OBXcellence

Last week Gigi and Papa made my summer of 2010 dreams come true and took us all along on a trip to Corolla in the Outer Banks. It was everything a beach vacation should be. The weather was perfect, the water was cold, the sand was warm, and the beach wasn't too crowded. We rode boogie boards, built sand castles, chased crabs, walked in the waves, dug holes, filled buckets with seashells and took monster family naps. I loved every minute of it and was so sad as we drove away.

I would never have taken a trip like this with Riley at 3 months old, but Camden is so laid back and was super cooperative. He braved the sensory overload of sun, sand, waves and wind to give me plenty of beach time and with the help of family I got to spend some special time with Riley too.

At 2 1/2 Riley is the perfect age for a trip to the beach and she was just in seventh heaven. She spent every second she could with her little toes in the sand, of course decked out in the cutest pigtails and swimsuits you've ever seen. She basked in the attention of Gigi, Papa and Lolo and absolutely charmed the swimsuit bottoms off the lifeguard. There is something about watching her pure joy that just makes my heart melt. There was a lot of heart melting on this trip.

Miss you already OBX, hope to see you again next year!

My adorable family.


Her sassy pose just kills me. Where did she learn to cross the leg???


I had to hold him back from walking out to sea!


PURE. JOY.


Making fishes in the sand with her Gigi.


Busting a move with her Lolo.


After one of our many seashell hunts.


Marching down the beach.


Our little beach baby.


Hot, hot and hot.

1/4 Gone

Camden is 3 months old today.

Seriously, where does the time go? Other than my left over pregnancy gut I feel like I just had him yesterday and now he's already 1/4 of the way to the big number 1!

Camden brings so much joy to our lives. He is such a smiley little guy and makes us laugh out loud with his antics. He loves talking to us, watching Riley cry in time out, looking at his little nakey self in the mirror, and taking baths.

He is just like his Daddy. Very laid back unless you mess with his two loves.

His milk and his sleep.

He still flat out refuses to eat from anything, but the source. This has been causing me some stress, but we're trying to work it out.

Riley never slept. I can very clearly remember poring over the baby books trying to figure out why my baby wouldn't sleep and they all referenced these mythical babies that would sleep 15 hours a day. Then I would curse those books, slam them to the floor and sob in the bathroom completely convinced that a baby sleeping that much was a complete crock.

Then I had Camden and I've eaten my words. He loves to sleep and has since the beginning. I hope that never changes, but I know kids' habits are like revolving doors so I refuse to get too comfortable with the idea.

This month he started really smiling, laughing some, and sitting up assisted very well. He loves for us to hold his hands and help him stand. He is a chunky monkey and is already wearing size 2 diapers and 6 month clothes.

The major milestone for me this month was moving him out of the cradle in my room and into his crib in his room. It might not seem like that big of a deal to you, but it took me 9 months to do that with Riley.

Happy 3 months baby boy! We love you!

Time Flies

When you're having fun.

Remember this post? How about this one?

Well hang on to your seats, because our sweet little girl is officially 2 1/2 today.


I remembered it last night as I was snuggling Camden on my chest before putting him to bed and I just couldn't believe that it's been over 2 years since I used to hold Riley like that.

To me Riley is the epitome of the saying "Live, Laugh, Love".

She lives her life at full speed and feels everything so strongly. When she is happy she's so very happy and when she's sad she's so very sad. Sometimes her drama is laughable, and sometimes it's frustrating, but we wouldn't have her any other way.

Riley is so FUNNY. We laugh with her and at her on a daily basis. These days it's because she says the funniest things. Yesterday she was playing with her big cardboard blocks and she tripped over one and let out a wail, "Ouuuuuuch! I herrrt my bwock. I sorry bwock."

She is TOUGH. This week she was running and tripped on the sidewalk and skinned both knees. She let out one quick cry then said, "Owwwwieeee! I herrrrt myself. I okay. I runnin sooo fasda and I falled, but I okay."

Riley is the BEST big sister ever. She loves Camden so much and is so attentive and gentle with him. He already snaps his head all around when he hears her come into the room and yesterday morning she kissed him hello and he just grinned from ear to ear.

She is super ADAPTABLE. In just a few short months we have moved to a new house, moved her out of her crib and added a brother to the mix. It hasn't phased her a bit. She really wants to be a "bid gerrrl" and she's so proud of all the new things she can do.

Riley is the LOVE OF OUR LIVES. Things have changed a lot for us in the last 2 1/2 years, but we are so very blessed to call this little princess our daughter.

A very merry half birthday to you Riley Girl! We love you so much.

Somewhere

Over the rainbow.

We had a gully washer here today. Gully washer is what I say when it rains hard. So hard that the guy at the thrift store offered to run my stuff out to my car so I didn't have to carry my purchases and worry about Camden. It doesn't happen very often, but I really appreciate little acts of kindness like that.

Anyway, as we were leaving Target the rain finally stopped and the sun came shining through the clouds and made a huge rainbow. My poor camera phone doesn't do the bright colors of this thing justice, but you get the idea.

Anyway, all my rambling is leading up to a point.

Whenever I see a rainbow I think of my Dad. He and I are very close. It's always been that way.

Almost 6 years ago when I married TG he and I danced to Iz's version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. I was so excited and happy to be getting married, but I'm a Daddy's girl at heart so of course I cried just a little bit.

And to this day whenever I see a rainbow or hear this song I feel a tug at my heart strings. Sometimes a tear or two wells up because I don't get to see him very often and I miss him a lot.

So, I saw a rainbow today and thought of you Dad and I just had to listen to our song.

One Month

Today marks the first month that we have been in our home!

Yesterday I wrote about my need for a decorating break.

You probably thought I was done for a while and that the novelty of putting together my home had finally worn off.

You thought wrong.

After a good night's sleep I was feeling much better and we headed back to as Riley says, "Home Deco" this morning so we could pick up the final things needed to finish our dining room set. We also bought the supplies to build my DIY valances, but that's another post.

So, to celebrate our first month in our home we SAT DOWN in our chairs and PULLED UP to our table and ate dinner, "Alllll togedder!".

For memories sake, I would like to note that we ate one of our favorite family dinners of cheeseburger chili mac and fresh watermelon. Riley said grace with us, complete with her "Haymen!" at the end. You might have noticed in the picture that one of the place settings was empty, but the seat wasn't.

We couldn't have dinner at our table together for the first time in our new house without him!

Decorating Hangover

I woke up this morning wanting a plate of greasy fries and feeling like I had been hit by a Mack truck.

I've been going 200% since we moved into this house getting things painted, decorated, unpacked, purchased at various home improvement stores and generally organized. All my friends have been asking me where I was getting the energy from since I have two small kids to boot, but I wasn't questioning it's origin, I was just going with it.

Newsflash. The decorating energy has left the building. I've been staying up too late, working too hard, and today for the first time I really felt it. My exhaustion combined with what might be Camden's teething (yes he's only 2 1/2 months old) led me to succumb to a day of doing ab-so-lute-ly nothing in our house.

I felt semi guilty about it until TG reminded me that I've completed numerous projects in less than a month's time. Then I let him get me a Mcd's mocha frappe and take Riley while I took a nap with Camden.

Besides custom painting 5 rooms in our house here's a peek at some of the other projects I've done.

Refinishing our "new" dining room set

We've been on the hunt for a second hand table and chairs that will work in our small dining space. I have a gorgeous set that I purchased when we were first married that sadly just won't fit here. This was the perfect opportunity for me to customize something. So far I've sanded, primed, painted, glazed, glossed and reupholstered seat cushions. Only two of the chairs are done and the table, it's legs and the other two chairs are in between stages.

Window mistreatments for the kitchen

Using this gorgeous home decor fabric from Joann's that was 50% off and a little piece of magic called stitch witchery I made these awesome drapes for our kitchen with some scissors and an iron. Completely no sew.

DIY Roman Shades

There are no words for how happy this little shade made me. It took me two tries (mostly because I chose the wrong type of fabric for the first go round), but with a little patience and persistence I ended up with a one of a kind window treatment.

My bestie told me the other day that it was like my inner Martha Stewart had been unleashed and she's right. I LOVE this stuff! I have so many ideas floating around in my head, but even Martha needs a break every now and then.

Summer Lovin'

is happening too fast.

I can't believe it's already mid July. The countdown is on for me and everyday I have to remind myself that it will be okay.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job and it brings me so much joy to work with children. But I also love my other job as Mommy and wife.

Thanks to several things, not the least of which was the help and patience of an amazing family that became our pseudo family I was able to stay home this year. I got 365 days of almost one on one time with Riley and 10 months to simply enjoy being pregnant with Camden.

365 days is a long time. I thought it would be enough time.

And in some ways it is and in others, well its never enough.

I'm going to look on the bright side though. I got 365 days! One year full of love, hugs, giggles, kisses, absolute joy (and yes mind numbing frustration too) that I know some mothers will never get.

One blissful year with this little girl who is oblivious to the fact that we don't have another year like this was.

Mostly because she's too busy doing exactly what you're supposed to do in the summer.

Which is keeping cool in the blazing heat.


I'm working on keeping my "cool" too and enjoying these days we have. And hoping that she'll remember at least some of our special year together.

Peas in a Pod

Every morning when Roo gets up the first thing she says is...

Baby brudder awake now?

If the answer is yes, she beelines for our room and catapults herself up to smother him with her sweet kisses and head pats. Lately, she's been asking him to watch a show with her on Mommy and Daddy's bed.

He willingly obliges and I can't resist the chance to take a picture of my two sweet babies still in their jammies snuggling together.

Girl Talk

Puts me right to sleep.



This weekend I was able to take Cam with me to the first baby shower of a dear college friend of mine. Her little girl is due in about a month and it was so nice to be able to help her celebrate!

I arrived a little more frazzled than I would like due to my poor parking navigation, wearing heels when I LIVE in flip flops and sneakers, and the hungry little man strapped to my chest. However, once I got settled and Cam was fed we had an exciting time visiting and chatting with the girls.

Well, at least one of us did. :)

From Where I Sit

The world is looking a little different!



Cam sat in the "gumbo" as Riley would say for the first time this morning. His head still wobbled the teensiest bit, but he was pleased as punch to be sitting up like a big boy. He patiently waited while I made Riley scrambled eggs and chimed in with an "ah goo" and "oh" every now and then.

I can't believe how quickly the time is going with him. He'll be walking and talking before we know it. But until then I'll be snuggling, sniffing and holding my little bobble head as much as I can!

Phoebe Run

Any Friends fans out there?

I was not a hardcore watcher, but I enjoyed the occasional episode. One of my all time favorites is the episode where Phoebe runs flailing her arms like a kid and it takes skeptical Rachel the entire show to discover how fun it is to run that way.

Running all out. With reckless abandon. Little tush shaking side to side. Arms wiggling and flapping. I know nothing about this as I've struggled with running my entire life.

But, Roo knows a thing or two about it.



If only I could bottle up some of that youth and take it for myself.

Sigh, again it's blurry because I STILL can't find my camera, but you get the idea.

Peas in a Pod

These two have stolen my heart.

They make me smile even when they are throwing a fit or demanding a feeding in the early morning hours.

I can't wait to see what little man's personality will be like. We already know that Riley is full of life and a little bit of drama. Will he be the same? Maybe so. Or maybe he'll be more like TG. More rational, less drama perhaps.

Either way I'm looking forward to watching the two of them grow up together.

My two peas in a pod.

Monkey See

Yesterday at Gigi's house we found Riley sternly talking to her two toys on the stairs. It took me just about a second to figure out what was going on and then I snatched my video camera to record it. She is such a sponge lately and just soaking up everything happening around her (or in this case to her).

You better watch yourself when you come to our house. No misbehaving will be allowed!

And please forgive the shaky quality and tapping sound you hear in the background. I was wearing Camden and bouncing him and patting his tush to keep him sleeping.

Untitled from Lindsay Vinson on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday

Seen and Heard

SEEN:
Riley + Fourth of July cake=

a bright blue tongue.

HEARD:
Riley's "bayoon" from Harris Teeter has floated up to the top of Gigi and Papa's very high ceilings. She has started to stack pillows on the couch in an effort to climb up and get it.

Riley: I can reesh it Daddy. I can do it. I knows I can.
TG: I don't think so Riley it's too tall.

Riley scales her pillow ladder.

Riley: Almost reesh it. Just leedle higher. grunts.
TG: It's too high Riley. Papa will help us when he gets home.
Riley: I can do it! Teamwork DA. Let's do teamwork!

I just love her strategy, ambition, and persistence.

We also love the Wonder Pets.