Friday Recap 10/19/18 - Fall Beach Time, Lounging & Dancing Lulu, Onion Puppy, Coming Home, The Kindness of Strangers

Well, today we are off on a family adventure to Ireland! I'll be late posting next week as a result - but hopefully having an absolute ball with Chris & the Bug while we're away! On to this week though....

1. Fall Beach Time

Hi hi! I'm on the beach.

We had some sunny weather this week - one day was in the low 60s! It felt really great & made me want to take Owenn pup & the Bug to the beach. It makes me happy that in the off season Owenn can romp & run & roll in the sand without too much fear of repercussions. I hardly bring him to the beach in the summer- other than pretty darn early- so its nice to have the chance this time of year!

2 of my loves enjoying the beach

Lulu amuses herself by splashing in the shallows, climbing on the plastic boardwalk, and looking for sticks to throw for Owenn. I feel happy anytime I'm near the water - there is something so relaxing about the sound of the waves & the wind. To be able to look out over the water & see....more water is somehow quite calming. We do not live in a big city anymore, but we do have an urban feel to our suburb. The lake always gives me a nice break from our small city hustle & bustle.

Beach Bum Bug

2. Lounging & Dancing Lulu

They are hilarious. Full stop.

We sometimes go to a drop in playtime at a local community center. We went this week & Lulu & her friend Alex both struck this hilarious pose that my friend (& Alex's mom) caught with a photo. They crack me up.

Go Lulu! Go Lulu! Go Lulu!

Lulu's friends needed to go home before the singing started at playtime, but that didn't stop her from rocking out some of her sweet dance moves. She pretty much slays ;)

3. Onion Puppy

Onion Puppy

My friends got a puppy! Eek! We got to meet him on his second day in their house. He's adoreable & maybe driving his human parents a bit crazy. Kind of like a baby. Angel baby terrorist. Angel puppy terrorist.....I think it works! He's tiny & fluffy & has mini dagger teeth in his head! Can't wait to see how big he gets over the coming months - shouldn't be crazy as his parents were medium size. Still. Puppies. So. Darn. Cute.

4. Coming Home

Lulu was having fun - despite her scowl!!

 Because home is where Dada & Owenn pup are!! Makes me so happy to see Chris & Lulu get to have time together after Lulu & I were away last week. Just smile worthy, that's all :)

The bug is still SUPER into teeter totters!!

5. The Kindness of Strangers
Lulu tends to be a good traveler, she's had a bit of practice & is generally pretty flexible. She also puked in her pack & play on night 1 of our CO trip last week, so I'm not saying things are all roses & sunshine - but generally speaking we do pretty well.

Yeah. Not so much "sleeping" as quite awake!

Coming home from the mountains, I hoped Lulu would sleep on our short flight to Denver. Instead she watched with rapt attention the flight attendant's safety demonstration, demanded that I open the window shade, and mowed both bags of United Airlines pretzels we were given! Which is all to say- she most certainly did not sleep. Which left me in one of those ugly travel places where I began to panic about what my un-napped toddler would look like on the next leg of our trip.........which was a full flight where we were seated in the window, not the aisle.......I figured it would not be pretty since we were scheduled to land a full hour after Lulu's bedtime. 
I figured I had to try for an airport layover nap, we've never done it before - but I had approximately nothing to lose. I wrestled the bug into submission and rocked her in a relatively quiet terminal connector hallway. I had to wake her 2 hours later so we wouldn't miss our connection! Score one for the team!

Yay! Snoozing bug!!

But, this is not about napping exactly - its about how willing to help people are when you have a napping toddler on your lap in the airport!! One woman came up, asked for my phone to take a photo of us because "it is just so beautiful, you will want to remember it". Seriously? What a nice offer! And to say anything was "beautiful" about my unshowered, just took care of 3 toddlers for 2 days, been up since 330am self was quite generous indeed!!

Thanks stranger for snapping this photo for us!

Then Lulu chucked her little blanket stuffed animal lovey thing on the floor in her sleep. I caught someone's eye & waved them over........and silently asked them to please pick up the lovey. Thankfully the woman said, "I remember those days" and gave it to me.
Then my phone was near dead and though I was seated next to a power outlet - there was no way for me to get my cord plugged in because the outlet was on the same side as Lulu was sleeping. Insert another stranger waved down & more than willing to help. Sometimes its easy to think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Days like last Saturday are a great reminder that people are kind and generous & willing to lend a hand. Particularly if you have your baby/toddler sleeping on your lap.