400 The Three D's (Doctor, Dentist, and Digital Photography)

On Tuesday Connor had his first dentist appointment. It could not have gone any better! Connor brought his Buzz Lightyear with him for moral support. The hygienist came out to get him, and she saw his Buzz laying on the table. She sat down in the tiny chair in the waiting room and talked about how cool Connor's toy was, and then she asked him to come show her what it did. After he was comfortable with her, she told him they should go show Buzz to Dr. McCrary. He trotted off after her with a big grin on his face. I could hear them while I sat in the waiting room. I was waiting for my Mommy's Boy to freak out when he realized I wasn't there, but it never happened. Dr. McCrary acted every bit as interested in Buzz. They kept up a running discussion while they checked his teeth, and it was all over before Connor knew it. They let me back while he picked out his reward. And, being the big dork that I am, I whipped out my camera. I was just going to take a picture of Connor with the dentist stuff in the background, but Dr. McCrary picked Connor up and posed with him. I can't recommend Dr. McCrary and his staff enough if you are in the Southaven, MS area (or nearby)! Connor even got a Buzz Lightyear toothbrush! We have all been suffering with the frequent weather changes lately. Katie worst of all. Monday night she coughed so hard that she ended up puking. We kept her home on Tuesday, and after Connor's appointment we all went to the doctor. Turns out that all of our lungs were clear, except Connor who was the only one of us not coughing constantly.

Then we got to experience the joy that is walking around Walgreens while you wait on prescriptions. You would think I would have the good sense to buy cough drops, but I was so busy telling the kids NO repeatedly that it slipped my mind. I did go back today, and just in case you need cough drops, Walgreens has bags of Ricola coughdrops on sale for $1, and an in-store coupon for $.50 off of that. You might want to stock up.

Also, today I have been looking at free preset actions for Lightroom. I found an excellent source! Presets Heaven! I was amazed at the amount of presets that were availabe, and how fun they were to use. I played around with several. I wish I could tell you exactly which I used, but there are several at work on each of these.

Connor received the Mobigo from Mimi and PopPop, and he and Katie have been enjoying it!

399 Cleveland Rocks

Well, it is Cleveland, MS so it probably doesn't rock as much as Drew Carrey would like, but it is where Chip's family is so we kinda like it. We just went down for the day, but we were able to see most of the family and have cake. Connor and Katie got to play with their cousins. It was a nice relaxing day with family (as long as politics and the new Ole Miss mascot did not come up in conversation).
When I was loading up the van Connor came out to "help" and he peeked into the back of the van and discovered his basketball goal from Grammy. HE WAS SO EXCITED! He wanted to open it right then, but we made him wait until we got to Mimi and PopPop's house. He survived. He loves his new basketball goal ... just what I needed, another reason to spend all day outside.
Our favorite dog, Chiefer, was visiting. He is a big teddy bear! Sweetest dog ever.
And Presley :) When I told Connor that she would be at Mimi's he said "Pressy go to my party!" So darn cute! They both talk about each other at random moments when they are apart.












Connor really loves his Buzz Lightyear ... he even sleeps with it.

398 Connor is THREE!

We are going to wait and really celebrate on Sunday when we visit Chip's family, but we did have to do a little something for Connor on his actual birthday. A little cake (that did not totally survive its trip home from the store) and a couple presents. Connor would be absolutely satisfied with just that, but Katie seems to feel gyped for him. So thankful that Connor hasn't been overcome with greed just yet .... no matter how hard Katie tries to influence him.We actually got a slight sprinkle of rain today, the first in what seems like forever. I was starting to think I would not be able to get a true three year old shot of Connor, but the weather cleared up and I was able to get a few quick shots. My favorite part? The blue tongue from his cake icing obviously!

When I wrote Connor's birthday post last year I wrote a little description of what he was like as a one year old, so I guess I should give a little rundown of his two year old self. Though much of what I said about him then is true now.

He is a smiley boy with a truly infectious laugh. He is full of mischief. Today he drew with a crayon on the stairway wall (he is drawing closed shapes and spirals, trying to color and stay in the lines). His favorite thing is anything that Katie would like to have as her own. He loves to be read to at night (he no longer allows me to sing, and he will tell me to stop if I try) and most nights he will pick out three books for me to read, though he will try to add more to the list when I finish. He is FEARLESS! He is fast, and he will tell you how fast he is when he runs. He loves animals, especially the neighbor's dogs. He wants so badly to be a big boy, and to play with other big boys. He is "Mama's Boy!" unless Katie tries to claim Daddy, then he is "Daddy's Boy!" Don't ever try to tell him different. He is beyond sweet, and whenever anyone leaves our home he tells them to "be careful" in the cutest voice. He melts my heart on a daily basis ... then makes my blood boil. Other than nighttime accidents, he is fully potty trained. He can go to the potty all by himself, but he canNOT pull his pants back up by himself. He doesn't fart or poot... he "parts". He uses potty training to stay up later than he should, waiting until storytime is over to tell me that he needs to go poo. He is speaking more clearly, though it still leaves a lot to be desired. He still yells "NO!" and the cute factor has worn off just like I thought it would. He is THE AWESOME! There is no other way to put it. He just IS awesome.

Happy Birthday Connor! We love you beyond reason.

397 Mid-South Fair 2010

Sunday afternoon we did the family thing and hit the Mid-South Fair. We were going to go earlier in the day, but as the Fair was opening at noon Connor was fading fast. We knew if we went to the Fair without getting Connor a nap that we would regret it ... and fast. Which meant that Katie's little face crumpled and we had to fight off her tears. She was able to spend time playing with Mia, so she muddled through somehow :) And then the Saints game was on, so we decided to stay until it was over at 3. I really enjoy the Fair more at night when the rides are lit up, so it was perfect for me. Katie wants to ride the rides, Connor wants to do what Katie wants, Daddy wants to spend family time, and Mommy .. Mommy wants to spend time with the family AND her camera.
We weren't sure how many rides Connor would be able to do, so we just got wristbands for Chip and Katie. After a quick walk down the midway we decided to get Connor a wristband as well. He had to ride most of the rides with Daddy, but there were a few kiddo rides he could do all by his lonesome. Katie was her usual fearless self. She hated waiting in the lines, but she LOVED the rides.
They only played two games. Katie was mostly concerned with winning a fish, so Daddy won her one, and the nice game worker let them pick two so Connor could have one. The all orange one is Blaze, and the orange and white is Fireball.


.... or should I say WAS. Apparently it is bad luck to name your aquatic animals after fire. The fishies went to the big toilet bowl in the sky last night. You would think that carnie fish would be more durable ...
But back to the Fair. It was freezing and Katie stole my jacket because her jacket was not warm enough. After winning the fish we convinced Katie we should go to Walmart to get fish supplies ... and because Mommy was freezing. Luckily we did not invest too much money in their care.
Another fabulous Mid-South Fair. We had a great time together, and we only had to sell a kidney to pay for it. We can't wait for next year.

396 More Felt ... Stuff

More time spent watching little man running around means more time with some busy work for my hands. Another heart was added. I was drinking my coffee, and looking at my favorite coffee mug when I decided to make an owl. And I know you will be surprised, but as soon as Katie saw my owl she wanted one of her very own. She requested purple.Sunday, before we headed to the Mid-South Fair (which will be the next post) we watched the Saints game. Thank goodness they pulled it out because I didn't need any bad juju associated with Connor's little felt football. I think I might try to make an actual football next time. It did make the game go faster though ;)

395 Candied Apples and Crafts

Making candied apples seemed like such a good idea ... at the time. Katie had picked up a kit forever ago, and the last time I went to the grocery store they had bags of apples cheap. Perfect, right?! Bubble, Bubble, Toil and TROUBLE!!!There are no pictures of the completed apples. Katie wanted to taste the coating ... and POP ... off came one of her caps. ARGH! She has been complaining that one of them has been bothering her, but I had no clue that it would pop out like that. And, of course, her dentist wasn't open today. Which is funny because my first thought when she handed me her dental cap was "Thank goodness it is Thursday, so we can get her into the dentist tomorrow!" Silly Mommy! As if something would actually go my way. It is not hurting her, but it does feel weird. If we can convince her to chew on the opposite side then I think we will survive.
The candied apples were promptly trashed.

And of course there was random crafting going on. Another attempt at a bird, this time with some recycled/upcycled jeans.And a couple more hearts. Poor french knots ... they are not very uniform. This heart was inspired by my friend, artist Kathleen Tennant. Or really, influenced by the painting of hers I have in the living room. She paints gorgeous hearts, multicolored and unique. It made me think "An artist's heart is a rainbow" ... and this is my interpretation. I was sitting out front, watching Connor ride his tricycle and sorting my felt when Connor took a break for long enough to pull out the roll of orange and put in his request for an orange wallet. It IS October, so orange makes me think of pumpkins which naturally leads me to jack-o-lanterns. And because I did not want to risk the screams and cries of Katie when she got home I made two. At least no one can accuse me of having "idle hands". Now to find time to sew a few stockings! I can't wait to share them with you.