Sugar & Spice

...and everything nice!  Have I mentioned that I love having a little girl?  Everyone needs one in their life.  If you don't have a daughter, find a niece or a friend or a neighbor because they are just too cute for words.  I hear the same is true for little boys, but I can only speak on what I know and I know that having a little girl means curls, tutus, tights, and twirling!

Activities for a 2 year old are limited.  Most sports and classes start at 3 or 4 besides the Mommy&Me class that she was totally OVER.  So...when a friend tuned me into this summer 2/3yr old ballet class where ballet shoes were required, we were in!  L often twirls around the house saying she is a ballerina so she was ready and oh so excited.  However....I did have to wake her up from a nap, and unbeknownst to me, mommies don't stay in the room so she was a little shy (never sad, just shy) for the first 15minutes and then she twirled and jumped with the rest of them!

 she has just started this cheesy smile :)

 see the one little ballerina to the far right :(  i checked on her several times during the 10-15 minutes that she stood against the wall.  Never upset, just watching from a far.  she eventually joined the rest and came out smiling after the class.  

Father's Day 2012

We had a low key Father's Day this year.  I was on call so Dewey and Lofton had some quality time in the morning while I ran to the hospital before church.  After church Dewey's parents came over and we had a repeat of our Mother's Day lunch.  We figured it was so good, why not repeat it?  Then we celebrated Father's Day with my side of the family the following Friday.  Lots of food and swimming.  All in all, a very relaxing time.

I have been blessed with an amazing dad who loves us even when we don't deserve it and constantly shows his love through serving his children and grandchildren.  (Maybe this is why I had no idea how to put gas in my car or deposit a check when i left for college...:)  Thankfully, Lofton has also been blessed with a fabulous dad that plays and loves on his little girl unconditionally.  He is doing a wonderful job of showing Lofton what to expect in any man who has the honor of becoming a part of her life.  XOXO to the dads in my life!

Rosemary Beach 2012

we went on our 2nd annual smith family vacation to rosemary beach at the beginning of june.  we had a wonderful time filled with lots and lots of sand, the ocean (until lofton's boat tipped over on day 3 and then she was D-O-N-E!), the pool, and food!  the smith family always has plenty of food :) 

we did not have a trip filled with sleep or wellness however.  poor tiffany came a day late due to terrible kidney stones.  a stomach bug attacked parker, peyton, and jeremy a day before they arrived and bit lofton in the car just minutes after leaving the airport....kendall, abigail, dewey, and my mom each had their turn as well.  thankfully, it only lasted about 12 hours.  we knew sleep would be a bit of an issue since lofton would be sleeping in our room and she no longer sleeps in a crib.  our sweet friends casey and josh lended us their blow-up toddler mattress which is an excellent idea in theory...however, lofton would not stay in it so she fell asleep in bed with me, we moved her to the mattress, and she woke up a few hours later crying.  at that point we had to snatch her up into our bed before she woke up the whole house.  one night she started yelling and pushing dewey out of bed.  i've never seen him run out of a room so quickly :)  

overall, the kids played together fabulously and we had a wonderful time.  looking forward to many more years to come!  maybe next year we'll get some sleep, but if not, we will cherish this season of life all the same.

millions of pictures to follow...