Girls' Weekend

Playing in the rain.

Breakfast in my cow hat.

Let me see, mama!! 

Oh, that's a funny hat...

Participating in fall fun fest at the Nashville Library. 

All serious about her crafts.

"How's it going?  Wanna play beads with me?  You have nice hair...I think I'll touch it."

...and the boy runs away.

Well, Girls' Weekend was a success.  It was long, challenging at times, but a good weekend.  Ford attended a music festival in Florida, which was also a success by the way.  He had a good time but missed us greatly and we missed him.  Here's a quick recap of our weekend together...

Friday, rain, all day.  We decided to try out Ameila's new raincoat and played for a bit in the drizzle and puddles.  Amelia seemed quite serious and melancholy during our little romp in the rain...it was just that kind of day I guess.  After that we headed out to search for a Halloween costume which is proving to be harder than I thought.  We have a perfectly cute and appropriate lion costume sent to us from her cousins however, Amelia will not go near it.  She thinks it's pretty cool from a distance but there is no way she's going to actually put it on on Friday.  So, what will she agree to be for Halloween?  A princess?  A fairy?  A butterfly?  If I can't find an appropriate costume in the next few days, she may just be a homemade cow.  See photo of cow hat above..another hand-me-down from her cousins, she loves this hat.  She actually enjoys wearing it.  Anyway, looking back, it seems that the best costumes of childhood were the ones we made up, improvised, dug in the backs of drawers and our parents closets to find just the right ensemble.   So stay tuned.  But, she might just be a baby. :)  That night we went out for dinner where we shared a bowl of broccoli cheese soup and a baguette.  She quite enjoyed it and so did I. 

On Saturday, we headed to the Nashville Library to participate in the Fall Fun Fest activities which turned out to be a very crowded craft hour.  After creating a few fall masterpieces for her Dada, we moved on to the play area where she continued to mingle and approach and talk to everyone and anyone...whether they paid attention to her or not.  I have to admit I am a little amazed at how much she has changed and come out of her shell, for some reason I thought she would be a shy one, I think not.  It's fun to watch her try to make friends move about freely with confidence but then every now and again turn around to check that I'm still nearby and sometimes even run over for a quick hug.  The rest of the day was low key; a nap, a walk, sidewalk chalk, dinner and a bath and I even let her watch a little "Best of Kermit" before bed.  I actually got a little teary when the original "It's Not Easy Being Green" skit came on and I watched her watch it for the first time, all big-girlish sitting in her rocking chair, cozy in her footy pajamas with that silly suckie...our version of a movie night. 

Sunday, just a quiet day at home and Ford arrived mid afternoon.  Though happy to see him, she was extra clingy to me.  A bit out of sorts I think after a busy few weeks and then Ford's absence, can't blame her, I was too a bit out of sorts, actually.  But now we are back to life as usual however we are both feeling a bit under the weather.  The snotty nose is back...

To wrap up, I'd like to just document that my little angel has discovered hitting, a new behavior she decided to develop while Ford was away.  She hits me and then herself when she's feeling frustrated and cranky.  To be expected now that we have entered the toddler years I guess, but what wasn't expected is when I tell her "no," in a firm, and serious tone, she pauses, starts to crack a small grin and then actually laughs and does it again!  That's right, not sad, or surprised or the least bit afraid that I have raised my voice and given a new kind of disapproving look all for the very first time.  So, this is new territory for us all, she's exploring the boundaries, expressing herself in a whole new way, testing the limits and then waiting for the reaction...classic...and this is going to be interesting.