Mercy...I'll stop posting pictures

Kenly loved the little sand crabs. She didn't even mind one trying to make friends. Waves, sun, and sand=smiles

We're practicing our Miss America waves.

Apparently it is fun to hide in the curtains in order to play Peek-a-Boo.

It is also more fun to play with your toys if you are sitting in your toy box.

Wave Jumping=Bliss

Kenly loved jumping the waves with her Daddy. He'd crouch down and say, "Oh Kenly. Here come a big one." He'd wait until the wave was nearly at them, and then they'd both jump into the air. Okay...so there were a few less than perfect moments. I think she gets them from her Daddy. :)

Adam caught these cool sky shots on the first night we were in Hilton Head. I wish I could take credit.

We were so sad to be leaving the beach....

Eat your heart out Sports Illustrated...

Can't you just see those fat rolls on the next cover of Sports Illustrated? Oh...if only life was so fair. I love her reflection in the sand. The sand creature in action.

Playing in a tide pool is very fun. We saw three hermit crabs and a very frisky sand crab who kept tickling my feet.

Kenly is frequently standing up with no hands these days. She will be walking any day now. She took a few steps in Hilton Head, but we think she freaked herself out too much for those to really count.

Mops is an excellent reader, sing, baby feeder, poopy diaper changer, and all around swell playmate.

Speaking of poopy diapers....changing one these days is a real adventure. Solid food and poop=a magic trick. You never know what you'll find or what color it will be. You also have the added adventure of trying to keep Kenly from doing back flips while you keep her on the changing table and try and wipe her slimy rear or while you chase....well, maybe that's just too much information.

Daddy's Little Helper/Pal

Kenly loves it when her Daddy tosses her in the air. She has enough hair now that you can actually see a little curl blowing in the wind. Look out hair bows....here we come. At first I fought letting Kenly ingest sand. Who lets their child eat sand? Um....me. I didn't let her eat handfuls, but she had fun licking it off her hands and face. Think of it as a colon cleanser, a teething agent, or a yummy God-created snack. She loved the salty flavor of the sand and the water. So many of our pictures included her little tongue.But, if she had to choose, Kenly would pick chocolate ice cream over sand any day. That's my girl.

She's such a big girl now that she's our official key holder and sous chef.

Kenly liked to help Daddy "build" things in the sand if you define build as squashing any structure flatter than a pancake. Adam made up whole dialogues about the sand monster coming to destroy the village. He would frantically build while screaming refortify. I could barely film or take pictures for laughing.

More Hilton Head

Kenly discovered an all new favorite game that involved complicating Boccie for Mop, Adam, and me. One of us would toss the white ball to mark the target, and Kenly would take off across the sand after it. Each of us are supposed to throw two balls to try and touch the white ball. That's hard to do if your ten month old is hogging the ball. So, as you can see, we tried to get as close to the baby as humanly possible so she could maintain her own private celebration. Kenly loved the dump truck from her sand toy kit. It was her favorite of everything. Her second favorite toy was her purple bucket.

Kenly was a little grumpy when we tried to take a family picture, so we did the best we could.

One day we went to Harbor Town to kill some time between naps, and we spent most of our time playing on the really cool playground we discovered while there. We ate ice cream, looked at the lighthouse and all the big boats, and got off the beaten path to see some of the coolest houses we've ever spied with our little eyes.

Kenly is in kiss blowing mode in this picture. She's mid-kiss in this shot. If I ask her nicely, she'll wave bye bye to the pool or the ocean. She'll even blow the pool a kiss. She a kiss blowing fiend these days. She also loved "kissing the baby." She's crawl up to the mirrored closet and lean in to lick/kiss her own reflection. Hours of entertainment with zero prep or effort....you have to love mirrors.

Busted in the Bathroom

At Hilton Head Kenly discovered the wonder of toilet tissue. Adam says she's part hamster because she shred any kind of paper into little pieces. She looks so proud and so guilty.

Can't you hear her...If I crawl away quick, they'll never know it was me.

Hilton Head Happiness

Adam and I just got back from Hilton Head Island a few days ago. Kenly's been to the beach twice already, but she was too young both times to truly appreciate all it has to offer. She discovered just how fun the beach could be on this trip. She woke up and wouldn't settle until we took her outside for some fun. First, let me start by saying that the ever generous Pops provided the week in a condo free of charge, so thank you Pops for the much needed retreat from reality. Adam, Kenly, and I enjoyed Sunday through Thursday as an almost complete family pod. Chance was not allowed in the condo, so he stayed at "camp" with our friend Jeremy and his lovely dog Emma. On Thursday evening, Mops came up to visit and she stayed with us until we left on Sunday. We loved visiting with her, and she allowed up some adult time at the beach. We took walks, ate ice cream, and even went on a date without Kenly. Who knew lunch and Transformers 2 could be so fun? Adam and I were actually bummed by the movie, but we managed to make the most of it. Sequels rarely measure up anyways. So here's some of the fun we had at Hilton Head.

Adam created and cooked the most amazing chicken kabobs I've ever had in my entire life. They could make you smack your mama if she tried to steal a bite. The kabobs had mushrooms, yellow squash, tomato, red pepper, onion, and of course chicken. We ate until we were about to pop. Even Kenly wanted in on the action, but we were too stingy to share. Never fear...she'd already eaten a full meal before we every did. I would never withhold food from my child if I thought she'd actually eat it. Right now she tends to play with and wear her food. Every one in awhile, she actually ingests some.
If she had the strength, Kenly would have walked the length of the beach and back again.

We've tried Kenly in a few pools now, but she hasn't been a fan. But, the 100 degree heat index taught Kenly that cool water is sometimes refreshing and comfortable. If we walked anywhere near the kiddie pool, we had to stick her feet in. She liked the big pool too.

After sitting through a time share presentation, we managed to score $60 fun money. Kenly got to spend $20 of the money since she had to sit through the presentation too. For once we didn't have to deal with any high pressure from the salesman. He couldn't find anything we could afford, so he sent us off with all our prizes. Score one for being poorer than we've ever been. So, Kenly bought some swim diapers, some sand toys, and even tossed her spare change toward her parents for a beach umbrella. What a practical child...

We needed to escape the mid-day heat, so we went to Adventure Cove to play some Skee Ball. Kenly tried her hand at a kiddie version and did really well. We didn't get enough tickets to buy anything more exciting than a Whoopie Cushion, so we gave our tickets to some little boy.

More Moccasin Creek

Here's a glimpse of Pop Secret. Can you believe that I didn't take a single picture of our perfect pop up? Uncle Travis and Aunt Carrie are busy keeping Kenly happy by tickling her with a bottle brush. Adam is not trying to drink the water from the kiddie pool...he's syphoning the water out of the pool. Chance loved the AC in the camper. He also loved the protection from the crazy flies.

Aunt Carrie and Kenly both loved blowing bubbles.

Getting dirty is so much fun. Can I do this every day?

Just a swingin' with Nana.

Camping with the Burkett Clan

Proof...we murdered a few trout. We even used corn to catch three of them. But, they tasted great at Friday's fish fry. Can you say hush puppies, onion rings, and trout? YUM YUM! Papa wanted Kenly to have her first taste a salt and vinegar chip/fry. She loved it!

Kenly and Papa chilling in front of the Burkett's rig. She's enjoying keys and her new blue bird toy.

Papa and Nana on the swing near the lake at the campground.Nana pushed Kenly in her very first swing experience. She was a huge fan.

In early June we took off with Nana and Papa to camp in the North Georgia Mountains. We stayed at Moccasin Creek State Park. This camping trip was so exciting because it was Pop Secret's maiden voyage...at least with the Brand family. Who is Pop Secret you ask? I'm sure you're dying to know. Pop Secret is the 1993 pop up camper that Adam and I recently purchased. Papa refurbished her, so she's practically perfect in every way. It's so nice to camp with air conditioning on a mattress but still be able to hear nature. Kenly love the pop up, and she loves to camp with her Nana and Papa. The child gave a new meaning to the word dirty during the week camping. She had dirt everywhere. We ate amazing food, finally snatched the rusted hitch out of Adam's tuck (thank you Papa), and had many adventures. We fished for trout, roasted smores, and braved Georgia's sliding rock. It was so much fun. Travis, Carrie, and Mason came up on Thursday night and stayed with us for awhile. It was nice to have the whole family together. Adam and I also manged to keep a few trout that we caught. Up to this point, we've been only catch and release fisherpeople. True to form, Nana and Papa spoiled us something rotten. Pop Secret was amazing fun, and we made memories that will last forever.

Me Monster

I was at church on Sunday listening to Dave speak when he showed a montage of videos that included clips from this stand up comedian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYxWcU5n15E). The sermon on Sunday talked about how we're all prone to
self-centeredness. To be perfectly honest, we love ourselves. When I look at a group photo, the first person I look for is myself.

Until August of 2008, I never considered myself a selfish person. Think about it...how selfish can a teacher be? I worked for less than minimum wage. I bought my own supplies. I lost sleep over kids that were not my own.

Then came Kenly, and I came face to face with my own, ravenous Me Monster.

I wanted to know when I got me time. When do I get to spend some money on me? When does my nap time start? Why do I have to sacrifice my body?

Almost ten months later, my Me Monster still fights for control. Yesterday she reared her ugly head again. I know that as a mother, it is my job to put Kenly before myself, but I'm learning that I do have to let go and take time for myself or the Me Monster takes over and robs me of joy. I get bitter, nasty, and miserable. I'm a better Mommy when I take some time for me. The beauty is that just an hour or two of me time can charge me up for another weeks worth of giving and sacrifice.

I find it comical that motherhood made me realize who I really am. I see myself in a whole new light, and most of the time I want to hide in the darkness. Motherhood illuminates qualities and characteristics I never knew I possessed. Some of these qualities make me proud. Others make me shudder. Coming face-to-face with my Me Monster, my weaknesses, and my faults makes me want to be better--for myself, but more importantly for Kenly. If she grows up and wants to just like her Mom, I want to be worthy of imitation.

Target, Tags, Toys, and War Wounds

I forgot one more funny story when I was blogging yesterday. Kenly and I went to Target on Monday because she was all out of formula. As you walk in our Target, there is a bargain bin full of $1-$2 dollar treasures. As I was browsing, I saw cute bath puffs in the shape of animals. Because I'm a fair mom, and I never want to impose my wishes on my child, I gave Kenly a choice; she could have the frog or the duck. She picked the duck, and we were on our way. I browsed through the store paying little attention to Kenly entertaining herself with her duckie bath puff. About 3/4 of the way through the store, I looked down and the scan tag that was once firmly attached to the puff was now MIA. I immediately swept Kenly's mouth and found the soggy cardboard remains of the tag. She threw a fit when I removed the mess from her mouth. Her face and hands were speckled blue, white, and gold from something on the tag. I sheepishly walked to the check out, and told the cashier that the puff was $2.50. I said could produce the tag, but since my child ate it, I would advise against touching what I managed to salvage. She smiled like my situation was perfectly normal and we went on our way.


Nana and Papa got Kenly this cute little outfit. She is sweet, and lovable too.
Here is the war wound picture I promised to post. You can't see the swelling in this picture, but you can see the cut and the coming bruise.

Nana and Papa also got Kenly this push toy from the consignment shop we explored. She loves it. She'll take 10-12 steps behind it, freak out, and then push the toy from the safety of her knees. She loves all the gadgets on the front of the toy. She pinned herself under the toy yesterday, but just laid perfectly still until I rescued her. She didn't even whine.

Story Time

Kenly has been a mover and a shaker in the past few weeks. I wanted to share a few stories that I think should be recorded forever.

Kenly stayed in nursery again on Sunday. I was so proud of her. They said she freak out when I left, but as soon as they handed her Benny Bunny (her comfort object), she settled down. She carried him from one side of the nursery to the other. When I came to pick her up, the nursery worker met me at the door saying, "She's a hoot. She has quite the little personality, doesn't she?" I agreed with the lady without hesitating. I hope she was seeing most of Kenly's good traits that morning and not the bad. I'll trust that personality is positive. At least she didn't say, "That one's a hand full, isn't she?" As I went to get Kenly, she was sitting on the floor next to a little girl named Kaylee. I stood back and observed Kenly feed Kaylee two puffs. It was so sweet. Kenly loves her puffs, so to watch her share, especially since she hasn't had much exposure to other children was a real joy to my heart.

On Saturday she took her first real tumble and whacked her head. She got a goose egg on her head as well as a scratch. I'll post some pictures of her war wound later.

While Daddy and Mama were up visiting (and delivering Pop Secret--our new 15-year-old pop up camper), Kenly learned to wave bye bye and to give high fives. She's so funny. She waves all the time now. You'd think she was Miss America.

One of the cutest things she does right now involves me telling her no. When I tell her no or don't touch, she'll wave bye bye. I think she wants me to go bye bye so she can go about her business. When I tell her no, she'll also stop and shake her head no. She is a hoot.

She's also trouble on wheels. The other day, she unplugged the computer on Adam while he was checking his email. He'd already told her to leave the cord alone at least four times. I guess persistence is a good trait once it is redirected for the millionth time to appropriate channels.

We also have a little heel biter on our hands. Adam was on the nursery floor, minding his own business, when Kenly crawled up and bit his heel. It was a completely unprovoked "crawl by."

Here are a few Not Me Monday stories on me and on Adam. After all, I can't tell all the embarrassing stuff on myself. First, I hit an all new low in motherhood last week in Food Lion. I did not have to take my daughter into the Food Lion bathroom to do my business. I did not have to hold her on my lap and entertain her with the toilet paper roll while I worked everything out. Nope not me. A good mother would have found a much more sanitary means to entertain her daughter.

Finally, Adam did not lose so much sleep the other night that he nearly peed in his fishing waders. Nope. Not him. You see, Adam almost always fishes in a bathing suit, but since his knee surgery, he's had to use his waders for balance and traction. He did not stand in the river, in a sleep deprived fog, and well...almost defile himself with urine. Nope...my husband functions much better than that on four hours sleep.

Here are a few adorable pictures of our princess. I love the concentration in the first picture and the joy of bath time in the second.