Beach Trip 2010

We got a much needed beach trip to Fort Morgan! I had not been there, but it has a lot to recommend it and only one thing against it. Let's see

Pros
Beautiful white sand beaches with no one else on them
Crystal clear water with lots of sea shells
You can bring your dog


Cons
No See Ems

Papa and Grandma joined us along with Uncle David, Aunt Karen and Allison. Ruby and Allison shared a room for the first time which went pretty well.

I was startled to see all the drilling platforms in the water. Prior to now, I had only been to Florida beaches and not seen that. At first I didn't like it, but my brother pointed out it had its own strange beauty when they would light up a night. While we were there, a similar rig to those we were looking at in Louisiana had an explosion launching what is set to be the worst oil spill in the US. Sigh.


Each day Ruby had a "favorite" thing about the beach. They were typically sand or waves. We got her a life vest/swimsuit and her and Daddy went to the sandbar.

We went to Dauphin Island one day and that was an adventure. The ferry ride was quite long and by the time we got there, Ruby was saying "snack" over and over in increasing volume. When we got to Dauphin Island, we stopped at the first gas station and asked for directions to the nearest restaurant. The local suggested Flamingo Fae's and said there would be signs and we "couldn't miss it". We headed off looking for the signs and kept driving until 15 minutes later we ran out of land and were at the other side of the island. This would not be so bad if it wasn't for Ruby yelling "Snack!" every 30 seconds (we got brief respites by giving her lemon drops from my purse). Prior to now, I had really only had similar experiences with my friend Dawn. This was clearly becoming a food emergency. As we headed back, one of us spotted an 8x10 sign with probably size 40 font by the side of the road discretely mentioning that Flamingo Fae's was to the right. We swung around and turned onto the street. We persevered until we hit another end of the island were an unlabeled building sat. Without much hope, we walked up to the door that said "Flamingo Fae's" in a handwritten note on the door. Wondering what kind of restaurant you could miss in Dauphin Island, we headed in, 2 year old yelling "Snack!" in tow. We acquired some emergency pancakes that came out first and winded up being the best pancakes I think I've ever had. I wish I had counted how many pancakes Ruby ate, but I am guessing at least 8. It was enough that the chef came out to see the girl eat her weight in pancakes. While everyone else ate, I took Ruby to the beach were we saw lots of hermit crabs. Prior to now, I had only seen those in pet stores. The interesting part of all this is that we didn't take the ferry to see Dauphin Island. We were in fact passing through on the way to Bellingrath Garden's which was beautiful as promised. Ruby walked off her pancakes and we ogled the plant life.

Great trip and I would recommend for sure for a peaceful beach vacation.

Anatomy Lesson

Ruby and I were playing with her stethoscope and I mentioned we could hear the heartbeat with it. Ruby said "I know where the heart is." Impressed, I said "Really, where?" She responded "My heart is in my throat!" Does one of your teachers say that at school. "Yes." Does she say it when she is scared? "Yes."

BTW, the picture is from wacky tacky day at school which doubles as 80's costume.

The End of an Era

Loki died Saterday. He was at home and it was painless which is the most you can ask for. 14 years of a dog's life was fantastic for him. I'm sure I will never have another dog as smart as Loki. Despite not leaving to the cry of the Valkeries, I have no doubt that, if there is a doggie heaven, it includes some geese being chased with great enthusiasm.

Eat It!

This morning I went to the bathroom telling Ruby I would be back in a minute. Ruby rushed into the bathroom as soon as I was done yelling "Mommy, I got you a treat for going potty!"

"Eat it! Eat it!"
Not wanting to ingest some lifesaver she found underneath a couch I said "Where did you get it?"

Ruby said "The bag." I stared at it dubiously and put it in my mouth. Ruby then kindly announced "Well, I did drop it on the floor."

Santa's Valentine Agenda

Ruby put facts together and informed me of how Valentine's day works.

"Santa brings everybody heart shaped chocolates and flowers"

In spite of the lack of appearance from Father Christmas, I don't think she was disappointed...

Here are some shots of making heart shaped cookies with Grandma, Aunt Karen and Allison

Ruby's First Ballad

More often than not, I find myself singing random kids songs to keep Ruby entertained usually as I am trying to get her to do something. If she has time to think, she will say "No Way!" to any request. But I have found starting a song then casually putting on her shoes and socks to work. As I was singing, I noticed her lower lip start to quiver and tears begin to stream down her face. Apparently, I had never sang this song to her

On top of spaghetti
All covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball
when somebody sneezed

It rolled off of the table
and onto the floor
then my poor meatball
rolled right out the door

Despite her great empathy for the meatball (or the child who lost it), Ruby wanted to hear the song over and over, crying each time. I guess there is something in human nature that likes to be sad occasionally. That's why I married Jamey.

Coffee Angel

My niece Allison is a big bag of tricks. When you ask her What a zombie says, she says "brains", when you ask her old she is, she holds up the right number of fingers. These are great ways for her to integrate herself in social situations. However, Jamey and I have focused on training Ruby in the more important things in life. The numero uno most important thing is to make Mommy's drinks. Ruby, once set on the counter, excels in making the coffee from grinding the beans, to putting the filter in. Recently she did this in an outfit that made me realize that Jamey and I have raised our own coffee angel.