Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sun worshiper? Not I.

Well, we're back. And I'm refreshed and tired. My first beach vacation was a success, I think. You know, since I don't have anything to compare it to.

Here are some thoughts on my week:

1. I am not a sun person. I knew this going in, but I thought it might change. Nope. I am not a sun person, still. Give me shade and/or air conditioning any day.

2. I don't think I could vacation with my children unless there were plenty of hands around to help. Thankfully we had plenty of helpful family members and I was so thankful to have a break (while feeling a little bit guilty that perhaps I was taking advantage).

3. Even having a "potty-trained" husband of seven years does not mean that there isn't some unspoken rule about an overall vacation from putting the toilet seat down. I was baffled since this never happens at home and could easily have blamed this on my brother-in-law, but twas not so. My own husband was a part of this shenanigan. Ugh.

4. Sharing a room with a baby is not a good idea. She didn't sleep well, so we didn't sleep well. And our first night home, she still didn't sleep well. Grrr.

5. For a shade-lover like me, it takes a lot to get out to the beach. Chairs, umbrellas, towels, water, baby toys, baby sustenance, sunscreen, flip-flops, cover-ups, hats, sunglasses, beach reading. If there hadn't been others with me, it would have been very tempting to stay on the sunporch and read the entire time. It would have been much easier and no less enjoyable--but very antisocial.

6. Elsie is a water bug. She loved the water. She loved the waves. She loved the sand. Oh, and she has my mother's olive complexion that allows her to tan easily, even with SPF 55 on. No, I'm not jealous. Really.

I start summer school on Tuesday this week, teaching a math class to rising 6th graders. I'm excited. And terrified. Wish me luck.

Cheers.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Island Life

Greetings from GA. We left after our new assistant pastor's ordination service on Sunday and drove through the night...to Dublin, GA...and finished the trek in the morning.

What is a vacation?

When we got here, Elsie went with her grandparents and hung out on the beach. Eli and I stayed in the rental house and napped/read books. I was feeling very lethargic--perfect for vacation, I suspect. Elsie evidently enjoyed her time on the beach and got a bath in the clawfoot tub when she got back.



Yesterday we actually went into the city and spent all day walking around. We ate lunch at Mama Wilkes' Boarding House. And then for dinner we rolled on down to The Lady and Sons. All good. Elsie was pretty good all day--some fussing here and there. She was very entertaining at supper as she ate her own Paula Deen meal and then almost keeled over comatose. She made lots of friends.





I think Elsie's afraid of the dark. Two nights in a row she has awakened the whole house at an early hour with blood-curdling screaming. I think the first night I surprised her by sitting up to arrange my pillows and my silhouette freaked her out. Last night I was careful not to sit up and accidently thwacked my rings on the cabinet beside the bed. The loud noise startled her again, and again with the screaming. Also, the last two nights (since we've been here) she won't go to sleep unless we leave a light on in the bedroom. This hasn't really happened before.

Anyway, Eli and I went out for a long walk on the beach this morning, while Elsie went for a walk down the island with her grandma. It was nice. Loving this vacation thing.

Cheers.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Glad it's not just me!

12 days after my last post...

I finally have time away from everyone/everything and am sitting at the public library catching up on people's blogs. I haven't logged in to FB yet, as I will save that for when I have more time. But, as the title of this post goes, I'm glad it's not just me who has been deficient in posting lately!

So, here's the update:

SCHOOL IS OVER! I HAVE A JOB FOR NEXT YEAR! I'M GOING TO BE WITH THE SAME TEAM OF TEACHERS! Students went home for the summer on Thursday, and teachers on Friday. Thursday afternoon (making me sweat, of course) the principal came around to tell me that I would be in the same room with the same team and that I needed to come by his office to sign my contract. Whew! I've been praying, and since the fiasco in Tuscaloosa, I trust nothing (well, you know, except God) when it comes to job assumptions. So, it's a relief to know that I have a mortgage I can pay for for another year at least.

WE'RE GOING ON VACATION! Seriously, I have never been on a beach vacation (Jamaica doesn't count since it's technically a "Carribean Vacation" that has a beach) and I am so totally pumped. And I might just mention that I'm excited to have other hands around--the rest of the Beaver family--to help out with Elsie while I READ!!!! I haven't read a book in a while (my ulterior motive for coming to the library--get some beach reads). Rest assured, we are going to the Atlantic Ocean beach, which I haven't seen since summer 2008, when I glimpsed it from afar in Atlantic City, and before that in 1993, when we went to visit my aunt and uncle and almost-3-year-old cousin in Kingsland, GA. Long time ago, for sure.

I FAILED AGAIN! Had my whatever-week appointment (I'm just not keeping up as well with 2.0!) last week and bombed the glucose tolerance test this time around, too. I was going to wait to take the 3-hour test until after I had some Paula Deen cookin', but the logistics got me. I had to go yesterday intermittently as I finished out my last day of school. Thankfully we had a luncheon right after, so my fast was broken in grand style. I'll probably get the results next week, and I'm praying that I'll get them after I have the aforementioned victuals.

ELSIE LOVES CHOCOLATE! If you've been on FB (which, again, I haven't been in almost...5 weeks??? Geez. I think that's longer than the Lenten season), I'm pretty sure Eli posted some pictures that his dad took of Elsie enjoying her birthday cake, mostly the icing. It was too cute. Next week, in my leisure time, I'll post some more pictures that I took. Her party was a success. Her blue gingham dress was a hit. Her red shoes were to die for. My little Dorothy. (Wizard of Oz themed party.)

And that's the news that I can think of before my allotted time on the library computer runs out. Thanks for keeping up with me, even though I've been AWOL from the cybersphere.

Cheers.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Actual Day-of Post

Want to know what's been going on for the past 2 or 3 weeks? Catch up with the last two posts...

But this is today. Monday. May 10. I put Elsie to bed and decided I would give Charter one last chance. I spent over half and hour while watching DWTS trying to get this Internet up and running, and it worked. Finally. Geez.

Friday night, Eli and his friend C moved our living room furniture and the dining room chairs to the new house. We've been sitting on the floor ever since. Saturday he took Elsie to Mobile. I opted not to go because I am t-i-r-e-d of being on the road. It was a nice rest day for me. I got a lot done, but mostly I got a break that was much needed. I ran some errands and when to my friend's house to sew Elsie's dress for her birthday party next week.

The Internet at home is still sketchy, so if we're gone for a couple for weeks, don't worry. We're around. We're just blacked out.

And here are some pictures from today and yesterday:








Friday, May 7, 2010

1 year!

[This post was written after Elsie's birthday, but I dated it for the day so I can find it later.]

I can't believe the time has flown by. Elsie is one year old already!

She's not walking, but she is experimenting more and more with the 2-legged mode of ambulating. She said farewell to her first year by falling face first into the floor at J's house 30 minutes before she would be exactly one, and ended up with a goose egg on her forehead.

We're still working on the table food thing, and the sippy cup thing. And I'm playing around with the idea of pacifier weaning. We'll see. We go to the pediatrician for her 1-year stats sometime in the middle of next week.

Here's some pictures I took in the morning before the big goose egg:





Cheers.