Ain't Life Grand...

A few weeks ago, we packed up and headed down for our annual trip to the Grand Hotel.  We've gone the past 3 years, and we love it.  When I'm down there, I sometimes feel like I'm on a second honeymoon--except that I'm with a 2-year-old.  My fabulous in-laws were gracious enough to take us down, babysit a lot, and foot the bill.  We booked a ton of pool time and quite a bit of lying around time.  I even got a massage courtesy of the husband.  Lazy days = happy mom.    

We fed the ducks...

 

...and fed them some more...

...and a little bit more just to make sure they were full. 

Like his Elvis face?  This was before he broke his grandparents' camera.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

Family pic.  Excuse my frizziness.  It was humid. 

One more

Now you know where Sam's curls came from.

2009

2010

Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick...

I've mentioned before that I'm a part of a bookclub.  I was invited by a friend a couple of years ago, and through this group I've made some amazing friends.  I cannot express how lucky I am to call all of them my friends.  We get together once a month, gossip, imbibe, and discuss the pick of the month.  Good times. 

A few months ago, one of our number mentioned that she had hosted a Murder Mystery Party for some friends, and that it was a lot of fun.  It didn't take long for us to decide that we had to have one ourselves, and that it was a mandatory event for all spouses. 

It wasn't fun.  It was epic--one of the most fun nights I've had in a while, and Anthony enjoyed himself, too.  (So much so that he stayed in bed much longer than I did the next day.) I wish I could give a play-by-play of the night, but I would probably get a lot of people in trouble.  Let's just say there were some people not exactly on their best behavior.

We chose the Jersey/Mafia Wedding kit.  There were gold chains, fedoras, fake earrings, bridesmaids' dresses, terrible suits, and a lot of "bumpits" going on that night.  We even had a wedding cake.  Everyone had his or her own character and script to follow.  It was ridiculously fun.  Again, I would post more pictures, but I value my friends, and I need to protect the innocent.

 

I feel like this pic is safe enough.  From left to right:

Stacy Sultry, Grandma Selma, Gina Giovanni, and Darlene Simpson.  Yes, I'm wearing black gloves. 

It's Dangerous Being a State Fan...

Remember my son's obsession with cowbells? (See below.)

I always knew that they should probably be classified as weapons.  I fervently believe that they can do just as much damage as nunchucks. We have several bells in our arsenal, and one of them is an actual bell from a cow--that's a story for another day.  Anyway, it's heavy.  A couple of weeks ago, Sam got it down from its spot on the bookshelf and promptly dropped it on his toe.  Cringe.  The toe turned black within an hour or so, and we had the pleasure of heading to the pediatrician's.  Our doc informed me that he could relieve the toe pain by making a small hole in Sam's toenail.  Double-cringe.   I was the lucky lady who got to hold down my child during the process, which actually wasn't that bad.  They used a small cauterization tool, and I'm told it doesn't hurt.  Let's hope so.

Bottom line--watch out for those cowbells.  You can lose a toe.

Communal Cowbell

As many of you know, my husband is a long-suffering, extremely passionate MSU fan.  Some people hunt, some people play music, Anthony follows all things in Maroon and White.  I like to read; Anthony likes to tailgate.  We've followed our dawgs to a College World Series, a Cotton Bowl, and almost every venue in the SEC, among other things.  I've watched him have the time of his life when we win, and I've watched him throw--and break I might add--a cell phone out the window when we lose.  (Which, let's face it...the past few years we've lost a lot.)  This passion could affect Sam in one of two ways:

1.  He'll be just like his father.
2.  He'll resent it and attend school somewhere else out of pure spite.

We attend an Episcopal church.  Before communion, they chime a bell at certain periods when presenting the Eucharist.  When they chimed the bell this past Sunday, Sam very loudly said, "I hear a cowbell."

I'm going with option one. 

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!