A mini (really mini) vacation

Over the weekend, Seth and I took a little trip all the way down to La Jolla to celebrate five years of marriage. I will say it didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned. I had this picture in my head (which, honestly, is always my downfall) of us relaxing by the pool, lounging in the sun, leisurely strolling and most importantly, SLEEPING. In reality, it's the coldest summer since 1933, we picked the weekend when the Hilton La Jolla was hosting about 5,000 tween championship soccer players from across the country and their very intense soccer parents, customer service left a lot to be desired and I ended up switching out my pillow for a crumpled towel at 2am because it was the world's most overstuffed pillow and my neck is uncomfortable at a 75 degree angle.

Despite that, it was really nice. We reflected on our five years. We spent almost 24 hours leaving the mommy and daddy part at home, as much as you really can anyway. We had an amazing, amazing dinner at Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest (highly recommend!) and spent some time in the jacuzzi and met some nice folks from Atlanta. We ate a leisurely brunch without a highchair, bib, or the obligatory dance of who watches the kid and who gets their food. I even finished two crossword puzzles. We're already looking forward to the next trip, and maybe we'll even venture past one night!

And Carter had a fabulous time with Grandma, who let him eat lemons and feed himself a jar of food. Turns out the kid loves lemons.

Can you rent pack mules?

I just realized that I'm going to be the most ridiculous person to grace an airport when I travel with Carter next month. I'll be carrying a kid strapped to my chest, a laptop, a fairly large camera, several tons of snacks to keep the kid happy while we fly over several states, and all the stuff I normally carry. Except a book or magazine, something tells me I won't have time for onboard reading. And I don't want to THINK about all the stuff I'm going to have to check.

13 Months.

Today Carter is 13 months old. I decided I would only do a monthly letter until he turned one, same with the monthly picture with the dog. So today, the first monthiversary since he turned one, I feel a little lost. I also am realizing that I have neglected to post any pictures here or to facebook in far too long. In fact, I haven't even been taking nearly enough pictures. The last month our life went from the speed of one of the fair rides that throws you against the wall to warp speed spin art. And then came the sickness to end all sickness. I remember distinctly that last July was a complete blur, so I'm trying to slow it all down this year.

Letter or not, Carter continues to grow and learn new tricks constantly and I wanted to capture a few of them so I don't completely lose track.

He's not walking yet, although I think that's just because he's stubborn. He's a really fast crawler and get around MORE than quickly.

He loves balls. We have quite a collection now and he positively delights in throwing them and chasing them around the house. It's endless entertainment.

He still loves trucks and airplanes. I don't see that changing any time soon.

He still loves Stella. He calls her "shteh-zha" or something like that. A few days ago we went to the dog park and Stella and Seth played inside and Carter and I sat just outside the fence. All the dogs loved coming over and checking him out, probably because they could smell his goldfish. Stella was adorably protective and kept a close eye on all the others around Carter.

He's doing really well at daycare and is adjusting right on schedule, albeit not without several bumps in the road. He loves watching the other kids and the fact that he gets all kinds of snacks. Our daycare provider cannot believe how much he eats. I think we're going to have to send extra food and quite possibly take out a loan to finance our food budget.

Sort of alive

I'm back at work today after being hit with whatever hellishness Seth and I had over the weekend. Seriously, it was awful. We even enlisted grandparents to take care of Carter because we struggled to make it from the bed to the couch and chasing after an extremely active toddler was not in the realm of possibility. I ended up in urgent care Sunday with an ear infection, sinus infection, maybe some other stuff, who knows. And then last night a very large piece of my toenail decided to declare its independence. Five years ago, mere days before our wedding, I dropped a camping stove on my toe and walked down the aisle missing part of that toenail and it's never really been the same. Apparently said toe wanted to celebrate our upcoming anniversary nostalgically.

All in all, perfectly fitting of our life recently.

the end of Infographic Friday.

Apparently the site I was using for inspiration is tripping out the filters. So, in an effort not to infect everyone with malware or the alleged threat of it, I'm taking them down. whomp whomp