Lydia's Newest Quilt

Lydia has quite the quilt collection, six total. She loves 'em and seems to know that they belong to her as soon as the blankets are unfolded. This quilt is especially meaningful to me because it was a collaborative effort between my mom and I. After Mom taught me to embroider, I completed the animals. We chose the colors and fabrics together. Mom did all the sewing and quilting. Megan

Vivid Highlights

The highlights from our trip to the Midwest are quite vivid! Seeing family is always so meaningful and reinvigorating for John and I. Though she almost got blown away from strong winds, Lydia did experience her first snow. She enjoyed the lights of Christmas, especially the magic trees. Best part of the trip for Lydia was easily the presents. As we opened our car doors upon arrival back at the condo, the toys practically came spilling out. Lydia was thrilled to see that the gifts actually came home with us, something she must not have considered a possibility. Overall, Lydia is an excellent traveler. She adapted to the long car rides and new places like a champ. John recently commented that I hold her to too high of a standard but she truly surpassed my expectations on this trip. Thank you Lydia! You are wonderful. Megan

A Christmas Gift

I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas and early too. John has been accepted to the Coast Guard! He was one of six chosen from around the country. I am incredibly proud of him and so looking forward to this new adventure. The Navy has been good to us but John's future as a Coast Guard Pilot looks so bright. Megan

Merry Christmas

John dressed up as Santa! Tomorrow he will be traveling in the helo to a local elementary school to spread holiday cheer.

And here is Lydia scared and hiding from Santa. Megan

Tangle

Lydia's first tangle. Many more to come, I anticipate. Megan

Chex Mix

The seasoning and butter of chex mex are Lydia's favorite part of the snack. She hands the soggy pieces of pretzel and cracker to Lucy, while keeping the chex for herself. If Lucy is a little too rough when taking a piece, Lydia will say "ouch." It does not prevent Lydia from handing Lucy the next piece. They enjoy the snack together.
Megan

Air-Conditioning in December

Besides celebrating my Birthday and getting a Christmas tree, it does not feel like December at our house. Just check out the tank dress Lydia is sporting today. We have been running the air-conditioning for over a week now! I shouldn't really complain because the warmer temps make taking Lucy on walks so much easier but I do miss winter. Add that to the many reasons we are looking forward to packing up the car and heading north in just over a week. Can't wait to celebrate Christmas with family. Megan

Lucy and Lydia

Here is a video I took this morning of Lydia helping me around the house. Lydia is completing her favorite chore, emptying the lint from the dryer. Afterwards, she becomes side-tracked by Lucy's bones. This is why Lucy loves Lydia. They certainly are in cahoots with one another. Megan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhmcgzCeoCM&feature=youtu.be

A Short Time in Wonderland

40 minutes. That is how long we lasted at today's Christmas party at John's squadron. It might have been the wrong week to introduce Lydia to open-gym. She seemed to think she should be free to roam wherever, whether it be jetting towards the running helicopter (that flew in Santa) or adamantly attempting to go in the "big-kids only" bounce house. Tantrums ensued. It was totally exhausting for both John and I. We saw the line of over a hundred kids waiting to sit in Santa's lap and were in agreement that Lydia didn't need to sit on Santa's lap this year. Megan

Open Gym

This week we attended preschool open gym twice at our local gymnastics studio. With cooler temps and an active girl, this is a great activity. I cannot stress enough that Lydia loves it--she runs from station to station, climbs high up on the mats, jumps into the nerf block pit, and bounces on the trampolines. Of course I try not to compare Lydia to the other toddlers there but let me just say that so far Lydia is the only child I have seen who will a) roll a ball to another child in hopes of playing together and b) stop mid-activity to do a little dance if the right song comes over the sound system. I am a proud and lucky mom. Now if only I had won the lottery this week! Given half a billion dollars, I would quickly buy a house and convert the basement to our own gymnasium fully-equipt with tumbling floors, padded walls and all the fun stuff. For now, a few hours a week will do. Megan

Bright Lights

Our family had a beautiful Thanksgiving, thanks to seventy degree weather and a meal catered by our local grocery store. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas is in full swing at our home. We were the first to purchase a tree from our local Walmart, something we are oddly proud of. Speaking of bright lights, we had a bit of a fire here at Summerwind on Friday night. The flames could be viewed from our balcony coming from the neighboring building to the west. An electrical fire in the penthouse hot tub was the cause. Firetrucks arrived quickly and put out the blaze with damage luckily limited to the outdoor patio area. Five different counties responded to the emergency, making me feel safe and secure. Megan

Developmental Burst!

Lydia went through a huge developmental burst last week. Overnight, she went from not being able to do her shape-sorter, to being able to do it on her own, along with two other wooden puzzles. Out of no where, Lydia started singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. My favorite change? She is eating regular food, regularly. Goodbye baby food! Oh, and John tells me that on their bike rides together, Lydia amuses herself by pulling down the back of John's shorts and then giggling when he shrieks. Megan

Simply Beautiful

We spent a lovely afternoon at the beach. To me, these photos speak for themselves. Megan

Big, Sexy Hair

Let's talk about Lydia's curls. Needless to say, I love 'em. It makes me sad when I lay her down in the crib because I know when she wakes up, they will be all smooshed and flat. John likes to say that Lydia has "big, sexy hair," which is the name of my hairspray. He is right though. A lot of women, myself included, would love loose ringlets like these. Megan

A Captivating View

Two wonderful things about late Fall in Navarre....One, the sun moves farther to the south at sunsets. We can now view the beauty from our balcony. Two, no chair guy on the beach, leaving the beach empty and serene all day long. Megan

Dancing Queen

Lydia has become quite the dancer! Click on the link to check out her moves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHngScpWGBY&feature=youtu.be Megan

Lydia Plays Favorites???

Lydia has started saying the word Lucy, only she says it as "Ewww-See." Lydia says it much more often than the word Mama. Not sure how I feel about that. Megan

November 1

Today marks the end of our fourth hurricane season in our condo. We survived unscathed again. The images of Sandy's destruction on TV make us feel so fortunate. Megan

Halloween Treat for Adults

I highly recommend this simple method of making a single cup of hot apple cider. The warmth and seasonal sweetness is one of my favorite things. It also helps if your toddler plays happily on her own while you enjoy it. Thank you Lydia!
3/4 cup apple cider
2 whole cloves
1 tsp brown sugar
1 inch of cinnamon stick
Microwave for two minutes. Once it has cooled slightly, remove spices and enjoy.
Megan

Autumn in Florida

Autumn has finally arrived. I love putting on a sweatshirt first thing in the morning. I enjoy the smell and feel of turning on the heat in the car for the first time. I look forward to Halloween, then Thanksgiving and of course Christmas. Today we headed north to explore a pumpkin patch. We admired cotton and sunflower fields along the way. The pumpkins frustrated Lydia as she was unable to lift them. The corn-pit was more up her alley. We were handed hot-boiled peanuts as we left. Surprisingly, I rather enjoyed them. Megan

Squadron Halloween Party

Lydia dressed up like a sparkly butterfly for the squadron Halloween party yesterday. You can't quite tell from this photo but she was covered with rhinestone stickers. Lydia was ecstatic to put on her wings and join the kids in the trick-or-treat fun. She even helped her dad pass out candy from his office. I love that Lydia is now able to truly participate in holiday festivities. It makes me look forward to Christmas. So much fun to come! Megan

More Raspberries Please!

Lydia has started eating a real fruit, raspberries! And by eating I mean actually enjoying and ingesting them! She would not touch the homemade banana bread but I keep reminding myself that when it comes to Lydia's eating, every little step forward is a huge success. Megan

Reconnecting with an Old Friend

We spent the past week reconnecting with one of our dearest friends. Kevin, thanks for the laughter and great company! Megan

Lydia at 16 Months

The past month has been wonderfully busy. Today was the first time in several weeks that I stopped and truly looked at Lydia. She has grown so much! Her baby-ness is completely gone--both in actions and looks. She is a gorgeous little girl now who can open doors and climb up on the furniture. Megan

Sleep Training Take Four

Here we go again. Lydia has started waking up around three in the morning screaming for us to rub her back. I don't necessarily mind being there for her (I've given up on a solid night's sleep) but what once was sweet time spent between parent and child has now become a two hour ordeal in which Lydia cries every time we tip-toe out of her room. We have completed night two of cry-it-out. Here we go again and it doesn't get any easier. Megan

Big Smiles

Sharing big smiles with my favorite girl. Megan

One More Pic

Here is a pic of the crew at our poolside BBQ. Megan

Family Coming Together

John and I have watched many a family reunite here at Summerwind. With envy, we admire their poolside BBQs and late night sand-crab hunts. Finally it was our turn for a big family gathering! October provided us with perfect weather for most of John's family to join us in Navarre for a week of sun and fun. Phyllis from Columbia, Joe from D.C., Emilee and family from England, Peggy and Jim from Annapolis; the distance between them makes a time when they all come together incredibly special. My only regret is that I did not get a photo of the entire crew. Here is a collection of some of my favorites. Megan

New Favorite Word

Lydia loves saying "baby" and I love hearing it! Click on the link to listen. Lydia enjoys Earth's Best brand of baby food because every jar has a picture of a baby about her size on it. You also can get an idea of the mess we get to clean up after each meal. Megan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C2cLWlmrck&feature=youtu.be

Is this Safe?

Safety has been in the forefront of my mind lately. It seems like everything Lydia does begs the question "Is this safe?" Is it safe to let Lydia suck on a loose cube of ice? Is it safe to let Lydia spin while standing on the sofa? Is it safe to let Lydia put [clean] toilet paper in her mouth? Is this picture safe? Megan

Who Wouldn't Want to Hire this Guy!?!?!?

Application packet and interview are complete! John received positive feedback on both pieces. Now we just wait to hopefully hear some good news come late December. Megan

Growing like a Weed

Lydia had her 15 month check-up today. She falls at the 60th percentile for weight (23 big ones!) and 89th for height. The doctor was not concerned in the least that Lydia still eats baby food, a relief to me. A great visit to the doc, minus the three shots and tears. An aside, when I showed Lydia this picture in the viewfinder on the camera, she gave herself a kiss. Megan

Can You Find Lydia?

Lydia's new game is hide-and-seek. So far she has two hiding spots, the closet and the curtains, but every time I find her she bursts into laughter. There is nothing better than seeing Lydia so happy. Megan

The Golden Period

When it comes to parenting, I have found that Lydia and I follow a specific pattern. She changes. I struggle to keep up. Stress. John and I problem solve and eventually adjust. Lydia and I sync-up, thus referred to the Golden Period in my mind. We are in a Golden Period right now. From zoo visits to the Blue Angels direct fly-over (thrilling for both of us!), we are having fun together. Megan

Flying Toddler

Lydia's favorite word continues to be "up", which she pronounces very distinctly as "uhhh...puh!" When she says it to me, and she says it almost every time I sit down, it means I want to play in your lap. When she says it to John, which is also quite often, it means she wants to fly through the air. John's poor shoulders... Megan

Zoo Shots

Today Lydia and I headed to the zoo, which has become our favorite outing. It was a little warm so we had the entire zoo to ourselves, a treat. I noticed that the zoo sponsors an annual amateur photography contest. Lydia and I make it to the zoo about once a week so I figure if I take a few shots each visit, I could possibly have a leg up on the competition. Here are my two best photos from today's zoo visit, one of a llama and one of a bongo. Megan

An Empty Parking Lot

This empty parking lot is a wonderful thing. We are officially through with the high tourism season. No more jam-packed elevators and loud pool parties. Bring on the cooler temps! I'm ready to open up the sliding doors to the ocean breezes and throw on a cuddly sweatshirt. Megan

My Sunshine Helper

It is adorable outfits like this one that makes me tickled I had a little girl! It may be gray outside but Lydia is bright and happy. Lydia has become my sunshine helper, helping me with almost every household task. Yesterday she carried in the groceries. When I say "Thank you Lydia!" she lights up. Some of the groceries, such as Daddy's sushi tray, may end up disheveled as she drags the bags along the floor. Luckily John finds it just as sweet as I do. Today, she is my dishwasher-unloader. Thank you Lydia! Megan