Labor Day Weekend - What! What!

Labor Day weekend was an incredibly busy weekend filled with all kinds of adventures. Dada got to stay home for three days straight, and Opie even got to leave the house. I'm not sure who had a better weekend - the Op-man or me.

Before I jump into the holiday weekend, I must backtrack and tell you about our night out with the Louiseaus a couple of weeks ago. Mom, Dad, and I met up with Mrs. Joanne, Mr. John, Parker, and Baby Grayson at Jim n' Nick's BBQ for some good southern pork. I am no longer a huge fan of eating out because it consists of sitting down for far too long; therefore, I kept announcing over and over, "All done!", which got increasingly louder and more agitated. Mrs. Joanne tried to appease me with Elmo stickers, and Mom tried several approaches to rectify the situation. Finally, for the sake of those around us, I made it out of my high chair, took turns on each parent's lap, and ended up on the Louiseaus' side of the table with Parker and Baby Grayson. Parker got to walk around, so I should too! Baby Grayson is so good, and he was totally content to sleep and then watch us play. Parker is still getting used to her new baby brother, and his addition has caused her to crave all of the baby activities that she left behind so long ago. She sat in his car seat and in his stroller and tried to steal his pacifier. It makes me want a baby, and I constantly tell Mom and Dad that I want one; usually, I ask for a girl brother or a boy sister; let's see how they pull that one off. Parker and I did have a little sticker party of our own, which consisted of placing stickers on random places on our faces and laughing at each other. While the Dads paid the bill, the Moms ushered us outside where we played with the bushes, and Parker ran up and down the sidewalk forcing her Mommy to chase after her. In my opinion, it was a great time; although, I made it a little more stressful of an evening for Mom with my "All done!". The only downfall was realizing that even Baby Grayson has more hair than I!

Now, back to Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, we woke up to cooler temperatures and the perfect weather for college football, which must have been fate since we were headed down for the first Georgie Tech game of the season and my first football game ever. From the looks of it, I am definitely bound for the collegiate world because I had so much fun! I got to wear my GT dress, and I tried to sport the bow look, but after about its 10th time falling out, Mom and I decided to go with the headband instead. There were so many things to see and people to meet! As we were walking to the Lambs' tailgate spot, we got to take pictures with the actual GA Tech car. Mrs. Heather and Mr. Dirk outdo themselves as far as tailgating is concerned; we had tents and chairs and food and drinks. Nothing was amiss. Mrs. Teri even brought football donuts, one of which she immediately snuck to me, and GT stickers that she reserved just for me. I was so excited to put the spirited sticker on my face that I immediately asked for "one mo-" with about 4 fingers held up: Two cheeks means you need two stickers. After Mrs. Teri jokingly put one on my butt, and it fell off, I walked up to Mr. Justin, handed him the sticker, and then turned around and stuck out my butt so that he could replace it. Now, that shows a level of comfort. There were lots of other kids at the tailgate, including 7-week-old Avery Lamb. I wasn't a bit jealous when Mom held Avery, for there were so many other things to do, and I'm not really the jealous type, unless Daddy and Mommy are hugging, about which I get very angry. Baby Avery is really adorable, and she seemed to have a great time getting passed around. I tried to dance on the Corn Hole set at one point and clung to Dad's leg whenever someone I didn't know tried to talk to me. I felt pretty cool hanging out with the guys and even had a little picnic lunch on top of someone's cooler. I do think that the tailgate has changed a bit over the years, according to the grown-ups anyway, seeing as I don't think that the guys were helping each other into baby carriers or sporting daughters as dates back in the day. Before heading to the game, I took a quick tour of my first fraternity house; hey, it's brand new, and I needed a real bathroom. Mom was a bit overanxious and kept telling me not to touch anything; however, the house looked pretty entertaining if you ask me. I'm sure I am bound to get about 50 talks from Dad about frat houses and frat brothers before actually stepping foot on my own college campus. Mrs. Heather and Mr. Dirk were so nice and provided us with 3 tickets so that we could enjoy the game with them. Little Avery slept almost the entire time, which is amazing considering it was so loud. I just sat back on Dad's lap with my fruit and water and took in all of the sights and sounds. The band at halftime was definitely my favorite part, aside from the water bottle that I got all to myself, and I was ready with my "Go Yellow Jackets" cheer. It was a bit hot, so we ended up only making it through halftime, but not to worry, we didn't miss much considering Tech beat South Carolina State by a landslide: 41 - 10. On the way to the car, we got to stop at the bookstore so as to purchase a shirt for Dad, a blanket for the house, and a pink GT hat for me. The pink is an attempt at avoiding being called a boy quite as often; hair isn't the only distinguisher of sex, people! Mom and Dad were sure that I would pass out on the way home, but alas, I proved them wrong, got comfy, and talked the whole way home. I had just experienced too much excitement to fall asleep. My plan worked, and I got to skip nap completely. I wasn't even exhausted at 8:00 when it was time for bed; I was still running around, happy as a clam; Dad wants to know where he can purchase some of my excess energy. I rooted for the Yellow Jackets this time, but don't be fooled; come Thanksgiving, I will definitely be sporting my UGA cheerleading uniform and cheering on the Bulldogs along with Mom. Thank you so much for the tickets and an awesome tailgate, Lamb fam!

Due to Dad's traveling and Mom's numerous baby showers lately, we haven't had a good family day in awhile, so Dad sweetly planned one for Sunday. Dada packed a picnic lunch, and the four of us, Opie included, headed up to Amicalola Falls. The drive took a little longer than expected since Dad likes to take random turns; I entertained myself with a lollipop and a call to Grandma to pass the time. When we finally did make it, it was quite crowded, but we were able to secure the perfect picnic table where we ate our sandwiches while Opie lay under the table anticipating any free-falling scraps. After lunch, the four of us started the hike up to the base of the falls. I adamantly refused to let anyone carry me, so the hike took quite sometime. We had to stay to the side to let people pass, but I did not give up no matter how steep the slope became. After about 30 - 45 minutes, Mom and Dad looked up and realized that the hike was about to get really tough, so we decided to head back down. I didn't actually get to see the main falls, but hey, it's not like I know what a waterfall looks like. I thought that the trickling stream and little waterfalls along the hike were the main attraction. We'll try again in a few weeks and allot for a bit more time to reach the base; it may involve the all-terrain stroller as well. I did discover something very useful and exciting on our family outing: the most disgusted, over-it facial expression ever, which I have used about 20 times a day since. If something annoys me, angers me, bothers me, or disgusts me, I now make this face to demonstrate my dislike. I also make the face at Mom and Dad just to let them know that I think they are ridiculous. Our Amicalola trip was a nice getaway, and I think that Opie was beyond excited to get out with us. The car ride home didn't take quite as long, but Opie and I were able to get in a little snooze. We all got to be bums that evening, and then Mom and Dad had a little date night, dinner and a movie, after I went to bed. Thank you, Dada, for the whole day!

In keeping with spirit of the work holiday, the parental units invited a few friends over for some pool time and a cookout on Monday. Mrs. Joanne, Mr. John, Parker, Baby Grayson, Mrs. Alisha, Mr. DJ, and Tyler all made it to celebrate Labor Day. I really enjoyed showing Parker around my pool; she wasn't thrilled with the slides and did cry a bit when her mommy took her up the kiddie stairs and got her face wet - don't worry, Parker; I remember those days. Parker preferred to climb out of the pool and then walk down the slope to re-enter the pool over and over. Everyone has his/her own idea about fun. When we got home, I showed Parker my playroom, where we had a small fight over my house. Believe it or not, she actually pushed me and made me cry; usually, you would imagine it to be the other way around, but it seems I have met my match. Once Tyler arrived, we all decided to hang outside while Dad grilled the ribs. Somehow, Tyler and I ended up in our diapers after soaking ourselves in my water table; I'm not even 2, and my parties already end in a strip down. Anyways, at one point, Tyler was sitting in my car, and I walked right up, opened the door, and said, "Tyler, get out!" Thank goodness Mom wasn't out there, or I would have heard about that one; instead, everyone thought it was hilarious. Dinner was good, but the cupcakes and strawberry shortcake that Mrs. Joanne brought were even better. While the parents laughed and talked, and Baby Grayson went crazy in the jumperoo, the three of us vacummed the floor, emptied the toy chest, and enjoyed a little "People Fall". I got to, again, stay up past bedtime, and Parker and I even turned the party into a pajama party. When it was time for everyone to go home, Parker got into Baby Grayson's car seat, and I adamantly tried to help her put on her seatbelt: Safety 1st! Thanks for coming Goldsworthys and Louiseaus; you made it a great holiday. It was the perfect ending to one heck of a Labor Day weekend!

Mom and I made sure to get in some final pool days last week. Swimming has definitely become one of my favorite activites this summer, and I have come so far in my abilities. I've gone from being afraid to float in the water to floating, kicking, and swimming on my own. I can float on my stomach with my feet behind me or on my back with my feet in front of me; I can even spin myself in cirlces in the water, and I always have a huge smile on my face while I swim by myself. If Luke is around, I'm usually laughing as well. I make sure that everyone around, strangers included, pays attention to my awesome swimming skills by saying, "Watch Livie" before jumping off the stairs. It is pretty funny to watch me swim, for I keep my legs right underneath me and literally run in the water to get where I am going. It works! I love the water; I love getting my face wet; I love the slides; I love pool days with my friends, and I love watering the pool flowers. I will miss you, pool! Until next year, I must say adieu.

I also made a new friend at the Greenway last week after our run. I call him Kitty Cat, and as I was reluctantly walking away from him, I kept turning around and calling, very loudly, "Kitty Cat, follow me!", by which everyone who passed us was amused.

This past weekend was much more relaxing than the previous weekend, which isn't necessarily a good thing in my book, but I definietly enjoyed it. On Saturday, we went to Taco Mac to watch the Tech and UGA games at the same time. Dad has been working on me for way too long, and I kept yelling, "Go Yellow Jackets!" Also, I don't really get the difference between cheers of joy and exasperations of anger, so I kept cheering and clapping even when everyone else around me was doing the opposite. The games were only able to hold my attention for so long until I moved on to coloring, emptying the crayon box again and again, downing 2 Fruit Roll-ups, - yum, my favorite - making a few calls, and then talking Mom into taking me to drive the arcade car. The day didn't end up being the best football day considering both GT and UGA lost. This weekend also included a flower project, for which I got to paint several craft sticks any color I wanted. Mom then helped me glue them together to make flowers for Dad to put in his office at work. They are a masterpiece; I know! Mom and I also got a little airplane, and Daddy taught me how to toss it so that it would fly high. That kept me entertained for most of Friday evening. On Saturday evening, Dad and Mom went to Totally Running to get fitted for some new running shoes, which required their stepping on a special scale to scan their feet and running on a treadmill while their feet were recorded on video. I even got to step on the machine to scan and measure my little feet. I showed everyone in that store what running is really about as I ran laps around it; there was only one other person in the store, so Mom actually let me. I even tried on a few running visors. The lady at the store was really sweet and thought that I was super cute, of course. When do I get my special running shoes, people? Riding in the stroller while Mom pushes is quite strenuous on the knees, but I guess I have to stop walking on my tippie-toes before investing in a pair. Mr. James came over twice, and I kept telling him to give, "Dada haircut"; I just want to make sure that Dad looks good for his meetings. On Sunday, Grandma came up, and she took me to the park while Mom and Dad ran; they are training for a 10K coming up in October. The 3 of us then ate lunch, and Grandma, Mom, and I spent one last day at the pool while James cut Daddy's hair; I told ya he needed a haircut. To end the weekend on a sweet note, Mom got me a delicatable, cream-filled, chocolate-dipped cookie, and I enjoyed every bite! It is nice to have a lazy, relaxing weekend every once in awile.

I want to send a big "Congratulations" out to Mrs. Amy and Mr. Chad who welcomed Ryan Russell Talton to the world on Wednesday, September 8, at 11:45 p.m. After a small scare, Ryan and Mrs. Amy are doing great, and we couldn't be happier for you guys! We just can't wait to meet him; we wish you guys weren't so many states away. Congrats Talton family!

Randoms: So, the name spelling seems to be getting more confusing, instead of less. When I get to that 1st i, I now veer off into "I love you"; seems like a natural choice to me. I'm also starting to balk with "No, Mama, no!" whenever Mom wants to take a picture or a video of me; I didn't sign a release, so I'm not cooperating anymore. If she asks really nicely, I will usually give her one smile to capture the moment, but that is it and only after I protest extensively, wave the camera away, and shoot her nasty looks. I also am starting to insist on dressing myself; I know true fashion. Oh, and if you haven't seen the wee-wee-wee pig commercial yet, it is worth a watch. It is so funny!

I mentioned my questionable pronunciation of the color orange in my last blog, so here is the evidence. Mom and Dad are both working on getting me to pronounce it more clearly so that I don't sound like I am spewing expletives, but I think that it sounds just fine.

Harper Due Date Countdown: 7 days! (I'm finishing this post on the 13th.)

Final Note: Life is so much sweeter with a little laughter, and I, my friends, make life the sweetest of all - truly.