A Walk Through the Woods

D6

2011-02-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking Bingo or Battleship here. I'm talking about something that has Hubby (I can speak for him, it said so in the marriage vows) and I really excited!

I'm talking about a new time at our church where - borrowing words from our Youth Pastor's wife - we get together once a month for short devotionals and have family fun together as well as worship with our entire family. A time to learn how to pass our faith through everyday tasks! It's all about living a life that purposefully teaches our kids about Jesus and leading them in developing a lifelong relationship with Him.

It's based on Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (hence D6)...
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." (NIV)

Borrowing from the D6 website - http://www.d6family.com/ - this is what they have to say about what a D6 church is...

A D6 Church equips dads, moms, and grandparents to be spiritual leaders in the home.

2 Timothy 2:2 reminds us that we are to invest in trustworthy men and women who can reproduce their faith in others. That’s exactly what Deuteronomy 6:5-7 is all about!

A D6 Church recognizes the biblical importance of parents being involved with the spiritual development of teenagers and children.

Many churches are going back to the biblical model of spiritual formation found in Deuteronomy 6. These Churches make an intentional shift in the way they do ministry to equip parents to be the primary spiritual leaders.

And what they have to say about D6 families...

Although parents are involved in sports, homework, and hygiene, many parents find it challenging to connect with their children when it comes to their faith in Christ.

D6 stands for Deuteronomy 6:5-7 which talks about dads and moms taking the opportunity to impress God’s Word upon the hearts of their children. If you are not doing this already, find creative ways to interact with your children to transfer your faith in Christ to them. D6Family.com will show you how!

I'm super excited and can't wait to see where this new time of worship leads our personal family as well as our church family!!

Twenty-Four

2011-01-14T19:06:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the show. Or the number of hours in a day. I'm talking about the number of days my car has been in the shop now.

This is not my actual car, Photo found here

Back in December when it started getting cold (remember, it's all relative and the mid-40s is cold in Florida!) I started 'warming my car up' in the mornings. The only problem? It never got warm! I told Hubby about this problem and his first response was to ask if I was pushing the right buttons.

Now let me tell you something, at one point in my life - for a very long time - I was a (natural) blonde. However, even I know how to turn on the stinkin' heater in my car! After he checked for himself, he finally agreed that it was broken and we took it to the dealership to be repaired.

It turns out the entire heating and cooling system had to be replaced! That meant they had to pull out the seats, the dash, everything! It took them about a week and a half before they called and said it was ready. When Hubby went to pick it up he decided to test it just to make sure it worked. And thank goodness he did, because...NOTHING! No AC, no heat, nothing worked! So, back in the shop it went and there it remains.

We originally took it in on the Tuesday before Christmas! Once the dealership determined it wouldn't be done that day they gave me a rental. Now I don't want to sound ungrateful but I bought an SUV, a Lincoln MKX to be exact. And I'm making payments on a Lincoln MKX. But for the past twenty-four days I have been driving a Ford Fusion! Nothing against the Fusion, it's a nice enough little car, but it's not my car!

Photo found here

When we called today they said they were expecting the part they need now to arrive today - it had been tied up in the snowstorm in Atlanta. They're hopeful they'll have it done by next Monday but can't make any guarantees.

I'm hopeful I won't lose my mind on the nice gentleman if he tells me it's still not ready on Monday, but I can't make any guarantees!

And just to leave on a happy note...a couple of pictures of two of my favorite people in the grove recently!

Two Sets of Resolutions

2011-01-03T17:20:00.000-05:00

As we rang in the New Year, I started thinking about what my resolutions would be for this year. I had three rock-solid resolutions for this year.

1. Be a more patient and loving parent. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a bad parent per se. But lately, my patience has been tested, and proven short on quite a few occaisions, mainly with BBug. I really want to work on having more patience with the kids. Instead of running out of patience and turning to shouting, I need to work on running and turning to God and prayer so that I can be a better parent to my kids.

2. Read the entire Bible. Last year one of my resolutions was to be a better Christian, and while I would say I definitely started in that direction there is always room for improvement here. We bought a chronological, one-year Bible that I'm setting out to read this year. I really like the idea of reading it chronologically so that I can have a better grasp of context.

3. Get in shape. That was one of my resolutions for last year and I have to say that I failed miserably! I'm in the worst shape of my life right now. This really hit home when I was walking downtown for lunch with a co-worker and was completely out of breath just trying to walk and talk to her for eight or nine blocks. Pitiful! My first plan of action is to get rid of the sweet tea. Y'all, my husband believes in honoring his southern roots by using at least half of bag of sugar per gallon of tea! My next plan is to get moving. I want to do some sort of physical activity - be it tennis, bike riding, Wii fit, something - each day for just a few minutes.

I was really proud of myself for setting these resolutions, until we went to church Sunday and heard the Pastor's sermon - Your Top 3 Resolutions.

The message was on what every believer's top 3 New Year's resolutions should be. After hearing his message, I knew that while my three resolutions above were good, these following three should really be at the top of my list!

1. Set Priorities. He reminded us that making money and acquiring material possessions should not be our main priority. Our priorities should be growing in our faith, sharing the Word, spending time with our family... He encouraged us all to get more involved in our own church, to participate in a missions trip, to minister to a friend or family member...

2. Submit to God's Providence. He told us to always remember that God is in charge! We can set all of the well-intentioned resolutions (like the ones above) that we want to, but we should put an * next to all of them. And that * should say, "if it's God's will." I will read the entire Bible, if it's God's will. I will get in shape, if it's God's will. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't still try to attain those goals that we set for ourselves in life, but we should realize that if it doesn't go according to plan that's ok - because it's going according to His plan!

3. Shun Sinful Pride. He reminded us to always give God the credit! If I become a better, more patient parent - I need to remember that it's certainly not because I did it alone, or even with Hubby's help. It's only because of Him.

So, as we go in to the New Year I have two sets of resolutions. My Top 3 and the three I thought were my top 3.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T17:09:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year...

...From Our Family to Yours!

(and thanks again to Shutterfly for the wonderful - free - cards!)

Yellowstone 2010 - Days 1 & 2

2010-11-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

VACATION 2010 - DAYS 1 & 2

Warning: The narrative in this post will be followed by TONS of photos...don't say I didn't warn you!

When we asked BBug several months ago what she wanted to do for vacation this year, her response was "see elk and bears and wolves and o-coyotes." So that's just what we did back at the beginning of October (yes, I know I'm way behind).

We figured what better place to see all of those things than Yellowstone National Park. We loaded up, along with our good friends Uncle M and Aunt A and headed west. I was super nervous about the kids on the flights, because although BBug has flown before this would be BuddyRoe's first trip in the friendly (we hoped) skies. Despite some stomach issues due to undiluted apple juice, everyone did really well on the flights to Denver and then again to Bozeman, MT. When we arrived in Bozeman we transferred our 5 checked bags, 7 carry-ons, 2 carseats and 6 people to the rented Suburban and set off on the final hour and a half journey to West Yellowstone, MT.

The first thing we did after we got settled in was head to dinner. The lady that we rented the cabin from recommended a local restaurant called Bullwinkles. There was a decent crowd when we got there, so we figured it must be pretty good. Um...maybe not so much. It wasn't bad, but the steaks sure weren't what we're used to here. They were very lean and didn't have much flavor to them at all. At that point in the day though, we were just glad to be fed and on our way.

After dinner we walked across the street to one of the two very small grocery stores - for my family in GA, think IGA - and spent a small fortune on groceries for the week. I guess when there aren't any other options you (the grocery store) can charge whatever you want to for food! Seriously, $8 for a carton of Breyers ice cream!!

Once our bellies and the refrigerator were full we all hit the sack for a good night's sleep in preparation for our first day in the park!

When we woke up the next morning we ate a good breakfast at the cabin and then packed up everything we would need for lunch and snacks. See, I told you before I'm cheap thrifty! Then it was off to Yellowstone!

The first day was amazing! It truly is a "different world" out there. I know that all of God's handiwork is amazing, but seriously, this place is take-your-breath-away stunning! I was so excited that NahNah (my mom) let me take her (way better than mine) camera with me! On the first day we drove the southern loop (Yellowstone's major roads form like a figure-eight) and saw tons of animals, the Fountain Paint Pots, Old Faithful - although we didn't see it erupt on the first day - Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone Lake, the Upper and Lower Falls and so much more! We didn't spend a lot of time at any one thing, but I think that was best with the kids.

I really can't put in to words the awe that I was in out there, so I'll just spend the rest of the post sharing pictures from those first couple of days. And I'll warn you again, there are a lot of pictures!! Also, when I upload the pictures, they get out of order and I'm just too lazy to go in and rearrange them, so out-of-order they will be!!

Did Someone Say "Free"?

2010-11-10T14:06:00.000-05:00

What's that I hear? Did someone say "free"?

Indeed they did! The very cool people at Shutterfly are giving away 50 free Holiday Cards to bloggers! And when I say "bloggers" I don't just mean the big, fancy ones like Pioneer Woman and Kelly over at Kelly's Korner. Not that they aren't cool or anything, but it's nice for us little people with 11 followers to get some recognition too!

I'm super excited about this giveaway for a couple of reasons. First, I'm really cheap thrifty, so "free" is right up my alley! And second, I love - I mean L-O-V-E the Shutterfly cards this year! I was actually drooling over them a couple days ago, and that was before I heard about this giveaway!

I'm big in to square cards this year and they have a great selection to choose from in their Christmas Cards section!

I also love that they have a nice selection of cards with sentiments that, in my opinion, recognize the true meaning of the Christmas season!

But, if you celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas, they have cards for that (and others) as well in their Holiday Cards selection!

While they're only giving away holiday cards to bloggers, that's not all they have. My momma asked for a 2011 wall calendar with all of the family and close friends' birthdays already included. This is actually the third or fourth year I've done this for her so it's not a secret. Now, my momma - bless her ah-mazing heart - needs the BIG calendar so she can a) see it and b) fit all of her goings-on in it! But if that weren't the case, one of these Calendars would be perfect!

Yes, I know this sounds like a commercial. And I guess it kind of is, I mean after all, I am going to get "paid" (in 50 cards) for this, but I can honestly tell you that I was a fan of Shutterfly before I knew anything about this give-away and would have told you that they have the cutest cards even if I wasn't getting any for free!!

So remember, bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly...sign up at http://bit.ly/sfly2010!

It's Not Good to Brag

2010-11-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, it's not good to brag. But is it really bragging if someone else actually said it?

BBug & Mrs. L on the first day of VPK

I met with BBug's VPK (voluntary pre-k) teacher yesterday afternoon for her mid-term review, and she said she is doing great! The teacher's words when I sat down..."I'm not going to tell you all the wonderful things about her, we'd be here all day." Now like I said, I know it's not good to brag but really...that just made this momma too proud!!

Her teacher said that if we were to enroll her in Kindergarten today, she would already meet and surpass all of the recommended guidelines! The teacher said in her notes that BBug is always busy, asks a lot of questions, and is very observant, leading her to the level she's at.

A story that the teacher told me was about a day recently when she asked the kids in the class to take a pencil and piece of paper and walk around the classroom writing down any words that they saw and wanted to know. She said all of the kids wrote down a handful of words and came back, but that BBug walked around and around the room writing down page after page of words! I'm extremely proud of my girl for her book smarts and drive to learn.

But what I'm even more proud of are the comments that the teacher had about her heart. She said that BBug has a sweet heart and is always concerned with taking care of others. She told me about a day last week when another little girl in class starting screaming that she was bleeding (she has eczema and her skin had started bleeding from it), before the teacher could even get across the room to her BBug had run in to their bathroom and brought back a wet tissue for the little girl to put on her leg. It's that concern and love for her friends that makes this momma the most proud!

Just so everyone knows I don't think my child is perfect (although she's pretty stinkin' close!) the teacher did she that there were a couple of issues they were working on. She said BBug is a bit of a perfectionist and doesn't like to lose - who does!? She said they were working on that by sometimes putting her in situations that they know she won't win/succeed at, just so she can learn that not being the best/winner is ok. The teacher also said that she talks alot! I have no idea where she gets that from (ahem, NahNah). She said that anytime a question is asked BBug has to be the one to answer, and she always has to be right...according to the teacher though, the problem is, BBug is almost always right! So, she has to remind her that just because she knows the answer doesn't mean the other kids don't need a chance to answer too!

OK, now that you're all bored to death hearing about how cool I think my kid is...I have one funny story to end with. BBug's teacher recently had a baby - the day that she left for maternity leave she sat the kids down to tell them that she was going to be gone for a while and to please be nice to the substitute. Well, when she finished telling them that, BBug stood up and proceeded to tell them exactly what the teacher's baby delivery would entail! According to the teacher she said,

"Mrs. L will go to her doctor and he'll send her to the hospital. She'll get a room at the hospital and then the doctor will cut open her tummy. He'll take the baby out of her tummy and then use tape to close her tummy back up. Then she'll go to her room and rest. Then she'll bring the baby home and rest with him."

Yes folks, obviously I had a c-section with my second child and she paid attention! Nevermind the fact that she was 2 1/2 at the time!! The teacher said she was just worried she was going to start going in to more detail!!

Operation No More Ma: Update

2010-09-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that we were undertaking "Operation No More Ma" and "Operation Sayonara Sippy Cup" due to BuddyRoe's two, yes two, cavities that we must have filled.

Well, I wanted to give you an update on Operation No More Ma. The dentist gave us some advice on how to break BuddyRoe from the ma and we decided to give it a shot. She said to "cut it back a little each day."

When she said that, I assumed she meant take it away for an hour the first day, two hours the second and so on. Oh no...she meant C-U-T, cut it! Like literally take a pair of scissors and snip a piece off of the end. After a couple of days she said to snip a little bit more off, and continue that pattern until

eventually he wouldn't like the way it felt anymore

and would give it up.

I'll be honest, I was more than a little apprehensive about the idea of the screams that were about to begin but I decided to try her method out. The same day as his appointment I went home and snipped the very tip off of all of his ma's. Just a tiny sliver at the end. When I gave it back to Buddy he put it in his mouth, immediately pulled it back out, looked at it, said "ma broke" and handed it to me. He then went about his business with NO MA!! He didn't ask for it again that afternoon. At bedtime he was a little fussy but when I asked if he wanted his ma he said, "No, ma broke."

I swear, I heard a hallelujiah chorus!! The dentist told me it would probably take a couple weeks, and I doubted it would work at all, but one night...ONE NIGHT! It was a miracle!

Now, he did wake up screaming for it three times in the middle of the night. So, sucker that I am, I gave him the one that I hadn't cut (just in case of emergency). But before he woke up the next morning we took it out and put one of the "broke" ones in its place. When he woke up, it was once again "ma broke." And when he got to daycare he walked in and immediately told his teachers, "ma broke."

I won't call Operation No More Ma a complete success until I throw the very last (emergency) one away, but I'm more than pleased with the progress made so far!

My Mission...Should I Choose To Accept It

2010-09-09T17:04:00.006-04:00

I'm on a mission, two really. And I have to accept them whether I want to or not!

BuddyRoe went to the dentist today for the first time. Well, technically he went once when he fell and busted his teeth, but this was his first non-emergency visit. We went because he's been fussing when we brush his front two top teeth, and we noticed two small holes on the back of them.

Yep, that's right. Baby Boy has his first TWO cavities!! We have to go in and have filings put in both of them. They're going to attempt permanent (or as permanent as they can be on baby teeth) filings, but since he's too young for sedation in their office they may have to settle for a temporary fix. Either way we're looking at several hundred dollars. Y'all these kids are killing me!

The dentist told us the cavities are most likely directly linked to his constant use of a sippy cup. So...mission #1...Operation Sayonara Sippy Cup!

As of today, sippy cups will only be used in the car on trips and for other emergency situations. For example, if he gets sick and needs fluids I'll give him the sippy cup for ease. Otherwise, it's a big boy cup for BuddyRoe. And while we're at it, those big boy cups will be filled with water rather than juice! And this coming from someone who makes their living based on a fruit juice!

The other thing the dentist mentioned is his pacifier. She wasn't overly concerned about it, but did note that they like to see the kids weaned by their second birthday. Since that is rapidly approaching (one month and five days to be exact), we are on mission #2...Operation No More Ma*!

*He calls his pacifier "ma"...please don't ask me why. It's right up there with calling his blanket "gunky." I don't know why he does it, I just know he does!

I've accepted the fact that neither of these missions is going to be fun or easy. Unfortunately, I've allowed my child to become addicted to both the ma and the sippy cup, and now I have to accept the consequences. Whether I want to or not!

A Picture a Day

2010-08-25T12:02:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure that there's anyone left out there reading this other than the two grandmas, but for them alone I'm back to put up some pictures.

Even though we've had a good bit going on lately, I haven't really had much to say on here. So, I've stayed away. But hopefully that will change...I've set a goal for myself.

BBug officially started VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) on Monday, and my goal is to take a picture of her every single day of this "school year." I don't necessarily mean a posed, here she is picture. Just something to show some of the different things she's up to throughout the year. I'm taking pictures of Buddy at the same time, don't worry!

So, to catch up on the last couple of days...

Like I said, Monday was her first official day of VPK and she and Buddy were all ready for school (yes, he carries my purse)...

Although she's at the same preschool she's been going to for a while, she moved to a new classroom this week. Mrs. Libssen is now her teacher and she's fantastic! She's expecting a little boy in November, but only plans to take 3 weeks off because she doesn't want to be away from her kids at school (don't worry, she'll only be away from the baby for 4 hours a day when she comes back!).

Tuesday, here in Florida was voting day for the primaries! Charleigh was so excited to go with me, and even though she didn't go in to the polling place (she, Buddy and Daddy hung out in the car while I voted - Daddy voted earlier in the day) she made sure we all knew who she supported!

Mr. Ben is a friend of ours and we're proud to say that he won his primary race!

I don't know how well I'll do, but NahNah & Gramma, just for you I'll try to keep up with my goal of a picture a day so you'll both get your fix! And just as an added bonus, here are a few more random shots...

We have a winner!

2010-07-28T06:43:00.002-04:00

Early this morning I put all (three) of the names for the Pay-It-Forward Giveaway in a bowl and asked BBug to draw a winner. The name she selected was...

Congratulations Aunt Beth!!

I'll get your goodies to you soon and can't wait to see what you come up with for your own giveaway!

Now I feel that I need to add a few disclaimers to the above picture!

1. It was early - like 6:00 a.m. early - and BBug had literally just opened her eyes when I stuck the bowl in her face and said draw a name!

2. The bangs...oh the bangs! We're in the process of letting them grow out and it is not pretty! We're going today to see if the hairdresser can do anything with them short of cutting them off again!

3. She picks out her own jammies. Enough said!

Happy Birthday to Two Special Boys!

2010-07-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that the Pay-It-Forward Giveaway will end tonight. Since there are only three entries so far (ha!) I'll have BBug draw a name for a winner and announce it tomorrow!

July is a month full of birthdays around our family. And today is no exception. Today, this very handsome young man is turning 3!

This is our oldest nephew, "H." His daddy is my oldest brother and his momma is my very favorite youngest sister (in-law)! They're having his birthday party tonight, but unfortunately we won't be able to make it. The 8-9 hour drive thing really puts a damper on the whole idea of just dropping by.

Another handsome young man recently had a birthday as well.

This is another one of our nephews, Kyler. His mommy is Hubby's sister, and my very favorite Florida sister (in-law).

He celebrated the big 0-1 on July 17th and then we all go together this past weekend to party!

His birthday party was at a great park near their house and we were all worried that Tropical Storm Bonnie was going to rain on our parade (party). Bonnie behaved and moved on out in plenty of time, leaving us only the blazing sun and crazy heat to contend with!

Despite the weather challenges, I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time playing on the playground...

trying out the exercise stations...

BBug has crazy, good balance!

enjoying yummy burgers and dogs prepared courtesy of Uncle Chris...

watching the birthday boy enjoy his cake and enjoying some ourselves...

and just generally enjoying the day...

We're so glad that we got to be a part of Kyler's birthday celebration and so wish that we could be there for H's as well. But as long as both boys know just how much Aunt Tamara and the gang love them, we'll be happy!

Payin' It Forward with a Giveaway

2010-07-20T07:15:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago Carrie over at Mizell Mayhem had her very first blog giveaway. When I commented on her giveaway I never in a million years thought that I would actually win, so I didn't really give much thought to the one stipulation...that whoever did win had to pay-it-forward with a giveaway of their own.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying it forward in the least. I just worry that whatever I come up with won't be cool enough, or hip enough, or interesting enough for anyone to even care enough to comment for it!

But...I'm coming to terms with my insecurity and moving forward with the giveaway.

The first thing I thought of was this...

I've talked about this book on here before and I can't say enough good things about it. It is truly a life-changing read.

To go along with the book I have some of this...

I've got the moisturizing hand and body lotion, the oatmeal and honey triple milled soap, and the beeswax & soybean wax travel candle - all in Orange Blossom Honey scent.

I'll go ahead and admit that before I bought these I had never used Naked Bee products before, but when I put that little dab on my hands at the store I was in love! It is so soft and smooth, not greasy at all...and the smell is divine!

I'm also thinking of a couple little "extras" to throw in there, but those will just have to be a surprise.

So for now, here is what you need to do to win:

- Leave a comment on this post letting me know you want to be included for a chance to win.

- And if you are the winner, be willing to write your own pay-it-forward post once you have received your package with a link back to my pay-it-forward blog post.

- Create your own pay-it-forward package to bless one of your readers and be willing to mail it in a timely manner.

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, July 27. Please be sure that I can contact you, so that I can let you know you won.

Our Family of Four

2010-07-16T06:28:00.000-04:00

Our family has not had a professional photo made as a group since BuddyRoe's birth (yes, I realize that's almost 2 years ago!). So, after the kids' bestest babysitter ever bought a couple of adorable 4th of July outfits for them we decided it was the perfect time to get those pictures done. We headed to the local JCP and smiled pretty!

I wanted some of each of the kids by themselves...

Crazy Eyes!!

Pretty Girl!

Silly Face!

Handsome Boy!

And some of them together...

Platypus Lips!

Sweet Smiles!

Best Friends!

And even though I hadn't thought of it (I know, shame on me) the photographer suggested at least one of Hubby and I without the kids...

And finally, we got some of our family of four...

A Few of My Favorite Bible Verses

2010-07-09T06:11:00.002-04:00

I'm linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner today for 'Show us Your Life.' Today's theme is favorite Bible verses. These are just a few that I really like.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

I'll admit that I'm particularly fond of these last two because at any given moment you can count on BBug busting out in the songs about them...although she does say "Cast your chairs" rather than cares!

I'm So Excited!

2010-07-08T12:16:00.001-04:00

Why, you ask, am I so excited? Well let me just tell you why!

There are actually two reasons. The first is because Carrie announced the winner of her give away today, and it was me! That's right folks, I actually won a bloggy give away! I'm so excited to get all of my goodies...

Now I have to hurry up and come up with some fantastic (I hope) stuff to pay-it-forward with! Stay tuned for that, it should be up in a few days.

The second reason I'm so excited is this...

We joined some friends for fireworks on the 4th of July, but because the weather was less than desirable we ended up hanging out in the house all night. Their two oldest children (a girl who's 5 and a boy who's almost 3) share a bedroom and they use what would be the other bedroom as a playroom. Well, let me just tell you what...Miss BBug was completely smitten with the idea!

Monday afternoon as we were cleaning her room she told me that she wanted to share a room with BuddyRoe. My initial response was something along the lines of "Yeah right." But the more I thought about it, the more I thought she might be on to something. You may remember me mentioning that we had transitioned Buddy to a big boy bed. Well, that didn't work out so well. Oh he liked the bed just fine, he just didn't like being in there by himself anymore. So we had to go back to a crib. Only now at bedtime instead of just laying down and quietly going to sleep (which he's done his entire life) he screams bloody murder until we go get him. And I'm talking hours he'll scream!

At the same time BBug has slept in her big girl bed for a long time now, but it's always a fight to get her to go to sleep at night. She has a hard time winding down and she gets scared by herself. So, for the past two nights we've let Buddy sleep in BBug's big girl bed with her...and it actually seems to be a good idea!

They've both gone right to sleep without a peep...actually last night I walked in to check on them and he was curled up against her with his head on her shoulder asleep. She was still awake and when I walked in she looked up at me and said, "I'm keeping him safe."

Melt.My.Heart!

Anyway...it's working out really well so far, but we don't want them sharing the same bed forever and moving his crib and her full-sized bed in the room isn't an option space wise. So I've been looking at other alternatives. I thought about a trundle bed, but it just didn't tickle my fancy. And I thought about bunk beds, but BuddyRoe is a climber/jumper so that just had disaster written all over it! Then I came across this...

Photo Courtesy of Dear Daughters

And I was in love! I love the simplicity of it, and the extra storage space it will give us! The white rails in the picture are just toddler guards (which we have).

I immediately sent hubby an email with the picture and said, "Can you make this?" His response was sure, as long as it will fit in the room. Which it wouldn't! Well, stink! Why does he always have to burst my happy little bubbles?

But fear not, I decided that if it wouldn't fit just the way they had it, I could make it work another way. So last night I pulled out some yarn for measurment and laid out the room. If we make it an L-shaped frame for the bed instead of one long one one it will fit perfectly! And it will give me the extra storage space underneath!

We have a busy weekend planned, but Hubby and I are going to try to go ahead and get started on it so we can transition all of the rooms over soon. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well with the construction of the bed and the new sleeping arrangements!

I'll have before/after pictures of both rooms when we finish (probably a couple weeks out)!

4th of July, Family Style

2010-07-05T19:50:00.000-04:00

We spent the 4th of July at NahNah & PopPop's new house this year, along with my brothers and their families, my cousins and their families, my aunt (obviously my parents) and a few friends. I still haven't recovered enough energy to talk about it, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (and yes, it's a lot of pictures!)...

For Cohen

2010-07-01T10:46:00.001-04:00

Boogie Woogie Butterfly

2010-06-22T16:12:00.007-04:00

Since August BBug has been taking ballet and tap lessons at a local dance studio. Before she started she would constantly dance around the house, so we knew that dance was perfect for her!

HA!

While she enjoyed it, she was definitely the "flighty" dancer who was busy making up her own routines and fixing her hair in the mirror while everyone else was following the instructor.

This past weekend was her recital and despite some concern that she might not know her dances, she did phenomenal! Her daddy was also more than a little concerned that her makeup may be a little too much and she may look, shall we say more mature than she should. Luckily after a test run by BBug herself...

I did her hair and makeup and while she didn't seem overly impressed, her daddy and I were both happy with it.

Her ballet number was the 'Lonely Little Butterfly'...

I L.O.V.E.D. their costumes for this dance! I thought BBug looked so beautiful and awfully grown up in it. She and all of her friends did very well with their steps too.

Her tap number was 'Boogie Woogie Piggy'... Let me just add here that I tapped to the exact same song some 25 years ago!

The basics of this costume were really cute as well, but none of the moms were big fans of the ears!

By about midway through this routine BBug had decided she was done! She proceeded to just stand on the stage with her head down and arms stretched out toward me in the audience. Luckily she didn't break down completely!

We weren't planning on staying for the entire recital - I mean it's over 3 hours long for crying out loud! But BBug really wanted to do the Finale dance.

It was to Wild, Wild West and Cotton Eyed Joe. I didn't get any good pictures from that one, but her favorite part was when they "shot" their (finger) guns and then blew on them before holstering them! She was soo stinkin cute doing that one!

Like I said earlier, she enjoyed dance but it wasn't (at this point) a passion for her. So next fall we'll be trading in our taps for cletes and hitting the futball (soccer) field!

Odds and Ends

2010-06-04T12:56:00.007-04:00

As usual I've been too busy, too lazy or too forgetful to post lately, so now I'm stuck with a quick catch up post!

I really can't tell you what all we've been up to, but I know it's been a lot. One thing we did manage to get in lately is a quick trip to the beach - the first of the year!

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend we loaded up with Aunt A. and Uncle M. and headed to our favorite "local" beach. BBug wasn't a huge fan of the water - what can I say, she's her mama's girl - but BuddyRoe couldn't get enough - he's his daddy's boy!

Note to Self: Pay close attention to your sunscreen. You never know when your preschooler will decide she needs some more!

BuddyRoe had another adventure yesterday - he got his first buzz cut! I made Hubby take him while I was at dance with BBug, and when they showed back up I have to admit that I teared up a little. He doesn't look like a baby anymore...he's a big boy!

And speaking of big boys...look who has moved on up and out of the crib and in to a big boy bed! Yes, I know we're crazy for transitioning him to a big boy bed at 20 months, but KNOCK ON WOOD, PLEASE DON'T JINX ME so far he's done really well! We were worried about how to keep him in bed until he fell asleep, but we've got that part figured out.

He only gets a pacifier (which he now calls a 'ma') at bedtime, but boy does he love that thing! Sometimes on the weekend he'll ask for his 'ma' and then go to his bed - we joke that he needs his 'ma' fix. Anyway...to get him to stay in the big boy bed we just told him that if he gets out he has to give us the 'ma'. That keeps him in there pretty well! I just lay with him for a few minutes and then he's out.

So far we haven't made it all the way through the night without him ending up in our bed, but this morning we made it until 4:30 (only 45 minutes early)! And then he didn't end up in our bed, he went straight to the kitchen for juice!

And I know this is completely random, but I have two really funny BBug conversations to share.

We were at daycare when we realized someone we know is in BuddyRoe's class. The mom asked me where my other baby was. When I told her that it was just BBug and BuddyRoe she said, "Oh, I thought you had three." BBug quickly piped up with "No, but we have a dog."

I don't know if it's that funny on here, but I almost wet my pants it was so funny at the time!

The next BBug story also had me laughing. She was at dance when she saw a woman we used to go to church with. The lady said, "BBug I haven't seen you at church lately."

BBug's response was, "Yeah, we go to a new church. They have doughnuts!"

So apparently BBug isn't in to the new church for the fellowship, awesome Sunday School or time with the Lord...it's all about the doughnut buffet. I think I have some work to do there!

A Joyful Goodbye

2010-05-13T10:47:00.005-04:00

A couple posts ago I mentioned that my Grandma was very sick and that we knew she was "dying". May 1st she left behind her pain, suffering and hurts for an eternity of happiness that I can only imagine. It was and still is a sad and difficult time for those of us "left behind" but it's also a joyous time. As I said on my facebook page, I know that she's jitterbugging with my granddaddy once again. She's with her two greatest loves - her Lord and her Chuck (Granddaddy).

Her remains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetary alongside my grandfather's at a later date, but last weekend we had her memorial service in Atlanta. It's how I hope my service will be one day. Before it started I asked my cousin, "Is it just me or does this not seem, I don't know, sad or real or something?" Her response..."I know, it feels more like a reunion." And I know that's what my grandmother would have wanted. During the service the great-grandchildren were dancing barefoot to the music in the chapel and there were more tears of laughter than sorrow.

After the service most of the folks went back to my parents' house where we all ate and laughed and reminisced some more. We all remembered our favorite "Betty-isms" and couldn't help but smile. Like the way she referred to everyone as "Shug" and when she would say "I don't mean no harm." and "Well...that's a deep subject" (get it, a well...deep...ok). And how she always dressed up as the witch for the awesome Halloween parties they hosted at their house - she would use Spanish Moss for her hair, it was fantastic. And the time she spilled hot coffee on her lap while she and mama were driving down the interstate...that's one story that you've got to hear!

Several (ten or more) years back mama was driving her to a dentist appointment in Savannah. They decided to stop and get lunch at McDonalds (those who knew Grandma know about her love affair with MckyD's). She got her usual salad and hot coffee and they were on their way. When they got on the interstate mama apparently made a sudden lane change and the coffee went all over Grandma's lap. She immediately began yelling "Oh help me, Oh help me! My cooter's on fire, my cooter's on fire!" (yes, she referred to "those parts" as her cooter) Not knowing how else to sooth the pain she began stripping out of her pants and underpants - now don't forget that they're driving down the interstate here and by this time the truckers were all honking at them - and when she couldn't find anything else to cool the fire, she grabbed that McDonald's salad and slapped the lettuce right there on herself!

She was always a resourceful lady, and we always liked to tease her about that coffee and salad!

I have to admit that my Grandma and I didn't always have the best relationship. While I was growing up she and I had what you might call a love/hate relationship. We butted heads more often than not and there were even times that it got just down right ugly. Don't get me wrong, we never doubted our love for each other, but for a long time we didn't really like each other. I'm so glad that in the last few years God allowed us to come to a place where we truly liked each other as well. And I'm glad that my memories of her can focus on those good, funny and loving times now.

We're all going to miss her like crazy, but it really was a joyous goodbye.

Our Picture Perfect Family

2010-04-29T13:20:00.008-04:00

Hubby and I were recently contacted by a local magazine about doing profile articles on both of us because of our careers in agriculture. We were beyond surprised and honored to have been asked - although we're pretty sure they were just running low on copy and needed some filler!

Because the reporter had a short deadline and a limited staff they asked if we could send in a few pictures to go with the pieces. One of myself at work, one of hubby at work and one of the family. No problem...right? Wrong!

Let me hang my head in shame and admit that we have not had a single (professional or even semi-professional) family photo taken in the 18 months since BuddyRoe joined us! I know, I know, I am terrible! And work photos? Please, I'm the one behind the camera for work, not in front of it.

I contacted one of the sweet girls that we go to church with who is an awesome photographer, but unfortunately because of our short timeframe she wasn't able to help us out. So I decided I would set up my tripod and get them myself (disclaimer: I am NOT, I repeat NOT a professional or even a "good ameteur" photographer)!

We started out Tuesday morning in Hubby's office to get some of him "working." Whoa Nelly. That's all I can say. I haven't been in his office since he first started, and well he's done a little decorating on his own. I have only three words...70s. Tweed. Recliner. Enough said. Here's a couple of those shots, minus the recliner... After a few minutes there we moved in to a grove to get some family shots. I wanted to take advantage of the early morning light (yeah, so I have no idea how to REALLY take advantage of it, but it sounds good) so I took the kids out there before school. I have only two words this time...Bad. Idea.

BBug has a few little quirks that she deals with. One of those involves her feet getting wet/dirty. As soon as we got out of the car the dew still on the ground soaked her shoes, letting all of the sand and dirt stick to them. It led to a bit of a meltdown, which led to our family pictures looking something like this... To get my own "at work" photos I set my tripod up in my office and did my best to hit the timer and then run and jump in my chair without moving anything before the picture took. Needless to say, I had a few outtakes on that effort as well...

At the end of the day I had a family shot and an individual shot of myself that I was happy with (and don't worry, it's none of these) but remember Hubby's office shots? Well, I just couldn't let those go to print. So I made him drive back out to the grove and let me take some more...

These were definitely better and I was able to get something that I was willing to let the whole world (or atleast our little corner of it) see in print!

I've learned several valuable things during this process:

1. Don't leave the decorating up to Hubby. I'll be visiting his office on a weekend in the near future to work on that.

2. Don't take BBug into a grove before the dew dries.

3. Make sure that we take professional family pictures on a relatively regular basis so I'm not in this fix in the future (not that I expect this particular situation to come up again any time soon...I mean Brad & Angelina we aren't, one magazine profile is probably our limit.)

4. My family may not be "picture perfect," but I sure do love them!

So Many Prayer Requests

2010-04-28T18:53:00.003-04:00

Do you ever have times that you feel like you're just surrounded by heartache and grief? That if you didn't have Him to turn to you wouldn't be able to make it through another day? Well, that's how I've felt lately. It's not so much that I, personally am having problems but I seem to hear story after story, a lot close to home.

We spent this past weekend in Atlanta visiting my grandma who is "actively" dying now (that is the term her Hospice nurses are using).She had another heart attack/stroke early Sunday morning before we came back home and has been without food or water since then, as she struggles to swallow now. According to my mom (who she lives with) she is having alot of difficulty with talking; but can still communicate by blinking her eyes to answer yes and no.

We're so glad that she was able to see and visit (before the heart attack/stroke) with all of her children and grandchildren, along with half of her great-grandchildren on Saturday. As my mom said in an email to friends and family earlier, we're just praying for God's will to be done now. Only He can ease her into comfort and peace now.

While we were in Atlanta visiting with her, my cousin got a call from her sister-in-law back at their house in Missouri. Lightning had struck her (my cousin) house and it was on fire. At the time of the first phone call that was literally all they knew. My cousin had her youngest son with her in Atlanta, her oldest was in town with her sister-in-law at the time of the fire, but her husband and three other children were in the house. Luckily a neighbor saw the fire and alerted them. Everyone got out safely and that's really all that matters. Luckily the damage was contained to one end of the house and what I'm hearing is that insurance will cover it, but it's still alot of stress and heartache for them to deal with. I'm just praying that things can be resolved quickly and smoothly for them and that they can get back in to their house.

Last week my other cousin (the sister of the one mentioned above) found out that her brother-in-law has cancer. He is in his mid-30s and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Further tests showed that it had spread to vessels beyond his pancreas, and an additional "spot" of some kind was found on his lung. If I understood correctly they are going to surgecially remove what they can and then begin chemotherapy. My cousin said he understands that it's a tough diagnosis to beat but that he told her he just doesn't want people to write him off yet. He's another fighter! I'm praying that with his determination and God's healing he'll be cancer free soon!

Hubby's grandmother (his dad's mom) also found out last week that she has breast cancer. We don't know very many details yet, and they haven't determined a course of treatment but we're praying for guidance and wisdom for her and her physicians.

As if all of that wasn't enough, my mom sent me an email today asking for more prayers. From what the email said, two brothers (Ross and Sam) that my oldest brother taught in years past were playing ball outside yesterday (I believe). Ross, the older boy (12, I think), threw the baseball and it hit Sam in the chest in between heartbeats. It caused Sam's heart to stop and he went quite some time without oxygen (3minutes?). He is in the hospital in Birmingham ( I believe I am right in saying that he was sent there from Auburn)and is in a coma right now. Please, please pray for both of the boys, their family and friends.

See what I mean about being surrounded by heartache? So, please if you have an extra minute in your day just say a prayer for these folks - and then go give your kids, husband, mom, dad, grandma...whoever...a hug.

A Match Made in NASCAR Heaven

2010-04-23T05:42:00.002-04:00

Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner is hosting her Show Us Your Life series again and today's theme is How You Met Your Husband.

Well, let's just say hubby and I were a match made in NASCAR Heaven.

The summer of 2003 I was going in to my final year at the University of Florida. A friend of mine called me in July to see if I would be interested in going to the Pepsi 400 (NASCAR race) in Daytona with him.

At the time he was doing his senior internship at a large agricultural operation down in southwest Florida and his boss had 4 tickets to the race. Two of the tickets were being used by the boss and his girlfriend, so that left two for my friend and I. Let me explain that we were strictly friends - he actually had a girlfriend, but she was doing her internship out west somewhere and couldn't make it so I got to go.

The first time I met hubby was when I showed up at the hotel the day before the race. I won't repeat what his first comment was, but let's just say it wasn't the greatest of starts. We all had a good time at the race, but by the time the weekend was over I had a very definite opinion of him - and it wasn't good!

I went back to UF and told one of my friends "I just met THE RUDEST guy ever! I would NEVER date someone like that!"

A couple weeks later he apparently broke up with his girlfriend and a mutual friend gave him my Nextel number. He started calling and we started talking, and he was actually very nice and polite. I was supposed to be in a friend's wedding in August and needed a date to fill out the head table. I knew he was going so I asked if he wanted to meet up and be my "date" to fill the seat. And that was the beginning of our story.

We started dating shortly after that, we got engaged (for the first time) in March of 2004, we broke it off in July of that year (that's a whole other post!), got back together and got married in November. We celebrated five years this past November and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I like to pick at myself and remember when I said, "I would NEVER date someone like that"...no, I just married him!

A Busy Birthday Weekend

2010-04-12T19:18:00.008-04:00

We have been busy, busy bees around here the last couple of weeks! Easter weekend was no exception - we had two birthday parties, egg hunts, church and lots of visitors!

As I mentioned in my last post, BBug turned 4 recently. A couple months back when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she surprised me by responding "I want to give presents to a little boy or girl who doesn't have toys."

Now, she was quick to clarify that she still wanted a couple things for herself too but I was still impressed that she even thought of that at 4! A friend from the new church we've been going to (and still love!) suggested that I contact the Florida Baptist Children's Home to see what we could work out. Well it turns out that one of their residents has the same birthday as BBug. After finding out a few of the items on her wish list BBug, Daddy, NahNah and I went to the FBCH cottage on Saturday morning (of Easter weekend) and had a party for this special little girl complete with a homemade cake and gifts. We also took a few board games and puzzles that NahNah got for her cottage mates.

It turns out that each cottage at the FBCH has a "home" church, and the cottage that this particular girl lives in just happens to go to the same church as us! As a matter of fact, we noticed in this week's bulletin that she had made a profession of faith at some point in the last week! Talk about a God moment!!

After that birthday party we headed home to celebrate BBug's birthday Strawberry Shortcake style! Around 40 of BBugs admirers (aka friends and family) joined us for some fruit, cake and bouncehouse fun! As always, she was spoiled beyond belief with love, friendship and gifts.

Saturday evening my parents - who had driven down for the party and then took BBug home with them for a week - and Uncle M. and Aunt A. hung out and we grilled steaks for dinner.

Sunday morning NahNah and PopPop joined us for Easter church services. We tried to get some good family pictures, but we were having a few minor difficulties. If one of us didn't have an attitude, another one did!

After church we all came back to the house where Grandma, Aunt Sheri, Uncle Chris, Papa Pat and Kyler joined us for ham and all the fixings.

After lunch we dyed eggs and had a quick egg hunt before loading everyone up for their long journies home.

It was a very, very busy weekend, but it was also jammed packed full of love, family, friends and blessings!

Four Years

2010-04-01T09:57:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been four years today.

Four years since Hubby and I planned to run to the grocery store real quick to pick up what we needed for a cookout with all of the family coming to help us celebrate BBug's upcoming arrival (I was supposed to be induced the evening of the 1st).

Four years since my water breaking on its own changed those cookout plans!

Four years since my loving husband and amazing OB so sweetly asked me if I could possibly hold off on labor and pushing just long enough for the Florida Gators to finish their win over George Mason (they would go on to win their first ever NCAA Championship two days later, and I did hold off for them!).

Four years since my beautiful baby girl came in to this world and changed it forever!

I've had four years of amazing memories with this little girl and I could never express in words how much I thank God for her each day. She is my daughter, my helper, my comedian, my friend and my heart.

Happy 4th Birthday to My Best Girl! Mommy (and Daddy & Buddy) loves you so much!!

Just Call Me Farmer T

2010-03-31T09:49:00.002-04:00

As some of you know, Hubby and I both have careers in agriculture. He's in the production aspect and I'm in communications but we both count on the crops to bring in the bacon (ok, ok I know that was a really lame ag joke).

But, as of today we're a little bit more involved. Hubby and his boss have gone in together to begin growing these...

You can just call me 'Farmer T.'

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T08:49:00.002-04:00

My Southern Girl

2010-03-16T11:24:00.002-04:00

Although BBug and BuddyRoe are seventh generation Floridians on their daddy's side, I like to think that my Georgia roots peek through every now and again.

And here's the proof...this is BBug saying "shrimp." Sorry for the poor lighting, but I had to catch the moment!

To Open, Or Not To Open

2010-03-09T16:50:00.002-05:00

To open, or not to open...That is my question.

BBug's 4th birthday is coming up soon and I'm in full planning mode. I've got the date, time, theme and guest list all taken care of. We've even got something very special planned - requested by the birthday girl herself - that I'll share in a separate post. But as I was scouring the web in search of some extra little ideas, I stumbled upon a blog that made me stop and say, "hmmm."

In this blog it says that you should never, ever have the birthday girl (or boy, whatever the case may be) open their gifts during the actual party.

Hold the presses!! Don't open the gifts at the party? What!?! I've never heard of such in all my 28 long years. So, I did a little more research and apparently, that blogger isn't alone in her thinking. I found another site that said it's better to open the gifts later when the child can calmly process what they're receiving. Excuse me, but I personally enjoy watching my children and others not-so-calmly process what they're receiving. I love seeing their excitement.

What about you? Do you let your child open their gifts while their friends are still at the party or do you have them wait until later?

Just a Little Something

2010-02-25T07:52:00.000-05:00

Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner, posted this a few days ago. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I did until today. Now that I've seen it I felt like I had to share it.

I think that what he is doing is fantastic, and it makes me think of my own mom (NahNah). For as long as I can remember NahNah has gone out of her way to keep in touch with people and let them know she was thinking of them. Whether it's been through a short note on a random kitchen notepad, a greeting card for your birthday (although it will most likely be mailed a few months late!), or a package of random little things, she's always gone out of her way to let people know that she was thinking about them. And I know personally, and I'm sure many of her friends would agree with me, it's always made me feel so special to open the mail and see something in there from her. And like the guy said in this video - you don't even have to see her return address, once you see the handwriting (or in NahNah's case, the doodles covering the envelope or box) you know it's from her.

It's amazing what just a little something can do! How it can brighten someone's whole day, if not more.

I know that realistically I'm not going to start sending folks I know a letter on every birthday - I'm much too scatterbrained for that! - but I am going to start making an effort to let folks in my life know that I'm thinking about them a little more often!

What We've Been Up To

2010-02-22T19:35:00.007-05:00

OK, so it's been a while since I posted, and to be honest I just don't feel like writing a whole, detailed post. So, once again I'll update you on what we've been up to with a (very long) series of photos...

We went to the museum where BuddyRoe rinsed some produce...And BBug gave computer lessons...

Mommy was tortured on a bed of nails (yes, those are real nails)...And BBug's head was served on a platter...BBug modeled some bows (made by Mommy during 'Girls-Night-In at church)...And then we went to the park where BuddyRoe enjoyed (really, this is his happy face) the swings...We climbed the ladders...And rode the alligator with Aunt Sheri... We played peek-a-booAnd posed...And just like last time (see here for what I mean) we ate spaghetti...Like rockstars!

My Funny Valentine

2010-02-18T18:37:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to have three very special Valentines this year. But I bet you'll never guess which one was my funny Valentine?

Nevermind that I'm trying to take a nice, serious family picture. BBug just can't contain her silliness sometimes, bless her heart!

And yes, I'm aware of the fact that Valentine's Day was nearly a week ago but I'm having one of "those" weeks so cut me some slack! And while we're cutting slack...please excuse the wind-blown and slightly frantic look that I possess in these pictures. I was trying to set the timer, hit the button and run across the yard in heels all before the camera snapped!

Who Me? No, Never!

2010-02-15T11:25:00.003-05:00

OK, I'm jumping on MckMama's bandwagon again and taking part in 'Not Me Monday.'

We had a busy weekend that I'll post pictures from later on, but for now let me fill you in on a few things have not been happening in our world!

Hubby and I did not go out to dinner all by ourselves on Friday night for Valentine's Day! And we weren't able to do this because the kids' school (daycare) offered a free parents' night out!

Hubby and I do not have such boring lives that when dinner was finished and we realized that we still had more than 2 hours before we had to pick the kids up the only thing we could come up with to do was go home and pay the bills. So we did not decide to just go hang out at the school with the kids!

On Saturday I did not almost lose my youngest child - literally! While we were at a museum with some friends I did not take my eyes off of him for literally one minute to open a candy for another child. During that one minute he did not disappear! When I started frantically running around the museum screaming his name a couple did not find him just about to walk out of the door with another family!! No, I would never let my child leave my sight for even a minute. And my child would never look at me, start laughing hysterically and tell me "bye bye" after giving me a heart attack like that!

BBug did not tell me repeatedly over the weekend, "Mommy take your glasses off so you'll be pretty." Really, that line is not starting to give me a complex.

And last but definitely not least, we did not go to a new church this weekend. And at said church, we did not have absolutely the most wonderful experience! We are not really, really, really looking forward to going back!

So what about you? What's not happening in your world?

A Note for NahNah

2010-02-14T14:04:00.002-05:00

To the best NahNah in the whole wide world...we hope you have a super-duper, fantastic, love-filled birthday! After all, a girl only turns 26 once! ;)

We love you!

A Box Full of Love

2010-02-11T19:59:00.004-05:00

I think I've mentioned it before, but we love to get packages around here! It's just so much fun to get something in the real live mail that isn't a bill!

Well, earlier this week a package showed up on our doorstep with those familiar hearts and xoxo's on the package! Yep, it came straight from NahNah & PopPop's house!! BBug and I couldn't wait to see what was in it. When we opened it up it was just about overflowing with l-o-v-e!

There were several varieties of Valentine's cards for BBug and BuddyRoe to choose from to give to their friends at school, little presents to go in Valentine's gift bags for BBugs friends, cups and plates with hearts, 'Gator' heart lollipops (they're orange, blue & green so BBug said they were Gators), buckets for me to fill for each of us on Valentine's day, a cupcake kit, heart garland that we put on the mantle and so much more!

We've had so much fun going through all of it and getting it ready to share with our friends at the Valentine's Day party at school tomorrow!

Thanks NahNah & PopPop...ya'll are so sweet!

And speaking of NahNah, she has a special day of her own coming up soon. Stay tuned for more on that!

A Sweet Surprise

2010-02-11T08:38:00.004-05:00

Our family received a sweet surprise yesterday when my newest niece Addison Grace made a slightly early arrival! Her momma, Beth, was scheduled to be induced next Monday but Addison decided she wanted to be here in time for Valentine's Day!

I'll let Beth give all the particulars when she posts on her blog, but in the meantime a couple sweet shots that I stole from facebook!

Welcome to the World and to the crazy, wonderful, loving bunch that we call a family Addison Grace! We love you!!

Not Me Monday

2010-02-08T11:32:00.002-05:00

I don't do Not Me Monday with MckMama very often, but I decided to jump on the bandwagon today and jot down a few things that have not been happening around our house lately!

I did not spend my entire "relax and do nothing" Saturday cleaning out our storage unit, going through each and every box and sorting out yard sale stuff, holiday decor, house items and other memorabilia that stay put until we move (hopefully that will be sooner than later and if you know anyone in our area looking for a house, boy can I hook them up!) There's no way I would do that on a "relax and do nothing" Saturday!

My loving, caring, sweet as a Georgia peach daughter did not tell me that she "liked me when I was pretty" as she looked at pictures of me from college. She did not then go on to elaborate about what she did not like better about me then, not including the fact that I had "long, pretty hair" and "no glasses." No, my child would never inadvertantly make me feel like a frumpy mess like that!

I did not laugh hysterically whenever the aforementioned daughter fell off of her bicycle on the way to the park yesterday. I did not laugh because the way she flew straight off the bike reminded me of someone standing still on a treadmill when it comes on and flying off the back (Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened). I also did not manage to control my laughter, pick her up and console her. I did not get her back on her bike and help her ride the rest of the way to the park where we did not meet up with Daddy and BuddyRoe. She did not remind me over and over that she needed an ice pack for her bottom until she started playing on the playground and forgot all about it.

We did not have a wonderful time with friends last night eating dinner and watching the Super Bowl! The ribs, chicken, black beans & rice, coleslaw and garlic bread were not delicious! Hubby did not do an excellent job manning the grill!

BuddyRoe did not spend the majority of the first half of the Super Bowl climbing on to our coffee table and seeing how many of us would react. Hubby and I did not basically let all of the other adults present ensure our child didn't kill himself jumping off the coffee table. We would never be that lackadaisical about our child's safety!

I did not just have to look up how to spell lackadaisical!

I did not get ridiculously excited today when I realized that the cups that I get my water in at work are in actuality 16 ounces, therefore counting as 2 glasses of water, not one! No, something like that would definitely not make my whole day! And no, it is not pathetic that something so small has that power in my life!

Nope, none of this would have ever happened in my world! How about yours? What's your Not Me Monday?

Simple Pleasures

2010-02-03T18:52:00.004-05:00

I'm following Kelly's lead once again and thinking about those 'Simple Pleasures' in life today. In a time that I find myself struggling with my emotions - thank you very much hormones and medication! - it's nice to stop and reflect for a few minutes on those wonderful, simple things that make life worthwhile!

So, to borrow from Julie Andrews, These are a few of my favorite things...

1. Excited cries of "Momma!" when I walk through the door in the afternoons.

2. My morning and afternoon conversations with my own momma and daddy every day.

3. Snuggling with my husband.

4. Visiting the jar of tootsie pops in our bookkeeper's office!

5. Watching BBug and BuddyRoe "work out" with me to the Wii Personal Trainer.

6. Hearing my favorite songs on the radio (right now that's 'Words I Would Say' by Sidewalk Prophets or 'City On Our Knees' by Tobymac)

7. Getting to read a good book.

Boy Have We Been Busy!

2010-02-01T20:16:00.003-05:00

Boy have we been busy the past couple of weeks!

We've spent the day at the park ...

And gone for some rides. (Yes, BuddyRoe has his own bike but he wanted to ride Sissy's old one!)

We've been roller skating rock stars...

And rocking chair boxers!

We met up with Grandma & Papa Pat at the fair where we saw livestock...

And rode some rides!

We roasted marshmallows - pink ones!

And stuffed ourselves silly!

We did our part to help Haiti...

And save the world...

We had spaghetti...

Like a rockstar!

And we scrub-a-dub-dubbed...

Last but not least...

We lived, laughed and loved!!

Shadow

2010-01-30T21:50:00.001-05:00

Each night when we tuck BBug in to bed we fight over whether or not we can turn the light off. She used to be fine with being in the dark - and then we had an "incident" at our house a few months ago that upset her and now she's scared of the dark.

The "incident" was when a druggie broke in to a local bank, robbed a local restaurant at knife (box cutter) point and then decided to see what he could steal out of our truck to trade for some drugs. Luckily we didn't interrupt him, but the next morning we all went to load in to the truck and found it covered in blood (he had cut his arm open when he robbed the bank). The only explanation we could come up with on our toes was that a 'mouse' had died in the truck and that was where the blood came from. Apparently that wasn't a clever enough answer because we've had problems ever since.

Back to bedtime though. So each night we fight about turning the light off. On the nights that we insist and turn the light off there end up being shadows cast on her wall from her television (yes, she watches t.v. at night - don't lecture, she's going to stay awake no matter what so it is what it is). Each time that she sees a shadow we have to have a talk with "him" and set the rules for the evening in no uncertain terms. They usually go something like this...

BBug: Mommy, make Shadow be good.
Mommy (while standing with one hand on my hip and the other pointing a finger at "Shadow" on the wall): Shadow, it's time to go to bed. Get in bed right now and leave BBug alone. If you don't I'll spank you. Do you understand?
BBug: Yeah, if you don't go to bed you'll get spankins and SweetSweet will bite you in the butt!

Evidently Shadow is really scared of SweetSweet biting him in the butt, because every night after he receives that talking to he pretty much stays to himself and doesn't mess with BBug!

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Baby!

2010-01-25T21:38:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday we had a baby shower at our house for one of the girls that I work with. K is expecting her second little boy in early March so we wanted to make sure we had the celebration plenty early, just in case!

Baby Boy's (they aren't 100% sure on the name yet, they're 99% but there's still that little question) nursery is done in the 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' theme so that's what we used for the shower too. It was a pretty basic shower, not a lot of decorations or fancy food but she was surrounded by friends, laughter, love and lots of neat baby gifts!

I did make a banner that matched the invitations and cake with planes, trains, helicopters, cars and boats on it that said 'It's a Boy!'. That hung on the mantle behind K while she opened presents.

We had a drawing for everyone that brought a pack of diapers in addition to their gift - their name went in to a basket and one person won a $25 Target gift card. The winner actually ended up giving the gift card to K which I thought was so sweet! The other games that we played were 'count the q-tips in the jar,' 'baby items memory' and 'baby bingo.' For the baby bingo each guest got a Bingo card that I made up to match the theme and as K opened her gifts they marked off the items on their card.

Speaking of gifts, she got so many wonderful gifts! In addition to all of the diapers she received clothes, several homemade blankets (the best kind if you ask me!), a diaper bag, a bathtub, bath and grooming supplies, her stroller and carseat and so much more.

I had so much fun watching K open her gifts, she was so excited about everything! It was such a blessing to me to be able to host this shower for her and now I can't wait to meet Baby Boy!!

Pee Pee on the Potty

2010-01-21T19:10:00.004-05:00

"Pee Pee on the Potty - BBug is a Hottie!"

That's what we used to sing when BBug was going through the process of potty training. We figured we wouldn't have to sing that again for a while - thank goodness - since we've always been told that boys are harder to potty train than girls. Plus, BuddyRoe has been on his own schedule on pretty much everything else. And that schedule is that he'll get to it whenever he gets to it. He's going to enjoy life, not rush it!

With that in mind, we hadn't even started introducing the idea of using the potty to him, but the past couple of days we've noticed that he might have decided to introduce us to the idea instead!

He hasn't used the potty yet, but he's started going in to the bathroom, putting the training seat on the potty and trying to climb up. He's also started going in and squatting by the potty whenever he's making a mess in his diaper. Tonight after he went potty by the potty I put him up on it just to see what he thought - and he loved it!

Now don't worry, I don't really think I'm going to manage to have him potty trained by 16 months, but I'm beyond excited that he even realizes what the potty's for at this point! Maybe it won't be too long after all before we're singing Pee Pee on the Potty Buddy is a Hottie!

And just because I can't leave her out...BBug has spent the past two nights dressing up in various outfits that all have a similar theme...

I could be wrong, but I think she's tired of the winter weather and ready for the beach!

Another Prayer Request

2010-01-21T14:17:00.003-05:00

I promise one day soon I'll have a post about something happy going on in our lives, but for now I have to ask you for more prayers.

Back in December my older brother's cousin was in a very bad car accident. Her vehicle rolled approximately 9 times before landing upside down, where she was trapped for quite a while before emergency responders could get her out. Her neck, back and hip were all broken and she is now paralyzed from her neck down.

I don't know a lot of details - my brother calls every so often with quick updates - but he had said she was making promising strides lately. She was feeling some pain in her lower body - the fact that she feels anything is a good sign - and she could make very slight, yet controlled movements in her hand. And we praise God for all of those strides, no matter how "small!"

However, I just got word that she has developed pneumonia and is now in the ICU. So, if you would please remember Courtney and her family in your prayers it would be so appreciated.

Asking for Prayers

2010-01-20T10:16:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to ask for prayers - a friend of my mother's, Terry, just found out that she has cancer. She has 2 masses in her lungs, lesions on her brain and a lump in her arm. She has been admitted to their local hospital (which is in a large city and very good) and started chemo therapy this morning.

Any and all prayers would be appreciated!

A MUST Read

2010-01-08T12:53:00.002-05:00

Two posts in one day, say it ain't so!

Seriously, there is something that I have to share with pretty much anyone who will listen. It's about a "must" read! I've already told my family and friends around the house, everyone on Facebook and pretty much anyone else I've been able to pin down so far. And now I want to tell all of you (again, for the three of you that read this!).

I am a reader. I would read all day long if I could. I l-o-v-e to read! And anyone who knows my family knows that I get it honestly. My momma and daddy have always been big readers. We literally had thousands, yes I said thousands of books around our house growing up. Fiction, non-fiction, romance, science fiction, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Babysitters Club, you name it we had it!

Hubby on the otherhand is not so much a reader. Not that he can't by any means, he just doesn't usually. He's a big fan of 'A Land Remembered' (if you're from Florida, more specifically South Florida, you'll know what I'm talking about), and the A Look at Life from a Deer Stand series. But otherwise he's just not that in to it.

So imagine my surprise when in early November he told me that for Christmas he wanted two books that he had heard about on the local Christian radio station. I was shocked to say the least, but shoot if it was a solid gift idea then I was all for it! So, I went out and bought both of the books for him. They were 'Same Kind of Different As Me' and 'What Difference Do It Make' by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (both men authored both books together).

He started 'Same Kind of Different As Me' a couple days after the new year and was done within 3 days!! I would call him during his lunch break and he would say that he reading the book. On his way home from work he would pull over just to read a couple of pages before going on his way. And in the evenings and mornings every spare minute was spent with that book. I was amazed! I've never seen him so in to a book! And not only that, but he made several comments that made me turn my head. This book was truly changing my husband! In a wonderful way!

When he was done he told me I had to read it. So I did. In 24 hours! Yes, it is that good. It left me in tears, and wanting to be a better more godly person.

I haven't read 'What Difference Do It Make' yet, and I don't want to give away anything about the first book but if you're looking for an awesome book to read in the new year...I HIGHLY recommend 'Same Kind of Different As Me.' And if you do read it, do me a favor and come back to let me know what you think!

A New Year, A New Me?

2010-01-08T10:09:00.002-05:00

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is starting the new year's 'Show Us How You Live' series with New Year's Resolutions and Goals.

I don't usually set New Year's resolutions, mainly because I never seem to keep them. But this year, I decided I was going to. And maybe, just maybe if I put them out here for all the world (or the three people who read this) to see I'll be more likely to stick to them.

The first and most important is to be a better Christian. I want to be more active in my faith and in my relationship with God. I want to read my Bible more - the kids and Hubby got me a 'Busy Mom's Study Bible' for Christmas and so far I've done really well about reading it and doing some of the 5 and 10 minute studies that go with it. I want to spend more time in prayer. And most importantly I want to live a day-to-day life that I believe will be more pleasing to God.

My second resolution/goal is to be a better wife. I like to think that I'm a pretty good mom. I spend a lot of good, quality time with my kids, I take care of their needs, ensure that they are loved and know it and do my best to raise them right. I'm by no means a perfect mom, but I'm pretty proud of the job I've done so far. As a wife however, I'll be the first to admit that I have some shortcomings. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I'm pretty sure that he knows it - Hubby, in case you don't know it...I love you! - and I've never cheated on him or anything like that. But, I don't necessarily devote the time and energy to him and our relationship that I should. When there are 10 people or things that need my attention, he usually ends up getting put at number 10 just because I know I can. Not that I should, but I can. This year I want to make it a priority to put him at a higher place on my list. I haven't perfected it so far, but I'm trying and I'm going to keep trying.

And my third resolution/goal is to get in better shape. I know that most people - hi NahNah - would say that I don't need to lose any weight, and so for the sake of peace I'll say that I agree with that...but I do need to make my health and fitness a higher priority. If not to lose weight, then to be healthier, feel better about myself mentally, and just to have more energy!

So, while there are a ton of things that I can and hopefully will change in my life in the year 2010 - these are just three of the main things that I hope to focus on. Wish me luck! And to all of you with your own resolutions/goals for the year...good luck and God bless!!

Our Family Tree is Growing

2009-12-13T08:18:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant!! Or if I am, my doctor has some 'splainin to do!

While I'm not pregnant, both of my brothers' wives are! Beth is due in February and C is due in April (I think...I'm a bad aunt for not knowing for sure!). Since they're both expecting at the same time my mom (NahNah) and I decided to throw a joint shower for them.

So, on the 3rd, the kiddos and I packed up and headed to the ATL to shower them with love. NahNah and I had decided to go with the theme of 'Our Family Tree is Growing.' I made three versions of the invitations - one for each girl that went to their family and friends and one that featured both of them that went to our side of the family.

For the decorations my mom played on the 'tree' theme and decorated her white Christmas tree in pale pinks and blues with silver accents (Beth is having a girl and C is having a boy). In the center of the food table was a white 'stick tree' that also played a part in one of the games (more on that in a minute) and the dessert table had a silver and pink crystal Christmas tree on it.

We had lots of yummy hors devours - cream cheese/spinach balls, spring rolls, aspargus rolls and . We served 'Sparkling Pink Lady' punch from NahNah's silver punch bowl and used her silver 'baby cups' to go with it. The dessert table had two vanilla with custard filling cakes (one pink and one blue), along with chocolate cupcakes that said 'baby' and 'love' and had the new babies initials on them. There were also miniature desserts like key lime bites, brownies, cheesecakes, coffee cheesecake bites, etc. It was all so good!!

We only played two games - one was guessing how many diaper pins (safety pins) were in a bowl and the other was the 'Family Tree' game. I had both of my sisters-in-law send me pictures of as many family members as they could get as babies - themselves, their parents, their siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents...everyone - and I got them for our side of the family as well. I cut each of them out (we ended up using 29 of them), glued them to pale blue paper and hung them from the stick tree on the food table. Each picture had a number on the back. As guests arrived they were given a sheet of paper that had a list of relatives, ie - I'm A & S's aunt (Tamara) - and they had to find the baby picture that matched the description. It turned out to be a lot of fun and it was amazing how difficult some of them were! The winners of the games each got a bottle of sparkling grape juice with a personalized label to toast the new babies when they arrive.

Both of the girls received so many wonderful gifts, it's very apparent that they're both loved by lots of people!

As the guests were leaving they were given a special treat that NahNah had made up. It is a belgian chocolate coin with the tree from the invitations and each babies name printed on it. The only problem was that no one wanted to eat them because they were so cute!

I can't speak for the girls, but I know that from my perspective everything turned out wonderful! Now I just can't wait for my new little niece and nephew to arrive!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T13:45:00.003-05:00

*I have a post all written out about last weekend's joint baby shower for the sisters-in-law, but...I deleted all of the pictures from my disk (boo!) so I'll post it as soon as NahNah or PopPop can send me copies of the pictures!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

2009-12-02T20:12:00.003-05:00

I know I'm way behind on my blogging - hubby just sweetly pointed that out to me - but I'll be completely honest, I don't feel like writing much right now! So...I'm just going to post a few pictures from our Thanksgiving with hubby's family and leave it at that.

But before I do that - I want to take just a minute and wish my Hubby a Happy Belated 5th Anniversary! November 26, 2004 we set sail off of Key West for a sunset cruise as Mr. and Miss and came back Mr. and Mrs. Happy Anniversary & I love you Hubby!!

Now, on to the pictures (and I don't think any of these are from dinner, they're just random Thanksgiving day!)

The kids and I are heading to Atlanta tomorrow to see my family. Both of my brothers' wives are expecting babies so my mom, grandma and I are throwing a joint shower for them. I can't wait to see everyone! The only thing that worries me is that it's supposed to be super cold with a 50% chance of snow...my driving can be a little scary on a good day, much less a snowy day! And yes, I just called my own driving a little scary. So wish me luck, say a prayer and I'll post pictures from that when we return!

Gator Game Day

2009-11-22T15:15:00.007-05:00

We decided that the UF/FIU (Florida International) game would be the perfect game to take BBug to this season. We tried to take her to the Tennessee game in 2007 (I think) and that was just a B-A-D idea! The Tennessee game was hot, crowded and she was just too young. The UF/FIU game was on a nice cool(er) day and not too crowded, plus she's really in to everything "Go Gators" this year.

We have two season tickets and considered getting two additional tickets so that the whole family could go, but we figured BuddyRoe wouldn't be too enthused about sitting still for the game. We talked about it and agreed that we would all make the trip to Gainesville and tailgate and then just Daddy and BBug would actually go in to the game while BuddyRoe and I hung out at the car and around campus. In the end, the kids' favorite daycare teacher, Miss A. joined us too and went in to the game with Daddy and BBug.

We left the house super early so that we could try to make it to Gator Walk - where the players walk down University Avenue to the stadium. We did make it in time to see the buses pull up (and we got to see Tim Tebow through the window!) but we weren't able to get close enough to actually see the guys walking down the street. Next time we know to get there really early!

After Gator Walk we took a few pictures with the Bull Gator and then went back to the car for a picnic lunch before the game started.

When it was time to head in to the game, BuddyRoe and I walked the rest of the crew back to the stadium. On our way there I looked over and saw the cutest little girl in a Gator cheerleader outfit with her hair in piggies - it was Miss Belle! She was there with her momma, daddy, aunts and uncle. Her daddy and uncles just happen to be some of my cousins (their momma and my momma are first cousins)! I didn't get a picture, but her momma - Annie - took one and has it up on her blog.

After dropping Daddy, BBug & Miss A. off at the stadium BuddyRoe took a quick nap and then we loaded up in the stroller and set off to see the sights. We visited the statue of Albert & Alberta, went back to the Bull Gator and hung out in front of the O Dome for a while. I have to say that BuddyRoe made his Daddy proud. Everywhere we went there were college girls oohing and ahhing all over him! Two girls asked me to take their picture with the Bull Gator and then had BuddyRoe get in it with them! They even asked me for his name so they could 'tag' him on Facebook!
I called Hubby at halftime to see how BBug was doing and he said she had been having a great time, but had fallen asleep right after watching the cheerleaders (during halftime)! He and Miss A. decided to stay for the rest of the game and just let her sleep in their laps. When they came out after the game was over BuddyRoe and I were ready and waiting with the stroller. Once she woke up BBug said her favorite parts were the cheerleaders - she's going to be one when she gets big - and Albert & Alberta. Oh, and she liked the football game ok too!

Unfortunately, Daddy wasn't able to get very good pictures inside. BBug wasn't the most cooperative subject. But, we know she had fun just the same!

After the game we had some celebratory cupcakes - the score was 62-3 - and then headed home. It was great day and we'll definitely take BBug back for more games next season!

The Sweetness

2009-11-20T08:56:00.004-05:00

Kelly - over at Kelly's Korner - is hosting her weekly 'Show Us Your Life' and today is all about pets. So, I decided I would take the opportunity to introduce those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting him in person to our four-legged son...The Sweetness.

No, his name is not technically 'The Sweetness.' Technically his name is Bentley. But somewhere along the way Hubby started calling him Sweet Sweet which then evolved in to The Sweetness. He's also been known to answer to Bent Bent, SwwwSwww (before BBug could say Sweet Sweet) and DaDa (before BBug could say SwwwSwww)!

The Sweetness joined our family 4 1/2 years ago when it was still just Hubby and I. When Hubby and I first met we both had dogs of our own, I had Teensy a min pin and he had Cecil a german shorthair. During the course of our dating and early marriage we lost both of those dogs and so in May of 2005 we decided to get a new puppy. We wanted another shorthair, but one had just won the Westminster so they were officially out of our price range! Growing up my family had always had mutts/pound puppies, so I talked Hubby in to going that route again.

We went to the county pound and there was a cage full of siblings. The cutest little puppies you've ever seen! Two girls and one little boy. The girls were hyper and noisy - barking non-stop jumping all around. The little boy was as laid back and quiet as you've ever seen. We decided that little boy puppy was meant to join our family! I felt so bad about leaving his sisters though that I tried to talk Hubby in to taking all of them. I was serious, I did not want to leave those poor babies there! We had to wait a few days before we could bring him home - to let him get fixed and whatnot - so Hubby gave in and agreed to take all of them if the sisters were still there when we went to pick him up. Luckily for us, the sisters had been adopted by the time we went back to pick him up. And I say luckily because that cute little puppy eventually grew in to a 90 pound mass of energy! There's no way I could have handled three of them!

The Sweetness started out as an indoor dog, but as he grew and grew and grew and our family grew to include BBug (and as he continued to eat more and more of my shoes!) we decided that he needed more room to roam and made him an outdoor dog. He loves it. He has a room in the back of the garage that is open for him at all times but also allows him free access to the yard. He's pretty content to just hang out there most of the time, but on occaision he'll get a wild hair and try to make a break for it when we open the gate or the garage door. And when he's successful...oh Lordy! That is the fastest dog you've ever seen! Literally, he's out the door, down the driveway and across the road before you even realize he's made it past you!

Other than the occaisional escapes, he is a fantastic dog. He's low maintenance, he's loving with the kids (who adore him!) and he's good for scaring off folks who don't know him! It's hard to believe sometimes that he's been with us for so long, but we're looking forward to a lot more years with him!

Brama Island

2009-11-16T07:17:00.006-05:00

Last weekend some of the folks from our local 'Young Farmers & Ranchers' got together and took a trip to the largest freshwater island in the United States - Brama Island.

A local ranch family owns the island, which depending on water levels is anywhere between 1,800 and 3,500 acres. It's home to several endangered species and lots of other unique wildlife. I could go in to a lot of detail on just how neat this place is and still not even scratch the surface.

We all met up on Saturday morning and took the barge arcoss the lake to the island. Once we got there a couple of the cowboys and some of the ladies stayed behind at the camp house to get lunch ready while the rest of us loaded up in to the trucks and toured the island. We saw axis deer, fallow deer, goats, rams (?), bald eagles (they have 18 nests on the island), alligators and more.

The island is also home to the oldest documented oak tree in the state of Florida. This tree is more than 400 years old, has survived at least 7 hurricanes and 2 lightning strikes. It's awesome!

After the tour we went back and enjoyed a great steak lunch before loading back up on the barge and heading back home - well, that's what some folks did anyway. One of the guys volunteered to take some of the kids, and by default a couple adults, on the airboat rather than the barge. Since neither BBug or I had ever been on an airboat we decided it would be fun to ride together. On the ride back we saw a few more alligators and had lots of fun.

It was such a neat experience and we're so blessed that we're able to do stuff like that together as a family and with friends. I love the fact that our kids get to see and experience such fantastic places!

And I know this post kind of jumps around, but I'm not having the most 'streamlined thought' kind of night so it is what it is. Sorry!

A Very Special Thank You

2009-11-11T11:40:00.002-05:00

I want to extend a very special 'Thank You' to all of our nation's veterans. Whether you served in war time or peace time you are my heros!

For those veterans closest to my heart including my Hubby, and all the others...THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!

Excessive Celebration

2009-11-10T08:43:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure that she'll ever be able to play in a high school/college setting...she might get penalized for excessive celebration!

And please excuse the fact that my child is playing in the driveway half-dressed!

A Walking Man

2009-11-06T17:57:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T06:18:00.002-05:00

Cinderella & The Scarecrow

2009-11-02T09:38:00.004-05:00

For Halloween this year BBug had a multitude of costumes to choose from so she chose to be a LadyBug (please don't ask about the polka dots on her face, she wanted "makeup") for trick-or-treating at school...

and Cinderella for Halloween night...

If you ask me she was the most gorgeous Cinderella ever...not that I'm biased!

BuddyRoe on the other hand didn't like a single costume that we tried on him at the stores. Everything was either too hot - hello, it was in the 90s here for Halloween! - or had a hood/mask which he was not in to! So at the last minute I decided to just cut up a pair of Hubby's boxers and sew patches on to a pair of BuddyRoe's overalls to make him a scarecrow...

I will offer one piece of advice - if you're going to make your small child a scarecrow, don't use real straw/hay! They don't appreciate it and it makes a huge mess!

Not that it really mattered in the long run...Buddy got hold of my can of coke and poured the entire thing down the front of his outfit before we even made it to the first house - so the rest of the night he just went as a half naked baby!

Our plans for the night didn't work out quite as expected, but Aunt A and Uncle M joined us and we had a great time anyway! And we definitely came home with more than enough goodies!

We hope you all had a Happy Halloween as well!

Baby's Got a Big Head

2009-10-16T09:23:00.003-04:00

That's right...I said my baby's got a big head.

BuddyRoe had his 1 year well visit today and the doctor confirmed what many others have suspected (and shared with us) - while BuddyRoe falls in to the 25th percentile for both height and weight, he's up in the 75th percentile for his head circumference! We're going to take that as a sign of extreme intelligence and let it go at that!

All-in-all he is doing fantastic. He weighs 21 pounds 11 ounces and is 29 1/4 inches long. He's not walking yet, but is cruising all over the place so we know the walking will come along shortly. And despite my earlier mentions of "talking" the doctor says that a one time mimic of a word doesn't count :( And even though he is saying 'mama' and 'dada' (over and over and over) because he doesn't really associate those words with us they don't truly count either. So technically, he has zero vocabulary at this point. The doctor said he isn't going to worry about it yet, but if he hasn't developed some vocabulary by his 15 month check up we'll start looking at it a little closer.

He did get several shots today - the standard immunizations for 1 year plus the first of two flu shots (just the regular old flu, not H1N1). He wasn't happy about it while he was being held down, but as usual the minute his daddy lifted him off the table he was done crying and good to go.

So the final verdict of the checkup: We have a healthy, happy boy who is growing bigger and better every day!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Baby Boy

2009-10-14T05:36:00.004-04:00

Where does the time go? I truly can't believe that it's been a whole year since our family was completed. I could write a whole long post about this boy, but I'm already having an emotional time with today so I won't! (I know, I know I'm a sappy mess)

We had been fighting early labor and other complications for five weeks by this point last year and the doctors had finally decided that this was the day that the risks associated with my trying to carry BuddyRoe to term outweighed the benefits. So we headed to the hospital, got checked in and prepared to welcome our little man.

At 11:08 a.m. our wonderful doctor held him up and introduced us to our 5 lb. 9 oz. miracle boy. He was perfect. The neonatologist let me give him a quick kiss before he and Hubby headed out to the NICU.

Even though he struggled for a few days ~ the doctors called him a 'Whimpy White Boy' (apparently that's an accepted medical term because my girlfriend who's a LD nurse said the same thing) ~ we knew how blessed we were. Overall he did so well and was able to come home just 8 days later.

While it took us a few months to get past some of the preemie issues and he gave us more than one heart attack a long the way, looking at him today you would never know of the challenges he faced.

BuddyRoe - from a Mommy and Daddy who love you and a Sissy who adores you...HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!

Celebrating BuddyRoe's Rookie Year!

2009-10-12T05:55:00.000-04:00

Saturday we celebrated BuddyRoe's first birthday (which is actually this Wednesday) with a sports-themed party at the house.

I made the invitations featuring baseball, basketball, football and soccer and asked everyone to wear their favorite team's gear (somehow about half the guests missed that part).

I decorated the tables with equipment from each of the sports I mentioned and then added popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks to round out the centerpieces. I also had mylar balloons for each sport on their respective tables.

We enjoyed a lunch of hotdogs, hamburgers (and all the toppings), chips and typical ballgame drinks ~ soda, gatorade, rootbeer, water.

As a small thank you I attached little papers that said "Thank You for helping us celebrate BuddyRoe's Rookie Year!" to individual bags of cracker jacks with sports stickers.

I promised everyone that I did consider the weather when planning an outdoor party, but how was I supposed to know it would be in the mid-90s in October! It was blazing hot outside, so as soon as we finished lunch we moved all of the presents and cake inside and enjoyed the air conditioning.

I made 5 cakes for the day - yes, I said I made 5 cakes for the day! I made a basketball, a football, a soccer ball and a baseball smash cake for BuddyRoe. I also made a German Chocolate cake for my m-i-l's birthday (which is today - Happy Birthday!).

I can't speak for BuddyRoe, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the smash cake was a success!

BuddyRoe received so many wonderful presents - an awesome homemade toybox, a tv/dvd player for his room, a My Pal Scout, two t-ball sets (one for now and one for a little later), a basketball goal, lots of trucks, planes, tractors, tons of clothes and so much more. And he had plenty of help from BBug, his cousin Boogie, M & W opening all of his presents!

So many of our amazing family and friends came out to help us celebrate, and we couldn't be more grateful. We really are so blessed. To all of you who were there with us, thank you so much for making it such a special day! A special thanks to NahNah, PopPop & Boogie for making the long trek down and to Grandma & Papa Pat for planning their trip around the party!

A Few Updates on BuddyRoe

2009-10-07T19:14:00.003-04:00

An update for those of you who are aware of BuddyRoe's tough week - after a very rough day he seems to be doing much better this evening! We are currently hive-free - although that comes and goes - and his cough has eased off a little for now.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about I'll give you the Reader's Digest version. BuddyRoe has had a sinus/ear infection issue since mid-August. He'll go on various antibiotics, get rid of the symptoms, finish the medicine, come off of it and be sick again 4-5 days later. According to the dr. his immune system just isn't quite up to par yet, but it should get there one day. Well...Days 4-5 came again this past weekend. Monday we headed to the pediatrician's office and got put back on amoxcillin (this is one in a series of four antibiotics that we've been rotating to try to get rid of this junk). When he took his Tuesday morning dose he ending up breaking out in to hives all over. Turns out, he has developed a penicillin allergy. So since Tuesday morning we've been dealing with ear/sinus infections, a terrible cough, sore throat and hives. He's now on Zithromax (instead of penicillin) and Benadryl for the hives and home for the rest of the week. We're just hoping that he feels up to par on Saturday for his big celebration!

Now, in much happier BuddyRoe news...

This past Saturday he both stood on his own and took a couple of steps for the first time! He probably would have kept walking except I screamed so loud that he immediately sat down and started crying. Now Hubby says he won't walk again until he's 15 because he's scared I'll scream at him!

We've also been a little worried about his talking - or lack thereof. Unlike his sister he's been a very quiet child. He doesn't need to use words, so he doesn't. He'll occaisionally use "mama" and "dada" although it's not necessarily directed at either of us. That's been it though - nothing else...until tonight!

Tonight he said "up" when he was finished eating dinner (that's what I always say when I take him out of the highchair) and then I asked him if he wanted to take a bath and he looked at me and said "a bap." Just to make sure we heard right I asked him again, and sure enough he said "a bap" again! I know that in a few months I'll probably be wondering why I ever wanted him to start talking - I know I've had those moments with his siter - but for now we're so excited!

Take Me Out to the Ballgames

2009-10-07T18:25:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we took BBug and BuddyRoe to their very first high school football game. Luckily for us our local high school team has the same colors as our favorite college team - orange & blue! So Friday evening we put on our team colors (well, everyone except BuddyRoe) and headed to the game.

We ran in to our old neighbors whose daughter plays in the marching band, watched the game with our friends B. & K. and their kids, and enjoyed good old fashioned concession stand junk food. We had a great time - until the end.

We decided to leave during the third quarter to beat the traffic and to get home at a reasonable hour. When we got back to our car though we were blocked in! And I don't mean it's gonna take some careful maneuvering to get out blocked in. I mean we aren't going anywhere blocked in. About an hour, and several curse words from Hubby later, we were finally able to leave. Unfotunately our team didn't have a very good end to the evening either - they lost.

Saturday the kids went to Grandma's while Hubby and I headed to a MLB game with our friends Aunt A. and Uncle M. Uncle M. has access to great seats through his work so we were lucky enough to take advantage of those.

Sunday we headed to Grandma's to pick up the kids and enjoy one last day of swimming with the family - including our cousin Kyler. I didn't remember to take my camera so I don't have any pictures, but you can see a few over on Aunt Sheri's page (SAK's 4th Ave).

Now we're just trying to get BuddyRoe well (I'll have another post on that shortly) in time for his party this weekend!

A Walk to the Park

2009-09-30T19:44:00.005-04:00

I promise this post won't be as long as the last!

This evening after dinner we decided to take advantage of the "cooler, fall" temperatures and walk to the park that's a couple blocks from our house. BBug wanted to practice riding her bicycle for an upcoming trike-a-thon at school a.k.a daycare and SweetSweet wanted to go so we put BuddyRoe in the wagon and headed out.

Once we got to the park we let SweetSweet relax for a little bit while we all played.

We let the boys lead the way and took the long way home so that we could enjoy a little bit of quality family time.

Once we got home BBug and BuddyRoe wanted a little more action so they went for a spin in the Jeep (the Barbie Jeep, not our 'real' Jeep).

A Walk to the Park...just another reason I love fall!

And because I didn't have a picture of the fall display for my last post...

Another Fun Family Weekend

2009-09-29T12:14:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was another full of family fun. But what made it even better was that it was also a pretty laid back and relaxing weekend - finally!

Friday afternoon Hubby and I were discussing dinner options for the night and both agreed that we could really go for some Japanese Steakhouse. We're both big fans, but unfortunately the last few times we've tried to go BBug has not been impressed. We decided that since it's been about a year since our last attempt we would give it another go. I got off of work, picked the kids up and swung by to pick up our friend Uncle M at his house. Then we headed to the restaurant where we met up with Hubby and Aunt A (it was closer for them to just meet us there rather than come home and then go back).

Bug still isn't overly impressed - like I've said in the past, she is not a fan of fire at all.

Side note: My daddy actually asked the other day if I was sure she was mine. His reasoning...I've pretty much always been a little fire bug. If there is a box of matches around, I've always been one to grab 'em up and start striking. I don't necessarily need to light anything on fire, just striking the match is enough!

Back to the weekend - BBug wouldn't let me put her down for the first few minutes and when I finally convinced her to sit down she proceeded to climb under the table until the man was entirely done cooking and cleaning the grill! When she finally climbed back in to her seat she decided that she didn't like anything on the plate and decided not to eat at all.

BuddyRoe on the other hand, good heavens to Betsy did that boy eat!! He started fussing when the soup and salad came out. I knew we would have a problem then because there's no way an 11 month old is going to eat ginger salad and Japanese onion soup. I decided to give it a try though, and lo and behold the child ate. it. up! I couldn't get the lettuce and soup in his mouth fast enough. Then he moved on to the main course. Between my plate and BBug's he ate the equivalent of an entire plate of rice, steak and grilled veggies. It was ridiculous!

The funniest part though, by the end of the meal he was so full that he just laid back in the high chair and opened his mouth for more. He would try to sit up but his little (ok, it's really not that little) belly was just too full - he would just fall backward! It was hilarious!

Saturday morning saw us heading to the store for groceries and some fall decor. BBug picked out several pumpkins, gourds and other produce to decorate with. Hubby pressure washed the house and then we got to work. We didn't do a whole lot of decorating, but we were happy with what we did do. I pulled out the summer flowers from around the bird bath and replaced them with mums. BBug was such a big help with all of the yard work! Before we pulled out the old flowers she clipped a few to make an arrangement in her pumpkin.

After we took care of the flowers we set up a scarecrow display in the yard. I saw something similar on another blog (again, I'm really bad about remembering where I see things) and then we put our own spin on it. I didn't get a good picture of it, I'll try to get one tonight - but it's a scarecrow pushing a wheelbarrow full of hay, pumpkins, gourds and another scarecrow sitting in it.

We also trimmed the gardenias and cleaned them up. Hubby, BBug and I had a great time, BuddyRoe wasn't so sure. He isn't a big fan of grass!

While we were working with the flowers Hubby and BBug got a little carried away with the water hose.

Saturday night we just relaxed around the house and watched the UF game, GO GATORS (and we're so glad Tebow is alright!) BBug was so excited. Whenever one of our guys would get the ball and start running down the field she'd yell, "Go son! Go son!" (If you know her daddy you won't have to guess where she learned that!). Then when we scored she'd turn around and holler "Whoo Hoo! I did it!" She was a riot!

Sunday morning we visited a new church. I'll go in to that more later perhaps. It's a whole other story. After church we went to lunch and shopping with Uncle M and Aunt A. Our biggest purchase was for BuddyRoe...He got two new big boy carseats! He has officially outgrown his infant seat. I literally can no longer pick him up in it. And while I'll admit I'm a weakling, it's even getting tough for his daddy to carry!

That's pretty much our weekend in a (long) nutshell. I want to leave you with two recent BBug-isms.

The first was while we were driving to dance the other night.

Mommy: BBug, who made the trees?

BBug: God.

Mommy: Who made the grass?

BBug: God.

Mommy: Who made mommy and daddy and BBug and BuddyRoe?

BBug: God.

Mommy: And who loves us more than anyone in the whole wide world?

BBug: NahNah.

Not the answer I was expecting, but she's kinda right - NahNah does love us an awful lot.

Mommy: Well...NahNah and God!

The other was last night. BBug was running across the driveway barefoot and scraped her toe pretty good. After we came in and got it cleaned up she had this to say...

BBug: Mommy, what ever will I do about my toe?

It was really funny at the time. She sounded like such a prim and proper little lady...Ha!

A Post That Will Make You Say "Mmmm"

2009-09-25T07:29:00.003-04:00

It's time for desserts over at Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" and this is one that I'm so excited for!

I have a lot of desserts that I enjoy making - yes Hubby I do enjoy making them, I just don't have time that often - but I decided to share two today. One that makes me think of summer and one that makes me think of fall.

First, for summertime I have a recipe that our friend Aunt A shared with me. It's divine!

Blueberry Buckle

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar, divided

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1. Beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating mixture well. Add egg and beat well.

2. Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternatively with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

3. Pour butter into greased 8 inch square baking dish. Top with blueberries.

4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1/4 cup butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over blueberries.

5. Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes.

The other recipe makes me think of fall (and I am SO ready for one of these!). It's from my good friend, Betty Crocker!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecake Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!)

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cut in to 16 pieces, softened

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Topping Ingredients (if desired):

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.

2. In blender, place all cheesecake ingredients. Cover; blend on high speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. (Or beat in medium bowl with hand beater 2 minutes, scraping bowl constantly) Pour in to pie plate.

3. Bake about 45 minutes or just until puffed and center is dry (do not overbake). Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mix all topping ingredients. Carefully spread topping over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator.

Enjoy! And (mainly for the grands and aunts on here) here's a new picture of all my Gators!

At least the kids have their eyes open!

Show Us Your Life - Dinner Recipe

2009-09-18T10:12:00.002-04:00

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner - you know, Harper's mom - is continuing her 'Show Us Your Life' tour today with Dinner Recipes.

We have lots of "go to" dinners - you know, the basics like spaghetti, pork chops, stroganoff, chicken and rice - but lately I've been trying out a few new things.

Last week I stumbled upon a recipe for a Spinach Pasta Toss on one of the many blogs I peruse. I'm very sorry to say that I can't remember which blog it was on, so I don't know who to give credit to.

Spinach was one of those things that I always fought with Momma about eating when I was growing up. On the rare occaisions that she made it, the meal would play out something like this...

Me (in the highest, whiniest voice imaginable): I don't wanna eat this, it's gross!!

Momma: Well, that's what we're having. You can eat it now or you can eat it for breakfast. (Yes folks, she would actually save it and feed it to us for breakfast. It was a tough, tough life we led as children.)

Me: But momma, it's gross!! (Don't you love my debating skills?)

Eventually it would end with me holding my nose, taking a bite and gagging the entire time I chewed.

These days, I am voluntarily cooking and eating this stuff - because this recipe is THAT good - and enjoy it so much that I have to share it in case you haven't tried it. So without further adieu...

Spinach Pasta Toss

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup water
1 pkg. baby spinach leaves (about 9 oz. I think)
1 cup three cheese blend

Bring the tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir.
Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or just until pasta is tender.
Add 1/2 of spinach; simmer, covered, 2 min. or until wilted. Stir.
Repeat with remaining spinach.
Top with cheese and serve.

Good or Great?

2009-09-17T20:23:00.002-04:00

In one of my (many) moments of random thought today, I started thinking about which is better - good or great.

Is it better to be good at many things, or great at one thing?

For example, growing up I did a little bit of everything when it came to extracurriculars. I participated in dance, gymnastics, modeling, piano, playing the oboe, horseback riding, soccer (for one VERY bad summer in middle school), cheerleading, baseball (for one VERY bad season when I was six years old), public speaking contests, raising/showing livestock, and more! Like I said, a little bit of it all.

And I was good at most of it (I've already admitted that soccer and baseball definitely weren't my strong suits!).

But would it have been better if I had focused all of my time and energy on just one of those things in hopes of being great at it?

What do you think? Is it better to be good or great?

A Quick Visit With PopPop

2009-09-17T14:11:00.003-04:00

While talking to my mom earlier this week I found out that my dad had some last minute travel plans to our state for work. NahNah wasn't sure where exactly, but she thought it was some where in our general area. So I called PopPop himself and asked for details.

Turns out he was less than an hour away from us and had last night free. So you know we just had to jump in the car after work and head that way for dinner!

BBug was so excited to see PopPop, especially since it meant we got to go to a hotel! That child is in love with hotels. It doesn't matter if they're big, small, fancy or plain - she loves them all! She does not discriminate.

I'm sure BuddyRoe was equally excited, he was just too tired from dealing with this head junk that he has again to properly express his joy.

It was a very short visit, just dinner and a quick stop by the hotel to change a diaper afterward, but it was so nice to see PopPop. The only downside was that NahNah didn't get to join us. Maybe next time!

Unfortunately, between BuddyRoe's not feeling well, BBugs being overly excited and PopPop appearing just a tad overwhelmed (I'm sure it was jet lag - never mind that his flight only spanned one state and lasted probably all of an hour and a half at the most) none of my pictures turned out very well. This is the best I could do...

Where Has Time Gone?

2009-09-14T19:54:00.003-04:00

Look who was 11 months old on Monday!

My how he's grown...where has the time gone?

Another Fun Weekend

2009-09-13T19:53:00.005-04:00

We've had another weekend full of fun.

This weekend started off with another one of BBug's friend's birthday party. It was all set for Saturday morning at a local park that has a fun water feature for the kids to play in. We all loaded up and headed to the park. When we got there it was raining - not too big of a deal, after all it was a 'swimsuit party' anyway and there was no lightning. But there was also NO parking. As a matter of fact, there were lots charging $5 for parking!!

As we drove up I told Hubby, "Wow! Birthday boy draws a crowd!" Turns out there was a political rally going on (2,500 people strong I might add) at the same park! I felt so bad for his poor mom.

Despite the rain and the rally we had a good time celebrating with the Birthday Boy and playing in the water.

Saturday night some of our good friends came over and we grilled steaks and enjoyed the company. While the adults were gabbing after dinner, the kids were all raiding BBug's dress up supplies. It was quite a show!

Sunday saw Mommy, Daddy and BBug heading to the Disney on Ice - Princesses show. We left BuddyRoe at home with Grandma and were on our way. Once we got to the arena that the show was at, BBug changed in to her Cinderella gown and glass slippers. We saw lots of little princesses at the arena!

And we saw all of the "real" princesses too...Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, Belle, the whole crowd was there. Plus Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Tinkerbell!!

The show was really good, and even though she's not a fan of any kind of pyrotechnic and there was a good bit of it BBug enjoyed it all. And true to form from our Disney visit in March, Ariel and Jasmine are still Daddy's favorites (and yes, they are still in the skimpiest outfits!)

All-in-all it was another great family weekend!

Tiny Dancer

2009-09-11T18:59:00.005-04:00

BBug is officially a dancer!

She had her first ballet and tap class Thursday night. Last week was actually the first class, but she had to miss it due to the swine flu.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go to class this week - I had committed to judging a youth speech contest without realizing the date. But Daddy was up to the job! He picked BBug and BuddyRoe up from "school," got them home and fed, got BBug outfitted in her leotard and tights and headed to the dance studio.

BBug had really looked forward to meeting new friends at dance class, but she was in for a surprise. When she got there she found out there several of her old friends (who we haven't seen in a while) in her class!! Including her very first BFF, "Pancake"...

(This isn't the best picture of them but I don't want to show Pancake's face full-on, you know other people's privacy and all that.)

Pancake and BBug have known each other since they were still in the womb. Hubby and I met Pancake's parents during our 'Prepared Parenting' class. Three weeks after we had BBug we went back to the hospital to visit our favorite nurse and ran in to them again (they had just had Pancake). When the girls were a couple months old we went in to daycare one day only to find out that Pancake was in BBug's class! We decided then and there that they were just destined to be friends. Pancake is actually the one who gave her the name "BBug." Pancake changed 'schools' a few months ago and the girls haven't seen each other as much as they used to so it was great to see her at dance!

Like I said before, Hubby did a great job handling Dance Daddy Duty. I was so upset that I was missing her first class I made him promise to take lots of pictures! Now, if you know my husband you know that his definition of lots and my definition of lots are very different! So we actually discussed just what I meant by lots. We sort of compromised - we agreed on about 15 with some video if possible. Well, he didn't get quite 15 but he did get a good bit of video so I was happy. Especially since he did it all while juggling BuddyRoe too! He scored major points!

The video clips are pretty short because he was trying to "sneak" them. See, the parents aren't supposed to be in the room (they don't want the dancers distracted) so he was taking it around the corner and had to jump back when she spotted him.

Here is a short clip of her stretching. She's in the back row, second from the closest end.

I will admit, she's appears to be the "flighty" dancer in class. While the other girls are diligently watching the teacher and working on their pointing, she's looking at the mirror and working on her twirling! But, to be fair it is everyone else's second week and only her first!

Overall, I think she enjoyed it and if I do say so myself (and I do) she's the cutest darn ballerina/tapper I've ever seen!

Pearly Whites at Platinum Prices

2009-09-09T15:22:00.003-04:00

When I picked BBug up from school a few days ago (before the sickness overtook our home) we had the following conversation:

BBug: I busted my teeth today!
Mommy: You what?
BBug: I busted my teeth!
Mommy (looking for blood and/or broken teeth): How did you do that?
BBug: K (another little girl in her class) and I were running and we fell and busted our teeth.
Mommy: What did you and K bust your teeth on?
BBug: The table.

Seeing no obvious signs of trauma I asked Hubby to inquire with the teacher the next morning and see if she had in fact 'busted her teeth'. When he asked her response was "Oh yeah, I wrote up a report about it."

There didn't appear to be any damage - no blood, no loose teeth, no swelling, nothing - we didn't think a whole lot about it. BBug did mention a few times that her tooth hurt, but that was it.

Now, a couple weeks later her left, top, center (got that?) tooth is rapidly turning brown! OK - so obviously she hit it harder than we thought and she wasn't kidding when she said it hurt.

It's time for her 6 month dental cleaning any way so I figured we would kill two birds with one stone. I called the dentist we've gone to in the past - yes, we were one of those by the book parents (ok, I was) who started going to the dentist before the 1st birthday - and they've increased their prices.

They wanted $142! Just to clean her teeth!! No x-rays, no work, JUST CLEANING!! So I called another pediatric dentist thinking that was crazy...

They wanted...are you ready for this...$180!! Again, just for the cleaning. And if I want BuddyRoe to have his first visit/consultation (they do NOTHING, just get him used to the dentist and look in his mouth to make sure there are no glaring deformities) it would be $48!!

Seriously? You want $180 to brush my kid's teeth? Because really, at her age that's all they're doing! And people wonder why there are so many gross mouths out there! Who in the world can afford $180 a piece to get their kid's teeth cleaned every 6 months?

I did finally find a practice of dentists - who I have since heard wonderful things about - that includes a pediatrict dentist (they actually cover the whole spectrum which is nice) who only charges $78 for a cleaning. And when I tried to make an appointment for BuddyRoe they laughed and told me just to bring him in with BBug and they would let him sit in the chair and take a quick look - at no charge!

I know pearly whites are important and I'll pay whatever I have to to ensure my kids' have good health (dental included), but seriously folks? Am I the only one that thinks this is outrageous?

Am I just being cheap? (Hubby, I swear if you say anything about me being cheap I'll have to hurt you!)

A Busy Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T17:49:00.006-04:00

Now that we're all recovered from the flu we jumped right on in to a busy Labor Day weekend.

Saturday, Hubby took the kiddos down to his mom's so we could head to Gainesville and catch up with our old friends, the Florida Gators. See, we have season tickets but because I wasn't allowed to travel at all last season because of my pregnancy with BuddyRoe (we found out about the complications in July and by the second week of September I was in the hospital) we sold them to some friends. So, it's been a while since we've been to BHG Stadium.

We got there and enjoyed a good meal and some laughs with a bunch of Hubby's hunting buddies and then headed in for the main event. I know we pretty much killed Charleston Southern, but I'm gonna give their boys credit - they certainly came out with a lot of heart and gave it their all.

On Sunday our good friends Aunt A and Uncle M came over for dinner. We had ribs and chicken to go along with some lemon pasta that Aunt A heard about on the Pioneer Woman's website. After dinner while Hubby, Aunt A and I were cleaning up (and BBug was playing in her room) we noticed that Uncle M and BuddyRoe had slipped outside. When we looked out back we found the playing on the swingset. We are so blessed to have Aunt A and Uncle M in our lives. They love our kids almost as much as we do and would do anything for them. They also aren't afraid to lay down the law with them (mainly BBug right now) which I love!

Monday found us loading up and heading to our favorite State Park. We met up with Aunt Sheri, Uncle Chris, Kyler, Grandma, and the "Grapes" (great-grandparents). We spent the day riding bikes, going for walks, playing on the playgrounds, eating good - but not so good for you - food, and just being together.

When we made it back to the house and both of the kids were covered in dirt and sweat and sound asleep we knew that it had been a good day!

We had such a good long weekend, and I'm so glad that we're all doing well again! We have a couple big events to look forward to this week as well - BBug has her first ballet and tap class (she missed the actual first week because she was sick) and we're going to Disney Princesses on Ice next weekend!!

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Labor Day Weekend as well!

Beware of Flying Objects

2009-09-03T12:52:00.003-04:00

Things have been flying around here for the past couple of weeks and to be completely honest it's left me just plain wiped out emotionally and physically.

Last Friday hubby went to the doctor because he wasn't feeling 100%. The doctor told him he had the H1N1 flu. By Monday BBug and I had also been diagnosed with it. Yep, that's right the swine flu invaded our house, but thank goodness I think the last of it is about to fly right on out the door. Hubby and I both caught ours very early and with the help of medicine had only a couple days of mild symptoms. BBug on the otherhand wasn't so lukcy. It wasn't really any worse than any of the other big sick events we've had, but we've spent five days now fighting fevers as high as 104.7, bodyaches, headaches, cold sweats, snotty nose and cough. Today has been really good though. Her fever has stayed right at 99.0 - practically no fever at all!

Between watching over her at night, when her fevers tended to rage and BuddyRoe not sleeping well (couldn't tell you what his issue was, the only thing that gets him to sleep is ESPN SportsCenter - thank goodness it's on a lot in the middle of the night!) Hubby and I are sorely lacking on sleep.

Just as things started getting better on the health front, we encountered another flying object - accusations. In a family matter that is much too dramatic, and frankly ridiculous, to go in to on here I was accused of something that I did not do. Not only was I accused, but I was basically ripped apart in a series of lovely emails. There was a part of me that said, "It's not worth it. Just ignore it and let it go, you know the truth." But then there was that part of me, the bigger (or smaller, depending on how you're looking at it) part apparently, that said, "Not no, but heck no! I'm going to defend myself!" Well the whole mess blew up in to an all day war of the words. And to be honest it not only wiped out the last bit of physical energy that I had, but it pretty much depleted my emotional stores as well. .

And as if all that wasn't enough then I realized that time is flying too! My baby's (BuddyRoe) first birthday is just over a month away! It truly seems like just a couple weeks ago that the doctors decided it was time to go ahead and take him, for his safety and mine at 35 weeks. And now, now it's time for me to start getting things together for his first birthday party! We're doing a sports theme - we thought it was only appropriate considering his late night entertainment preferences - and accepting that my days of having little babies are rapidly disappearing.

I told ya folks, things are flying around here and all I want to do is duck and take cover!

Tybee Island, How We Love Thee!

2009-08-24T19:20:00.007-04:00

Warning: Picture Overload Ahead!

Last week we all loaded up and headed to one of my very favorite places - Tybee Island, GA!!

My parents bought a timeshare on the Island the year that I was born and we've been going there ever since. It's a tradition that I definitely want to keep up with my own kids, and have been fortunate to be able to so far! This was BuddyRoe's first trip, but BBug has been there all four of her summers so far!

One of our favorite parts of the Island is that it isn't overly commercial, it's still pretty laid back and low key.

An added benefit to this year's trip was that we got to enjoy it with NahNah, PopPop, Grandma (my grandmother), Uncle J, Boogie, Aunt B, and Aunt B's parents (Mimi & Papa). Don't worry, we didn't all share one condo - we had two (that were two bedrooms each).

While we were there we enjoyed swimming in the pool - there were over 2,700 jellyfish stings reported the first weekend so we pretty much stayed out of the ocean. BBug continued to work on her swimming. She's got all the motions down she just has to get the confidence to try it without her floaties. She and Boogie especially enjoyed playing "1-2-3 Jump!"

We also played in the sand and built sand castles with NahNah. Well, BBug built the sand castles while BuddyRoe ate the sand.

One of the evenings we all met up for a sunset dolphin cruise. Daddy and BuddyRoe stayed behind since it would have been way past BuddyRoe's bedtime when we returned.

Unfortunately we didn't see any dolphins and the sky was overcast so the sunset wasn't the best, but we sure did enjoy the boat ride and the company anyway!

We spent a little bit of time out on the pier fishing with Uncle J and NahNah. The pier is one of Uncle J's favorite places to hang out when we're there - he always catches neat stuff like stingrays and sharks!

NahNah, Mommy & BBug went to the Island's little Marine Science Center one day while the boys were all napping. BBug loved the pufferfish, but wasn't so sure about the gators - don't worry she still LOVES "The Gators" though!

Walks on the beach have always been one of our favorite activities and this year was no exception. We usually met up with Boogie and her crew and shared the fun together!

Other than that - as if that wasn't enough - we just relaxed and enjoyed being silly for a while!

On the way home NahNah and PopPop followed us into Savannah where we visited Riverstreet to get some famous Salt Water Taffy and other goodies and the candy store! We even got to see how it was all made! So yummy!

It was such a wonderful vacation and we can't thank NahNah and PopPop enough for letting us join them each year. Now we're just counting down the days until next August!

Happy Birthday

2009-08-07T09:48:00.002-04:00

Today is my Hubby's 34th birthday!

Our life together hasn't been perfect and things haven't always been easy between us, but it's all been worth it in the end and I am so lucky to have him in my life!

He is an amazing father - I can't stress how blessed I am that I have such a hands-on partner in raising our children. Although his patience may be a little shorter than mine with the terrible 3s, I couldn't ask for a better dad. I mean really, the man can dress a Polly Pocket "Belle" like nobody's business! You can't beat that! Not to mention that instead of asking for a birthday present for himself, he decided to get the family tickets to Disney on Ice Princesses because he knows BBug will love it!

He is a fantastic husband - he even does the dishes and the laundry!! He may drive me absolutely insane sometimes with his crazy songs and idiosyncrasies, but I wouldn't trade him for anything!

He tells me that he has to read this blog so that he knows what we're doing, so - what we're doing today is wishing him a very Happy Birthday!!

A Visit from Cousin H

2009-08-03T19:00:00.004-04:00

BBug and BuddyRoe's cousin H came to visit last week, along with his mommy and daddy (my oldest brother).

BBug (and BuddyRoe although he's too young to say so just yet) LOVES to see her cousins! Uncle C, Aunt C and H just stopped by for a day and a half on their way to the "Big Mouse House" for H's 2nd birthday!

While they were here the kids went to an amazing local park - it's designed so that children of all abilities can enjoy it. There are tunnels and swings designed to accomodate wheelchairs, areas with braile for the sight impaired, features designed for children with autism and so much more. I'm sad that I didn't get to go, but I had to work half of the day and that was when they were there. But I did meet them after the park at an indoor bounce house where we had a pizza lunch and let the kids and Uncle C. play. Unfortunately, no one brought a camera so I have no pictures of that afternoon to share.

I do have pictures of some of the other fun times they had during the brief visit. They went for a ride in BBug's Jeep - which she still won't drive! She loves to ride in it, but won't drive it to save her life.

They read stories with Aunt C.

They played with H's Thomas the Train birthday present.

And we all just enjoyed some good quality family time. We love visits from the cousins and can't wait to see them again!

Oh The Things She Says

2009-08-02T19:48:00.005-04:00

ETA: Apparently the picture below looks like BBug is smoking. She is NOT - this is her version of "blowing kisses".

This weekend was full of "What did she just say?" moments from BBug.

We started out Friday afternoon - as I was getting her out of the truck after picking her up from daycare she looked out the door and said, "Yep, those storm clouds are rolling in."

Friday night we let her sleep on the "couch bed" in the family room and watch movies. Saturday morning Daddy, BuddyRoe and I were asleep in bed (BuddyRoe had kindly agreed to go back to sleep after his 5:45 breakfast bottle) when our bedroom door busted open and we were woken with, "Good morning everyone!! It's sunny outside today!" - in her best cheerleader voice (ie. loud and peppy). She's on a little bit of a weather kick these days.

She spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday with her Grandma, but when she got home Sunday evening one of the first things she told us was, "Hey daddy, did you know Millie's a hounddog?" It's true, Millie is in fact a hounddog.

And when we put BuddyRoe to bed and he was crying she shouted across the house to me, "Hey mom! Tell BuddyRoe to hush, I can't hear a thing with all that racket!!"

Oh the things she says!

A Little Bit of This and That

2009-07-28T20:53:00.005-04:00

I've been pretty lazy about posting lately and tonight's gonna be no different. Sorry! Tonight's just gonna be a little bit of this and that to get caught up and then hopefully I'll be better about posting on a regular basis so the grandmas & aunts will know what's happening around The Woods.

Like I mentioned before, we went to meet our new nephew/cousin, Kyler this past weekend. He was so sweet and BBugs and BuddyRoe loved him! It was amazing to Hubby and I just how big BuddyRoe is compared to him! It's hard to believe that just 9 short months ago, not only was he that small he was smaller!! I guess all that food is working!

While we were visiting we went to a local park to let Aunt Sheri get out of the house and let the little folks play. BBug was kind enough to take BuddyRoe down the slide with her. Everyone thought it was great, except the mom with horrible nerves!!

After that visit on Saturday we pretty much took it easy on Sunday and rested up for the week ahead.

Tonight we all took a walk. I'm so sorry that I didn't have my camera! It was the first time we took BuddyRoe in the wagon and he was not sure about it! By the time we got home he was eagerly reaching up for me to get him out! BBug rode her bike and I was so proud of her. Although she gets distracted easily, I don't know where she gets that from, she rode the whole way - and it was a pretty good distance!

Once we got home she and I set to work on a birthday cake for the specialist of boys - our nephew/cousin H! He turned 2 on Monday and he, his mommy & daddy are coming for a visit tomorrow night! They live a couple states away so it's definitely a treat to get to see them.

While the cake was baking BBug went to her room to play and came out after a few minutes to show me what she had drawn - all by herself - a "C"! I was so proud of her, and very impressed by how neat it was.

My babies are growing up so fast! Not only is BBug starting to write, but BuddyRoe is now "crawling." He's still in the mindset that true crawling is for babies that have carpeted floors, he's sticking to the "commando" crawl. But boy does he get to where he wants to go now!

Again, please excuse my ridiculous voice on here!

Like I said, it's a little bit of this and that but I promise I'll try to be better in the coming days!

Working on Our Smiles

2009-07-24T20:11:00.002-04:00

The Little People in my life have been working on their smiles...

BBug flossing like a good girl!

And BuddyRoe and the "snaggle tooth grin"!

Introducing Kyler (aka Baby K)

2009-07-20T16:46:00.004-04:00

My sister-in-law and her newly expanded family made it home from the hospital today so I was finally able to see pictures of my new nephew Kyler!!

I've also gotten her permission to use their real names on here, so from here on out they will be Sheri, Chris & Kyler!

These are just a couple, I promise there will be lots more after we go see him this weekend!

Isn't he precious!?!

Congratulations again Chris & Sheri!!

A Whole Lot of Not Much

2009-07-20T12:33:00.003-04:00

I said in my last post that we had a full weekend so I would have lots to post about. Well, we did a whole lot this past weekend, and I'm left with 'not much' to post about!

Saturday afternoon was my 10 year high school reunion. I'm not gonna lie to you folks, while there were a couple people that I'm so glad I got to see, for the most part this reunion was not the glory and good times for me that it was for a lot of others. There was a family picnic - which was the only event we attended due to other plans which I'll discuss in a minute - and then folks met up at a local restaurant for food and drinks later that night. I know that the majority of the classmates that were there had a BLAST. And I'm so glad they did!

I think that I've just grown in a much different direction than most of my classmates. I'm certainly not saying that my way is any better than theirs, just very different. And I think that's why I wasn't able to really enjoy it the way others did.

Oh well, such is life I guess!

Our other plans for the weekend were to attend the state Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference, which just so happened to be held in the same small town that I went to high school in. Talk about coincidence!

The Conference was really nice and the company was fantastic! We met new friends and got to catch up (a little bit) with old friends. Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I do have one of Daddy & BBug waiting for one of the sessions to begin and one of BBug during a session making use of the table centerpieces.

Like I said, we did a whole lot this weekend but there wasn't much for me to say about it. Now, next weekend we're going to meet our new nephew, Baby K. And I will have LOTS of pictures of that meeting (as long as that's ok with his mommy & daddy)!

Welcome Baby K

2009-07-17T21:05:00.002-04:00

Our new nephew, Baby K has arrived!

5:27 p.m.

6 lbs. 11 oz.

20 inches long

lots of dark hair

Mommy, Baby and Daddy are all doing well!

Congrats C & S!!

(I don't have pictures yet, I'll post when I get them if it's ok with the new parents!)

A Trip to Check on NahNah & More

2009-07-16T20:36:00.003-04:00

BBug and BuddyRoe's NahNah (my mom) was in a car accident at the very end of June so last weekend we headed up to ATL to check on and visit with her and PopPop. Also visiting at the time were my cousins and some of their kids, so it was a full and crazy house to say the least!

Thankfully NahNah is doing pretty well after her ordeal, the same can not be said for her poor minivan!

While we were there we visited with this one...

This is Boogie, BBug & BuddyRoe's favorite girl cousin. For now she's their only girl cousin. But that could all change in just a few months!

And we had decadent Super-Duper Chocolate Cake for my birthday!

The kids were AMAZING on the 8 hour drive each way. I don't want to jinx myself but they are almost always great travelers! It was a great trip, even if it was a long way in a short time. I am so glad that we got up there to visit, we just don't see them enough!

Now the kiddos and I are looking forward to August when we'll join NahNah and PopPop for several days at the beach!!

Moving on to an unrelated note...

This one turned 9 months old earlier this week! I can't believe how big he's getting. He's eating table foods with every meal ~ his favorite so far seems to be spaghetti! He also started "crawling" on Tuesday. He goes about one crawl and then lays down, but it's a start. He's also talking up a storm and getting SO much personality!

We have another busy weekend coming up so I'll have lots to post about when it's over. And in addition to all of our activities, Aunt S. and Uncle C. will be busy welcoming Baby K to the family tomorrow! Because of some complications he's coming about a week and a half or so earlier than planned so please say a prayer for he and his mommy.

4th of July

2009-07-07T12:02:00.005-04:00

We spent the long Fourth of July weekend at a lakehouse with some friends.

Our family, along with Aunt A. and Unlce M. (some of our very good friends, and one set of BuddyRoe's God parents) traveled over on Thursday night to get settled in. Our other friends, Mr. B. and Miss K. (who are BuddyRoe's other God parents), and their kids M. and W. (got that all straight?) joined us later in the weekend.

I have LOTS of pictures - more than 400 to be exact - but I'm a little wierd about putting up pictures of anyone outside of my family so this post will only have a few.

We spent our time swimming, tubing, skiing, eating, sleeping and relaxing - it was pure heaven!

BBug kept telling us that she knew how to water ski. Whenever Aunt A. asked her where she learned how to ski her reply was, "On the water."

Smart kid, that one!

However, once we got out on the water and Daddy started knee boarding she quickly retracted that statement and told us that she in fact, did NOT know how to ski!

She and BuddyRoe did both go tubing with Daddy though, and they both had a great time. BuddyRoe also went for a dip in the lake - BBug missed out on that because she had been lulled to sleep by the boat ride. BuddyRoe also slept on the boat a lot. As a matter of fact, every time the boat started moving he immediately went to sleep - but as soon as it stopped he was wide awake again!

We also spent a little bit of time fishing from the dock. Uncle M. caught one fish and Mr. B & W. caught another one, but that was it for our luck. Not that we didn't have fun trying though!

One thing that you can be assured of when this group of folks gets together is that we're going to eat well - and this weekend was no exception. We had a low country boil one night and steaks off the grill another! We also made homemade ice cream...yummy! And yes, we even let BuddyRoe try a little bit of everything. He told us that steak and sausage are way better than baby food!

By the time the fireworks rolled around on Saturday night we were all so tired that we just watched what we could see from the picture window in the house. It worked out well enough though since BBug still isn't a huge fan of them!

We went back out on the water for a little while Sunday before we packed up and headed home. It was a great trip and we are so thankful that we were able to take it!

A Long, Lean Growing Machine

2009-07-02T06:57:00.004-04:00

BuddyRoe had his 9 month check-up (and 6 month shots) yesterday and folks, he's a long, lean growing machine!

He is now 18 pounds 12 ounces, 27 3/4 inches long! That puts him in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. The doctor is the one that gave him the distinction of "long and lean."

The great news is that the doctor said he appears to have outgrown all of his "preemie-ness." He also said he's right on track with all of his developmental milestones. He has three teeth now (two on the bottom and one on top), is babbling up a storm, and is trying to crawl - he'll get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth he just hasn't been able to gain forward momentum yet!

The doctor also said that his eating 10 jars of food a day wasn't a problem. He does want us to try to get him to drink a little bit more formula, but after that he said to let him eat as much as he wants. The doctor's orders - "You control WHAT he eats, He controls HOW MUCH he eats!" That's all well and good until you get the grocery bill! The doctor did say he could start eating more 'table' foods, which BuddyRoe appreciates since the menu for this weekend includes steak and a low country boil! (Just kidding - I wouldn't really start him out on shrimp and sausage! His Daddy or his Aunt A. might, but I wouldn't!)

BuddyRoe also got his 6 month (or third set) shots. Again, he was such a good boy. By the time we picked him up off the table he was done crying. He was a little bit fussy yesterday, but more than anything he was sleepy! His normal bedtime is 7:30 p.m. - well last night when I was feeding him dinner at 6:00 he was literally falling asleep in his beef and vegetables! We finally just decided to let him hit the sack early and this morning he's like a new boy!

It's hard to believe it's already been 9 months since he was born. I couldn't imagine that life could get any better than when we had BBug, but having both of them is just about as close to perfect as it can get!

Living the Life of Luxury

2009-06-30T07:13:00.004-04:00

All last week we were down south at our industry's Annual Conference (my company hosts it and hubby is an attendee) which would explain my unusually long absence.

Since hubby and I both have to go we always take the kiddos with us to live the life of luxury for a few days! This year, hubby's sister and mom joined us to help wrangle the wild ones!

I'll post more on what all went on later, but for now - a little sneak peek at what BBug and BuddyRoe were up to all week...

I Told You It Was Good

2009-06-17T19:33:00.003-04:00

The following conversation took place over a dinner of hamburger-helper (cheesey ranch) tonight...

Mommy: Eat your dinner BBug.

BBug: No, I'm sleepy.

Mommy: OK. If you're sleepy you can go to your room and go to sleep.

BBug: No, I'm gonna go play.

Mommy: No, you either go to sleep or you eat.

BBug: I need a favor! Walking over to mommy's side, cupping HER OWN ear and saying "I need a cookie."

Mommy: No cookies. Either eat your dinner or nothing for the rest of the night.

After much continued debate, BBug finally agreed to try ONE bite. As it came close to her mouth she abruptly dropped it and began gagging.

Mommy: Eat your food.

BBug: It's gross!

Mommy: Eat one bite, if you don't like it you don't have to eat it.

Finally one bite makes it in to her mouth...

BBug: It's good!

Mommy: It is good.

BBug (cutting her eyes at Mommy): I told you it was good!

Really? I must have missed that in between the request for cookies and gagging!