And she knows how to Chomp. Just ask her. (Are there any kids of Gator fans that aren't required to learn this?)

The first gator game. Major milestone for two parents who both graduated from the University of Florida. Sniff sniff.

I think Donald was more excited than I was. It was his idea after all. He was able to get Touchdown Terrace tickets from his office which meant that if it was raining, it wouldn't bother us. And if it got too hot, we could just go inside. And there was food. And more room. And how did it go?

Perfect.

Well, as perfect as anything can be with a toddler. We started out at 7:30am and gave Keeley breakfast in the car. I had packed a zillion small purses with various silly toys and books to pass back to her to keep her entertained. As you can see, each purse was filled with expensive, educational toys.

She was okay on the ride up. I got a little tired of turning around and seeing what she wanted. Yes, I know I didn't have to turn around, but that whining really, REALLY gets to me. It. Just. Has. To. Stop. I think I actually said, "If you say 'this' one more time, Keeley..." (She kept repeating "this" over and over because she wanted me to either a) get something for her or 2) take something from her. I think I just cringed again just thinking about it.)

Moving on... We made it to our Tailgating Spot and had a little less than 2 hours to tailgate. Keeley had a blast playing with everyone and showing them her toys and "Bal-ber" (Albert). We tried to teach her to get beers but she couldn't quite figure out the bottle caps. There's always next year.

At the game she made friends with everyone around her. Luckily, most people were won over by her charms and not too annoyed with a toddler hanging out with them.

All in all, a perfectly wonderful day. Keeley hugged a gator truck with a football helmet. (What was that?)

Danced with the hare krishnas.

Hung out with The Guys.

Cheered for The Gators.

Poked Carlos in the back of the head.

Ate grapes.

Stayed until the end of the game. (That's the final score in the background. And Keeley.)

Everybody join in:

Through all kinds of weather we'll all stick together... For F-L-O-R-I-D-A!

I will make no mention of why I haven't published any posts in...well, forever

Just some quick updates on Keeley for those interested.

Her new favorite fruit is grapes ("grates"). I quarter them for her so they're not A Choking Hazard. However, I feel that said quartering is negated by the fact that she shoves whole handfuls of the little grape quarters into her mouth at one time. Sigh. She does love her some grapes though.

Also, on the current Favorite Foods List: beans and peas. Beans are referred to as "mean-uhs". The other night she ate chicken AND rice (both are NOT on the Favorite Food List) because I put peas in with it. I guess it was too hard to pick out the peas. Either way she ate it for dinner and lunch the next day. Baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese are also eaten with gusto.

Keeley still enjoys "talking" on the phone. She will now inform us who she is talking to - Mimi, Grammy, Nana, etc. It's amazing how far she's come in the whole vocabulary thing in such a short time. Now she will sometimes string two words together which I guess makes that a sentence? (Side note: I totally suck at this whole milestone thing. Seriously, does two words make a sentence? Do I need to record this in The Book?) She will say things like "Mama wawa" for mommy's water and "Dada work" for Daddy is at work and "Bebe poo poo" for Baby (doll) went poo-poo. That last one is usually after she goes poo and wants to blame it on the doll so she won't have to get her diaper changed. (She HATES diaper changes. They really take a lot of energy and creativity to preform these days.)

She really seems to have "grown up" a lot lately. I don't know if it's that she's gotten taller or she's talking more, or even that she has more hair - but she definitely seems older. But, of course, she is older. Duh.

She does so many new things everyday. We had a neighborhood garage sale last weekend and we were able to get Keeley a playhouse. She loves it. I've put some dishes and "groceries" in there for her. Donald and I also installed wall-to-wall carpeting the other day (an area rug). She goes in there and washes the dishes, cooks meals, and talks on the phone. There's at least one point everyday where she points out to the porch and says, "hoos" meaning she wants to play in the playhouse.

If you can't tell - we're having fun.

Months 13 and 14

Dear Keeley,

Okay, yes, I didn't publish a post about month 13, but I am just going to combine last month and this month and strive to be better about it in the future. Sorry, Keeley.

So much has happened the past two months. It's like watching someone grow up in fast forward sometimes. You are a little sponge. In the past two weeks you've started talking up a storm. You like to repeat what we say when it's something you like. (Example: yogurt/"go-gur") It's true that many of the words sound the same and sometimes I have no clue what you're saying. But you're communicating. Verbally. It's amazing.

You still get so excited whenever you see the dog or the cat. We'll be playing outside and you'll see Buddy's Frisbee and yell, "Buh-ee! Buee!" I love it. You meow when we see Kitty. Of course, Kitty doesn't appreciate it as much as you or I do, but whatever. Kitty has issues. You'll learn this.

As far as eating goes, you're a bit more challenging. I never know what you're going to eat. Sometimes you LOVE macaroni and cheese, sometimes not so much. Sometimes you won't go near a blueberry, sometimes you'll eat most of the carton. I can't figure it out. Sometimes you hardly eat anything at all. I guess that's normal. I just keep putting food in front of you and secretly cross my fingers. All I know is you love yogurt. There is no doubt. Some days you will ask for it at every meal.

Whenever you don't know something, you put your hands in the air in that universal symbol for "I don't know." It's so cute. You want to do more and more things on your own. Of course, you don't want me out of sight while you do it though. Ever. Especially in the evenings. Especially while I'm trying to cook dinner. I must admit it will be kinda nice when this stage is over. Silver lining though? It's nice that you want to be near me. I love you too, Keeley.

These past two months haven't been the easiest months. There have been some really hard times. But having you here has helped me more than anything else. Your face, your smile, your laugh, and just your all-around Keeleyness have been just what I needed most. Thank you.

Love you,

Mommy

See? Others appreciate my sarcastic remarks.

I am so excited! One of my comments was featured in the Young and the Restless blog I read. It's such a great blog because not only do they appreciate my witty comments, but the writers also make fun of the show in a loving/supportive way. Just like my best friend and I do.

And, yes, I am aware that watching a soap opera is not the coolest thing I've ever done. And, yes, this is definitely on the list of things that make me "not very adult-like". And, yes, I am excited about being mentioned on a blog that talks about a soap opera.

Whatever. I am so cool. You know you wish you were me!

Oh yeah - I'll get back to some Keeley posts soon. I promise.

Reason #2,538 why I am not an adult

I just used Sun-In on my hair. Sun-In. A bottle of Sun-In I bought at Big Lots for $3.50. Seriously.

This really sums up my maintenance-style. Quick. Easy. Cheap. (No comments on that one, please.)

But it looks just fine. One of the benefits of having naturally blonde hair - you really can't mess it up too badly with Sun-In. Once, in college, my friend Crystal used Sun-In on her lovely dark brown hair and it turned red-ish. (I use the "ish" there because it really wasn't red but it really wasn't any other recognizable color either. The closest color to it was red. Hence the "ish".) It didn't look that bad, but it wasn't exactly like the picture on the box which was what she was going for. Although it never is, is it?

Sparseness of blog posts

I won't be able to post too much this week because Keeley and I are at my parents' house for Spring Break. And since I did not bring our laptop and I am right now, at this very moment, silently cursing my mom's laptop, I don't think I will be able to post much because of the sheer slowness of it all. And I have no patience for slowness. I need instant gratification. Instantly. Like right now.

Obviously, this sucks because I have been linked to from other, more cooler sites and now anyone who looks at this blog will be all, "This blog stinks." And I would have to be all, "Yes, I agree." Not that I have ever held any lofty goals for this blog. But, hey, a girl can dream. Right? I mean, I used the word "lofty". That means something.

So, if you're new and like anything you see, try to be a little patient (hey, I'm asking you to be patient, not me) with me and keep checking if you can. Maybe I'll do something entertaining and funny. Who knows.

On a lighter note...

I've been feeling better lately. The days get easier. I know it won't ever be fully out of my mind and I really don't want it to be. I want to remember. And I want to thank everyone who has called, emailed, and visited with words of support. Your efforts did not go unnoticed and I appreciate you. Your concern made me realize that opening up is not such a bad thing.


Oh? Did I title this post "On a lighter note..."?

So I did. And that's because last night I met BOSSY! You know, of iambossy fame. Click on over there if you've never heard of her. She's hilarious.

P.S. What happened to my hair?
Bossy's looks fabulous - even though she complains about it.

We had a large time and I'm feeling fine this morning. Pre-party last night I made sure I was hydrated, caffeinated, and pre-medicated (Excedrin, people, nothing serious). Just in case. Not quite the girl I once was. We met at Fridays and moved it on over to Avitable's (Side note: Do not click on Avitable if you are easily offended. Of course, most you will now click on Avitable just because I said that.) house where Amy served us some fine wine. It was wonderful to meet other bloggers even if I don't necessarily consider myself a "blogger" yet.

Everyone was friendly and talkative and I even learned how to dye our pool red for possible future Halloween parties. Who knew? We drank and ate and drank some more. Hopefully, we might all get together again. Thanks, BOSSY, for such a snazzy, bloggy-love-fest idea.

It was also nice to be out of the house by myself. On the way home, I drove around for a bit with all the windows down just being Emily for a while. Not mommy or wife or any of the other roles I sometimes play. Roles I sometimes lose myself in, which is fine, but it was nice to find "me" in there somewhere.