Weekend

What a busy weekend!  It's weekends like this where ya need a weekend to recover from the weekend!  Friday evening we had big fun at George's going to see Pat Green play.  He is awesome and always puts on a super fun show.  My buddy Matt took me to my first show when I was in grad school and since then, I think I've only missed one of his shows and that was right after Sara Kate was born.  I've even turned some friends onto his music!  Its easy to get hooked.  Look him up if you aren't familiar with him!  Anyway, Chris and I went, along with my friends Julie and Erica, one of Erica's friends, and we met up with my friend Peter and one of his friends.  Fun times!  

I know this is a blurry pic but unfortunately it's the only one I got of me and Chris.

Check out Pat!!  We got super close to the stage and even managed to find a guitar pick for Chris!

A big thanks to Chris' parents for keeping Sara Kate over night because we got home pretty late!

Saturday morning Chris had to leave for Little Rock for a school event, which is too bad because he missed out on our fun day.  He left the house at 8:30 and I left the house at 9:00 for Sara Kate's gymnastics class.  After her class, we had a window of time with no plans and the weather was beautiful.  I called my friend Brandy and we ended up meeting her and Landry at the playground so the girls could play.  Perfect!!  Our girls are such sweet little friends and it's so fun to watch them together.  They are almost the same size and they play together so well, it's easy to forget they are a year apart in age.

After playing for a good hour, we had to head home for nap time.  We had a short window of time to get a nap in because Hannah was coming to play!!  Of course a certain someone didn't want to nap so I was a mean mama and played the 'if you don't nap you can't see Hannah' card!  One of these days that trick will back fire on me, ha!  Our Razorbacks were playing Texas A&M, and my sister in law, Jenny, was coming to the game with me since Chris was out of town.  It's fun to spend time together without the kids, which we never get to do, so I was glad she wanted to go.  She brought Hannah with her to spend time with Sara Kate.  Those girls LOVE each other so any time they get to spend together is wonderful!  We dropped them off at Meme's house around 2:30 and headed to tail gate.

 

Seriously, right after that picture was taken, the bottom fell out!  Rain rain rain!!!!  Pouring rain!!  Raining so hard you couldn't hardly see!  But we pressed on and headed to our friends house for some pre-game fun.  Thankfully I had a pair of RED rain boots in the car that I bought back in April when I went to the Dave Matthews concert and it was supposed to rain.  I figured back then those boots would come in handy.  Sure glad they just HAPPENED to be in the car Saturday! :-)

Thankfully the rain had pushed through by the time the game started so it turned out not too bad...

 

Until half time, when this weird fog started rolling in over the stadium, the wind changed direction, the temperature dropped, and it started misting rain again.  It got kind of miserable, the cold wet kind of miserable, but our Hogs were playing so well that nobody left!  The stadium was rocking!  We kept it close with the #9 team in the country until the very end, and that's all we could of asked for.  We love our Hogs and will end up back on top one of these days!

Today the cousins had some more play time, as Hannah and Jenny spent the night with us last night.

They were both tearful when it was time to say goodbye after lunch, but we know they'll be together again soon!  The afternoon and evening were lazy, spent doing alot of nothing...mainly just lots of playing inside and outside.

Oh, one more thing to note about the weekend is that Sara Kate somehow ended up with a black eye and we have no idea how!  We asked her what happened and all she says is, 'I fell.'  So who knows!  I'm sure it'll look pretty tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!

Sickness & Fake Sickness

Saturday started out as a perfectly normal day.  Sara Kate had gymnastics, we ran errands, came home and had lunch, and that afternoon we ended up going to Berryville so the cousins could play. 

 

The kids had tons of fun and before we left, we all ate dinner together at this new Mexican restaurant.  On the way home Sara Kate started talking about her stomach hurting but we just kind of ignored it because she was very tired.  Plus she was thinking back to when she got sick one time over the summer.  But at 4 am, she came into our room.  I intercepted her at the door and took her back to her bed where she started shaking and whining and crying and saying she felt sick.  She would run to the toilet and just cough.  Nothing.  We would cuddle.  Then she would run to the toilet and just cough.  Nothing.  About 4:45 she layed back down and I told her I would sit beside her.  Then she bolted up and ran towards the bathroom and actually started throwing up.  After that we cuddled on the couch where she fell back asleep but I couldn't so I watched reruns of football games and Sports Center on ESPN.  Right as I was getting ready to doze off, she woke up (around 6:30) and she acted fine!  She wanted to play but we still decided it would be best if she stayed home from church.  

 

Around 8:00 she layed down in the chair and dozed off but 30 minutes later she shot up and into the bathroom she went.  She threw up again.  To make a long story short she got sick 2 more times, but once was because she drank too much too fast.  I'm convinced it was something she ate Saturday night that made her sick because of what came back up and the fact that she never ran a fever.  She fell asleep around 1:30 and when she woke up at 2:30 she was fine.  We played the rest of the day...puzzles, books, swinging, going down the slide, and riding her bike.

 

She played hard and was worn out by 8:00!  Good thing because mama was worn out too!!

This morning on the way to school, she starting talking about when her stomach was hurting and when she got sick because she went to see Hannah Saturday.  I explained to her she wasn't sick now and she got sick because of something she ate.  At almost 11:30, I got a call from her teacher.  Miss Julie said Sara Kate was crying and whining and kept going to the bathroom because she needed to throw up and would just cough...the exact same series of events that happened Saturday night before she threw up.  So I left work and went and got her.  They were so nice and wrapped up her lunch that she didn't touch for me to bring home.  I even picked her up a Sprite from Sonic on the way home to help settle her stomach.  When we got home she acted like she was going to run to the bathroom, but then she said, 'I'm ready to play!'  And she did.  She played with her Little People, she played puzzles, she ran around, she twirled, she wanted to go outside, and she even ate her lunch.  I think that little turkey played me!!!!   

By 2:00 when she still wouldn't go down for a nap I told her that if she didn't take a nap, I was taking her back to school!!  That's all it took for her to nap.  Mama is so mean, ha!  Sure, I have work to do, but being home on a random day with my kid isn't so bad.  The weather is nice so we have taken advantage of it and played outside.  In all reality, I think maybe her stomach started hurting and she automatically started thinking of Saturday night because it was so recent and she thought she was going to be sick.  I think that's probably what happened.  But it's ok.  When it comes to being sick, I'm sure at this point in her young life she doesn't know any better.  Hopefully she is fine and doesn't end up getting sick later.  Fingers crossed! :-) 

Tiny Dancer

Something I have been waiting patiently for for 3 years has finally happened.  Sara Kate has started dance!!!  

Back in June she started gymnastics (which I still need to write about), but I decided she wasn't ready in the summer for dance and that we would start in the fall.  I'll be honest and say I have been so excited at the thought of enrolling her in dance ever since we found out we were having a girl.  I was a dancer and took dance for 15 years, starting before I turned 3, so for a girl it's what I know.  

Here's a throw back for ya...my first recital when I was 3 and 1/2.  It's a tiny little picture and not the best quality, but it was from 1983, I think!! :-)

Sara Kate's dance classes started 3 weeks ago, and I think she's doing great.  Because she is almost 3 and 1/2 (beginning of October), they let her into the 3.5-4.5 year old class, instead of putting her in the 2.5-3.5 year old class.  I was very thankful for that because she is a follower and she tends to do better following older kids as opposed to being the oldest and being the leader.  She is taking a combination ballet/tap class and it is so stinking cute to watch.  They do ballet for about 25 minutes and do tap for another 25 minutes.  Her teacher seems to be very patient and good with the girls and they seem to do a very good job listening to her.

The sweetest little ballet shoes...I cannot convince her to put the tights on her feet!!  Silly girl!

Parents aren't allowed in the studio, but they have cameras in the studios and televisions in the lobby so we can watch.  I wish I could watch her more, but I understand the distraction factor with mommys and daddys watching.  Sometimes she's standing on a dot at the edge of the screen and I can barely see her, but for the most part I can keep an eye on her.

The top screen is her class and that is Sara Kate tip-toeing across the room, doing what she's supposed to be doing, yay! Haha!

Overall, I think she really likes going to dance class.  One day last week she randomly said, 'Mommy, I really want to go to dance class.'  I said, 'Dance class is on Tuesday and today is Wednesday.  What's your favorite thing about dance class?'  She said, 'I get to be a pretty ballerina.'  Melt my heart!  When she's older and has enough knowledge to form her own opinions, if she tells me she doesn't want to take dance I will say ok.  If she ever wants to be in sports, I will say ok.  She can be whatever she wants to be and do whatever she wants to do.  I just want her to be happy.  But she sure looks happy twirling around like a 'pretty ballerina' and I just love it!!

Thankful on September 11

Last year we started a new 'tradition.'  I think I can call it a tradition because we did it for a second time today, and I feel strongly that it's something we will continue to do in the future.  I read online somewhere that on 9/11, as a thank you to our firemen, policemen, or first responders, we should do a good deed or thank them in some way.  The best way I can think of to thank them is with food!  I was short on time this year, as this has been a crazy week, so I made some frosted brownies, and we went to visit the firemen who service our area.  This morning I told Sara Kate we were going to the firehouse after school and she was so excited.  Last year she was terrified once we got there, but every time we have driven by that firehouse in the last year she has said, 'We went to the firehouse and saw the firemen and I got my picture taken with the firemen.  I want to go see them again.'  Even though she was terrified, it made an impression on her...the whole point of this adventure.  You can read about last year's trip to the fire station here.  Anyway, she was excited to go visit them today and give them our 'super special dessert'...her words!

 

She walked right into the fire house and gave the nice man our brownies.  I say nice man because he was so nice and friendly, but unfortunately, I didn't get his name!

 

He invited us to go into the garage area and see the trucks, which Sara Kate was so excited about!  Last year she didn't want out of my arms.  This year she walked around like a pro and looked at everything and even took pictures by herself!!

He offered to let her get in the truck with mommy and honk the horn but she wasn't into that!!  That is the one time she got shy!  We made big strides this year so maybe next year! :-)

She wanted to go see all the trucks!  She walked around each one looking at them in awe.  It really amazed me seeing her so enthralled with everything.

We told the firemen thank you for all they do to keep us safe, and we went on our way.  Sara Kate gave the sweetest hugs without even being prompted.

Giving these wonderful men some brownies or cookies or whatever is just a small token of our appreciation.  I hope they always know how grateful our community is to have them every day, not just on a memorial day like September 11.  And by doing this tradition, I hope Sara Kate grows up respecting these men (and women) and remembering that they are always out there keeping us safe.

Game Day!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Haha...

Saturday began a glorious season in Fayetteville, Arkansas...FOOTBALL SEASON!!  We have been on pins and needles waiting for our first game and for the Coach Bielema era to begin and it's finally here!  We always look forward to football season...football in the south is a way of life!  I know it sounds corny but it's true.  Our Saturday's revolve around what time the game is, what time we go tailgate before the game, the time we get to spend again with friends after the game waiting for traffic to let up, what kind of food we are going to enjoy, what we are going to drink that day, what we are going to wear, etc.  Needless to say, it's a fun time!  

Sara Kate had an adorable new dress to wear (thank you Rhea Lana sale!!) but much to my dismay, I couldn't get a good picture of her or a good family picture before we left.  She had been up since 5:45 and it was getting close to the time she would have napped.  It's not the perfect image I always have in my head, but it's pretty cute.

We headed to the home of our friends, the Morton's, and the festivities began!!  Lots of good food, good friends, and good fellowship ensued!  My parents always come up Labor Day weekend and it's kind of become a tradition that them and Sara Kate come to the first tailgate with us.

 

 

  Sara Kate tends to be a chip thief...caught red handed...little sneak!

 

But she's a super cute chip thief if I do say so myself! :-)

Along with lots of human interaction, there is plenty of canine interaction at these affairs.  This is new baby Lola!  And you can see Penny in the background. :-)

 

This is Baxter.  He's a cool trick dog when it comes to the pool!

Wade appears to joyfully be on dog patrol...ha!

The fun guy on the right is our friend Richy, and he's from Dublin, Ireland.  He is pictured with his lovely wife Joanna and his parents, who are in town visiting for a couple of weeks!  So fun that they got to experience Hog Ball!

Sara Kate loved having her buddy Landry at the party!  They are too cute together!!

I love her and her mama so much!

And finally, these are my beautiful, awesome friends.  Love them too!  We couldn't find Leah but she should be in this picture also!! 

The one thing we were not looking forward to about Saturday was the heat!!  Our first game of the season was at 3:00 in the afternoon and it was almost 100 degrees, with a heat index of right over 100 degrees.  Miserable!  Thankfully the University allowed us to bring in an empty water bottle and they had water coolers stationed all over the stadium so we could go refill for free to keep hydrated.  That was nice!  I think I filled our bottle up 4 times!  Chris took his camera to the game and got some awesome images!  He told me I should take mine but I'm sure my pictures wouldn't come close to his!  Unfortunately we sit in the nosebleed section, but one advantage is we can see everything!

 

 

 

Over all we had a super fun day.  The game was waaaaay hot but fun...we won 34-14, yay!! After the disappointment of last season, anything is an improvement!!  But the offense looked really good and the defense showed glimpses of good things and glimpses of not so good things.  And we still can't figure out why Coach B had on a white jacket on a 100 degree day...I'm talking a long sleeve jacket, zipped all the way up!!  Wow!  But game 1 is in the books and we are looking forward to our next game and the rest of the season!  Go Hogs!!