Super Fun Weekend!

This weekend has been so much fun!
Mainly because I've gotten to hang out with my handsome husband and my adorable daughter.

On Friday, we went on a family picnic to Winthorp Park.
We stopped by Publix on the way and picked up some chicken, potato salad, watermelon and cookies! Kaitlyn couldn't stop eating watermelon!

She also couldn't get enough of the slide.
She wanted to go down again and again, squealing in anticipation and then laughing the entire way down.

There were also hilarious static electricity photo opportunities!

When we got home that afternoon, Grammie and Poppa Crosby had driven up from Tampa to stay the week. They brought Jeb, their Black Lab, and Sydney, their Austraillian Sheep Herder, with them. Katie can't get enough of them.

I've also, already decorated for Halloween.
No, it's not October yet! But I've been counting down ever since it became September! I love Halloween! It's so much fun! Who cares that my husband is a grouch who calls it the Devil's Holiday?! I don't! And I'm married to him!

That night, Jake and I got to go out
with some friends to celebrate birthdays!
Happy Birthday Jonathan and Jared!
We went bowling (which we haven't done in years) and then out for ice cream (which we do often). Jacob loves bowling. The man would love to have lanes in his house one day. I on the other hand, am pitiful at the game/sport. We had a great time though, and it was really nice to get out without Katie Belle and socialize with young parents like ourselves.

Saturday morning I got to go to spin class, while Katie dragged her Daddy down to Grammie and Poppa's to play with those doggies! She had seen Grammie walking Jeb and wouldn't stop banging on the door to go "bye-bye" until Jacob agreed to take her.

For lunch, we all went to China First Buffet.

I totally recommend this restaurant if you've never been. It's on the corner of Park Ave. and Capital Circle NE. They have a huge buffet and it is reasonably priced. I'm not usually one to go to a buffet, but I love Chinese and they seem to have good quality food. There is a lot of stuff for kids too: fruits, veggies, pudding, jell-o, french fries, chicken nuggets, soft serve ice cream.

After lunch, we went to Sam's Club to look for a toaster oven for Grammie and Poppa with no luck. However, we did end up with a new addition to our family.... Big Woof. The picture to the left features Kaitlyn holding Mr. Woof. The picture to the right shows Kaitlyn riding Big Woof. A super soft and super sized stuffed dog, the new inanimate love of her life. After all, nothing can replace a real live, jumping, running, licking, barking dog for Katie.

Big Shoes to Fill

Kaitlyn has taken an interest in clothing and shoes lately. She used to rip off her socks and shoes as soon as you put them on her. But nowadays she comes to me willingly throughout the day with miscellaneous pieces of clothing and shoes she would like to layer on top of what she is already wearing. Today, I found her trying to wear her Daddy's flip flops. I helped her get them on properly and she tried walking around in them.... unsuccessfully. It was cute nonetheless.

Play Time @ Winthorp!

Kaitlyn and I have been rather negligent when it comes to socializing with other kids. So, we've decided to turn over a new leaf. Wednesday mornings are officially full of socializing possibilities. The local library has a Baby Time at 10:30a. They sing songs, they dance to the songs, they read books, they read poems.... it's great fun. Now, if I could just get Kaitlyn off of my lap and out there dancing!

Afterward, we meet other moms and kids at Winthorp Park for Playtime. It's a really great park. Kaitlyn had her first experience on a swing and a slide.

I thought she would love to swing and slide because she is such an adrenaline junkie. However, I was proven wrong because her true love at the park is.... MULCH. She loves to pick it up and throw it. She loves to pick it up and let it run through her fingers. What she loves most of all is to pick it up and eat it! Yuck! Out of that whole cool park, with its huge system of bridges, slides, pulleys and levels to climb, my daughter wanted to pop a squat on the ground and play with the dirt. See visual documentation below.

I didn't get pictures of the one thing Kaitlyn loved at the park more than the mulch. This is because I was holding on to her to make sure she wasn't pummeled. Not to mention, the next time we go to the park I'm sure Brady won't be there. Kaitlyn loved Brady. She giggled her highest pitched giggle when she was playing with him. Brady loved to nuzzle Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn loved to nuzzle Brady. That's right, Brady was a dog. Not just any dog, a big, fat, white English Bulldog. Brady was having a picnic with his family when I spotted him tied to a tree. We went to say, "Hi." and I had to tear Kaitlyn away when I was sure we had over stayed our welcome. When we got home and I was cuddling Katie close while she was having her milk before her nap, I realized Kaitlyn smelled like Brady. Yuck.

Fall is Coming!

We decided to spend the first moderately cool and overcast day with a breeze by taking Kaitlyn to a park to play. I some how convinced myself into thinking that there was a play park at Lake Ella. Jacob remembered no such park, but we went. (After all, Lake Ella is very conveniently located near a Dairy Queen and I have B1G1 Blizzard Coupons!) When we arrived, I of course quickly realized what I remembered as a play park, were two climbable trees that usually have kids dripping off of them.

So, we went to attempt to feed what we found to be the laziest and fattest ducks in the world. There were slices of bread and abandoned popcorn everywhere! The ducks at Lake Ella are not going to be starving to death anytime soon.In fact, they're probably more likely to die from consuming more than they can handle.

Besides being able to independently walk around,

Kaitlyn loved the signs near the sidewalks.
She kept veering off to touch them.
How very "Monk" of her.
Kaitlyn liked looking at the water. She loves baths and pools.

I can only imagine what her sneaky little brain was concocting to get into that water. Eeeeh.Then, once Daddy got bored, we went for ice cream. Yum yum!

I Gave Birth to a Puppy.

Lately, Jake and I have been prompting Kaitlyn to say "please" whenever she wants something. As of today, her "eas" is now "oof."

"Oof," has been Katie's first and only word for a while. Apparently, she has decided for it to be her only word. Every time I have asked her to say "please" today she has said "oof" instead.

She also got herself stuck in Chole's (our dog) crate this afternoon. This is the second time she has crawled in and been unable to get out. I finally got pictures.

If anyone knows where to get an affordable dog costume for an obsessed and slightly confused toddler for Halloween, please let me know.

What Won't Girls Do for a Stuffed Animal?!

I was sent this video from a security camera in a restaurant.
Just keep your eyes on the youngest sister.... she's very determined.

New Threads

My parents saw this in the store and couldn't resist getting it for Katie. Needless to say, I thought it was hilarious.... Jacob not so much.

New Neighbors

Two doors down from the Crosby household, some new neighbors have moved in... The Crosbys! Grammie and Poppa Crosby have leased the townhouse next door so they can come and visit more frequently (they live in Tampa) and have some actual space. We, especially Kaitlyn, are looking forward to having Grammie and Poppa just a few steps away from time to time.

Poppa came up by himself this Labor Day weekend to take advantage of the sales and furnish their new home-away-from-home.

Sorry Poppa, your eyes were closed.

i heart thursdays and a good laugh!

My love affair with Thursdays dates back to high school. Thursdays are the day before Friday. Fridays were always fun in HS and something was always going on, so Thursdays were always filled with the anticipation of Fridays.

As a married woman, Thursdays have taken on a new excitement. Ever since Jake began "flex time," Thursdays have become Fridays at the Crosby household. "Flex time" means Jake gets to work four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days. This means we have three day weekends EVERY weekend! I love that! I love it because it means I get to spend more time with my baby; and by baby, I mean Jacob.... not Kaitlyn. I love Thursdays (aka Crosby Fridays).

Not to mention, the fall television season will be here before we know it and 2 of my favorite shows are on Thursday nights; these shows are Ugly Betty and 30 Rock. They are so fun! If you ever need a good laugh or some perfectly coifed evil in the form of Vanessa Williams, be sure to tune in.

However, with the start of the fall season, my beloved summer shows are ending. :( I grew to love these shows last year while I was stuck in the house all alone, pregnant and quilting while Jacob was studying. Monk, Psych, The Closer and Burn Notice will all be wrapping things up this coming month. So sad.