It's about time

Today my husband FINALLY turns the big 3-0. And I say it with such exaserbation because for the past year and a half, anytime anyone mentioned the age of 30, he'd make a gasping face, jab me in the side and comment on how old that sounds.

So Happy Birthday to my husband and best friend. Every year you age, the more fun you get. And more good looking too. Even though you've always been pretty cute.

Space filler

We got back into town on Sunday, but throw in a day of unpacking and cleaning, then Chris's first days at his new job and lots and lots of rain, my days have been too packed for blogging. I'm sorry. Plus, all of the fabulous pictures that Libba took are on a disc somewhere between Birmingham and here, and once I get them in my mailbox, I'll be happy to share all my adventures with my family and extended family at the beach. Because, let's be honest, the only reason about 90% of you check this blog is to see pictures my little cupcake, right? So what good would a post be if it wasn't muddled with pictures of Taylor-tot in her green, flowered bikini.

So, in the mean time I decided to post this clip of our daughter cracking-up after dinner the other night - All courtesy of a receiving blanket, Chris and his funny faces.

I'm planning on archiving this clip and showing it to her when she's 15 or 16 to remind her how funny her dad is. Like after he denies her use of his car, or tells her to take off all that makeup, or comments on the height of her hairspray-encrusted bangs.

Postcard from paradise

Well, bloggers, we are having a wonderful time vacationing in Seacrest. The weather has been sub-par, but we're having plenty of quality time with the family and fun in the surf.

Buh-bye

Yesterday was Chris’s last day at the Country Club of Asheville. Of course he is thrilled to begin his new career as a Financial Advisor with Wachovia Securities, but is was hard to say goodbye to the membership and his coworkers. He had been at CCA for over six years – That job is the reason we packed up and moved to Asheville. And we are both very grateful for the friendships formed and experiences shared while he worked there.

We also had to say goodbye to Ryan yesterday, as he packed-up his Jeep and headed back up north to start his next adventure. I can’t stress enough how wonderful it was to have my brother-in-law staying with us for the past month. And not just because he helped with the cooking and cleaning, mowing the lawn, planting flowers and running Ruby. Ryan provided some much needed comic relief after Chris’s knee surgery – No one makes my husband laugh harder than his brother. And no one can beat Chris as badly in video games as his little brother either.

Taylor will of course miss having her uncle chase after her and swing her in the air.

And the Rubes is so depressed she can hardly eat. Her buddy gave her more attention in the last month than she had gotten since the princess was born.

And I will miss having Ryan around to share in the daily adventures of motherhood.

So, yes, yesterday was a bit emotional for everyone. But today we are packing up our swimsuits and party hats to join my family on vacation. Tomorrow morning we are dropping Ruby off at the kennel and then making our way down to Birmingham to join my family and help celebrate my cousin, Matt, graduating from high school. On Wednesday we are all making our way to the beach, where we will be swimming, tanning, drinking umbrella-drinks and watching Taylor-tot run in the sand. The Young family hasn’t all been together since Thanksgiving, and add on the Graffeo’s and my Granddaddy – Let’s just say I feel sorry for anyone who will be within a two-mile radius of our house. It’s gonna be a party.

My little tulip

This week’s weather was about as perfect as it can get in Asheville, 72-degrees in a beautiful Carolina-blue sky with a cool mountain breeze. Heaven. And while Chris has been busy putting in his final days at the Club, Ryan and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and take Taylor to the Arboretum on Wednesday. Asheville has both an Arboretum and a Botanical Garden, and while I don’t know what makes one different than the other, the Arboretum was featuring a Bonsai exhibit so we picked that one. And because we had just got our hands dirty planting flowers the week before, Ryan and I appreciated all the hard work required to keep everything alive and manicured more than the average spectator.

Taylor started the adventure rather unamused in the stroller.

And then we made the mistake for getting her out for a photo with her Godfather.

And after that brief taste of freedom, she decided she was done with the stroller. Well, done RIDING in the stroller anyway.

If you’re happy and you know it

Another reason Asheville is one of the best places to live is the impressive music scene. Last weekend the region celebrated LEAF (LakeEdenArtsFestival), which basically collaborates both local and national artists and musicians to raise money for youth outreach programs. And as an aftershock to the weekend, The Lee Boys put on a kid-friendly performance at the Orange Peel on Monday morning. And because we LOVED The Lee Boys performance at last year’s Xmas Jam, we decided to check-it out and take Taylor to her very first concert. If you don’t count when she listened to a Black Crowes concert two years ago while she was first existing in my belly.

The Lee Boys specialize in a form of soul music that jumps from blues to gospel, which essentially results is a lot of dancing. And for the first few songs, just Chris, Ryan, about 25 kiddos and myself were the ones dancing while Taylor-tot played the wall-flower. A wall-flower with a kung-fu grip around my leg, which made it pretty hard to boogey.

But then, while she and Chris were taking a time-out, The Lee Boys played If You’re Happy and You Know It. Which, lucky for us, is one of the three songs that Taylor knows, and it forced her to loosen-up and start to bounce and run with the rest of the kids. She was a natural – And we are some proud parents.

Business in the front, party in the back

Something I failed to mention in my monthly archive is how long Taylor’s hair has grown in the past few weeks. Well, mostly in the back.

Yes, my baby has a mullet. And all is want to do is wrap some pigtails into those curls, but every time I get close to her with an elastic band or barrette she grabs them out of her hair. So we’ll be going with the Redneck-chic look this summer.