Ahhhh, summer

It seems that our cool Spring weather has just about head on out of town. Of course, after being 95 on Tuesday it was 62 on Wednesday, but the chilly nights and need for long sleeves seem to be on the decline. So we brought out the pool, turned on the sprinkler, bought a grill and called it Summer! And we're loving it :)



I am now 25 weeks and although I am excited for summertime fun, I am dreading being as big as a house in August. I'm already almost the size I was when I delivered Hailey, in fact I have outgrown some of my maternity wear...I'm SURE they shrunk in the wash.

This morning the three of us attended a crawfish boil for Tulane Alumni. The crawfish were delicious, the keg was flowing (no, I did not partake), and the king cake was the perfect dessert. Hailey had a great time playing with new friends and we had fun reminiscing. Jona and Hailey leave this afternoon for a week in New Orleans with Grandma and Papa and the Lousiana clan. I am a little nervous about being away from them for a week, but I'm also incredibly excited about cleaning my house and having it stay that way for more than an hour! They better bring me back some etouffee and pralines!! I mean really, I've got 4 more months of growing to go and we want this boy to appreciate cajun cuisine :)

I'm a big kid now!

Yesterday marked another major milestone in my precious little peanut's life. Hailey Elizabeth Maupin graduated from crib (enclosed and trouble free) to big girl bed (FREEDOM- channel Braveheart here)! She was totally thrilled with the new addition to her already rather crowded and completely fun filled room. In fact, its all she can talk about.

First the crib came down. Hailey was so very, very helpful, using her own tools to be daddy's talented assistant.

Then the big girl bed assembly began. There was only minimal stress on dad's part, and luckily no swearing from either of them :)

The finished product is adorable and oh-so-big-girl. She loves it. And I am happy to report that she was exhausted enough on her first night in it that she knocked right out and didn't escape until morning. What a champ!

I do have to admit, that although I am excited to no longer have to lift her into a crib, I'm a little sad that she is THAT grown up. And I know the reality of it is that most kids her age have been in big beds for a while, my baby girl has loved her crib and I have loved having her in it. But, its time to prepare for the new addition. So the white crib (THANK YOU JOHNSONS!!!) is already in the attic and the new crib is in the office/spare room/nursery. Yep, there is lots and lots and lots to be done...

Springtime breezes make GREAT bubbles

Saturday was another glorious spring day here in Nashville. 70 degrees, sunny, and "super really windy," as Hailey described it. FANtastic bubble day. And a big shout out to Target for their $1 section filled with outdoor playthings. Gotta love a bargain :)

Cinco "day" Mayo

Nope, its not a typo. I am simply illustrating the phonetic way the holiday is pronounced here in Nashville. Despite our large Mexican population, someone decided that the radio commercials for the Cinco "day" Mayo fair be done by someone clearly born and raised in these parts. Oh, and quite a festival it was.

First we arrived an hour after it was to have opened only to find that we were one of the whopping two families in attendance. None of the rides were running, none of the food was cooking, and the only thing available was the option to pay to have Hailey throw darts at a wall of balloons with the promise that she would win a prize. Really? Does she look like darts are a good idea? And why did they not tell us that nothing was running when they charged us our admission fee? All good questions, for which I have no answers. After being there for about an hour, visiting both petting zoos (by which I mean tortured bored animals- mostly goats- in tiny pens begging for your attention) things were plugged in and we could ride. And ride we did, the we being Jona and Hailey. I tried the carousel once and thought I was going to throw up.

Putting her on the helicopter ride with her daddy made me nervous until I realized it only went about 2 miles per hour for a total of about 2 minutes. Living life to the fullest, living it on the edge...that's our motto.

The main attraction of the fair was the monkey on dog-back race. Yes, the monkeys rode little monkey sized saddles on the backs of two unsuspecting dogs. Neither the monkeys nor the dogs seemed to be enjoying themselves, and neither really ran. Instead they slowly sauntered around the circle two times and then back into their air conditioned trailers. Divas.

All in all, Cinco "day" Mayo was quite a thrill. But we walked enough and sweat enough that Hailey still took an awesome 3 hour nap, and no one was killed by a stray dart. And really that's all that matters in the end.