Tea Time with Su Su

Sadie, Su Su and I decided one day that we would head out for tea. We have been to the tea room in Friendswood, but instead opted for the Holly Berry Tea Room in League City. We were delighted with the choice. Sadie grabbed her sunglasses and we drove over. 

Once seated, they brought Sadie some tea (apple juice in a tea pot) to drink along with some toddler friendly snacks (raisins and gold fish). I am so impressed with how well they cater to little ones. Really makes you feel like they are welcomed! Sadie looooved sipping from the big girl tea cup and having Mommy pour "More tea! More tea!"

Sadie sipping tea.

We had sandwiches and salad and Sadie enjoyed a lovely grilled cheese sandwich with veggie sticks chips. How fun that Sadie is getting old enough to go out for a spot of tea.

All smiles!

Su Su helping Sadie sip her tea

We thought it might be fun to ride the elevator after we left the tea room, so we headed to the mall. Usually, Sadie enjoys playing with the car strollers, but we rarely rent them since they are five dollars a visit! Whoa. However, someone working on maintaining the rides offered one to us for FREE! We jumped at the chance, although Sadie only rode for about 4 minutes. She's never been too keen on sitting still - as in ever unless she is completely asleep! So we used it for a very helpful bag holder and rode the elevator several times until it was time for a nap. What a fun day with Su Su!

Our FREE Ride!

Granny, Mommy, and Sadie go to the zoo

One of our very favorite activities is to go to the Houston Zoo. This is the second year we have enjoyed a membership and we have "gotten our money's worth," as Gammy would say. Before I had to have my gall bladder removed, I wanted to take full advantage of going on excursions that would prove challenging for the weeks following, so Great Granny said she was up to join us for a fun-filled day of animals at the zoo. Sadie was ready, wearing her Winnie the Pooh pink and white sunglasses, as we pulled into the relatively empty parking lot. Great posed for a quick picture as Sadie eagerly awaited for the stroller to take off towards the delightful menagerie of animals. 

Sadie and Great

Our first stop was to the sea lions. Sadie's vocabulary has exploded so much that she will try any new word offered to her. As we have already had extensive practice saying "lion" (sounds like "riiion") thanks to The Wizard of Oz, saying "sea lion" proved an easy task for our little girl. She pressed her face in between the warm metal to get a better look at all three sea lions who were gliding through the water and playing with one another. After leaving the sea lions we walked over to the Reptile House. Sadie was enraptured with the giant white alligator and enjoyed seeing the frogs. Besides that, insects that blend into leaves are not too exciting for a nearly two-year old. She was more excited by the large copper statue of a cobra found outside the entrance. She spend several minutes hugging the "nake!" and telling it "bye bye!" before moving on.

Watching the Sea Lions

Giving the "Nake" a Hug

We meandered around several exhibits until we found the elephants. Great really enjoyed how beautiful they were and so I snapped a picture of her with one. She said she remembers going to the zoo with her husband, Lewis, and how she has a picture of him standing by the giraffes. I always enjoy hearing little bits of information and memories from Granny about Granddaddy Lewis. Never having the opportunity to meet him, she's my secret window into the past.

Great Granny with the beautiful elephant

After looking at the elephants, Sadie decided it was time to push the stroller herself. Hardly being able to reach the handle didn't intimidate her at all; she confidently took off, bobbing and weaving to the left and right, with Mommy right behind her to make sure she didn't accidentally roll over any unsuspecting zoo patron's toes.

Sadie pushing the stroller herself.

We have all heard the expression, "Take time to stop and smell the roses." I feel that toddlers do not have to be told this. Perhaps we lose some of the excitement and intrigue within our hearts as we age. Maybe this is one of the wonderful pleasures of having children. They remind you of the little things in life that have been wonderful all along - as we are often too busy to stop and appreciate them. I love how Sadie can be surrounded by Asian elephants and Koalas from Australia, but find just as much joy in inspecting the color of a locally-grown flower.

Stopping to smell the...flowers.

We had lunch at some point during our trip. Honestly, I wish I would have taken a picture of what we packed. Granny was conservative and packed the perfect amount of food to fill her belly. Me, on the other hand? I packed more variety for one toddler than was probably needed for a whole mother's day out classroom. Granny laughed at each new option I pulled out of my "magic" Mary Poppins-lik cooler backpack. We had hummus, cracker sticks, and apple, turkey, frozen peas, applesauce, yogurt, cheese, raisins, juice, peanut butter, fruit leathers, and a celebratory pumpkin cookie (just to name the food I can remember!). At least this proves that anyone that ever travels with me will not go hungry due to my excessive snack-packing skills. After lunch, Great Granny paid for Sadie to ride the carousel. This was her first time riding it at the Houston Zoo! She looked at all the animals (sitting on a few different options) before settling on the lion. Good pick. With every time she went around, she looked for Great and shouted, "HI! GREAT!" She was so proud of herself for riding on the lion.

Sadie's first BIG carousel ride!

We then headed to the children's section. Great pulled out some change and let Sadie make a flattened penny souvenir. She enjoyed cranking the giant handle and liked that the penny came shooting out the bottom. She said, "Wow! Penny! See it?!"

Great helping Sadie with her penny

We didn't make it all the way into the children's zoo section because Sadie was distracted by the pretend city. She enjoyed looking out the holes. I watched as some parents prodded kids along in order to go see the real attraction - the animals. I thought for a moment of doing the same. After all, I knew what was waiting was, well, better. However, after having Sadie I have worked very hard to listen to her and understand who she is and meet her needs, not mine. Granny was so sweet and gave me the best compliment ever that moment by the pretend city. She told me what a great mother I was and how patient she thought I was with Sadie. Best compliment ever. We didn't push Sadie to move along because she was enjoying herself. She didn't need to see the bats or foxes to appreciate having fun. Her concept of fun does not have to align with an adult's, or even a five year old's for that matter. She is almost two. She gets to have the perfect fun for an almost two year old. So, we stood there by the pretend city and watched her poke her head in and out of the "windows" until she was finished.

The pretend city and its windows!

Although past time for a nap, Sadie somehow found the energy to give the playground a quick run. Much bigger than her last visit, Sadie went up the stairs with ease and I walked along side the tunnels, taking pictures of her and cheering her onto (and down) the slide. After a few minutes she willingly got into the stroller and we rolled out of the zoo, thankful for a special day spent with a very Great Granny.

Peek-a-boo Sadie!

Sadie Potter, Wizard Extraordinaire

As a parent, you cannot always protect your little one from the bumps and bruises in this world. Aside from her wagon incident, Sadie really hasn't had too many scratches or dents. :) That is, until we were at Barnes and Noble one night playing. She was playing with the "choo choooo" when she decided to walk away towards the stuffed animals. She was extremely polite and thought to tell the older 5 year old boy "BYYYYEEEE!" as she walked away. The only trouble was that as she was telling him goodbye, she had her head turned facing him as her little legs carried her forward. She turned her head back around just in time for her to run into a bookshelf. 

I felt awful for her, although she was OK within moments. The funny part came when the eyes dried and she went back to playing. Jame and I noticed that Voldemort must have been working some evil magic, because the bookshelf left Sadie with an eerily similar scrape to Harry Potter. We had no idea our daughter was so magical and will therefore be the best wizard at Hogwarts...

The Fantastic Freeman Library

A couple of weeks ago Granny and I took Sadie to the Freeman library for the first time. She loved it and we found a great new hang out spot for us when school starts! Besides countless toddler times and droves of books, there are several other fun spaces and games for little tykes. Here are just a few shots of our fun day together!

Playing with another toddler, two year old Mason

Sadie loved the puppet show stage! Peek-a-boo!

A computer just for Sadie!

Mommy helping Sadie work on the computer

My friend, Ashley wrote the white book (to the right of the pink one).

Galveston Family Beach Trip: Part 1

When I was younger, summertime meant swimming, frog-hunts, snow cones, and going to Galveston. Although Austin and I only saw our Virginia cousins about one week out of the year, it was one of the most enjoyable weeks. We no longer see our cousins in the summertime, but Granny had the great idea to revive this treasured tradition! Granny and Granddaddy treated both our family and Austin and Katie to 3 days at the Galvestonian. It is located right on the beach - a community of condos available for rent. My mom researched several different locations before selecting this one. It was a great choice! We could walk past the pool area to the ramp down onto the beach.

The Galvestonian

Friday early afternoon, James and I headed down with Granny and Granddaddy to check in early. We stopped to eat at the Mosquito Cafe for lunch, then walked across the block to Pattycakes - a delicious bakery where we enjoyed cake balls,  sugar cookies, and a peanut butter cupcake. Sadie had an oatmeal cookie, but took one lick of my cake ball and immediately signed "more."

The Mosquito Cafe

We then drove to the condo and unpacked. Sadie explored every room and checked out the view. Aunt Katie and Uncle Austin soon joined us soon after and Sadie looked at them as they came through the door with excitement and confusion, as if to say, "What are y'all doing here?!" She visited with them for a bit, then took a nap to establish energy for the evening. When she woke, she put on her dress and checked out the beautiful sunset and view from the balcony with Granddaddy and Daddy. We then loaded up and headed to Casey's (a Guido's restaurant) for dinner across from the seawall. Sadie ran up and down the stairs and danced to the music while we waited for a table. We then dined on crab cakes, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and grilled chicken and earned just enough energy to be ready for sand crab hunting back at the beach!

Beautiful view!

Dinner at Casey's (Granddaddy's taking the pic!)

At Casey's

Hunting for sand crabs has been a time-honored tradition. The key to catching them is having nets with few holes and holding onto a flashlight with fresh batteries. Sadie hadn't the slightest idea what we were doing with the flashlight, but she really enjoyed holding it anyway. Aunt Katie was equally excited (and obviously more informed than Sadie) about the process and was both nervous and excited to see the first crab running about on the wet beach. We walked down the ramp and onto the soft sand and started our hunt. The best crab-hunters know that to be successful you must watch for the tiny holes they make in the sand; they live there and come out by night as tiny bug-eyed scavengers. Before too long, we spotted our first one - a baby - scurrying around. After throwing down the net, courageous Granddaddy worked to pick him up (from the back is the best option) and was having so much fun, he didn't seem to mind that he was pinching his finger the whole time as Granddaddy showed him off to the sound the "Oooos" and "Ahhhhs." After this, Katie was hooked and Sadie was thrilled to see...well, something....but still seemed to most enjoy holding the flashlight. After walking up and down the beach, Uncle Austin offered to hold her and she grew tired in his arms - finally letting go as we walked back to the condo - all the while holding tight to her little flashlight. 

Ready for Sand Crab Hunting!

Sand crabs really wear you out!

We followed Sadie's example and got some rest after our evening out. The next morning we awoke to a  delicious breakfast provided by Austin and Katie and used the time to get ready for the beach. We all put on sunscreen, but Sadie had, by far, the most ardent affinity for the act.

Ready to Go!

We then spent the day at the beach. Thanks to a nifty pop-up tent Granny bought, we all were able to find shade when we needed a break. Thanks to my obsessive sun-screening, Sadie didn't have one spot of crimson flesh at the end of a long day outside. The day was filled with fun from Granddaddy catching fish with his net to looking for little mussels wash up with the tide. Aunt Katie especially enjoyed this and caught collected around forty of the wiggly sea creatures!

Racing down the sand

Not letting Granddaddy go anywhere without her.

Hugs for Granddaddy (probably trying to convince him to take her by the water again...)

Aunt Katie with her captured sea creatures!

Watching the mussels "escape" back into the sand

Inspecting Granddaddy's Fish!

Getting hot...needed more coverage :)

Galveston Family Beach Trip: Part 2

We had so many great pictures taken on the beach, it was difficult selecting which ones to share, but these seem to show the extent of our fun! 

Walking with Granny

Our Fabulous Beach Tent!

Eating Ice with Aunt Katie

After getting cleaned up and taking an afternoon nap, we all dressed in khaki and white for a family photo at sunset. As we walked down the ramp to the beach, several people in the pool shouted out, "Hey! We're doing our family pictures later too!" The beach was beautiful and although the wind was determined to ruin the shot, we managed to get a few good ones! This is probably my favorite.

After our pictures, we ate supper. Granddaddy cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner (noodles = Sadie's favorite) and we enjoyed eating together so much that we didn't even take a picture of the occasion. You will just have to trust me that it happened. :) Following dinner, Uncle Austin and Aunt Katie settled in for a competitive game of Catan. With Sadie approaching bedtime, I offered my playing spot to Granny and held Sadie instead. She watched her favorite Elmo movie (several times as she danced her remaining energy away), Peter and the Wolf: A Musical Adventure, and then promptly passed out. 

The picture of exhaustion...

The next morning (Sunday), we woke up to the smell of coffee and sounds of sweet conversation. Austin held Sadie some and then brought out the guitar ("TAR!!!"). We have a unique (at least as far as I have noticed) tradition in my family. All growing up I remember going to church on vacation. Whether we were in Destin or New Braunfels, my Mom and Dad lovingly explained that we get to worship. We are privileged to worship on Sunday and we therefore didn't necessarily need a vacation from this experience. With no iphone or smart phones, Dad would pull out the phone book or look around when we were out driving for a place to go on Sunday. It was always fun because we were able to see what it was like as a guest - a different and interesting experience for children growing up as "preacher's kids." For this trip, instead of going to a church (a bit more difficult with Sadie needing a nursery and such now), Granny planned for a little time of worship in the condo. Uncle Austin played praise music and we all sang along to several different favorites. Afterward, we all discussed the blessings we were most thankful for and closed in prayer. Sadie enjoyed the "church service" going back and forth between staring at Austin playing the guitar and dancing for all of our entertainment worship experience. 

Loving Uncle Austin

Worship time led by Uncle Austin

After church, we packed up and said goodbye to the condo, wishing we could stay just a few more days. We then drove to The Strand and enjoyed lunch at Yaga's and shopping in the Hendley Market, La King's Candy store (Sadie had some orange sherbet as I ordered my favorite - coffee and orange sherbet), and many more. Granny even bought Sadie a little mermaid dolly and fishy puzzle to commemorate her first summer vacation to Galveston.

Walking on The Strand

Sadie's new mermaid dolly from Grany

Look, Granddaddy! A finger puppet monster!

Can I have some candy?

We are ready from a reprieve from the hot temperatures and lack of rain, but despite all this Houston heat, we cannot wait to go back again next year. What a fun tradition that has been revived.