Monday, June 22, 2009

What makes my heart smile

Tonight I needed some therapy. The past few weeks have been hectic -- I was at a sales meeting for a week, Clint's birthday, Father's day, vet appointments, pediatric appointments, etc., etc. -- and the stress of being pulled in different directions has finally caught up with me. Clint is in Chicago this week, so I'm at home with Mimi, Spike and Ruthie with lots of time to breathe and reflect.

I made myself put down laundry to pour through the over 300 photos Lauren took of Mimi in May, and my breath has been taken away. They capture single moments in her little life that won't ever be the same again -- it has already been over a month since these photos have been taken and she's already grown and changed inside and out. This has been great therapy for me. Here are some that really capture Mimi:






Sunday, June 7, 2009

Ten Months Old at the Beach

Last weekend Mimi made her second trip to the beach in Santa Rosa, FL. The first time we took her she was 8 weeks old, so it was much different this time around. For one, she doesn't sleep quite as much during the day now, so we were concerned about making the long drive and keeping her happy. Despite all our worries she was such a trooper in the car and was easily entertained. Clint even let her drive some!
Although she looks happy in this photo, the crashing waves and gritty sand really freaked her out at first. She seemed excited when we walked onto the beach but was hysterical when we dipped her feet in the waves or tried to set her on the sand.
She spent a lot of time playing with her toys on a blanket under an umbrella . . . and sunbathing topless! Ha!One night we went to the beach to search for crabs and for Clint to fish a little, and Mimi was so excited. Maybe it was because the sun wasn't so bright and there weren't as many people around, but she really didn't mind the water and sand as much as she had during the day.
We couldn't keep her out of this cabinet in the den of our condo. It was just her size! Mimi is now officially the loudest squealer in the world. Although we think it can be really funny at times, we've found not everyone agrees. Therefore, we sadly accepted that a couple of our favorite beach restaurants wouldn't be option on this trip since they are small and quiet places. Instead we settled for the noisy, kid-friendly places like Elmo's and Stinky's, and I'm so happy we did. We couldn't have asked for better seafood and Mimi went crazy over the loud music. I think she is flirting with one of the band members in this photo.
A few other photos: