Sweet Caroline

So, I'm pretty sure this is my FIRST link up ever....yay:) 1. Collins has had "outside the family" babysitters twice ever.  It's not that I'm a freak about it or anything...we just have have lots of good, wonderful family members close by.  Tonight will be the first time a babysitter comes to OUR house and is with C and puts her to bed without us.  This girl is PRECIOUS and has babysit Collins and her cousin Grady once before...but my brother and SIL have used her a few times and some other good friends of ours use her to keep their little 11 month old.  So, I know she's qualified.  But, I'm still a little nervous!  Can't help it:-) 2. One of my FAVORITE kids clothing stores had a tent sale this past weekend while we were in Charleston and I did some MAJOR damage.  But, OHMYGOODNESS....these clothes are just ridiculously adorable. A few of my favorites that I got: 3.  My latest Factory find: but I got in the orange and red color...

Well, folks.  Exciting things have been happening around here.  I accepted a new job offer last Friday afternoon.  Things happened SO, SO fast...it has been a whirlwind lately. I will be practicing the same type of law at a bigger law firm that offers a little more opportunity to grow and also offers several other practice areas should I want to experience something different at some point.  The hours will be about the same (so no part time DREAM job quite yet) BUT I will only be FIVE minutes away from Collins and not have to drive downtown anymore.  This was actually a little bittersweet for me...as all my friends know...a big reason I was okay leaving downtown and heading to the 'burbs was b/c I still came downtown for work EVERY DAY.  Now?  That won't be happening anymore.  My new office is halfway between home and downtown...but all in all I am happy because this will allow me to spend  a little more time with Collins each day. Tellin...

Just a quick little update on what our 15 month old has been up to lately.  She is NON STOP toddler.  A BUSY bee.  She's becoming quite independent, does not like to be held "down," and in typical toddler fashion likes to get her way.  She LOVES to dance...we have started having dance parties on the porch and she just squeals with delight.  As soon as she hears music she starts bouncing up and down, bending her knees, clapping and twisting side to side.  It is so, so cute.  She's definitely talking more and more...words that we hear all the time include: hello, bye, mama, uh-oh....words that we've heard her say but are more infrequent are: dog, duck, please, stop, no.  Her hair is starting to get a little curl in it and getting longer every day.  Her feet are FINALLY growing...I think she is just about outgrown her size 2 shoes.  I think we are at 7 or 8 teeth now, although she still does not love to have her teeth brushed.  She lik...

1.  I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about the next two nights.  I am getting to spend them with my absolute dearest friends in the WORLD.  You know how every high school has "that" group...you know the one I'm talking about...yep, we were "the fab five."  (My bestie from college was part of a "foxy four....love it!)  Anyways, the girls that make up the fab five have been my best friends for the LONGEST time.  I met two of them in 2nd and 3rd grade, another came in 5th, and the last joined us in 7th.  But, seriously....best friends for OVER 15 years as a five-some?!?  Four of us went to college together but joined different groups and made our own friends (ie, we each joined a different sorority, how crazy is that?!)  Our lone ranger who went to Auburn is now back in Columbia/Chapin and we get to see each other lots!  But, our Sarah...has lived in OHIO now for like 9 years...so as a FIVE-some we don't get together that muc...

Whew! What a whirlwind. It's funny how doing things differently just a couple of days can completely throw you off. I had a CLE (continuing legal education, yes...snore fest!) on Monday and then was out sick yesterday. Y'ALL, who gets sick in the summer??!! URRRRGGHHH! This girl. So, so annoyed. AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT. I'll blame it on my mom. She was sick first, then passed it on to me and Collins. Just a head cold/upper respiratory type thing...but Collins had a fever yesterday so we kept her out of daycare and she and I had a sick day. Anywho...I've been DOWNING orange juice, vitamins D and C, tylenol, mucinex-d AND flonase.  Seriously.  NUTS.  But, I've got major FUN plans this weekend and I CANNOT be sick. On to more fun things.  Our weekend was pretty great.  Let's say it actually started on Thursday.  Our awesome zoo and botanical gardens is hosting "Rhythm and Blooms" every Thursday in May and it was a great event.  Liv...

To recap one of the absolute BEST trips of my life. Take me back, now! EARLY morning at the airport... yeah, that's me in the VERY back...I hadn't yet put my face on for the day...ouch. It was overcast and drizzling when we got there on Thursday at lunch, which was a MAJOR bummer, but luckily the next two days were ABSOLUTELY PERFECT so it didn't matter.  We didn't make any dinner reservations for Thursday night b/c we wanted to be able to do as we pleased and get acquainted with everything.  We had so much fun just hanging out as a group on Thursday.  We made our way down to the CAIN (adults only) pool by 3 and obviously started drinking (heavily).  What else do you do when you are at ATLANTIS and the weather isn't that great?!? Duh.  We met the owner of Firehouse subs on that first day, and he and his wife and all their friends were SUPER nice and gracious.  They bought TONS of drinks for the pool parties on Friday and Saturday.  We de...

As I stated yesterday, Mother's Day Sunday was a really good day. Church was good, the weather was beautiful and I spent the whole day with my family. Not much beats that. We went out on the boat for a few hours in the early afternoon with my parents before my brother and his fam could join...we literally just drove around looking at houses and tanning for a while.  One of my favorite pastimes.  Once we picked my brother's fam up it was time to head to dinner. First, we had a little picnic on the boat while we waited on our table.  And yes, Colls is about triple the size of her cousin Grady;-)  She does have FOUR months on him, though!  Give those rolls a break!!!  :) I absolutely LOVE outdoor dining...and we do it as much as possible (until it's like 100 degrees anyways).  Little C isn't much for smiling at the camera these days....dang it. THIS PICTURE! Have you ever!?!  I mean, the rolls! The cuteness!  (I know...you shouldn't ...