Too Cool

Lazy Weekend

Thankfully we have had a very low key weekend around here. Cope got home from his work trip on Friday afternoon and we took Ramsey to Bounce N Beans, a local bouncing gym. He had a blast and now every time we are anywhere in the vicinity of the location he demands to go play there. Good thing parents win when it comes to steering the car. Friday night after we put Ramsey to bed we ordered Chinese and watched the Office we had taped.

Saturday we didn't do too much. I got a much needed nap when Ramsey went down for his. It is so nice to have Cope home on the weekend and let him be in charge of the monitor and I allow myself to completely unwind. Later we went to Publix to pick up some UGA game snacks. When we got home we realized we didn't even get the channel that was airing the game so we settled on a movie and late night football highlights.

Today, Sunday we had delicious brunch of Shrimp and Grits at my Mom where a long time family friend Sue was visiting. We then headed to Target where they finally got in my beloved elbow t-shirts. I bought 6 of the same shirt. Cope wishes I wouldn't where such plain Jane clothes but I love them, I can't help it. Then my Mom came over to help with some sewing projects. Thanks Mom! Some neighbors came over with their 19 month old little boy Bryce to play and chit chat. We finished off the weekend with a nice family (the 3 of us) dinner at the table where Ramsey refused to eat his dinner but demanded 4 packs of fruit snacks. Ok, so I've decided to pick my battles and at the moment this isn't one of them.

So now were better rested and had time as family as we embark on what I'm sure will be a crazy, busy week but I'll look back on this weekend and be grateful for the rest and relaxation.

Stripper?

Mr. Ramsey is very into taking off his clothes these days. It starts with his shirt and next off comes his pants. This morning he was trying to wiggle out of his diaper too. He is also getting very interested in the potty. I'm not going to push it for quite a while as I know how strong willed he is and it is WAY too early to start the battle so I'll let him take his own time figuring it out. He does ask to sit on the potty but will just sit there and look around and after a minute or two will say "done". Even though there is no pee it is still cute to watch him begin the process.

Of course he is reading a book about trucks. He can't get enough of them these days.

Here is just a silly little video of Ramsey doing some dancing. He was WILD when he woke up from his nap today and needed to release some energy I suppose.

Little Monkey Man

Last Friday when we all went out to Mexican for dinner they had a clown walking around doing balloon animals for the kids. Since Ramsey loves Curious George so much we asked for a monkey. I thought maybe he'd be scared of it but he wasn't all all. He loved it! He hugged it and even tried to give him some of his milk. The next morning he woke up asking for his monkey and went downstairs and loved on it all morning. So sweet.

Also, Friday morning I suggested to Cope that we go to Waffle House for a late breakfast. We hardly ever go out to breakfast and I hadn't eaten Waffle House in over a year. It was delicious! Ramsey's latest favorite new food is ketchup and bacon so he was pleased as well.

Crazy Busy Weekend

Cope and I had a very full, very busy weekend. We set up for my craft show on Friday. Cope was off work and helped me with the heavy stuff. Thanks babe! Then the 3 of us met up with my Mom, Morgan and my sister, Paige for a dinner of Mexican and fun. My sister had just flown in from NYC to visit and help me for the weekend.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early. We met my mom at the craft fair at 8:00 for the real set up. She helped with Ramsey so Cope and I could make our booth look good. The show started at 10:00am and in between drizzle and down pours we sold a good amount of items. I did lots of on the spot embroidery and got more people knowing what I do and how to visit my website. Cope got Ramsey home for lunch and his nap and my sister helped out for a bit. Cope's parents came up to take care of Ramsey later that day so Cope could go to his "man party" at Morgan's (they shot dove last weekend and Morgan was making a feast for the UGA game). I totally over committed by having an Indigo girls concert at Chastain that evening, meaning I had to leave the festival early and dash to my Moms to head out by 5:30pm. We had a good time and watched the concert in ponchos but the music and snacks were great!

Sunday I got up and filled a few orders from the day before, spent a little time with Ramsey, and prayed I could make it all day on only 4 hours of sleep. The weather was a bit better on Sunday until the bottom dropped out at the end while Cope and I were trying to pack up. Thankfully all my product stayed dry but Cope and I were drenched and TIRED. We ran home, unloaded the truck, and headed to My Moms to get Ramsey and have a delicious meal of grilled shrimp and grits. It was a nice ending to a busy weekend.

Overall the weekend was a success but I realize craft fairs are not my calling. I just enjoy making custom items in the comfort of my own home. The weekend did make me realize how thankful I am to be able to do work I really love and stay home with Ramsey too. I believe we can have "it all" it just depends on what our definition of "it" is. I know I couldn't ask for more. I am grateful to all my family who supported and helped me this past weekend. Thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without you and especially Cope who is just the BEST in my book.

I'm Still Here

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I am getting ready for a big craft fair this weekend. I hardly ever do a booth at those types of things but this one is annual in Cartersville and is super fun to do. It is called Roselawn Arts and Crafts Fair and usually has some great vendors and everything is handmade typically really nice. I am doing a booth of my baby items such as bibs, burp cloths, diaper pouches, changing pads, and pillowcase dresses. I have about 250 pieces made up and the plan is to design and embroider on the spot. Hopefully with Cope's help we can make this happen. Ideally someone would come by pick out their item(s) of choice and hand it over to be custom embroidered right then and there.

So needless to say I have been super busy preparing for this event. I just hope it won't rain too much and it will be a success. I just love the work I get to do and hopefully others will appreciate it too. If you live near Cartersville you should stop by. There is no cost to get in and the foods (funnel cakes, BBQ, catfish, snow cones, ect.) are delicious!

BIG Bath = BIG Fun

Saturday evening Cope, Ramsey and myself went over to my Moms (across town) to watch the UGA game but since it didn't start until 7:00 and Ramsey hadn't napped hardly all weekend we just took his PJ's over there and gave him his bath and stuff there. He loves taking a bath in my Moms big tub and she even lit a few candles for his candlelit bath experience. We finally left around 8:30 and Ramsey was wiped out for a busy weekend.

A Blast From the Past

Yesterday my Mom and I decided to go to the Yellow Daisy festival at Stone Mountain. I hadn't been since I was younger so it brought back some fond memories. It was neat to bring Ramsey along since Cope was dove hunting. It was neat until I realized Ramsey had absolutely NO interest in the gigantic craft fair. He did not want to ride in his stroller, he didn't want to hold hands (which is required for walking around in a large crowd) and he mostly wanted to be carried. Now we were there at least 3 hours or so and carrying a fussy little boy around makes for some sweating and insanity. There were about 400 vendors there and about 1/2 way through we could have been done but managed to make it through the rest. I only came away with a little Christmas gift for Ramsey but I got lots of cool new ideas for future items. So I suppose it was successful? At least I got to spend some time with Mom and WILD man and thankfully when I got home Cope took over and I got a good nap!!!

They had a small children's section where they could color on this big wall:

They also had these bean bags all over the ground in the kids section so Ramsey of course made a friend and got to run WILD for a few minutes:

Family Fun Friday

Cope has started working a 4 day work week which makes Monday-Thursday long days for us both but him now having a 3 day weekend is the BEST! We've decided to try to do family days on Friday since things aren't as crowded. we plan to do one big thing each month and just something local or family-ish the other Fridays. Today was one of those BIG outings as we ventured to the Atlanta Zoo. It was Ramsey's first time and he LOVED it! When he saw the elephants the look on his face made it totally worth it. It is so much fun to experience joy through the eyes of your kid. I get excited about these things all over again. Ramsey was really well behaved and did lots of walking and running but because he dozed mid morning on the way down for about 20 minutes the result has been a very wound up little boy since. Oh well, we had fun!!!

Checking out the flamingos:

Looking at the elphants:

Boars playing in "mud":

Bird watching: (Ramsey tried to crawl right into to most exhibits)

Where's Ramsey?

The Guys:

Why do boys have a hard time leaving the nest?:

Doing a few dance moves for the crowd:

Petting zoo:

Riding the train:

Playing on the zoo playground. The perfect ending to a fun day:

21 Months

I just realized I haven't written much of an update on the WILD man lately. He turned 21 months last week. WOW! I can see age 2 will be bringing us lots of discipline challenges but even more joy as Ramsey is just so funny to us. He is talking more and more each day. I guess because I am with him most of the time I have also taken on the role of translator. I get about 90% of it right. I can't speak Spanish or French but I think I got this toddler thing down. His latest funny words are "sit down" which he says forcefully since I suppose I say it to him about a 100 times a day. Also, when he starts to do something he isn't supposed to he'll say "trouble" since he knows if he does it he'll get in trouble. He loves all things boy like trains, trucks, cars, motorcycles, diggers, mud, etc. He also has been enjoying learning about football but he pronounces that one "FUCK". He often gets his K's and T's mixed up. I didn't realize until we were on our way to playschool yesterday that he had a football shirt on to which he had to show everyone his "FUCK" on his shirt. I bet those teachers think Ramsey's parents are irresponsible, cussing morons???



Ramsey is also learning his colors and can often tell me what letters he see. He still is CRAZY about books. He is sweet, he is WILD, he is fun, and he is challenging but I an thankful every single day that this is my life and I get to be his Mom. What a treat!

Playgrounds!!!

Ramsey just LOVES playgrounds these days. Anytime we pass when one when we're in the car he shouts "bar bar" (AKA play ground) from the back seat. I guess he just wants us to take note that he is ready to play at a moments notice. So on days when we do go the play ground you can imagine how excited he gets. Saturday my Mom and I took him to one in a neighborhood that no one ever uses. He loved it!

Also, Saturday he got to sport his newest UGA outfit. My Mom made it and I did the applique G and embroidery. I think he looks awesome in it.

Today was story time at out local library and we met up with two of Ramsey's buddies there and after went to a local little park to let them play. Ramsey was thrilled and thought his long shorts were holding him back form the action so he ditched them in favor of no shoes and only a diaper and shirt.
The 3 little men (Harper Cole, Ramsey, and Ty).

Go Red Elephants!

Cope, Ramsey, and me went to Gainesville this past Friday to cheer on my Dad's football team the Red Elephants. It was the first home game I'd been to and was really impressed how much the community comes out to support the players. Very good school spirit! Even though Ramsey wasn't feeling up to speed we thought the fresh air and entertainment would do him good. It did. He seemed to really enjoy himself even though he had the vomiting episode at dinner and diarrhea while he was running around. Dad and Donna made Ramsey feel like a celebrity. Dad greeted him getting off the bus and had a light up football in his bag just for him. Donna had him a big bag of snacks and a shirt made for him that is adorable and he even got to go down close to the filed and throw his football around. Here are a few pictures from our evening out to G'ville:

Ramsey and Cope:

Elephant walk. They players drive across town on buses and are greeted by fans as they walk into the stadium: Shirt Donna had made for Ramsey. Thanks, we love it! Ramsey watching in amazement as footballs are being thrown everywhere: Caged WILD man: