Bon Voyage

We set sail tomorrow from Fort Lauderdale for a cruise to Jamiaca and Grand Cayman.

It is so tough to leave Megan behind. I'll miss her so much, but know she is in good hands with Mom and Dad Keller. Keep them in your thoughts as they take care of the dog, the cat, the fish, and the toddler!

We'll talk to you soon!

I CAN USE A SPOON !

Megan's table manners are a little messy, to say the least. I've been wondering how to teach her to use a spoon. My friends told me to just give it to her and one day she would eventually figure it out. When that didn't happen as quickly as I thought it would, I started to get nervous my child would be at the prom shoveling food in her mouth with her hands. Yikes!

I tried to put my hand over her hand and bring the spoon to her mouth. That got yogurt all over the wall, the windows, and the dog. I think I found some in my hair later too. I tried to show her in an very animated way how much I loved spooning food in my mouth. She just gave me a strange look and continued to stuff her own food in with her hands.

Then one day, daddy sits down in front of her. He holds the bowl, gives her a spoon, and off she goes!!!! He yells to me, "Hey honey, look! She's using the spoon." I walk over, expecting to see Megan flinging yogurt all over the kitchen. Nope! My little girl was laughing with her daddy, spooning food into her mouth. Her aim was a little erratic, but she was doing it.

As I watched John and Megan together, I realized how important these moments really are. I realized I am married to one heck of a guy and an even better father. I realized our life together and the family we are building is the most important endeavor of my life. So what if he leaves his shoes all over the place. So what if I haven't seen the floor of his office since last fall. My daughter's eyes light up when he comes into the room, and mine do too.

Labor Day at the Cabin 2007

Here are pictures from the annual trip to "The Cabin" in Steamburg, NY. My family owns a cabin and some property in the Allegheny foothills. My parents, my brother and his two girls (Brianna and Austyn), my sister Katie and her husband Justin, their son Colin, John, Megan and I all stayed at the cabin over Labor Day weekend. My dad took the gang on tractor rides and they loved it!
Megan loved to climb on the small tractor and pretend she was driving. She even made a vroom noise!
Isn't she cute! My little John Deere girl!
"Driving" the tractor!

All tired out from a long day riding tractors and taking walks. How cute!
Megan and Mommy by the pond. I can't believe we used to swim in that when we were little. Yuck!
Our happy little family on the dock at the pond.

Austyn, John, Brianna, and Megan going for a ride on the tractor.
Daddy's Girl - Megan absolutely loves John! She prefers him over anyone else.

Just Venting.......

The dining room, before the makeover

After the makeover

What craftsmanship!

So you came to my blog to see adorable pictures of sweet little Megan? Not today, my friend. I'm sorry but I must complain for just a little bit. It is my blog, after all. Before I begin my tirade, I will acknowledge that this complaint is very minor compared to other "real problems" I could be experiencing. However, this blog is called my "stay-at-home mamma drama" and the events of today clearly fit.

Last month, I spent about 3 hours in JoAnn's trying to choose fabric for curtains for my dining room. By the time I had finally made my decision, Megan was crying and throwing Goldfish crackers all over the store. The saleswoman was so mean to me and wouldn't wait on me, making comments under her breath about MY BABY and the mess she made. (I picked up the whole crackers, but I couldn't get to the crushed ones. Has she ever had a baby?????) I actually had to get a manager to wait on me. I would have told them to stuff their fabric (my mom was with me and was insisting they were SOOOOOO RUDE we should leave) BUT I had spent all that time looking and I LOVED the fabric. Despite the poor customer service, I special-ordered the fabric, paid for it, and told the manager how obnoxious her saleswoman was. She didn't seem too concerned.

Then I spent several additional hours choosing a paint color. I agonized (like only I can) over the color green in the fabric. I must have looked at 50 different color greens before choosing one I felt matched the pattern in the fabric just perfectly. Then John and I got into a little tiff (it was actually a blowout) when I told him I wanted wainscot panels and paint. He said something to the effect of, "You want what????? Do I not look busy enough???? Could you have picked something less complicated???? What in the name of la-dee-da is wainscot???" (only there were a few other words mixed in there also....use your imagination) He got even more excited when I told him it had to be done in two weeks, before my Southern Living at Home party.

What a good sport that guy is................he did it (with my dad's help) and it looks great. (Mysteriously enough, however, my guide book to decorating with architectural trimwork has disappeared! And it had at least 2 more ideas in it for future projects!)

So the room was painted the perfect color green and I was waiting for my paid-in-full, special order fabric to arrive. I waited a MONTH and received a phone call this morning. It was that darling woman from JoAnn's. (Remember the one who just loved my baby......not!) She wanted to tell me that the manufacturer no longer has that particular pattern of fabric. AHHHHHHHH! I begged her to tell me it wasn't true. I painted my room to match that fabric (actually my husband painted it, and not very willingly let me tell you!) Wait.......there's more.......when I told her I would be in the store today, expecting my full refund, she told me of JoAnn's policy to not refund money paid for shipping. Hmmmm, so interesting........WHAT IN THE WORLD DID THEY SHIP?????? When I regained my composure, I went to the store and ended up getting a full refund. (I made sure to bring my darling little girl and plenty of goldfish crackers.)

I probably should have felt badly when Megan grabbed my full bottle of Kool-Aid and threw it on the ground, spewing red liquid all over the floor. I probably should have felt badly when that "nice" lady had to bend over and wipe it up. (I did offer.....I'm not that bad.) I probably should have felt badly when Megan left a trail of goldfish crackers all the way to the car.............

There are two possible lessons to be learned from all this.........

1. Don't buy fabric from the mean lady at JoAnn's, even if it is cute and 50% off.

2. Don't take RED Kool-Aid into to the fabric store. ha, ha

I prefer #1. A little red Kool-Aid never hurt anyone, right Megan? Gosh, I love that kid.

I'm Staking My Claim

My cousin Mary just announced she is pregnant with a little girl. I am so, so excited for her! They are planning to name her Ava. Adorable, right? The only problem is that Mary, along with my cousin Sara, share in my excellent taste for baby names. If I fail to stake my claim soon, there will not be any cute names left for my future offspring. I'm taking this as my wake up call. I am publishing my official "list." From this point forward, the names on this list are unavailable for any children born to: any member of my immediate family (yes, Kate, that includes you), my first, second, and third cousins, bowling buddies of my third cousins, my sister's neighbors and friends, my friends, my friends' friends, my current and future neighbors (including Dena) and any other woman of childbearing age......and even those that are not. Please don't be offended if I didn't include you. I meant to!

The following names are in no particular order:

Potential girl names: Avery, Olivia, Caroline, Camden, Jenna, Sophie, Sydney, Charlotte, Addison, Bailey, Camryn (my personal favorite)

Potential boy names: Joshua, Alexander, Cayden, Jackson, Luke, Nathan, Noah (my personal favorite)

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm just thinking ahead. I reserve the right to amend this list at any time, and for any reason.

If you know anyone pregnant or considering adding a child to their family, please refer them to my list and tell them it is M-I-N-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!