Just us girls....

This the second weekend in under a month that Kora and I have been left to our own devices by Daddy. Granted, the first time he was gone for his grandmother's funeral so that couldn't be helped, but this time he is on a fishing trip the whole weekend and.....

While the cat's away, the mice will play!

And play we have. Kevin officially left Thursday night so Kora had to go to dance with Mommy yet again and spend two hours playing her little heart out with the sweet girls who help me watch her there. She was so cute with them and gave each one hugs before heading home and to bed. Friday she slept till about 5:30, then went back to sleep until around 7:30. I was thinking about heading up to Boone since my bro is out of town but wasn't sure how much money Kev would be spending on his trip so decided against it. Instead we walked over to Trader Joes so Mommy could stock up on her current vice, chocolate chip scones!!! Then we walked over to a little shoe store that is going out of business and bought a really cute pair of Pedipeds (who knew they were pronounce Pee-di-Peeds?!) for about half the price. We also visited a used bookstore but I was able to restrain myself and made it out of there with nothing but plans to return! By the time we made it home I was dripping sweat and little Miss got to go in the neighbor's inflatable pool with Eben while I watched. Later in the day we headed over to Wally World for some basics and had a relaxing evening at home. This morning we hit up two Farmer's Markets, which were both really small but still fun, in Cary and Apex. Then we headed over to the Mall for the rest of the morning so Mommy could buy a new swimsuit top and continue her search for a "fun" white tank top. I have officially given up on that search, by the by. I don't think what is in mind exists and I am so tired of looking!

This week we also were able to reconnect with some "old" friends who we met last summer and weren't really able to see during the school year. Savannah is just a couple weeks older than Kora and so cute! We met up Thursday morning for some coffee and story time at Barnes and Noble and the girls had a lot of fun playing and running around together. I'm glad I was able to reconnect with Meredith, she's almost as crazy about worrying as I am and makes me feel not so bad for all the worrying I do! I'm looking forward to more playdaytes with her and Savannah and I know Miss Kora is as well! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we also had our first creative movement class this week (taught by yours truly) and the girls did so well, they went for about 40 minutes! I didn't get any pics as I was teaching but I will try to get some next week and post them.

P.S. The pic included in this post is just a fun summer pic from a playdayte at a friend's a few weeks ago

P.P.S. Did I mention that while shopping today my child threw a deodarant (granted I was purchasing it) on the floor and broke the cap! The nice salesperson said I could get a new one and that one would be donated to a woman's shelter. So at least some good came out of it, right?!

Thank Goodness for paccy clips!

Who would have thought that my life would come down to being thankful for a small strip of fabric that keeps a pacifier hooked to my child like an umbilical cord?! This miracle holder can be credited for many things in my house, one of which includes my child FINALLY sleeping through the night! Now, we've also not been going when she cries but I truly think that clipping the pacifier to her, so she can't throw it out of the crib when she gets mad, has helped. Plus, it helps in the car and oh so many other places I can't even begin to name right now. This particular one seems to work better than others as it is a little longer so I can clip it to her lower down and not worry so much about it getting wrapped around her neck! Because, natural worrier that I am, you know that has entered my mind several times! The rest of this post is dedicated to our past couple days alone together. Kevin had to go back to SD for his grandmother's funeral this weekend so Kora and I have been flying solo since early Thursday morning and the girl has been FABULOUS for me! Absolutely fabulous! Sure, she's had her melt-down moments but for the most part she has listened, been patient while I run a ton of errands and make her get in and out of the car constantly (no small feat when your car seat is still rear-facing and there are overhead tether straps involved), endured long meetings in places with pretty much no toys and meals on the go. We're used to being alone during the day so that hasn't phased me too much but I must admit when I put her to bed at 6:00 I start feeling a little lonesome and wish for some adult company. Kevin will be back Monday morning and probably by Friday I'll be wishing him away again so I'm counting my blessings for a sweet girl, who has been giving her Mommy constant hugs and kisses, and an absent husband who is making my heart grow fonder as I type :)

Summer is HERE!

So, Friday was my last official day of school and then we had a fun Memorial Day weekend planned up in Boone at my brother's house. (The pic above is Kora with her Aunt Amy at their house in Boone) I still had dance on Saturday morning so Kora and Daddy headed out to North Hills and checked out the Farmers Market while waiting for that to finish. Then they got some yummy Panda Express for lunch and we loaded up my car for the 3 hour drive. Kora did pretty well on the drive and was very happy to see her cousins when we finally got there! She spent the next 2 days enjoying herself playing with all their toys, squealing at Carter whenever he was in sight and just being her usually silly self. Mommy got a gift card to the Mast General Store for her birthday and found a nice shirt for herself but also couldn't resist an adorable onesie with a skunk on it that says Little Stinker. Perfect for our little stinker. This morning was so nice at home. Kora slep till about 7:30 then we just hung out for a little while before getting dressed and heading over to the mall to spend the generous gift card that Mommy's class gave her at the end of the year. I found some cute clothes at Charlotte Russe after getting much too overwhelmed in Forever 21! We ended the morning with a yummy food court lunch and headed home for a nice afternoon nap. Kora is currently down for the count and I'm on my way there! I'm looking forward to a relaxing summer with my girl and trying out story time at the library tomorrow with my crazy toddler! Wish me luck!