Happy Birthday Melissa

After almost a full week of celebrating it all came down to today - Melissa's 32nd birthday. Jamie took Melissa to the show while I watched Violet. Luckily she slept most of the time. Then I loaded her and the puppies into the car and headed back to my house. Two years ago we celebrated Melissa's birthday at her baby shower. Today, Violet and I took the puppies for a walk, Violet holding Khloe and me with Lola. I wish I would have had my camera with me to pictorialize Violet, the big girl, walking her dog.

After stopping by to pick up Aunt Pam, we headed to the 810 Zone at Harrah's to have dinner. I can't believe my baby is 32. It seems like only yesterday she was 31! Happy Birthday Mis!

Birthday Celebration Day 2

Jamie wanted to take Melissa shopping and out to lunch for an early birthday so I volunteered to babysit. Even though it's exhausting to keep up with Violet, it's our special time together.

While Violet was eating lunch we decided to take turn taking selfies. This is one I took. The ones Violet took only had her in it.

Later that evening we all met for Thursday night dinner at Smokehouse BBQ. Barbecued ribs, burnt ends and birthday cake...what could be better?

Shake It Up

Violet has a very strong musical gene inside her. When she was only a few months old Jamie would play her Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker. Then it was on to Happy by Pharrell Williams followed by Roar by Katy Perry.

Now she's learning the dance moves to Taylor Swift's Shake It Up. Watch closely and even from behind you can see she's doing the hand movements to her face. This video is priceless, especially for a girl who's only 22 months old. So move over Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. Violet Sophia Taylor is pushing you out.

Birthday Shopping

I always find it rather difficult to shop for presents for my kids. Melissa's birthday is next Monday and Ashley's birthday falls while I'm on vacation.

So today was the day the girls went shopping for birthday presents. Melissa and Ashley both chose purses by Michael Kors. Yes, I said Michael Kors. Coach just doesn't have the style and design that was as desirable as it used to be.

Even Violet joined in the girls' day out. She enjoyed the purse shopping until she found out the purses were strapped to the counters not allowing her to run around the store with an expensive purse draped from her shoulder. So being the good "Ma" I am, we went into the mall area so Violet could people watch. All that shopping makes a girl rather tired. Violet fell asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car and slept for 2 hours.

New Crochet Design - Poncho

Violet has to have the warmest blood of any child. She absolutely HATES to wear shoes, hats and coats. But she loves to wear her blankey. She'll actually wrap the blankey around her like a shawl when it's time to go outside. I can understand her confusion to wear a coat. There's all these rules when it comes to child car seats - a newborn car seat until so many months or pounds (whichever comes first) - face backward until so many pounds then turn the seat around. Convert to another "junior" type car seat at another specified age or weight. Plus you are not to put your child in a car seat with a coat on. Something about the bulkiness of the coat allowing the car seat to act as a proper restraint. Remember the days when your child road in the front seat standing up? I think when all is said and done the child is 14 before they're allowed to sit in a car without a car seat. I know that's exaggerating the point. I'm wondering how my kids lived to be as old as they are.

Anyway, I decided to crochet Violet a shawl. This way Melissa could just drop it over her head when running from the car to the front door of the mall, restaurant or grocery store. As you can probably tell from the picture, Violet isn't quite ready to give up the security of her own blankey. I can't even get her to put it on long enough to get a picture. It hasn't helped that the weather right now is rather pleasant and she doesn't need a heavy coat. The shawl is so easy to make. It's nothing more than a granny square with a large opening for the neck at the beginning. Maybe when the weather turns cold again Violet will wear this.

First 2 Weeks of January

These first 2 weeks of January have been pretty boring. While Michele is off enjoying the sights of Disneyland and strolling the beaches of San Diego, I'm at home standing at my back door counting the number of geese in my back yard.

I swear there are over 100 geese out there today. I can just imagine the amount of goose poop that will be left behind. I'm starting to worry about myself. I need something to do!

Blue Light Week

In support of the controversial grand jury decision in Ferguson, MO a Virginia man launched an event on Facebook inviting everyone to turn their porch light blue in support of the police department.

Since I had to replace my red lights from Christmas I decided to join in. Blue Light Week runs from January 1 until January 7. Mine will stay in until Spring. It's too cold to go replacing them again.