FLORIDA!

We want to Sarasota, Florida over spring break recently and had a great time. Don't be too jealous - it rained quite a bit of the time that we were there. I'm not complaining though. Compared to the weather in Chicago, it was absolutely glorious.

We managed to squeeze in a couple of beach days, and we had so much fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Kitty (a.k.a. Chris's Mom and stepdad) in their beautiful new home. (All those photos below that are taken in front of the plate glass window, with the gorgeous foliage outside? Yeah. That's their living room.)

We also went to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for the day to see Winter the dolphin and her new friend Hope, which was a definite highlight of the trip. Chris and I even got a couple of nights to ourselves! Two yummy dinners alone, acting all like adults and shizz, plus an exquisite evening seeing my beloved Indigo Girls in concert. So. Nice. All in all, an awesome trip with dear family that ended way too soon.

Some photos below. Enjoy!

Pull my string and watch me go

We made our annual trek to Ohio with the Dippel family and had a glorious week, as usual.

Honestly, the above sentence just took me fifteen minutes to write. Camp is over, school hasn't started yet, and I've been stuck at home with both girls for most of August. After weeks of constant conflict resolution between my warring darlings, my brain has officially stopped working. I've become like one of those dolls you buy in the store that says certain things every time you pull a string in its back. I automatically shout "NO!" and "Stop it!" and "Have you lost your MIND?" when nudged, and otherwise my brain is in sleep mode.

Because I don't have a spare five hours to compose an eloquent paragraph about our vacation, I'm just gonna leave it at this: We had fun. Check out the videos below if you want a laugh. Our poor children, born into theatrical families...and poor us, too. Please, save a little of your sympathy for us?

Florida, I am telling you...you're gonna love me

As previously mentioned, we spent a week in Sarasota, Florida over Christmas. It was my step-grandmother-in-law's (you follow that?) 90th birthday party, and the entire Wilson clan flew in for the event. It was great to reconnect with family we don't often get to see. We shared living quarters with Chris's stepbrother Paul, his wife Carrie, and their three awesome kids. By the time we left, I think Emma and Sophie were seriously considering asking Paul and Carrie to adopt them. It was a total lovefest. Between all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents vying for their attention, the girls were in serious happyland. Believe it or not, this birthday was the first I'd ever spent away from my family, and my in-laws surprised me with a cake at Christmas dinner. Even taking into consideration the ridiculous hat they forced onto my head requested I wear (see pic below), it was a super sweet gesture that I really appreciated. All told, we had a great visit. In fact, the only disappointing thing about the trip was the weather.

During our last trip to the Sunshine State, I began to suspect that Florida had something against us. After our most recent visit, I can confirm that Florida most certainly does dislike my family. The minute we arrived, Florida gave us the cold shoulder. Admittedly, the weather was still much more pleasant than what was going on back home in Chicago. I will even concede that Florida granted a brief weather reprieve on my birthday, and for a couple of hours I basked in the sun and studiously ignored the goosebumps flooding my flesh every time the wind changed direction. (Thank you, Florida.) However, the rest of the trip was jacket weather. The only day the temps edged past 70 was the day we were leaving, of course. Still, Florida was slightly warmer to us than she was back in February. I sense marginal progress. And I do love a challenge. So...Florida? Hear me now. I refuse to be deterred by your hostile overtures. We will continue to visit, and eventually, we will win you over. I promise you, one day you will weep sunbeams of joy the minute my family crosses the state line. Just you wait. And until then...game on.

And now...a few words from our sponsor pics from our trip.

 

 Christmas morning

 Happy birthday to me...and Jesus!

 The girls with G. & G. Kitty

 We clean up well, no?

 Dinner at the Ritz with the whole family. Fun fun fun.

Outside! In their swimsuits! IN THE WATER! Gotcha, Florida...take THAT!

Chillin' on the beach with my homegirl, Sophie P.

Sophie on a Wednesday

Woke up to Sophie's bloodcurdling screams. Terrified, I literally ran to her room, convinced she had somehow managed to set herself on fire or sever a limb. As soon as Sophie caught sight of me, all screeching ceased and she broke into a huge grin. "Mommy, hi! You're awake! Can we please go climb a mountain today?"

The girls had a great time in Florida with their grandparents and the entire Wilson clan. (I promise to post pictures soon!) Aunt Carrie crocheted scarfs for the girls, and Sophie loved being her crocheting assistant.

Carrie attached a little bell to the end of the scarf, which rings every time Sophie experiences sudden movement. Sophie usually loves the ringing, but in the car today, she wasn't feeling it. "Ma-maaaaa! Every time you make the car do fast, it brings my jingle down. Don't bring my jingle down, okay?"

During the same aforementioned car ride, Sophie pointed up at an airplane with a huge plume of dark smoke trailing behind it. "Look, Mama! That airplane tooted out poop all over da sky!"

Sophie: "I saw Santa Claus last morning."
Me: "You did? Where did you see Santa?"
Sophie: "On the street. He was walking around and looking for where all the Christmas went."

When we left for Florida, there was snow all over the ground. Upon our return, it was gone. This confused Sophie greatly. I explained that when we went to Florida, the snow melted away. She seemed satisfied with that response, and I thought the conversation was over. Then today, out of nowhere, she looked out our window and burst into tears. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Mommy, why did Florida dead kill our snowman?" she wailed.

Sophie has finally started attempting to go #2 on the toilet (as opposed to timing her bowel movements for naps or bedtime so she can use a pull up, which has been her impressively successful avoidance strategy for the last six months). Tonight was her second straight success on the potty. "Hooray!" I shouted. "What do you have to say for yourself, big girl?" Sophie beamed and exclaimed, "Yay! I go poop just like a dolphin!"