Sugar and Spice of Our Life

in a nut shell (literally and figuratively)

2011-09-08T16:37:00.000-04:00

OK, so yes... I realize I promised another post soon... but ya know, I try to make it happen, and then it just doesn't... SO SORRY! I've completely accepted that I've lost the only few readers I had! But, for the one Sugar and Spice die harder out there hanging on to dear life having faith in me and my blogging, there is good news!! Unlike all my other 'catch-up posts' this one will be short and sweet... NOTHING like my others! I need to get my feet wet again and get in the hang of this again!
I can't even begin to explain all the ins and outs of what's been happening since my last post- it definitely would not be the "short and sweet" post mentioned above!
Needless to say, the 'cliff's notes version' of the last 2 months are as follows:
~we have been doing some things to the house
~the girls have started back at school
~they are both in ballet...

~I have started back at school too, in Grad school at that...ugh!

Oh and not to mention, for the past two months while we were having work done to the house, we have been living with... drum roll please... do I dare to even say it... yes, we have been living with this...

(I think the quality of the picture adds more dramatic affect so I'm rollin with it!)

...OUR IN-LAWS!!!

So basically, need I say any more!?

LIFE...

2011-06-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

...if only it were just as easy as swapping cards and placing blue and/or pink pegs in a car... or as easy as a picture on the beach makes it seem...

Christmas, New Years and Easter for that matter have all come and gone since my last post on {Christmas Eve, Eve}, but now I am back on to blogging... well, hopefully for now at least!
I would love to say this would be a short little 'catch up session, but you and I know better... but I will try and be as short and sweet as possible so I do not jump in head first and knock myself out, ruining all chances of me not coming back and blogging for a while... again... and more importantly run off those few that have actually stuck around having faith in me returning! THANK YOU TO THOSE WONDERFUL BELIEVERS!!
So, here goes a snapshot of what we have had going on...
(listed only in the order I pull them out from the deep, dark, dusty, corners of my mind)
*Chayse has several food "sensitivities" which is causing her terribly itchy eczema (this in an of itself is an entire post- for possibly another day...)

~ she reacts more so from eggs and milk, and especially from peanuts
~ she is also pretty allergic to gary... the diabetic cat that won't seem to parish anytime soon

*I want to just kick him to the curb, but to appeal my husband, and the girls seem to obsess over him too- i'll just settle for keeping the cat and replacing all the carpet with hard wood floors and having a maid come and clean frequently to remove all cat hair and dander...
this is what he leaves behind during the months he is shedding badly...

UGH!! it haunts me...
I can graciously and willingly bring him by someone's house if anyone needs any motivation to clean their home!!
Basically... one day, when I stop stressing about her allergies, I will thank Chaysie for her eczema in helping persuade Ryan to get a housekeeper, and getting rid of our awful carpet! although... this has been since February, and nothing has been done yet, so... basically... we shall see if we get rid of anything other than disgusting floating cat hair I guess...?
Moving right along-
* Ryan has started working for a Utility company- a random change from banking, I know!
* He also managed to hold the fort down while I enjoyed a wonderful -and well needed- gals trip with crazy cath (my mom) and babugs (the sis)

* Maybe Ryan handled my absence so well knowing we were headed to the beach once I got back home...

-on a side note... I'm obsessed with this photo! I love it! oh, and the one with me in the middle of them (shown at top of post)

*And I have to mention Easter since it too has already come and gone...

aren't their Easter outfits beautiful!?
And no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, the things you think are sticking out of Chayse's Easter basket, are actually things she is wearing... yes, those are balls sticking out of her head, wings on her back, pajamas (inside out) and minnie mouse high heals...
But I will say, she pulls it off very well!

*And Sloan is quite the negotiator- she seems to get her way more frequently than not- so when it comes to the outfits she picks out... I just let her do her thing. She has gotten so big and I feel she has grown so much in the past couple months... and I could not possibly do her justice in a couple sentences, or even a blog post, but I will definitely try in a post dedicated to her soon...
Most recently she had her end of the school program...

and has since confirmed she is obsessed with singing, dancing, and doing whatever it takes to try and entertain anyone who will listen, watch or give her any sort of attention... (which she is sooo deprived of!!)
~please note the sarcastic tone~

*Chayse has become such a big girl now, and is sleeping in her "big girl bed"...

or at least, she starts off there- and ends up somewhere else at times...

although, for the past 2 nights, she has decided to forgo the idea altogether and sleep with Sloanie... which I can not get enough of... they are soo adorable!

~Sorry for the quality of some of these- they have come from my phone~

Nonetheless, Chayse too, will have to have her own post as well, as I have so much to say about both of those precious little things!

*And as for me...
I have...
~ been accepted into graduate school (WHAT AM I THINKING!?)
~ dug up 1/4 of our yard to plant a ridiculously large garden... again, (WHAT AM I THINKING?!)

(please take note... Crazy Cath actually has a roto-tiller and was super excited about hauling it over to prepare my new over-sized garden!)

(I promise it's starting to look much better now that everything is sprouting)

Anyway... back to the basics:
I'm also...
~ driving myself crazy with chayse's allergies (not her fault that I am completely obsessing with them!) Can you tell, since I have already mentioned them.
~ landscaping for our mountainous yard to{FINALLY}become FLAT in just a couple weeks!!! (there will hopefully be a post on this entire process...and the before's and after's...)
~ trying to figure out a way to get our house to miraculously become clean and organized
~ daydreaming of the time I will find time to ever blog again (I don't know yet if this post is just my wishful thinking... or if I will hopefully get some pictures loaded on here, and be able to post it!) hopefully the latter of the two will happen, and you will be reading this thinking, "she takes after her mom, and her name should be crazy cam" But that's OK... I get that A LOT!
~ going crazy and obsessive about pinning on Pinterest (this one is actually the time killer and could actually become very DAN-GER-OUS!) It's a must for everyone and anyone who frequently looks for ideas on the internet...
~ and, as if my mind is not overwhelmed enough just from these few things I've listed... we have a huge event within just days that I feel as if I am definitely going to be letting down one pumped up little girl....
SLOANIE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY IS EXACTLY ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!??? AND I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PLANNED!!! (it would probably not be a very big deal if I had just told her we were going to just do something small... but no... of course I told her we would have a party, and she keeps reminding me of this every day!!) - stay tuned for how that pans out!

As for the rest of the crew... everything is pretty much the same ole same... except of course, I could not have an update without...

wait for it....

here's a hint....

you guessed it!

...I could not have an update without Jim being involved in the post!

Besides being the number one fan of CBA Pharma, Jim has also lost 40 pounds!

He had some messed up leg issue {I'll spare you the details...}and was hospitalized to also find out his diabetes was out of control, and pinched a nerve somewhere during all the chaos.
Well, after being in pain and scared that he would never see the day CBT-1 hit big, he decided to finally eat healthy...
Here's Jim before his weight loss...

And here's Jim after realizing he needs to stay alive to see his CBT-1 shares split...(or maybe not wanting to give himself insulin shots... I think it's a combo of both!)

*OK- so... I need to add a footnote- well, maybe three...

~Number 1- Jim originally lost 40 pounds, and has since told me he has gained 3 pounds back... which in Jimmy-bo terms means about 10+/- pounds...

~Number 2- Clearly... I don't have a current picture of him with his actual weight loss

~And Number 3- I think I would have saved a lot of time had I run over to his house, made him cover up over his tightie whities, get him out of his recliner, listen to him clear his throat a few times, suck in for dramatic effect and pose for a picture instead of try and make a fake ocean under his arms and neck and create a pole behind his back!

...well, on second thought- yes I would have saved time, but... I think figuring out how to make him look thinner was much easier than accomplishing all of the above with Jim!!

Since this was suppose to be short and sweet we will end the post here...Jim's a great topic to end on!

check back soon... I will definitely be back this time!!

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve, Morning!!

2010-12-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

I can not believe it is already time for Christmas! It has completely snuck up on me this year!

I'm finished with my shopping, but still have several things to do, and tons of wrapping to finish before all of the Christmas AND FAMILY CHAOS begins!!

Today is officially the last day for me to finish all my odds and ends, relax, and most importantly... prepare for being in a Christmas Celebration bubble for the next three days! My dad's Christmas is tomorrow morning, Ryan's immediate family is tomorrow night, our family is Christmas morning (the folks always come over to see the girls excitement- and eat breakfast!) And then we have Christmas again with Ryan's extended family that night, and then we will finish Christmas off with a bang, driving down to good ole' London, KY for Christmas down there with my family and our mom. Whew! I'm worn out just thinking about it!

Please tell me we are not the only ones running around like mad on and around like Christmas! What do you do for your family gatherings? Although, we always have a wonderful time and love having a reason to spend time with all of our families! It's one of the most special times during the year!

This year has been exciting for me already, becuase the girls came home with some Christmas ornaments! I love when the girls come home with things they have made at school, especially things I can't wait to get out year after year! We will have to turn this into a tradition now... since we really don't have any yet! What traditions do you have? Please tell me, and hopefully we can steal some of them for our own!

These are Sloanie's...

And this is Chaysie's... It took some major finagling to get her to stop wearing it as a bracelet!

I also love all the Christmas cards during this time! We have received some beautiful ones!

And then, there's ours....

Take a good look! This is the only one you will see! I always plan on a Christmas card... but never execute it! Which is exactly why no one received one this year! And I just couldn't decide which one to use, out of all the great pictures we took!!

See what I mean!? My children cooperate so well! Not to mention the combination of snot and vaseline under Sloan's chin!

It started off so well with them posing, (only individually of course)! I was so excited thinking they actually wanted to take some pictures... But, like always... I don't know how hugging always ends up chocking each other!!
And of course... Sloan only wanted to be beside the flower ornaments...

And then of course, Chayse had to do the same!

As for Sloan's big singing debut...

It was originally cancelled due to all the snow and ice- but that didn't stop Sloanie... she was bound and determined to get out there and sing! It's all she's talked about for the past month! Luckily, they changed the date and Sloan's heart was healed when she found out she could sing in her program! How adoreable!

She was soo excited to see all of her family that came out to see and support her!

And of course, she was the best one! So, I gave her flowers to make her feel like the star of the show! (which she was of course!) aren't your own kids always the best one!!!

And then there's Chayse... who's always the star of wearing out Trey and Brady!
I think she succeeded with Trey... check out his face!

and not to mention... check out her socks she fought me over wearing! Obviously she won!

She was on a mission to completely wear them out, and would not settle for anything less... especially if she succeeded in getting her lipstick on Brady!

She's chasing him down!

Persistence!

OK... so now that we have gone over that... lets get down to business!
If you are in need of some last minute gift ideas... I have one for you!
Simple, easy, super cute, cozy and affordable (around 20 bucks- if you buy on sale like I did!)

We love these blankets!

Our cousins, Alle and Amy made one for Sloan for her 1st Birthday and we have loved them ever since! And since the girls fight over the only one we have... I have made them each one for Christmas!
It was easier than I expected!
step 1- get two pieces of anti-peel fabric in the size you want (make sure they are the same size)... I used around 2 yards.
step 2- lay both pieces of fabric together (the way you want the blanket to look) - so the right sides of the fabric should be showing, the wrong sides of the fabric should be touching on the inside of the blanket. (and the edges should be lined up... not like below)

step 3- cut strips into the sides - however wide you want, and long you want (mine were about the length of my hand and about 2 inches wide)

step 4 - cut out the corners, where the strips meet and having the same length of the strips

step 5- tie the two strips (the top and bottom) together into knots

step 6 - finish tying all the strips into knots... and viola! You have a blanket!
I would cut a few at a time, then tie... cut some more, tie... that way you can fold it up and come back to it...
(Tinkerbell and Rosetta are displayed for portion size of blanket)... although we did finish our little tea party, just three of us, after I finished the pictures...

Once folded... you have the perfect blanket!
All business in the front...

and party in the back!

A true mullet blanket!

And last but not least... the hot chocolate recipe as promised!

Ingredients:

2 pounds Chocolate Nestle Quick

1 Box Carnation Instant Dry Milk

1 8 ounce Jar Cremora (Coffee Creamer)

1 pound Powder Sugar

and a wonderful helper to mix... or two!

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a large pot/bowl...

Hopefully, everyone who received one of these from us... puts really hot water in the mix... to kill the germs! (Fortunately, we washed our hands well before we started this project!)

pour into individual containers to pass out as cute, fun, thoughtful little gifts... or pour into a large container for safe keeping for yourself! Or, better yet... do both! (but make sure to double the batch!!)

Also, don't forget to include the directions on making the perfect cup for drinking!
1/3 cup mix per 1 cup water.

Mix and enjoy!!

OK, so I'm going to leave you with this photo displaying the weather around here lately, and of course showing two perfectly content and odd little characters!

Chaysei - for some reason... loves, loves, loves.... Jim! We are all a little confused by it actually! But, have concluded it's because they both love food and everything having to do with it!

And Jim... well, he's just a character all together!

Snow, ice, "bermuda's" (Jimmy's shorts), and a florida hat...? The sad part is... this is not an unusual sight for jim! He's always in his bermuda's! Hot, freezing, rain, snow, and yes, even ice! The bad news for me is... my husband is very similar to him! And the even worse news for me is... my girls have some of his genes!!! Maybe I'm the strange one... I married into the family, and I'm even stranger because I love Jimmy-bo just about as much as Chaysie does! Strange I know!

But then again, how could you not love this CBA-Pharma investor!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!!
FYI... I hear its suppose to be a white Christmas too!!! I LOVE IT WHEN IT SNOWS!!! Especially... ON CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone!! And Happy Birthday to Jesus!!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Peace, Love and Happiness!!!

FINALLY!... The moment you all have been waiting for...

2010-12-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

Well, OK - more like the moment only one of you have been waiting for... either way... here it is!!!

AN UPDATE!!

Ok- So I am officially a slacker! With all the holiday shopping, decorating, baking, festivities, blah, blah, blah, excuses, excuses, spending time with friends and family, fighting through the snow and ice, and batteling against all the cold weather ~~bugs~~... (ok- i'm not going to even go there... with my little bug obsession... an obvious poor choice of words!) OK- how's this one instead... and batteling against all the cold weather coughs and colds! - I should have used that one in the first place anyway... it is much more clear on what I was going for!

~ well, since I did already mention bugs... this is what I found while I was cleaning...

No wonder I had bugs!!!??? What were those two hooligans of mine doing!!? Clearly they were not interested in eating the crackers... much less cleaning them up!!!

Anyway- putting all of that aside, I am finally able to sit down and pay some much needed attention and TLC to my blog! Going on nearly a month now since my last post is a little disheartening for me... I'm sure I've lost a few readers... which has put me back down to only one... still... again... Thanks for staying loyal and hanging on!! But, good news for the future!!! I am off of work for the next 2 weeks!!! YYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! CAN I TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM~!!!!!??? Is it that obvious!? So, needless to say- I will be doing all kinds of fun things with the girlies and will be dying to tell you all about it- so stay tuned... there will be (hopefully) several little posts throughout the next couple weeks!

As for this post...

Here is a taste of what we have been up to: Well, not really a taste... more like a SMORGASBOARD of things we have been up to... (how do you even spell that!? Is it even a word...) oh well- strap on your seat belt- I'm about to throw all kinds of pictures at you... I'll do you a favor and let them speak for themselves instead of explaing every last detail... neither one of us want to be tied up with this blog for the next 5 hours... so - I'm sure pictures will be just fine with you too!!

Here goes...
Thanksgiving was great! Spending time with our family and loved ones is always a blessing, especially during the holiday season!
Sloan's class luncheon was also a hit with all! (I particularly loved the placemats, and what they were thankful for on the bottom..."the beautiful world"? someone clearly was giving her options of things to put down! but still absolutely adoreable!)

The first snow brought much excitement! They both looked out the window screaming and laughing at everything that was covered in snow!

The snow motivated me to decorate for Christmas and wrap some gifts...

even if it was only a couple little presents...

Chaysie wanted to wrap a better present instead!

And decorate their tree's in their rooms...

Notice the heavy Belle ornament she wanted on top of the tree, completely weighing it down! Well, nevermind that... whats up with the random piggy bank she grabbed off her dresser and wanted to pose with!? But either way... it is Sloanie Balonie... so it all makes since now!

Caki made gingerbread men with the girls so Ryan and I could go out on date-night with some friends! However, they couldn't find the cookie cutters...
So I guess they are just gingerbread cookies...?

We drove through the "drive through Bethlehem"

We made our Christmas gift baskets...

And our other Christmas gifts...Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix: apparently this is a huge hit this Christmas. I've noticed several people are doing this this year... Hopefully that means a lot of people like it!! Although I never realized there are so many different ways to make it! Every recipe I have seen from people making this are completely different... I'll add this recipe in another post ~ This post is quite too long already!!!

And of course we are always dressing up...

and sneaking off into mommie's lipstick!

So there you have it! The basics on what we've been up to, and what has been stealing my time away from my blog!

And surprisingly enough the post was not too long after all... cutting back on what I say really helps out!! hhmmm... imagine that!? am I telling myself something?! nah!

Have a wonderful weekend! And don't be a stranger~ Check back soon... I'll be posting again shortly!

Hope everyone is ready for the Holidays!! ~ If not... we still have a few days!

Recovery

2010-11-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

The 1st step to recovery is admittance:
~ Hello my name is Cammie and I am powerless over the creepy critters ~~I have~~ I HAD living in my home ~
Whew... that was a difficult one for me! I have always accepted the lingering spiders and other random eery creatures confined to the areas of the house we normally don't venture in to (more so the basement- and a few random corners of the house) but, only because the alternative meant I would have to kill them! And with my fear of them jumping onto my hand as it clutches the murder weapon of a shoe in which I would be whacking in their direction... the alternative of just not glancing in their direction is a much better option! Killing a bug means I have gotten way too close to them! We have come up with a mutual agreement of leaving each other alone and everyone is much happier!
Therefore, knowing my loathing of creepy crawlers... when I start seeing a few more bugs than the usual popping up in my house... something must be done! So much for the mutual agreement!

When anything with more than two legs starts calling me mommy, and asking for snacks I figure its time for some drastic measures. OK- so maybe those are just the voices in my head which is exactly why step number 2 is so important on my road to bug recovery.

The 2nd step to recovery is believing God can restore my sanity (this one will be a very long process I'm sure!)

The girls were taking a bath, I was keeping an eye on them while vacuuming in the closet, and Ryan was downstairs with my mom that had just stopped by.
The rest of the night was a bit of a blur...
I sat down on the floor in my closet, with the vacuum in my hand, just staring- for who knows how long...

my mom came up and that's when I lost it! I had a major meltdown on the floor in my closet. I broke down and realized I could not live with any living thing smaller than a baby - luckily for Gary, he is 20 pounds... so he barely makes it!)

Ryan knelt down on the floor and said, "Babe, it's OK. If you really think we have bugs- we'll get rid of them".
My mom gave me a much needed hug and said, "Cammie, it'll be OK, but for now... we need to watch the girls in the tub..."

OK, so at least they both already knew my sanity had been lost over these couple tiny creatures I spotted... and along with Mom, my brother in law (JJ) and mother in law (Gigi) stopped by and quickly realized it as well... The good Lord obviously knew I needed some help!!

...and so starts: OPERATION SANITY!

1- I called Jimmy from endopest (and now he has become my new best friend evicting all my unwanted intruders)
2- took off work and did a major declutter and debugger

3- and cleaned everything and anything in site and out of site...

I've donated items, tossed other things, and organized and cleaned what's left.
I've gone from the extreme of not even remembering when I last vacuumed to randomly purchasing new dusting cloths...

and cleaners...

(I've realized I love these cloths and cleaner!! A definite must have!!!)

and even buying another vacuum so I'll have one on both floors!

Here is the rest of my splurge... (Notice the dust mite covers and bed bug covers I also splurged on... I figure I may as well be protected from everything bug related!)

I know... I know... I've completely lost it!

~ the last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of events of which I have not even been able to focus my attention on because I have been cleaning everything from the vents in the ceiling, behind the pictures on the walls, the couches and cushions, chairs, under the furniture, and all the way down to the inside of the vents in the floors...
It's crazy how long it has taken me to finally be in this comfortable state I have finally reached! All of my extra time has been devoted to my house, with the girlies fluttering around me here and there!
I wish I could say I've been away these past couple weeks on vacation, or enjoying some much deserved one on one time with my family... but no, I have no pictures of my family these last couple weeks, because like I said... my time and energy have been placed elsewhere.
Unfortunately because of these unwanted house ~~guests~~ pests, I was unable to focus on the regular ins and outs of our lives...
For instance:

1- My brother's birthday (Chase)- he would have been 27! I think of him as always staying 21- and now thinking of him skipping 6 years to 27- It's crazy! Happy Birthday Tayor Bugs! I love you and miss you!

(the picture is a little blurry, and my eyes are in the midst of closing... but I still LOVE this picture!)

2- Veterans day - Thank you to all of the amazing men and women who have served and still are serving our country! You are appreciated so very much! (Thank you so much for your amazing sacrifice Chase - and sooooo many others!!!)

3- Chase being remembered and honored on the Headline News show, "Nancy Grace" - Thank you Nancy Grace for doing a wonderful tribute to him!

~ this was amazing by the way! And it just so happened to be on veterans day of all days too! (and the day after his birthday! I wish I could figure out a way to find a section of it from her show on the Internet or something, but so far, I have not come across any of her shows on the Internet...? I was able to record it somewhat by holding my camera up to it... but the sound, quality, etc... is terrible!

(his picture also appeared again at the end, but I can not figure out how to make my video long enough to show the entire clip!??) - I'm a little technologically challenged! So the rest is in this little section...

awesome tribute right!? (if you could hear and/or see it on here...)

But, moving along on a lighter note, here are the other events...
4- Sloan had to go the dr. for an infection- now taking an antibiotic
5- different day Chayse had to go the dr. for an ear infection (of which was in both ears)! Poor thing! - also taking an antibiotic
6- different day taking Chayse back to the dr. for the worsening of her symptoms... a virus, which she is finally over!
7- and of course, I had to vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, dust, vacuum...!

Obviously I had a breakdown since my priorities are way out of order! Normally I would have put cleaning on the back burner since every single one of the items listed above is much more important than a clean home... but clearly not now, after I have been infected with a cleaning disease and obsession!

After taking an entire week to clean everything, stay up until 3:30 am, organize, and get my sanity back to normal... (which is still debatable!) There are some things I still want to do to help me with this new obsession, which will take time and money. Somehow, I have drastically managed, (with callouses on my hands now) to take our house from unlivable (in my mind at least) to spotless, all within weeks time... In order to maintain this new obsession of mine... these are the steps I have instilled to control my once infested home:

- baskets are placed by all outside doorways to take off shoes when entering the house...

(I'm definitely not discreet! Once my door opens, you can't enter with out seeing the basket that screams, "take off your shoes before entering!!)

and this one is by the garage door...

- no food outside of the kitchen

- quilts on top of my newly vacuumed and laundered couch to prevent any cat hair and food lingering on the couch... the quilts can easily be removed and thrown in the wash!

(I don't care how pathetic it looks - I can always remove them when company comes? depending on if my obsession has subsided by then...)

- keeping everything organized and off the floor so I can easily run the vacuum (now that I have one for both floors!) hopefully this will be easier to accomplish!

- follow my cleaning schedule I created... (I adapted one I found off the Internet about a year ago, -which never went into effect- and clung to my fridge door without any check marks on it... I eventually took it down- after it looked so helpless...!) - note the color coordination for who's responsible for those duties...! (I thought if I made it pretty, it would help me complete the items!... obviously it didn't work the first time)

This one is a list of daily items needed to be done...

and this one is for longer timelines...

I'm sure like before, this one will probably be the first of the rules to be broken... again!

Now on to the rest of the events that need to be planned and prepared.
1- Thanksgiving dinner... I hope people like chocolate covered ants!!! Haha! This is my way of going green! Reusing my bugs of course!! I have humor now, since they are long gone!!!
2- I need to figure out Christmas gifts before it's too late and I'm hurrying around, like always
3- I'm working on trying to get my nice newly clean home decorated the way I want it... finding paint colors, pictures, fabric and all that fun stuff... This I will definitely keep you up to date on!

4- and last but not least, deal with all the stress the holidays stir up with me on so many different levels!

Do do you think I could have added any more bullet points and lists in this post!? Don't worry though, before this post is over, I found a way to add some more!

OK- so much to do... (and especially now that I have added cleaning to the list...) we'll see how long that lasts though... it could just be one of my famous stages I go through! amongst so many others!
Seriously though, I'm am very open to suggestions!!!??? Please help and give me ideas!!! If anyone knows a good way to do EVERYTHING- please let me know!
Work, kids, cook, spend time with the family, and now clean... how in the world!? Please let me know if anyone has a good (manageable) schedule!? - other than dosing up on meds to stay sane and awake all hours of the night!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow... before I go, I wanted to express a couple of blessings I am thankful for:

1- my family and the wonderful times we do get to spend together

(this was taken on our way to our friends 80's themed birthday party! Which was a blast! I had to throw this picture in there, since we had so much fun!!)

2- our health

3- the love we receive and give to others

4- and not to mention being bug free!! (and I am extremely thankful my bugs were not termites, roaches, bed bugs or anything of the like!!!)

Eat up good tomorrow!!

I hope everyone enjoys a nice break from their hectic lives and can sit back and make wonderful memories with your family!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The cat's meow

2010-11-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for Halloween! I love everything about it! Halloween has always been one of my favorite Holidays... but then again, I think I say that with every holiday that is being celebrated at that point in time! But Halloween is not like the rest. Witches, Goblins, Ghosts, Haunted Houses and dressing up! What could be better!? And to top it off, you get to walk around your neighborhood and talk to all your friends and neighbors while passing out and receiving candy! It takes a lot to top this one! And I love to see all the different ideas for costumes and decorations. It's so much fun!

It's such a great holiday too because it's the first holiday to really start off the holiday season! (I mean could I say the word 'holiday' one more time in one sentence?...) I know everyone here knows their holidays, but really, after Easter, there's a drought. And then... Halloween comes around! Then Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly following, with New Years and Valentines day and Easter ending the celebrating frenzy! I mean it starts off the season of having a holiday once a month until Easter! So, its a great holiday just for that reason!
Anyway- We have tons of dress up costumes in the basement, and so we just picked from the endless supply. I tried to save some money this year... while I still can at least, since they don't have any requests yet! So, we went with the two cats that were in the stash. (Of course, I had to be a little more persuasive so they would want the cats over the random and unknown princess dresses.) I really tried to sell the nemo outfit to one of them, while the other wore a cat- but if one has something, the other has to also... so we went for the two cats!

However, I was not as successful in getting a great picture of those little kittens...

Although I must admit... this one turned out to be rather cute!

But then they ran away as fast as possible to ride their cars... if I was going to get any more pictures, it was gonna have to be on these.

Oh well - better luck bribing them with candy!

It worked for one of them! At least, long enough to capture a couple cute shots!

Here's the loot before I (as dad always said), 'go through it and make sure it's all ok to eat!'

Thanks dad for teaching me such a great line! I can't believe I'm just now figuring out why you would always say it!

Ok- gotta go... those Skittles are completely calling me name! (If they are even still in there...)

So many Birthdays

2010-10-31T11:17:00.001-04:00

October is the month of birthday's in and around our household... We have Laine, Chayse, Ryan and Myself, not to mention the cousins and niece we have with October birthdays! As much as I love to have big shindigs for my gals, the same is not said for myself. Although, I do like to do something fun, to set the day aside from all others, but in the long run- I want nothing more than just a little relaxing evening with my family, and perhaps a nice dinner with my man! Good thing Ryan wants the samefor his birthday... Perhaps it has something to do with having the same birthday!?

Yes, its true, and quite strange I must admit... Ryan and I have the exact same birhtday, except 6 years apart. We would have also had our Wedding day on this same day as well... had I not been so adamant against it! We can't throw everything into the same day! One day to celebrate, one present... no thanks! (Not like we ever exchange them anyway...) But- nonetheless, where's the fun in that!?

So, just reminiscing... here are a few pictures of our birthdays we have celebrated in the recent years...

My most favorite one is a given... I keep it framed at all times, as it is very near and dear to my heart. One of the few pictures I have of me being sandwich between two amazing (and attractive) men! Hey this is Kentucky! I can get away with saying that about my brother!

This was taken on our birthday in 2002? And WOW- HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THIS PICTURE... (good and bad...)

But... we'll only stick with the good!

This picture was taken in 2006, when we celebrated our birthday- and announced we were pregnant (with sloanie!)

The next year...

We were celebrating with this little one...

And then, once again... so quickly throwing another in the mix...

And then in 2008- our birthday fell between a one year old's birthday party...

and Halloween...

So, there was no birthday for us! We don't even have a picture of us on our birthday (and I just realized it while I was trying to dig one up!) Pathetic!

So, fortunately... I have a beautiful picture to show for this years day of birthday festivities!

Great pic huh~!?
Obviously our birthday is not at the top of our priority list anymore... For example, here is the exact detail of how this years birthday unfolded... (don't get too excited!!)

1- We woke up to Sloan tapping me on the head, saying, "mommy... mommy... get up... mommy..." Ryan said Happy birthday, and I said the same, as then he blew his runny, congested nose.

2-We got up, got the girls ready, took Sloan to school, Chayse for her 2 year check up and flu mist, and then dropped her off at School too.

3- Went to HomeGoods to find a present for myself. This is what I found!!...

and...

* I HAD to have the mirrors!! The bench, was a little steep for what I wanted to spend- especially since I didn't know where to put it... but I could always make room...

4- I checked my account, to see how much I could spend- and realized my mortgage had just gone through... not good for a spur of the moment shopping spree! Bummer...

5- So... I left empty handed, and headed into work earlier than planned before my 1:00 meeting.

6- I spent the rest of the afternoon in my meeting while checking all the wonderful birthday wishes on Facebook, and responding back to the wishful texts! (This is one of the few days I love Facebook!) - If I could just remember to turn off my email notifications when I get on FB! I'm sure I would have a much better relationship with it, if it did not alert me on every...single...thing!

7- Tried to text Ryan, but realized his meeting was much more important than mine, since he could not be distracted and text. Was he was actually listening to his!?

8- Picked up the girls from school, stopped in the grocery for some Day Quil for Ryan- came up with a bright idea to fix steaks, asparagus and potatoes for dinner...

9- Pulled in the drive to some balloons and candy on the front porch! Thank you Pammy B for the surprisingly random unexpected gift from you!! Love the babies!

10- Fixed dinner, baked cookies, sat down all together and ate a delicious... ok, so it was more like a decent meal, then watched the girls chow down the cookies and leave a chocolate chip/crumb trail following them throughout the house...great.

11- Put the girls in the bath after an explosive diaper ending up on my arm, and all over Chayse's back.

12- Decided to snag a photo since we had not gotten one all day on our birthday...

13- Did the whole bed time routine, put the girls to bed... and that's when it hit me....

14- I collapsed on the bed, blew my nose a dozen times, mustered up some strength to go downstairs with Ryan; He cleaned up and I slowly and sniffily got everything ready for the next day (school outfits, lunches, backpacks, and my coffee of course)

15- We headed upstairs and.... blew our nose yet again, Ryan took NyQuil and then... was... out...! October 27th, 9:33 he was snoring through his congestion, and I was figuring out ways to lay where I could breath through my nose... 10:54, 1:39, 5:47... uuuhhhhhh.... 6:05-ALARM...

*So... there you have it! That's all she wrote! that was it... that was our birthday!

Quite depressing. Not really the uplifting wonderful day you were hoping to hear about... But, all in all, in reality- that is our life! Why would it be any different on our birthday!?

Fortunately, we felt better this weekend and Clemmie had a birthday dinner for us!
After all the wonderful food, cake and ice cream we ate- this is what we looked like!

AAAAAHHHHHH!!

(good thing it's Halloween today!)

HAHAH! We had the best time cracking up with the hilarious and scary truth of the 'FatBooth' App!! That made the party!
My mom also gave me some money... so, now, I am a proud owner of my mirrors I was stalking at Home Goods! Thanks Mama!!
I think they look much better here than in the store!

(The other is on the other side of the entrance door... and looks just as amazing!)

Now if someone wants to volunteer to watch the girlies so Ryan and I can actually celebrate a nice date night dinner...? (And get us a little closer to looking like the pictures above)... anyone...? anyone...? Bueller...? Bueller...?

Well, I'm off to clean the Haunted House we always live in! After today, we can't use the excuse that the spider webs are Halloween decorations!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! HOPE YOU HAVE A FUN AND SAFE TRICK-OR-TREATING!!

Pass the Sugar Please

2010-10-23T00:31:00.000-04:00

OK, so what's the best way to approach my 2 week long hiatus... I'll just avoid that white elephant in the room, and act like I've been updating regularly... So here goes... I'll just jump right in!

Two wonderful years ago, we were celebrating the birth of baby Chayse.

She was born October 19, and became the most adorable, precious, lovable, beautiful little baby girl. She's always been sooo easy sleeping through the night, never crying, and taking her sister's abuse like a champ.

As the months passed, she has pretty much stayed the same ol' sweet, innocent, little girl. She's super easy, almost constantly smiling and laughs at almost anything and everything! To put it simply... She's just absolutely ADORABLE! She bobbles around and makes everyone fall in love with her within a second. She does what she's asked, and if not, she is extremely easily persuaded with a little food, which she has grown to have an enormous affection for.

I always told myself, if I knew another one would be as easy as her, I would definitely try for a third... OK- fast forward until now and my how things change!

How in the world have the 'terrible two's' crept up on us so quickly?!! I never thought this would happen to my little angel! Its like a disease that has completely taken over and entirely transformed her! There has to be a fix- an old ancient remedy or something!? But, until I find it- I'll stick with what seem to work best. Give her some lipstick and let her go to town!

She reminds me a little more like an old cat. 99% of the time, she's loving and enjoyable, but if you push her to her limit... oh brother! watch out! Hold on to your hair, put on some shin guards and run away! She hits, smacks, pulls hair, yanks things away, throws things, and pushes and will not- I repeat... WILL NOT stop her tantrum until she is absolutely sure she is going to get her way! And even then, she is so mad she doesn't even realize we have given in, and she has gotten her way...again... Or perhaps she's on to something?...hhmmm....?
But then again... I can't get too upset with her because she is just standing up for herself! I mean she has taken quite a beating from that sis of hers! Chayse has been bit, pinched, hit, smacked... you name it! Poor thing! So... now what do I do? Any ideas?

* not really the best picture I could have dug up... but it does show the torture she endured... you can count all of Sloan's 12 teeth on poor little Chaysie's leg!

So, basically- here are my options:

1~ let her be a Diva for my own sanity until this phase passes (and possibly make matters worse)

2~ own up to the duties of being a mom and discipline her (over at our house that's ~~just a~~ ~~good beat-down to show them who's boss~~ only a time-out...) - ok, please don't send CPS... I'm only ~~wishful thinking!~~ kidding!

3~ let them duke it out, and show Sloan a taste of her own medicine!

Or perhaps there are some better ideas? anyone?

Ok, so on a much lighter note... her little birthday shin-dig went over smoothly! Her 'terrible two-itis' was very well managed! And fortunately the cute little baby Chayse we all know and love was in full affect!

We also had an amazing day on her actual birthday when I took the day off and concentrated only on Chayse and my family! The best day I've had in a very long time! I told myself I was not going to do anything other than play and concentrate on them! Nothing too out of the ordinary, since I obviously don't focus on my house, dinner, or to-do list! So, from now on, I'm not going to act like I'm any kind of home-maker... I'll just keep hanging out with them, instead of trying (and being unsuccessful) to balance everything! How does everyone else do it? Please let me in on the secret.

Anyway, aside from my tangent... back to our amazing day...

*I mean, the picture is so much more important than getting burned!*

After breakfast, (and luckily preventing a burned finger), we took sloan to Pre-school, and headed off to Target for her pick of a present, and then to the Library. I was greatly reminded of my love for the library! I have not been there in years, and I don't know why I have let the joy of searching for books slip away.

We then went to pick up the three other members of our family: Sloan, Daddy, and of course Chick-fil-A.

We headed off to Keenland for a picnic under the direct line of departure airplanes - (a favorite of Chayse's).

LOVED IT!!

It's not a great birthday unless you can get away with a good nose pickin!

Is it obvious I was threatening Sloan for a good picture?

Since she put in some effort, I followed through and we were able to swing by the stalls and see the horses. I don't know if we were suppose to be there- so I left the camera in the car to avoid any curious onlookers!

After nap time we finished the day with one last hurrah!

Before...

During...

And after...

Definitely a lesson I learned the hard way- so, if you take anything away from all this rambling... please just take away this... USE WASHABLE PAINT... no, no, don't worry... the rain won't wash it off! Once they see how gorgeous their work is, THEY DON'T WANT IT OUTSIDE!!!!??? WHY DID THEY WAIT TO TELL ME THIS AFTER WE STAINED EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!?? Now, if anyone knows a way to get acrylic paint off clothes (especially a particular favorite orange polka dot Halloween kitty shirt)- I'm all ears!

OK- so it's not a birthday without a little more sugar right before bed time! I mean, what's the harm?... as long as their teeth get brushed!

Please notice, Sloan can blow out Chayse's candles... but no way can Chayse blow out Sloan's... even though it's not even her birthday?

OK, so after looking at these pictures again I have been greatly reminded how adorable Chaysie is (and Sloanie too of course), and how I'm fortunate her 'two-itis' only comes out every now and then... And, in reality, deep down, I can't help but crack up at the Jekyll and Hyde I am so in love with and hold tight and kiss every chance I get!

I love you Chaysie! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

apples, apples, and more apples

2010-10-06T12:57:00.000-04:00

hello hello blog! It's been so long! And for no other reason than I just have not been able to find the time to escape and update. But, nonetheless, it has been lingering in the back of my mind... (amongst other things!)

Especially since my friends have told me my blog was actually helpful to them!

They were inspired to go to the Orchard and buy their cheaper pumpkins there, verses the unexpected, expensive Krogers! Hopefully they did the math aside from trusting my figures! (Thanks Becky and Bryan for the feedback- and for reading my blog for that matter!) And please say a little prayer for them on the 7th with their induction! - We can't wait to meet baby Kennedy!

OK, back on track from my little side note. So, here is just one of the millions of things we have been up to! (Don't worry, you'll be hearing about the other stuff too! - Sometime at least! - I'm sure you can't wait!! right?!)

Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy, and perhaps make some apples for yourself (or for someone else)!

So, as promised... here is what we did with our orchard apples!

The girls were in charge of unwrapping the caramels and putting them in the pan. You can tell, Chayse didn't want to wait for them to be unwrapped before she ate them!

(and don't worry, the stove was not on yet.) Although, I did realize this is a great way to keep them occupied! I might need to start doing this on a regular basis! They sat there concentrating and playing together for a good 45 minutes! (I should have taken advantage and gotten some things done around the house, but instead I just stood there snapping away at the photo ops!)

After the bag of caramels were unwrapped, we added 2 tbls of water, turned on the stove and stirred until melted.

We placed the apples in the sticks,

Cut some out for fun dipping,

added the caramel...

which sloan decided to wash off... (I mean who wants to be healthy and eat an apple without anything extra on it!? - what kind of mother am I, for forcing the caramel on her over the healthy plain version!?)

Now, Chayse on the other hand... the more food the better!

Moving on with the dipping...

and of course decorating...

and leave it to Chayse for picking, playing, and licking the caramel! She's so precious!!

And the long awaited for, beautifully decorated, much anticipated, final product!

But of course, we bypassed the directions of waiting a couple hours for them to harden in the fridge. So instead, we opted for taking them out back and devouring every last drop!

Well, at least that was what I had planned, but I should have known it was just going to be disastrous! Just after the first bite we had a sequence of questionable events...

1. How do you even tackle eating this apple?

2. How do we prevent it from sticking to everything?

3. How do we clean this off our face?

4. Can we just pick off the sprinkles instead?

5. Forget it! This is just too much work!

The next day the chocolate covered apples went over much better!

They were much easier to master!

and much more enjoyable!

Good thing Sloan's only 3! Otherwise, she would probably have a meltdown if she were older and I put this picture of her on here! How hilarious is this one!? I couldn't resist! (and not to mention the picture of chayse chowing down too! but, then again, I have several of her cramming food in her mouth!! That girl loves to eat!)
Anyway, let me know if you all decide to tackle the sticky mess of caramel apples this fall, or if you do anything else with your apples!

*Just a tip - if you go the caramel route... make sure you have a spatula on hand to clean up the mess! Water doesn't do anything but create more of a disaster!

OK- so now that updating the blog has been crossed off the list... its time to move on to the next thing...

1- Chayse is turning 2 in less than 2 weeks! What am I going to do!?
2- Sloan has new bedroom furniture finally (we found at a garage sale!) So, now, I only need to decorate those bare walls... in princess pictures...
3- I want to paint my cabinets, paint the walls, make drapes, and slipcovers for the couch, chairs and cushions in the kitchen all for under $100...
4- Fix the 'death valley' slide on our new swing set, so the kids (and I) will not be afraid to fly down it and continue tumbling down the Mount Everst of a hill we have!
5- and, of course, not to mention the daily 'to do tasks' that I only tackle every other couple of months or so...
for instance... vacuuming my house! (I think I actually heard my carpets crying out for my help! It's so bad, I had a dream about it the other night!!)

But of course, blogging, taking care of kids, husband, house, packing snacks, lunches, groceries, putting away laundry, and of course, finding the time to go to a CBT meeting that Jim has been wearing everyone out about attending, are much more important than my kids eating 5 month old food off the ground!

Aside from all this chaos I sort through on a daily basis, you obviously now realize only the fun things take precedence! (Especially when it comes to sweets!) So, needless to say, vacuuming will continue to be pushed to the backburner!
Maybe one of these days I'll be able to have a live in nanny, chef, maid, butler and pay them from the money tree in the back yard!

falling for fall

2010-09-24T09:54:00.000-04:00

The orchard is one place I love to go during the fall. However, it's still a little too hot to quite enjoy it to it's fullest, and savor the true moments of fall. But what the heck- we thought we would give it a whirl anyway!

Well, actually, I was really trying act like a great mom and continue with the apple lessons Sloan was learning at school. They were having apple day on monday (cooking apples on cinammon and sugar toast) which I was able to take off work and be the helper for!

Which, by the way, was hysterical watching the kids just sit there and interact by not really saying anything at all to each other! - not to mention the things they say! For instance, they were trying to guess what the white stuff was inside the clear mayo jar- so one girl yelled out, "ranch dressing!" haha!! (the "ranch dressing" was just sugar).
But, anyway... knowing I was going to be the helper I already felt compelled to be super mom and take the girlies to the orchard to show them how apples grow on trees and then get picked off.

The idea sounded simple enough...

Well, that would be true if it were just your ordinary apple orchard on a cool fall day.

But, of course, we went to Boyd's...

which has a pony ride,

*please note: only sloan rode the horse... Chayse was a little frightened of the pony, not to mention the man leading her! I think she was more affraid of him, than she was the pony! (doesn't surprise me... she's just now warming up to some of the men in her life!)
And then there was the train ride...

which of course rode all around the orchard and brought light upon the fact there were other interests to partake! (such as the slide, playground, petting zoo, play tunnel, stacks of hay to climb...)

well... late breaking news... we were not going to pay a whopping $10 per child, on top of $7 per adult (just to go in with kids) for the play area. How crazy!!!??? I mean, really? Just to watch (on the inside of a picket fence mind you... verses standing on the outside of the picket fence- and still watching.) - Or maybe I'm just a little tight?

anyway...

I thought better and saved our cash!

Only later to spend it on the apples we picked and mini pumpkins we also purchased. (We used the one with the stem still attached to take to class.)

we also forked it out on the amazing apple cider doughnuts (which I noticed the next morning had small bite marks out of each one...?) Sloan blames Chayse, and when I ask Chayse, she shakes her head no, but still says, "uh-huh"! hhmmm...? Tack that one up on the things I'm started to accuse Gary (the cat) of!!

and we also had to splurge on the apple cider, candy, popcorn, and of course... honey.

honey? I know... why the honey...? you'll have to ask Sloanie that one! She's shown it to everyone who has stepped in the house, or around the house for that matter! She's called everyone she sees over and takes them inside, walks directly to the pantry, pulls out her jar of honey, says a brief little something about it, puts it nicely back in place, and runs off to play. All in all- she's just your ordinary normal girl!! right?

as for the pumpkins... we opted for the mini's since Sloan didn't like how heavy these were!

{Pumpkins? what pumpkins...? Popcorn?... now we're talkin!}

Good thing, since they were 40 cents a pound! Too bad mine didn't grow in our garden this year! Maybe we could have had our own pumpkin patch sale- and raked in the dough!!

The $5.49 pumpkins at Kroger seemed like a much cheeper option!

(even though the stem did not make it through the bouncing, rolling, turning, stopping and bumping around in the trunk of the car!- See Ryan, these are the times it pays to have a messy trunk!)

Either way, my cureosity was peaked and I had to determine how much they would have cost had we baught these same ones at the orchard...

13.8 pounds

and 10.6 pounds...
exactly $5.52 and $4.24... (if my math is correct)
I know... after all that complaining I was doing! Obvisouly I made the wrong decision and wrong investment on pumpkins! I should have stuck with Boyd's! Better luck next year! (well, come to think of it... Boyd's white pumpkins weren't this large...!)
Ok- so now you know why my husband is in charge of the cash in our house! If I were in charge of bills, we would have sunk long ago! But, at least our home sure would be nicely decorated, and our backyard would definatley be level!

Well, now that we have straigtened out the money and cost concerns about the pumpkins... let's move on to the next subject...
the scales? really?... no wonder I was sneaking around the house with the scale that night... if Ryan had only known what I was doing, I would have never heard the end of it!! Same goes for the monkey glue! Did you notice the orange pumpkin's stem is nicely put back together and looks as if it was never destroyed during its commute home!
Now that you are fully aware of my issues, I'm sure Sloan's honey issue comes as no shock! She must get it honestly... from her dad of course!

Speaking of Sloanie...

She had her first soccer ~~game~~ practice Saturday. I guess at age 3 they just run around with a ball and play red light, green light! But she sure was a stylin 'Tiger', no matter what they did!
And just look at those mad skills... kicking on top of the ball trying to fake-out everyone!! She knows what she's doing! Either way, my unathletism skills must have been more dominiant than Ryan's I guess!
Perhaps we have better luck with Chayse! Maybe she will get her skills from daddy!?

hhmmm.... well, maybe....?
nope, sorry Ryan... I think Jim's athletic skills stopped with you! I guess those 'food loving' genes are a little more dominant!! (no wonder they're best friends!)

Stay tuned for our sweet treat we made with our orchard apples!

Back to Life and Back to Reality

2010-09-16T23:18:00.003-04:00

Well, we are officially back in the swing of things after our amazing visit to Portofino.

(Scroll through the photo gallery on portofino's website of activities to see the other Atkins clan on the trampoline!)

I have made it back to work, the girlies have started back at school, and Ryan has started his new job! So far, so good... Sloan was a little skeptical at first (only because she was exhausted) and Chayse is now walking right into her daycare to play with her friends she missed! (I was afraid we would relapse being out of our routine... but she continues to do great every morning!) As far as Ryan, I'm excited to see how he likes his knew job, and see how the rest of his week unfolds! So far his first day went well!!

Now that I have touched on reality, I am going to reminisce on our vacation... BEWARE... grab some coffee, sit back, and prepare to wonder how in the world I managed to find the time to write such an incredibly long post!!

anyway, i'll start by pretending as if we are still living the life of watching the sunrise every morning,

along with the life of walking the white beaches,

enjoying the pool,

soaking up the sun... (and downing a Fanta...hhmm...),

watching dolphins from the boat rides,

chillin and not having a care in the world,

and most importantly playing with the girlies and enjoying the fam we were able to be around!

(and oh yeah, we had a great time wondering if the crazy guy on the floor below us was going to come up and complain again about the "pitter patter" he could hear from us in his condo...hhhmmm.... there's always someone trying to ruin a good time! - better luck next time my friend!)

As for the rest of our wonderful getaway...
we went to the zoo, where Ryan's dad, Jim (aka Pa-pa) made some new friends...

Jimmy and "Goat"! These goats were all over Jim the second he sat down. I missed the picture where they were both right behind his head, so instead I was able to capture this one of their CBT meeting they were having...

Afterwards we fed the animals, where Sloan realized they would go straight for the cup instead of her hand holding only a few pellet's...

my favorite were the giraffes!!

Although for some reason, I think that giraffe was a little more interested in something (or someone) else...!

This one on the other hand was absolutely disgusting! I realized I am not a fan of bats.

this thing was at least a foot long- and he's hanging upside down. Can you see his wing with his long fingerlike things... yuuuughh...!!

And of course, we had to stay and watch the chimps for a while, really because they were in the shade... and it was extremely hot out that day- Jim had given up on us long ago, and was waiting for us in a cool spot he found.

And yes, Sloan is wrapping her foot in Kleenex... Some ants bit her foot, so of course, it HAD to be propped up and nursed on all day long!

We had such a great time at the zoo, although we Jim could have saved some money if we had just gone to Wal-Mart and ridden on the rides! That was the most exciting part of the day!!

After seeing the land animals, we thought we may as well see the marine life too! So we went on a dolphin tour...

ok- really!? I can't just leave it at that! This was absolutely amazing!! We went on a dolphin tour and after they came up to the boat, the captain reved up the engine and was able to get them to follow us! They followed us for a good 15 minutes- and kept up with us, swimming and jumping the entire time! There were two on the back right side, and three on the back left side of the boat. Unbeliveable!

Look how close they were to the boat!! They were loving it in the boat's wake! ( I don't know who was loving it more... them or me!?) Chayse the entire time kept pointing and saying in a shrill of excitement, "quack, quack"! She is absolutely precious!

But of course, she's so smart to connect a dolphin to a duck... they are both water lovers! right.......

On the boat ride the girls became captain for a while...

and of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity of Pa-pa giving Ryan the camera and guilting him into taking a picture! Ryan with a camera is few and far between... or having anything to do with one- I don't know why he's burned out on my picture taking!?

HOW ABOUT AN INTERMISSION!! I NEED A BREAK MYSELF!
I'm sure you need a refill on your coffee by now!!

Now then- to continue with this neverending post, I'll keep going with my favorite beach-times...
Another highight of the vacation was taking Chayse to the beach early in the morning when no one else was awake. (although, we could have been as loud as we wanted, and nothing would have awaken Jimbo in his whitey-tightey, deep snoring, knee-over-the pillow, couch-sprawled slumber...and this is happening in the family room of course!) - I definately have a picture, but don't worry- I'm trying to gain more followers!!

Chayse was loving the water rushing over her feet...

and of course we had to set her fishes free in the ocean! ('just go... go willie go!')- that one's for you uncle "cha-ce"!

and then the next morning Sloanie woke up to go with us! She was a little distraught the day before, when she found out we went without her (while she was asleep)!

The entire trip was amazing! From the time Sloan saw the first sign of the ocean and said, "OH MY GOODNESS! THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!" to the last day on our trip of releasing our captured seashells- although that one is still a touchy subject for me...

All in all Ryan and I were actually able to relax a little (I was even able to read a book!!) A first in about 3 years- I wonder why...!? All with the help of my loving, helpful and wonderful in-laws! (you don't hear that too often!) Thanks so much for all your help Gigi and Papa!! If it were not for Gigi, my girls would have fallen over board while I continued snapping away at dolphins, our clothes would have never been washed, and our bellies would have never been fed! Thank you so much!!

WOW! OK- so this post has officially worn me out... I think I need another vacation after all the work I put into this one! i don't know if i can do another novel like today! (let's hope not at least!!)

FINALLY...

I'll leave you with this...

the #1 lesson I learned on the trip...

before you see these feet headed towards you- make a decision:

1- hang around and decipher what he's talking about

2- get him to stop wearing you out by agreeing to risk your 2nd mortgage to become a millionaire (in 13 days... 13 months... 13 years...???)

3- figure out a good way to change the subject and then... high tail it outta there!!

Jimmy-Bo... you're the best, and I'll love you no matter what!

home away from home

2010-09-09T08:36:00.004-04:00

I love nothing more than spending vacation with my family. Life could not get any better than being able to spend my undevided attention on our fam, (and have a beautiful place to do that while vacationing...) starting the day waking up to my precious girls snuggling between my husband and I (after they have run in from their room), followed by a warm cup of french vanilla cream with splenda and a hint of coffee while watching the sun rise with my girls from our balcony. This is the most breathtaking moment I have as I try and answer the "why's" to a three and (almost) two year old about the sun rising. Not only are they curious, but they too are just as amazed as I on the beauty of the colors painting the clouds and reflecting on the ocean.

Chaysie watching the sun rise... note the scratches on her nose where she fell yesterday off the bed, onto the corner of the table, and down 3 feet to the floor- (her nose bleed for quite some time after- which in the end looked as though someone had been masacred- and with all the crying, i'm sure the neighbors thought the same) poor little thing!

We enjoyed this moment as long as we could until reality hit that they would only last so long before becoming bears without any food in their bellies... so the sun rose, we ate, and the day went on...

and what a day we have had!

Chayse has an obsession with airplanes... so we took her on the Blue Angels cruise, which goes over to watch the Blue Angels practice. And she was not the only one mesmorized!!! You'll see why...

they were so close! and right over our heads!!

some dolphins surfaced up to see what all the racket was!

and of course, it wouldn't be a vacation (for us) if we didn't go to the beach or pool...
in this case, the beach was a little too hot, so we opted for the bay instead!

and of course, we felt right at home with the usual "streaker"...

I'll be back with more from the beach!

fun with the fams

2010-08-31T22:47:00.001-04:00

First and foremost... CHAYSE DID GREAT WALKING INTO HER CLASS TODAY!!! YYAAYYY!! No tears were shed at all!! (which made it harder on me than I thought it would, when I realized she didn't need me anymore...) but at least she did great!!

On another note...
This weekend was jam packed with family- on both sides of ours.
First we had a family reunion where the girls enjoyed making new friends, seeing family, and swinging like always!

To top off the family filled weekend we took pictures with Ryan's side of the family. This turned out much better than expected knowing the girls were extremely exhausted (which always translates to terrible cooperation)!
These pictures were weeded out of the several (more like hundreds) we took... and these shown are as good as we were able to get!!

These are some of my favorites I was some how able to capture!

And of course I had to take advantage of the extra hands and probably the only opportunity (for a while I'm sure) to get some good pictures of us and our family!!

and finally a good picture of Ryan and me!!

I love this one of Chayse! Its probably the best picture I have that sums up her wonderful personality! She loves accessories (this necklace she snagged from Gigi's neck), being dressed up, climbing on things (like this stool which was being used as my camera's tripod), and best of all, she's always laughing and so happy (for the most part)! I love this picture! I just want to gobble her up!

So, now, just to entertain you with what all we had to go through for some decent captures! It's amazing they turned out as well as they did!

and that's all she wrote... it was all over after sloan took off! Although, they did do very well under the circumstances (and all the bribing, reasoning, distracting,...)
Take a long look because we will probably not have any more family photos taken for quite some time!

Day 3 and counting...

2010-08-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

Well - The school year has officially started...

Gone are the days of enjoying the peaceful morning all to myself: starting off with my shower (without the girls peeking behind the curtain), sipping my coffee while catching glimpses of 'the today show' and skipping off to work while everyone is asleep is only now a distant memory. Our new routine has started - although it is still in the works on running smoothly.

The first day was great! The gals were super excited about all the days activities...

cinnamon rolls to complete a well balanced meal!...

lookin stylin with their backpacks, skirts, twinkle toes,(and Chayse's need to always accessorize)...

and especially their cupcake surprise when they were picked up!

As for the rest of the week...

Today is Day 4 of Sloan's absolute bliss!

She asks to go to school first thing every morning and walks right into her class with a big smile. She gives me a big hug and kiss, waves by (all the while, her grin has yet to leave her face), runs off with her friends, and never looks back.

All the while, she leaves me standing there feeling the lump in my throat start to rise...

Instead, I fight it off, cling to Chayse on my hip and try to forget that it's her turn next...

Reality sinks in and we head for the daycare.

The first day's drop off was OK- The cheerios won her over, so... out the door I went.

The second day was not so great. Snack time was not until an hour, so I had to leave her standing there, arms reaching out for me, face bright red, cheeks soaked by her huge tears... and just like that I was gone.

and then it was my turn- I broke down the second I sat down in the car.

and today... well today is day 3 and 22 hours, 16 minutes and 23 seconds of Chayse's utter misery!

It's been the worst so far! She started crying once we walked into Sloan's room, (thinking it was her daycare) and only stopped when we kissed and hugged Sloan good bye. She was safe!... so she thought...

Then she saw the door leading to her room... and the crying began... followed quickly by the kicking once I handed her off. I said my good bye's and I love you's, and that's when I saw it... "The Typewriter" as we call it. Her head moved from one side while she cried, and then to the other as she caught her breath, and repeated the motions. She looks just like an old typewriter, and that's when we know she's hit rock bottom. I said "I love you" one more time, pulled the dagger out of my heart, opened the door to leave, and broke down all the way to the car. I didn't even make it inside the car before my mascara was running. Next week I'll put that on after the melt down!

Needless to say, when I check in on her throughout the day (from Pa-pa peeking his head around the corner when he's there for lunch), and me calling and checking (I know, I know, I'm one of those parents!) they say she's having a good time. So I'm hoping it's a lot worse on me, than it is on her.

The good news...

Sloan is the only one who goes on Friday's- so tomorrow should be much easier for everyone!!!!

School already!

2010-08-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

So, we've been super busy lately trying to get ready for the first day of school, and getting organized and into a routine... much easier said than done!
It completely snuck up on us as yesterday was the big day!
It was the first "go to school day". Although, it was only orientation of meeting everyone and staying for only an hour. So, our official first "real school day" is on Tuesday. But, don't worry... I do have pictures!
We tried to get a picture of both girls, and this was our best one...

We had better luck with individual pictures, and ones at school instead...

In the mean time... (while sloan was in school), we went to Chayse's school (daycare) to meet all the teachers, all Chayse's friends and try to ease in the transition for her when that time actually comes...

She loved all the little different centers to play with....

her new boyfriend...

and of course, all the attention - when all her new friends opened the window and waved "bye bye" to her!!! (that made my day too, and made me much more comfortable with the entire idea of baby Chayse going to daycare!!!)

Then we went to go pick up sis...

She had a great time with her new friends, especially her best friend Sarah. (Which we are still trying to figure out who Sarah actually is- there's not one in her class... so.... hhmmm...?)

And of course we had to celebrate with a delicious breakfast where Aunt Bugs works... That was a huge hit!! But any food for Chayse is hit!

Today went over great- we'll just have to see how the 'official' day goes- especially with Chayse not having Gigi and I there to play with her!!

back on track

2010-08-09T15:42:00.050-04:00

After a long and unnecessary pause in my updates, here is the gist of whats been going on lately... I say that lightly as I overwhelm you with details and tons of pictures!

Chayse's picture could just about describe the crazy week all by itself!

At the beginning of the week, we focused on only one major event in Sloan's life (and ours of course too!) Mrs. Sublette came to the house to introduce herself to Sloanie and tell her a little about preschool!!! Isn't that great?! The teacher actually came to the house!

And she brought a little goodie bag, showed a picture of the class guinea pig (Mr. Squiggles), told Sloan about all the helpers she could be for the day, arts and crafts time, Bible story time, and let her pick out her own folder with her own sticker for all her "work"!

She also brought her a T-shirt for music class and PE with their name on, when she asked Sloan what she wanted her T-shirt to say, she replied, "Sloanie". I guess we never thought about it, but this is what we call her, so I guess it will make her feel right at home! At least she doesn't think her name is Sloanie Balonie!

To welcome Mrs. Sublette we made her Caki's famous delicious 'chocolate chip coffee cake', which is my favorite, because it's super easy and always a for sure hit!!

Sloanie likes measuring...

(recipe is at bottom of post)...

For variety, we also wanted to throw in some blueberry muffins... which were 100% whole wheat, delicious, and easy (specially made from the Duncan Heinz Kitchen in a box!)

Such concentration!!

Needless to say, sending Sloanie off to Preschool is really going to hit home for me, especially because Baby Chayse will be going to the day-care at the Church/Pre-school! I can't believe it! Although so far, I'm feeling pretty good about it! I couldn't feel any better about leaving Sloanie in the hands of a wonderful teacher, and I'll be sending Papa to do several drop-ins on Chaysie when he goes for his ~~walk and talk~~ lunch and lounge at the Church!!

Moving right along...

I've always wanted to go to the 127 Longest Yard Sale! I've had visions of finding cheep, vintage, one of kind, distressed pieces I could place in my home and have our humble abode looking just as I have always dreamed! No longer would I have to yank out magazine clippings from Better Homes and Garden, as my house would be perfect, and at the cost of little to nothing!... NOT A CHANCE~!

We did have a good time, although on the "picking" side it was a complete disappointment! We did not find one thing we wanted, or more so, we did not find one thing we wanted to spend our hard earned money on! I found a rusted tricycle for $30, and some glass mason jars for $28... are you kidding me! I can go to good will and buy several in every color for those prices!! And to say the least, those were the only two things I could find of any interest... I now know why I couldn't find any takers on tagging along with me!

Except Gigi, who graciously offered to accompany me and help me with the girls (even though she went because she felt sorry for them having to go at my expense! I was very appreciative! I'll take the help any day! And even though she was suckered in, she was a great sport!)...

Although, I think deep down she was a little interested in finding a jaw dropping piece... to no avail!! Ok, I will admit, sometime you have to learn the hard way... so I've learned no more longest yard sale attempts... but that doesn't mean I have to give up my local ones!!

But to top off a long day already, we went to the UK fan day! This is always a yearly hit with the kiddos! (and the parents as they can run around and let out all kinds of extra energy!)
While most were watching the practice...

Of course, the girls were not a bit interested in the game!

And then some were getting a little restless while waiting to go on field...

And others waiting patiently...

And Finally! Time to go on field, play and get autographs!

Wow! What a week!

I think he's watching all 3 of my followers leave me for good now, after such a ridiculously long post!!!

For those of you that have stuck around for the Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake...

mix all of the following together:

2 Cus All purpose flour

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup (2 sticks) melted butter

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 eggs

2 Tb milk

1 Tb vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

Beat on low til smooth and pour into a greased and floured tube pan.

Place a couple handfuls (more or less as desired) of chocolate chips on top of batter.

Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. (finished when tester/toothpick comes out clean)

Cool in pan 10 minutes and turn out. Dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon.

ENJOY!

Sportin a New Do!

2010-08-01T17:21:00.000-04:00

After all the screams and pulling out hair I finally broke down! Gone are the days of forcefully brushing Sloanie's hair!! No more rats nest, no more fighting for a pony tail, no more brushing tangled, matted hair, no more stresses with Sloanie Balonie's tresses!!!!

Take one last look at the tangled mess famously sported by Sloan...

Finally! We have both come to an agreement on the best solution of dealing with her hair...

CHOP IT OFF!!!

How cute is she!! She could pull anything off with those looks!!
Even better, I'm sure we will both be so much happier! Not to mention making someone else's day- by donating it to locks of love... we had just enough!

Although, she did get a hold of the scissors and wanted to cut some of her hair too!

Luckily we stopped her before any damage was done!
So far, she and I both love her hair!! Although, I do already miss how pretty it was when it was clean and combed... which was hardly ever!

Avoiding The Signs

2010-07-29T10:37:00.001-04:00

When things are calm and quiet in our home, someone is usually into something...
Well, in this case the culprit just so happened to be Chayse.
She loves to toddle off and vanish in our house and make a grand entrance once she reappears. Or more frequently... once she is caught getting into whatever has been keeping her away and intrigued. Well, this is what I walked in on when she went unseen and unheard for a few minutes...

The toilet bowl was full of an entirely new roll of toilet paper, which she had strategically unwound and piled as high as possible! (after dividing it into three sections, we finally got it down and flushed!) Needless to say, this is why we only purchase the generic brand, and splurge only in our bathroom- where the TP wasters don't wander!

Caught red handed!! Look at that bowlfull!

I have yet to determine if she just enjoys the thrill of putting toilet paper in the potty, or am I totally in denial that my youngest is ready to be potty trained? She has been saying "toot-toot" quite frequently while grabbing her diaper... Ok, I am avoiding the signs at all costs! The diaper-less phase is such a dread for me! Right now, Sloan is obsessed with every restroom except those at home. Restaurants... Target... Kroger... and any other location we would have to lay the seat with toilet paper, use our elbows to push open the doors, and our feet to flush! Gone are the good ole' days where I am able to do my shopping or eating and wait to change the diaper in the car! But, I'm sticking to my guns and postponing the potty training for Chayse until she can at least tell me when she has to go! (So, that buys me a little time at least!)

On another note... We ate a cantaloupe from the farmers market, which was amazingly juicy and extremely delicious!!

The girls devoured the entire half all by themselves...

This makes me wander why my cantaloupe did not grow this year? For that matter, why can't we be just as successful with any of the fruits and veggies we are growing? Our garden is just not performing so well for some reason. Perhaps I was too confident in beginners luck!

The only watermelon in the garden...

Is now, no longer in existence. It was thoroughly attacked by some sort of nasty gnats and eaten way too early.

My 3 stalks of corn are sprouting (although its not enough to germinate the kernels... they are still fun to watch grow!) My tomatoes are dying, my pumpkin vine is very sparse, and what I thought were cucumbers growing...

turned out to be a large weed!!

On the other hand... my roma and cherry tomatoes are still somewhat cooperating, my one pumpkin is holding on for dear life and somehow my pepper is still growing strong!

Speaking of the backyard... we are finally putting in a fence!! If the weather cooperates, we will start tomorrow and hopefully cage in the girls around back so they don't wander the neighborhood, or worse... run in the streets!

Let's hope it's at least a start in the right direction to keeping those gals at bay!

Party Hoppin

2010-07-26T11:16:00.002-04:00

The most difficult part of having a blog is choosing which part of our life I am going to talk about... and not to mention weeding out the pictures and finalizing which ones to actually show. I would love to show all of them! But, to spare you from overloaded, I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

This weekend was great! What weekend isn't good?! Although this one was a little crazy with the bombardment of birthday's! Sloan and Chayse are quite the socialistas!!

We had two different 'pink' parties, a 'build-your-own sundae' and 'tie-dye' party, and finishing off with a dinner party!

The theme for all parties seemed to be very creative, with some major risks, which I am glad were not at my home! Several toddlers with hot pink paints, ice-cream varieties, sundae toppings, and tie-dye are not my top choices on ways to keep the house clean... obviosuly those mom's are much braver than I am! I say that now, but when the girls birthday's roll around- i'm sure i'll be getting myself into a similar mess...

Chayse was enthralled with making her own princess crown! Quite different than dad's normal 'don't mess up the house' routine!

Sloan was frantic with the pink paint, 'glue' as she called it- and was a little crazy when we had to share it. Later, she hunted it down and continued with her obsession. If I was a good mom, I would get her some at home... only to think otherwise when Ryan would find out, and have to clean up all the paint spills! To save our sanity, and our marriage, maybe we'll hold off a while on purchasing some!

Chayse's masterpiece!...

and only one of Sloan's!... (The other has mounds of pink paint- which is still not dry!)

Chayse, of course, was mesmorized with the idea of food being on a necklace! (her two favorite things... food and accessories!) Life could not get any sweeter!

The build-your-own sundae was another big hit! Sloan's eyes were much bigger than her stomach! But I can't blame her... it did look very tempting!

Chayse forgot the bowl, and dug into everyone elses!

As for the tie-dye... If the kids clothes made it through the sundae bar, they were garbage bagged to prevent dying of their own clothes...

The final product of sloan's (with nothing left to dye) and Chayse's (with green). Sloan finished her's and moved on to Chayse's while Chayse was toddeling around, trying to figure out how to open the lid on the dye.

and of course, we didn't think about covering their feet...

The last party (dinner party for T.T. again) was a hit, even though the birthday girl did not show! She claimed she was a little under the weather, although we know "houdini" was curled up in bed reading a book at home! On my birthday, I would rather being doing the same thing though!

All in all, we had a great weekend! My favorite part was being able to finally capture a last minute picture of the girls and me (with everyone looking at the camera!) Everyone looking AND smiling would have been pushing it, but I'll keep trying!

Well, so much for keeping it short!

In La La Land Yet Again

2010-07-21T22:55:00.008-04:00

In my own little world I invisioned my first 'official' blog to be an entertaining excerpt of our life, to capture your interest, get you hooked and beg for more!
In reality: Day 1 of my blog is going to be just like every other day in my life! Completely different than what was originally planned! Why would I think otherwise!
Since the first real blog was suppose to have an upbeat and positive ring to it, I won't focus on the morning's earlier mishaps. I'm overlooking the coffee grinds seeping into my coffee, getting soaked walking to my office without my umbrella and discovering that Sloanie and Chaysie had swiped my full tube of lipstick and changed the cars interior to splotches of hot pink.
Instead I'm going to talk about what a wonderful rest of the day I did have.

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT T.T.!! (Aunt Traci)!!

(These are my cute nephews Trey and Brady- with T.T!)

My mother-in-law fixed T.T.'s favorite good ole' southern homecooked meal. Fried steak, (i'll have to add this recipe later- b/c it was soo good!!) mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, mozzeralla with tomatoes, fruit, bread and of course a delicious strawberry cake! (Lunch will be good tomorrow!-I have no shame in eating leftovers!)

Before we ate, the kids enjoyed picking some blackberries off the neighbors bush...

Obviously, by the ones Chayse was picking, she's not too sure on her colors and doesn't really understand, "only pick the black ones"! No matter the color, ripe or not, she still enjoyed them!

Needless to say, this explains why there were no blackberries in the fruit salad!

To top off a wonderful day, I'll leave you with one of our favorite late night quickies.
S'mores!! (microwavable smores more precisely)

It just doesn't have as nice as a ring to it as the fire roasted ones on a stick... and not to mention, it's not at all comparable. But, when its 90 degrees out, and its miserable just thinking about a fire- it is a great chocolate fix!

It's nice to switch it up between the chocolate chips (we use dark chocolate) and peanut butter cups. We usually use the large marshmallows, but the mini's were on hand.

Pop in the microwave until melted (only about 20 - 30 seconds)

DIG IN AND ENJOY!!

Well, Here Goes... Catching up on the Sugar and Spice of Our Life

2010-07-20T08:07:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to get the ball rolling on our family's blog! This will not be a project like most of mine, which nonetheless start off full force, and slowly fizzle away as my life goes on with other new projects at the time. This one however, will be for absolutely good reason! This is my most recent attempt to keep everyone (and myself for that matter) updated on the goings on and moments I've luckily caught on camera of our little handfuls. I am obsessed with those adorable gals of ours, and love talking about them, and catching them in the act of whatever they have gotten into. I have so many stories, and pictures I capture throughout the week that I just don't know what to do with them all! So, hopefully this will be an abundance of wonderfully useful information (and photos nonetheless) for your enjoyment, with hopes of keeping everyone as up to date and entertained as I am with our family. Please stay tuned and up to date with whatever mischief they have at that particular moment in time by staying in touch and hopefully enjoying the sugar and spice of our life!

To catch us all up to speed, lets rewind just a little…

Sloan has just turned the big 3! I never knew what a big deal three was until she was approaching it! Getting rid of our "Bobi's" (paci's)- for both Sloan and Chayse, using the big girl potty and wearing big girl panties, changing into a big girl bed, and going to preschool in the fall! So much to take in for such a little one! Imagine the stress! I can’t even take in the changes of all the diva’s costume changes throughout the day, much less the drastic measures of so much going on in her little life!

Anyway- Sloan is obsessed with Tinkerbell, so of course we had a Tinkerbell appearance at her Tinkerbell birthday party! And what an appearance she was too! Aunt Laine (“Bugs”) has a children's costume company called MemoryLaine (check it out here and on FB) and she was a huge hit! No surprise there though!!

For our patriotic side…

We went downtown for the 4th of July Parade this year. Now, this was quite an adventure for us, as we rarely venture outside of our normal comfort zone of Granma Gigi’s house and loud restaurants we can get away with destroying. However, it was worth the risk as Aunt Bugs was performing Karaoke for the first time with an audience.

A definite sight to see- and I’m still debating on if I can say the same about how it all sounded! Ok, honestly, I will admit- I think she did an amazing job for her first gig- and she definitely had the look down! No surprise there though… She always looks the part for whatever she has ventured into! Aside from her singing debut, she was the “fly girl “L.A. Licious Laine” – (she used to live in L.A., which comes in handy for promoting!) All in all, she was a huge hit, and she did great! And most importantly it was a great time had by all!

I think Chayse enjoyed it the most as her two favorite things are eating and dancing. She tried a corn dog for the first time and she took one bite, looked at the dog and stared… then said, “yyyuuummmm” (one of her only words that we can recognize!), and then dove in for round two… and three… and four….

Our neighborhood pulled out their first “4th of July Parade” so of course we partook! Although, I failed miserably to put to use the decorations I had purchased the day prior.

But at least Sloan let me pull her hair back so the rat’s nests were somewhat disguised… there was no way I was tackling that mangy, tangled, dried yogurt crusted, messy hair day she had going on that day, as she would have never let me step foot near her with a brush in hand ever again! But, if I do say so myself- they both sure do look cute in their patriotic colors- and of course, it’s not just because I’m biased… they just look absolutely adorable!

Moving on a general note… They are both all over the place all the time!

At some points, they love to dress up, which is great, unless its when they have come across my jewelry drawer... Chayse loves playing in all of my jewelry, then Sloan gets mad and pulls it off of her because she wants some pieces too, then Chayse yells... and the battle starts... However, if I could just get organized enough to move my bracelets and necklaces to an unreachable place for such small destroying hands, at least one war would never begin!

They go from dressing up and wanting to look soo pretty, to the complete opposite spectrum of doing whatever they can to avoid staying clean at all costs! It’s an endless battle, to which I recently have accepted the fact I am always going to round the corner of the drive, pulling in from work and spot them running around, with clothes on if it’s a good day, (and hopefully other than their jammies!) and immediately spot the crusty yogurt staining their clothes, hands and face on top of being covered in the purple syrup from the popsicles, which is also dried in their hair. I have completely owned up to knowing my kids are never going to be prim and proper, let alone clean on a daily basis. I’ve decided letting them do their thing, as long as they are safe and happy, which makes for a Zoloft free place for us all!