Summer Fun in the Sun (with liberal amounts of sunscreen, of course!)

We took Allison to the pool for the first time on my birthday and it was a blast! We ventured into the water after coating Allison in 3 layers of sunscreen and carefully securing a sunhat on top of her head. Paranoid first time Momma? You bet!

Allison was a little unsure about everything when we first sat down with her in the shallow end of the pool. She has a wading pool at home but the giant pool full of screaming, splashing kids was a whole new adventure for her. She sat there and looked around for a few minutes before she turned and climbed into my lap.

So, we went and hung out in the shade for awhile and enjoyed watching all the people go by. I wasn't able to find my camera for our adventure so I took the camcorder instead. I was disappointed with the quality and we didn't get any shots of Allison in the water (we did get some video though!) I was glad we had something with us to record Allie's first time at the pool. She was sooo cute in her little swim suit! :)

 Look at those thighs! Don't you just want to nibble them? I love her little rolls!

The last picture is of Allie giving me a kiss. She's such a sweetheart and will give me one whenever I ask and often when I don't. It makes me laugh every time though because her version of a kiss involves opening her mouth as wide as it will go and "eating" my lips. What a doodle!

We went back to the water for a second time after our photo session and Allison did so much better. She laughed and splashed in between wrestling to get her hat off. I think she's going to be a swimmer like her Momma. :)

I'm glad I was able to have my birthday off from work so I could spend it with my little family. It's strange to think how much has changed so quickly. Last year I was pregnant on my birthday but I still spent it by going to a karaoke bar with my friends and staying out way too late. I had a blast even though I wasn't drinking with the rest of them. The year before last my girl friends and I took a trip to Vegas for my birthday and it was a fun experience full of single girl hilarity.

This year however was by far my best birthday yet. My little lady makes every day special. Even when she's teething and grumpy. Okay... yeah, I sometimes wish I could run away to Vegas on the grumpy days but... you know I'd always come back ;)

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

I've been feeling a bit down all day today and I don't really know why. So, I decided to make a list of things I love in an attempt to lift my spirits.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...




My daughter, Allison. Beautiful, funny, charming and full of wonder about the world around her.











My fiance Paul. He's actually really getting on my nerves at the moment but I always love him. And I love watching him interact with our daughter!

My dog, Bella. She's a vampire dog who likes to lick your flesh off, she can teleport to places outside her fenced in yard and she's pretty much Allison's favorite person.










Other things on my list:

• My parents because I'm just beginning to learn how hard it was to raise me ;)
• My boss because she is also my friend which, actually can be hard sometimes but it's nice to have support at work.
• Diet Mt Dew. Zero Calories, same great taste and lots of caffeine to get me through my day.
• My blogger friends and readers because you make me smile, make me think and "listen" to me whine.

That's all I've got today. But, really I have to say, I'm pretty blessed. <3

Wordy Wednesday (I still have 3 minutes until Wednesday is over!)

Some days it seems like I'd be better off if I just stayed in bed...

I woke up late this morning, or I should say, I woke up even later than normal this morning. I rushed to get ready, gave Paul and Allison kisses goodbye and ran to the door to put on my shoes... and I could only find one of them! I searched everywhere while Paul lay on the couch watching me (don't bother offering to help - I'm fine!).

I eventually remembered I had an extra pair of acceptable shoes at work and slipped on my flip flops just as Paul found the energy to sit up and dig my shoe out from under the couch cushion. Apparently, my 2 year old dog has rediscovered her old passion for chewing shoes! I told Paul to forget it as I ran out of the house and into the rain. Let me tell ya, wet feet are definitely an amazing way to start your day!

Halfway to work I realized that I didn't have enough gas to actually get TO work so I had to stop and fill up, putting me even further behind schedule. Luckily, when I reset the time clock at work for Daylight Savings I "accidentally" set it 5 minutes behind. Also, my boss had a similar morning so I still beat her to the office. I made it to work "on time", but not without a lot of stress.

I work at a print/copy shop. My job title is Administrative Assistant. My title in no way describes the variety of work I’m expected to do. Billing, printing, deliveries, shipping, graphic design… I do a little bit of everything. Not to mention doing whatever one of my bosses asks me to do, whenever they want me to do it. I guess you could say, I'm a professional ass kisser. But, I just wasn't feeling it today. The hours dragged and my coworkers seemed hell bent on annoying me. 8 1/2 long hours later, I was finally allowed to leave.

I picked up Allison as soon as I walked through the door and we cuddled and sang and played together. And when she got tired she lay her head on my shoulder and took a nap.

Allie usually prefers to sleep on her own so I can't remember the last time she slept on my lap. It really brought me back to her newborn days when she would fall asleep nursing and just cuddle against me.

*contented sigh*

Moments like that make getting out of bed so worthwhile.