Rachel and our neighbor Tyler

Throwing shells is fun!

Mommy Loves Me!

Got juice?

We love each other. (By the way daddy, I think your neck is done!)

Benched

Happy Camper

Tropical Storm Alberto's clouds and waves

Okay, the beach is okay. At this point, I want no part of the water!

Two Southern Belles

That's it! We're locking her up until age 19!

MMMMMMMM! Cheetos!

The Ries family at Parson's Table Restaurant, Little River, SC

I can't help that I'm adorable!

I want no part of fireworks!

I love the ocean!

Can I take this sandbox home?

Living in a bubble

Three Amigos

Summer Vacation Through Rachel's Eyes

We are back from summer vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. I am pleased to report that everyone survived. For a while there, it was touch and go.

We drove. The first moral victory was that we didn't listen to the Little People for the entire seven plus hour car trip. As a matter of fact, Rachel is starting to come around to some of the classic rock music that mommy and daddy prefer.

Here are some of her favorite lyrics...

Try, try to understand...he's the magic man....

We will...we will rock it!

And definitely the most disconcerting.....

I want you to want me...Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

In exchange, we find Say Say My Playmate as one catchy little tune.


It took a while to adjust to our new surroundings. Rachel missed her crib. And despite the size of her Queen Bed, she managed to fall overboard one morning. I'm sitting in the bathroom when I hear the dreaded clunk, followed by the even more dreaded Waahhh!

Rachel was not shy about voicing her displeasure. She reached new standards of talking back, talking loudly and crying this trip. She also has discovered that a high-pitched scream or laugh attracts a lot of attention. I mean, she hit a pitch unheard this side of Mariah Carey or Minnie Riperton. For miles around, dogs cock their heads as if to ask, "What the heck was that?" A few even erected Temples out of Kibbles and Bits to honor their new goddess.

In honor of her whines and poses, we bought Rachel a shirt that she'd hate us for if she realized that it says Drama Queen.

The second night we were in Myrtle, there was a loud thunderstorm that hurled lightning bolts fairly close to our hotel. Rachel was none too happy with the noise. Apparently, she hates competition. At one point, she turned to my wife and said, "You need to turn it down!" Rebecca replied that G-d makes thunderstorms and that she had no control over the volume. Rachel replied, "Well, tell Him to turn it down!"

The first time we went to the beach, Rachel wanted no part of the water. It was a very windy day, because the clouds from Tropical Storm Alberto were on their way. Rachel took up residence with her shovel and pail and started sifting through the sand. Periodically, she'd point to the water and move up the sand dunes away from it. By the time we left, she was halfway to Virginia Beach.

We went to another beach two days later. We slathered up Rachel with SPF 456 sunscreen. We set up our Eddie Bauer chairs with the cupholders. We brought a cooler filled with sandwiches and drinks. We brought a bag of towels. We had another bag with Rachel's sand sifter, pails, plastic trucks and other toys. Other beachgoers worried Rachel was about to turn the beach into her own sandy rock quarry.

Again, she wanted no part of the water. However, after I carried her out there in my arms and dipped her in and out of the water, she became a little more brave. Plus she saw mommy wade into the water and emerge alive. Plus there were little children her age around. So by the end of the day, she was throwing shells into the water. We have an actual photograph of Rachel in the water up to her ankles. Next time, we'll try for the calves.

Thursday night, we went to a Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game. The mascot, Splash, found its way to our seats. Don't know what it is about Rachel. She is a mascot magnet! The team also has a dog named Dinger that brings baseballs in a basket out to the umpire. That was adorable too.

Our final full day, we took a boat trip into the Atlantic. Rachel hung out inside, by the galley, showing off her orange goatee and fingers from a frenzied encounter with a bag of Cheetos. We pulled up behind a shrimp boat and watched the crew haul in their catch as dolphins jumped and sea birds flew around in anticipation.

What the crew didn't want, they handed over to our boat. So we got to see baby sand sharks, squids, a skate and a baby mackerel up close. Rachel touched a couple of them and giggled with delight.

After a very fussy final day in Myrtle, Rachel mercifully fell asleep for half of the drive back to Atlanta. The journey was fairly uneventful, other than her putting her hands into a puddle of oil or air conditioning fluid in a restaurant parking lot.

We want to return to Myrtle Beach one day, as soon as we save up more money for SPF 456 sunscreen!

Awwwwwwww!

I've been down in the dumps lately...mostly having to do with work.

So you can imagine how the pall lifted when Rachel came in the room today and said, "Daddy, I wish I could be married to you as a grownup" and then turned around and left the room.

Sometimes, children don't know what good they do and how much joy they spread!

Embarrassing

Today I called my 85-year-old uncle. As conversations often do with the elderly, we spent an inordinate amount of time on bowel movements. Well, he did; I mostly listened.

Again, as often is the case with the elderly, he got hung up on a certain word, so I repeated it for him each time. Unfortunately, my coworkers heard me silent for most of the time, except for saying "diarrhea" at regular intervals. I couldn't wait to leave!

Tidbits

I failed again. I smiled when my daughter was talking back to me. I think you would have too.

Rachel was taking toothpicks a handful at a time from a dispenser at a nearby restaurant. I told her she had plenty and she screamed back at me.

"NO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?" The admonition came with a somewhat maniacal look on her face.

Nice to know Rachel is in touch with her inner mini-me where mommy is concerned.

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There are a lot of things 3-year-olds can't do. However, twisting a plastic slinky until is needs repair is already in their skill set.

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If an armed robber hits a prosthetics store, does that make him heavily armed?

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Why does two revolutions of "Ring Around The Rosy" make me dizzy? The same goes for a trip on the carousel. When did this happen?

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What would make a bright 3-year-old remove her soiled diaper in the middle of an elevator at a house of worship? Yep, that would be our bright 3-year-old!

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Rachel must have been a cat in a prior life. Why else would she constantly launch herself onto the newspaper page that I'm reading on the floor?

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Accidentally having the BenGay you are rubbing onto your shoulder make contact with your underarm...well, let's just say I wouldn't recommend it!

The Mane Attraction

Kanga and Roo

Little Dear on a Deere

Rachel With Her Favorite Zoo Animal