ESFP fun

Hi all!  It's finally starting to feel like fall around here and this is when I get stir crazy every year.  After the last couple weeks of August being so hot (I realize I have lost my Texas card.  We're talking mid 90's.)  and being cooped up, I just had to get out of town!  I don't know if other stay at home moms are with me on this, but since I'm home so much, I just seem to crave new experiences, new surroundings, new places.  Anything new and different, I am in.  Plus, I'm an ESFP I've recently found out.

 

On the Meyers-Briggs personality summary page, it sums me up with "You like to have fun.  You are a people person.  You love parties.  You like to perform."
The celebrities with my type were basically old actors like Goldie Hawn, Bob Hope, & Marilyn Monroe.  These were the most notable ones.

I can't remember which type Marc was, but I think it was this.

His summary was basically "You are the smartest man in the world."
Famous celebrities were the likes of George Washington, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
You know, like presidents.

So I would say, he married up right??

Please do the test.  It's so interesting to see what your type is.  Make your spouse do it even if he protests.  He'll find out he's a genius and you like parties.  Everybody wins.

Here's some pics from our last couple weeks around here.

 

1st dentist appointment.  Looking good, although we have to try and stop thumb sucking.  Good luck with that!  It is attached to him.

 

Look at that belly!  

 All dressed up for church

 

A little sprinkler play during the last days of summer



 

4 Generations!  We had such a great visit with my mom, dad, and gram a couple weeks ago.

 

1st day of preschool.  Cutie!



 

Found this on my iphone.  Guess Lily decided it was time for her first selfie!



 

Funny faces



 

 

I am enjoying these rare moments of sibling love. 

She loves all of his trucks, sigh.  No dolls for this girl.

 

 Bebopping around the Bradford Store.  This country store is about five minutes from our house.  All kids get a free sucker and they have old timey toys for them to play with while I shop.  Sure, everything is organic and an avocado costs $3, but it's worth it, right?  For the experience?   Right? 
I am such a yuppie.  Oh, and they have a beautiful butterfly garden and chickens running around.  And a small antique store with blue mason jars and rusty construction toys.  So pretty much the best place ever.

 

We have been wanting to go to Greenville, SC all summer after my friend Jennifer told us what a fun place it was to take the fam.  Our first weekend with highs in the 70's, we decided to hit the open road and drive the 1 hour and 45 minutes to check it out.  I am so glad we did!  I cannot even tell you how beautiful this place is.  The park in the middle of their downtown reminded me of parks in Europe.  Flowers everywhere you turn, waterfalls, bridges, people making out, artists painting, kids playing...like this is in South Carolina???  I'm sorry I judged you so harshly SC. 
Everywhere we turned there was something amazing.  Oh, look here's a splash pad!  Oh, look a children's garden!   Even the underpasses were landscaped.  If I was homeless, I would want to live here.  We saw probably about 6 sets of brides and grooms taking photographs around the city and 2 weddings.  It's that type of picturesque place.  I mean, there are twinkly lights in all the trees lining the main street.  I actually even teared up a little bit.  It was that pretty.  And I guess I like twinkly lights.  A LOT. 
Obviously, my pics don't do it justice.
Go ahead and check out Falls Park on the Reedy on Trip Advisor in the Parks section.  Ranked #6 in the US.  Like not far behind Central Park.  Hidden gem.  Went home and had to check out houses in Zillow in case we need to move there immediately or something.
When I get inspired, I am all in.  For a whole ten minutes.
 

This is my favorite part of being a stay at home mom.  When the kids can be outside almost the whole day playing and I can sit and read a book/magazine/kindle while watching them.  Ahhh....almost feels like a vacation.  And they would both be outside all day if I let them.  I think that's a good thing.  Maybe I'm doing something right?

 



On the other end of the spectrum....the days that are not that awesome make me want to do this.



And then go on a girl's weekend!  I just got back from a trip to Blowing Rock with my preschool mom buddies.  We had so much fun!!!  My favorite part was just sitting around laughing & drinking on the deck with these beautiful surroundings.  Again, this is the most boring mountain landscape photo of all time and does not at all do justice to the scene.  The only thing we had to watch out for were bears!  Literally.  They had numerous bear sightings at night and in the day (omg) so that cut short our plans for hiking.  Darn.  We did see some wild turkeys and deer, but thanks be to the Lawd, no bears.  

 

This is me crouching down since all my friends are 5'2" and therefore making my booty seem gigantic when in fact it is becoming quite tight and shapely due to my regular workouts.  Rationalizing.

Not that big!  Promise.

This is Jackie and Misty.  Love them.  So thankful for all my friends I've met through Henry's preschool.  We have so much fun together.



 

And when I got home, Lily was wearing Henry's shirt and Henry promptly ate a four course meal of cheese stick, crackers, an apple, and a banana.  And Lily had decided to take a nap on the floor right before I arrived.

But they were alive! 

I didn't say a word. 

Until now...ha!  Love you honey.  Thanks for letting me go!



Love,

Lyndsey

Too much

Where do I start?

How do I catch up on seven months worth of livin' in one blog post?

Truth is, I can't.  Too much has happened.  The good, the bad, the ugly.  This stay at home mom gig is not for the faint of heart, that is for sure.  I have a heart attack almost everyday with these kids, but I wouldn't change it. The goal of my day with an almost four year old and a 14 month old is KEEP THE KIDS ALIVE.  And I am not joking!  We have had many days this summer where I feel like I have barely accomplished that task.  

The following days that will go down in history as...ahem...days that gave crows feet a head start.

• Day of the Ant Pile & Allergic Reaction (Henry)
• Day of the Locked Car with Kid Inside in 90 Degree Heat and Helpful Landscaper Guy Busting Out Window With Shovel (Henry)
• Day of the Baby Making it Halfway Up the Stairs (Lily)
• Day of Baby Somehow Falling on Corner of Etch a Sketch and Getting a Black Eye(Lily)
• Day of Kid Falling into Corner of Bench at Chick-fil-a Playground and Getting a Black Eye (Henry)
• Day of Kid Taking his First Shower and Peeing into my Neti-Pot Therefore Rendering it Useless and Ready for the Trash (Henry)
• Day of Kid Feeling the Urge, Pulling Down his Pants, and Going #2 in our Neighbor's Yard

Keeping it cray cray.

 

This is just a small sampling of some of the memorable days we've had.

We have had many other days too.  Days that made my heart melt instead of beat out of my chest.

 

• Day of Conquering Potty Training Through Six Months of Trials & Tribulations(Henry)
• Day of Baby Saying "Mama" for the First Time (Lily)
• Day of Kid Sliding Down the Water Slide for the First Time and Being SO Proud of Himself (Henry)
• Day(s) of Playing on the Beach Together (H&L)
• Day of Baby Taking First Steps (Lily)
• Day of Kid Going to 3Y Preschool with No Tears (Henry)

And probably the biggest day of all was the day that little Lily turned the big single digit- ONE! 

 

Sweet Smile



 

What can I say?  She started walking right before her birthday and has not stopped going since.  Always knows what she wants & goes for it.  Independent, fearless, and above all other things- happy, happy, happy.

 

Dances like no one is watching.  And we are all watching.  Because it is the best!

If there is a stage or a dance floor nearby, you better believe that is where she is headed. 

 

 

Honestly does not care much for dolls yet.  But loves stuffed animals!

She enjoys Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Thomas the Train.

More favorite things include playing catch with her dad, belly buttons, flags (she is always pointing at flags and plays with a cheapy one I bought at Lowe's for 4th of July), driving the Cozy Coupe, sloppy kisses and pulling her brother's hair.

She is girly though too, I promise!  Lily already likes to color and paint and pull flowers out of the dirt.

And everything is "Dada".  Everything! 

 



 

 Has a serious sweet tooth.  As evidenced by the inhaling of the first cupcake. 

Loves ice cream, popsicles, grapes, macaroni and cheese, and yogurt.

And loves her brother more than anything.  Even though their relationship can be tense sometimes.

 

 And now for my boy Henry, or "H"-"E", as we call him now most of the time....like the letter H with "ee" on the end. 

Goofy, energetic, sweet, physical, cautious, sensitive, and smart.  He is still all boy with a capital B. 

Coloring?  Nah.  Crafts?  Nah.  Any kind of Pinterest activity that his mom thinks he might like?  Nah

Just give him a dirt pile and some construction vehicles.  Still.  Since he was two years old, the lure of the dirt and the sand is as strong as ever.  He is happy playing in his own little world out there in his pile.

And by "physical" I mean that I have wished there is a preschool wrestling team I could put him on.  Again, he has been like this since he was a baby.  Absolutely craves physical touch.  Does the brush-up move to both his sister and any kid that passes by him in a bouncy house.  Just begging for a tackle.

 

Loves his one-on-one time with his dad whether it's playing football, hitting up the golf course, or watching his first movie at the theater- Planes!



His favorite toys are his Thomas trains and tracks, construction equipment, his Cars movie figures, and his monster trucks.  He loves Wreck It Ralph, Madagascar, and all the Toy Story and Cars movies.  Oh and his most favorite thing ever, the Ipad.  Obsessed with You Tube. 

 



 

He is my buddy during the day.  It would be so much harder for me if I didn't have him to talk to.  Not like we talk about anything grown up, but the bigger he gets, the more we can actually have conversations.  Now it may be him just asking me if I like excavators or me asking him how his school day was but at least it's a give and take.  He's good company and we both share the same sense of humor.  Basically bathroom humor.

 

Does NOT have a sweet tooth!  Would eat a Cheetos over a cupcake any day of the week.

See Lily's picture above of her diving head first into the cupcake.  And see him easing into it slowly and proceeding with caution. 

These photos perfectly encapsulate their personalities.

 



 

Here's some more snapshots of our summer.

 

My gardening helpers

 

Summer is so tiring!

 

Making funny faces

 

 Swinging

 

Popsicle time with friends

 

Outside baths

 

Meeting Thomas the Tank Engine with our buddy Cooper

 

Pool time with buddies Harper and Katelyn

 

Diapers!

 

Father's Day cookie.  Oh yeah!

Flamingo girl.  I think I had this outfit in the 80's.  Except I was 12.

 

I love to swim.  Really.  I want to swim underwater and put my head underneath any kind of waterfall or fountain.  I don't like to be confined to any type of floatie or puddle jumper life jacket.  I would prefer for you to hold my hand as I walk/run around the pool's perimeter and make sure I don't slip and fall.  That would be great.

 

Henry's dream has already come true.  We had a big landscaping project done in our backyard and had a bobcat parked there for a week. 

Friends forever.

 

 First fish with Peepaw

 

4th of July

Fireworks?  HATED IT.

 

TROUBLE

20 seconds later, our friend's couch was somehow turned into a trampoline/tent/moon bounce.

 

So hard to sum it all up here, but we've had a wonderful summer together.  Here's to updating the blog more frequently as we get into our fall routine!

 

Love,

Lyndsey