Weekend In Review

Best laid plans make for …. whatever!  We did however had a really nice weekend.  Friday we were finally on our way by noon-ish!  Lj slept all the way to the Jacksonville Zoo (mommy almost as much!).  We got to the zoo and began our family fun.  We were doing pretty well until we took LJ on the TRAIN!  The train has two stops and once we got off, she SCREAMED bloody murder when we got off complete with big TEARS and swinging, kicking LEGS!  We finally distracted her enough to enjoy the animals on that side of the zoo. We learned that strollers are for easy going lazy complaint children (of which we do not have!).  After the second ride on the train with MUCH warning and preparation that we must eventually get OFF, we had better luck getting her off.  We headed out and stopped at the gift shop and bought her some plastic animals as a souvenir.  We headed to our hotel near Jacksonville Beach and checked in and then headed off again to explore the beach area and find a dinner spot.

We ended up at Carrabbas.  Lexi did well for the first 20 minutes or so and then … ugh!  Terrible Two Syndrome set in!  She certainly wanted to let EVERYONE in the restaurant know who was the boss.  She was just plain B-A-D. Slinging her menu on the floor, crayons following… then screaming at the top of her lungs.  I took her to the restroom in an attempt to redirect her.  IT was short lived.  She literally ate NONE of her $6 dinner but tortured us both the entire time.  Finally, I had enough and took her to the car and like it or not readers of our blog… I spanked her little tiny hiney and told her she was not going to act that way in public.  I put her in her car seat where she cried only because ONE of my 3 spanks hit her bare leg.  She was so rattled that within a minute or so she was again “yelling” at me for putting my hand on her Daddy’s seat… I just about lost it when I reeled around and told her that SHE was not in CONTROL of me and that I WOULD put my HAND anywhere I wanted.  Finally, the little out of control peanut got a temporary message.

After leaving the restaurant we headed down to the Jacksonville beach.  I tried to get some good photos of Lj wearing her cute little new dress that Aunt Carolyn had made for her.  It was adorable!  We didn’t last long on the beach though because for some reason it seemed to be not the best time to be on the beach and made us a bit uncomfortable with all of the people that were there… let’s just say, it was not family friendly.  So we headed back to the hotel even though Lexi had yet another melt down not wanting to leave the beach. 

We managed to get her to bed in the hotel without too much more drama.  All of us slept well and Geoff and Lj got up and let me try to sleep a little more while they watched some tv.  We decided to not got to the beach before coming home given our reaction to it the night before.  Instead we went to the Old Navy on the way out looking for the pink version of Lexi’s new summer shoes. We found them and then headed home. 

Once home we just chilled out.  I cooked shrimp scampi with linguine and we played at the home with Lexi.  One thing that has surfaced is that Lj is completely aware that Daddy is not working the tax season schedule.  She is trying to milk it as if he is going away.  Today was extra hard as she was so demanding of him.  Sticking to him like super-glue and crying all kinds of fake tears when he is not giving her 100% attention.  It’s been hard on all of us.  We’ve got to get this little monster under control.  The thing we DO realize is that she is TWO and acting very much like a two year old.  She has to be taught our expectations even if she disagrees because in the end we are preparing her for the adult she will be.  It’s soooooo easy to cave in and give her what her two year old brain desires but in the end it’s so much more important to teach her life lessons and show her the correct way.

This LONG post is not say that we didn’t totally ENJOY our daughter and family time together this weekend.  Just a realization that we are doing exactly what we feel is necessary to bring up a truly well-adjusted young woman.  It’s hard to think of her as a young woman at the age of two but it all begins now. 

She has managed to melt our heart many times over the weekend.  So… here are some cute pictures to show it.  As we learn and grow… we all do it together.  A family… just as we always dreamed and no matter what neither of us would trade it for even a second of peace.  We are blessed. 

 

Look at those “hams”!  This just reminds me of a funny part of today.  We dressed her in a new Baby Gap shirt with a shirt underneath and her Bermuda shorts from Old Navy that she had last summer.  The fit her waist still and looked fine until during our Zoo visit, they disappeared.  Once I noticed she didn’t appear to have on shorts anymore I decided to investigate only to find that her shorts legs were “stuck” on those fat little thighs!  I had to pry them down!  Now fat thighs and Lexi were two words we NEVER saw coming!  Our little peanut has filled out all over but especially in those thighs! She has a little gymnastics body!  And those little bloomers her Aunt Carolyn bought her… fit her personality at dinner… CRABBY with a smile!    

Making up for lost time with Daddy… Lexi being a Monkey on his shoulder!