What Have I Done?!??!?!

Many of you faithful followers may be very aware that I.Hate.Pink!!!

I will NOT wear it... on anything!!
I hate that it's on my fancy schmancy thirty-one swirly lunch tote
I attempt to buy cards without pink envelopes
I hate that my parents once painted our dining room in that color!!
I just downright hate it!!!


Until Lovebug rolled into town.


And now look...

What have I done??!?!?   It looks like bottle of Pepto exploded all over my precious, innocent, lovable little girl. 

Can We Say Obcessed??

It's not secret Lovebug has a love for Mickey Mouse.  And now... it's moved on to Dora.  But it is much more than love. Can we say obcessed much?!?! 

We went shopping, just us girls, and Lovebug spotted a Mickey Mouse shirt across the store.  You see, she had to see it!  Unfortunately, it wasn't in her size :(.

However, as we turned around, she yelled "Dooora" {pronounced Dew-ra!}, so I had to take her to see it.  Lucky for her, it was in her size.  And of course, as an obcessed person would, she insisted on wearing it the next day :).



{working on her cheese face!}



Sleeping Beauty

A few days ago, I was cleaning the kitchen and then I heard it...

the dreaded noise no parent wants to hear...

COMPLETE SILENCE!!!!

My mind immediately sprang to Oh no!!  Not the stairs!!!!!

I ran around to see if I could catch her in action.  Nope.  Not there.  Next thought? Bathroom!  Nope, not there either.

I ran all over the main floor and upstairs of our house, only to realize I couldn't find her anywhere!! 

Insert fear now!

I turned around with tears welling up in my eyes to find this...

My little sleeping beauty :)



Irish Eyes

Here are a few picks of our lil' Irish lassie from St. Patrick's Day, 2011. 

{wee bit.... try lot o' bit!}

{attempting to try on one of her new hats}

Is it a phase?

Lovebug has done some pretty impressive things over her 20 months of life now.  You have the typical things like rolling over, learning to crawl, learning to walk, etc. 

But Lovebug.  Oh Lovebug.  She has impressed us with things like:
~knowing and labeling each and every piece of Hawkeye memorabilia in our house
~talking in 3-5 MLU {mean length of utterance} at 18 and 19 months

There are more to name, but I'm too darned excited to tell you of her next impressive adventure.

That's right, folks.  She's using the big girl potty!!! 

It started a month and a half ago when she was making "the face" at daycare and Holly threw her onto the potty chair there.  She used it {I have photo evidence, but will spare you the gorey details of it}, and since then, it has become her passion.

And her way of attempting to get out of trouble.

She is constantly pulling her pants down and saying "paw-yah, paw-yah" {with all words ending in "y" she says "yah"), so we go in, she sits, and she goes :).  She does this same thing if she's close to earning a time-out.  And of course, gullible Mama goes with it.  After all, who knows if she really needs to go, right?!?  Right!!

So yes, our {then} 19 month old began using the potty.  She goes into the bathroom 15-20 times a day {probably not even an exaggeration on my part with this number}, and usually ends up using it 4-5 times a day.  Her face when the music starts singing?  Priceless!!!

I have many thoughts of my little Lovebug starting this step.

I'm not ready!
She's not old enough!!
Is this a phase?
How'd she figure this out?!?
How do I teach her the difference between passing gas and going potty?
Is this going to end?

But the biggest and best thought of all is...

I'm so proud!!! 

Though I'm not ready for this to happen because I think she's not old enough to completely understand, I'm not ready for it because that means my baby girl is growing up.  That, my friends, I am not ready for. 

Break = Projects

Spring Break around Lynamland not only meant a short vaycay, flag poles, and playing outside.  It meant home projects!  This year, the projects were done by other people, and weren't as low-key as I would ahve hoped. 

The first big project was getting a back-up sump pump for the basement.  If you all think back to last year at this time, I was ankle deep in soggy, wet carpet while Coach was off at his conferences.  We absolutely hated that it all happened because the sump pump didn't work right.  Now that we're in our new home, we didn't want to take the chance of it ever happening again!  So, a nice plumber man came out and hooked us up.

The second big project was new furniture!!!!!  We got rid of a lovely maroon recliner upstairs and got a nice, soft, chocolate brown recliner instead.  The biggest change was the basement...aka...manland :)  Poor Coach.  I've always felt bad for his basement(s) because he has never had new furniture down there.  He's always had some type of hand-me-down of some sort. 

We were fortunate to get this hand-me-down hide-a-bed from my parents, who had gotten it from my grandma...



{No words.}



We liked the hide-a-bed status for an extra place to sleep, and Coach graciously agreed to get another one.  We found one we liked, purchased it, and took advantage of the delivery option.  Fast forward to delivery day and our attitudes weren't as good.  You see... the new hide-a-bed/sofa sleeper wouldn't fit downstairs :(.  Enter sheer panic.  We told them to take it back, and we hurried over to Homemakers to find something new.  This time around, we knew we had to get something where the backs would come off {seriously, who makes the door to the basement a 31" door!}.  We lucked out!!!


We upgraded to this...



{no comparisons...the pillows even came with}


Not only did Coach get a new couch, he also got a matching chair...



{oh-so-comfy}


The new furniture also meant a new arrangement in the basement.  Fear not, faithful followers.  Lovebug still has her corner in manland :).

Spring was in the air

On Wednesday or Thursday of Spring Break, the weather was GORGEOUS!!!  So nice that we spent some quality time outside.  Coach put up his new flag pole, and the 3 of us played around in the backyard. 



{chillaxin'}






{Lovebug didn't want to sit too long}

{throwing the ball with Dada and Edgar}

{I love this one!!  She's on the run!!!}

{working her new shades}

{so in love with her!!}

Lovebug Swims!

Lovebug had her very first swimming experience while we were at our hotel in Minnesota over Spring Break.  Now, I know some of you are probably thinking {What?!?  Her first experience in a pool?!?  What is WRONG with you?!?}... and I don't blame you for thinking that. 

Let me remind you of our crazy summer last year with selling our house, going to baseball games, selling our house, having family visit, and ya know, selling our house!!!  Let me also tell you that I, athletic director of Lynamland, do not know how to swim.  There.  I said it publicly.  Yeppers... I sink like a fat rock.  No joke.  There is not one part of me that can float.  Perhaps it has something to do with my control issues {I hate roller coasters, too}. 

Don't get me wrong... I wish I did know how to swim.  It's my favorite Olympic sport to watch.  Alas, 5 or 6 years of swimming lessons were of no help. 

*Ahem*... but I digress.

Since Mama's not so good in the pool, it only made sense that Coach be the one to take her swimming for the first time, right?  Right.  In my cool as a cucumber panic-stricken, terrified of her drowning, living my own fear through my own daughter, I watched as she literally JUMPED into the pool with Coach.  TERROR!!!  I tried my very hardest to not let her see it, though.  I wonder if she noticed.  I'm sure the other two families who were there did.  Oh well.

She took to the water like the sea turtle was earlier at the mall.  She had such a great time!!!  And of course, you know me, I made sure to get some pictures {though they are not of great quality... I forgot to charge my camera battery before our trip, so I had to use my cell phone a lot}.

{checking the water out}

{my big girl!!}

{Coach was constantly telling me "she's ok"... which I guess she was}

{what a proud Daddy}

{and a proud little girl, too}

Minnesota or BUST

Over Spring Break {ahem, 2 weeks ago...}, we packed up the ol' Mom Bomb and traveled north to Albertville, IKEA, and the MOA for a short family vaycay.  Lovebug and Coach were quite the pair in my rearview mirror... you see, he sat in the backseat with Lovebug to keep her quiet company :).

Upon arrival, we hit up the stors at the Albertville Outlet Mall.  Ahhh... outlet prices + no tax on clothing or shoes = boat loads of Lynamland bucks spent.  The highlights of that 4-5 hour time frame were:

* Lovebug getting 6 pairs of shoes {that's right ladies, I'm starting her off right!!}
* Coach and I getting matching Hawkeye coats.  Yep!  We're that couple now :)

Monday brought IKEA, the MOA, and Lovebug's first experience swimming {more to come in another post}.  IKEA was quite the experience... only because our poor lil' girl was a bit confused.  You see, our favorite daycare person EVER {a.k.a. Holly} and her sister were in MN at the same time.  In fact, they were our next-door neighbors at the hotel :).  So, Lovebug was a smidge bit confused that Holly and Mama and Dadda were all there.  Therefore, she had a hard time of listening to Mama... and earned her first IKEA time-out :(. 

We ventured on to the MOA and had some quality family time.


{about to enter the mall}

Our first stop?  Johnny Rockets :). 



{cheese!!!}

Once we ate, we hit up the super awesome Sea Life Aquarium!  It was so much fun... though I'm not sure who had more... Lovebug who saw tons of sea creatures, Coach who got to have a fun experience with his favorite daughter, or me, who got to witness the fun they had together. 



{seriously... loving the paintings on the wall}




{about to go down}



{here, they could touch different things.  Lovebug... not so sure about it}

{stingrays!!}



{waving at Mama}

Once you walk through a few different exhibits, you enter the tunnel of creatures.  This was probably my favorite part.  And *ahem*, I sometimes forgot that I was responsible for a little one... I got a litle too caught up in the oohs and ahhs of what I saw :)



{that's a big ol' shark right above my family!!!}

{love his face!!}

 While walking through this wicked awesome tunnel, I got super excited about the sea turtles!  {think Finding Nemo}.  Apparently, the sea turtle felt the same way about us :). 

{pointing to him from afar}

{pointing to him up close.  I soooo wish I could have gotten the look on her face!!}

 I had to run ahead of these two yahooligans to capture this fun picture. 

{who do you think had more fun?}

Wow!  He's a handsome man :).  And what a cutie.  God has blessed me, that's for sure!!!  Though I wish our vaycay could have been longer, I was happy to get home and work on our projects.  It also solidified to us that we're going to save our money for next year's spring break {think Tampa... and Yankees baseball :)}

Sick and Sick

Saturday, I made Coach and Lovebug to go urgent care... and they left with matching prescriptions :)  I think they are taking this Daddy/Daughter thing to a whole new level.  And I'm not liking it!!!

Coach is finally on the mend!  Lovebug, however, is not :(.  Her cough is HORRIBLE {no croup, RSV, or bronchitis though, thankfully!}, so we went back to the doc last night.  We left with a script for a cough medicine... which she absolutely HATES... and now she refuses to take any more medicines!  AHHHHH!!!!!

On top of all of that, she is now having low-grade temps in the early morning, and last night was a sleepless night for us girls.  I stayed home and dialed up the doc's office as soon as they opened.  Talked with a nurse and she said the dr. wrote in her chart last night that she has an upper respiratory virus.  Which means no daycare for the rest of the week :(.  What on earth will she do without her Holly and Marcus?!?!?

Enter Grandma Pam.  You see, on most normal weeks this wouldn't be bad... Coach and I would rotate days off.  But this week is conferences... before spring break.  UGH!!  So, Grandma Pam will be staying with Lovebug all day and night tomorrow until Coach and I get home.  Hopefully our stubborn, pig-headed, mind of her own, precious little one makes good choices.  And hopefully she doesn't get Grandma Pam or Marshall sick, too!

As for me?  I'm disinfecting like I'm a custodian at a hospital over here!!!  Bleach and Lysol spray... my two new best friends.

The brace is gone!!!

Lovebug and I went to visit Dr. L today for the one month follow-up {ummm, where did that month go?!?} for her fracture.

I'm pleased to say that the x-rays showed no more fracture :) :) :)

Lovebug gave me an odd look when the nurse took it off when we got there.  Normally the only time we take it off is for bath time!!  She was even more weirded out when we didn't put it back on!  Though it was a {stinky} pain, it'll make for a great addition to her things to remember tote.  I think I'll spray it with some Febreeze first, though. 

Happy Birthday Grandma Pam

Yesterday was Grandma Pam's birthday.  We hope you had a great one!!!

Love, Coach, AD, & Lovebug

Wordless Wednesday

An impromptu photo session with my not to baby-like baby girl

I <3 Her