Throwback Thursday #12: Two Years Ago This Week

2 years ago this week is when we found out we were having a ladybaby.  Not just a babybaby, but the lady variety of babies.

When we first found out I was pregnant, we lovingly referred to the quickly-multiplying clump of cells attached to my uterus as "clumpy".  We had lost a pregnancy before and didn't want to get too attached, just in case, so "clumpy" seemed like a good nickname.  Calling this miracle "the baby" or "our incredible offspring", etc. just seemed like jinxing it.

So, Clumpy it was. And Clumpy is what she remained until the day she was born (because momma and dada each had their favorite name - but that's a story for another time.)

To announce the gender, we decided to ask our parents, siblings and nieces to meet us at the quaint (and delicious) schoolhouse restaurant for dinner.  And, what they didn't know was that we had purchased unmarked cans of (PINK) silly string for them to blast us with to "reveal" the gender (color) while my good friend Kristie snapped some photos. Bwahahahaha...

FYI: No one likes getting their pictures taken, especially when it's a surprise photo shoot. Just throwing that out there...

However, everyone ended up having fun and enjoying the reveal! It was a very memorable night.
And I had to ask others to assist me in picking silly string out of my ear, which was a first.

 

Momma, Dada and Lady Clumpy eating delicious food. (photo credit to Aunt Tracey)

The old schoolhouse 

Dada rpretending to ride and old rusty tractor

Dada, Uncle Will & Grandpa

Back to Basics

The celebrations are over (for now), so we're going back to basics.

Cute toddler? Check!
Fashionable threads? Of course!
Making a "basic" tank and shorts outfit into something blog-worthy? ...
I certainly hope so!

Without further ado, Ms. OG's newest summer outfit consists of:
-Mint tank top with lace detail on shoulders/upper back (Target - seriously, they get me EVERY TIME!)
-Charcoal grey shorts with multi-colored polka dots (Target again)
-Mint chucks
-Pink hair flower

And introducing: OG's FIRST BATMOBILE! It's rad as heck and OG loves it!
(Thanks FB Yard Sale pages! Best $5 I've ever spent.)

Watch out, Robin...Batman has a new sidekick!

I think she confused her "pouch hand" with her "toy hand"...

**BONUS POST**
I  had to share this picture too.  My wonderful husband took this photo of OG at Grandma's on Tuesday - and she looks SO OLD!  What is happening to my little snugglebiscuit?! Why is she 15 years old all of a sudden? HELP!

If anyone has a recipe for "stop getting older so quickly" juice, let me know.

Have a great weekend, dearest reader(s)!

Celebrating SUPER DADA!

Yes, reader(s) - another celebratory post! This was a busy and celebratory type of weekend!

Sunday may have been the most important celebration - Father's Day! I must admit, I don't think I did a great job planning a personalized dada-cetric day, but I think he still had a good day nonetheless. I hope so, at least. I'm not trying to sell short my efforts, it's just one of those how-do-you-thank-your-partner-in-life-and-love-and-parenting-for-always-being-amazing-and-reliable-and-your-rock-through-everything-while-he's-also-been-the-most-amazing-father-to-our-snugglenugget-and-it-shows-every-time-he-makes-her-smile kind of things.

However, there were gifts! Matching-themed outfits! Breakfast! Family! Scooters! Grilled burgers! A pool!

Ready? Here we go!

OG aka: dada's mini-me was wearing:
-Daddy is my Hero shirt (Target)
-Navy lace-front shorts (Walmart)
-Her sweet Converse kicks (Converse Outlet)

Dada was wearing:
-Super Dad! shirt (a gift from OG)
-Camo shorts
-Chucks

They finally got it together around shot #4 ;)

My 2 most favorite people in the world on one porch.  I'm a very lucky lady.

We went to breakfast with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Will, then it was nap time for OG (and maaaaaayyyybe momma too) so dada met up with Grandpa and rode scooters for a bit.

After napnap, OG and I got ready for pool lounging!  We went to Auntie C's where dada met up with us for some grilling and floating in the pool. OG was sad that Mickey couldn't join her in the water, but luckily I grabbed Little Steg. She had a blast making him "swim" and throwing him in the water!

OG and Little Steg decided to take a break (if only for a moment)

We were all completely pooped at the end of the day, but it was a goodn'.

Also, a huge thank you goes out to my hero, my husband.  He has taught me over the past 9+ years that I can trust and love completely, and I couldn't be more grateful knowing that he's instilling those values in our daughter as well.  We love you! xoxox

Friday's Fun Fiesta - EG is 10!

Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday to yoooouuuu...
Happy Birthday, dearest cousin-EG-who-was-sadly-elusive-in-all-of-the-following-photographs-so-we'll-have-to-pretend-she's-in-all-of-themmmm...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! :)

Yes, dear reader(s), cousin EG turned 10 on Friday! And lucky for OG, that was the same day she got to hang out with Auntie C & Co!

Pretty in Pink, OG decided to wear:
-Deal's Gap Girl shirt (from our TN trip...and no, that isn't like Baby GAP, it's THIS)
-Shorts of some sort - I can't see them and I don't recall
-Cute barrette
-Cute face in a suspicious pose - I don't blame her, that bagel looks like play-doh!

"Hmmm, what will this colorful bagel do to my poo?" (Answer, it was light grey)

Later that evening, we attended the birthday girl's party at Some Bouncy Play Place, USA. Ms. EG was busy running around with her friends and doing gymnastics, but I was able to snap a few photos of OG and Awee in their elements:

OG & Minnie chasing Auntie C./Awee in an inflatable hamster ball/OG & Awee on bouncy twister/TINY CHAIRS!

Oh, oh! Wait! I finally found a picture of the birthday lady...

Throwback Thursday #11: Splish Splash

Around this time last year, OG was getting in a pool for the first time ever!  The water was still a bit chilly since we had had a mild spring, but not so cold that it was keeping people from jumping in! 

In the first (pre-pool) picture, OG is wearing one of the best hand-me-down onesies ever (thanks Charlie!)

My little squishy! She was so small and fluffy! xoxoxox

Then...OG meets the pool while wearing:

-Neon green bathing suit with laser-cut lace ruffle (thanks to Ms. Jennifer!)

-White sunhat (Target)

-Chubby little arm rolls eeeeee!!!

Be cool dada...my friends are watching.

What is this blue wet stuff?  Uhhhh....

Ok, ok...feet are in.  Am I done now?

The proud parents with their skeptical baby

In the end OG ended up loving the pool, so we should have some great pictures this year. 

Happy pool season to all!

PEPPA! Snort-snort

Happy Wednesday Thursday, dedicated reader(s)!
(I started this yesterday but didn't have time to post it.  Oops!)

A few months back Dedi, OG and I accidentally started watching a little show called Peppa Pig. Parent's, you know this show. And I must admit...it's pretty darn cute. Dedi and I were laughing quite a bit at the episode we were watching!  And don't get me started on their family laugh/snorts! hehehe

And for those who are confused, Peppa and Olivia are two different fictional pigs. Ms. J brought the similarity to my attention when she laid eyes on OG's new Peppa gear and proclaimed "Olivia!" and I had to say"Oh, no....that's Peppa..."

I wonder if there is a #teamPeppa vs. #teamOlivia debate?  Is this a thing?

Make no mistake that Mickey is still #1 in OG's world, but ever since "meeting" Peppa, she is a very close #2.  If we are out and OG see's anything Peppa, she points, snorts, and yells "P-PAAH!"

Therefore, welcome to the family Peppa keychain pal and new Peppa shirt!

As always, just ignore the messy house in the background. #welivethere

OG is wearing:
-Peppa Pig Shirt (Target)
-Purple leggins
-Pink polka-dot Mary Jane shoes
-White hair flower
-A small stuffed Peppa key chain "accessory"

Momma: "Where's Peppa?" OG:(concerned) "Why?  Why do you ask?  This is MY Peppa..."

PEPPPPPAAAAAHHHH!!!!

So...who's #teamPeppa?

Since We've Been Gone: The Adventures of the Traveling Parents (and Ranger Iris!)

Hello hello! Fancy seeing you here...it's been a while!

Mr. Husband and I had planned a long weekend get-a-way (the first time we'd be away from our snugglenugget for an extended amount of time) which happened to be this past weekend.  We were both nervous and sad to be leaving our OG behind, but excited for our trip to TN. A weekend of riding our scooters together in the mountains?  Yes please!

Before we left, we made all of our surrogates pinky-swear to send lots of pictures and videos of Ms. OG. These were some of our favorites!

*Side note* If you were worried about Ms. OG, I don't think she missed us at ALL! When we returned and walked through the door she gasped excitedly, ran over to us, handed me her Mickey, said "Mickey!", then ran away.  Yep...I'm just another Mickey holder.

Anyhow, back to pictures!

Auntie C sent us these from day #1:

Olive's room for the weekend. (No, not really.)

BAAAAAALLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!

Then on day #3 Ms. J sent us a bunch of cute videos of OG running in the sprinkler, but we thought this photo was fun (sorry in advance, little ladylove)...

PEEEEEEW-WEEEEEE!  Poopy diap!

Our weekend was fun, but we cherished every picture and video we received of this amazing lady. It was tough being away from her for so long.

And a special thanks to everyone who watched over our little loved ones (including Lucy and Franklin) while we were gone!

Also, we met a new friend on our travels - her name is Ranger Iris!  She taught us about the plants, the mountains and wildlife in TN - and we told her all about our little OG.  She decided to come home with us so she could meet OG and they could become friends! We also took a few pictures of her along the ride:

"Let's go meet this special little lady I've heard so much about!"

Welcome to the family, Ranger Iris!

Time Capsule: Bad Things Happen

Hello, my sweet love.  I have been going back and forth on whether to write about this, but I have decided that it is more important for you to know that bad things (like the following) happen - so we can discuss them together as a family.

**This is a very important read, but also very grown-up and graphic.  Please come get us before you read any more. We want to be with you when you read this post.**

A story made the news last year about a girl who was being sexually assaulted behind a dumpster on a college campus.  Two strangers, the "helpers" I tell you to look for in the world, were passing by and saw what was happening and stopped it.  They chased the bad man, tackled him to the ground and held him down until the police came to take him away.

The bad man, Brock Turner, went on trial for the horrible thing he had done.  The jury unanimously voted GUILTY on all counts. The victim wrote an impact letter to read to Brock Tuner in open court, in front of everyone, and luckily it was released to the public because - as difficult as it is to read about sad and horrible things - people always need to know how their actions effect others.  And this victim has worked very hard to piece herself back together enough to make her voice heard.

Even though Brock Turner was found guilty on all counts, the judge had the ultimate say on what his punishment would be.  What Brock Turner did was unforgivable and horrible, but unfortunately our justice system is broken.  Not all of it - there are always good people fighting for us - but sometimes someone in power, like a judge, does not do the right thing. This judge could have put the bad man in prison for 14 years. The judge instead decided to only put in in a local county jail for 6 months. Do you think it is fair that a bad man who ruined lives of other people only be punished for 6 months when it could have been 14 years? I don't, and luckily it seems a lot of other people in the world agree, which is why this has become such a popular topic in the news.

I wanted to post these here because one day, when you are a bit older, we will sit down as a family and discuss this case (and others, I'm sure). It is important for you to be aware of what goes on in the world, and how crimes against other's effect everyone's lives. I want you to read this woman's letter and feel proud that she was able to write something so important, but also get a glimpse of the pain and sadness she has endured.  I want you to have a sense of what is right and wrong, and for you to feel empowered to help guide other's around you into fighting for what it right.


Here is something I posted on social media about the whole incident - my thoughts at the time:

UGH. I know this is another in a sea of posts about this topic, but this is a train wreck that I can't stop feeling enraged over. Classism, Sexism and Racism at it's "finest". Also a prime example of our broken and corrupt justice system. 
Use this as a learning and teaching moment for parents everywhere. Teach your children to value and respect others. My worst fear is that this kid and his parents, who you KNOW are thinking "One day this attention will die down and people will move on and forget"...will be right. We have the attention span of fleas. I want peace and a resolution for the victims in this case - they shouldn't be made to see this kid's mug everywhere they look for the remainder of their lives, but WE have to do better and NEVER forget that THIS is the face of rape culture in America. And this happens ALL the time...this is not the first, and it (horrifically) won't be the last.
Rapist Brock Turner, welcome to being a poster boy for your actions - and no. not swimming.
And to all of the countless victims of rape and sexual assault, those who are silent and those who have found a voice...we are with you.
(And this is the accompanying video)
https://www.facebook.com/DeFrancoNation/videos/10154252026224407/

This is the letter of impact, written by the victim in this case.  Please come talk to dada or I before reading this - we would like to read it with you:

Impact Statement


And this may be deleted by the time you get around to it, but this is a video of a newscaster, Ashleigh Banfield, emotionally reading the Impact Statement.

And...this outlines the prejudice and broken system I referred to:

Rained Out Tennis Pro Takes a Nap with her Friend

I was scrolling through some pictures from the weekend and, although it was uneventful in the grand scheme of things, it was still a silly weekend in the "life of a toddler" kind of way.

On Saturday, OG, dada and I wanted to get out of the house but spotty storms were in the forecast. We played indoors most of the day but decided to go out for an early dinner somewhere with outdoor seating - just to get SOME fresh air while the getting was good!  The Doppler gave us a thumbs-up, so we were off.

OG decided to wear her:
-Whale plaid applique t-shirt
-Teal floral shorts
-SO MUCH EXCITEMENT ON HER FACE!!

ENERGIZED BY THE SUN!

 (5 minutes later, moments after OG's food arrived...)

The "Crud, what was that?" Face

Answer: rain.  Lots and lots of rain.

Cue the running inside and scrambling to grab the toddler and everything she brought with her, including her food.

We finished our dinner (inside) then decided to head to Aunt C's to crash Awee's pool party - and run around the spacious interior of her home.

I pulled OG out of her seat and said "Oh, I guess your butt got wet in the rain..."

It hadn't.

Too many tinks in the diap!  Wet shorts alert!

Luckily for all involved, the only back-up outfit in her bag was a "dress-up" outfit packed from the day before - since Awee and EG like to play dress-up with OG.

And it was a pink and white ADIDAS tennis dress.

Yes, really.

So...without further ado:

Here OG is wearing a sensible mid-day outfit, good for hitting up the local country club or casually sipping drinks by the pool.
As she turns, you can see the ADIDAS striped detail on the back...

But, being the parents/Aunt we are, that was not enough.  The outfit needed finishing touches...

...

...like a Miller Light visor (thanks, Joey)...

...and a bug zapper small tennis racket...

No bugs were harmed in the making of this photo op.
Also, the bug zapper is broken and sans batteries, FYI.

Unfortunately, it was a short-lived career for Ms. OG.  I'm glad we have the photographic evidence to blackmail embarrass show her one day. Our little tennis pro...

The one picture dada captured on Sunday speaks for itself:

POOPED!

Loving Your Wednesday Wardrobe

Happy Monday! Since last week was a whirlwind, I am throwing it back to last Wednesday when OG wore:

A New Dress!

and!

A New Bathing Suit!

Both of which are giving me strong style muse vibes. If anyone sees these items in a ladies plus-size, please holler.

In her original outfit for Wednesday, OG wore:
-A fun summer dress (from Ms. J via a second-hand place) - I might try to make one of these. Not kidding.
-A big ol' smile in appreciation of her comfy and lovely new dress!  Lady was FEELIN' IT.

I mean, how much more excited can a lady be about her dress?! 

Ok, to make this I think I just need a comfy grey t-shirt and fun fabric to make a skirt, right?

Later that day Ms. J decided to let OG sunbathe and ride on the hammock.  Sadly, I don't have the video of OG laughing and swinging on the hammock, but I DO have a pic of little ladycakes wearing her new swimmy suit!

-Pineapple Polka-dot swim suit with ruffle details (Target Clearance! WOOT!)

Ready for fun in the sun!

I'm sure there will be several other posts with this swim suit (and ladybaby) in action...stay tuned!

Daddy Daughter Day!

OG and dada had a surprise Daddy Daughter Day last Tuesday! Grandma wasn't able to watch OG, and all of our back-up sitters were busy (and dada has more vacation time than momma - sad face) so...

Please welcome to our guest blogger, dada!

"On Tuesday, I (dada) had the chance to stay home with OG. My mom was not feeling too well.
We spent the morning lounging and watching cartoons. She loves watching Teen Titans and The Amazing World of Gumball. I know she doesn't really understand what is going on but it's great to see her reaction to scenes playing on screen.
She is definitely a fan of animation, like me.

After her nap, we decided to head to the park for some much needed sunshine on our faces. We visited the best park, in my eyes, as it is pretty big and I was hoping to walk the trail with her.
As soon as we walked up I noticed a man-made stream going through the playground area. It only took a few seconds until she dipped her feet in and fell in love with it. I was very jealous because I wanted to take my shoes off and dip in as well. We didn't get to walk the trail because she was too into running through the tiny stream."


Luckily he was able to capture a picture!  HOW FUN IS THIS?!

Dada forgot to mention that Ms. OG was SOAKED from all the fun (in the water, not a diaper malfunction) and there was no back-up outfit in her bag (but there WAS a swim suit...soooo...ehem...next time, dada?)...so when they got home I was the lucky one to grab a soggy toddler from her car seat. Even soggy hugs are awesome!

I'm just glad everyone had a fun day. <3  Well, at least these 2 did!

xoxox

Aaaaaand...now it's June.

Dearest reader(s)...please forgive us...it has been 9 days since our last confession post...

So...

Hello!  Happy Friday!  And Belated Memorial Day! And Friday yet again! ...

What a busy & bizarre week it has been. There have been a lot of changes at work, so I haven't had as much downtime.  But fear not! OG and I have much catching up to do and this is the post in which we will do just that!

Last week?  Yeah, that happened.

On Wednesday 5/25, OG was wearing:
-Diaps and water!  Ms. J and OG (and Dozer) decided to play in the hose water.

Did you hear about the guy who was arrested for having pictures on his phone of his OWN KIDS taking a bath?  Yep.  So, as not to fear for an FBI raid on my home one night, I made sure there were no "inappropriate" body parts visible before posting.

On Friday 5/27, OG was wearing:
-Pink Cancun, Mexico tie-dyed shirt (and the dolphin's mouth opens!) that Aunt C brought back from her fancy trip to...surprise!...Cancun.
-Grey board shorts (Target)
-Green pool diving ring headband

Ready for summer!

On Sunday 5/59 we celebrated and honored Memorial Day a bit early at Dedi's. OG wore:
-Blue polka-dot linen shorts with seam embroidery (Target)
-Light teal t-shirt with bow (Target)
-Heart sunglasses (found at Dedi's in the sunglass basket. Remember when I said she had a drawer of old hats? Well, surprise! Another collection of lost or abandoned goods!)

OG and Lucy - becoming buddies (finally!)

<3

On Memorial Day Monday, OG, dada and I were invited to join Team Thomas at a nearby farm/park. OG saw horses, ponies (they weren't even rainbow colored?!), chickens, goats and a turkey. She, of course, loved ALL OF THEM!  My favorite part was watching her chase the chickens while "bock"ing at them.

OG wore:
-Light blue rainbow heart-print jumper with bow detail (Children's Place Outlets)
-KITTY HAT!? YES! Dedi McStuffins strikes again! Nothing a bit of hand stitching, scissors and craft glue can't fix, amirite? It isn't pretty, but it's the only sun hat OG wears willingly without a tear-laden fight. And she "meow"s when she wears it...soooo...win/win.

Tractors, big chickens, deep conversations and horse poo. Oh my!

Maybe next week I will have time to recap this week - because it was a good'n!

The intrigue is palpable!

I promise I'll catch up soon. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone. xoxox