Sunday, July 18, 2010

Happy 70th Grammy!

We made the trek up to Truro, Mass., to celebrate Grammy's 70th birthday.  While she knew all of the family was coming up for the big event, Beverly didn't realize a larger affair had been planned with friends and neighbors.  The weekend was very fun, albeit too fast, but it was good to spend time with the family, something we don't get to do enough since we don't live in the same place.  Happy 70th!

The guest of honor

Picking veggie's in FaFa's garden

Swimming at the beach - the water was so clear!

Playing with Ty and Lars at Moby Dick's restaurant -
can you tell these curly-headed blondies are related??


Olivia was hostess with the mostess, serving drinks and food,
and even making the bacon-wrapped scallops!

One guest knew her way to the kids hearts - she came bearing munchkins!

Grammy's girls

Grammy and her "baby"

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Red, White & Blue & Snacks, too!

We celebrated the 4th of July at an Atlanta Braves game.  It was Anna's first real baseball experience (however, according to Jason she's not truly indoctrinated because she has not been to Fenway yet). 

We pumped Anna up for the game by listing all of the activities that would happen at the game including singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, watching the baseball players, seeing silly mascots, and because it was the 4th, fireworks!  Oh, and we also hinted at the fun, junky food she would get to eat.  My perspective on going to games or other sporting events is to go crazy with the food - go big or go home.  So to that end, (dietitian/nutrition-focused friends please avert your eyes from the following), Anna happily enjoyed: Dippin Dots (x2), a hot dog, french fries, cotton candy, and a Sprite.

Needless to say between the snacks and entertainment we all had a great time.  Anna loved the game and eagerly asked several times when she could go out on the field to play.  After the game we were treated to a mini-concert by a 70s cover band while we waited for it to get dark enough for the fireworks spectacular.  The concert was a hit and Anna and I danced to the cheesy tunes.


But finally it was time for the fireworks.  The last time Anna was around fireworks she was not a fan and would scream/cry after each boom.  So I was a little unsure of how she would react this time.  I'm happy to report she was enthralled by the fireworks and still talks about them today.



All in all, we had a great 4th (even if our tummies were a little sore the next day...)!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Let's Go to the Movies!

Anyone who knows me, knows going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do. I love everything about it – the big screen, the previews, popcorn, spending 2+ hours wrapped in a imaginary world. I just love it. The "Let's go to the movies" song from Annie always plays in my head each time I'm heading to see a show...

I've been very excited – and hesitant – about taking Anna to the movies. I wanted to make sure she was able to sit through a movie because nothing would make me more frustrated to have to leave in the middle of a movie.

So, back in January When I heard that Toy Story 3 was coming out in May, I started prepping for that to be Anna's first movie theater experience. It perfect for me because the Toy Story series holds a special place in my heart. I remember seeing the first two movies in the theater with my family and watching them countless times at home with my brother and sister. Also, I am still convinced that toys have a life of their own when we're not looking so I've always been fascinated by the concept the movie.

To get her ready for the movie, I slowly started introducing the Toy Story characters and the first movie. Well, my little dear didn't need a slow introduct – she latched on immediately and fell in love with Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang (especially Slinky Dog and Alien). Unfortunately this did mean that Jason and I have been subjected to more viewings of Toy Story than we care to count.

By the time May rolled around, Anna was psyched up and I was confident she could make it through the movie. She did not disappoint. With Alien in tow, she happily scarfed down lots of popcorn and tuned into the adventures of the movie.

She made it through almost the whole movie. With about 15 minutes left she decided she jumped off Jason's lap and announced, "I'm ready to go back to my house now." We were able to convince her to sit for the remainder of the movie and when it ended she had changed her mind and didn't want to go home yet...fickle two-year-olds. After getting her out of the theater, she got an extra bonus – "meeting" the Alvin & the Chipmunks. I guess the theater hadn't gotten rid of those props yet.

The upside to my "operation Toy Story endeavor is I believe she is going to be a girl after my own heart because she constantly asks when she can back to the "movie e-a-ter".

The downside? Now she is OBSESSED with all things Toy Story and as you can imagine, the Disney marketing team left no stone unturned. Just yesterday we were at the post office and there were posters and life-size cut outs of the characters. I don't quite get the connection, but Anna is now a fan of the post office...so I guess the marketing fairies know what they are doing...