2 little cuddlebugs

suri and her cousin dani
laying around,
holding hands
and being cuddlebugs.
what a precious moment.

mommy + suri adventures

my parents and 2 of my sisters + me and suri, of course. (at little park inside arnold's park.)

this past weekend, i took munchkin to
arnold's park in spirit lake with my family.
unfortunately hubby had to work,
so he had to miss babygirl's first official trip
to the amusement park. :(

i had described it to him as
the "same as adventureland"
but when i got there, it was more like
a TINY version of adventureland... 
maybe a third the size.

when remembering it from my childhoood,
it seemed so grand and big.
but, i guessing it's like those
little-kid-size drinking fountains
in elementary school
that seem "normal-size" at the time.

suri was pretty tired at first:

but, sprinkle on some amusement park magic, such as...

1. a few spoonfuls of dippin' dots (peanut butter chip)
2. 5 rides on the train
3. one ride on the carousel
4. lots of people watching (she STARES at the other kids.)
5. almost a whole slice of pizza (dough only). babygirl still only has her 2 bottom teeth!

and voila!...you get this...

we had so much fun.
she's becoming such a little ham
and much more adventurous than she used to be.
it's so much fun to see her reactions
and personality in different settings.

i feel a little silly admitting this...
i was just telling hubby that
i finally feel comfortable as a mom.
i know that must sound crazy,
but i has such anxiety before
about taking suri places by myself.
i never took suri outside the house without my hubby
until she was 6 1/2 months old.
and i mean anywhere, not even the grocery store.
not even if someone else was there to help me,
besides my hubby.
sure, i could drop her off at daycare.
but, i felt uncomfortable about taking her even on the
simple errands or visiting friends/family.
i liked the safety, comfort and routine of being at home.
i just felt more prepared.
i don't know how to explain it,
besides calling it anxiety.

now, that anxiety and fear of being a new mom
has finally subsided.
babygirl has been going everywhere.
i take her to the grocery store, swimming pool...
even 3 hours away to arnold's park.
and i'm just loving it.

thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayers,
and for helping me overcome that fear.
i could not feel more blessed.

'round here

this is my little loverdog, fancy.

my hubby jokes that
if i had to save a group of people or a group of dogs,
i'd save the dogs.
what can i say?
i'm a doglover.
(i added that little heart in the above pic.
i know that's what she's thinking.) :)

fancy is the most loyal dog you'll ever meet.
(back off, other dog-owners, fancy holds the title on this blog.)
she's 6 years old, she just has a puppy face. hehee.
she eases my anxiety and increases my peace.
she never tires of cuddling...
who couldn't benefit from a good cuddling, right?

my favey coffee cup has a fancy's twin peeking over:
(they're fraternal, not identical, okay?!)

the new house is still quite a mess.
lots of unpacking and decorating to do.
surprisingly, it hasn't been all that stressful, mostly busy.

it already feels calm and homey here.
i guess, for me, home is wherever my hubby, suri, and fancy are.
okay, maybe my books, camera and computer too. lol!

yesterday, i visited borders's going-out-of-business sale.
despite the good deals, it made me sad.
i can't tell you the countless hours
i would spend in there,
especially when i was prego.
i got this book for $2.39:

i read it in 2 hours.
and loved it.
i hate calling books "easy reads",
so i'm call it a "sunday afternoon read"
...on a wednesday for me.
there are moments in there that struck me,
where i thought "wow, this book is really good."
i love being surprised like that.
best $2.39 i spent all summer.

i also got these googly-eyed dinosaur books for suri.
adorable, right?

in our new house, we have this little "nook" in our bedroom.
we found a cool bookshelf to go in there.
(this photo makes it look short, but it's over 6' tall.)

i took the sleeves off all the hardcovers,
to give them a simpler, cleaner look.
the sleeves were so busy.
the cloth looks much prettier.

that's it 'round here.
just thought i'd catch you up on some stuff,
since i've been horrible about posting.
muah
tata for now.
(from fancy too.)

hello, weekend

weekends are for savoring 
chocolate ice cream
that melts on your mouth.
mmm...happy weekend.