Life Down Our Lane

7

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:18:00 +0000

7.....

You are growing up so fast! I'm amazed at the changes and how quickly it all seemed to happen!

I love that you're able to brush your own teeth...but I miss your sweet gum filled smiles

I love that you take yourself to the bathroom...but I miss that cute little tushie wearing fat diapers

I love that you can comb and brush your own hair...but I miss pulling that long gorgeous hair up into pigtails.

I love that you can write sentences that tell a story...but I miss your baby scribbles

I love that you can buckle your own seatbelt...but I miss seeing you all curled up in your baby carrier

I love that you're getting so tall and even more beautiful...but I miss your short chubby little baby legs

I love that you want to wear nail polish and lip gloss...but I miss just putting baby lotion on you

I love that you can now read me a night time story...but I miss reading you Baby Books

I love that you feel confident enough not to hold my hand at the mall...but I miss pushing you in your stroller

I love that you come downstairs from Children's Church all on your own...but I miss you sleeping on my shoulder during service

I love that I don't have to carry a diaper bag anymore...but I sure miss feeding you your bottle

I love that you have awesome style and can pick out and dress yourself (and even your brother)....but I sure miss putting onsies and tiny outfits on you

I love you so much sweet Gracie! I am honored and so very blessed to be your Mommy!

Happy 7th Birthday baby!

Wow....seems like yesterday!

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:13:00 +0000

I can hardly believe that next week will be one whole year since Shawn and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a cruise. I also can't believe that I never took the time to blog about our wonderful experience.

I always thought that I would never be able to go on vacation for a whole week without my kids. And I never dreamed that vacation would put me "off the grid" and unreachable to my family for a whole week. I'm not going to lie, I was extremely nervous about it. Just ask my Mom and Mother-in-law who had a good 3 pages of notes. However, I'm thankful that they were in very loving, and capable hands in our absence. We could not have done it without the support of our parents!!

One very early morning, we packed our van and headed to Columbus to catch out flight. After a few layovers and planes changes we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale to board our ship.

Here we are with the beautiful Florida sunset in the background.

We spent a day at sea on our way to our first destination. I can't even begin to describe the amazing beauty of floating out in the middle of the ocean with water as far as the eye can sea. What a relaxing time!

The first island that we visited was Princess Cruise Line's private island called Princess Cay. For this adventure we had to board the smaller boats that ferried us to the island.

The day started off a little overcast and rain threatened to dampen our plans. Thankfully it blew over and it turned out to be a gorgeous day of relaxing under the clamshell we rented

and just simply basking in the sun.

We took another day resting and lounging pool side with a day at sea. The next island that we visited was St.Maarten where we hopped on another boat to take us to the beach.
Talk about the perfect introduction to the Islands, check out this video.

Here we enjoyed walking around and looking in all the shops and doing some swimming. We then dried off and hopped into a taxi cab that took us to Dawn Beach on the Dutch side of this island. It was beautiful and a bit more secluded.

The next island we visited was St.Thomas. We had heard that on St.Thomas....going to Megen's Bay is a must. So that's what we did. We boarded a taxi bus that took us up and over St. Thomas. Talk about some amazing views from the tippy top!

Megen's Bay is sort of like a gated community. We had to pay admission to get in. It was very secluded. Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!! We got there early in the morning so we were pretty much the first people on the beach. Scenery that will be in my memory forever!

One evening we were up on the top deck watching the glorious sunset and taking some pictures when a lady asked if we would like to have our picture taken together. We said sure and then she made us kiss for one of the pictures! :)

Our last stop was the Island of Grand Turk. Here, we collected some really beautiful sea glass on this beach. Gorgeous shades of blues and greens.

Rather than hang out at the big party at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville we opted for a guided dune buggy ride. Shawn drove of course because that thing scared me!

I can't think of a better excursion to pick. We drove all over that tiny island. Saw views that the majority of those on the cruise never got to see.

including a beautiful sunset view of the lighthouse

and driving back to the ship as we watched the sun completely sink into the ocean.

Spectacular!

Ever since we got home from that trip...we have said that we can not wait to do it again. We missed our kids intensely but I have to tell you...it was so nice to be able to reconnect with my husband and have fun together without a worry in the world!

I love you so much Shawn and I'm so thankful that we got to spend that time together!

We're rollin'

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:34:00 +0000

on two wheels now!

Learning how to ride a bike in the country

without paved roads and driveways can be difficult!

Thank goodness for her Aunt & Uncle's (our neighbors) concrete.

She will be an old pro before long.

Oh, and pay no attention to her Lightning McQueen helmet.
Daddy couldn't find her princess helmet so she had to wear Bubs :)

Halloween Fun

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Faces designed by little ones. Meticulously sketched & carved by Daddy and Papaw

Insides bravely scooped out

and lit up for all to see.

Cousins gathered

decked out in costume

to parade the streets

in the hunt

for sweet delicious

candy and treats

We even ran into some familiar friends dressed up for the festivities

We had a fun Halloween and hope you did too!

Wordless Wednesday: So Sweet

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:33:00 +0000

Nothing tastes better...

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:50:00 +0000

Than fresh

Crisp

fall apples

made into

homemade applesauce!

Wordless Wednesday: It's the Great Pumpkin......Show!

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:55:00 +0000

We took our annual trip...

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:51:00 +0000

to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. Since Ohio weather is so hit or miss this time of year...you can't hardly plan too far in advance. So, one day after church we made the spur of the moment decision to go. This limited how far we could go so we decided to visit Pumpkin Patch called Hidden Creek Farms that is just down the road.

The weather was a little chilly but perfectly clear and beautiful. The kids had so much fun riding the hay wagon out into the field

to pick their very own pumpkins.

even if they were too big for them to carry themselves. Thanks goodness for Daddy & Papaw!

Say cheese!

Some other fun things they had at the farm were a hay maze inside the barn as well as some cute animals to visit with.

and of course the ever popular ~~sand~~cornbox

We had an awesome day!

Happy Fall everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: Impromptu

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:44:00 +0000

Nothing better than an impromptu game of football in the side field with your cousins!

Big Man on Campus

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:22:00 +0000

Remember the days when you were considered one of the "older kids?" For Gauge that day comes when you are no longer in the infant, toddler or preschool program.....you ARE PRE-K! He was so excited to go to Big Boy School. Can you tell?

Actually when he first woke up he was telling me that his tummy hurt. Bless his heart, I do believe that underneath his tough boy exterior...he was actually nervous! Once he got dressed, and had some breakfast he seemed fine.

It's hard to imagine that he is growing so tall. Look at that little handsome guy!

Gauge and his teacher Mrs.Linda. Gauge is a strong willed kid so I'm hoping that with Mrs.Linda's expertise and proven track record (She had Grace too) she can help Mom and Dad in that area this year.

At his very own "desk" and excited to start his day.

with his very own nametag!

Gracie started 1st grade two weeks prior to Gauge. So they didn't have their official 1st day on the same day this year. But I thought it would still be fun to have a side by side picture that I can compare to last year. Wow have they grown!

This year is going to be an awesome year....full of changes and excitement!

Wordless Wednesday: Simply Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:39:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday: First Day Lunch Love

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Have you ever craved a smell?

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Pregnancy Cravings! Sometimes their wacky and weird! You probably have some interesting stories that you could share about the cravings that you experienced with your babies. When I was pregnant with my daughter it was ice cold milk. And believe me when I say it had to be ice cold! I was even known to add ice cubes to my milk if it's temperature wasn't up to my standards. With my second pregnancy I craved crushed ice like nobody's business. It's a good thing that we lived with my Mother/Father-in law at the time because they had an ice maker on their refrigerator. Everyone is the house probably got sick of the sound of grinding ice coming from the kitchen. lol

But here's where it gets a little weird. Have you ever craved a smell? In addition to the ice with my 2nd pregnancy, I craved the smell of Mountain Spring Downy. Totally weird huh!! It's probably a sin how much downy I would put in one load of laundry! My craving got so bad that I went to our local Dollar Tree, where I purchased a $1 spray bottle and filled it with Downy and Water so I could squirt my sheets and furniture!

Have you ever noticed the cost of Downy? It is stinkin' expensive! Once I had Gauge that craving subsided a little and I made the hard switch to dryer sheets. Well, let me just tell you that they DO NOT smell as nice as the good ole fashioned liquid!! I have gone a l.o.n.g time without my precious green top downy. But no more my friends. I have found a cost effective way of getting that AWESOME smell I love without forking over a ton of money.

Here is what you do. Go to the store and purchase a cute little container, a bottle of your beloved Mountain Spring Downy and a few cheap sponges. You're going to mix downy and water in a 2:1 ratio....enough to fill your jar. I believe my jar fit 3 cups of downy and 6 cups of water. Cut one of your sponges in half and throw them in the jar with your newly combined solution.

When it comes time to dry your clothes, toss your wet clothes in the dryer. Take one sponge out of the solution and lightly wring it out. How much you wring out is totally up to you. I leave mine pretty saturated and lay it on the ledge inside my dryer so it's not laying directly on my clothes. Turn the dryer on and let it work it's magic. Once it's done....enjoy the lovely smell of Downy at a fraction of the price!

I can't tell you how happy this new found solution makes me! :-)

Today is the first time

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Today is the first time my sweet Baby girl rode the school bus to school.
Today is the first time she goes to a brand new school.
Today is the first time she will be in school for a full day.
Today is the first time she won't be in a school related to where I work.
Today is the first time I won't have her teacher on speed dial or Instant Messenger.
Today is the first time I won't be picking her up from school.
Today is the first time that she gets to go to school with all of her much loved cousins.

So because she is happy and excited......

It makes this hard transition for Mommy a ~~little~~ tiny bit easier.

She jumped out of bed this morning to get dressed and ready for her big day.

I pray that the Lord blesses and watches after my sweet girl today and in the days to come.

That he guards her heart and her mind....
that she will be a good student for her teacher.....
that she will continue to grow and learn.....
that she will continue to have a tender heart and a caring spirit.....

Today is the first day of a new adventure,
and I have no doubt that she will succeed and flourish.

I love you soooo much Sweet Gracie!!
It seems like only yesterday that I was taking you for your first day of PreKindergarten!

All ready for tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Shopping is done

Supplies are labeled

Teacher met

lunch packed

Forms filled out

Alarm set

Bring on the 1st Grade!!

Ahoy Matey!

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Last week we celebrated Gauge's 4th Birthday with a Pirate Party.
On his actual birthday (the day before the party), my Dad decided that he wanted to surprise Gauge and dress up like a pirate. He took it upon himself to go online and research ways to make your own costume....then went to the local thrift store to purchase everything. I think it's totally ADORABLE that he did this for Gaugie! Go Papaw!!

The day of the party I worried about the weather because it was looking pretty overcast in the morning. It turned out to be a gorgeous (and hot) day. We were thankful for my in-laws pop up tent because our house (being pretty new) doesn't have shade trees. We borrowed Uncle Nate's old tattered pirate flag to fly out front to welcome our guests.

I tried my hand at replicating a cake that I found online. It turned out just ok. It tasted yummy and Gauge liked it....so I guess that's all that matters.

Gracie was such a great little helper for Gauge while he opened up all his presents. She let him pick out which one he wanted to open and she would go around and get it. Once he was done with that particular present she would help pick up the trash and neatly stack his present in a pile.

Say Cheese!

All the cousins now.....Say Cheese!

And what's a summer birthday party without some good ole fashioned water and bubble fun!

We had such a wonderful party. It's still hard to believe that my baby boy is now 4 years old!! WOW time flies. I love you so much Gauge Rylen!!

Easy Blueberry Bake

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:38:00 +0000

My husband and I have recently been following the Weight Watcher's plan. We have eliminated quite a bit of red meat from our diets and incorporated more chicken, fish and turkey. We have also been eating a lot more fresh fruits and veggies....and eliminating sweets. But.....if you're anything like me.....sometimes (especially in the evening) you crave something sweet. So what's a girl to do? I found this wonderful recipe in one of the Weight Watcher pamphlets that he brought home. As my kids would say "it's easy peasy lemon squeezie" to make.

The only ingredients you will need are:

1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 Can of Blueberry Pie Filling

Mix your two ingredients together

Pour into an ungreased 9x13 pan

Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes or until done all the way through. For me it took closer to 40 minutes.

Serve warm with a dollop of fat free cool whip (0 points)

1 square of this delightful dessert is only 2 points. Now that is a yummy late evening treat without the guilt!

Sorry for the horrible pictures. For some reason I always get in the mood to bake in the evening (when the light in the house is horrible) combined with the fact I took that I took the pictures with my phone. lol

How is it even possible?

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:49:00 +0000

How is it even possible that this sweet chubby cheeked baby boy turned 4 years old today?

Time has flown by so quick.

Happy Birthday Sweet Gauge.

Mommy and Daddy love you soooo much!

O come let's sing Ohio's praise...

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:23:00 +0000

This past Saturday we thought it would be fun to head down to campus and show the kids where Mommy and Daddy went to college. We started off our adventure by having a late lunch at Eddie George's Grille 27. The highlight of the meal was watching Gauge dance his little heart out to the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling."

From there we walked over to Mirror Lake

where we sat and took in the scenery and watched the cute little ducks.

Next up was touring the Main Library and it's recent (to us) renovations. The view from the top floor were simply amazing. As we were standing looking out at The Towers....a huge hawk flew by with another small bird in it's talons.

From the Library to The Oval. Lots of great memories strolling these sidewalks with my sweetheart.....or laying in the grass on a warm sunny spring day (skipping class) lol

Next up was a tour of Larkins. Wow has it ever changed. Not that I visited Larkins much as a student. There seriously had to be over 100 treadmills in that place....along with tons of other exercise equipment, basketball courts, racquetball courts and even a viewing deck that look out over "The Shoe."

We walked past the stadium ~~hoping~~ wishful thinking that maybe a gate would be open and we could just peek in "The Shoe"...no such luck.

We of course had to stop and get some pictures in front of the big Numbers.

and do O-H-I-O

Strolled past University Hall

on our way to the Ohio Union.....to visit Brutus.

The renovations on the Union was amazing. Gorgeous

We ended the day with some yummy ice cream from UDF right around the corner from where Daddy use to live.

Shawn and I both have so many great memories from our time at Ohio State. It was fun to take the kids, walk around and reminisce.

We won't talk about how hearing Carmen Ohio can still make me tear up.

GO BUCKS!!

Look who

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Just got their very first Library card!

posted from Bloggeroid

Play Ball

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:44:00 +0000

This year was Grace's 2nd year playing T-Ball. It was so much fun to see how far she had come in learning the skills of the game. She is such a good little ball player!!

We had an amazing season this year.

Placing 3rd overall in our tournament. It was a long hot weekend.....

but those girls played their little hearts out...even playing 2 games in one night. The second of which went 8 long innings.

Grace had so much fun playing ball with her best friend Guinevere.

Our Family ❤

Isn't that a good looking group of girls! Awesome job girls. We're all very proud of you!

Gauge on the other hand......was utterly board with the tournament. When he wasn't snacking.....he was sleeping. lol

Friday Flashback: Trike a Thon

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:22:00 +0000

I have been slacking lately in blogging what we've been up to.

And....since it's been FOREVER since I've done a Friday Flashback,

I thought these two would fit perfectly together.

Back in mid May, Gauge had his first ever Preschool Trike-a-Thon.

If you know Gauge at all, you would know that he is a snack man at heart (understatement of the year). He can not go very long without having a snack or drink of some sort.

So when it came time for his Trike-a-Thon.....I thought for sure that he would stop mid way around his first lap and ~~request~~ demand a drink or a snack. Boy was I wrong.

He raced around that track on his little tricycle with an intensity and focus like I have never seen in him before!

He was totally into it! He barely even slowed down in front of us to give us so much as a wave.

I was so proud of my sweet little boy for going out there and doing the very best job that he could.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH Sweet Gauge-a-roo!!

Wordless Wednesday: Goofy Faces

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:36:00 +0000

Amazing!!

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:40:00 +0000

When given a 3 day weekend.....we're going to pack in as much fun as we can!

We went Glow Bowling

Played with sparklers

watched fireworks (twice)

went on a bike ride

and just had lots of fun being around our families!

I hope everyone had just as much fun as we did this holiday weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Amish Country

noreply@blogger.com (My2Gs) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:46:00 +0000

posted from Bloggeroid