget to eat. I HATE when people say that. Who forgets to eat? That's like saying I forgot to pee or I forgot to put clothes on. No one believes you if you say that BTW. I digress...

I need a plan of action. There are too many things I want to do and too many things I need to do. The overwhelming feelings that tend to push away the motivation are settling in and I have to act fast.

I made a cleaning schedule that I don't stick to. My house gets clean when I know people are coming over. If I invite you over randomly that could be my way of making sure my house gets cleaned. Just sayin'. No seriously, I just need someone to grab me by the shoulders, shake me, and whip me into shape. I need a homemaker's personal trainer. Yes! That's what I need.

To be perfectly honest, the other reason I don't get squat done is because I sit and stare at my kids all day. Really and truly. That's such a weird thing to say, but it's the truth. In thinking about posting tonight I thought about doing a videos post of Evie because I have six videos on my phone that I've taken since yesterday morning. Do you know why I didn't? Because they are boring. I wouldn't normally say that, but they really are. I just find her to be so beyond cute that every video is like I'm seeing her for the first time. Then when I go back and watch them again I realize they are just her, sitting, playing, and essentially doing nothing over and over again just in a different spot in my house.

SO, now that I have rambled to my heart's content here is my plan of action. Don't laugh. I plan to come up with a plan. I am giving myself until this time next week. Monday, February 27th at midnight to be exact. By this time next week I will post my plan to get my life in order. Slowly I will chip away at that plan until it's all done. I need order. I am craving is something fierce. Now's the time.

If you have any suggestions shout 'em out.

Crazy Pants

I am an excellent driver. You may never again hear me say that I am excellent at something. This, however, is more a statement of fact than it is tooting my own horn (ha ha!). As someone who is part of a gender that is criticized frequently for not being so capable in this area, it's only fair I serve as the exception to the stereotype.

Due to my driving skills I am no stranger to road rage. I mean, when you are aware that you are an excellent driver you find yourself surrounded by horrible ones. Especially in this town.

My road rage is fairly private though. I stay within the confines of my car. I yell some profanities that no one but me can hear. I bang on the steering wheel but almost never the horn. It's a pretty impressive thing when you can full on have a fight with someone without them really knowing your fury. Sure they may see you flailing around as you exit the scene, but they probably don't care.

Since having kids I pretty much can't have road rage. It's similar to no longer blaring Eminem or Kanye in the car with a two year old. You just don't do it. Lila teaches me every day how to ignore the rage. It's a work in progress (as in, I am working some of it out right now due to her bedtime hysterics). But, I can feel the road rage coming on and just as quickly I toss it to the side. Done and done.

Today I experienced something new. This was something so foreign to me I was completely at a loss. Someone was enraged AT ME. The nerve! I'm driving down the road and someone (we'll call her Crazy Pants) comes flying up behind me. I am going slow because I am not too far from entering a right turn lane. Crazy Pants is not happy about this. I turn my blinker on, enter the lane, and turn. In my rear view mirror I see Crazy Pants in her beat up, POS Accord almost plow into the person that was previously in front of me as I entered the turn lane. I then see Crazy Pants passionately yank her car into the turn lane and follow me. As I notice all of this her hands (yes both) are taking turns shooting birds before she is even anywhere near me. She speeds up, flicks off my two year old without missing a beat, pulls in front of me, and slams on breaks about thirty feet from the next light that is red. Being the excellent driver I am I have anticipated this and stopped well before being anywhere near her. As I'm explaining to Lila that the lady was just pointing at a pretty bird (ha ha!) I'm also holding my hands up as if to say, "I have no idea what you're doing here!". That was my only response. Crazy Pants starts mocking me, throws some more birds, and speeds off when the light changes.

I then drive very slow. There are lots of lights close together on this road and I am now sure Crazy Pants and I need to not be anywhere near each other. She slows and speeds up in a taunting way. What she doesn't know is that she has nothing on my two year old. Lila has taught me well. Taunting mommy is her thang. I am trying to believe that she's getting it all out of her system so that when she's a teenager we will have a blissful coexistence. Regardless, I am prepared for Crazy Pants. Not to mention, I'm not crazy. At least I feel fairly sane today. Really, I wish I had taken a picture of her hot mess of an appearance. But that would take away from my excellent driving skills if I were to use my phone in such a way while driving. She kind of had that Cruella Deville thing going on in much the same laughable way.

So, thank you Lila. You test me in ways I never could have imagined. You wear me out, but I love you anyway ;-) Besides, at the end of the day what good is being tested if you don't get to use what you've learned?

Happy Valentine's day readers! I hope your day was filled with slobbery, open mouthed baby kisses, hugs that make you fall over, and time spent with an adorable somebody special like mine was. Well, aside from the interference of Crazy Pants of course.

Disney...oh and that little marathon Seth ran

Have you ever gone on a trip that was sort of half planned with tons of loose ends? That's what this trip was for us. Sometime after signing up for the marathon Seth asked if we (as in ALL of us) wanted to go. At the time I said "of course!!!". And that was the end of the story. If you don't know, Team in Training (through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) does everything for you. They tell you what to, when to do it, and how to do it successfully. Seth and I did a marathon through TNT while dating. I knew then that we would survive marriage.

The holidays came and we began talking about how we really had no plan. I don't think I knew where we were staying until the week of Christmas when my dad asked me. My dad and his wife Liz live in West Palm Beach. They were planning to come and join us. It was when he began asking me questions that I realized I had no clue what was going on.

So, we got the logistics sorted out. Sort of. The week before we went Seth realized that this marathon was no joke. Not just because it's a marathon of course, but because it's big. LOTS of people go to it. Some super crazy people even run the half on Saturday and the full on Sunday. It's called the Goofy challenge. Goofy indeed. It occurred to Seth that taking Evie might be a logistical nightmare. As you know if you read the previous post, we did not take her.

I have to say for being so loosely planned this was one of the best trips I have taken. Here's why:

1) Gobs of Lila time.
2) Really good quality time with my dad and Liz. Not just for Lila, but for me too.
3) Even with no nap every day, riding buses everywhere, and sensory overload to the max Lila was in awe the entire time. It was priceless.
4) I got to really be a spectator and see how well Seth would do without me. I always knew I held him back in Vancouver and I'm so glad he did this without me (sounds weird, but I have always had remorseful feelings about it).
5) It's Disney for goodness sake!!!

Here's a bit of a rundown via pictures:

Just before the character breakfast at the Polynesian Hotel.

She was so excited that she touched Pluto's nose!

She's not having any fun at all. I promise.

Lila and Liz. This was the beginning of the Animal Kingdom day (Friday). Seth didn't go to this with us because he had marathon meetings and the expo to go to. 

Just hanging out!

This is either right before or right after a hippo swam slowly past us in front of the window under water. It was SO cool. 

This is on the train that pretty much just rides around the outskirts of the Animal Kingdom. Nothing fancy but Lila kept wanting to ride it!

Brushing some sheep at the petting zoo area.

At the start of the African Safari ride...Poppy made sure she didn't get scared. The new Donald Duck doll helped as well.

A little resemblance here I think :-)

This is the start of the day at the Magic Kingdom. Not sure what this face is about. I just think the picture is funny.

This is right before It's a Small World. I think this ride was her favorite!

The beginning of a day full of pointing.

Riding Aladdin's magic carpet ride. 

I'm not really having any fun either.

Funny story. Seth and dad took a break so Liz, Lila, and I got in line to meet Tinkerbell. About twenty minutes in Liz realized we were actually in line to meet Ariel (who Lila has no clue about). Twenty or thirty minutes after that she had her thirty seconds with Tinkerbell. TOTALLY worth it.

It's hard being a kid that gets pushed around in a stroller all day.

This was during the parade where she really got to see everyone she knew. She was either waving, pointing, or staring. This was the best twenty minutes of the whole weekend. 

Another parade before the big dance party...

 ...serious dance moves in the street!

* I need to interject here how the last day of our trip went. It was actually a pretty amusing comedy of errors. Let's back up. Seth had to get up at 2am to eat "breakfast" and then be at the bus at 3:30 am (I think). Anyway, let's just say it was out of control early. He and Lila passed out around 7:30 pm so I spent my night off trying to figure out how to track Seth during the marathon. I read online that 10.5 miles was at the castle at the Magic Kingdom and spectators didn't need a ticket. Perfect! We would get to see daddy running and Lila would get to hang out at the castle one last time.  I set everything up so that I would get a text every five miles (isn't technology CRAZY??) and woke up at 6:30 am to get there on time. Lila was not to excited about this plan. AND, I made the massive mistake of telling her we were going to the castle again. NUMBER ONE RULE OF PARENTHOOD: Do NOT tell your child something really fantastic is going to happen if you aren't 110% sure it will.

The buses at our hotel were running very late so we got off the bus at the Magic Kingdom right about the time Seth was running through the castle. So I asked where the next spectator spot was. The helpful Disney employee looked me up and down (with my angry two year old in her $20 POS stroller) and said, "if you hustle you can get to the Polynesian Resort over there and just past it is the 12 mile stop". Hustle we did! At this point I was simply too proud to give up. I wanted to surprise Seth and maybe give him some extra momentum. I chose not to tell Lila about missing the castle at this point. It was about an hour later that it dawned on her. She handled it as best she could given the circumstances.

As I'm hustling I realize lots of other people were making their way in the same direction. It was crowded to say the least and I couldn't see a thing. What's the point of doing all of this hustling if I don't see him? I made the executive decision to cut through some pretty tall grass along the road, book it around the barriers, and join a "cheer crowd" that I'm pretty sure you had to pay to belong to. Lila and I had so much grass on our pants and the stroller probably needs to be thrown out. BUT, we saw him!!! I think he was really surprised. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture because we were hugging and cheering and enjoying the moment. That's how worth it this was!

Then there was the trick of finding our way back to a bus that would take us to the finish line at Epcot. And guess what? Everyone else needed that as well. I had two hours though. So I got some coffee and hopped on a tram. Well, Disney likes to switch things up when a big event is happening. Signs that say some form of transportation will get you where you want to go nine times out of ten are false. You can imagine how excited Lila was to get off the tram that didn't end up taking us to Epcot only to see a gigantic line for the bus. Enter a much overdue meltdown. I got this brilliant idea to take a bus back to the hotel and then get a new bus from there to Epcot instead of waiting an hour in line where I was (which ironically was the transportation station). The problem with this plan was that the buses weren't running to the hotels. Somehow, with my screaming child I convinced a bus driver to take me to the hotel that he would pass as he took random people to another park. So in twenty minutes I was at Epcot due to either my screaming child or my sweaty, frantic, almost in tears condition.

We grabbed some food and hung out waiting for Seth to reach the finish. Lila pushed the stroller around long enough for the grass to completely fall off. We saw him cross and it was all worth it! SO PROUD OF YOU SETHY POO!

This is our lazy day at the resort after the marathon. Our little sassy girl has been walking around with her hands on her hips these days. Oh and today she put on her Snow White "dress up" and told Carson and I she was Snow White. No like, when I called her Lila she said "no mommy...I'm SNOW WHITE!!!". Carson promptly pointed at the actual picture of Snow White on the costume and said, "no, that's Snow White!". 

And last but not least, this is how we actually know she had a good time.

Alright, sorry this was so long. It really was such an enjoyable trip. I missed Evie so much, but the time with Lila was much needed for all of us. Good times!