Samantha Pridgen

Fashionista

2017-04-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Starting in Kindergarten, it used to be that getting Roxy ready in the morning was a challenge (Editor's Note: It still can be, just not as often). There were empty threats, bribes, tears, and screaming. Just to get dressed and get her hair fixed.

Roxy started second grade this year and I finally gave up and started letting Roxy pick out her own clothes for the day. I'm sure that doesn't gain me any Mom points, but it really made my life a little easier in the morning. Add in the hair relaxation that Roxy gets every couple months and our mornings, although still hectic, a little easier.

The pictures below are some of Roxy's outfits from this year. She says she is going to be a fashion designer so you can see some possible fashion choices that may be on the market in about 20 years or so.

Wild, Wild West Tour {2017}

2017-04-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Spring break is here and I am desperately missing my week's vacation in wonderful, warm, sunny Florida. I don't know if its the changes at work recently or the change in Kentucky weather from 80 degree days to 45 degree days, but I am out of sorts and wishing I had my butt on the beach right now.

We opted to try something different this year. Our beloved Naye and Pap want to show Roxy the western part of the country so we decided to do a ten-day road trip and see some western states this year. The only bad part of that plan is that I have another nine weeks before I get my ten day vacation.

I'm super excited about this trip. For a girl that's never been west of the Mighty Mississippi, its finally going to happen.

We are starting out from here in Kentucky and will go through Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona. We are going to take the famous Route 66 for at least part of the trip. Pairing that with the national parks along the way and we are going to be seeing so many amazing sights! Its going to be overload.

The two things that I am most prepared for are taking lots of pictures (hello, 64gb memory card!) and journaling what we see and do each day.

What I'm not prepared for is attempting to pack for ten days and only use a backpack. There are going to five of us in an eight-seat vehicle along with our suitcases/backpacks, a cooler, and all the other miscellany that comes with traveling with a young child.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! How to pack, what to see, must-dos, must-not-does...

Long Time, New Diagnoses

2017-03-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

Once again, I'm waiting way too long between posts. I'm hoping that with the update of the blog along with the new domain name, I can get back in the game and you'll hear from me more often.

One of the biggest things that has happened around here lately is Roxy's ADHD and ODD diagnoses. We noticed some behavior issues at home that were only worsening and then the same issues started at school. When I was told that our barely 7-year-old could be suspended from school, I knew we had to do something.

A good friend recommended a therapist and we decided to start there. We spent almost an hour going over the issues we'd noticed as well as about a thousand other things that I never linked to our problems. In the end, the therapist said ADHD with ODD.

Therapy has been helping tremendously. We are trying to stay away from medication right now and see how far we can get with therapy, diet changes and reinforcement at home.

I'm sitting on the couch where I just finished compiling lists of books for both me and Roxy. Mine are all about ADHD and ODD and how to parent an ADHD/ODD child. Roxy's are about dealing with anger and making friendships, two of her biggest issues.

If any of you reading this are or have dealt with ADHD, please give a fellow mama any advice, tips, or suggestions you might have. At this point, anything will help!

~S

Catching Up

2016-11-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

Wow, peeps! Its been a looooong time since I've posted here. Sorry about that. Things happened and I just didn't get here.

Here's a few highlights in photographs:

Roxy realized the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. "Hi, my name is Roxy. I have a lot of stuff."

Roxy helped me cheer on the 2015-2016 Kentucky Wildcats by writing down the cheers so I wouldn't forget them when she had to go to bed before the games were over.

We enjoyed a couple family snow days when we got about a foot of snow.

The Mighty Miracles placed first in our March for Babies campaign for the 2015 year and I was the #5 fundraising walker who raised over $1,000.

Roxy was awarded the Writing Award at school. We are so proud of her continued success!

We enjoyed our annual vacation to Inverness, Florida. Mongo and I went on an air boat ride and Mongo held an alligator. She also proceeded to kiss the alligator before we left.

Roxy's art work was featured as part of a school wide art show.

We treated Roxy to her first manicure as a reward for her excellent work in school.

My cousin, Ashley, said "I do" to "the one." Very happy to be able to share her special day!

Roxy participated in her first grade play "Bugs" and had a speaking part.

Our 2016 March for Babies was a success!

First grade came to end. Our little girl became a second grader!

Roxy's first ballet recital was a success!

Roxy had her tonsils and adenoids taken out. Luckily, we all survived! PS - Not all kids will eat ice cream all day for three days and be fine. Roxy complained that ice cream hurt. Her preference was slushies and Chester's puffed corn.

Summer photos of my favorite girl in one of her favorite locations.

A family trip to Jurassic Quest was a lot of fun. Roxy couldn't help but choose to be different. "I want to be on my head" she said.

Our pre-second grade mini vacation was a lot of fun. We started in Bowling Green and drove back through the country roads of Kentucky stopping at all the Abraham Lincoln attractions along the way. At the Abraham Lincoln Homestead National Park, Roxy was sworn in as a junior ranger.

The first day of second grade.

We took a family mini vacation to Opryland Hotel in Nashville. We spent three days there and never left the premises!

Roxy had a frighteningly good 7th birthday! Our favorite ghoul is immersed in all things Monster High so we celebrated her day in a freaky fangtastic way.

Mommy and Mongo celebrated Mongo's birthday watching our favorite boys at Big Blue Madness. The coming season is going to be loads of fun to watch. Thank goodness its basketball season again!

Roxy wrote her first short story complete with a three paragraphs, a beginning, middle and end, and 114 words.

So now that you're all caught up on the past 14+ months of our life, here's hoping I can keep this a little more up-to-date!

Its a Great Day {To Turn 6}

2015-09-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

It is still unbelievable to me that my baby girl who turned our world on its head is six years old. It is true that time stops for no one and it does seem to get faster each year.

Roxy picked her theme again this year. INSIDE OUT. I loved the idea, but I worked from what I found out about it from Roxy because I missed the movie day with Mongo and Naye. I still have yet to see it, but am anxiously awaiting its DVD release in November.

It was a super fun day filled with lots of emotion, cake, candy and a few of Chinese princesses.

First Day of First Grade

2015-09-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Not only was Roxy set to begin first grade this year, but she had to switch to a bigger school, too. I was worried that she would be upset, but she proved me wrong.

Can you tell how excited she is?

Trip for Two

2015-07-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

We just got back from a three day trip to the Outer Banks and it was a blast!

Russ' best friend and his fiancee planned a wedding on the beach in Nags Head and since Russ was the best man, we decided to add a couple days and make a mini-vacation out of it.

After a gorgeous beach wedding, we were up for two days of great friends, great food, and lots of fun!

We started Sunday morning by catching a gorgeous sunrise over the ocean and walking the beach collecting shells for Roxy, who was home hanging with Mongo, Naye and Gigi while we were gone.

Russ and I joined up with the newlyweds and headed to Duck to shop, lunch and visit the Currituck Lighthouse.

Lunch at The Blue Point

The next day, we strolled the beach at sunrise and visited Duck Donuts to start the day off, a little shopping for me, beach time for Russ, and then we met up with the newlyweds for dinner and music before we headed home the next day.

Dinner and drinks at Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar while listening to Jessie Taylor, who was also Jessica and Rob's wedding musician.

We absolutely hated to leave, but were glad to be home, too. This little face was the best part:

If you're headed to the Outer Banks area, we strongly suggest these places:

American Pie - Best pizza EVER!
Blue Point Bar & Grill
Lucky 12 Tavern
Duck Donuts
Peppercorns
Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar
Booty Treats

Kindergarten Wrap Up

2015-06-02T16:48:00.002-04:00

Roxy finished Kindergarten on May 28th. It definitely felt like the end of an era. She's been at her current school for three years: two in preschool and then Kindergarten. In addition to starting first grade, she'll be learning the ins and outs of her new school. Things are always changing!

We really got to see Rox grow up this year. She got her first (and second and third) pairs of glasses, new inserts for her shoes and was discharged from speech therapy. We all had to deal with the hurtful things that kids say (I still can't wrap my head around the fact that they start so young now!). We worked on sight words and math worksheets.

We all thought Rox was super smart before she started Kindergarten, but throughout the year, she proved how smart she is. She schooled Russ and I a few times! We are especially proud of her accomplishments. Here is Kentucky, the kids are tested using MAP tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year. Roxy's MAP score in reading improved 24 points over the year and her literacy level went from EL3 to EL16. We were so proud to see her receive the Extra Effort award at her awards ceremony and even more so to learn that she had won awards in her classroom for Highest Reading Level and Highest MAP Reading Score in her class. She also brought home the award for silliest.

Russ and I agree that the love of reading comes from me and the silliest comes from him!

We can't wait to see what the next year brings for our munchkin! One thing that is sure to stay the same is her love for all things Frozen!

Weekend Wrap Up

2015-03-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thankfully, we had a very low key weekend.

We had dinner out as a family on Friday night at Roxy's new favorite place, the buffet at KFC. Afterwards, Mongo came down and we went to Uncle Michael and Aunt Stacey's to deliver B's birthday gifts. Roxy was sick with a virus the weekend of her party so we didn't get to attend.

It was nice to see the girls playing together so well. When we got there, B couldn't decide who she was more excited to see. She kept alternating her squeals between "Roxy" and "Momo" and we all got lots of hugs.

Not only was Saturday our normal "Mongo" day, but it was also game day. Some had labeled it the biggest game of the season for our Kentucky Wildcats, but it didn't turn out to be much of a contest. Roxy spent most of the game practicing her archery. She's determined to be like Merida.

Sunday was our lazy day. We did our usual church and lunch with Gigi and then headed back to the house for quiet time. Roxy napped while I worked on lists for our upcoming March of Dimes fundraisers. After Roxy woke up, she and Russ headed to the pool to burn off some energy.

All-in-all, it was a quiet weekend. I felt like I was able to get a little recharged.

Mighty Miracles

2015-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Two posts in two days? Maybe getting back into the groove won't be so hard!

Last night, the Mighty Miracles were awarded with plaques recognizing us as the #2 top family fundraising team for last year's March for Babies. Out of the $45,000 raised by family teams, we raised $3,900. Not too shabby at all.

The awards ceremony and kick-off was held at the newly opened Malibu Jack's. We had such a great time enjoying our free go-cart ride. It was Roxy's first! I loved hearing her "Wahoo" as we rounded corners and then she threw her little arms up like you would on a rollercoaster.

It was truly a great way to finish off last year and get us all geared up for this year's campaign. With that being said, I am proud to unveil our 2015 Mighty Miracles' t-shirt design (complete with matching ball cap to match the baseball theme)!

Mommy's Snow Day

2015-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

How has it been almost six months since I posted? Looks like Mommy took a few too many snow days from the blog!

Last week, we were hit by snow (as was most of the country) and it resulted in a "Mommy Snow Day" thanks to a local travel ban.

Roxy and I spent the day together watching her favorite PBS shows and playing lots of dress up. We bundled up to go play in the snow a couple times. That was by far the most fun of the day!

Roxy loves to play in the snow. We made snow angels, attempted snow balls and gave up on trying to make a snowman out of the powdery mess that would not form a ball for anything. Playing outside with her was my favorite part of the day, too - listening to her "Wahoo" as she threw snow up in the air so she could catch it on her tongue, watching her walk through piles of snow up to her knees.

Having a fun day at home with my munchkin definitely gave me an appreciation for the winter weather that resulted in a day off work.

Roxy Turns 5!

2014-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

It is absolutely unbelievable that Roxy turned 5 on September 5th. It doesn't seem like so long ago that we were watching her in an isolette and only barely able to touch her hand. Our preemie princess has shed all signs of her prematurity and is enjoying the delights of Kindergarten!

For Roxy's party this year, we went with a Frozen theme as did so many other parents! Roxy seems to be in Elsa mode all the time and we all know the words to Let It Go because we've listened to it at least 1,578,324 times.

I came up with lots of grand ideas thanks to Pinterest. (You can see my board here.) Thankfully, for the activities, I decided to try them at home first and found out that they didn't work before it became a #PinterestFail at the party.

Let's start with the invitations. During a quick trip to check out Michael's clearance section in July, I found some fancy invitations, think wedding, and they were marked down to $4.99. A steal by any means, but they were a red sticker and 75%.

The final product:

For the party, I tried to keep it simple. We had Frozen-themed snacks, balloons and a backdrop.

Our menu consisted of Olaf Noses (cheetos), Sven Antlers (pretzels), Kisses to Melt Frozen Hearts (mini milk chocolate chips), Marshamallow's Snowballs (marshmallows), Troll Rocks (two variations - no bake cookies shaped like rocks and sausage balls), and Snow Cap Punch (blue Hawaiian punch, 7 Up and ice cream). To keep the Frozen theme going, we had an ice cream cake in lieu of regular cake and ice cream.

Roxy's outfit was super simple this year. Since we own approximately 11 different Frozen shirts, I picked one of our favorites, put her in a coordinating sparkle skort and finished it with her Frozen shoes (gift for her birthday) and an Elsa bow.

The treat bags were easy peasy, too. I started with a Frozen cup for the girls and TMNT cups for the boys. Then we added a Scentos marker for the older kids and a smushy piggy bank for the toddlers and babies. We made homemade Frozen sparkly playdough and added in Frozen and TMNT tattoos. The last item we added were popsicles for a very "frozen" treat. I think the kids were happy with their bags.

We snacked, ate cake, played with balloons...a LOT, and had a blast. Roxy had two of her cousins spend the night with her and finished the day off with a sleepover and some time in the pool.

Another fun and successful birthday party in the books! Can you tell we were most excited about that part?

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism Review

2014-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

My 31 for 31 list has been moving rather slow. I'm losing weight, but its a slow process. I've ordered one of the four photo books that I need to be caught up to the current year and I did manage to see Gary Allan this year thanks to an awesome and free concert.

I need to get the lead out!

My weight loss total as of today is 22.2 pounds. When I knew I had to start doing something back in December, I weighed in at 202 pounds. The scales read 179.8 this morning.

I started doing Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout on January 13th to aid in my weight loss adventure.

AMAZING!

When I first began, I was huffing and puffing by the end of the warm up circuit. I never made it past the halfway mark the first week. This past week I have pushed myself to do the full workout from warm up to cool down three times. By Saturday, I hope its five times.

At first, I was a little reluctant. Even though I am not a Biggest Loser fan and have never watched the shows, I have heard the negative comments that have circulated around Jillian. I was not expecting the motivational Jillian on the program.

The workout is pretty high impact with a nice core circuit thrown in the middle to give you a small breather.

I found this list on Amazon of what exercises are in each circuit:

Warm up: Arm circles, Toe touches, Arm swings, Jogging. Repeat.

Circuit One (Kickboxing): Squatting side kicks on right side, Alternating punches while squatting, Squatting side kicks on left side, Jab-cross-hook-elbow boxing move, Alternating front kicks. Repeat.

Circuit Two: Burpies (drop to plank position and jump up), Plie hops, Punch-hop combination, 180-degree jumps, Single-leg hops. Repeat. IF YOU CAN SURVIVE CIRCUIT TWO, YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THIS WORKOUT.

Circuit Three (Old school Calisthenics): Butt kicks (jogging with heels hitting gluts), High knees (jogging with knees high in front of body), Jumping jacks, Oblique crunches on right side, Oblique crunches on left side. Repeat.

Circuit Four (Floor work): Mountain climbers (striding while in plank position), Lay face down on floor and lift chest and thighs simultaneously, Pike crunches, Oblique twists, Walking plank. Repeat.

Circuit Five (Kickboxing): Swing kicks, Uppercuts (upward punches while squatting), Back kicks, Jab-cross punches while squatting, Knee crunches. Repeat.

Circuit Six: Jump squats, Cross-country skiing, Scissor kicks, Side skaters, Standing mountain climbers. Repeat.

Circuit Seven: Mobiles (twisting jumps), Standing pikes (standing ab crunch), Knee crunches on the right side, Knee crunches on the left side, Jump rope (without actual rope). Repeat.

Stretch. Lasts about five minutes.

The author of that list is absolutely right - if you can make it through that second circuit, you are golden. The rest of the workout will be easier. The first week I did the program, that circuit ended my workout every night.

I love this workout. I really like Jillian Michaels' method of teaching and leading and I plan to (hopefully) start her 30-Day Shred soon. Time to mix it up a little!

Between doing this workout three or four times a week and adding some stationary biking on off nights coupled with paring down the number of calories I eat each day has really boosted my weight loss. I have never been this successful before.

2/6/14

Only 8 more pounds to reach my 31 for 31 goal. Only 28 to reach my goal weight!

#6 - See Gary Allan in concert. (31 for 31)

2014-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this post by saying that if you are not a Gary Allan fan, you may feel a little bombarded by the photos and video...

A couple weeks ago, a friend from college who shares a love of all things Gary Allan told me about a free concert just a half-hour away. To say that I was stoked would be an understatement. I had not seen Gary Allan in concert since about 2010. I was long overdue!

There were many obstacles to overcome to get there between the weather and work schedules, but at 12:30 p.m. on February 5, 2014, my girls, Jenn and Ashley, and I were headed to Lexington to see my favorite musician.

We met up with my college friend, Kelly, when we got there. We spent the afternoon catching up and listening to the opening act.

As we were making our way to the stage, we started talking to some other concert-goers who had been at the bar even before we were. As we were chatting, one of the girls said she was leaving and we could have her spot. She was right against the stage!! That made my night. I was front and almost center to see my favorite musician of all time. I've seen him eight times and never have I been so close! There is a lot to be said about small, intimate performances at bars...

Gary Allan tweeted this photo on Instagram and as you can see, it has me in it!!

The playlist - Songs About Rain; Man to Man; Right Where I Need To Be; Smoke Rings in the Dark; (Sand in My Soul); Airplanes; Her Man; It Would Be You; (It Ain't the Whiskey); and Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)

Love him!

See how close we were! (This is my favorite picture of the night)

After the show, we had to show off the picks that we got straight from the stage.

And last, but certainly not least, here is a video that one of my new concert friends took that night of Gary singing "It Ain't the Whiskey":

Blast from the Past {Photo Book}

2014-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of my goals for this year is to design and order photo books for 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Well, we can mark 2010 out. Thanks to a birthday credit at Shutterfly and 20% off, I was able to get one photobook on the way for $12!

In 2010, Roxy was an infant, we celebrated her first birthday, and we moved to a new house! It was crazy looking back on some of these photos and it made me remember some things that I had forgotten about :)

Enjoy:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

Merry Christmas!

2013-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since I've posted so I wanted to share some of these fall photos we had taken of Miss Roxy:

I hope each and every one of you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! Stay safe and have fun this holiday season!

Homemade Halloween

2013-10-28T11:01:00.003-04:00

Roxy wanted to be a Bubble Guppy for Halloween. As is usually the case, she couldn't just be a Guppy. She had to be Molly from "Pencil Case".

This meant that this year would be the first year that we made her costume ourselves. Mongo and I got busy and are pretty pleased with the final result. It doesn't hurt that Roxy was beyond thrilled with the costume and has wanted to wear it every day since we made it!

Here is Roxy's first performance as Molly:

Party Like a Bubble Guppy!

2013-09-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Roxy turned four last week and this weekend we celebrated. Russ and I opted to have a small, family-only party at our house this year. We kept it simple by going old school - cake and ice cream only. I think this was by far my favorite party we've given and I was able to visit, circulate and enjoy the day.

Roxy is really into Bubble Guppies right now so that was our theme. Unfortunately, and much like her Imagination Movers party, there aren't any decorations available. I did find some on eBay, but I draw the line at paying over $10 for a plastic tablecloth.

I made the invitation myself using PicMonkey and Bubble Guppies images found online. We printed them at Walmart.

I found this pin on Pinterest and knew that it would be the perfect backdrop for the cake table. We mixed it up a little:

This was the focal point of the party and the only decorations we had minus the balloons on Roxy's present-opening chair. To incorporate the Guppies, I printed the characters out in color and just carefully cut them out. We taped them "swimming" on the background.

To complete the decorations, I let Roxy pick out a coordinating tablecloth and we picked up some fun coordinating chevron plates and napkins. I used some of Roxy's Bubble Guppies toys and a fun-framed photo of Roxy from last week's photography session.

My mom and I found a Bubble Guppies cake topper on eBay and decided to make our own cake and cupcakes.

And lastly, Roxy's birthday outfit featured her most favorite Guppy of all: Molly!

Unfortunately, the Molly outfit didn't last long. Roxy decided she would prefer to be Princess Merida at her party rather than a Guppy.

Happy Birthday, Roxy!

2013-09-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Time has flown and now my tiny baby girl is a BIG girl. She turns 4 at 8:09 a.m. this morning.

Happy Birthday, Roxy!

WW: Where's Roxy?

2013-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Throw Back Thursday #TBT

2013-08-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I ran across some old photos while going through a load of floppy disks (you remember those, right?). Since its Thursday, I thought it was perfect for a #tbt post!

Here are some photos from my much younger days:

1. My best friend's bachelorette party. This was September of 2004, I believe.

There may have been ~~a lot~~ some flirtation with the waiter by three of the four of us. This was followed up by an old-school type sleepover with lots of gifts and laughter.

2. In July, 2005, my best friends were Spike (left) and Barry (right). This was the first party we hosted. Can you tell that it was luau-themed?

Yes...that is a bikini...and coconut shells...and dyed until it was dead blond hair. Good times!

3. Back in 2003, I scored my first real big-girl job. I started in September and by October, I was traveling to Natural Bridge to go to a board meeting...you know, to do the secretary thing and take notes.

Isn't the red hair fantastic! Wish I had the guts to do that one again!

#FirstDayofSchool

2013-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Roxy started her second year of preschool yesterday. It was her last first day of preschool. Next year, she'll move on to kindergarten. So amazing how quickly she's growing up.

On Monday afternoon we went to her Back-to-School Bash. She was super excited to see her teachers and one classmate who she refers to as her "boyfriend." Her only complaint was that they moved her classroom. Leave it to my child to complain about getting a new room twice as big as the old one with more toys and windows to see sunlight!

Before bed on Wednesday night, I let Roxy pick out her outfit for the first day all by herself. I have to admit, I was very happy with her choice!

She was so excited on Thursday morning. About every five minutes or so she would ask if she could get dressed yet. Finally, I was ready and it was her turn. We got dressed, measured her height on the wall (a tradition we started last year), grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. (Side note: She's grown about five inches since the first day of school last year!)

When we arrived at school, Roxy danced her way into the building and waited impatiently for me to sign in. We walked/jogged back to the gym for dropoff. As soon as we neared the gym doors, she let go of my hand and began to run toward the teacher assistant from last year. She gave her a hug and started talking excitedly. I barely got a glance from her before I headed out the door.

I cried last year when I left; this year I couldn't help but smile. I can't wait to see what preschool teaches my girl this year. (Above left is her on the last day of school in May, above right is the first day . Needless to say, this little girl loves her dresses!)

Her favorite part of the day? "We played in centers. I did science! And then we played with play dough."

Happy Monday, Y'all!

2013-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

So many things have happened since I last posted...two months ago!

Russ lost his father on August 10th so we made the trip to South Carolina last week for the memorial service and to visit with family. It was very quick and very unexpected. Poppa will be missed!

While we were in South Carolina, Roxy spent the time at home with her Mongo, Naye Naye and Gigi. It was the first time I've ever left her longer than overnight and to say that it was hard on both of us is an understatement.

Roxy's had her first big fall down a staircase which scared her and Gigi and everyone else half to death. She's had a couple of swimming lessons.

Her dysfluency has returned. We are anxiously awaiting preschool to begin again so that she will start speech therapy again. I think it relates to the anxiety and stress she felt when she found out we were leaving her for a few days. That seems to be when it started getting really bad again.

Right now, we're trying to settle back into the school routine. Roxy starts again on Thursday so it'll be earlier bed times and stories of new friends.

Happy Monday, y'all!

PS - You can now follow me on Instagram.

Digging Into Reading

2013-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of the activities that Roxy and I are participating in this summer is our local library's "Dig Into Reading" program. The program allows you to keep a reading log from the first week of June until the first week of August. For each entry you make, you get a chance to win prizes. This year's prizes are an iPad 2, a $200 gift card to Kroger or a $200 gift card to Toys-R-Us. Roxy and I are reading away to get as many entries as we can. We'd love to have an iPad at our house!

I have a list going of books I want to read. So far, I have approximately ten to fifteen books on my list. I hope I can make it through them all!

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. This book was only released yesterday and I am already halfway through. I love both of these authors and was highly anticipating the release.
Reflected in You by Sylvia Day. Next in the Crossfire series.
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts. Who doesn't love a good romance by Ms. Roberts?
Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger. Again, a sequel.
Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. A few friends on Goodreads have read this one and its on the NYT bestseller list so I figured it would be worth a try.
The Black Box by Michael Connelly. I love mystery and suspense!
Mouth-to-Mouth & The Pregnancy Test both by Erin McCarthy. These just jumped off the shelves at me when I was perusing at the library.
Breath of Scandal by Sandra Brown. Romance and suspense? Sign me up!
Forever Black & Forever You by Sandie Lynn. Another series that looks promising.

Do you have any suggestions for me? I'm always on the lookout for something new to "dig" into.

Blessed.

2013-06-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

My parents divorced when I was twenty. Although it wasn't easy, it was for the best. I was old enough to understand that.

One of the silver linings to my parents' divorce is my stepparents. My mom married Owen seven years ago. My dad married Donna just a week ago. With both stepparents, my brother and I gained people who care about us and our parents. Plus, we gained two sisters, a brother-in-law and a nephew (arrival in October). Not to mention a whole bunch more love and support! We are truly blessed to have these additions in our lives.

A few photos from the small, but gorgeous wedding last weekend:

Roxy and BooBoo playing on her new swing

The whole bunch of us!

How adorable is this?

The Pridgens

Roxy wearing her best princess smile.

Roxy with Mommy and Daddy

I wish Dad and Donna all the happiness in the world. You two are so perfect together.

**A special thanks to Tara Toole Photography who provided the photos from the big day!**