You Know Your The Mother Of A Toddler When...

1) You pick out your new purse based on its ability to hold a sippee cup (Up until now I've been carrying a typical diaper bag but it has gotten a little gross and I wanted to be able to have one purse for all occasions.)

2) You pick out your lunch place based on their playgrounds (My Mom and I went fabric shopping on Wednesday and in the past we would typically choose some great little place to stop but now I find my decisions based on which fast food has the best playground since Ramsey gets so excited when he see one! Whatever makes him smile, right?)

3)You know every single episode of Martha Speaks, Curious George, and Super Why. (Not to Mention I can just about recite The Letter Factory in my sleep.)

4) You pick your grocery store based on how fun their shopping carts are for kids (I usually shop Super Wal-Mart for groceries just to save money, but HATE it. So I've decided to shop Publix sales papers and buy their store brands and make my budget work there too. I just LOVE Publix and so does Ramsey. He likes there Race Car shopping buggies and I feel better supporting such great customer service)

5)Your main excitement for the week is going kids consignment shopping! (My neighbor is picking Ramsey and me up at 8:30 this AM and were headed with the kiddies down to Marietta for a huge one, Oh Boy!)

So in the past 20 months my life has changed DRAMATICALLY but I LOVE IT! Being the mother of a toddler is pride filled and pride swallowing. It is challenging and FUN! Ramsey makes me laugh so much and keeps me growing into a better person each day. He is learning something new all the time, his hugs are bigger, his kisses are sweeter, and I am just over the moon for this kid. Even though I'm often racking my brain trying to figure this parenting thing out I often find myself almost giggling with joy that I get to be his Mommy. What a treat!

Back to School Shirts

I have found a total love for making applique shirts. They are fun to design and the final product is super cute. I've put them on my business blog http://www.collectionsbytaranicole.blogspot.com/ and thought in case some of you don't visit it often (link on right side of this blog) I'd post these on here. I think they are a great idea for the first day of school/preschool/nursery/etc. so that the teachers can know their sweet little face by name instantly. They are also a great idea for birthday shirts and most anytime too! If you want to see more just check out my business blog. If you do need a back to school shirt in a hurry I usually ship them out within 2-3 business days. Check the site often as I will be adding new designs including holiday appliques in the coming months.

Savannah

I've mentioned before that Cope joined the National Guard which means he has drill one weekend each month and then annual training 2 weeks a year. His annual training takes place at Ft. Stewart in Savannah. He had to be down there by yesterday (Monday) morning. Since we haven't gone on a vacation due to Cope's new work schedule and us just being glad to all be home together we thought it would be neat to take a mini vacation, go down to Savannah a day before and experience Savannah and River street with Ramsey. I was stoked as I have fond memories of Savannah and parting it up there in my college days.

Saturday night we took the dogs to my Moms and then Ramsey, Cope and I headed out early Sunday morning for the 4.5 hours drive down south. Cope mentioned that his back was sore and as the the morning wore on he started feeling achy. Maybe, I'm not a compassionate wife and sort of brushed it off and thought he'd feel better once we got to River Street. We arrived shortly after 1:00pm and made our way with Ramsey in his stroller bumping along all the cobblestones. I was HOT but we were going to make it fun! That was until about 10 minutes later Cope said "babe, I don't think I can do this much longer, I feel terrible". What??? Is he serious??? I had to pick my Mom up some pralines from River Street Sweets so I dashed in there and then decided I better take Cope seriously and we headed back to the car. Now pushing the stroller UP cobblestone. When we got back to the car, Cope was miserable and I thought he might throw up.

We headed to find a hotel which we thankfully found a nice one fairly quickly. It was only like 2:30 or so at this point so I dropped Cope off to go lay down and Ramsey and I decided to make ourselves busy so we went to the Wal-mart and Target that was near by. I would have headed downtown but didn't want to get too far in case Cope really needed me and besides I am no navigating genius and had no idea where I was.

We got back to the hotel around 5:00. Ramsey was thrilled to finally be able to run WILD and explore the hotel room. I gave Ramsey and me both a shower as we were super gross from traveling and being sweaty all day. Cope had a fever and was laying in the bed. We had planned on meeting some college friends for local seafood for dinner but of course that wasn't going to happen so after I showered I ran out and got some to go junk and we all just stayed in the rest of the evening.

I was so tired and didn't feel like pulling Ramsey pack n play out of the car and decided he could just sleep with me. We got double beds since Cope was sick. When it was bedtime Ramsey took an hour to wind down and poked and prodded my face forever. When he did finally fall asleep just imagine what it would be like to sleep with a wild tiger mauling you all night and you can imagine how much sleep I got. I think I said a few choice words very loudly at some point.

The next morning Cope was feeling a little better. We got things together and took Cope over to Ft.Stewart, said our goodbyes and Ramsey and I headed for home. I have to say Ramsey was really pretty much the perfect traveling buddy. He did amazing in the car. He was such a little trooper and was so well behaved the whole time. I'm not even making this up, he was that good. I even let him pick out some cars at Wal-mart as a reward for being so wonderful. I'm sure he'll pay me back this week now that it is just he and I here, but hopefully not.

Cope is going pretty much the whole month of August for drill and work trips. Thank goodness I have lots of practice at managing the WILD man on my own. We'll miss him, that is for sure. So just to recap, the trip to Savannah was NOT a success. It was NOT a mini vacation. It was basically drive 4 hours to stay in a hotel and drive 4 hours back the next day. I truly don't blame Cope as he really didn't choose to get a 24 hour bug but it was just a fairly poopy experience for us all. Maybe we'll have better luck next time???

I hardly took any pictures but here is what I did get:Bath tub fun at the hotel. Give this kid a tub, an ice bucket, and a cup and he is set for quite a while:Snoozing on the way home. He put his doggie AKA Boomer at his head for a pillow I suppose:

Bossy

Here is an example of how long it takes to get ready to leave the house to run errands in the morning. Ramsey love to help me and his latest favorite thing is making our dogs, Sage and Bentley get in their kennels. He likes to think he is in charge. Wonder where he get that from??? (if you have trouble watching all the little videos just click the refresh button)

Water Park

Thanks to this great idea from fellow blogger Katie, when we went to visit my Dad and Donna in Gainesville this past Sunday we also took a trip to the Aquatic Center where they have an outdoor water park. Of course Ramsey loved it! I thought he might be a little timid it being new territory and all but nope he thought it was great as did we. There is a great little kids area and Cope and I even went on the big water slides. It made me itch for a trip to White Water.

Here is Ramsey wiping out at the bottom of the kiddie slide. His eyes we SO wide when Cope got him but he was ready for more: He had to wear a life jacket which I thought he'd hate but he didn't mind one bit:

It was a little chilly so wrapped up and got cozy and somewhat dry before heading out:

Oh, also on this particular day I thought for sure Ramsey would doze a little on the 1.5 hour trip to G'ville but nope not a bit. So when we hit the water park at 12:00 I thought he would be in meltdown mode. Nope. He played hard. So I thought maybe he would relax with me when we got back to my Dad's but nope, too much to explore. I even dozed off. You know it is bad when the mom naps and the kid doesn't. So we finally headed for home about 4:30 and before we made it 2 minutes down the road he was passed out. It was the first time he had ever gone that long without a nap but it was good to see he can adjust if needed.

Wordless Wednesday- So Sweet

Saturday Evening at the River

Saturday evening my Mom invited us to come over for games and a grill out at their river house. It is a little rock house that my Mom has totally remodelled to the point that it is now longer a river cabin but a very nice little weekend home. It is only about 10 minutes form their lake house and in on the Etowah River so there is lots of good fishing and outdoor things to enjoy. On Saturday we enjoyed playing Bean bag toss and croquet (well actually Ramsey and the dogs enjoyed playing with the croquet balls ). Here a Ramsey washing the balls because there was slobber all over them from the dogs (4 bulldogs).

He was supposed to be cleaning off the balls but as you can tell below he thought he'd wash off too.

Hence the reason he is eating in only a diaper here. Nama made him homemade Mac n Cheese which he gobbled up followed by watermelon wedges.

Also, we really enjoyed the Bean bag toss game. Ramsey was busy with his mower in the grass but quickly came over to see what we were doing. I had no idea he'd enjoy it so much but he easily caught on to how the game should be played. He was actually about as good as I was. Next time we're thinking of trying out badminton. Now that should be fun with Ramsey!

Saturday Pool Fun

Saturday afternoon we took Ramsey up to the pool for a little family pool time. Ramsey always loves when Cope is with us at the pool and so do I. Usually during the week he mostly plays on the steps or floats close to me while I chat it up with other Moms at the pool. It was a bit cool (which is freakishly weird for July in Georgia) but we braved through the chill bumps and tired the WILD man out. Have I mention how much I love lazy weekend days having Cope home to enjoy Ramsey with???

A Toddlers Dream

Ok, so if any of you parents find yourself going nuts with a WILDtoddler an your heels try this this easy at home activity. Friday night Cope made Ramsey a little makeshift fort by just draping a blanket over part of the coffee table and sofa. Also, giving them a flashlight is a must. Ramsey was in awe of his new little space. We had to drag him away at bedtime. Yesterday morning first thing he said when I greeted him was "tent" and went strait for it when we got downstairs. Also, we were headed out last evening and couldn't find his crocs anywhere. We tore the house apart only to find them sitting in his little space/fort. I suppose I just need to get more creative on days were just hanging out at home because this little activity was super.

Cheap Entertainment

I love how Ramsey can make his own fun these days. Sometimes he still really wants me to play with him but often we can find him amusing himself. Here is just one example of the WILD man in action:

Sunday Lunch

My Mom and and Morgan treated us to lunch at the Country Club this past Sunday to celebrate all of the family birthdays in July. It was fun but we missed Cope since he had to be at drill. Eating at the Country Club always makes me a slight bit nervous as it is fairly quite and Ramsey is fairly NOT quite. All things considered he did just fine and once he had had enough of sitting still we ventured outside where he waved to all the golfers and seemed fascinated by the game. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention he threw a fork accross the table and hit me in the face with a cracker. Needless to say there were a few timeouts.

Here he is putting on his shoes. He can not put on most any slip on shoes (to include my sandals, high heels, and Cope's running shoes):

Ramsey with his cousins Ansley and Connor:

Too Cool, he is 1.5 going on 16 years old:

Wordless Wednesday- The Reader

Pool Day

Saturday afternoon my sister Paige and I took Ramsey to the pool. He absolutely loves it there and spends most of his time playing on the steps, running WILD, or eating snacks. He is getting better and better at treading water with his floaties on and keeping his head from going under. He is quite a water bug so far. He also found a neighbors football which he thought was just "cool" (yes, that is one of his latest new words). Even today in the playroom I was sewing a needed a few more minutes to finish so I asked him to go find a football for me. I was thinking that would keep him distracted a least 5 minutes but he came back in about 10 seconds with a football in hand. What a kid! We've enjoyed a lazy Monday after a very busy past weekend which I am super thankful for and lucky for me Ramsey has been very well behaved today with only 1 threat of a time out. I'll take it when I can get it.

He tried reading my sisters book but found it boring with no pictures:

Playin in the Dirt

I suppose I had not thought much about what we were going to do this weekend after Morgan's birthday party on Friday night. Cope had drill this weekend which means he was gone his usual times (early morning-early evening) both Saturday and Sunday. I was totally bummed that he had guard drill as I know it means Cope needs a break and so do I. What can you do??? Keep on going is all I could think of so Saturday morning my very generous mother came over to help me work on our yard. Since this is our first house I am slowly getting into yard work. I originally thought I would hate that part of home ownership but I actually find it very rewarding and satisfying as it is really peoples first impression of your home. We take pride in our house. We have worked very hard to be here and I'll be darn if we're going to let it look shabby.

So Ramsey, Mom, and Me moved some previous landscape around and then headed to Lowe's for a new tree (Crape Myrtle) new plant (hydrangea) and pine straw. Ramsey helped us quite a bit and pretended to mow the lawn with his new mower. It was HOT but we got it done. I finished today by adding a few more plants next to the front door and putting out 10 more bails of pine straw. I think I've had 3 showers so far and about a gallon of water today. I'm done now and going to crash for a bit. Long weekend but a satisfying one at that.

60th Birthday bash

Morgan my step-Dad (AKA Papa Morgan) turned 60 years young yesterday and we celebrated with a progressive birthday party. We started out with wine, cheese, shrimp, and watermelon at their new lake home. It was the first time many of the guest had seen their house so it was neat to see others discover their little hideaway for the first time. Ramsey tried very hard to be on his best behavior and succeeded with minimal timeouts. Score one for the Rowell parents!!!Trying to escape upstairs by himself which is a huge NO, NO. : Ramsey was stoked about it being Papa's birthday but did not understand why all the attention was not on him: Ramsey hanging out with cousin Ansley. She is 4 years old and Ramsey thought she had pretty much hung the moon. He copied almost everything she did: After the lake house we went to a BBQ restaurant in Euharlee and enjoyed yummy food. After dinner we headed about 10 minutes up the road to their other getaway, the River house. We had champagne and dessert there. Cindy, my sister in law (Will, her hubby is in the Navy and is currently under the sea somewhere) surprised Morgan by flying in for the fun event. So cool that she made it: Making Ramsey pose for me and he hated every second of it: Morgan blew out his candles and made a wish. Morgan is calling age 60 the new 40: Again, I made him pose and he is totally pouting here: Hey Ladies, check out this super fly Pajamas. Real men where footies covered in doggies: Swinging with Nama and thinking Ansley is so great: Fun night and again Happy Birthday Morgan!!!!

Putting Out The Vibe

So I think Ramsey is (at least for now) catching my vibe that I am SERIOUS about this discipline stuff. I realize I've let him get away with quite a bit and not been as consistent as I should. I'm not blaming myself, I'm just becoming aware. Today we had a small meltdown in Big Lots and I gave him a time out and made him sit on a low empty display shelf. I asked him if he wanted to behave and have fun and he said "NO", ok then, we all make choices. So he had to be carried or in a buggy the rest of our errand running. Now, that I am becoming more observant I notice that around 5:00 in the afternoon he turns on some type of crazy switch. He literally starts bouncing off the walls, running like a mad man, and yelling loudly (just to hear his own voice). What a treat for Cope when he walks in the door. Anyway, all this is to say we're a work in progress. It will be a long, on going process and I pray for continued patience, understanding, humor through it all. Parenting is quite a pride swallowing experience when it comes to disciplining your toddler but I can say without a doubt I am so thankful for this challenge of trying to raise a healthy, happy, and WILD little man.

Thanks Blogging Buddies

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all the sweet and helpful comments left on my last post about discipline for a toddler. I guess this phase has just caught me off guard a little. It is so nice to not feel all alone in this journey of Motherhood. I appreciate others honesty. It is the honesty that keeps me laughing and knowing we are all human and just doing what we think is best for our little ones on a daily basis. I am so thankful I get to be home with Ramsey even if it is overwhelming knowing I am in charge of the majority of the discipline during the days. I'll keep those interested updated on which things work and don't for the WILD man. Keep the comments or suggestions coming. I need all the advice I can get.

Day Off With Daddy

Cope took Monday off so we could just chill after a busy weekend. Of course Mr. Ramsey was thrilled!!! I ran errands with the WILD man in the morning, he took a LONG nap as did I. What, what!!! I LOVE to nap but rarely get to since I have to get things done while he is napping. No today folks, I got in some good ones over the 4 day weekend with Cope home. Thanks honey :) After his nap we went to see my Mom at their river house and then took Ramsey to throw rocks off the covered bridge. He loves to throw them in between the slats and watch them splash below. So cute:

I've been wanting to get Ramsey a little lawn mower and decided today would be a good day to give it a go. Of course he LOVES it! He pushed this thing around ALL day:

Here is just one of the many examples of WILD-ness this little guys is full of:

SIDE NOTE: OK, I need so help all you Moms of little wild toddlers out there. Ramsey is so sweet at times but out of control at others. He wants to do what he wants to do. God forbid I try to hold his hand in a parking lots, he screams, pulls away, or plain out throws a fit. once we finally get into the store he is bonkers. He cried, loudly the whole time in Target today just because he saw a ball he wanted and I didn't get it. Seriously. I have never met a more determined little spirit. I don't want to spank at this age because I feel like I will be spanking for everything. I'm thinking we're going to go back to the time out route and make him sit there for 1 minute before he can get down. We did this last night and he must of gotten down at least 20 times. I felt like I was on an episode of Super Nanny because I kept placing him back until he would sit there for 1 whole minute. This hopefully will work at home but what do you do out in public??? Sometimes he is so darn good and easy but other times I simply don't know what to do. He is a quick study so I know if I can figure the "right" method we can curb this craziness to some degree. Anyway, any ideas or suggestions are very welcome.

Our 4th of July Weekend

We have had a great 4th of July weekend so far. Friday at lunch our friends from Ft. Drum came down to hang with us for the weekend. After Ramsey got up from his nap we all piled in the truck and headed down to the ATL airport to see our friend Randy who was heading back to Afghanistan from his mid tour leave. It was kinda weird to be in the airport seeing all the soldiers in uniform, saying goodbye to their loved ones and remembering that we were there this very time last year. Man, the changes that take place in a years time, thank goodness! Anyway, we grabbed Randy and headed to chic fil a to visit with him for a little bit and let Ramsey play. Then we took Randy back to catch his flight and we all headed back to town in time for our 6:00 dinner reservations at a very yummy Cajun resteraunt. Ramsey was pretty awful and not wanting to sit in a dumb ole high chair since he had been couped up in the car most of the afternoon. So it was quite an adventure catching his thrown food, taking him outside to see the train "choo choo", and keeping him remotely calm so we could enjoy our dinner.

Saturday morning Cope and Brent went early morning fishing and kayaking on the Etowah river and Jenn and I met up with my Mom in town for the parade. It was Ramsey's first parade and he really enjoyed it. He would point out all the big trucks. I thought he would run into the street but instead simply stood fairly still and took it all in. We then went to the park for festivities. We made it back home in time for lunch and nap and then headed tot he pool where Ramsey ended up having quite the ass-plosion in his swim diaper. Have you ever changed one of those suckers full of diarrhea??? Fun stuff. Actually I wanted to vomit but contained myself. Later we had My Mom and Morgan over for chili dogs, buffalo chicken dip, and banana pudding. Yummy! We ended the night with some games, a sleepy little boy, and some fireworks courtesy of our neighbors.

Today, is Sunday, my 29th Birthday! Our friends left after breakfast this AM. We really enjoyed their visit and welcome them back ANYTIME! Ramsey already misses the extra attention and suckers for reading lots of books to him. After his nap we're dropping him at my Mom's and Cope and I are headed to see the movie The Hangover and finish the day off with dinner at the Melting Pot. So as you can tell we've had a busy but super fun weekend so far... I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked but such is life as a professional toddler wrangler.

Cousins Camp

Yesterday morning Ramsey, Me, Sage and Bentley took off early for a full day in Bowdon with Cope's parents and the Pate family (second cousins). We arrived at the library in carrollton about 10:00am for truck day. Needless to say Ramsey was super stoked to see all the "big trucks". Here he is with Grampy next to the mixer:

Here is one of Miss Mattie. Caroline (youngest sister) had a doctors appt. so wasn't there:

After the trucks we all went inside to the children's section of the library. Paula read stories to some of the kiddies. (Top to bottom: Mattie, Ramsey, Davin, Parker) Notice Mr. Ramsey is the only one refusing to sit down???

Much better:

After the library we all went back to Paula's. In total there were 8 kids (Ramsey, Mattie, Caroline, Tindol, Wilson, Sumlin, Parker, Davin, plus baby boy Pate coming this fall). Here is Ramsey dancing and playing the key board in the closet.

After nap time we headed to Cope's parents house for some outdoor fun. I got in a good nap, which was heaven. Ramsey played like a crazy man. Here is testing out his latest find:

Stopping for 1/2 a second to pose for Mommy:

After dinner we had cake and celebrated July Birthdays: Judy (July 1st), Me (July 5th), and Caroline(July 9th). Of course we sang Happy Birthday which Ramsey loves and always thinks everyone is singing to him.
All in All is was a great day. We were all exhausted by the time we arrived home last night. It was great to see the Pate family and there 5 plus 1 on the way kiddos. We haven't seen them in years so it was a treat. It was also fun to just hang out and relax at Cope's parents. Ramsey had a blast! Today (Friday) we are having some of our Army friends from Ft. Drum, NY come in for the weekend. We're very excited and are expecting a fun weekend ahead.

Wordless Wednesday- Waking Up From Nap