Without Acessories We're Just Animals

Big news! Blake is walking. A few weeks ago we went to Florida to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Allie & Uncle Rory. Blake wasn't going to make the trip without a new pair of shoes. On the advice of a friend, I decided to try a pair of Keens. I wasn't sold on them, then the saleswoman put them on Blake's feet. She went crazy, kicking and giggling. I bought the shoes. This confirms that Blake is smarter than me. She knows a sucker when she sees one. Off to Florida we went new shoes in hand. As soon as we got to our condo she was walking everywhere, turning around and picking things up. It was amazing.  She's spent the past 15 months watching and taking notes on how to do just about everything. All she needed was the right shoes. My girl.

It doesn't stop with the shoes. On that same trip she started caring around her changing pad like a purse. When we got home I gave her a little purse with an old cell phone in it. Loved it. Every toy that has a hole in the middle is now a bracelet.

Since she was born someone was always asking if she looked more like me or Josh, then telling me that she looks like Josh. Why ask? Who cares who she looks like. She's got my sense of style. The importance of accessories should never be underestimated. I taught her that.

The trip to Florida was really great. We spent a lot of time with Allie and Rory before their big move to Oregon. We had family pool time and even went to see Mickey Mouse. Josh and I made a parental decision that Grandma and Aunt Allie can take Blake back to Disney while Josh and I go on our own vacation.

Blake got quality time with Grandma and Grandpa too. Josh's parents are really into games. Many of those games involve cards, which I hate. but with this trip came a new game. Dominoes. I love this game. I'm going to force Josh and whoever else is around to play. Brian, if you're reading this, it's on. Family travel season is over and I would say it was a success.

Since we've been home I've been trying to pack a few exciting outings into the end of our summer. The entire family has done the State Fair and the zoo. The most interesting thing about these outings is that Josh had never been to a state fair, crazy. I made sure that he visited all of the important barns and ate all the right fair food. Blake seemed to enjoy everything but the full grown pigs. Their size and all of that noise was a little intimidating. We’ve also been visiting the local park as much as possible, which is a lot more exciting with my little walker.

For anyone that is interested, the lawn is back to green. I caught and removed one chipmunk. Things are looking up.

Until next time