Finally! Beach Time!

Here are the beach pictures that I promised.  We had a wonderful week, complete with amazing weather that we didn't expect.  I had packed all kinds of movies and games in case we were rained in for a few days.  The week went by extremely fast and we are all sad when it was time to leave.  By the end of the week, we had finally figured out the best sand, salt and baby eyes combination so that Callie could stay out longer without getting something in her eyes and then needing to go in for a bath and nap.  She loved playing in the sand about as much as she loved playing in the water.  And chasing seagulls with Grampie was probably her most favorite thing.  We enjoyed lots of good eatin' out, although some nights we had to take turns entertaining a restless Callie.  Matt and I also got to enjoy a date night dinner out and I am not sure Callie even noticed we were gone!  On our way home, we stopped for our traditional after beach visit with Pa.  And then we traveled home to our three fuzzy boys who seemed mildly disappointed when we came through the door.  I think they were hoping it was Miss Ginny and her cans of tuna instead!  It was a great week for all!

Inside activities included building blocks with Grampie...

...repeatedly emptying her drawers...

...and looking at the pretty girl in the mirror!

Here she is last year trying to look in the mirror.  She has grown so much!

Outside activities...well, they are pretty obvious so I guess I don't need to narrate them all!

All that fun makes for one very sleepy girl!

And a quick stop on the way home makes for one very happy Pa and Callie Mae!

Adventures in Callie-land

 (The Enchanted Forest at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens)

This is yet another blog entry that does not include beach pictures!  They are coming soon...I promise!  I had it on my mind tonight just how smart our little girl is and I decided I better write about it before I forget.  We are just so proud of her daily achievements.  I don't think that I have mentioned before that she now says "Poe" (sounds like "BOW" but she says it when she sees Poe).  And for several weeks she has put slurred words together that have the same syllables each time.  She will say things like, "Here you go, Daddy" when she is handing him something.  It is all jumbled together, but we are finally able to translate some of these babblings.  Besides her new verbal achievements, she is also learning to identify and kiss things.  She can point out most of her bath toys when asked where they are and then she will pick them up and give each of them a big open-mouth kiss if asked.  She will also give each of us a nice slobbery kiss on occasion.  And today she was able to impress Daddy with her new ability to point to her nose, mouth and belly when prompted.  We had worked on it while he was at work.  And shortly after, she pointed to an ear thanks to some extra coaching from Daddy.   It is just so nice to know that she understands what we are saying even though she doesn't have much of a vocabulary yet.  She understands when it is time to eat, bathe, drink a smoothie, brush teeth, watch Mickey, and go to bed (which she is now getting whiny about and runs from me when I mention it!)  Bath time is particularly amusing because she will drop everything and just take off running for the bathroom and then try to climb in fully dressed.  And she loves to read and be read to as the following video post illustrates!   I am also posting a very random photo of a rubber ducky made from balloons.  It is just so cute that I had to share it!  It was made for Callie by a balloon artist from Friendly's Kids Eat Free night. (Fine dining for us now.)  Callie doesn't get to play with it because she just tries to squeeze its head and pop it!

Callie Reading

I still need to update the blog with beach pictures, but in the meantime, here is a cute video I took today.  Callie loves to go to her room and "read" her books to herself.  She will stay in there babbling for 20 minutes or more.  Some books she is just not even in the mood to open and others she finds very exciting, as you will see.  She loves to make a huge pile around her and then wallow in it.  The spots on her legs and arms are mosquito bites.  She doesn't handle those very well yet. 

A Fair to Remember

As summer winds up, we have a few more fun in the sun memories to share.  One such event was the 75th Annual Newport Agricultural Fair up in Giles Co. where Dreama hales from.  There is really no way to fully describe the fair because you just have to be there to appreciate it.  It is a special event for the Epperley/Spiers family for several reasons, one being that it usually takes place on or around Ma-maw's birthday (Aug. 14th).  It also has been a highlight of Matt and Michelle's summers since childhood.  and it has sentimental value for Matt and me because 12 years ago he took me to the fair to meet his extended family and they have felt like my family ever since.  Now it is Callie's turn to start her Newport Fair traditions and Matt was really excited to show it all to her.  I think she had a great time and it won't be long before she starts looking forward to it too.

Yup, this is pretty much it, but there is more to do than meets the eye!

Porchin' is one important activity.

Porchin' with the birthday girl (Ma-maw!)

There is lots of socializing and bouncy houses with big pointy teeth.

There are games and prizes.

Dead things to pet.

Official Newport souvenirs to buy.

There is gravel to play with (one of Callie's favorite things!)

There is BINGO!  Everyone won big but me.

There is an abundance of battered and fried cuisine to try.  (Meredith with her soon to be hubby, Ben)

And last but not least (at least not in Callie's opinion) there is a giant slide!  The following is my slide montage:

 

A Masterpiece by a Masterpiece

I am about to burst from excitement!!!! Callie painted today for the first time!  I have always said that watching children paint is one of the most beautiful sights in the world to me.  I used to occasionally tear up just watching my students contentedly painting away and so proud of themselves.  Today, while I was working on my entries for the gallery's upcoming surfer show (hence the blue color palette), my precious baby girl stood up on the other end of my art table, grabbed a brush, dipped it in paint and looked at me as if to say, "Where's my canvas?"  I wasted no time in getting a piece of paper for her, taped it in place and she painted away while I stood there in amazement, beaming with pride!  I finally regained my senses enough to pull her clothes off and go grab the camera.   Once I revealed another surface in need of more color, she moved on to painting her belly, diaper and eventually the white blanket she was standing on--all with acrylic (non-washable) paint!  But I don't care!  I may frame the blanket too!  Would it be taking it too far to frame the diaper???

Once her masterpiece was complete, she went back to her peanut butter sandwich.

The Surfer by Callie Mae Spiers

12x12 Acrylic on Cardstock

Absolutely NOT For Sale!

New Digs!

No, we aren't moving...yet.  But in an attempt to keep us happy in our little house a little longer (and to keep my sanity while cleaning the same messes over and over!), Callie and I now have a new "headquarters".  I decided Saturday afternoon that I was tired of trying to contain all of my art stuff to the guest room and then trying to work in there without being able to see what Callie was into.  So, with Michelle over to watch Callie and help move things, I went about switching all our bedroom furniture to the guest room and making the master bedroom our playroom/studio.  It is perfect!  I have already gotten so much done just this morning while Callie finished up her Captain Crunch and watched Sesame Street.  Callie loves being in there, especially since the bed is on the floor so it is more on her level.  I also moved some of her toys in there to help with the primary color overload in the family room.  Hopefully this will mean that my art messes and her play messes will stay contained mostly to that room and the rest of the house will be less messy at the end of the day.  It at least means that I can get work done while interacting with her and making sure she doesn't somehow manage to climb up on the fridge or whatever her next daredevil stunt will be!  Here are some pics of "Cat in the Lap Studio" and "Callie-tastrophe" headquarters
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