Layla's First Camping Trip

This weekend we took Layla girl on her very first camping trip. Real camping too (none of that pansie ass trailer / pop-up camper camping)! ;) We traveled far, all the way to Pike Lake State Park on Hwy 60. This was our attempt at ensuring we had an emergency escape route in case things got hairy with the kids (Mason, who's just over 18 months old) and the Schultz's came along for the experience. Thank God for that strategy, because Saturday afternoon it rained cats and dogs. We decided to pack up only the necessities after the rain hit and head back to the Sherman pad for dinner and clean up, with the intent to go back to the site after the rain. After realizing the rain wasn't going to have mercy on us, we surrendered and took a knee on camping. But, we made it a fun night w/the kids and grown ups at "Camp Sherman". :)

Friday night and Saturday were suuuuper fun... Bless Jason and Jake... they hit the campsite early on Friday afternoon and got everything set up for us so that when the wives and kids arrived we were all set to camp and have fun! Friday night we cooked up some grub, chased the kids around the fire to avoid any charred toddlers, threw the ball for the addict, Hudson, while Marley observed Hudson and relaxed with the humans. The kids had a blast with the glow sticks we brought for them (see video) and loved sitting by the fire with the grown ups. Both kids did fantastic (except for one random outburst from Layla during the night) sleeping in the tents and on Saturday both families (separately, due to conflicting nap times) hit the beach for some fun in the sun. While we were there, Layla lucked out and got to climb into a fire truck and ambulance (there was a family reunion going on and the Hartford Fire Dept came as an event for the day).

Once the beach trip was over, we headed back to the site. The rain started shortly after we got back from the beach, and it was coming down like it hadn't rained in years. When the rain started to creep into our tents, we made the executive decision to bail.

All in all, the trip was a success and I'm looking forward to many more camping trips with our little trooper in the future!

More pictures to come... Blogger is being a jack ass right now (as it always is... does anyone hate Blogger?).

Meyer's Visit and 4th of July

Alright... So I've continued on with my legacy of being a bad mommy blogger. I've got nothing to say about that except that we've been busy and I just can't stomach being on the computer any longer than I have to since I'm glued to it during the week at work. Boo.

I'll start w/the Meyer visit. Theresa ("Auntie Tee"), Brian ("BMeyer"), Logan ("Logie") and Cody ("Stinky Mouse") came to visit two weekends ago. Theresa was a peach and spoiled me with about 87 bottles of choice wine and a facial at Azana spa! Thanks girlie... I let Theresa take all the snaps for the weekend, and because she's some sort of super blogger mommy, she had the snaps and summary of our weekend posted w/in days of their visit. What better way to share our weekend w/ The Sherman Life blog followers than to plagerize her entry?? But before doing so, here's my contribution: The weekend with the Meyer's was great. Here's a visual to sum it up:

And, for more details on the fun, take a look at Theresa's bad mama jama entry.

The 4th of July this year was Layla's first experiencing full on fireworks... and man did she love them!!! Her favorite part was sitting on Jenny's lap, yelling out the colors of each of the fireworks as they blasted off. Did she sit by her mommy and daddy you ask? Nope. She misses Jenny and Pup dearly, so sat on Jenny's lap, right next to Pup. Too funny.

This year was also the first time Layla actually joined the rest of the kids (Roemer kids) at chasing candy that was thrown out at the parade. Honestly, watching her stand at the curb and hesitate when mommy yelled, "Layla run! Go into the road and get some candy!" was endearing and hilarious... All this time we've been telling her to "Never, ever, ever go in the road without holding a grow-up's hand," and now her very own mommy is basically pushing her into the road right in front of a monster fire truck. In the end, she made out with a lot of candy and had a blast doing it. I think the 4th of July might be her new favorite holiday.

My pocket full of sunshine... with her new "magic" glasses that turn to sun glasses when she goes outside.

The fam at the fireworks... before Layla decided to trade families.

The Roemer babies... Clay and Ally. So festive!

Future lovers. See how Layla is trying to be promiscuous??? Oye.

Prima Ballerina

Layla's first curtsey! Awe!!!
I love being a dancer!!!
Chhheeeeeeeeze (and, Hudson says Cheese too... the big dummy wouldn't get out of the darn pic)!
She HAD to sit in her car to pose for a picture. Hilarious.

Yesterday was Layla girl's very first day of dance class. She's taking ballet, tap, jazz and poms at the Dream Center in Hartford. It was adorable and heart warming all at the same time (and, a little sad, as my little baby is not a little baby anymore, but instead a beautiful ballerina full of curiosity and wonder ready for her first dance).

The dance studio is set up so that parents can stay and watch, but the kids aren't distracted because we're behind a one-sided mirror. Instead of pressing their mugs up against a window, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Come in here! See me dance," they instead admire themselves in the mirror while their mommys (and yes, some daddys) admire them from the other side. It's priceless.

I wasn't able to take pictures at the actual dance class for two reasons; 1) I'm not sure they would've turned out through the one-sided mirror / window thingie and 2) I forgot my camera. Yep. I did... Give me a break, it was a suuuuuper long day at work and I think I was just so JAZZED about dance starting that it was all I could do not to forget my own shoes. I did, however, take pictures in the back yard after class. LOVE how proud she looks!!

Happy Birthday to the Most Distinguished Dog in the World

Dear Hudson,

Today, you are five years old. In human years, that's 35. So, you have surpassed the age of your owners and are now the "senior" in the house. What an accomplishment, and what a shock... These past five years have flown by like nobody's business. When we brought you home, you were a tiny, fat little pup, who's ears dangled on the floor when you ran. You were a champ from the start and loyal from day one.

Hudson, you were my baby boy and my little one who "needed me" just after your daddy left on deployment. Although you were a complete and TOTAL spaz for the first year (okay, three years), you made me laugh, kept me on my toes, and brought many smiles to my face when you'd nuzzle me and fall asleep on my shoulder (all 65 lbs of you, eventually).

We're looking forward to making more wonderful and hilarious memories with you. One that we'll add to the memory books that just happened yesterday; After five years, you finally grew up the courage to jump out of the back of your dad's truck. Thankfully, Jake was only traveling about 3mph, but in any event, I'd really like to know the thoughts that were running through your head at that moment because man, it was a far drop. Jake said that all of a sudden, he looked to his left and BAM, there you were. Looking at him like, "Holy Shit. I did it. And it wasn't nearly as glorious as I thought it was going to be. It was scary as hell and I just saw my life flash before my eyes. Tennis balls and all."

Happy Fifth Birthday, Huddy Duds. Dudley Joes. Duddies. Roy. Roysiph. Slap Nuts. Porch Hound. Randolf. Shovely Joe. H Dazz. Hud Dazz if you will. Thunder Foot.

And, of course, The Most Distinguished Dog in the Word.

Summer Time...

These two play so great together... This is Layla splashing water on Hudson so he doesn't pass out from the heat. What a good sister! ;)
Someone is on a mission... Love the frown of concentration.
Man I love havin' a pool! This is so awesome!
Check me out. I look good in this suit don't I?

Thank you for my bouncy house Cindy and Hallie!!

This is my bouncy house! I am so awesome!
Check me out! This thing even has a climbing wall!!
Do I look cool in here or what??
My coworker and friend, Cindy, recently asked her daughter, Hallie, if she thought she was "over" her bouncy house yet. Hallie told her that she was too old for it (she's 9, I believe) and that she would like to give away. So, Cindy gave it to us for Layla girl. Layla has been asking for a bouncy house for quite some time, and we told her that if she continued to get good reports from her teachers at school, maybe she would get one. Well, after several weeks of good reports, Cindy rolled up with a giant bouncy house in her Ford for us. The thing is HUGE and Layla LOVES it!!! It came at the perfect time too, as both of our neighbors who had play sets just moved and took their sets with them. So, there's really nothing for Layla to play with in the back yard anymore. Now we can blow this bad cat up whenever it's nice and she can go to town!

Thank you so very much, Cindy and Hallie!!!

Nonnie and Layla make cookies

Voila! My masterpieces! Glorious sugar cookies with frosting and heaps and heaps of sprinkles!!!

Do I have something on my face?

Seriously. It seems like I have something on my face. Could you guys help a sister out here or what?

Screw it. I'm down with being messy. I'm just gonna eat this. It's good.

One of Layla's favorite things to do with Nonnie when she comes to visit is make cookies. She gets to sit on the island in the kitchen and go to town (meaning, pull the pre-made cookie dough out of the package and plop the nice balls of dough onto the pan). Gotta love Pillsbury! Nonnie lets Layla frost the cookies herself, and, decorate them. This always ends with a gigantic mess, but who cares. It's totally worth it and soooo much fun.

Thanks for visiting Nonnie!!!