Welcome to Erin Putnam's blog!

My husband, Todd, and I have been married for 5 years. We have a 2 perfect children named Presley and Nate...and Lucy the chihuahua is still around, as well. We live in Memphis on Mud Island and really enjoy it! We have a great group of friends and you'll almost always find us together cooking out in someone's yard or at Movie and a Pizza...leaving the island is a rarity! I hope you enjoy my blog, as I try to keep everyone updated on our lives.

About Me

I like the pool, the beach, and any water - warm weather combo. I like shopping for Presley and Nate...way more fun than shopping for myself. I like cooking when I don't have to, running when the weather is perfect, the day the maid comes and my house is clean (even if for a little while), grocery shopping, minivans, pregnant women (just not me), a bubble bath and a sudoku puzzle, baby pictures of my husband, my hair the day after it was washed, reality TV, Oprah, when Todd takes the trash out without me asking, half-baked ice cream (I could seriously eat the stuff every day!), watching my babies sleep, talking about memories of my mom and grandmom, someone else choosing the restaurant, when the car beside me has spinners, strawberries and melted milk chocolate, and funny songs on your ring tone. I don't like feeling I need to exercise, folding itsy bitsy clothes, computer problems, hot leather seats, bugs, sun glasses that are too tight on your head, alarms, annoying girl drama, paying for daycare when it's closed, long fingernails, hugging people I barely know, people who use the word 'love' too liberally, and tacky children's clothes. All and all, I think I'm pretty normal.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Oh how I love my minivan...let me count the ways:

1) it seats 8...enough said.
2) when raining...you can park, easily climb in the back, undo the kiddo, and exit out the closest door.
3) back in the diaper-changing days...again, ample space to sprawl out and change.
4) it may not be legal, and it's definitely not safe, but when on a 9 hour trip with a child who prefers to potty every 1.5-2 hrs...set the potty down on my abundant floor space, unbuckle the kid, TT, wipe, put it in the trash bag, back in the seat, and keep on driving.  Of course, there does need to be another adult in the car to help out...but, this was a huge time saver!  
5) you can pack for vacation, seat yourself, hubs, and kiddo, carry 10 tomato cages to your father in law, and still have room to seat at least 3 more folks...maybe 4 if they are dieting.  
6) super-sharp turning radius.  breland can laugh all she wants about this...this mini will turn around on a dime...no more 3 point turns for me!
7) uh...electric doors.  you don't know you need them until you have them.  try being 7 months pregnant, groceries in one hand, 30 lb kid in the other, and then open the door...not gonna happen...but wait, oh, i can punch this little button and whalah...open sesame.  
8) cup holders, cup holders, cup holders.  i have 6 within my reach in the driver's seat.  i haven't counted them all, but it is probably at least 100.  
9) all seats are removable...all of them.  i haven't had to use this nifty function, but i plan on it, even if i don't need to.  the fact that i can load pretty much anything todd can in his big ole truck is very exciting to me.  
10) on a similiar note, say you are sitting in the back and you don't want to eat your fast food out of your lap...oh, looky here, i can just pull this little lever and down comes the seat back, and i have a nice little serving tray (and cup holder, of course) right there.
11) lastly, the fact that i look so unbelievably cool is undeniable....undeniable. 

Summer Vaca '09

We headed to Orange Beach last week for a mini-vaca before #2 comes.  We had never been and were pleasantly surprised...I'm pretty sure I tried to talk Todd into moving there at least 10 times...to no avail :(  Anyway, we will definitely be back.  Presley LOVED the water...at first, she preferred the pool over the ocean, only because the waves were a bit big on day 1...but, after she got used to it, she loved walking to the rocks, splashing, stepping on sand castles, and CONSTANTLY being able to wash her hands.  For some reason, this kid loves to wash her hands, so when you can dip them in the sand, then immediately run to the water and wash them off...that is big fun.  We ate a lot of good food...a lot.  Presley and I treated ourselves to ice cream 3 nights in a row...and I didn't feel bad about it one bit.  Enjoy the pics!

Presley and Daddy
Daddy building castles and Presley promptly stepping on them
The best restaurant BY FAR...Cobalt's
Cobalt's had this big fish tank...this is Pres looking at the fish and making her fish face.
LOVE
Oh...I forgot to mention sea shells...I think we picked up everyone of them!
I got down...not sure how I got up ;)
the sweet girl
on the "big rocks" with daddy
I tried to get her to pose...this is the best pic I got.