Picture Day denim

Today was picture day at the Montessori school, and I had to take a couple of quick pics of Sydney in her sweet denim dress and cardigan before we headed out this morning. I sent a bow for Sydney's hair, of which she is typically not a fan, but her teacher said she wore it for her individual picture and the class photo. It was even in her hair when I picked her up. I call that progress! I can't wait to see the outcome of this overpriced parent trap - school photos. :-)

Easter Sydney on Easter Sunday

It has been raining for days here in Northwest Arkansas, but we have had lots of sunshiny fun on this Easter Sunday! First, Easter bunnies from Arkansas and from Virginia visited our sweet girl. (Thanks, MeMe and Grandma!) Her favorite thing so far are these balls she's holding. We have yet to figure out if she will be right or left-handed (she was left dominant, but now seems to use both regularly), but she can throw with both quite well! I see many nights at the ballpark in our future ;-)

 

 

Then, we got Sydney dressed in her Sunday best, and ventured out onto our small covered front porch for a few rain-free photos. We just had to capture the cuteness in her pretty dress! This dress was a birthday gift from a family friend, Diane. I'm shocked that she left the bow in her hair for so long. Normally, it is out as quickly as we put it in.

 

 

 

 

Finally, we had a make-shift Easter egg hunt in our living room. Sydney practiced Friday at school, so she was all ready to find the eggs and put them in her basket.

 

She's already back in her pajamas, but I think this was the best Easter for an almost 16-month-old as it pours and pours outside. :-) Happy Easter!

Play me some country music

Last week, Randall, Sydney and I drove to Nashville and spent four days with my best friend from Virginia, Brandy, and her husband Earl. It was the best half-way-ish point that offered lots of activities (for the adults and a toddler!). We had a great time, despite the crazy weather. We had a perfect 78-degree sunny day on our first full day, and then it got wetter and colder from there. But, we persevered! The boys golfed, the girls shopped, and we spent time downtown, went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, went to the Nashville Zoo ... and ate some really great food! We will be planning another trip :-)

The group at the Neely's BBQ restaurant - from the Food Network!

Downtown

Sydney's first trip to a zoo - brrrrr

Opryland Hotel

Opryland Hotel

From Houston to Hawaii, and home again

Randall and Sydney had a very fun daddy/daughter weekend while I went to Houston to help in my friend Ellen's apartment search for her upcoming relocation. A great time was had by all! Saturday morning, Randall took Sydney to the farmer's market and took some adorable pictures. He also took her to the U of A campus Sunday to run around. Sydney is as happy as a clam when she is outside and roaming free! We just lather up her fair-like-mommy skin and let her explore. Here are a few of my favorite pictures, and I feel like I know what a beautiful weekend they had :-)

Taking time to smell the [not really] roses!

Look at mommy's name on Senior Walk

My name will totally be on this walk someday :)

This Chi Omega Greek Theatre has LOTS of stairs and space to run!!!

Mommy had a great time, too! From apartment searching to delicious meals and fun nightlife to an indescribable (in a good way!) Lady Gaga concert,  Houston proved to be a great city and we can't wait to visit Ellen in her new place! Thanks, Ellen, for inviting me to be your "plus 1" for this trip!

Before Day 1 of apartment hunting --- in the hotel lobby

Pre-Lady Gaga in front of the Houston skyline

The people watching was to die for, including these lovely caution tape wrapped gals!

 As a grand finale to this post, our dear friends Aaron and Erin recently returned from a vacation in Hawaii, and they brought Sydney a souvenir. Are you ready for the cutest thing in the world?

Fifteen and focused

 Sydney is 15 months and five days old --- how is that possible, you ask? We have no idea. She is such a big girl these days and keeps us on our toes! One of the traits I love about Sydney is her focus and determination. Whether she is doing puzzles, matching shapes, doing motions to a song or helping me get her dressed, she is always extremely focused on the task at hand. I hope that trait sticks, and that she is always a determined little girl! Here's a video that captures a tiny illustration of this characteristic. This was going on at least a minute before I was able to sneak the camera. I appreciate how she rarely gets frustrated; she just keeps at it, successful or not.

In other news, Sydney and I had a wonderful mommy/daughter weekend while Randall went to Texas with seven friends for a golf weekend. These crazy guys played 72 holes of golf in just two days! I understand there was also karaoke, beer and participation trophies, but I don't ask too many questions ;-) Here's a picture of the group.

This coming weekend, Randall will have quality time with Sydney while I go to Texas, ironically enough, to help one of our close friends find a new apartment so she'll be all set for her upcoming relocation. While we are enjoying the weekend on her company's dime (woohoo!), we decided to fit in a concert - Lady Gaga here we come! We're trying to remember that the focus of the trip is to find her a place to live, but it's hard to think about deposits and square footage when Gaga is involved. (To be clear, we paid for our own concert tickets - ha!)