And it begins...

The last few days have been full of ups and downs! Little Guy turned two on Saturday. We had a little party for him and it was so much fun! He was thrilled to be the center of attention. It was good to see family and friends. Then everyone left and the "twoishness" kicked in. Little Guy has tested every limit that I have ever set for him. He has been whiny and demanding and doing things that I would have never dreamed that my little angel would ever do. Yesterday, he kicked over a tub of toys and immedietly blamed it on the dog! Sometimes we have to try so hard to not laugh!

I have been trying to do different things with Little Guy recently. Most of the time I just let him play with whatever or do whatever he wants and I just follow his lead. Usually that means that we read books, play with blocks, play outside, or color. Those are the main things that we do together. But I am starting to realize that he sometimes has more fun if I pick an activity that maybe he wouldn't think of. Today we went outside and blew bubbles which was a nice change from the regular stuff. We played with playdough the day before. Sometimes I feel dumb when I have little realizations like that. Little Guy is also really interested in cooking. Frequently when I am in the kitchen I hear, "I cook?" Then he pushes a dining room chair over to the counter so he can help me. It is so cute!

So depressing

So, as many of you know, we had a crazy ice storm down here. We were without power for 6 1/2 days, 5 of which were spent at the in-laws' house. It was great to see them , but we are very happy to be home. Little Guy loved spending time with Nana and Papa, and he kept us on our toes by showing us what was and was not babyproofed at their house. Some people around here still don't have power, so we are counting our blessings. The one thing that makes me so sad though is driving through town. The trees are all torn apart and there are piles of brush everywhere. I hope that in the next few days they get things cleaned up a little more. Our yard isn't too bad. We have mostly evergreens, which you would think would deal with weather. They don't. The two oaks in the yard lost a few branches, but the pines took it somewhat harder. Oh well, it smells really good! As of now, there is a ban on burning, so that complicates things too.

In addition to all of our trees looking rough, businesses in town are dropping right and left. Our favorite pizza place is gone, the Goody's at the mall is going out of business, a family owned shoe store is in the process of closing, and a cute little fair trade store is gone. It is so depressing to see "Going Out of Business!" signs everywhere.

Sorry for being such a downer. Maybe I'll have something fun next time I post.

Still here

We have had a crazy last couple of weeks. No time to post now, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am still out here!