Anniversary

In honor of our 10th anniversary, I made a photo book for Rob. Here is a sampling of some of the goofier (aka my favorite) pictures that I put in it....

My 25th birthday when I was given a tiara and scepter. Rob's face says it all.

Rob's first visit to Billy Bob's after we moved to Texas. This was our Christmas card picture in 2006.

A Christmas party at Rob's apartment in Oxford our senior year. For some reason we were dancing in his kitchen.

Our first Halloween together. We didn't dress up.

Happy Anniversary Rob! Now, on to Tate's birthday tomorrow...

Disney World

I'm finally recovering from our trip to Disney World last week...before you think I lost my mind taking a two-year-old to Disney, please note that (1) I was already going for work; (2) Tate is still under 2 years old and flies free and gets in the park free; (3) My parents are awesome and agreed to come as well so they could watch Tate while I was working. (Rob went to Oxford for Alabama game). But all that being said, yes, you would be right if you think I lost my mind taking a two-year-old to Disney.

But he had a blast and so did we. Some pics:

Loving his Pluto balloon animal at the Friday-night carnival

Trying the Ring Toss

Now THIS is a carnival game that Tate can win at. Pick a Duck!

Then it was on to Disney....

Jazz Hands!

Looking cool with Big Guy

Cheesin it up in the Mouse ears...

...and on the Carousel


Getting driving lessons from Big Guy. Hmmm. Big Guy usually points only one finger at the people in front of him, not his whole hand...

Tuckered out. Just like the Rebs were that afternoon.

After Disney, we headed to my cousin Beth's house for dinner with Beth's family, cousin Meg and her son Penn, and Uncle Howard and Aunt Trisha, who gave Tate this car holder (and he hasn't stopped playing with it since.)


After watching a pitiful Ole Miss loss to Alabama, Tate headed to cousin Hunter's room and came out wearing this:

It's a Florida helmet. We can't really blame him.

Then, the cousins came to the hotel on Sunday to swim in the Lazy River. Tate clearly had a blast with Hunter, Beth and Sarah Beth!



And then we headed home on Sunday. I don't have any pictures of our flight home because I didn't have time to take any due to my constant efforts to peel Tate off the floor of the airplane where he kept hurling himself screaming and crying. Yes, we were your worst flying nightmare.

But despite that ending, it was a great time and Tate loved hanging out with his Big Guy and Mia!

Happy Columbus Day

Happy Columbus Day! Note the applique on Tate's jon jon. Did I say I was going to stop dressing him for the holidays when he turned 1? Oops. I meant 2. So I have two more weeks...

Tate Words

IMITATE

I dressed Tate. Rob dressed himself. Looks like it was just a red and blue Polo kind of day.

Family Time

In the last month we have had lots of family time. First we visited Mississippi to see the Robertson side of the family. I posted an album on Facebook, but am reposting a few here for posterity. Tate really loved his Poppy, whether it was...

getting rides in the wagon...

...helping him do some work on the porch...

or crossing wobbly bridges to get to him....

Tate thought his Poppy was great!

Then, this past weekend we went to the Arlington Historical Society's Front Street Festival which featured tours of a log cabin that belonged to my ancestors.

A family tree that was on the wall inside the cabin. My mom's and grandmother's names are on here.

I wonder if P.A. Watson had any idea this bunch of relatives would one day be hanging out on his porch.

A 7th Generation Watson.

From his grandfather in Mississippi to his great, great, great, great, great grandfather in Texas, Tate has been getting to know his roots!

Tater Van Halen

I got my $9.99 out of this Hawaiian ukelele.

Update

So I did a night snorkel with Manta Rays tonight. It was a work assignment because I had to know all about the excursion since I will be taking 34 guests there on Friday night. It was pretty awesome.

And therefore I have to amend my previous post to say that work trips can be pretty cool. And my job is cool. It's just the trip's length and Tate's age that are making it hard. A shorter trip and an older Tater Tot would make for ideal conditions.

So, see, I'm not completely crazy.

Blog on Break

I'm working in Hawaii for the next 8 days without any time for the blog, but once again Rob is chronicling his (mis)adventures as a single Dad on Bongo Tomfoolery. Let's hope he has less to write about since last time I was gone for a week and Tate got the croup. And don't forget to click on his links. They are usually laugh out loud funny. I think he spends more time finding the links than he does writing the blog.

Anyway, I know a lot of people with children must travel for work, but that doesn't make it any easier. And I know that I get to go to fun places like Cabo and Kona and that people don't feel real sorry for me. But I still don't like it. Two years ago, I'd be living it up and planning my next trip. Now, I'm sitting in my hotel room looking at a picture of Tate and wondering what new words he is saying today.

I know a lot of people without kids say they don't want chidren because they couldn't do things like travel. I was one of them at one point. But now I know that it isn't that you CAN'T travel anymore it's that you don't WANT to travel anymore. And if something makes you wish you were home in a toy-strewn playroom with a sippy cup being hurled at you instead of on a beach eating pineapple, then that 'thing' must be pretty cool.

Ok, enough wistfulness. I have some pineapple to go eat.

Tate Words - College Football Edition

Thanks to friends Lauren and Jeremy who came up with a new "Tate" Word for us by giving Tate this t-shirt on our recent trip to Jackson. We had to swallow our pride to post this one, but in honor of the start of College Football this weekend...

Mississippi STATE

Hey, don't take my picture in this ugly maroon shirt!

See, even my Dad doesn't like it.

Tate tells us how he feels about State...Losers!

Rob asked that I point out that Tate scored as many touchdowns against Ole Miss last year as State did. He also said we can't make fun of the shirt and school that much since the shirt came from an award-winning BBQ champion and we want to stay on his good side....

Hotty Toddy!

Grandfathers

Tate is one lucky guy to have two doting grandfathers in Poppy and Big Guy.