Back to School

The girls started back to school for the new year this week. Mary Mac (due to her October birthday) still had one more year of preschool. I have mixed feelings about this. The group of kids starting kindergarten this year are so cute and fun and I would love for her to be with them, but on the otherhand, I am soooo not ready to have a child old enough to be in kindergarten. I think with one more year, I will be ready. . .maybe! ;) Please notice that I was able to talk MM into wearing a dress. Unfortunately, it's one of those cute dresses that most little girls want to wear at this age, but it is a dress no less! At this point, I am not being picky. My mom bought this for her while we were out of town last week and we have laughed because this is the only one of many, many dresses that she has loved and wanted to wear. . .it comes straight off the K-Mart racks with the label Nickelodeon - iCarly! Yes, it is an iCarly dress, but at least it's a dress.

Anna, on the other hand, would rather wear a dress everyday and loves being "cute." It is amazing that just by moving her into a "big girl" room at school how much that has changed her. She actually tee-tee'd on the potty last night!! Yea! We have been putting her on the potty every night before her bath for months and no success - ever! They are already working on it in her class too, so hopefully we are on the road to having a diaper-less house!!!! Oh I cannot wait - no diapers to buy, no diapers to change (esp poopy), no wipes, no diaper pails (oh the horrendous smell). Aaahhhh! Should we be thinking about baby #3? OH, NO!!!! I am really looking forward to a break from diapers - almost 5 consecutive years!

A funny Anna story. . . Sam and I went to get her out of bed yesterday morning before school and Sam was loving on her in her bed and tickling and kissing her neck. I laughed and said, "Look Anna, you got chill bumps on your legs!" She immediately sat up and looked at her legs and started wiping them and saying, "Shoo 'chipmunks', go away!" So funny, Sam and I laughed so hard. Chipmunks?

Oh, I almost forgot about a MM story. Before we went on our trip, I was getting MM dressed for the day and she had a total melt down fit over the clothes I was making her put on. And it was only a pair of cotton capri play pants and a sleeveless swing top - not too fancy, huh? Well, not according to her. All she could get out of her mouth was that she did not want people telling her that she looked CUTE!!!!! Can you believe this child? UGH! I mean, who wouldn't love someone, anyone, telling you you looked cute? She said, " Mom, people are come by my class and say, 'Mary Mac, you look so cute' and I don't want them to!" What do ya do? Sorry, my dear child, but you were born with great genes and you will always be CUTE! Well, at least in our opinion!

And just a random picture from this last weekend at the lake. We took a break from riding on the boat and took a dip in the water. MM loves jumping (doing a canonball, or so she says) off the boat, swimming around to the ladder, then doing it all over again. Anna is not so fond of the water, so this is pretty much where she stays in the water - on me or Sam. Hey, Rachel, that green life jacket is the one I was talking about, but it's not a great picture of it.

Cruisin' Pictures

Sam and I had a wonderful time on our cruise last week. Thanks to my parents and Sam's parents for keeping all of our kids so that we could have some much appreciated time together. Sam and I were talking the other night about how much that trip really brought us back closer together as a couple. It is so hard with 2 little ones to keep your marriage at the front and center of our lives, not to mention our relationship with God, and work, and all of the other distractions that we live with on a daily basis. This trip just really reminded me of why I love my wonderful husband so much and appreciate our bond with each other. I would love to make this an annual event - maybe not to the extent of a cruise, but at least a trip to the beach or somewhere close. It was good for Sam and I and even better for our girls to see that connection between mom and dad rekindled. We missed the girls soooo much and could not wait to see them, but had to wait until Friday morning because we could not get an earlier flight out and then we had weather delays in Atlanta. Friday was the first morning in a long time that I can remember waking up early and being so anxious for the girls to wake up - I even committed the #1 mom sin - I woke a sleeping baby! Gasp!! I just couldn't wait any longer to see Anna and hear her sweet little voice. I swear, though, that she missed saying our names so much that week that she made up for lost time. I think she talked ALL.DAY.LONG!

Sam and I enjoyed relaxing on the boat and got plenty of sun. We went to Sting Ray City and snorkeling on a coral reef in Grand Cayman. We rode 4-wheelers through the Cozumel jungle and Mayan Ruins and got nasty dirty. We shopped - we both bought really nice watches in Grand Cayman for much less than here in the states. We made an effort to do all types of adventurous things that we normally would not have done with kids and succeeded 100%. It was so much fun and Sam's sister and BIL could not believe that I was that brave and adventurous - they obviously didn't know me in my younger days! One of the best compliments was when we were boarding the boat, a man commented that we looked like we were a glwoing couple that were celebrating our honeymoon! Huh? Do we look that young or are people just waiting so long to get married these days? We had lots of laughs and lots of rest and relaxation. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Hope you enjoy. BTW, don't the helmets and goggles make us look like part of Hitler's army? And, yes, that is dirt covering us from head to toe! I'll post pictures from StingRay City when I remember to bring the disk with me to work.

Swinging with Daddy

I don't know how anyone else feels, but for some reason, I have been so much slower in pushing encouraging Anna to do some of the things that I could not wait for Mary Mac to do, such as swing in a real swing. She is totally content with being our baby and is quick to tell you that she loves being a baby. So the other night, we were out swinging and decided it was time for Anna to be a big girl -as far as swinging goes! She loved it! And Mary Mac has really taken on the role of such an encouraging big sister. She just cheers Anna on and gets so excited when she does something "Big." Here she is swinging her big girl swing. And check out MM hair below - too funny! The last picture is of all of them swinging together, and Sam in the Baby Swing!

Bon Voyage. . .

So obviously judging by the title, we are going on yet another trip. I shouldn't say that as if I dread trips because this trip is one that we have been looking forward to and planning for a while. With 2 little ones running around and our crazy busy work schedule these days, it has been really hard to plan. So, with no further ado, Sam and I are leaving early (and I mean, VERY early) Saturday morning and flying to Ft. Lauderdale to board a 5 day cruise in the Caribbean. WOOHOO is all we can say right now. Not that we don't love our girls and we spend just about every moment we can with them, but this adult-only (Sam and I and his sister and her husband), non-business related trip is LONG overdue! It's the first of this kind since I was pregnant with MM, just over 5 years ago! So wish us luck and prayers for a safe and relaxing trip - or should we be wishing my mom and Sam's mom all the luck and prayers while keeping our 2 girls and our triplet nieces/nephew? Thank you sooooooo much to my parents and to Sam's parents for taking our children for almost a full week while we get some much needed relaxation and adult time!

I have been better at taking pictures (sorry for none to show today) and will posting them as well as ones from our trip when we get back next week.

Revenge

So in revenge of Sam "hi-jacking" the blog and posting the hilarious (can you hear the sarcasm?) video of me playing Wii, it is my turn to embarrass him. This picture, my friends, is Sam at his greatest. Most people don't realize how much of a joke-ster Sam is. He fools everyone with his quiet, humble personality, but he really is funny. Let me set the scene for you. . .I'm laying in bed reading a book and watching TV. Sam has been in the shower and starts walking into the room from the bathroom saying,

"Man, that Volumizing Shampoo you use REALLY works!"

Ok, so anyone who knows Sam knows that he has hair that any woman could hate. It is thick, shiny, full, and straight. He has to keep it cut fairly short because the longer it is, the higher it is, seriously! P.S. I now know where MM got her sticky-uppy hair as a baby. Anyway, this is what I look up to find. . .

I laughed until I was literally crying streams down my face! I mean, who's hair can do that! That is NOT normal! And he was so proud of it! Also, he said he wanted to prove to his older brother that he DOES NOT have a receding hair line like the rest of the men in his family! This picture should do the job!

Summer Fun

Ok, so I guess I must lump myself into what seems like is the "norm" for everyone's blogging during these crazy summer days and admit that I have totally been slacking! Not only have I bee slacking on blogging, but also on housework, cooking, and even taking pictures of the girls. I hate to admit that I didn't even take pictures of us during the weekend of the 4th OR while at the beach last week with my SIL and nephew OR in Mobile while visting my grandparents and celebrating the wedding of my cousin! I know, I cannot believe myself! So, now that you have a brief glimpse of what we have done the past weeks, it's on to more important stuff.



My love for blogging really came to me out of neccessity. I do not scrapbook, nor do I have the time, so this is my way of tracking major milestones of the girls lives. I have not been very good at this lately so here goes. . .



One of my favorite things Anna says (and it's hard to narrow it down since she is a motor-mouth and is never quiet) is when she really needs me, she refers to me as "Ms. Mommy". As if adding the "Ms." will make me answer any faster! Well, I guess it has been working for her because it just makes me laugh! She is soooo opposite of her big sister. She is loud, talkative, social, bubbly, loves attention, and girly! She loves clothes, makeup, shoes, jewelry! I'm not sure if we should consider this good manners or an insult to me that she only thinks of me on the same level as her teachers and sitters??? Oh well, it's still cute!



Two nights ago we made a HUGE step - we turned her baby bed into a toddler bed. I'm just not ready to totally move her into a big bed, but, as Sam said, "It's time!" I really knew it was time when he was the one that brought it up. So, we got out the little conversion kit and and made the move. She was really excited about the whole idea until it was bedtime. Then, the doubts started to creep in and she was a little insecure without her normal bed. She slept great the first night, aside from getting up WAY earlier than normal. Last night, she fell out (which wasn't a long fall) and Sam went upstairs to calm her and get her back down. Then again, she was up early, except that Sam went up there and told her it was too early and to lie down and go back to sleep - and she did (something she probably would not have done had I gone up there). So hopefully, we are past that little obstacle and she will sleep later tomorrow. She was so funny this morning, though. She told me in Anna-ese, " Mommy, Daddy come upstairs, told Anna 'Lie Down and Go Sleep!" (with hand motions included) She just makes me laugh, even when she is doing something wrong.



We had another first for both girls this past weekend also. It never dawned on me because Sam and I travel so much, but our girls have never spent the night in a hotel. . . until now! My cousin got married in Mobile. Anytime we go to Mobile, we stay at my grandparents house. But with Molli and Blake, us, and my parents all going, we decided it would be better to stay at a hotel. It was quite an experience for the girls and Mommy. Luckily all of our rooms were together so we could help each other out (mainly help me out since Sam didn't come until Saturday). It was so funny though watching them walk in the room for the first time. It was such a new and exciting thing to them. They immediately hopped on the beds, opened the mini-frig, turned on all the lights, opened the curtains to see "the view" (ha), and Anna could not resist cooking her babydoll in the microwave (over and over). Baby was the best "cooking" alternative to the plastic cups she was attempting to "cook". Speaking of bouncing on the beds, don't we all really want to bounce on hotel beds deep down in our inner child self? I mean that is the one thing that our moms always would get on to us for doing. So why not in a hotel where it's not Mom's furniture or Mom's bedding? Yea, well, it sounds like I jumped right in to join them, but that inner Gran voice emerged and before I knew it I was sounding just like my mom when I was a kid. "Girls, no jumping on the bed! Someone is going to get hurt and I really don't want to spend the night in the Emergency Room getting stitches!" Yikes! As much as I try not to, I am starting to hear myself use all of those sayings that my mom used on us! Again, Oh Well! This will just be another one of those things that our girls can laugh at themselves about when they have kids.



MM started a Pre-Reader class a couple of weeks ago that is being done through the University of Alabama. So far, she is doing great - as I expected! She is one of the youngest in the class, but she knows as much if not more than some of the kids that will actually start Kindergarten in August. The funny part about this class is that she actually has homework! Homework! I just hope her excitement over homework will continue into her older years! She wants to do her homework all at one time.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but hopefully I will have some soon!

Muhammad A-Leigh

This is Sam, by the way. We recently purchased a Wii for the kids, both big and small, and Leigh and I played the boxing game for the first time last night. We had a ball and let me tell you, it's a work out! I was able to capture this video of Muhammad A-Leigh in action. I didn't see much floating like a butterfly, but did see some stinging like a bee! As you will see, she's pretty quick and she doesn't fight fair with the low blows she tends to throw. I'll thin twice before going rounds with her.

Another Genius Moment

I promise not to constantly brag on how smart I think my child is, but I am so proud and very impressed! The other day after picking the girls up from preschool, I was listening to Fox News on XM radio. Yes, I am a news dork - can't get enough! I guess I get it honestly since all of my family is the same way! Anyway, the girls were watching a DVD on their TV in the backseat with their headphones on - I can only listen to kids movies for a short amount of time before I start to go crazy! By the way, if you have not gotten into the headphone thing, I highly recommend it! It keeps me sane, especially on roadtrips. Back to the story. So all of a sudden, MM says, "Hey, Mom, I see fox." Not really understanding what she was talking about and wondering if she was talking about a fox on the movie, or on the side of the road (hope not), I asked, "What fox?" She pointed her long, skinny finger at the screen on my radio and said, "right there, f-o-x, spells fox!" I think I almost swerved off the road in shock. I started screaming and yelling about how proud I was of her that she was reading all by herself. She was so proud! I mean, we read books, work on words and letters and sounding them out, but that was the first time she (unprovoked) saw a word and sounded it out in her head and then read it! WOW! And I have her signed up for a reading class that starts next week - maybe I should ask for a refund! Ha - just a joke! We have a ways to go, but that is definitely a start in the right direction!

Happy Father's Day

I know this is just a bit belated, but oh well! I want to wish my dad, Sam's dad, and Sam a VERY happy father's day! These 3 men are the most special men in our lives and we are so grateful to have them in our lives. The girls love their Pop's - yes, they are both called Pop - more than anything in the world, well aside from Daddy! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving, kind, patient (VERY), giving, fun, laid-back, and all the adjectives that can be used to describe a great person in Sam. Not only is he the man of my dreams, my prince charming, but he is also THE BEST Daddy I could ever wish for my girls. He is so sweet with his girls and I just swell with pride and love watching him interact with them. In their eyes, Daddy can do no wrong! He has some great examples though to follow! Thank you Dad, Tommy, and Sam for being such a positive and loving part of our lives! We (myself, MM, Anna) love you all very, very much!

Horse Show and Flowers

So sorry for the long stretches between posts the past several weeks. I only thought that we would be able to slow down during the summer, but between tennis camp, beach trips, horse camp, get-togethers,and work, we have been on-the-go non-stop! It is so sad to say that we have not even been swimming at the pool yet this summer!

This past weekend, as a conclusion to the horse camp, the barn hosted a Mini Horse Show for all of the little kids so that they could see how a real show would go, but without the hectic-ness (is that a word?) and chaos of a real show. They showed in 5 classes and they all got ribbons (whew!) and they all got 1st place in at least one class! I was so afraid of a meltdown if MM did not place, but thankfully that was taken care of (by suggestion of the parents). Oh, and let me just say that it HOT, not just hot, but miserably HOT! MM and I had to be at the barn at 8:00 that morning to shine up her horse. She had a ball! We were drenched with sweat and stinky and smelly, but MM was in heaven. She did so good and we were so proud of her! Here are the pictures with her ribbons and then with all the girls from camp. The video is of her actually showing in a class.

And a little sidenote, here is the final product of my hydrangeas that I was so excited about blooming. This was taken several weeks ago, so they are even bigger now.

Math 101

Sam decided a couple of weeks ago that he was going to start giving MM lessons in math (or at least addition) to give her a head start in school. Hre is a video of one of their lessons this week. She has really got the hang of it! I just love seeing her enthusiasm for learning! Hopefully she will always have that fire to learn. Our choice of math tools? Rocks! One of her favorite things to play with! Maybe Sam does have the same "teacher" genes as his mom and sister! He is a really good teacher and so patient with her.

More Tennis and Horse Camp and Movies

Tennis Star - check out that form!

3 Generations of Tennis Players

As you all know from a previous post, MM took her first official tennis lessons before we left for the beach. Well, SHE LOVED IT! I was so glad to see her enthusiasm for the game that I have loved for most of my life! I certainly didn't want to push her into it, but I just wanted her to learn how to play so that if she ever wanted to play as adult she would already have an idea of it.
While we were at the beach last week, the tennis courts held a kids clinic for her age group on Tuesday and Thursday. She was so pumped about playing tennis that she could not wait until Tuesday, so I took her out to the courts several days before hand. She is amazing! I know I maybe a little biased, but even the Pro's at the beach could not believe how good she was to have only had 3 lessons in her life and only be 4 years old. She has great coordination and hand-eye coordination too! It was really HOT on the courts too, but she wanted to stay out there for hours! We finally had to say "Time Out"! She asked me, "Mommy, when I get big like you, can we play tennis together?" So cute, how could I resist! She is really looking forward to more tennis, but in the meantime. . .

Horse Camp started this week! It is pretty intense for this age group, but they are having a blast. It is Monday - Friday from 8-12. Everyday when I pick her up at 12, she is exhausted and can barely stay awake to eat lunch. I asked her yesterday which was her favorite and she told me that she loved tennis AND horseback riding - they are both my favorite! Who knows which one she will land on! But for now we are enjoying them both. And this weekend the farm is holding a mini-show for the little kids so that they can see what it's like to do a show without it being so hectic and serious. MM is so excited and looking forward to her first show which I am thrilled about considering our first experience with horse shows (that she did not do). Wish us luck!

Then to add to all the excitement of the current summer fun, we (along with friends/neighbors) are hosting a Movie Night Under the Stars (i.e. in our backyard). We have rented an inflatable screen and sound system and a popcorn machine. Guests are supposed to bring a blanket and it's BYOB for the parents. We cannot wait and it's going to be so much fun - I will post pictures next week. We have not been able to decide which movie to play though so any feedback would be great! We are looking for a movie that is not gender specific (princesses), good for all ages, clean, not scary, etc. We have narrowed it down to 3: Hotel 4 Dogs, Bolt, and Bedtime Stories. Any suggestions?

Long Over Due

Anna's Silly Face
Mary Mac's Silly Face

The best family picture we've taken in a while!

The Ultimate Crab Hunter! LOL!

I just to warn you that up front that this may be one VERY long post or many posts to catch up from our week long beach trip. I have to brag on myself and say that aside from having to check a few things that were work-related on my computer, I did not get on my computer not once the whole week. So needless to say, I am WAY behind on reading everyone's posts and on posting what all we did. We went to my parents beach house last Friday with myself and the girls and Gran in my car, Sam in his truck, and Pop in his truck. Why so many vehicles in this wonderful economy? Well, simply put, Sam was planning on coming home either Tuesday or Wednesday, I was coming home on Friday and my parents were staying until Sunday (I'm sure they needed a couple of days of quiet relaxing beach time sans kids- I know I would!). The weather was absoultely gorgeous! None of us could remember a time that we were at the beach in mid-June and not a single drop of rain fell on us. And, there was a wonderful breeze most days. That being said, and the fact that we were having so much fun lead to us talking Sam into staying the whole time with us - that is the nice thing about a family business! We did everything (and I mean EVERYTHING, on MM's agenda). We beached it (a lot), played tennis (me and MM), went to Baytown, ate out, cooked in, swam at the pool, went to Big Kahuna's, played the Wii, etc, etc, etc. You name it, we did it! This year was the first time we felt MM was big enough to go to Big Kahuna's and we made an afternoon of it (while Anna napped). She is definitely our little dare devil. She rode every slide she was allowed to. She would have done more if they had let her. As exhausting as it was, it was soooo worth it. Sam and I got to have some amazing one-on-one time with her which is rare these days! She cannot wait to go back (although it may be next year considering it cost almost as much as Disney). This was also the first summer that we actually could enjoy hours on the beach without someone having a meltdown, having to eat (bottles), naps (took them on the beach). We got smart this year though because instead of hauling our baby pool down to the beach, we rented one with our chairs - what a relief! We still had plenty to bring down, but that was a saviour! We had many picnics on the beach, found lots of shells, caught little fish, and just enjoyed it all! And it seems like Anna's vocabulary just exploded this week at the beach! It is amazing what all she knows and comprehends that we had no idea! Sorry for the lack of pictures from the beach - my camera battery was dead and then I ran out of memory on my card. BTW, can anyone use a SDHC card? I picked this up and did not realize it was an HC which my camera cannot use. It was $40 down the drain! Now, we are back in our regular routine and trying to "wean" the girls from being so spoiled having Pop, Gran, Mommy, Daddy, Nanny, and Pancake (Sam's sister, Kate).

Tennis Camp, Horseback Riding, and More

All I have to say is thank goodness we only have 2 kids right now and Anna is not even involved in activities yet! This week has been so chaotic and fun and busy and it's only the first week of summer (as far as our school schedule)! I signed MM up for a tennis camp at our club for 4-5 year olds. I don't know if I would really call it a "camp" per say, because it is only 3 days this week for 30 minutes. At first, I thought, "Wow, only 30 minutes?" But after the first day, I realized it was perfect for them - it is long enough that they get a "taste" of tennis, but just short enough that they don't lose focus and get bored and THAT leaves them wanting to come back for more! I don't think I have seen one child that has not liked it and wanted to keep playing this week! Then, because of the lovely southern warm days already amongst us, our horse trainer is trying to rearrange her schedule so that the kids do not scorch suring their lessons! So instead of an afternoon lesson, we had a morning lesson. It was still warm, but not dreadful. She did so great too - she was having a lesson with little girls that are little older and she was able to follow their lead and do exactly what they did. The only issue we had was that those girls trot a little faster than MM is used to and her pony was keeping up with the other ponies at the faster pace, but MM just held on and went right along.

So, now I am trying to get everything taken care of at work, get clothes washed, etc. because we are leaving Friday for a much anticipated trip to the beach. The girls are literally counting down the days until we leave! We will be there for a week, but we have to get back by next Friday because the Rodeo is back in Fayette and we CERTAINLY cannot miss that event! I just hope we have more funny stories from the rodeo this year.

I will be taking my computer to the beach so you may get some updates, but then again, who knows! I hope I get to spend most days on the beach or by the pool!

And for those of you who could not find my instructions for "putting up" fresh veggies or just need a refresher . . .ENJOY!

On a final (and very sad) note, please pray for some family friends of ours that lost a baby yesterday at 28 weeks. The dad has always been like a big brother to me and his wife just fits right in as well. Here's the brief story: this would have been their 4th child due in August; while at the beach with the family she didn't feel so great, called her doc, was told to go to the hospital to just get checked out; they got there and couldn't find the heartbeat; they are supposed to have her induced this morning. I just ask you prayer warriors to pray for comfort, healing, and anything else that you feel this precious family needs right now, including the right words to tell the other 3 children about their baby brother! My heart is just breaking for them right now.

Rainy Weekend Fun

This past weekend was another rainy weekend and when it was not actually raining, it looked like it would rain at any moment. So, you ask, what does the Collins Clan do on rainy days? Here you go. . .

1) Picked up my Organic Quarter Cow: I've been talking about doing this now for a year and I finally bit the bullet and made my purchase! I'll let you know my reviews! Check it out for yourself - it supports our local farmers and it's organic!

The 4 full boxes = 1/4 cow!

2) Made a trip to the local produce stand and here is my purchase(s): I love this time of year when you can get fresh, local, yummy fruits and veggies! Beans, peas, corn, onions, peanuts, etc.

3) Began my annual freezer stashes of fresh veggies. I do this gradually throughout the summer so as not to make it such a huge project and expense. This weekend I put about 6 quarts of peas up and another quart of beans and several ears of corn. This year I had a great "little helper" (Anna). I would have taken a picture of her but our hands were a mess and didn't want to risk leaving a 2 year alone with a table full of peas! She loves keeping things orderly and cleaned up so her job was to collect as many peas as she could in my measuring cup and then we would pour it into the bag. We only had a few peas to hit the floor, but once they are cooked, no one will ever know the difference (hopefully, haha!).

Drying the peas on the kitchen table

The finished product! Headed to join my cow in the freezer!!!

Work Work Work

Well, sorry for the lack of posts lately, but if you read my eariler post about our change of plans at work and if you have read my post of what we "do" at work then you can probably imagine what I have been doing the last couple of weeks. I am just now starting to feel like my brain is wrapped around what all I have to do before August 17. It has been pretty tough trying to manage my time with my new responsibilities and still keeping up with my previous duties - Sorry, mom, I've not been very good at it at all so far! I promise that I can do it and WILL do it! It will help when the girls start going to school full time on June 1. As much as I am sad about not being able to spend that extra time with them in the afternoons, I know that this is a sacrifice I have to make - that's what a family business is all about. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful dad that allows me to do all that we do and wants us to spend as much time with our family that we can! He and Sam work sooooo hard and I am forever grateful that they make this sacrifice for all of our families!

Anyway, other than work, we survived the 3 week stretch that Sam was out of town - Whew! I think the girls sensed my stress and they were so good and played so nicely together that whole week with very few fights - it was so nice - I pray everyday that they will be the best of friends one day and learn to love to be together. I have no idea what it is like since I do not have a sister so it's so hard to help them understand. They are so different, which I am so glad for, but their differences are what make them argue - all.the.time!!! I keep telling myself, "this too will pass!"

This week has been a big week for the girls too. First, MM had a great week at horseback riding and is loving it again - it is so wonderful to see her comfortable with the horses that she loves so much. I think she was really struggling internally (and therefore, it was being exhibited externally in other ways - pitching fits, being ugly to friends, etc.) with how to handle being a little afraid and hesitant of the animal (horses) that she loved so much and to learn to respect that they can be unpredictable. This week she finally loosened up and rode just like she was doing before her fall and I could see it written all over her face how proud she was of herself and that her confidence in herself had been restored! Praise God! I was struggling too - only I was struggling with how to help her through her own struggle! It was such a fine line of being too overbearing and making her ride every week and just letting her give it up, which in Sam's book was out of the question until she got over her fear! Also, the pool opened Thursday at the club and we had planned on going until the weather looked a little "ify" and Anna was diagnosed with Roseola. She was not contagious anymore, but I can just imagine the look on parent's faces as I let my little rash-infested child into the sess-pool baby pool! Oh, we would be the talk of the town! "Can you believe her? Exposing our children to whatever that little girl has?"

The last big thing is that the long-awaited playground at the school that backs up to our neighborhood finally opened this week!!!! YAY!!! It is also a community playground when school is not in session and it has been PACKED all week in the afternoons! You would think that there is not a playground anywhere in our town just by seeing the crowds out there. We have been so deprived - just kidding! These are pics of the girls on the playground - sorry for the quality - it was on my phone and it was about to rain.

So you like my signature? This is just a test to see if it looks ok and is right. I will probably tweek more later, but I'm exhausted and have been working on this for a while now!

Up To No Good

We have been enjoying our time together as a family the past couple of weeks. Sam has been out of town during the week for the past 3 weeks, so to say that I am exhausted is an understatement. I don't realize and probably don't appreciate how much he really helps out at home until he has a stretch of traveling such as the last several weeks. He has been to North Caroline on a business golf trip, then to Las Vegas for a show, and now he is working another show in Gatlinburg. He will be home Thursday and I'm not sure who is more excited - me, him, or the girls! With him being gone during the week, we have spent as much family time together on the weekends.

As for Mother's Day. . . woke up normal time, did our normal morning routine, took MM took horse back riding lesson (had to makeup for the rainy day), and then were going to have a picnic at the park to celebrate Mother's Day before Sam had to hit the road. Unfortunately, the weather did not hold out for the picnic - right after we decided to forego the park and just have a picnic at home, the bottom fell out! It was still fun and a great time with my family.

As for work. . .we've had a bit of a change of plans at work. Samantha (who has been with us since she was still in college) turned in her notice to go back to school this summer and fall. And you ask, what's the big deal? Well, the big deal is that I get to take over most of her responsibilities in addition to what I already do! She has a HUGE job of getting all of "stuff" together and coordinate our biggest trade show of the year. While I am a little nervous having to take this on, I am comforted by the fact that I did this same job prior to her being hired - we have only quadrupled the size of the company since then!!! So wish me luck! The girls are having to start back to school full time in a couple of weeks though so that I can have the time I need to get it all done. I just hope that I am able to take some half days like I've been doing so that I can take the girls to the pool!

Sorry for the post overload, but as you can see we have been pretty busy around here and I wanted to make sure I documented it all for my own memory!

Fuller Festival

Nothing like pure blue sugar swirled onto a stick!

Here in T-town this past weekend, was a wonderful festival called Fuller Festival, in honor of a little boy (same age as MM) that was diagnosed with Leukemia 2 years ago. He is doing great now and so his parents wanted to host a festival that raise money for Children's Hospital in B'ham to show them how appreciative they were for everything that was done for them. It was a huge success and a great turnout. They had all the wonderful bouncy things, slides, carnival games, carousel, little "rides", music, food, etc. all day long. ALL of their friends, our friends, neighbors, etc. were out in full stride! It was total mass kid chaos, but they were having a ball! All you could see was children running around in sheer glee playing on all the fun stuff. The key for the parents was to kind of stay in the middle so you could just watch them from place to place. It was also exhausting! As you can tell by the pictures, Anna pretty much just stayed with us (eating junk) and MM was on and off every ride and activity with her friends - you think this is any prediction of how they will be when they are teenagers? The pirate ship ride was so funny. All the kids were really wanting to ride and as you can see on their faces they were not sure they really liked it once they were moving. Well, it finally stopped and they all got off and I asked, "So, that maybe wasn't your favorite ride, was it?" They all just screamed and shouted, "IT WAS SO FUN AND OUR FAVORITE!!!" Oh, sorry, I couldn't have been able to tell judging by the looks on your faces!