10 Reasons I Love Summer!

OK, so I know that summer does not officially start until June 21st, but I guess the old teacher in me equates school ending with summer starting. So, here are 10 reasons I love summer:

10. Baseball - it's always been a family favorite and brings back fond memories
9. More daylight - I love long summer days...there just seems to be so much to do
8. More time with family - we get together more for outdoor grilling and hanging out by the pool
7. Swimming - I have loved swimming and being around water ever since I was little
6. Fresh fruit - maybe that's a pregnancy thing, but I am SO excited about good watermelon :)
5. Ice Cream - yet another pregnancy thing, but I do feel justified eating more ice cream when it's 100 degress outside!
4. Less germs - OK, I don't really know if that's true, and I probably just jinxed myself, but I do find that we get sick less in the summer, which makes a germaphobe like me happy.
3. Scarlett's Birthday - there are actually a LOT of summer birthdays...both family and friends
2. The New Baby - I never thought I would have 2 summer babies, but it's just God's way of giving me one more reason to love the summer
1. Brody is home more!!- his schedule is more flexible in the summer, and he gets home earlier most of the time which is such a blessing!

So...those are just 10 reasons I love this season...I'd love to hear your favorites!

More Vacuum Nonsense

So tonight I get a phone call that the vacuum cleaner is ready. How in the world is that even possible since they told us yesterday it hadn't been shipped to Dallas yet?!? And now, we'll be getting it before our original promise date...so weird! Brody will probably be the one picking the vacuum cleaner up since he's a little closer to the Sears, so I'm going to have him check it before he leaves the store...just to make sure it isn't still making that crazy noise. All I can say is, in the words of my sister, What In The World?!?!?

Frustration

Two weeks ago we went to the beach. I had a doctor's appointment before we left, and when I got home I heard that Brody was running the vacuum cleaner and something was wrong. It was making a really weird noise. We were in a hurry and so decided to worry about it later, when we got back. Well, Brody called Sears and they said the vacuum is still under warranty but in order to get it looked at we had to take it to the Central Park Sears and then they would have to send it to Dallas...crazy! We went ahead and did it because we felt like we didn't have much choice. If we tried to work on it and it broke, I'm sure the warranty wouldn't cover that. Brody got a return date of May 18 to pick it back up.
Today, I get a call from Sears. I am expecting the lady to tell me the vacuum is ready. Instead, I hear a not-too-friendly voice tell me that they are going to have to "reschedule their promise date". WHAT?!?!?! Isn't that just a nice way to tell me they are breaking their promise? Anyway, when I ask her why they are having to reschedule, she says, " Uh...we've been really busy". She continues on to tell me that the vacuum cleaner is still here in San Antonio and hasn't even been looked at yet. She has no idea when they are going to ship it off to Dallas, but they did just finish the paperwork and they can promise that I will have it back MAY 31!! I'm not holding my breath...
I'm very frustrated, but kind of feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. If we pick it up and try to fix it ourselves and can't do it, or ruin it...we're out of luck. On the other hand, I cannot go two more weeks without a vacuum cleaner! I think we are going to let them ship it off, but I will be praying for a speedy return!

Beach Trip

This past weekend, we went to the beach for a weekend getaway. Scarlett had never been out of town. It's hard to believe, but with all of our family living here, there really had never been a reason to travel. Now that she's older, we thought she would enjoy a vacation, and we wanted to get away before the new baby comes. She had a blast and Brody and I had a great time too. There's something really special about seeing your child experience something for the first time...she loved the beach! Here are some more pictures of our trip:

with Mommy in front of Virginia's Restaurant

with Daddy at Trout St. Bar and Grill

having a great time

playing with her Nemo toys and new seashells

swimming with Daddy
...and Mommy

It Has Begun...

Last week, my sister wrote on her blog that her son was so mad after not getting a popsicle. This is pretty similar...I guess the cousins think alike.

Scarlett hasn't been a good eater since giving up baby food. She would eat any and every baby food, but once we started her on table foods she pretty much turned in to the pickiest eater in the world! It's very frustrating because Brody and I are not picky. I don't have recent shots of her eating, but you can see from the picture how many of our meals are spent...I think this is when she was one...she's almost three and it hasn't gotten much better.


Occasionally, I let her choose what she wants for dinner, but I'm really trying to get her to eat whatever it is that I fix because I don't want to be a short order cook, spending all night in the kitchen. So...tonight it was a macaroni beef casserole. Most kids would probably love it...it has macaroni and cheese in it! Well, not Miss Priss. She sat at the table, with her arms crossed and her bottom lip turned completely out in a pout. I ignored it for a while, and finally gave in and asked her what was wrong. She said "I mad". I asked her what she was mad at and she said, "I mad at Mommy. I wanna popsicle". I told her that I was sorry she was mad, but that she could not have a popsicle until she ate her dinner. Eventually, reluctantly, she gave in and ate her dinner so that she could have dessert. The girl is not even three and she's giving me a taste of what it will be like to have her mad at me!