Bailey heart Boss

Until I recieve the CD of Florida pics from Mom in the mail (thanks Mom!), this is all I've got

Check out what I caught!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i am so excited to share this heroic fishing tale that i can't think of a great title!!!! yes, it's true, i caught this shark on our deep sea fishing trip a couple of days ago!! the pictures don't do it justice at all, this was a monster. seriously, about 8 feet long and probably close to 200 lbs (according to the internet, it was most likely about 7 feet and 150 lbs, but the captain thought it was bigger and he's probably smarter than the internet, right). i had a little help from our deck hand, but my arm and shoulder muscles can testify that i pulled this guy in almost all by myself (thanks bailey for helping to build up my arm strength by hardly ever holding onto me when i carry you and even leaning back against me to further develop my stamina and strength). it is a sandbar shark and is an endangered species (of course we released it). it was too big and scary (to me) to haul on board for a good picture but i'm grateful for charlie for bringing his camera and catching these shots. i could talk a lot of smack about how i totally dominated the fishing trip by catching 2 fish and a shark before any of the guys caught anything and catching way more fish than anyone else, but i'm just too nice to rub it in their faces :)

Yes, yes, we are here

hi. sorry it's been so long since i've posted. first of all, we've been super busy. you know how moving is. secondly, my camera suffered a painful fall and is being treated by only the very best at best buy (thank you charlie for purchasing the protection plan, grrrrrrrreat idea!). (pictures from our most recent trip to arkansas)
we continue to settle into our new home. bailey loves to push her stroller all around the complex. usually it's empty, but it has had it's fair share of riders including elmo, a singing puppy, her baby, boss (he's so patient) and, just this morning, 2 pairs of pink pajama pants covered in dots that belong to yours truly. which actually came in handy when she sneezed, but that's beside the point.
i wish i had some new pictures or video to post from this week because bailey is a lot of fun these days..........that is, when she isn't throwing temper tantrums, answering "no WAY!" to every question, or refusing to sleep, which in that case, she is the opposite of a pleasure to be around. just typical almost 2 year old behavior but frustrating none the less.
as i type, she is sitting in my lap "talking" on my cell phone while writing with a pen and playing with the mouse. my kinda girl, always multi-tasking :)
and my, what a chatterbox she has been lately!!!!! she has been stringing a few words together ("more cheese pwease" "i wuv you daddy" "bye bye daddy, see you later" and the ever popular "down bossssh") which is something we've really been working on. last night she cracked me up by talking about "reece's mommy" and saying "i wuv you reece" out of the blue. we weren't even talking about him at all. just had to call sundee and share :) (while making that link, bailey saw a glimpse of reece's blog and said "i wuv you reece" again........too cute!!!)

reece and elmo are tied right now in the match for bailey's heart.

grrrrrrrrandma bought bailey not one, but 2 delightful red friends which she instantly recognized in the airport although the one she brought was still all boxed up. amazing. if only i could buy some stock in sesame street or perhaps, a house there.

well, that's about all of an update i can do right now (as bailey is standing on the chair beside me, facing backwards with an open pen in each hand bouncing up and down on the cushion).

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrandma

i just love how bailey says grandma!!!!

Wonder of all wonders

as i was busy cooking dinner the other day, i could hear the sweet sound of bailey singing the clean up song. when i peeked inside, i couldn't believe that she was cleaning up all by herself without being asked!!! amazing! i would love it if this became a habit :)
then maybe it could rub off on me!

As promised

well, we survived our move. it was much harder than i expected with bailey, who will be enjoying time spent with her adoring grandparents during our next move. basically, she freely expressed every emotion we were all feeling for four days straight. frustration, exhaustion, confusion and stress does wonders for a toddler's disposition. most of the time, i wanted to cry and scream right along with her, so i couldn't exactly blame her for feeling the way that she did. not that i enjoyed or appreciated her clingyness or never ending new, high pitched screaming episodes or anything.

i actually think she likes our new home a lot, despite the random noise (which we have no choice but to get used to and just comes with the territory). although i'm much more of a fan of larger, more open spaces, i really enjoy how close everything is right now. bailey is never too far away to be heard, which is great. last night, she played happily in her room with her kitchen while i finished up dinner. she wasn't tearfully clinging to my leg like she usually does as i try to wrap up a meal, begging for my undivided attention. my current living space is cleaner and will be more organized once i overcome the mental challenge of a couple of random stuff boxes. and this afternoon, this is how i found her. quietly looking at her own blog, discovering how to work the mouse, fully entertained. gosh, she's cute!!!

bailey loves walking around the complex and has been passing around the smiles she usually only saves for those she really knows and loves to complete strangers. i'm looking forward to giving her the attention she missed out on the rest of this week. i'm already very pleased with our new living arrangements (now that i've gotten some sleep)!