I know I know...where have we been?

Ok, so sorry for the lack of posts and a lack of pictures on this post, especially from Christmas! To be honest, I'm not really sure if we got any pictures from Christmas this year - so sad, but true! We have had a heck of the past several weeks and to keep from boring you here is a quick synopsis of our lives: the girls have both had colds off and on for about 3 weeks now; I got food poisoning and then was in a panic to try and get everything finished before Christmas after being in the bed for 2 full days; we went to Mobile to see my mom's family and Mary Mac had a fever virus at the same time that lasted for 5 full days; we had to put my other grandmother in the hospital that same weekend; Christmas Eve and Christmas morning came and went in a flash; my grandmother (the one in the hospital) passed away Christmas day (more on that later); more family Christmas events and and gatherings; planned a funeral; more family (as in my brother's family and Sam's sister's family came in town)! Whew!!!! I know it's a lot in the span of about 2 weeks. We are all still trying to grieve and celebrate and recover! When I get caught up at work and home, I will post more on the loss of my grandmother and the special things that have taken place as a result as well as my thoughts and feelings in regards to our loss! We are also all still battling with colds and have had to put sweet Anna on another round of antibiotics for an ear infection. Oh the fun the winter time and kids! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Excitement is building

The Christmas excitement is building at our house and Santa is trying to finish up those last minute gifts! Its been a struggle though the past few days as I have been suffering from food poisoning since Sunday morning! I am finally on the mend, but just trying to build my strength back up! Needless to say, I have been worthless and have not felt like getting those last minute things done. We are supposed to be going to Mobile Friday for the weekend with my mom's family! Hopefully I can get it all done before next week AND get everything organized for our annual Christmas Eve Chili and Cheer for our family, friends, and neighbors!

I also have a prayer request for those of you who are prayer warriors. . .one of our beloved babysitters aunt's is undergoing a biopsy on her lungs. Please pray for a good report and quick recovery! Also, we are praying for all of us (and all of you) that we all stay healthy and happy for this joyous time of year as we celebrate the birth of Our Savior!

More Pics

These are Sam's tacky good luck pants for the Auburn game!!! If you can't tell they have tiny script A's all over them - he should have worn them this past weekend! Too funny!
Snowflake at work again - if you can't tell he spelled out "Hi Mary Mac, B Good 4 Santa!"

Again, Snowflake rolled the tree!

Pictures I Promised. . .

Merry Christmas from our house (literally) to yours!

My Little Kitchen Helper
Snowflake on the fan

A Country Christmas

All I have to say is . . .AAHHHH! What a nice weekend we had! Sam's mom, his 2 sisters, and I planned a girl trip to go to A Country Christmas this past weekend in Nashville. We went all out too. We got a room at the Oprland Hotel with a balcony overlooking the Delta Atrium and it was awesome! Our balcony actually looked directly over the huge waterfountain that they had programmed to with music every hour. The decorations were amazing and I have no idea how they take care of all of the plants they have planted - I struggle with the 3 or so real ones in my house! Thursday we went to the Grinch Ice exhibit where they recreated scenes from the movie but it was all made of ice in all the bright colors of the movie. It was freezing in there (obviously) at a cool 9 degrees and they gave you a coat as you went in. They also suggested not leaving your camera on because the cold would run your battery down - had no idea that was possible! Then that night we went to the Rockettes show and had fantastic seats - center section on the 7th row! I don't know if you all would agree, but I personally think I have legs like that naturally. . .HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Friday we went on the General Jackson Showboat and then to the Grand Ole Opry which is being held downtown in its original place, The Ryman Auditorium. It was neat to be there and listen to all the old-school country music. The only names we knew were Marty Stewart and Emmylou Harris, but it was good none-the-less. Then our final day was spent at the Treasures Craft Show and just walking around the enormous resort. That night after watching the SEC spanking game until half-time, we had tickets to the Louise Mandrell Dinner Show. She was so cute and funny and totally talented! I think she played about 15 different instruments and sang and danced. Well, lets just say she tried to dance - that was not her best talent! We all agreed that she needed to be nominated for the next season of Dancing With The Stars because she could use the training and she is talented enough that she would be able to make huge improvements! We had a fantastic time together and it was a nice break from the kids. Thanks so much to my sweet and wonderful husband for not only letting me go and leave him with the girls for 4 days, but for also encouraging me to do things like this and making sure that I have nothing to worry about while I'm gone! I loved spending time with Sam's family too especially without kids around - they make me feel like another sister and I appreciate that more than they know!

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and More. . .

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week - as was everyone else, we have been busy decorating, celebrating, and cheering (in a few short words)! We had a great Thanksgiving this past week. It was kind of quiet which is unusual for us at holiday time. Normally we have all of my family (and I mean ALL) at my house for Thanksgiving dinner, but with several circumstances out of our control, my parents went to my brother's house to celebrate with them this year, my grand parents and extended family stayed in Mobile and celebrated, and Sam's siblings all went to thier in-laws, so it was just Sam's parents and our family. It was cozy, relaxing, quiet, and perfect. Not to say that I didn't miss the chaos and hope we can resume it all next year!

Friday, after seeing the possible weather forecast, all of us decided that we did not want to go to the Auburn - I know, Crazy!!! So instead we opted to try and sell our tickets on eBay. And that we did - so not only were we able to watch the game on big screen in the comfort of dry warmth, in recliners, enjoying some munchies, and watching the Tide Roll, but we also were able to pad our pockets with a little cash! Sweet!!! Now, what am I going to spend my $200 on? Hummmm?

We also had the chance to put the finishing touches on our decorations at home (I will post a picture when I have more time). And our elf has been up to NOOO GOOOODD! Our elf, affectionately named Snowflake, has been visting us since last weekend. Sam says we may have been a little premature on his visits because we are already running out of ideas. My favorite Snowflake moment so far was last Wednesday:

I had been trying to get things prepped and prepared as much as possible so that all I had to do Thursday was put it all in the oven so I let the girls just have a hay-day in the playroom - so long as they didn't bug Mom! Ha, that was just a dream! Anyway, after I was finished I went to the playroom and it looked like Toys R Us had puked in the floor of our playroom! I was sooo tired and exhausted (and didn't feel great from the lovely productive cough I had) that we put the girls to bed and I didn't even think about the playroom OR Snowflake. I would just worry about all of it in the morning before the girls woke up. Well, morning came a little faster than I wanted and the next thing I know, both girls were in our bed wide-eyed and bushy tailed! It immediately hit me - oh no, I forgot Snowflake!!! I looked at Sam with those "oh, sh**" eyes and said I would be right back. He quickly mumbled "it's done." So off we all went to see what Snowflake had done ( I think I was more anxious than the girls). We finally found Snowflake - he had cleaned the playroom spotless, left a note to the girls (reminding them that Santa would be very upset if they let the playroom get messy again), and he had hopped on Lucy (one of the 100 horses we have) and was standing on top of the ceiling fan! It was perfect!! Man I love that Snowflake!!! I wish he would continue this kind of mischief all year!

Other than this great event, Snowflake has rolled our Christmas tree (before it was decorated, of course), taken ornaments off the kids tree in the playroom, taken the stockings down, made a bed out of a Dora lunchbox and slept with a stuffed giraffe, made snow angels on our kitchen table, and made a mess out of cereal in the pantry. Like I said, we are running out of ideas - please provide some new ones if you have any!!!

Sorry for the long post, but it's been a long week and lots of activities! By the way, Mary Mac trotted yesterday at her horseback riding lesson - actually she trotted 4 times and trotted a post (basically that means that they put a pole on the ground and the horse trotted over it). She was so proud and excited! She is riding a horse named James Brown - gott love the name! Her only problem is that her legs aren't quite long enough so when she kicks him to make him go, she's really just tapping his sides and not his underbelly! (not sure if that is the correct term, but I'm sure Sam will correct me) Oh well, she will grow!

Program Video

Here is the video of the Thanksgiving Program.

Thanksgiving Program

Our little turkey getting ready to go on-stage

Nanny and Mary Mac
Pancake (aka Aunt Kate) and Mary Mac

This morning was Mary Mac's annual Thanksgiving Program at school and here are some pictures. Sam and I weren't real sure if she was really going to "perform" or not since lately she has had a little stage fright at other events (refer to posts about Halloween and ballet). So we were delightfully excited when she did actually perform instead of the usual hands-in-mouth! Her class were turkeys and we've been practicing the songs for a while now! Anna's class does not yet get to perfrom, although I think Anna would do better than some of the older kids! She will get to do it next year, so stay tuned . . .

Random Video of Mary Mac

I have been trying to load this video of Mary Mac singing in the car for months - since her birthday actually - and this is the first time I have been able to get it to upload with errors! Hope you enjoy as much as I do! This was the morning of her birthday party and she had gone with me to pick up her cake. She just started singing this and it made my heart melt because it was so heartfelt and a perfect song for her day! This Is The Day! Please notice how she says "have's made" instead of "has made" - too cute! Oh, and yes, I was driving and taping at the same time but be assured that I just pointed the camera back there hoping to get her face in the picture and my eyes were on the road the whole time! Promise!!!

More Photos

Just a reminder that the Family Photo Album over there on my list of friends is a link to even more pictures of our family. I add pictures all the time to it and there are more pictures there than I usually post on the blog! Enjoy!!!!!

New Music

I keep forgetting to post that I've added some new songs to my playlist! I love these songs so much that I open our blog everyday at work just to hear the music AND read new posts! So if you are reading via Google Reader, click on our blog and hopefully you will hear the new songs! Hope you enjoy!

On a side note, I am happy to report that I have completed my Christmas shopping! Woohoo! I did a lot of it online so that helps speed up the process. I am only lacking a few last minute things for stockings and gifts for school/teachers. I'm going to wait until they all decide what the class will do before I buy anything though. Oh, and Sam and I haven't decided what we are doing for each other - probably not much since we are trying to cut back this year. The girls are getting one big thing each and a few small things and that is it! Mary Mac is pressuring me daily to start decorating (after seeing a neighbor who has already decorated), but I think we'll wait until Thanksgiving weekend when we have more time! There's just too much going on this week to even think about it.

Two Words . . . Roll Tide!!!

Ok, sorry for a delay in posts! We have had a crazy week or so with 2 deaths of family and like-family and trying to play catch-up while also attending to the daily chores! I have not posted yet (and can't believe I haven't) on the excitement of our football team !!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!! We have been to all the home games and will go to Auburn game! And if Sam's letterman status will allow, we have ordered our tickets for both the SEC Champiuonship and bowl game (whichever we make it to). However, I will not get to go to the SEC game because my sweet mother-in-law wanted all of the Collins girls to go to Opryland for A Country Christmas and we just happened to plan it for that weekend - this was planned way before we even had an inkling (is that a word?) of the success. Oh well, I'm sure Sam will have a ball and I am looking forward to my girls trip!

As for Mary Mac and Anna, they are great (as usual)! We had a bit of a melt-down last week at ballet with Mary Mac. For those of you who know her, this is SO Mary Mac! Anyway, it was parent visitation day at ballet and I had totally forgotten! Sam had a meeting so he was no where to help or watch and Anna had to tag along. Anna could not understand why she couldn't participate (she is taking on Thurs. mornings) at this class. Well, the class starts and Mary Mac is just standing there staring at the parents and not making a move while all the other little "princesses" are gracefully dancing and showing off for their families. I look at her with those "mommy" eyes to say, "you better start participating or we're leaving!" She then proceeds to yell that she has to "TEE-TEE" - never fails! Makes for a great giggle from the crowd. Since I had Anna in my lap one of the teachers had to take her. Well the teacher comes back in, but no Mary Mac in sight. When she finally creeps back in with her hands in her mouth, she runs to me to tell me her stomach hurts. So who knows? Does it really? Not sure so I take her outside to try and keep her from disrupting the other dancing beauties! We have a long talk and she loudly proclaims that she hates ballet and never wants to come back. Stomach is suddenly better! Needless to say, we leave the studio AND forget her bag with her tap shoes in it. So, the next day I decided to have a serious talk with her about it and see if she really wants to quit or if she just didnt' like the parents watching. She, finally after my little speech about committment (you think a 4 year old "gets" that?), looks at me as seriously as possible and says, "Mom, I have a new thing now?" Taken aback by this statement I ask, "Well, what is your new thing?" She says in a "like duh" kind of way - "Horseback Riding!" So, I guess it's settled - she is not going to be our little princess ballerina - but, honestly, she's never been and I really don't see her ever being like that. We'll stick with horses for now!
Maybe there is hope for Anna! I did notice Anna last night (as I watched Dancing With The Stars) that she picked up her babydoll by hands and started spinning her doll around like she was dancing with her - sooooo cute! And pretty smart too! She just kept saying"dance, dance dance".
I'll have to post on Mary Mac's horseback riding lesson yesterday - she actually got her horse to jump! And she's only 4!

Finally Halloween Pictures

Ok, so I have to admit that none of these pictures are great, but these days we are finding it hard to get any good pictures of the girls together. Mary Mac has mastered this lovely fake smile that she does in almost every picture unless I take it while she's laughing or talking. She must get this from her Pop! And Anna is constantly on the move these days so she is usually trying to run away or busy doing something besides posing for pictures. Just a reminder . . . Anna is Dorothy (the cutest Dorothy I've ever seen) and Mary Mac is a unicorn (I wasn't very creative with the rest of her costume, but she didn't care). She was happy as long as I painted a rainbow on her face and she could take her rainbow ribbon with her. I really wanted to a paint her whole face into a rainbow, but she wasn't so sure about that. Oh, and the deal with the rainbows is that she always says that unicorns are magic and that they are the ones who make all the rainbows in the world. I think we've watched a little too much of My Little Ponies!

Dorothy (aka Anna) - doesn't she look so old with her hair in a pony tail?

Rarity (aka Mary Mac) - caught her before she could give her fake smile!

At the Parade/Pizza Party

Mary Mac and her friend Marion dancing to the Blue Brothers (story below)

And here's Anna Gettin Jiggy With It! (is that even still cool to say - just kidding I know it's not but it's the only funny saying I could think of to go with her picture!) She had a ball dancing with the Blue Brothers and was trying to get to the front (um, I'm having flashbacks of my childhood - OHHH, Sam and I are in trouble!)

Halloween

With all of the excitement of Election Day and after our weekend with the stomach virus, I almost forgot to post about our Halloween fun! The girls looked so cute in their costumes (I forgot my camera to upload pics, but I will soon, I promise!)! After picking them up from school, we rushed home to get all of our "gear" on and get ready for the neighborhood parade and trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood has an awesome tradition (a tradition that many neighborhoods around the area have tried to copy, but ours is still the best) that has been taking place ever since I was a little girl living in the same neighborhood. On Halloween night, all the kids and parents gather together (and a local firetruck) and have a costume parade down ones street and then we have a pizza party for the kids before the trick-or-treating begins. This year was special because it addition to the tradition, one of our neighbors (whose family has had a band for YEARS) and his dad were dressed like the Blues Brothers along with his twin 6 year old sons - so cute!!! Well, next thing we know we hear loud music coming from one area of the cul-de-sac and notice that they have broken into a scene from the Blues Brothers and are dancing and lip-syncing to the music. It was so much fun and the kids all had a ball dancing around with them to the loud music. While I told this neighbor that he had now raised the bar for next year, there was a true purpose to this performance. The elementary school that is adjacent to our neighborhood (where all the kids go and ours will go) is in the process of re-building a community playground. They had to tear the old one down last year due to it being un-safe and falling apart. They've had big fundraising events and have almost raised all of the money, so this little impromptu performance was done in an effort to raise more money for the playground through tips! What a great idea! I'm not sure how much they raised, but I saw just about everyone putting money in the tip buckets, so maybe they raised the final amount!

After the parade and party in the neighborhood, we then took off on our Halloween pimped out golf cart. I found battery powered lights in purple and orange that we hung on the golf cart to look like a spider on the top. It was too cute! The girls thought it was so cool! We made it down 2 streets and decided it was too cold for Anna (who had on short sleeves) and so we dropped her and my parents off at the house and Sam, Mary Mac, and I continued on to more houses for more candy (just what we needed). Our final stop was to one of Mary Mac's friends in the neighborhood who was also having a party for the kids with blow-up bouncy things, more pizza, candy, etc. You get the picture!!! We then went home and were able to spend a little time with Sam's sister and her triplets (yes, that is 3 six year olds - 2 girls, 1 boy) who had just come in town for the weekend for Alabama's Homecoming. It was a great night and I am so thankful that we are able to provide such fun for our family and spend it together!

By the way, we had big plans to take the girls to the Homecoming festivities on Saturday, but Anna woke us up in the middle of Friday night with the stomach virus! YUCK! Hopefully we are all done that now!

It's Election Day!

I have to apologize for Sam's comment about voting for Obama and not being welcomed at our blog. Although it is no surprise that we are hard-core Republicans and McCain/Palin supporters, I still welcome you even if you are not of the same opinion! So with that said, do your civic duty and GO VOTE! I've already voted this morning and am anxiously awaiting the results!

GO VOTE!

This is Sam once again wanting to remind everyone to go vote tomorrow and if you vote for Obama you are NO LONGER WELCOME AT THIS BLOG!

I'm game!

Ok, so normally I don't do the little "Tag" games, but this one is easy and kind of fun to look through old pictures, so here goes:



I've been tagged to do the following:


1) Choose the 4th folder (on computer)
2) Choose the 4th picture (below)
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 other people
This was Anna's birthday and the first time Mary Mac got to see her new baby "tister" (as she called her) and the first picture together as our new Family of Four. Mary Mac looks like she's gotten into the "sauce" and she looks so little; Sam looks to be still in shock of our April Fools suprise; I am a looking a little pale - maybe still trying to get over my spinal; and sweet Anna looks so chubby. Wow how things have changed in our house! I could never have dreamed of a better life and family!

I tag:

1. Molli

2. Susie

3. Rachel

4. Sarah

Happy Tagging!

Go Vote!

In the spirit of the POTUS '08, Go Vote! Not just for President, but for the Pumpkins (look above posts)!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Picking Pumpkins

Well, not exactly picking them, but I did take the girls to a local Pumpkin Patch (not really a patch) that a church is holding to sell pumpkins to support their mission trips and we got 6 pumpkins in all: 2 small ones for school, one tiny one for Anna, and medium one for Mary Mac, and 2 big ones for Sam and I to carve for the girls. We had a great weekend this past weekend - the girls stayed in pajamas all weekend (Molli, you guys can appreciate this!) and they did not leave the house all weekend other than to play outside. Sam and I went to the Alabama game but we left them with a sitter and had a great time together! Anyway, yesterday was a perfect day for carving pumpkins. . .And so we did! If I can figure out how to do the poll thing I am going to conduct a poll (per Sam) on who's pumpkin is the best! We have a contest between us every year and this year we will let you Bloggers decide (if I can figure it out)! Here are pics of the weekend: one of Anna and her devil horns for hair and then of the pumpkins!

By the way, I am not telling who did what with the pumpkins so don't ask! Sorry for all the posts at one time, but we are now caught up! I told you we had a big/busy couple of weeks! Please read on!

First Lesson

Mary Mac had her first horseback riding lessons last week and she was in heaven! I was shocked how easily she caught on to the concept of "steering" the horse where to go. Her teacher said she was impressed too at how well she did the first time as a 4 year old! Carly (teacher) showed her how to brush the horse and get the saddled and then helped her get on it and then she was off! She rode Jimmy (is sooo old and perfect for her to learn) for about 45 minutes and by the end of the lesson she was doing it all by herself and getting him to go through and around jumps (not jumping, just walking). Then Carly showed her how to give him a bath to cool him off after the lesson. She had a ball, to say the least!!! Here is a video and pictures from the lesson.

And Anna had her first ballet class (Mommy & Me) last week too! She absolutely loved it - not sure what she loved more - having mommy all to herself or the actual class? Just kidding, she loved the class and giggled the whole time. She couldn't wait to show her sister what all she learned at ballet. She and Mary Mac danced all that night at home with each other which was so much fun to watch! I hate I didn't get it on video. Mary Mac was acting like the teacher and Anna was doing everything Mary Mac did! Here is a video of Anna's class - sorry for the blurry beginning, but her smiles and giggles are worth the watch!

Boo at the Zoo

Last weekend we took an impromptu trip to the zoo in Birmingham. This was Anna's first official zoo adventure and we weren't real sure what she was going to think about it since she is not a big animal lover like Mary Mac. I did pack her babydoll though just in case of a meltdown! Sam had been out of town from Wednesday until late Saturday night and the girls (and mommy) were really missing him. So when we finally got moving on Sunday morning it was beautiful outside - the perfect day to go to the zoo - a little cloudy and cool! So why not? We packed our luches and headed to the zoo for picnic first and then to see the animals. Mary Mac (our little planner) already had in mind what she wanted to "show" Anna her first trip and in which order we would see the animals. We has so much fun watching both of them interact and actually enjoying the same thing. Anna was hilarious! She was such the busy body! We brought 2 little strollers instead of our double stroller because we thought it would be easier to get around. Anna did not sit in her stroller hardly at all. She was loving being able to walk around freely (somewhat) and kept walking up to the animals and waving and saying "Hi!" to every single one of them. She was soooo cute! We were so glad that she enjoyed the zoo as much as the rest of us do (mom and dad included). This is only picture of the girls - we were too busy chasing Anna to get any pictures. This was also as we were leaving - you can read the exhaustion all over their faces!

Doctor's Appts & Hair Cuts

We have had so much going on the past couple of weeks, so I apologize for the lack of posts. This one may be long as I attempt to play catch up for all of the things we've been doing. I may end up posting several instead of one long one.

First, we had a rough time last week when I had to take both girls for their check-ups! Take note - I WILL NEVER AGAIN TAKE THEM TO THE DOCTOR TOGETHER FOR A CHECK-UP! Mary Mac was getting her 4 year booster shots (2 shots and a toe prick) and Anna was getting 3 shots for her 18 month. I was totally prepared (or so I thought) with Blow-Pops for each girl (bribery has always worked in the past). Well, not this time! Mary Mac takes after one her aunts and just goes crazy at the sight of her own blood and the toe prick (might I add it took 2 tries - explain that to a 4 year old?) was no exception! Once we got over that "trauma" it was time for the shots. I gave Mary Mac the choice to go first or after Anna (mistake!) and, of course, she chose for Anna to go first. As you expect, Anna starts screaming once she gets the shots (bless her - she had no idea what was coming!). Well, when she starts screaming, Mary Mac begins screaming - in empathy? in anticipation? Who knows! And I mean the head-spinning, blood-curdling scream as she proceeds to curl up in the fetal position in the corner of the room. After loving on Anna and giving her a Blow-Pop in hopes of calming her down (which it didn't), I then have to pry Mary Mac off the floor in a ball and attempt, along with the nurse, to pull her pants down enough to get to her leg. Remember, she is still in the fetal position and at this point has a death grip on the waist of her pants, all the while still screaming and Anna still screaming - again, not sure if this is out of empathy or thinking she's going to get more! Well, after loving on both girls and attempting to soothe them with sugar, we have finally settled down and gladly leave the doctor's office with stickers in hand.

My stress level was out of this world and I could have downed a glass of wine even though it was only 10:30 in the morning! Then, leave it to Mary Mac, she looks at me and smiles and says, "Momma, I was very good. Can we go get my surprise now?" WHAT? GOOD? You call that good? OOHHH, my darling child, if you only knew! It was still cute, though, and, yes, we did get her a surprise that night (horse-related, no less). Another funny thing was that out of all of that drama, the only thing Mary Mac keeps telling everybody was that she tee-tee'd in a cup! She was so proud! That was another feat all in itself.

After the doctor's appointment, we took Mary Mac to (finally) get her hair cut off to donate. Here is a picture of her getting it cut and then the finished product (not a great picture of the hair cut). She was in total shock while getting her hair cut. We were laughing because we were saying that she was in a state of shock - first, the shots, then her hair! She didn't say one word the whole time until we left and she was so proud of her "big girl" hair cute. And, can I say that it so easy to fix now!

Oh, and yes, we donated her hair (hence, her holding her ponytail) to Wigs 4 Kids. After a little research, I decided that we would donate to them instead of Locks of Love (no need to go into the reasons).

The Birthday Girl!

Here she is getting ready for the party - the party did not start until 2, but she was so excited that we went over to the barn at 12:30!
I think she's a natural! She starts her real lessons Tuesday. She is so excited that she gets to ride a horse for a whole hour all by herself and not have to share the time with anyone.
Of course, I couldn't post pictures of the party without including a picture of Anna (by the way, who is not an animal lover!).
And the cake. . .
They had so much fun at the party and the girls who put on the party kept them entertained for the full hour and a half with pony rides, finger painting the ponies (above pic), water balloon fight/toss (the kids weren't so sure about this - they were terrified that it would be loud when they busted), a horse pinata, and, of course, cake and ice cream! Needless to say, I think all the kids slept well last night, or at least ours did!

We were also privileged that my grandparents and uncle from Mobile were able to come for the weekend and the party and both of the girls had a ball playing with them. I've always felt like Mary Mac has this affinity for older people and that maybe (if you believe in reincarnation) she has this "old wise-ness" (is that even a word?) about her. She is always so sweet and wanting to take care of Mimi and Papa. Thank you Mimi and Papa for coming for her party - it meant so much to all of us and we love you!

By the way, I cannot end this post without saying - ROLL TIDE!!!! It was not the prettiest of games Saturday, but considering that we were coming off of that big win, I'll take a WIN!

Just found this old picture

I was just looking at old pictures on my computer this morning and found this picture of Mary Mac from about a year ago. It is so funny - just call her Picaso!!! It's amazing how much she has matured in a year because she savors each marker until it is exhausted now and would never waste it on herself! I had left Sam with the girls while I ran errands and then we were going to meet for dinner. While he was giving Anna a bottle, Mary Mac got very quiet in the playroom and this is how he found her. . .

Let's just say thank goodness for washable markers! It all came off very easily. BTW, I cannot believe how clean the playroom looks in the background - not that clean these days with 2 little curtain climbers playing in there!

Changes are a comin'

If you notice any weird things on here it's because I am in the process of changing backgrounds and pictures, so bare with me!

Getting Ready for the Party!

Our house is in an all out frenzy of excitement awaiting Mary Mac's 4th Birthday party on Sunday - she is literally counting down the days. We are having it at Westminster Farms which is where she will be taking her first horseback riding lessons (Surprise - that was what she wanted for her birthday). She will be learning English (against Sam's wishes - sorry honey!), but as long as she learns to respect the horses and ride English style then she can easily learn Western as it isn't as formal. As you may have seen from previous posts, we have taken her to several rodeos and she is in awe of the barrel racing, so who knows what she will like better!

Several gifts have already showed up on our doorstep and she just couldn't wait so we had to open them. One of the gifts was from some new family friends (I say new family friends because although we have just recently gotten to know them, they feel like they've part of the family for years!) whose daughter is a horse trainer and has loved horses all of her life just like Mary Mac. Cliff and Catherine knew exactly what MMC would need as far as pants and boots to get her started with her lessons so they begged to find some for her and send them to us. Well as you can see in the pictures, MMC was all smiles when she tried them on and cannot wait to actually wear them to ride horses! She was "posing" and the last one is a pose with her riding her horse!

Here are pictures of her horsey socks that our friends also gave her - so nice!

On another note, I bought some pears (organic, no doubt!) and the girls just found them in the frig last night and this is where we found them - chowing down on the pears in the playroom! Anna is taking a swing at Mary Mac and yes, that is blue marker in MMC's hair! You think our girls like fruit or what? They both ended up eating their own all the way down to the core (and even some of the core).

Locks of Love

In case you were wondering why I have added the Locks of Love image on the sidebar, there is a reason! We have been letting Mary Mac's hair grow for about a year now and it is getting so long. She has not wanted to cut it until just recently, but I wanted to make it a learning experience for Mary Mac to realize how blessed we are! You have to have a minimum of 10 inches to donate and we are almost there. As soon as we reach that point, I am going to either take pictures or a video of cutting it and post it on the blog -so stay tuned! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help Mary Mac understand the importance of donating her hair? I'm up for suggestions because everything I think of telling her sounds like it will be over her head.

On another note -and a Mary Mac funny- Sam and I got back from our trip on Sunday and Mary Mac and the babysitter had made cupcakes over the weekend. She wanted one after dinner that night so she pulled her stool up to the counter and she picked out the one she wanted. She took it into the playroom and within minutes she ran into the kitchen and had licked the icing off and threw the cake part away (UUGGHHH - Mommy would have eaten it!). When she asked for another one (standing back on her stool), Sam told her that she could have it but that if she only wanted the icing then give him the cake instead of throwing it away! So she starts laughing and tells Sam, "Well, blow me down!" Sam then blows on her and she falls off of the stool (being funny, of course). She jumps back up on the stool and continues to say, "I've gotta quit saying that!" It was hilarious!!! I guess, though, it's only hilarious to those who have ever watched The Wiggles - this is a famous saying of Captain Feathersword! It's amazing the things kids remember and repeat!

Future Player?

If only Mary Mac was a boy I could say that we may have an Alabama football player in the making! Oh well, she looked too cute not to post this picture! Roll Tide! And, yes, this is Sam's real helmet.

Veggie Lessons!

Ok, so I keep running out of time to actually schedule a time to have a class on how to "put up" veggies so I decided to just put it in a post and hopefully this will be helpful to more than people than could come to my house and do it. Here is a list of things you will need to get started:
1) Obviously, fresh veggies. I prefer to buy an assortment of peas (purple hull, crowder, lady peas, lima beans, etc - you get the idea), green beans, whole okra. Most of these items can only be found at a produce stand or farmer's market.
2) Large Colander
3) Large stock pot with a steamer basket/metal colander OR (my preference) a large stock pot with a pasta drainer pot in it (does this make sense?)
4) Clean towels
5) Quart sized Freezer Ziploc bags
6) Sharpie

Once you have all of these items together, you want to thoroughly wash the veggies (keep each type of veggie separate) in the colander. Put a small amount of water into the large stock pot and bring to a slow boil. Place the veggies in the pasta drainer/steamer basket/metal colander and into the pot of boiling water (make sure the veggies are not submerged in water). Cover and allow to blanch (or steam) for 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and rinse under cold water. Spread veggies out on towels in a single layer and allow to dry. Place in bags (1 quart size is enough for 2 adults and 2 small kids), making sure to remove air. Label the bag with what it is, how much you put in the bag, and the date and place in freezer.

To cook, get out of freezer and run water into the bag to loosen the veggies and place in your pot. Season accordingly (fresh veggies usually require a good amount of salt). I prefer to season with salt, pepper, tiny bit of olive oil, and tiny bit of Splenda (the Splenda and oil replicate the flavor of bacon fat or ham hock which is what gives that yummy flavor without all of the bad fat). Bring to a boil and continue cooking until tender and done.

Okra - DO NOT DO THE ABOVE PROCESS FOR OKRA!!! All you have to do with the okra is wash and allow to dry then cut into small, thin pieces and place in bags and freeze - EASY PEEZY! When you want to fry the okra, dump it out into a colander and allow to thaw and dry out a little before breading it with cornmeal. Then fry! Yummy! Our family prefers it cut into tiny pieces because it is nice and crispy when its fried and not mushy!

TaDa!!!! I told you all this is easy! It takes me about an hour to put up several bags of veggies! P.S. You do not need or want to do any of the seasoning during the blanching process! Hope you all enjoy!

Update to Phone Line

After reading my post about the phone line, Sam made it a point to fix it as soon as he got home Friday afternoon! See, I told you really is handy! Seriously, he can fix anything! Weeellllll, almost anything! If anyone wants to help him get this surround sound wired, we are taking volunteers. I decided to finish our painting projects yesterday and paint our bedroom and Sam decided he would finish hooking up the surround sound. Neither one of us expected to still be working on it until late last night. I certainly do not know anything about wiring the surround sound AND I was up until almost 11 last night painting (AND STILL NOT FINISHED!). Sam had to sleep with Mary Mac and I slept in the guest bedroom since our room was in shambles and covered in painting supplies. It was really weird to sleep in separate rooms in our own house knowing that we were both there. I mean I'm used to sleeping in my bed alone when he is out of town or sleeping in the guest bed if one of the girls is sick, but it was just plain weird! I don't ever want to do that again!

What do country boys, phone lines, alabama, and apologies have in common?

These are all things going on in our house these days!

1) This is a true testament to the fact that you can take the boy out of the country, but you can NEVER take the country out of the boy! I say this affectionately because this is one of the things I LOVE about my husband! He just got back last weekend from an annual hunting trip to Texas with his dad and brother and uncles. They drive to Senora, TX which is very close to the Mexico border and this makes for very long trip for them. They got back late Sunday night and this below is a picture of what I found the next morning soaking in bowl by my kitchen sink - I just wish the picture showed the detail of the "stuff" that he was soaking off! EEWWWWW!

2) My wonderfully handy husband has decided that he needs surround sound in his Men's Den. So, for reasons of which I still do not understand, he felt that the phone jack that was in the same box as the cable outlet needed to be cut (his defense is that he doesn't need or want a phone in there!). Well, after 2 days of fighting with what I thought was my internet connection problem, we realized that none of our phones had a dial tone! OOOPS! Apparently the one he cut is the main line coming into the house (although he will disagree). So if you've called our house and we still have not called back? Now you know!

3) Although last weekend was officially the start of football season, this weekend is when the fun really starts as this is the first home game! The girls and I are all decked-out in our Alabama gear today for Friday Spirit Day! Mary Mac took the one of Anna and I by herself - a photographer in the making!

4) Finally, and as a mom, most importantly! We have been have struggles lately with Mary Mac in pushing her limits on just what she can say to people before getting in trouble with her sassy mouth. Her class in school this year is more like a "real" classroom and less like daycare with the grandmotherly types that loved her and thought anything and everything she said or did was so cute and funny. Well, she came home earlier this week "On Yellow" for the first time which means we did not have a great day (Green for good, Yellow for not so good, and Red for Bad). The note said that she was talking back to her teachers all day. That night Sam and I sat down with her talked to her about watching our mouth, saying sweet things, minding grown-ups, listening with our ears and following directions, etct., etc. (You get the picture!) We weren't mad at her or getting on to her - we just felt like this was a perfect "teaching" opportunity since she was so upset about being On Yellow! Well, it made me feel like we had done our jobs as parents when she informed me that she had told her teachers the next morning that she was sorry for talking back to them. We did not tell her to do this or even mention it, but she felt in her heart that she needed to express her sorrow for acting like this. I wasn't sure if she really did this or just told me that she did, so this morning I asked them if she had apologized and they said that she came up to them first thing that next morning to say she was sorry. I guess she felt she needed to "clear the air" first thing and start off on a new foot that day! Will this last? Who knows, but it warms my heart that maybe, just maybe what we told her and tell her on a daily basis might really stick inside that little horse-obsessed brain of hers! I just love her to death!!!! And Anna, too, of course!

And these are some priceless pictures, especially for Mary Mac since she is not a girly girl! Anna really loves playing dress up and being a princess. And I have to admit that it is so wonderful to do these girly things for a change. Mary Mac is getting into it too now that Anna likes to do it. Sam walked in when I was taking these pictures and said that I was trying to corrupt his little country girl! Oh well, these may be the only pictures of Mary Mac in a princess outfit so I am enjoying them thoroughly!

Cooking Lessons Anyone?

Ok, so since I have already had 2 requests on our blog and several verbal requests, I am considering doing a cooking lesson for anyone interested in learning to "put up" fresh veggies! I actually learned from my grandmothers. When Sam and I first got married (and since he is a "country boy") I called my grandmothers for some advice on how to put up veggies. I actually still use the notes that I took from their lessons and I would be glad to pass along these precious tips that you just can't find in books or cookbooks anywhere - I got them to good ole' fashion way - word of mouth from the experts! Hopefully these are some things I can pass on to my girls when they grow up! My next lesson that I want to learn is how to can things and I will pass this along as well!

If anyone is interested in this, let me know and we can plan a day at my house to do it!

Rainy Days

Well, as I write this post, I look out the window at the rain and accept that we must settle in for a weekend full of rain, due to the long-lasting TS Faye! Oh well, at least this was not a bad storm for my family in the Tampa area and Mobile area, so we are thankful for that. I can tell that we have not had one of these rain-filled weekends in a long time because the girls are already stir-crazy and it's only 11:00am. Did I say the girls? I should say WE ALL ARE! But at least our yard is loving this very much needed rain!

I have to brag on myself this morning. All summer I have been gradually buying fresh veggies from our local produce stand and farmer's market and putting up veggies for the winter (for those of you not from the South, this means freezing them for later consumption). This morning I have already made a trip to the farmer's market (in the rain, I might add) and blanched and put up about 10 cups of peas and 6 cups of cut okra. I am so excited about doing this because I am always craving fresh veggies in the winter and unless you already have them put up or you have someone in your family (i.e. my grandmother - who is no longer able to do it) then there's no hope of fresh until next summer! So Yea Leigh! I am prepared this year!

On another note (totally unrelated to the above), there are some amazing things happening this past week that can only be credited to God's Grace and the persistence of His Prayer Warriors! A family in our neighborhood (whose kids I babysat when they were about the same age as my girls) has experienced first hand the power of prayer and God's Amazing Grace! Their middle child, Carter (age 20), was on a camping trip with some of his Sigma Chi pledge brothers from Bham Southern about 10 days ago and fell off a 50 ft cliff into a creek and was unconcious and underwater for about 4-8 minutes before his friends could get down to him. One of the boys is a pre-med major and started performing CPR while still in the water (which his docs say saved his life because his body would likely have gone into shock if pulled out first) and was able to get him breathing again and a pulse back before he was airlifted to the local hospital. Well, here we are more than a week later, and Carter has improved tremendously and his team of docs expect him to make a full recovery! From the time of hearing of the accident, e-mails went out immediately to who-knows how many people all over town and the Prayer Warriors went to work! Wow, you cannot believe the amount of out-pouring of prayers that have taken place in this past week for Carter, all in the name of God! AND, add to the fact of his miraculous recovery, an article was in our local paper this week about Carter, his accident, and how only by the Grace of God is he even alive, much less doing so well! In the article the author actually used religious terms in his writing!!!!! The article stirred up so much talk about Grace, Faith, etc. in our town and it is amazing! If you had told me 15 years ago that this cute little blond haired boy would be used by God in this way, I would have called you a liar!!! Anyway, he is doing amazingly well considering he shouldn't have even survived and if you want to check out his Caring Bridge site for more updates and to hear his parents (who are the sweetest people)profound thoughts, emotions, and feelings every day of his recovery go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cartercrutchfield. Praise GOD - that's all you can say about this!!!!

Days of New

Well, we are finally getting adjusted to our new school schedule (they go all day on Mon/Wed/Fri and only half days on Tues/Thurs). I can't believe how much Anna has grown up in the last 2 weeks. She is becoming much more independent and will actually go play by herself in the playroom! She is also becoming more verbal, which is so nice (and so darned cute!)!

Sam and I had a nice break from the girls last week, even though it was a business trip. I kept telling Sam that I was looking forward to my "vacation", so before we even got to the airport he had asked my 3 times if I was enjoying my vacation yet. We went to Chicago to work one of our shows and I loved it! I think I loved it because it reminded me so much of New York, but cleaner and with a lot more parks and "green" stuff! We were gone for a full 7 days; Mary Mac is finally old enough now that she realized that we were gone for a long time. She kept asking us on the phone (which is unusual because she normally won't talk to us on the phone) when we were coming home - awwwweeee! I'm not sure if she wanted us to come home because she missed us or she was looking forward to her "surprises" we brought! I'll take either option - at least they missed us! They were both so excited to see us when we got home - I think it was a good break for all of us. Of course, they both looked like they had grown a foot in one week!

A Mother's Reflections. . .

I'm writing this post more for myself than anyone else's benefit, so just bare with me as I work my way through my thoughts on this post. I have lots of friends (both bloggies and non-bloggies) that are pregnant right now with babies (#1, #2, or #3 children) and those that have just had babies and hearing all of thier stories makes me kind of reflect on my family's lives over the past few years.

The day of Anna's birth and those days that followed are still a bit of a blur, but there are a few things that really stand out in my mind of the emotions and feelings I had (I know, Sam, you remember my weeping very clearly I'm sure!). These emotions were very raw and real and I am so thankful that I had a husband and family that allowed me to express them and deal with them. I think my mom was really worried that I ws suffering from Post-Partum, but I am very confident that that was not the case at all!

So, you're wondering, what emotions and feelings were you dealing with? Well, the biggest one was the idea that somehow I was "losing" Mary Mac as my baby - I mean, up to that point, she WAS my baby and in a matter of a few hours, she WASN'T - she was my Big Girl/Big Sister. I felt so guilty for taking her baby-hood away from her so young and forcing her into this world of being a Big Girl at the ripe old age of 2 1/2. i mean, Sam and I made this choice for her and never consulted her on it. How selfish could we have been? We wanted another child, not Mary Mac - she was happy and content being the only child. I vividly remember seeing her for the first time after having Anna and immediately I noticed (whether in reality or just in my head - dunno?) that she had grown like a foot and had these enormous hands and feet, that is, compared to this new miracle that we had been waiting on for almost 9 months, who was so tiny and fragile.

Another major emotion was my fear of how I was going to be able to raise not just 1 fearless and confident female, but 2! Mary Mac was already growing into this confident, yet sweet little girl and, for the life of me, when Anna was born, my brain just went blank as to what I thought "we" (Sam and I) did to get her to this stage of life! How on earth can I repeat this? The answer I have realized is that "we" did not do anything - the "we" in this equation was not just Sam and I, but also our faith in God as our guide to raise these little earthly beings! The other answer is that as Anna is getting older and developing her own little personality, I realize that I shouldn't have wanted to make a "clone" of Mary Mac or try and repeat her! Anna is her own, sweet, funny, loving little person - all by herself - curls and all! And Mary Mac is her own wild, fearless, confident, loving little girl, too! Wow, what a blessing we have in these 2 miracle babies!

Looking back, I can't believe I really had those crazy feelings and emotions, but I don't think I am the only mom that goes through this! I'm just going to chalk it up to being totally normal with just a little hormonal influence added to the mix! So, for those of you who are thinking that I am writing this because I have baby-fever? WRONG! No fever here! I think, for now at least, I will just enjoy everyone else's babies and live vicariously through you all. The thought of going back to All Things Baby world is sooooo not appealing to me! so if you find me smelling your sweet baby's head (yes, Molli, you were right - that smell is distinct and wonderful!), don't worry, just consider it my "fever medicine"! I'll get over it really quick - like, as soon as they start crying!

A New "Big Girl" Room for Mary Mac

We had not planned on doing anything anytime soon with Mary Mac or Anna's bedroom furniture - that is, until we realized that the furniture we REALLY wanted for Mary Mac was going on sale, but only through the end of July. So, not knowing if it would go on sale again anytime soon, we decided to go ahead get it for her and really give her a room with personality (Mary Mac's personality=horses). So within a week's time, we bought the furniture, ordered the bedding, matched the paint to the bedding, and painted the walls accordingly (or should I say, I painted the walls since Sam was out of town). It's not totally finished yet, but I am so proud of it I wanted to go ahead and post pictures of it. I meant to take a "before" picture, but forgot! So, for those of you who didn't know what it looked like before - she had hot pink upholstered twin headboards with bright colored striped bedding and the walls were just a khaki color because I knew we would be changing it in the near future (just didn't imagine it being this near). For now, her old stuff is now located in our other guest bedroom (which was being used only for storage), so we have plenty of sleeping room for any guests! Mary Mac is so proud of her Big Girl room that she likes to just go up there by herself and read or play by herself on her "horsey" bed! The plan to finish out the room is to have a girl that Sam's family knows paint a fence on the bottom half and maybe a horse on one of the walls - hence, the idea of the bottom walls being green (i.e. grass) and the top being blue (i.e.sky)! Hope you enjoy! By the way, this is it for furniture for Mary Mac's room - she will have this furniture until she can afford to buy her own!

First Day of School

Well yesterday was the first day of school for the girls for this next year. We had a week off last week and now they got to move into their new classes yesterday! Anna (just as I suspected) was not very excited about her move -she is definitely our child of habit! Mary Mac, after a little hesitancy, warmed right up to her new class after she realized that all of her friends were still in the class with her. Ms. Patty said that Anna had a great day and actually fell right to sleep on her nap mat on the floor - for that I am floored! I was really worried about my sweet little angel, but she was so glad to see me when I picked her up! We actually had a great night last night after getting home from school. Sam and I decided that she was so happy to be home with us that she was not going going to whine or fuss or hang on my leg - just full of gratefullness!!!!

On a side note, Anna has decided that she really loves this one baby doll that someone gave Mary Mac when she was a baby (Mary Mac was never "into" dolls - only animals!). She loves it and carries it all over the house with her, calling it "BaaDaa" which is her word for baby doll I guess! It's so cute! At least one of our girls is a "girly girl"! Sam doesn't know what to think about this!

A Whole Lotta Nothin'

Well, the reason for the absence in new posts is that, well basically, not a whole lot has been going on around here! We have actually enjoyed not doing anything and the girls have enjoyed having all of our attention. This is the last week of this "school year" (if you wanna call it that) and the girls will be off next week. After that, they both move up to their new classes for the next year. Mary Mac is very excited (although I'm not sure she's realized that this means that she will not get to see her wonderful teachers that she loves so much from this past year), but in her mind she has figured out that moving up to another class just means that she is that much closer to going to "Big School"! She wants me to reassure her everyday that "when I am 5, almost 6, I WILL go to big school?" Anna, on the other hand, has no clue that her world as she knows it is about to be turned upside down. She is attached to her teacher's hip (literally) and does not like change at all! Also, they will be going all day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and she will have to learn to nap at school! This will be interesting, but I am confident that Ms. Patty and Ms. Patricia will whip her into shape just like they did Mary Mac! Anyway, that is all from here right now. Sam is going on a fishing trip today for the weekend and I am going to try and take the girls to another Rodeo - wish me luck!

Dabberdoo

I almost forgot to post that I am having a Dabberdoo party tomorrow at my house. For those of you not in town, you are more than welcome to go to the website and order stuff directly from there - just be sure to put my name in the Consultant's Name box at checkout! If you have no clue what I'm talking about - this is something I sell from home that started out primarily as a stationary-type company that you could customize note cards, calling cards, bag tags, etc., but it has now moved more into the gifty-type stuff that is monogrammable. I know it sounds cheesy, but it is really cute stuff and we still have several of the stationary things available. We have great wedding gift items, birthday gifts, baby shower gifts, etc. I actually have a lot of the items personally and I love it! So, if you are interested (or at least just visit the website) go to www.dabberdoo.com and click on the Shop Online tab. Molli - will you tell your mom about it? She told me to let her know next time I had a show and I wrote a note on your sister's invitation to tell her, but just in case, I thought I would tell you too!

Slip N Slide - WooHoo!

Okay, so in reference to the Slip N Slide that Sam is talking about below, here is the video. One is of Anna on it then the other is Mary Mac - pay attention to her "Warning - Don't Try This At Home"! (YOU WILL NEED TO PAUSE/MUTE MY PLAYLIST MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE) And, yes, I did partake in the fun (not showing the video though!). How many 31 year old moms can say that they have Slip N Slid'd with their kids? I can't remember the last time I did that - ohhh, yes I can, I think it was actually at a Sigma Nu Crawfish party! Yikes!

A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

A little change from the norm, it's Sam posting this time. I want to give a thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Molli, who influenced my wife when we were in Clearwater on vacation that we needed to do some remodeling! Molli, you probably don't know you did this, but we are now elbows deep in blue, green and crimson paint! Leigh and I spent Saturday and Sunday painting our dining room blue, then started painting my "playroom" crimson and next on to the bedroom for some green fun. What else is there to do on a hot sunny weekend? Lay out at the pool? Go to the lake? Sit inside and have a cold one? Nope! Paint! (Although, Leigh and the girls did go a few rounds on the slip-and-slide and you should see the videos!) I must say we did a darn good job for two amateurs, but we are not for hire so don't think about asking. Any way, Molli, just wanted to say thanks and next time we come visit, please don't have any home projects going! Got to go, my trusty paint brush is at home calling!

Comments Anyone?

Not to burden anyone, but I would love for people reading our blog to make occasional comments! I absolutely love reading the comments, but more importantly, I would love to know who is actually reading our blog. If you're unsure about how to do it, just click on the Sign In link at the top of the page and register to make comments. It is totally free to sign up and you don't have to set up your own blog to when you sign up - so go ahead, what's stopping you! Please don't embarass me and make me think I have no friends! Ha - just kidding - I know that you're out there! Love you all and would love to hear from you!

Pictures from the Beach

These are a few of my favorite pictures from the beach! You can click on the collage and it will open it in a new window so that you can actually see the pictures.

Surfin Up, Dude!

Here is a video of Mary Mac riding a buggy board by herself. She kept telling everyone on the beach that she was "Just Surfin' Up, Dude!" This was the 2nd ride and I cut the camera off just as she starting screaming about the salt water splashing in her eyes! I mean, how funny is she - with her sunglasses and floaties on! It's all about the look! Gotta look good doing it!

Anna Is Walking!

I love watching babies learn to walk. No offense, Mimi (Anna's great-grandmother who has Parkinson's), but you and Anna now have a similar walking style!

Long Awaited Tribute

5 Years! Like I say all the time - Wow, what a whirlwind it has been! I can't believe that it has already been 5 years since that very beautiful, blessed day that Sam and I exchanged vows in front of our families! If someone would have read into my future 7 years ago and told me that in 2008 I would be married to the most wonderful husband and dad, have 2 beautiful little girls, living in Tuscaloosa, and living my dream life (country club mom included!) - I would have totally laughed in their face. I was so far from this "place" at that time! Well, fast-forward to today! What a life I get to live and love! I could not ask for more! My husband is a hard-working, kind, loving, caring, affectionate, devoted husband and dad to myself, Mary Mac, and Anna. In just 5 short years, we have gone from young, carefree newlyweds that had no idea what we would do for a living or where we would be to settled, not-so-newlyweds with 2 little angels, great jobs, a great house, and our perfect little family! As we celebrated our anniversary at the beach (where else would we celebrate?), we toasted to our love, our family, and many many more years to come! I can only pray that our girls will find such a "Hero" for a partner as their dad is to me! I truly could not do it without him - he is my partner, my rock, my one and only, and always my voice of reason! And, this is why I married the most wonderful man in the world, Sam! I LOVE YOU!

Leave You Hanging?

Sorry to leave everyone hanging - I know you are all anxiously awaiting my tribute (ha ha!). Well, it will have to wait until I can get caught up with my "real" job! We had the best week last week with the girls at the beach - thanks for any prayers for sick-free vacation! We had so much fun that (ok, brace yourself) I never even took my computer out of my bag! I know, I know, that's very hard to believe, but it is the truth! As a matter of fact, I had forgotten my computer at the beach, but thanks to Dad, he saw it and picked it up! I would have been SOL once I got back to work today!

Also, we have lots of great videos and pictures of the girls on the beach that I will post as soon as I get them uploaded! Anna is finally walking everywhere on her own (as opposed to only on command) and Mary Mac realized how much of a fish she truly is! She was even diving under the waves and riding ("all bymyself" as she says - one word) the buggy board with the waves!

On the road again. . .

So we're leaving today for another wonderful trip to the beach for the 4th and to celebrate our 5th anniversary! Wow, I can't believe it's already been 5 years! What a whirlwind! Hopefully, we can make it on this trip without any sickness!!!! So, check back on Saturday or Sunday, for my tribute to my husband on our actual anniversary day - I promise to make it a good one!

Random Thoughts. . .

I saw this on another friends blog and thought I would do it - so sorry if this bores you, but here are some totally random things you may (or may not) know about me. The ones in bold are things that pertain to me. Keep in mind that some I am very proud of and then there are those that I am not so proud of!

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside the Great Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day - not me, but my brother GUILTY!
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - I'm married aren't I?
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Iliad
Selected one important author who you missed school to read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Build your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair - who me?
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Wow! Looking at my list, I've had a really fun and exciting life thus far! Maybe I can do some of the other things listed here in the future! Oh - trust me, not all of them!

My Little Country Girl!

We took the girls to the local rodeo in Fayette this past weekend and Sam's family were all there working and helping put on the event, so Mary Mac felt like she got extra-special treatment from all the "cowboys" as she called them. She was in Hog Heaven (ha ha) and loved every minute of it. Actually, both girls really had a great time and we stayed until 11:00 - Anna has never stayed awake that long in her life! The night of fun started with Mary Mac getting to ride a horse with some people Sam knows (check out picture below - such a natural) then they let the kids try and find quarters in a pile of hay. Later that night, they let 2 chickens loose and let the kids chase them and catch them. The final event was letting the kids chase 2 pigs in the rink! Hilarious!!! Mary Mac was real excited to run around with the kids, but she wasn't so into "catching" any animals! Her Pop (Sam's dad), Sam, and his brother Matt were in charge of bringing the pigs out. The funniest part was when the pigs were running from the kids and it made a turn towards Mary Mac and she was screaming! Then she proceeds to take a fall in the dirt and just stood there squawling! When I asked her why she was crying she said she didn't like falling in the cow poop! We reassured her that all of that dirt in the rink was NOT cow poop! Anyway, she had a ball and we all smelled like sweaty pigs on the way home - Yum!!!

Cowgirl Up !

Please notice Mary Mac running the opposite direction as the pig AND the other kids!