Charlie!

We are having a great time in the Keys! However, I am still fighting this cold and poor Lea's cold took a turn for the worse today. Hopefully this will be the worst of it for her... she's on day 4 (I'm on day 10).

Our place is right on the water... a canal... I mean, right on the water. Just walk about 10 feet from the back door and you're there! The coolest part is, manatees come up to the house every day. Apparently they like to drink fresh water, so they come to drink from the water hose. They are SO cool! You can pet them and feed them lettuce, but if you try to get in he water with them, they take off. One afternoon, Lea and I were looking for them and I told her to call them... she yelled out "Chaaarlieeee!" (at least, that's what it sounded like), so we've named one of the manatees Charlie. :)

I can't post pics b/c I don't have my laptop (I'm at McDonald's w/ my dad's laptop now), but I am getting some great shots w/ my new camera! Including cool pics of Lea feeding seagulls on the beach yesterday.

FL Bound

Tomorrow afternoon Lea and I will be on a plane heading south. I can not wait for some warm weather, good seafood and no computers! That's right, my trusty laptop will not be tagging along. I'm a little worried about withdrawals, but I think I'll be just fine after a couple days. (I hope!)

So, I hope everyone has a fabulous two weeks ahead. I'll report back with fun photos and stories the second week in February!

Bye-bye! ;)

My Beautiful Girl

I just LOVE this picture of Lea! If you zoom in, you can see the perfection of her smooth skin, the bright twinkle in her eyes, each delicate eyelash and her shining, golden hair. I am in love.

On another note, this cold is seriously kicking my ass. It doesn't help that I am alone with Lea this whole week. I feel like crap, but Lea is still trucking! Her immune system ROCKS. I am praying that it continues to rock and keeps fighting off my nasty cold. (My nasty cold that is causing me a tight chest, coughing, congestion, runny nose, throbbing head and lack of energy.... there, I got my time to complain!).

Quick Cold Update

While my cold has gotten considerably worse, little Lea has, so far, escaped the wrath of this cold. She did have a terrible fever ALL day yesterday and spent the entire day laying on the floor...

It was pretty sad. She whimpered and moaned all day. She had no energy at all. She didn't smile, she didn't laugh, she didn't talk. However, when I went in to get her up from a nap, her little hand popped up to wave at me. :)

This morning, it was like yesterday never even happened. Lea woke up as happy and energetic as ever! I am still praying that she doesn't catch my cold, though... I have been very careful about covering my cough, washing my hands and not sharing any food/drink with Lea. Keep your fingers crossed for us! We leave for FL in five days (but who's counting?!).

Cold

Oh, no. I have a cold. It started yesterday with some coughing, then this morning it was confirmed. The last time I had a cold was just before Christmas. It wasn't really a bad one but it did last 7 or 8 days. I am just praying that Lea doesn't get my cold (she didn't get it last time!) and this thing clears up before our big trip to Florida. We've got boat loads of vitamin C and tons of Clorox wipes & Lysol... so hopefully the odds are good that this nasty cold virus won't get far.

Did I mention Florida before? Lea and I are going to the Keys for two weeks! I can't wait to be in 78 degree weather. I am sick (literally) & tired of winter this year. My parents decided to rent a huge beach house with my aunt & uncle for the month of January. Come February they will move into a smaller beach cottage for the month, so Lea and I are heading down there before they move. :) It should be a great time as my brother & sister-in-law will be there, too.

So, here's a note to this cold...

Dear Cold,

I would appreciate it have to demand that your visit be short. You are not welcome here! Please gather your things (including your runny nose, cough and congestion) and leave as soon as possible. Oh... and another thing, if you even come close to my daughter, you will regret it! (yes, that is a threat)

Thanks for nothing,
Jess

Waiting for Daddy

Since Kevin has been traveling a lot recently, Lea has spent a lot of time looking for him. She wakes up in the morning and calls, "Da-da!"... she looks around the house and calls, "Da-da?"... and every single time the phone rings, she jumps up in total excitment and screams, "DA-DAAA!" while running to the phone. :) He finally comes home (late) tonight. Lea will be so happy to see him in the morning!

Here's a few pics of Lea playing and reading today...


Mmmm, Cookie!

 

Growth Chart Completed!

Here's the growth chart completely painted. Now I just need to decide how to hang it. I think I'll tack a pretty ribbon onto the back of each top corner, then hang it on the wall from the ribbon.



Yes, the letters are a little wonky but I did them freehand... it gives it character. :)



Wooden Growth Chart

I've started (and almost completed) the growth chart for Lea! Here's what I've done so far...

The pictures are pretty self explanatory so I won't bother explaining what I've done. :) I'll post more pics once it's finished.

Bird House Bow Holder

It's finished! Here's the adorable bird house bow holder I made for Lea's bathroom...

Pictures!

Here's some cute pics of Lea from the past couple of days. (I am loving my new camera!)

Lea and Keat

I have always been a big picture taker and now with my new camera, I am taking even more pictures. So, the question is... how do you know what pictures to keep and what pictures to get rid of? I certainly can't keep them all! This has been a problem of mine for awhile. And not with just pictures. I tend to keep things for sentimental value... even if there's hardly any sentiment. I have pictures from 6 years ago that are so blurry you can hardly tell who's in them. But I can't get rid of them... those were taken when Kevin and I were just dating. See my problem? So, seriously. How can I make myself purge all the "bad" pictures and just keep the really good ones???

Gettin' Crafty... again.

I have the "craft bug", again. Today I decided to make a hair bow holder for Lea's bathroom. Now that her hair is getting longer, she can actually wear more bows. I need to start putting a bow in her hair every single morning so she'll get used to it. Sometimes she'll leave it alone, but she usually ends up pulling it out and chewing on it.

Anyhow... a bow holder... I've been wanting one for Lea's bows but never saw one that I really liked, and quite honestly, didn't want to spend money on one. It's no secret; I am thrifty. So, I decided to use one of the little wooden bird houses that I painted for Lea's 1st birthday party. I painted some little flowers around it and then hot glued pretty ribbons to hang off the bottom. Now I just need to tack a hanger thingy on the back so I can hang it on the wall. It's super cute! I'll post a pic once it's up. :)

If you think that's the only craft project up my sleeve right now, you are so mistaken. I recently got supplies to make a custom growth chart, too. I have seen several that I like, but they are pretty expensive. So, I'm going to make one! I'll use the paint and stencils that I made for Lea's nursery. I think I'll put her name on it, too. :) Yes, I'll post pics of it when it's done! I'm hoping to have it done by the end of the month. Here's a pic of my inspiration...