Ottawa Farms

Saturday we went about 15 miles outside of town to Ottawa Farms. It was a lot of fun. They had hay rides, goats, pig races, bouncy houses, pumpkins and those adorable barrel cow trains. Sallie Rose loved the hay ride and loved loved the cow trains. She thought they were pigs, but they were cows. I had to ride in one too, because she wasn't going to ride alone.

Piggy!

There we are, riding the cow train.

Riding it backwards.

Hay Ride

Birthday Party

Wow, we had a great weekend. We ate out a ton, which is what we always do when my Dad and Patty come to town. There are a lot of great seafood places here and some other good choices too.

The birthday party was fun, but poor Sallie Rose didn't like all the attention. She was shy when she opened her gifts with just our family and then when we sang happy birthday to her she cried really hard. She was not having that. She did play with her friends and all her new toys and enjoyed that part of the party. She of course loved the cake pops, balloons, and cupcakes.

We stood outside today and waved goodbye to Mayme, Grumps, Tara, and Kerry and cried in each other's arms. We miss them already.

Aunt Tara and Sallie Rose

Mayme, Sallie Rose, and Grumps (who I have to say Sallie Rose is growing quite fond of)

Riding her horsie with a cupcake in one hand. Real cowgirl style.

Sallie Rose and Julia

Sallie Rose and her friend, Christopher. They were baptized together.

This looks good.

I don't know about this singing


Stop! I can't handle it.

Her life in pictures

Cotton Candy cupcakes. Circus was the theme.


Sallie Rose's popcorn cupcake, made by Susan. The top part is marshmallows painted with spray food coloring.

2nd birthday

This weekend will be my lil baby's second birthday. I honestly can't believe it, I know everyone says that, but that is because it is true. I feel like just yesterday I was walking around 45 pounds heavier, waiting for my little angel to arrive and tell the World that her name is Sallie Rose Butt Beckwith. I was so proud of her already and now, well, I am more proud of her than I could have ever imagined.




Yes, there are days when I walk in her room and she yells "go away Mommy", like she is 14, but then we work it out and she gives me her awkward little hug, where she leans her shoulder into me and then "lets me hug her". There are really not many hugs and kisses from her, but we appreciate the little bit that she does give.

She really is an amazing little person already. She is smart, she is funny, and she unbearably adorable. Her little tiny hiny and her little tiny nose and that porcelain skin just makes me melt with love. She is not as good of a dancer as I had hoped, but there is still time. And she might still be a little cautious of certain people, men in general, but she at least doesn't cry hysterically when people come close to her.



She is loving school and she had her pictures taken last week, so I can't wait to see what those look like. The teacher told me she would not smile. She was so serious and just kept looking straight at the photographer with no expression. She is such a serious model.



She knows all her A, B, Cs and she can count to 20. She knows everyone who comes into her presence name and she knows all the words to almost any song she has ever sang. She can also "read" books. She has memorized many of our regular books and has begun to read them to us instead of us reading to her. She also knows what street she lives on. When we got home from our trip and we were leaving the airport, Kevin said, "Sallie Rose we are going home" and she replied by saying, "let's go to 48th Street". That is our street number. I think if she would have said our full address, I would have passed out. She is 2 and knows what street she lives on. I might be a proud Mom, but dang, some days I can't remember what street we live on.



She is my new life and my new love. I see my future in her and I am so proud of what she can become. She has so much to look forward to and I know that she has that special blood that runs through her veins from her Grandmas that will give her the heart that she needs to spend her life giving to others and sharing the talents that God gave her. I have a feeling she will be surpassing my intelligence in a few short years and I pray everyday that she uses it for the best and for helping others. No matter who she is in 5, 10, 20 years, she is my first child and will never know what she has done for me in the last year and how she has helped me and her Daddy make it through some really tough times. She is God's gift to us and I am so thankful for her and how much love she has brought to this World in such a short 2 year period. Happy 2nd Birthday Sallie Rose!!

Finally I am posting

I meant to post last week when we got back so I could tell all about our travels and Sallie Rose's travels to Texas, but I have been sick for 6 days! So, I am probably going to skip that all together and say we had fun and Sallie Rose had lots of fun and lots of ice cream and spaghetti, apparently. We did have a little trouble adjusting back to our life with her, because I am sure that she got everything that she wanted for a full week, or it is just because she was mad at us for leaving her and she is getting us back. Or maybe it is because she will be 2 in 2 weeks. Who knows? Not me.

This weekend we had a good time though. We went and played in the park yesterday, then came home and had a picnic with Daddy, and then later went and got ice cream. Today we went to Church, came home and napped and then went to a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital. They had train rides, bouncy houses, pumpkins patches, and arts and crafts. Of course all Sallie Rose wanted to do was play in the rocks. Go figure. She did want to ride the train, but was very frightened once we got on and didn't move a muscle the whole time. I am beginning to worry that this girl is going to be so afraid of everything. She did have an episode at Mayme and Grumps' house when she wouldn't even get out of the car to go see the pony. Grumps said all she did was cry and yell "shut the door". I guess I should count that as a blessing. Maybe she won't be jumping out of airplanes and doing crazy things to make her Mommy worry to death.

All in all we had a good time. She actually sat in a chair and let a lady paint her face. I was so excited, she never lets anyone touch her. Hmmm....I am beginning to see a pattern here. We made it home after a few meltdowns and now Kevin is in her bedroom trying to get her to go to bed and all I hear is her screaming "Get out", which means she wants out of her crib. Oh Sallie Rose, your Mom loves you no matter how naughty you are, because tomorrow you will wake up and tell me Good morning when I walk in your room. Start of another adventurous day.

Back ache for vacation

I have been busting my hump (yes, more than usual) to get a lot of furniture painted to make some money for our trip this weekend. I hope I can get it all sold. I am really pleased with all of it, considering a few of the pieces I picked up in back allies. Now, my back and feet are aching. Yikes, I AM getting old.

Wish me luck and lots of money so I can buy everyone souvenirs.

Labor Day and First Day of School

We went out to Kevin's parents for Labor Day. Kevin decided he wanted to take Sallie Rose on a canoe ride, so we got her a new swimsuit that is a life jacket too. She looked really funny in it. We canoed for about 20 minutes and saw dolphin. I love seeing dolphin. So exciting.

Then today was her first day back at school so here was her first day outfit. She was excited and she did really well. The teacher said that everyone else was crying and fussy, but Sallie Rose was sweet and fun. I know, she is perfect.

Cheese

Look at that model stance. Work it SR.

At Nana and Pop Pop's house. Beautiful view. We don't go out on the dock nearly enough.

What's out that window?

She asked me Saturday morning to wear her "brown tutu", so I let her. She has been a little scared of it in the past so I am glad she wanted to wear it. This is her looking out the window of her bathroom into the backyard for "my daddy". This girl loves her Daddy. Oh my goodness, I guess she really loves her parents. Which is great, because I love her to pieces. She always wants all 3 of us to go to the playroom, have family time in bed, and give family hugs. Just us 3. I can't imagine what it will be like if there is ever a 4th. I am not sure she will be keen on the idea.

We are getting close to that 23 month mark and I can feel it coming. There has been a lot of crying. I mean crying about everything. She cries almost all day, unless you are in the playroom, outside, or eating. Anything in between there will be crying. I feel bad for her, because they are real tears, but gosh dang girl, give me a break.

She has also found her comedic side. She thinks that when I ask her what she wants for breakfast that a funny response is "poo poo". I laugh of course. I love "bathroom talk" as my sister, Suzanne, refers to it. It makes me laugh; therefore, she does it more. What kind of pajamas do you want? "Poo poo". Laughing. I have tried to stop, but she says it so funny in such a Southern accent.

She also loves to do our dancing with the stars routine. This is where I hold her with her legs around my waist and then hold her body down perpendicular to my body and twirl her around while singing "Dancing with the Stars". She loves it, I get dizzy and we both fall when we try to walk. Good times.

She has also begun to realize who her family is and how much Mommy loves them and she does too. She made me get her picture down of her, Maddy, and Ally so she could read a book to it. She wants to call Mayme, Grumps, Honey and Ta Ta all the time now. I let her most of the time, but then she runs off to play and I am left talking. I am not a phone talker, so talking on the phone everyday to my Mom is not an ideal situation for me. Never the less, she knows her peeps and she loves them. We'll see how much she loves them in 2 weeks. Hells yeah! 2 Weeks and I am out of this hell hole of landlordism. Can't wait!!!! Not so ready for the airport drop off, but we'll survive.