Birmingham Zoo with Aunt Meg and Uncle Jason!

Aunt Meg and Uncle Jason invited us to come along with the children's ministry at their church to the Birmingham Zoo earlier this summer and the girls had so much fun! We were a little concerned with how hot we were probably going to be, but a big storm cloud formed and provided cool weather and the rain held off until right about the time we were planning to leave!

Father's Day Weekend at Yogi on the Lake

Earlier this year, I bought a Groupon for a 2-night stay at Yogi on the Lake for a great deal (LOVE Groupon!). When we called to make reservations, the only weekend available was Father's Day through the end of June so we took it! Da'be, Nana, Meg & Jason joined us for the weekend and what a great weekend it turned out to be...other than a tiny mishap around midnight the last night when Maggie got a little sick due to possible dehydration then downing a little too much fluids at once!

This was taken from our back patio while we were settling in and waiting on our guests to arrive!

Cooking s'mores!!! Everyone loves this yummy dessert!

Chillin' outdoors - making memories!

Dominoes, hula hoop, lots of fun activities

We finally got to meet YOGI

and BOO-BOO The splash park was perfect for the ages of my girls - they could run around and play by themselves while we watched from afar or we could join in the fun! They had a blast!

Cindy Bear

Making a lawnmower cupcake for Dad at the activity center Yogi Cabin #8

Fish Fry! We all split up the meals and ate WAY too good considering we were "camping"

Uncle Jason took Addie fishing on the pier and to say that she was excited about her catch is an understatement! Saying the Pledge of Allegience with Yogi and Boo-Boo before heading home

We had a great time and we can't wait to go back!

Soccer 2011

Addison played in her first soccer season this winter/spring and it was a lot of fun! I have never been involved in soccer what-so-ever so this was definitely a learning experience for us all. It wasn't really that hard to catch onto (especially at the 6 and under level!) and she really enjoyed it. She scored 5 (or 6) goals during the season and we stayed busy on most Saturdays!!!

Easter Weekend 2011

We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter. Da'be came down Thursday night and kept the girls for me on Friday since the daycare was closed and Lee and I had to work :( but (thanks to the first movie being sold out!) I got to take off a little early and meet them for HOP! It was sooo cute. Saturday, Nana came down to spend the night and we cooked out in the beautiful weather, hunted eggs, and dyed some Easter eggs! Before bedtime, the girls and I made some Easter Story cookies and they thought that was really neat. Sunday morning...the Easter Bunny (and the grandmothers!) left a few goodies and the girls were so excited. Addison said that she got just what she wanted - Yogi Bear!!! We went to the 9:30 service and came home to cook a good Easter lunch. After the grandmoms headed back home, we settled on the couch to watch a little Yogi Bear, but Maggie and I didn't even get past the previews - first nap I have had in I can't even remember when and it was sooo nice!!!

These are some of the pictures from the many different egg hunts of the season - a great egg hunt with Eric, Jaclyn, and Parker's family, at the Renaissance with some friends, plus the many many egg hunts in our backyard!

Addison wore the dress that Sloan wore in our wedding - it was very special and she looked absolutely beautiful! Decked out in their gifts from the grandmothers - ready for the beach and pool with their swimsuits, towels, and bags!

On another note...Justin proposed to Katie over the weekend and we couldn't be happier for them!!! So excited about future wedding planning and adding a sister-in-law!

Hope everyone had a happy and blessed Easter!

Happy Easter!!!

"Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die" (John 11:25, 26).

Kid's Field Day at Lake Caroline

Lake Caroline had a kid's field day in early April and it was a grand affair!!! They had bouce houses, inflatable slides, trains, trampolines, rock climbing walls, an Easter egg hunt, and even the Easter Bunny! But...it didn't take Addison long to conclude that it wasn't the REAL Easter bunny because he had real people hands!!! Can't get much past her! It was a fun outing with family and friends.

A little of this and that...

The first of the year is always a little blah for us because it's not much going on after the busy holidays and it is soooo cold outside so I wanted to do a quick recap and post a few pictures of my two cuties just being their silly selves!

Cooking a little...

Painting the bathtub wall...

putting together puzzles more times than I think I can possibly count...

Maggie got a "big girl" room makeover...

celebrated Daddy's birthday...

went to see Mamma Mia...

took care of our babies...

even the princess got in on a little toothbrush-scrubbing of the cabinets...

chilling and watching a movie...

stylin... and of course...lots of dress-up!!!

Not a great update, but one nonetheless!!! Pictures are what everyone really wants to see anyway!

Happy Birthday Da'be

We were so excited for Da'be to come visit this weekend so that we could celebrate her birthday all weekend long!!! Da'be's favorite desserts are ice cream and cookies so what better combination to celebrate her big day than "homemade" ice cream sandwiches rolled in sprinkles! Hope to blog soon on all the many fun things we did this weekend :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DA'BE!!!

St. Paddy's Day Parade 2011

The girls had a BLAST at this year's St. Paddy's Day Parade!!! Addison was a great age and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Uncle G and M showed up to help her out in collecting as many beads as she possibly could and I enjoyed having their help keeping up with my 2 in all that crowd. They also stood in a LOOOONG line holding both of the girls to get balloon animals/hats for the girls from Uncle Gary's friend the clown! We were thrilled that Mason & Emily and Lilli Kathryn & Jessica joined us this year. The 3 amigos had fun seeing all the crazy people dressed up and caught a few beads themselves. This is a fun tradition for me to share with my girls (we missed Da'be this year) since my grandmother always brought me and Carrie and we always went with my aunt and cousins every year. Good Times!

Spring Break 2011

This year...Lee and I got a "spring break" from the parenting world (special thanks goes out to Da'be!) We treated ourselves to dinner out on the town a couple of times and most nights I had a hard time falling asleep which was odd since most nights I am asleep before my head hits the pillow - funny how exhausting being a mom can be and we usually don't even realize it!! The girls loved absolutely every single minute of their spring break in Macon...so much so that we practically had to beg to get them to talk to us at night and every time I asked if they were ready to come home I got a resounding NOOOO! Addison came home Friday before spring break saying that all her friends were going to their grandparents so she was so excited to learn that I was taking her to hers. I drove the girls to Macon last weekend and came home alone on Sunday (forgot what it was like to ride in my car by myself listening to whatever I wanted to that was not a DVD playing on the TV that I can't see!). I will try to recount the activities of their week as that has been all they have talked about since I met Da'be to get them back on Thursday night.

Addison and Maggie sporting a wig handmade by Da'be - so funny seeing Maggie with hair :) The first time she tried it on and every time afterwards she would say I want to look like Addie (too funny...I guess because Addison has hair!)
Monday they visited Maw-Maw at the nursing home to give her a haircut. Later that night, Meg and Nana took them out to eat a little Mexican.

Tuesday, they ventured to Columbus to pick Grannie up so they could take her to the doctor on Wednesday morning. Tuesday night, Aunt Pat gave Da'be a break and the girls went to go play at her house!

Wednesday - They took Grannie to the doctor and back to her home. Afterwards, Da'be treated Addison to a movie - Gnomeo and Juliet! She was planning to take Maggie too, but Lee and I talked her into calling Lauren Colby! LC was soooo excited and I know Maggie had a blast with her!

Thursday - Da'be and girls packed a picnic and headed to Central Academy to spend the beautiful day playing on the playground!!! It is special to Lee and I that they were able to play on the same grounds that we grew up playing on and Addison thought it was really neat too!

The girls absolutely adore their Da'be and I am pretty sure she is just as fond of them! Hopefully she won't kill me for putting this no-makeup picture of her on here, but I thought it was the best representation of how here week probably went! The girls want her undivided attention ALL THE TIME. So....I know she was completely worn out by Thursday, but I know she wouldn't trade one minute of her time spent with them and besides...she would have been bored out of her mind home alone all week!!!

They also went shopping one day and this is the outfit that Addison come home with - I was told that she walked up to one of the mannequins and said..."I want all of that that she has on!" She is a major accessorizer - maybe she can teach me a thing or two! Maggie got two cute little outfits as well, but I wouldn't let her wear it to school because the shirts were white! Addison had to wear her outfit her first day back to school!

Thanks DA'BE - we love you!!!