WHERE DOES SHE GET THIS STUFF

Everyday there is something new that comes out of Toddler O's mouth and mind I should say as well. Several weeks ago we were having dinner with a group of friends. On the way home she kept talking about how she liked "little people" but not "big people". We figured out she was talking about children and adults. Since then she will say her prayers at night and thank God for Mommy, not Daddy, De De, not Poppy, Tacy, not Burt Burt, and so on and so forth. Well tonight she thanked God for little people not big people and "all my friends". After she was finished I asker Toddler O if someone had ever told her big people were bad. She said yes, and she named the culprits. Now I know she is only 2 but she does remember a lot and we have not been talking about these children in a while. So I then try to explain to her that big people are good, well most are. That is a hard task to explain to a 2 year old. It just amazes me at the influence othr children and adults already play in a person at such a young age.

Phoenix the Big Chicken

"I don't want to go to the Big Chicken", blurted Toddler O.

"What?", I said.

"The Big Chicken. I not want to go"

Confused but well within the bounds of a two-year-old's conversation, I said, "okay".

Well as it turns out the Big Chicken or Phoenix as it is formally know as, is the logo for the condo we stayed at for our beach trip, and at the bottom of the pool was a tile inlay of the logo. A logo which can be very scary to a youngster.

I digress.

The trip was great. We enjoyed the beach with the normal cast of characters; Poppy, Dede, Aunt 'Tacy, Burt Burt, Hot Wife, Toddler O, and yours truly. The first day we mostly enjoyed the on-site facilities. The lazy river was a hit with all and the beach was nice too. Toddler O wouldn't put her feet in the sand and was very concerned with the cleanliness of the beach. She eventually got over her fear of the sand somewhat and built a sand castle, but her fear of the ocean never waned.

The first night, just like every one to follow, we ate dinners out. We searched for the perfect fried shrimp and crab claws, but left disappointed except for Louisiana Lagniappe. Really most of the popular places down on the coast sell the same fare. Fried this, fried that, and a side salad for the healthy folks.

In addition to the relaxing use of the condo facilities, we did go fishing at "the bridge". The first trip peaked our taste for the big catch which was never to be satisfied. We saw thousands of Skipjacks or Slapjacks as I call them, hitting the water feeding on minnows. It was a truly amazing sight. An easy catch, right? Nope, they wouldn't touch our lures. However, if you are a skilled reeler, you can snag one. Poppy caught one in the butt!

Saturday afternoon, Tim and Devon came to visit. They are friends who moved from Birmingham to Mobile. Argh! We miss them. They drove three hours to visit us for about that same amount and had to cut the visit short because of a sick baby. Wow! What great friends to make such a commitment of travel for such a short visit. We are truly humbled by their kind gesture.

Beach, pool, golf, fishing, naps, food... That pretty much sums up our vacation.

So back to the Big Chicken. The last day we were there, Toddler O turned on the lazy river and opted for the baby pool. The only problem is that the baby pool is near the normal pool with the Big Chicken in it. In order to calm her fears of the Big Chicken, I suggested we name it. You know, lets put a name with a face, right. After much thought about many potential names, we settled on Phoenix. Which is coincidentally the name of the condo complex.

We're home now. It's nice to be home. Good to go, good to be back!

BEACH PICTURES LINKED BELOW

http://duffey.smugmug.com/gallery/4240497_zkPXk

The Mind of a Two-Year-Old

Coming back home from supper club... Lot's of adults, kids, food, et.al.

"Toddler O, do you like to play with your friends", Hot Wife asked?

"Yeah", responded O.

"Well who are your friends?"

"Morgan and Madison" (we were just at their house so they were fresh on her mind).

"Good who else?"

"I not know"

"How about Oliver and Ann Hampton?"

"Yeah, they my friends"

How about Ryan and Little Sam?"

"Yeah, they my friends"

"Okay, what about Mommy and Daddy?"

"They not my friends"

"What? Why are we your friends?"

"You big. I friends with little people"

"Oh, so you can't be friends with big people?"

"No, I friends with little people"