Puttin On The Ritz

A can of red bull + a pair of tap shoes = hours of entertainment.

Preparing Big Brother

In preparation for his little brother or sister, Currier's been practicing his bottle feeding skills on his Cabbage Patch doll. I've been trying to explain to him that there is a little person growing inside me. I tried using some Russian nesting dolls as a visual and now I'm pretty sure he thinks that a whole mess of decorative dolls are in my belly and will pop out in November.

He's thrilled!

A Morning At the Children's Museum

This morning, Currier and I went to the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry downtown Charleston. This was my first time driving in the city without another adult in the car so I am proud of myself for getting us there and back without getting lost. I must use the term "city" lightly because Charleston is so incredibly quaint it hardly qualifies as a "city". Charleston doesn't have any high rise buildings like typical American cities. Buildings must remain shorter than the church steeples and church steeples there are a plenty—Charleston is known as the Holy City because of its vast number of churches (No wisecracks about the irony of me living in the Holy City!). So Charleston is darling and hardly feels like a city but nonetheless it's technically a city so I'm still patting myself on the back for not getting lost.

Anyway, about our morning... It was a great morning! We got downtown around 9AM and the museum didn't open until 10AM so we walked around the historic district and I found at least a dozen restaurants for Trent and I to try on date nights or an evening out when guests come (Seriously, when are YOU coming to visit us?). We also found Paolo's Gelateria that serves Italian gelato and Three Dogs Bakery that serves gourmet dog treats. Currier and I decided we'd come back another time with Trent and the dogs to check those places out. When the museum opened, we were the first ones in line. The museum consisted of about 6 themed rooms. We spent a majority of the morning in the water room. Currier couldn't get enough of the little boats and making them float down stream, through tunnels, over water falls and under bridges. He also enjoyed the art room where he made a clay sculpture and a painting. It was fun to watch Currier explore and play and it's definitely a place we'll come back to again and again. I planned on us having lunch in the city but Currier was tired and wearing his cranky pants by the time we got out of the museum so we came straight home for lunch and a nap. Despite the cranky pants incident, it was still one of those days that made me love being a mom.

18 Hours Of Fun With 3 Cousins

After a week of camp in Tennessee with Aunt Carrie, Currier's cousins Amanda, Clayton and Jonathan came and spent the night with us on their way back to Florida.

After some serious hell-raising we managed to get the kids to sit down for some burgers and hot dogs that Trent cooked on his shiny new grill that he got for Father's Day.

After dinner the kids decorated cupcakes in honor of Flag Day (any excuse for cupcakes!).

As a thank you for bringing all these cousins to our house, Currier planted one on Aunt Carrie.

We had air mattresses all set up upstairs but the kids thought it best to all sleep together in the living room in front of the television. Being the push over that I am, I obliged and no one had a good night of sleep.

We woke up early (6:30AM) on Sunday morning and ate Dunkin Donuts on the Isle of Palms, searched for sand dollars and didn't find any, played in the surf and drove along Ocean Boulevard admiring the mansions. It was a good time and we look forward to more visits.

Father's Day

Currier spends a few quiet moments in the surf with his daddy.

Calgon, Take Me Away

Currier likes to unwind with a soak in the tub after a long day...

at fight club*!

* Getting in the car this morning Currier tripped
and fell into the car door giving him a little shiner!

Splash Island

Over the weekend we had a long list of things to do around the house but we'll always have things to do around the house so we blew off our chores and took Currier to a water park. Splash Island is inside the Palmetto Islands County Park down the street from our house. I discovered this county park a few months ago. There are miles of hiking trails with gorgeous marsh views and it's my favorite place to walk the dogs. Bruco and Paolo love it there too—they go absolutely nuts when they see the entrance sign. This past weekend was our first time trying the water park and it was the perfect way to cool off from the heat—it’s already in the high 90s with horrific humidity.

I Know...

Two dogs that love their new backyard...

And a little boy that loves the backyard accessories.

Happy Camper

Currier started summer camp this week. The camp is hosted by My Gym and it's basically a few hours of running around and getting sweaty. It's two mornings for the first two weeks of each summer month. When I picked Currier up after his first day, I asked what he did at camp and he said, "FUN, Mama, FUN!" I'm happy that he's enjoying camp just as much as I'm enjoying a few free mornings. Hooray for summer camp!

Dear Two-Year-Old Currier,

You're growing up so fast it makes my head spin. Some days it's subtle like the shoes I just bought you a few weeks ago are already tight. Other days it's something so huge I call your dad at work to boast, "Currier just said a sentence! He said, 'Currier do it'. Can you believe it? Our son is a genius!" Speaking of 'Currier do it', you're an independent little person. There are times when your independence infuriates me. Like when we're in a rush to be someplace and you absolutely insist on putting on your own shoes. I have to take deep breaths and try to remind myself that raising an independent person is my job.

The past five months have been tough on you. We said good-bye to Italy and some really good friends—the only home and family you've ever known. We went five months without our furniture and you without your toys and you just rolled with the punches. I’m pregnant with your sibling right now and I feel guilty because most of our days are spent on the couch watching TV because “Mama is sick”. You don’t seem to mind and you’ve actually showed empathy a few times by rubbing my back and saying, “Mama okay?” You learned to adapt to these new situations and that makes me very proud of you.

You’re at the age where it's impossible to take you anywhere. Shopping and restaurants are a thing of the past. Other moms assure me that this is a phase. Please hurry through this phase because I’d kill for an hour of mindless shopping at Target without a temper tantrum or a meal in a restaurant that I don’t have to scarf down because my son is screaming and everyone is staring at me!

I hate wishing away any phase because I know that means I’m also wishing you’d grow up faster. Everyone is always telling me, “Cherish every moment because it goes by so fast” and it is so astoundingly true. I can’t believe you’re already two-years-old! I promise to try to slow down and enjoy the little moments and not wish away the phases but embrace them with deep breaths. Because one day before I know it you'll be a grown man and this Boston Red Sox t-shirt will fit you and I'll wish you were a two-year-old again.

All my love,
Mama