Dinner

Me: Josie, why aren't you eating?
Josie: I don't like to eat.
Me: You don't like to eat?
Josie: Nope.

No wonder she is so skinny. Wish I didn't like to eat.

All Grown Up

Sniff, sniff, wah, wah......My little 3.5 year old is all grown up. Over the last week she has learned how to read. Seriously, I don't make this stuff up. She is reading. Complete books. Alright, so the books go something like: The cat has a bat. The cat is in a lap. The cat will hit the ball. (Not an exact quote, but you get the drift). But, she is sounding out all of the words and reading them by herself. I just don't get it. I certainly don't push her addiction of letters, sounds, writing, and spelling (which really have been an addiction the past few months thanks to her favorite show, 'Super Why!'). I will continue to encourage her love, but when a child starts reading at 3, am I just promoting a rebellious, bored kindergartener?!? Sigh....guess we can worry about that in 1.5 years. Until then, Congratulations, Josie, you have instantly grown up, in the blink of an eye! Love ya, girl!

Three Hands

Me (as we are heading out the door): I thought you said you wanted to take the bunny stuffed animal with you.
Josie: I do, but I already have my boots in one hand and my crown in the other. If I had three hands I could take my bunny, too, but I only have two hands.

Stating the obvious has never been cuter.

Summer Vacation

On a day where we are enjoying 9 inches of snow and a 30 degree temperature, I choose to blog about our summer vacation. Fitting, right? But, I haven't made time to do it before, and I don't want to neglect our "summer vacation", so what better time to reminisce....

So, our summer vacation this year was actually in October - I am not too late in posting! We took advantage of Uncle Kenny's incredible generosity and hit the road to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We have 'borrowed' his condo before, but it seems more enjoyable with each visit. This year, we tried something new and drove. While a 14 hour car trip was not the most exciting, we drove through the night there and back and thankfully Josie slept pretty much the entire ride.

The temperatures were in the high 80s and low 90s everyday (did I mention it was October?!?). Incredible beach and pool weather. The only downside: half-marathon training runs were difficult in the heat and humidity. But thanks to Winn Dixie and its water fountain, I survived!

Josie thinks the beach is about the best place in the world and asks weekly when we are going back. Hopefully sooner than later! Thanks, Kenny!

We're here! Taken from Uncle Kenny's balcony. That's Josie and Daddy down there:

Josie, with daddy's help, getting familiar with the ocean:
Naturally-born beach baby (except for the fair skin!):

She sure loves her daddy:

We found a playground, right on the beach:

She was so worn out this day that she went to take a nap wearing her tiara and fairy wings:


Breakfast on the balcony - check out the view:


The ice cream that daddy promised:


Going to check out the waves - safe on daddy's shoulders:


Practicing her super model pose:

Frosty the Snowman

Josie's long lost love has returned - just in time to enhance her holiday spirit. Frosty is still 'the man' in her book. I had almost forgotten of last year's love, until she found the Frosty DVD and begged me to let her watch it. I did and she hasn't stopped begging in 7 days! Need more proof? The child, who is supposed to be napping, is actually singing Frosty the Snowman. And, not just the real song, but, in addition, a verse she made up, "I love Frosty, yes I do, yes I do, yes I do....". Need just a little more to convince you of her love? Today she told me that she wants a baby. Once I reminded her that she can't have one of those until she is old and married, she declared that I can have the baby and it can be hers, too. In addition she wants to name it. Her first choice was Josie. I told her that I only want one Josie and that we would need to come up with a different name that we all like. She said that the baby's name should be Frosty. Why? "Because Josie and Frosty are the only two names I like, so those are the only things we could name a baby." She is in love....I rest my case.


(Disclaimer: NO, I am not pregnant, but apparently when I am, I will need to compete for naming rights!)

Apple Picking

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Carter Mountain, near Charlottesville, to go apple picking. (Yes, I know, I am way behind on this blog - lots of posts coming soon!!!) Last year was our first trip here, and as luck would have it, we picked a rainy, cold October day. It was still fun, but cold and muddy. So, this year, we plan a trip on a Sunday afternoon in October and {surprise!} it is cold and rainy. Deciding that this should be our new tradition, we went ahead and loaded up the truck for the hour-long drive. About ten minutes away from the orchard, a miracle occurred......it stopped raining! Really. The clouds cleared from the sky and the sun shone bright. Although we still had to battle the muddy fields (our boots took care of that!), we had a wonderful outing. We picked about 30 pounds of apples, which Josie and I made quick work of, by preparing two apple pies and numerous quarts of applesauce. Yummy!

Cute Quote of the Day

I enter the room to see Josie writing in a calendar - scribbling in several of the daily 'blocks'. I asked her what she was doing. Her reply? "Mom, I'm just marking in all of the holidays: fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, snowy, and all the others."