Seasonal Fatigue Syndrome...

I love summer, really I do.  It's by far one of my favorite seasons.  But every year around this time I start yearning for a cool breeze, some football, and a significant drop in temperature.  And I hate to "story-top" but if you don't live in LA, MS, AL, TN, FL, or GA, you have no idea what hot is.  Don't argue with me, just trust me.  I mean, who in the world enjoys 98 degree heat with 110 degree heat index and humidity that smacks you in the face?  And I realize that as soon as I enjoy a few weeks of winter, I'll be wanting summer back again.  I'm fickle like that.   

Right now we're surviving on popsicles, AC, and mosquito repellent that doesn't always work. 

Get a move on, fall.  I know that you'll drag your feet, and you probably won't show up until November, but I'd appreciate it if you could get us some relief just a tad bit sooner.  

We have had a seriously busy couple of months between moving, a trip to the beach, a fabulous wedding in North Carolina, and a quick trip to Memphis. I'm looking forward to the next few weekends--we have nothing going on, and it will be nice to park on the sofa for a few days.  If you need me, that's where I'll be--with a popsicle. 

Vacation hangover...

We just returned from our annual beach vacay, and contrary to what most people think, we didn't see any evidence of the mess that BP has left in our Gulf Coast.  I know we were lucky, and I'm really glad we were able to truly enjoy the beach.  Let's face it; it may be awhile before we can go back and actually get in the water. 

This was our first week-long vacation with Sam in tow.  I wish you could understand the amount of junk we had in our cars.  (We took two vehicles--my parents went with us.)  Toys, clothes, food, inflatable swimming accessories, bedrails, a potty chair...we looked like the Clampetts.

I had a list a mile long of things to pack for our trip.  Anthony offered to help, but his priorities differ from mine.  While I was finding things to keep a child entertained on a 6-hour long drive, Anthony's mind was on other things.  The first item he packed?  This:

And I'm not kidding.  Not one bit.  It's the very first thing the man put together.  Then he left to go buy cigars.  Sheesh.










The week was fabulous, and overall the weather was great.  Sam was a HUGE fan of the sand, and he preferred to stay on the beach and play in it.  He wasn't too keen on the waves, which is fine by me.  I'm a huge chicken when it comes to the ocean.  I've seen Jaws waaaaayyy too many times. 

Like I said, he loved the sand.  It covered every inch of his body most days. 


Since my parents came with us, we were able to sneak off a couple days and hang out with some friends of ours who were also down for the week.  They had rented a beach house in Grayton, and their house had a private pool.  Before leaving for FL, they spent $9.99 on this:

Best. Purchase. Ever.  That, my friends, is a pool volleyball net.  I'm pretty sure we spent at least 15 hrs. in the water playing volleyball.  We had the absolute best time.  And it's a pretty good workout, too.  Sadly, I am not a good player at all, but I still had a fabulous time.  I highly recommend this purchase at your local Walgreens or CVS. 

What's going on...

Sorry I've been so boring lately.  Actually, I've had tons of stuff to blog about, but then something happens, and I feel guilty that I haven't written about previous happenings.  It's a blogjam, really. 

To recap the past couple of weeks, Sam has been busy.  I know, shocker.  We have found out that he is crazy sensitive to mosquitoes.  Need proof?

No, that's not Rocky Balboa.  That's my child.  His right eye was almost completely swollen shut.  I'm afraid to take him outside at all for fear of this happening again.  It's the 2nd time this summer that he's gotten bitten near his eye, and it's a problem, because the last time I checked, you can't spray "OFF!" around a kid's eyes.  He looked pitiful for 4 days.





He got a little bored since he had to stay inside so much, so he decided to entertain himself by getting into the "frigrator" and cooking with some raw eggs...on my floor. Exciting.  How sad is it that I went and got the camera before correcting the problem? 

That's right.  Rub those eggs into all the crevices in mommy's tile.

Notice the eye that's still funky.  I think this was day 3. 

And what have I been up to?  Glad you asked.  I was one of those insane people who went to the movie at midnight on Tuesday/Weds. to see the first possible viewing of Eclipse.  Go ahead, make fun.  I accepted my nerd status a long time ago, and I have no problem with it whatsoever.  Did I read the books?  Uh, yes.  When I was 9 months pregnant with the darling cherub above, I retreated to a town named Forks with a hot vampire named Edward.  (And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you may want to check your pulse.  Sidenote--Eddie doesn't have a pulse.) I like to think that the Cullen gang helped me get though the last few weeks of an uncomfortable pregnancy. 

Anyway, a group of girls met up for some pre-movie Mexican and adult beverages.  We then headed to the theater...at 10 o'clock.  You know you're old when you look at your watch and think, "I should have been in bed an hour ago."  We powered through though, and I will be seeing it again.  Preferably when there's not a disgusting redneck woman talking to the screen as if Edward and Jacob are going to talk back.  Seriously.  I'm not lying.  She had a full-on one-sided conversation at one point.  This was also while she was apparently guzzling beers.  We kept hearing the tell-tell pop of a can opening, and the way she was acting, I don't think it was a contraband Coca-cola.

Have a happy 4th!