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Watching the laundry is better than Blue's Clues!

Apparently, Lily wants to get in on the action as well! Who would have thought that doing laundry would be the highlight of ANYONE'S day...yet, it is!

Look who's talking!

So, I have obviously started noticing that my youngest child is fast outgrowing the infant stage and is headed toward full blown toddlerhood. She's only teetering on the edge of 14 months, but she's got this amazing hold on what it'll mean to be two already.

First of all, she's a carnivore. I've not really had an issue with most of the kids in regards to biting, and certainly when it's popped up, I don't think it was this young. It's pretty clear cut when she's doing it as it's usually preceeded by a struggle for what she has in her hand. The tug-o-war ensues and pretty soon Lily is doing her best Hannibal Lecter impression on the offending party's arm, hand or nose, whatever is within reach! Good news: she only has two teeth. Bad news: there are more to come.

Second, she's a daredevil. Again, never really had issues with this before. She can scale the full flight of stairs in the blink of an eye. She can bounce on the couch with the fearlessness of an Olympian. And she can climb up the glass fronted tv stand in the rental house we're staying in. The funny thing is she used tools to do so. She slid a ride on lion toy over, climbed up on it, then standing on the head of the lion, she put a foot on a tv tray that's beside the tv, then holding on to the tv and teetering precariously above the open jaws of the lion, she put her other foot on the tv stand. Walking is clearly overrated.

Third, she's a sponge. The more and more time I spend nearly alone with this little kid, I realize that she's not just babbling, she's talking! She said good morning ("gowoeni") to me when I plucked her out of her bed today! Then she told me she was drinking milk ("gilk") and eating yogurt ("gut"). I asked her if she'd like a pancake, she said pancake ("cak") and nodded her head yes. She already knows many of the family: Ala, Kak (Katie or Cassie, either one), Da, Ma, Rin and BobBob. It's quite the acoustical challenge to understand her!

Watching her this summer should be interesting!

Day 8...in progress...

Cassidy and Mom at the Banner Elk Park

Well, it's SO QUIET here. This morning Cassidy and I cuddled in the big chair. I fixed Cassidy some "pebbles" for breakfast and went to get Little Miss Sunshine up. Lily is just the happiest morning baby! She was just laying in her crib contemplating her toes, content to be awake. I think it's her quiet time before the chaos of her normal life kicks in. I took Lily downstairs and made some breakfast for her. Cassidy got dressed all by herself in her Blue's Clues outfit...her favorite ( I guess after Dora at Tweetsie, Blue is ten times better).

We decided to pick up Grammy and Petri the dog and head to the playground in Banner Elk. There are places on Beech we could go, but nowhere I might get a cell signal and be able to say good morning to my hubby! Banner Elk has a great playground. We spent about an hour and a half playing and having our picnic snack. All without major incident, save the swing accident. I had Lily and Cassidy in a swing together and got Cassidy out. She ran at lightning speed from the swing, directly in the path of another little girl on the next swing! There was nothing that could be done to avoid the hit. Cassidy gets clocked in the side of her head, and somehow does the banana peel slip, feet up and flat on her back. Everyone panics, except me...I'm the calm one! She's hollering, so I know she's breathing, she's rolling over so I know her neck's not broken, the other swing has stopped so I know she's not going to get popped again. I picked her up and cuddled. She was fine...she had two footprints on the side of her head, but she was fine!

We went to the big playground after that and played there...without incident!

Now they are napping!

Day 7...I'm driving them all away!

Well, all good things must come to an end. It's quiet around here. Ryan has had to go back home to work, so he's flying out tonight. On his way to the airport, we dropped Ali, Erin and Katie off at Camp Ginger Cascades. We had a nice, albeit fast, dinner at Outback after dropping the girls. Cassidy and Lily stayed up on the mountain with my parents. I headed back up to Beech, while he headed the rest of the way to the airport.

Currently, he's stuck on the runway with the engines shut down waiting for weather to clear.

Day 6 in the Mountains...Tweetsie Time!

Lily was pointing and making the "h" sound...at a horse! She's so smart!!!

Erin, Cassidy and Ali on Tweetsie

Today is day 6. Ryan goes home tomorrow and the older girls head off to camp for the week, so we decided to have a fun day at our teeny, tiny, amusement park...Tweetsie Railroad.

Tweetsie itself is a beautifully restored and maintained steam locomotive. At the park, the train pulls guests around a 3 mile loop stopping along the way a couple of times for the cowboys to hold the train up and to do battle with the indians. I'm sure we're dealing with severe political incorrectness here, but it's a show!

There are shows: the "World Famous" Tweetsie Can-Can dancers and Tweetsie Cloggers, along with some somewhat hokey kids shows, a magic show and a sing and dance show.

And there are rides: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...and a chairlift. We decided to let the older girls run loose...provided they stayed together and didn't lose each other. We gave them a watch and they were very good about meeting us back at the appointed hour and location! They just wouldn't have enjoyed hanging out with the parents and the babies...ya know? They rode the "tilt-a-hurl"...I mean whirl and other vomitous rides while Cassidy and Lily stuck to the airplanes, helicopters and carousel.

The highlight of the day was waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours so Cassidy could see Dora the Explorer! I played the martyr mom and waited with Lily and the stroller while everyone else went off on rides. We could text each other, so I told Ryan when to head back down to the line for the show and meet and greet. He came back down and we traded babies. I had Cassidy on my shoulders so she could see, then we snaked through the line. She was excited! She was singing, dancing, clapping her hands. Then it was time to meet and greet! At which point she threw herself on the ground, screamed and wouldn't budge. I'm so happy I took one for the team and waited in line. In the grand scheme of things, I really don't care that she threw a tantrum...I just wish I didn't have to wait in line to see it. We walked past, well sort of a walking/dragging motion and walked right out. Little stinker! Turns out she didn't want to see Diego....just Dora. Good thing she got a tattoo!

Peace and Serenity...

I've been up for an hour. It's quiet, it's beautiful, there's a clear view of the mountains, and it's just so peaceful. What a way to begin the day!

In the Mountains...Day 5

Katie, Erin and Ali UNDER The Blowing Rock

Ali, Katie and Erin looking over The Blowing Rock

We have internet! For the first several days up here, not only did we have no internet, we had no cell coverage. We still don't have cell coverage, but at least we have some method of communicating with the outside world!

Personally, I have enjoyed the lack of contact. It bothers me that our vacations are interrupted by every day life. We're on vacation, why should email be checked from work???? I will update the blog, but probably only every couple of days.

So, we have been spending some good, quality family time since we got here. Enjoying the parks, swimming and going to a couple of touristy places. We have tried to do things that we haven't done before. We went to Mystery Hill and The Blowing Rock. Despite living here for 5 years, and vacationing here for many more, I've never been to either of these places...now I have. Mystery Hill is a fun house of sorts with bunches of optical illusions and somewhat corny exhibits. The girls, of course had a blast. Where else can you see water flow or a ball roll uphill?

Yesterday we went to The Blowing Rock. Blowing Rock is a small town with a bunch of shops and artsy stuff. It's really neat to wander Main Street and go into all of the little galleries and to play at the Town Square park or picnic by the lake behind. It's really a beautiful place to go. But the town was named after THE Blowing Rock. There is a legend of an Indian warrior being blown back up the cliff by the wind to his waiting princess. The kids thought that was pretty cool. I told them that it snows upside down there too! They thought that was cooler. We tried throwing some leaves and berries over the edge to see if they'd fly back up...leaves yes, berries no. The park is at an elevation of more than 4000 feet elevation overlooking the Johns River Gorge. The view is spectacular. Using binonculars, we could see the ski lifts and lift house on Beech Mountain! That was pretty cool. The kids had a good time on the paths and observation tower. There's nothing that make a momma more nervous than a kid leaning over a railing on a deck perched above nothing solid looking...I'm sure the trees must be holding on to something, right????

Our family week is coming to an end. On Sunday, Ryan heads back to Florida. Ali, Erin and Katie all head to Camp Ginger Cascades on Sunday as well. So, it will be Cassidy, Lily and me up here on the mountain by ourselves. But before they all head off, we'll have some more fun, so stay tuned!

~Laurel

The Subtlety of Cats...

So...I think the cats were trying to tell me something this morning.

Their near empty bag of cat food was overturned, torn open, and shredded (I think the words "feed me" were etched in the bag)...in front of the door.

I wonder if they wanted me to get more.

Cassidy, my wonder girl!

I'm pretty sure that all my kids are smart, but Cassidy just continues to amazing me!

She has been on a boat this week with my dad, Ryan, Erin and Katie. She's sad one night and on the phone tells me she wants to go home. I give her every excuse I can, but she's not hearing it. "Fly on a big airplane to get to me, Momma!" (I can't, honey, there are no more flights.) "You can drive on the bridge to get to me!" (I can't honey, it's too far of a drive.) "Well, walk!"(I can't, honey, you are out in the middle of the water!) Exasperated she sighs and says, "You can swim!"

Instead I read her two stories.

Tonight I decided to try a preemptive strike, I called around 5. She was happy and chatted about all that she'd done today and gave me a run down of all her "bloods" (boo boos). Then she says to my mom, "Grammy, I'm all done with my mom now!"

I felt a little sad and lonely...I wish she'd read me the two stories.

...and so, it has come to this...

I spent most of the day over at Jeff's house today. I wish I'd been there just to hang out, but it was anything but that. You see, my brother is moving. He's taking his family to Montana. Montana! That's nearly Canada.



Aside from brief moments in time, a year or so at the most, we've always lived near each other. The furthest apart we've been was Florida and Colorado...which is far...but Montana is farther. When he moved to Colorado, I drove with him. I helped him move into a place, then I left him there. That sucked....alot. But, we were young, we were moving around, I went to my mothership (Disney), he went to his (Keystone Ski Resort). It was what we were supposed to do.



Now, we're grownups (so our birthdays tell us), we have spouses and kids...lots of kids. It's different this time. I'm really proud of him. He's a bad-ass pilot who gets to carry a gun...it's his dream job. But, this time, he bought a house, so it looks like he's serious about this bad-ass pilot superhero gig. I'm not driving him to Montana, but I am helping him pack...which sucks...alot. Not the actual packing, just the ultimate goal...leaving.



So, to my brother, it has come to this: thank you for always being the one I can count on. For bringing flying squirrels into the house, and sharing them. For forging paths through woods unknown on Beech Mountain, they became the roadmaps of our lives. For taking me on ski trips so I could be with my friends for Spring Break. For riding the metro in DC just to see what happened at the end of the line, we came back to where we started. For always being willing to grab some eats at Fat Boys or a Frap at "'buckets". For steep turns in 95D that made me want to puke...and better yet for stopping them! For bringing me McDonalds when Tiglet and Roo were born, fajitas when Rinford was born, and Burger King at midnight when Pumpkin was born, those were some of the most delicious meals ever! For the coolest niece and nephews in the world, and the chance these last 3 weeks to really spend some quality time with them. For bartending my May Parties...the Tiki Bar will always be there for you! For that long walk around the airport last July when things really started to change, we both knew life was never going to be the same again. And for that last flight to Lakeland this morning...a $22.99 cooler, a last sub, and for waving your wings to me as you took off for the next chapter in your life. I think you're gonna like it there, but boy, how we are going to miss you here!

And just in case it wasn't clear before...this sucks.

Another year gone...

...and another summer started!



I have to brag on my kids here (where else should I do it...this is my blog!). As amazed as I am on birthdays of each of my dear daughters' gifts, on days when they all attain a milestone, I am ultimately proud! Alison has, not only survived but thrived, during her first year of middle school. Erin has effectively adopted her 4th grade teacher and brought her into our family (what would we ever do without "Herriel"). Katie soared in third grade. She was given the foundation in 2nd grade, but applied and grew what we all knew was in there somewhere to achieve in the 80th percentile on the FCAT (Florida's standardized tests)! Cassidy also wrapped up her child care days and finishes the year potty trained, knowing her colors, numbers, shapes and speaking so well I don't have to translate (though most of the time I do out of habit). Lily...well, she graduated from ISR lessons a few weeks back and has completely intentionally splashed into the water just so that she can float on her back!



I have amazing children, I know. You all can say it! This year has seen tremendous growth within our family. I can look back at pictures from our fun filled year and see what little girls I had 9 months ago. They were just kids and babies! Now I have young ladies (who burp, fart and laugh about both), a little girl and a toddler! It's said that time flies when you're having fun. Oh, how I wish it didn't.

The Best Ringtone EVER!

Ok, so I know this sounds like a strange blog entry, but I have the best ringtone on my phone! It's got all the elements of a great ringtone...its catchy, its tone is varied so you can hear it, its one of those that you hate to answer the call because it'll end! I have long searched for the perfect ringtone. I have found it, right in my own house! Can't guess what it is??? A baby's belly laugh! And not just any baby, MY baby!

We were playing with Lily a few weeks ago and she just had the greatest laugh! I told Ryan then I would give anything to have that sound when my iPhone rings. So, last night, I was playing peek-a-boo with her and she started laughing hysterically. Ryan jumped at the chance, recorded the laugh on his iPhone and converted it for mine!

I must say the first time I heard it in the car, I turned to look at Lily in the car seat. she heard it too and broke out into the cutest, biggest grin. I really hate to answer the phone, so if you call me and you go to voice mail, just know that I was probably not ignoring you, I was basking in the hypnotizing effect of my daughter's belly laugh!

Thanks honey, for making the best ringtone a mommy could ever have!

Our Crazy Weekend of Craziness...

Bye - Bye Discovery!

Lily's LOVING the ocean!!!
Two of the best friends a girl could have - Shelly and Christine!

Boy, what a weekend. On Saturday, Erin headed off with Shelly, Ashley and the rest of her girl scout troop to spend the weekend at Cypress Gardens! Along with our friends, Jorge, Christine, Sofia and Sam, the rest of us headed off to Cocoa Beach to catch the shuttle launch that afternoon. We arrived and staked out our spot on the crowded beach mere moments before Discovery blasted skyward! We all watched with our usual enthusiasm and awe as our brave astronauts headed to the space station to fix the toilet! Cassidy waved goodbye to the "rocketship". Within about 15 minutes, the beach was nearly deserted, so we enjoyed a few hours on the beach, having dinner, playing in the surf and relaxing with our friends! Lily LOVED the ocean. She really thought the waves were something else. She was laughing like a lunatic when we were in water. I have a total naked cherub picture of her too...pretty modest, but with the way the sun was shining she truly looks like the gift from heaven that she is!!!!

On Sunday, I woke up with a rotten stomach virus. Ryan, Katie and Cassidy headed off to join the girl scouts at Cypress Gardens while I stayed home with Lily and slept most of the day. The troops held a Bridging Ceremony in one of the gardens. Seven of our ten Brownies bridged to the next level and became Juniors, Katie included. Alison became a Cadette (though she was at the beach with her dad and family and couldn't attend). They had a great time around the park and enjoyed the day. I was very disappointed that I couldn't attend, but my many stand in mom friends took good care of my family...see the picture of Shelly and Christine...are those two of the best friends a girl could have or what?!?!?!

And so, we are 2 days away from the end of school and the beginning of a chaotic summer!

***BRING IT ON!!!!***