southern mamalogue

Pirate Ship Park

2012-01-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

Everything in our world is "pirates" right now. The kids are obsessed! So it's a great thing that the park that is right down the road from our house has a pirate ship playground.
It's been a while since I've taken the camera to the park, but I decided to do just that. I'm having a Valentine's petite shoot coming up soon, so I thought I'd scope out some spots knowing exactly what my goals were.
So I got some pictures of the kids too of course (my favorite little "subjects") and it's quite apparent that Emma loves the camera. She just cracks me up!

The kids had the place to themselves and they had a great time together. I always love to watch and listen to them together. They really are best friends.

Emma had to "walk the plank" but as you can see, this did not shaker her!

I love "sliding" pictures. Drew had a great time sliding "down into the water" from the pirate ship.

Valentine Petite Shoot

2012-01-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

A Little Comfort Needed

2012-01-12T20:38:00.004-05:00

Emma came into our room yesterday morning at a quarter to five, crawled into bed, and tortured us with kicks to the legs, which turned into kicks to the head (I seriously don't understand how she gets any sleep with all of that tossing, turning, and flipping!)
Then, after a bit of time I realized why she was there. She was sick. And I mean SICK!
We've been so fortunate to have very healthy kids. We've hardly even gone through illness and this is only the second time I've had to deal with throwing-up kiddos (my theory is that I did enough of that during pregnancy for all of us!)
So here we were... a sick little girl. I felt so badly for her. She was such a trooper through it all though.
She couldn't keep anything down. About mid day she was able to keep a little chamomile tea down.... about two spoonfuls every 10 minutes. She thought her tea was such a treat compared to what she had endured all morning and early afternoon.
I mean, doesn't your heart just melt for these adorable eyes and sweet little face!?!

Please excuse the grainy photos. These are pictures of Emma in front of the fire.... another comfort that we offered her.

Doesn't this face just scream, "I don't feel good!?

and this little face is the trooper in her trying to persevere

I once read on Melissa Lester's blog, "A Little Loveliness" (one of my favorites) that when she was sick her mother use to fix Welsh Rarebit to help their tummies. It's a comfort-food, and while it may not have cured her, it let her know that we all care so much about her and are focused on getting her better. There is nothing to make a little one's spirit better during sickness than knowing that her family is caring for her in every way they can.

Here is a great recipe for Welsh Rarebit, from Alton Brown. When you're not making it as a comfort food for a sick little one, you can give it extra little punch and thicken it up and use it as a fondue recipe.

Geaux Honey Badger!!!!

2012-01-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I think this video says it all.

Look out Bama!!!!

GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

It's that time... everyone is coming up with their New Year's Resolutions. Some of us spend this time of year over-analyzing our character and picking it over with a fine tooth comb.
I have come to the conclusion over time that baby-steps work for me. I refuse to set myself up for failure by stating the grandiose resolutions that basically state that I'm going to be perfect. 'Cause that's just absurd!
But that's not to say that I'm not going to be working on things to make myself better.
It is a time of renewal and so for me, this year I resolve to put forth renewed effort into tools that have helped me in the past and that I think will make my 2012 better, easier, and more enjoyable and fulfilling.
I'll be posting a few of my favorite things over the next few weeks. These are all things that I have personally tried and found great success with.

Since physical fitness seems to be the most popular new year's theme, we'll start there.
The best diet/fitness plan that I've ever tried is Jackie Warner's plan. I read "This is Why You're Fat" from cover to cover and really bought into it.

Source: google.com via Mary on Pinterest

The basic philosophy (there's way more to it than this, I'm just skimming here) is that your liver is the key to your healthy kingdom. If your liver is not healthy, you won't be healthy. It makes sense to me so I followed it.
I kid-you-not when I tell you that within 3 days I saw results that I didn't see when I was constantly working out off of the plan. AND I didn't have to work out nearly as long as I used to.
I've never been good at dieting. It's just not my forte. This is a girl who loves her Oreo cookies. But with this plan, it was all worth it and I never felt hungry or jipped in any way.
So now I'm off to reread parts of the book and detox my liver again so that when I do want to indulge after five days of "eating clean" my liver can make quick work of everything I toss it's way.
Then maybe I'll be brave enough to post pictures of me in a swimsuit when it comes time to post about summer vacations. Ha! Yeah right!

Looking Back At A Wonderful Holiday Season

2012-01-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

I have a book that Nana gave me that I fill out after each Christmas (OK, so I'm starting it this Christmas even though she gave it to me in 2008... but at least I've started it). It is a book of Christmas memories that records all of the details and traditions from each Christmas.
I love filling it out. Looking back at the past month and how magical it is reminds me of how special and precious these times really are.
We have so many traditions that I love so much and I look forward to doing all of them every year.
We start the month out by decorating after Thanksgiving (or whenever we get back from Thanksgiving if we've travelled like this year).
Bobby our elf comes to see us as soon as we decorate. The first time he visits us, he shows up with his book and movie so we enjoy his story and meaning. Then, the second night, he brings the kids their Christmas pajamas from Santa. They get to wear them all season long, but they are the pajamas that Santa wants them to wear for Christmas morning. From that point on, he just creates mischief practically every day.

We also enjoyed building a gingerbread house. The kids did great! They each got their own side of the roof to decorate.

*Notice how they are ditching the house project and going for the goods*

(Please excuse Emma's hair. Some days she let's me fix it, but most days she won't even give me 30 seconds to brush it without running away)

Holiday treats were so fun this year too. I made Molasses Spice cookies for a cookie exchange that I attended at my friend, Lauren's house. I came back with a treasure of good cookies and recipes.
The treats that I gave to Drew's teachers as part of their Christmas gifts were not made by me though. My friend, Cammie made them for me. She's make some of the cutest cake pops in town. The ones I ordered are pretty simple compared some of the more extravagant ones that she can do. If anyone in the Charlotte area ever wants to order some, just let me know and I'll point you in her direction.

The kids have been telling me that they wish everyday was Christmas and I explain that it would lose it's magic if it were everyday, but secretly I wish right along with them that everyday we could live this magical time of year.

A Princess Birthday Lunch

2012-01-03T07:15:00.062-05:00

The world according to my princess daughter:
When it's your birthday, you should have a princess luncheon. There should be plenty of pink tulle.

Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via Mary on Pinterest

(Mama forgot to take pictures of my cupcake stand, so we'll have to use the picture of the one she got her inspiration from. Mine had a fluffy tutu on the bottom too and the prettiest pink icing you've ever seen on a cupcake)

There should be pink bows tacked onto anything that doesn't move!

even on the fruit and vegetable cups served on a silver platter

And the princess should be surrounded by people who love and adore her!

All while donning her prettiest princess dress!

Ok, so the front embellishment has been ripped off, but she's a princess, she can do whatever she wants!

and I never said she was a "refined" princess

And of course she gets to devour all of her treats!!!!

including breakfast (a princess' birthday should last all day!)

Yep, that's what a birthday should be according to Emma. And so that's what she got.

Happy birthday, my little princess!

PS. Next year I'll make sure to make time to take pictures of everything (:

Happy Birthday, Princess Emma

2012-01-02T17:39:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is 3! I can't believe how quickly time is flying. We've had a wonderful day of good friends, family, and even a phone call from Cinderella herself!
I'll be posting pictures of the princess luncheon soon... or at least the ones that Mary took. I enjoyed the party sans my camera but I was devastated when I realized I didn't take pictures of the table scape and everything decorated and set up. And now... well, it's all been taken down and cleaned. But I'll share Mary's pictures as soon as I can.

Happy New Year!!!!

2011-12-31T18:57:00.000-05:00

2011 has been an amazing year and I hate to see it go, but I know that 2012 will have so many wonderful things in store for us and I'm really looking forward to finding out what is to come!
As for resolutions, well, I'm being a realist this year. There are so many things I want to focus on; continuing to make my house a home, focusing on my health, and most of all focusing on my family.
I'll be posting more about how I'm going to be doing all of these things throughout the next week. I'm excited to share all of the things that I have found that work for me.
But as for tonight, I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Source: google.com via Kathe on Pinterest

O Tannenbaum

2011-12-24T10:46:00.000-05:00

"How often has not at Christmastime

A tree like you given me such joy!"

We had so much fun decorating all of our Christmas trees this year. Drew and Emma both have their own tree in their bedrooms. The loved decorating them and it was a very special moment for each of them to be able to put the topper on each of their trees.
Every night my heart is so warm when I see them looking at their Christmas trees. They really get so much joy from them.

Emma's Tree in her window makes a nice addition to the front of the house. When her blinds are open you see in addition to all of the bushes lit, a Christmas tree in the front bay window, and her Christmas tree in the top middle window.

Drew's Christmas tree sits perfectly on his train table and can be seen from the back yard.

Emma's Upcoming Room Make-Over

2011-12-23T13:30:00.002-05:00

I am completely in love with Mary Blair's artwork. My favorite things at Disney are pretty much all designed by her. I love "It's A Small World" and what girl doesn't giggle at the thought of riding The Tea Cups? I know I do.
It's time to make Emma a "big-girl room" and Mary Blair is the main inspiration. I cherish the memory of riding The Tea Cups with Emma for the first time and I want to represent that. I also love Emma's personality which is both colorful and very girlie. So that will definitely be a part of her room too. I'm excited about figuring out how it'll all come together.

Source: addisonswonderland.com via Mary on Pinterest

I love this lamp (here is the tutorial for it) and the little boots next to it that I'm sure come from Joyfolie

Source: dearlillieblog.blogspot.com via Mary on Pinterest

I really can't wait to get started after the holidays!

Holy Chevron!

2011-12-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

So you know how this time of year all you see are the "top 20 lists" and how people are looking back at the year? Well one thing that I have to take note of from 2011 is the all mighty Chevron. It was EVERYWHERE! Seriously, Pinterest it or Google it and look at images. If you have been following any kind of styling, you'll see Chevrons somewhere in there.
For example:

Source: Uploaded by user via Robyn on Pinterest

Source: musingsinfemininity.tumblr.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: littlemisspennywenny.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: modernchichome.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: nailasaurus.blogspot.com via AliGlam on Pinterest

Source: thehouseofsmiths.com via Mary on Pinterest

You see what I mean. If you branded ANYTHING this year, you probably have a Chevron in there. If you had your hand in any DIY projects like making rugs for your home, you probably had a Chevron in there. If you let a professional interior designer anywhere near your home, there are Chevrons in there somewhere! It was out of control!
But, with all of that said, I actually do love them, so it's a trend I'm thankful for.

A Merry Christmas Snuggle

2011-12-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

Remember my post about snuggling up with Drew at Christmas (I was pregnant with Emma at the time) and watching The Polar Express?

Well, tonight is the night for us to do it again as we have every year. So here comes the hot chocolate, Christmas PJ's, Polar Express, and precious time with my babies.
Merry Christmas!

Rudolph Pancakes

2011-12-22T12:57:00.001-05:00

We have been enjoying our slow mornings together now that Drew is on Christmas break and we don't have to rush out of the door in the mornings.
I saw the idea to make these adorable Rudolph Pancakes on Pinterest. So we enjoyed some this morning. I love Christmas!

A Business With A Good Sense Of Humor

2011-12-21T17:22:00.001-05:00

I love doing business with a company that has a good sense of humor. Without giving away too much, I'll tell you that I got a package that I ordered for Colin for Christmas, and when I opened it up, this is what I saw:

Obviously this little guy is not what I ordered, but how funny to find this little guy amongst the packing peanuts!

Centerfold Girl

2011-12-20T22:22:00.002-05:00

"My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold" Remember that song?
Well, Colin's angels are the centerfold!
Both of us! His Ducati and his wife! Well, ok, not his wife herself, but her photography!!!!
I was pretty excited when I received our US DESMO 2012 calendars and flipping through it I saw that my picture made it as THE CENTERFOLD!!!!! I couldn't believe it! What an exciting moment, when you know that one of your pictures has been chosen to publish in a calendar. And Colin was double proud because not only was his wife's photography chosen, his motorcycle is the subject of the picture!!!! in his garage (which, by the way, is another one of his babies. haha)
Then, as if that wasn't enough, we kept flipping to see all of the pictures and discovered that we also made the entire November layout!!! We were speechless and honored to say the least.
Thank you to Jim Calandro and Steve Carrell for putting together such an amazing calendar and including my work in the process. I truly feel honored.

Annual Christmas Picture

2011-12-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

Every year I take a picture of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. This year the picture was taken in the Christmas PJ's that Bobby (our elf on a shelf) brought us. You see, Bobby promised us that every year Santa will give him the kids' Christmas PJ's on Bobby's second night with us. This year they got some adorable snowmen PJ's. Of course Emma's are pink and Drew's are blue.
The picture shows just how much they have grown from one year to the next (and also how static our tree continues to be every year... I know, I know, it shows how ~~lazy~~ traditional I am).

The kids look so cute in the comfy little PJ's. Can you find Bobby? He left their PJ's under the tree that morning and he wanted to land in a spot that allowed him to watch them find them.

Here are some pictures from years past

Keeping Up With The Joneses

2011-12-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

While we were in Orlando over Thanksgiving (more to come on that) we went out with the camera and took some gorgeous pictures. Karen's kids are so adorable and they really have the personalities to match! We had a great time and the kids were great little models (mom and dad were too). I just love how all of the pictures turned out and even more, I love the cute little video we made from the photo shoot.

Peppermint Dreams

2011-12-16T18:43:00.000-05:00

Going to have some sweet peppermint dreams after enjoying these treats. Don't you wish you could just go sliding down the red stripes of a peppermint stick, plunging into the pool at the bottom?

I love "soaking up" the holidays with the family. When I saw Martha Stewart's peppermint egg nog, I knew we had to have some.

Batteries Not Included

2011-12-16T16:16:00.005-05:00

Peace on Earth. Goodwill to Men. We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
All sayings and titles that we hear over the holiday season.
But the one that seems to be everywhere for me is...

Batteries not Included!

Yes it is that time. As much as I love to focus on the Christmas spirit, it is inevitable that we must shop until we drop to get it all done. And this year for me, with two little ones, EVERYTHING requires batteries! That, by the way, are NEVER included! Luckily I freshen my flash batteries after every shoot whether they need to be changed or not, so I have a huge surplus of half used batteries. Weird, I know, but it works for our household since we do have all of the toys.
So the way I see it, why not look great while you're out there shopping in the mix of things.
I love this ensemble created by jne on Polyvore. I am finished with my shopping (Hallelujah!) but for one of my outings, this is the look I'm going for.

By the way, when I "Pinned" this to my "style" Pinterest Board, I realized that I may have a problem. Apparently I am very drawn to wearing jeans and scarfs. Hmmmm. Maybe I'll go on a hunt for some more girlie looks. I'll get back to you all on that one.
While I'm hunting for my new "feminine look" I'll leave you with this great video from Wendy's LookBook (one of my favorite fashion sites.... she's just so cute and funny). So here is:
25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 Minutes

Getting Back To My Blogging Roots

2011-12-14T00:42:00.000-05:00

Wow!

So it's been a while. Hopefully my blog (and my readers) can be just like good friends. Let's just pick up again like we spoke just yesterday. It should be easy to slide right back in to things.
I've been busy.... happily busy..... starting my own business busy!
So that's why I've been gone, but I've been itching to get back and now here I am and it's going to be better than ever! I can't wait to catch you all up on everything. And there couldn't be a better time of year to pick up again. THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!!!!!!! WAHOOOO!!!!!!!

Drew's in school, Emma is a hoot and Colin and I, well our souls are spilling-over full!
Life is good and here's a little peek at the kiddos from our Christmas card.

Drew's First Day of School

2011-09-06T11:56:00.002-04:00

I'm so behind on blogging, but I'm not going to worry about catching up before I post about this most important day.
Drew's first day of school!!!!

This morning, we got up so excited about the schoolday ahead of us (ok, him, but this is big for me too)
We had a good healthy breakfast (oatmeal with raisins) and then packed his lunch box. We kept going over, "snack in the bottom, lunch in the top," and he laughed when I made his lunch box talk to him.
Then it was off to school. Daddy walked Emma and Drew up to the school.

Then of course Mama had to take pictures of my big schoolboy in front of his school.

This is his "Blue Steel"

Then it was off to his classroom. First we stopped to find his backpack peg.

Obviously he was having nothing to do with me taking pictures. He was ready to get in the room and meet his new friends. So this is the only backpack picture I have. (Of course I went in right behind him and turned his backpack around so his name showed. I wish I would have just taken a picture of the backpack with his name on it hanging on his peg with his name tag, but... oh well.
Then he was straight off to his friends. He took all of two seconds to make friends with the other boys in his class.

And I was so proud of Emma. She really let Drew have the spotlight (which is something she usually likes to be in). She stayed with Daddy for most of the time except when she spotted the little kitchen. Of course she played there for a few minutes.

And Drew was still off playing trains with his new friends.

This is the group room. He will have his morning time and calendar circle in this room, but his classroom is actually the door on the left of the picture. And his teacher, Mrs. Berk, is the lady with the white shirt and lanyard around her neck in the top picture.

Then it was time to say goodbye. Drew came over and gave us all big hugs and they were a little extra tight I must admit. He was a little unsure of us leaving. He really wanted Emma to stay, but he understood very quickly that we were all leaving and he was going to stay with his new friends. I was so incredibly proud of him. We got going while the going was good and as you can see, he didn't fret for too long that we were gone.

I didn't wait around to take this picture. It was literally the time that it took us to walk to the door and turn around that it took him to go on about his day.

Today is a day that I have been so excited for and one that I have dreaded for so long.
I was so excited to get Drew into the perfect preschool. Once he was enrolled at All Saints, I was such a happy camper knowing I got exactly what I wanted for my son. But then came the separation anxiety.... and I'm not talking about his. I mean, it hit me HARD that I was not going to be with him all day every day anymore. I know it's healthy for all of us to to be away from each other for part of the day, but man do Emma and I ever miss him.
I was really worried about Emma. He and Emma really are best friends and I knew she was really going to miss him... and I was right. I've said before and I'll say it again, her separation anxiety from him is far worse than anything she'll ever experience for me. They are thick as thieves, the two of them. She immediately said in the car, "I miss Dwewby. I want to go back and see him. I don't want to go home without hims."
When we got home, she got her blanket and cuddled up on the couch and pouted. Poor baby. She really misses him. She cuddled with her Daddy for a bit, but then he had to go to work, so now it's just her and me. She's doing well, watching Super Why right here next to me while I write this.
I think we're going to make it y'all.
But back to Drew. We can't wait to pick him up and hear all about his day. We'll update you as soon as we hear!

Kilee's 6!!!!!

2011-08-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

A Pop Star Birthday Party!
Miss Kilee had the best 6th birthday party ever and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it!
The kids had so much fun, Cammie thought of everything! As the kids arrived there was music playing and plenty of punch to keep the kiddo's looking' cool with their cute little paper striped straws. The kids took turns singing on the karaoke machine under the tent with the disco ball piñata and dressing up for their pictures at the photo booth.

After pizza the kids made their way over to the rocking' dessert table to sample all of the homemade treats and celebrate Kilee's birthday with a rock-n-roll guitar cake.

Next it was time for the disco ball piñata. The kids collected their loot and ran around celebrating what they had.

Then it was over to the treat table where everything thing they could stuff in their treat bags with "Treats that Pop"

The party was such a success and Cammie did a great job with it.

Summer Trip to Canada

2011-08-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

We had such a wonderful time on our trip to Canada this summer. Our visit with Nana and Papa was very relaxed and it was great to be with family.

Drew on the tire swing

...and playing on the old swing set that his daddy played on as a kid

Down by the apple tree (more on this later)

Daddy's little girl getting her cuddles

Hello Four!

2011-07-12T19:51:00.022-04:00

Happy Birthday, Drew!
What a great birthday celebration we have had!
It started out with us taking Drew to the movies to see his favorite... Cars 2. He loved it! It was the neatest thing to look over at little him sitting in that big ol' movie theater seat and leaning forward watching, not being able to wait to see what was going to happen next. He would laugh and laugh and then gasp in shock at all the right parts. He would lean over and whisper to me, "Mommy, what's going to happen to them?" or "Did you see that!?!" He loved it!
Then, the next day we went to Great Wolf Lodge. That was a great time. The kids loved the water park. It was three days of play play play for them. They were so excited the whole time just going from one fun thing to the next. Even their room was exciting. They stayed in the wolf's den. It was their little room (inside of our room) that looked like a cave with bunk beds in it. I just can't even say how happy it made us that they were so happy and having so much fun together.
Daddy and I had fun too. We took turns riding the big rides. And let me just tell you, the Howlin' Tornado is a force to be reckoned with. Not knowing what I was doing, I got in the seat in the raft that went down backwards! That was quite a ride, that's all I'm going to say.
Then, after 3 days of non-stop fun, the kids were pooped and it was time to go home and celebrate with some cake and presents.
We enjoyed a homemade meal together (a very welcome site after 3 days of Lodge food) and had some ice cream cake (an M&M that had nothing to do with his birthday, I just thought it was so cute)
Drew got all of the main characters from Cars 2 and has been busy with them ever since. Nana and Papa also got him some great Lightning McQueen outfits and swimsuits.
It was a great week and I think one that he'll never forget!

(Pictures to come.... I've waited this long b/c I need to transfer pictures from Colin's phone... so pitiful. Haha)

Goodbye Three

2011-07-11T23:28:00.006-04:00

Drew had a great year. First of all, I was fortunate enough to stay home with him this year which was wonderful. We spent the year playing, learning, and just having fun.
This year, Drew had so many great experiences. He went to Arizona and had a great time at a beautiful resort, played on his daddy's soccer team, went on his first trip to Disney World and met Mickey, attended his first NFL game, understood the magic of Santa for the first time, played in lots of snow and built one awesome snowman, sat back while his sister was the star of her fairy party, went rock climbing, went to his first Cirque Du Soleil, attended crawfish boils and a wedding, visited Thomas The Tank Engine, saw CATS, watched fireworks from a rooftop, saw his new favorite movie, Cars 2, and lived it up at the Great Wolf Lodge Resort just to mention a few.
We've been celebrating his birthday for about a week now. He deserves every bit of it too.
It's so hard to say goodbye to my 3 year old son, but it's really exciting to think about what 4 will bring us.
Happy birthday, Drew. We love you more than you'll ever know!

The Kiddie Table

2011-06-29T13:13:00.002-04:00

Last night we had dinner (Greek of course) with our friends Lauren and Dave. Drew and Emma are always so excited to hang out with Ryan. When we pulled up to their house, Drew even told me that his feet were excited. haha.
I snapped a few pictures of the kids having their dinner at the kiddie table.
They had a great time eating and playing while the storm thundered on outside. They were way too happy to even give it a moment's notice though.

The head of the table was a cutie!

A Day Around The House

2011-06-29T12:40:00.001-04:00

The other day I snapped a few pictures of just being around the house. I treasure every moment of this time home with the kids, so even the moments that look so ordinary are tremendously precious to me.

Many mornings start out with messy breakfasts.

Emma is not known for her table manners.

After watching me edit some photos, Drew came to me saying that we needed to take some pictures of this baby doll's feet. This was his idea of managing this photo shoot....haha

Perfect!

What can I say, I just can't get over Emma's lovely eating habits...haha

Italian Shoes

2011-06-26T21:59:00.009-04:00

How can you tell Colin went shoe shopping for me again? =) They're cute and I'll find a use for them I'm sure. It's the thought that counts right!?!

If women don't find you handsome........

2011-06-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

"If women don't find you handsome....they should at least find you handy" Red Green from the Red Green Show (Canadian Funny Guy).

Lucky for me my husband is both handsome AND handy!

Recently Colin gave it his best shot at destroying one of his cell phones (iPhone 4).......

No big deal....Colin's in house cellular repair to the rescue.....

New back plate installed and to quote Colin, "Who makes a phone out of glass anyhow?".

Repair cost about $10 bucks and took about 2 minutes. Yeah for Red Green and Colin =)

Mr. C

2011-06-21T15:49:00.002-04:00

I was privileged enough to work with this precious little one. He made my job so easy.
I kid you not, the sweet baby just posed himself! I couldn't believe it! I've never seen anything like it.
These are a couple of the sweet images that we got from the shoot today of Mr. C.

Boys And Their Toys

2011-06-11T17:39:00.003-04:00

The adventures of Colin continue. He has routinely made mention of those that own, “purpose built” toys that never use them for their designed purpose. It was a foregone conclusion that Colin’s Ducati was going to find it’s way to the race track eventually... and it did.

The Ducati Owner’s Club organizes select track events during the riding season. Carolina Motorsports Park was too close to pass up. At 4:30AM Colin packed up the trailer with all the necessary bits and pieces and out he rolled (I followed at a more sensible hour).
The Ducati club is very safety conscious with a terrific track record. Once both Colin and his bike had passed tech inspection, it was time for the riders’ meeting and to start the fun.

Putting the Ducati through its paces at the speeds it was designed for was an absolute adrenaline rush for Colin. When he would pit between sessions, the smile was ear to ear when the helmet came off

There were so many great racers to learn from at the track day. I snapped this picture of Colin alongside US Desmo club president, Jim Calandro, who was kind enough to take Colin on a few hot laps to show him where he could get even more speed.

After 6 or 7 sessions on the track and a pair of well-worn Pirelli’s (that were installed a day before the event) the day came to an end.

We had an absolute blast and made a lot of great friends in the process. This will not be our last track day…. and I can state honestly that more track events are not a bad thing. Thanks to everyone that made this event so perfect for both Colin and me.

Colin's Birthday

2011-06-02T00:12:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. Colin's birthday was over 2 months ago, but in Colin's world, his birthday lasts 2 months. He's spoiled rotten! What can I say!?!
So, of course he had a Ducati themed birthday party.

My cousin, Jennifer owns a bakery and provided the cake for us. It was so perfect for our party!

The kids helped Daddy blow out his candles.

We had a great evening with great food, great friends, and great times.

We celebrated at our house, but cake time was reserved for the garage. For a Ducati party, there was no better place.

It was such a happy day.

Mary, Brandon and Daniel even dressed for the Canadian's birthday!

Daniel wore his "Captain Canada" shirt...haha

This picture was one of my favorites. Mary busted out laughing when she figured out that Emma was smearing ranch dressing all over herself while on her lap. Peeler knew it the whole time, of course he didn't say anything though!

Speaking of Emma, she had a great time partying with her daddy.

The big birthday present was shipped in all the way from Italy! Colin got his new exhaust race kit (race ECU, high flow air filter, blah blah blah) for his bike. He was pretty darn excited. There's not much that you can do to an exhaust kit to make it an attractive birthday gift, but something tells me that Colin didn't mind that at all. He also got race tires and other carbon fiber "bits and pieces" as I like to call them. Each one, he says, adds 10 horse power...haha

Colin went to the dealership and had his new exhaust put on by Dennis, a Ducati Master Mechanic.... one of the very few in America. Yes, folks, that's right, Colin's birthday was top notch all the way (or his version of top notch... not necessarily something that I would have wanted for myself, but I am not a motorcycle nut).

So now, at this point he was ready for his track day.

The Mother's Day Blues

2011-05-07T14:33:00.007-04:00

Photos from Flickr.com

To be the heart of the home, the nurse and doctor, the map and chauffeur, the coach and referee, the nutritionist and chef, maid and butler, the judge and jury. And all while being soft, elegant, and feminine.

It's a big job and maybe one day I'll figure out how to do it all (I am just stating the job description here, not the evaluation of how I am at it.. haha).

But I will celebrate all mothers and my attempt at it all tomorrow. I am not afraid to take credit for just the attempt because that, after all, is more than I ever thought I could do.

I had no idea. I mean, I've read these descriptions time after time and I logically understood it, but I never really knew what it meant to be all of these things at someone else's beck-and-call 24/7. But now I understand and I wouldn't rather have any other role in this world. I feel privileged to be all of these to my family. I'd be jealous if anyone else got to do it for them.

But, like I said, I'm not too proud to celebrate my attempt at being "mom," as short as I might fall of it sometimes.

So can you tell what's on my mind for this mother's day....

Pretty bold, I know. But it's not the material item, it's the idea of being pampered and cherished. And I'm sorry, but nothing says it better than that all-too-famous Tiffany Blue. So those are the Mother's Day Blues. I know, not what you might think at first glance of the title.

So Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there. And may you have have this version of The Mother's Day Blues!

Our First Kiss

2011-04-25T14:41:00.000-04:00

It was 9 years ago today. I'll never forget it.
If the camera crews would have been around, they would have made a movie out of it.
Our first kiss. It really was as fabulous as it should be. The moment my lips touched his, I knew he was the one. No really, it's true. It really was that spectacular.
So here's the story:
He was waiting for me at the New Orleans airport. He flew down from Ottawa. I raced down from work to pick him up at the airport. I ran in, stopped in the middle of an open area where I knew he'd be to look around for him. I spotted him over at a bar looking at me, all calm, cool and collected. He winked at me and I went running for him. We met, still out in the openness of the airport. I flung myself into his arms. He twirled me around, put me down (not that my feet ever hit the ground) and kissed me. And I mean, the boy kissed me. The kind of kiss where his hands cradle your head which has been flung back because you've gone weak in the knees as he kisses you. Everyone and everything disappeared.
Time stopped, and the future began.
Then the applause came. I wasn't even embarrassed. The ladies who had served him were anxious for my arrival after hearing our story. When they saw the kiss, they clapped which became contagious and soon everyone was clapping. People love a love story. The romantic side in all of us love to witness such a moment. I'd like to think that at least some of those people still remember it and mention to this day. If I would have been an outsider looking in, I would.
He can still to this day get that reaction out of me. He can stop me on a dime and make everything around me disappear with a kiss. It's an amazing gift he has and I'm happy that I am the receiver. (:

Nana And Papa's Trip Home

2011-04-10T19:03:00.001-04:00

Nana and Papa stopped by for a few days on their way back from their winter in Florida back up to their Canadian summer.
We had a great time just hanging out chit-chatting and playing with the kids.

Nana is enjoying some kiddie lap time one morning.

Papa blows some bubbles for Drew

Just One Of Those Days

2011-04-10T16:19:00.003-04:00

"Oola Hoops"

2011-04-10T16:18:00.001-04:00

Emma had a great time with her "oola hoops" out in the back yard.

"Ta-da" she says as she rolls them around and catches them.

After we went in, she was looking as cute as ever

Playing At The Park

2011-04-10T16:10:00.001-04:00

If there is one thing I can tell you about this family, it is that we love to play!

"Let's Go Fly A Kite"

2011-04-08T20:11:00.001-04:00

Daddy gets a little twinkle in his eye when the wind picks up. A windy day means a kite day.
There is something about a kite that makes just about anybody feel like a kid again.
So we got our Mary Poppins on and took a trip over to the park for some good wholesome kite fun.

With tuppence for paper and strings,

you can have your own set of wings.

With your feet on the ground,

you're a bird in flight!

With your fist holding tight,

to the string of your kite!

Let's go fly a kite

Up to the highest height

Let's go fly a kite

And send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere

Up where the air is clear

Oh, let's go fly a kite!

When you send it flying up there,

all at once your lighter than air!

You can dance on the breeze,

over 'ouses and trees!

With your fist 'olding tight,

to the string your kite!

Let's go fly a kite

Date Night

2011-04-03T21:40:00.005-04:00

Nana and Papa were in town this past week. They were on their way home from Florida, their "winter home."
Nana took some photos of Colin and me before we went on one of our date nights.
It's not often that going out to dinner does not include requesting a booth so we can "trap the kids in," cutting up someone's meal, and bolting right after we are finished eating.
On the contrary we sat at a proper table, I didn't cut up Colin's food for him, and we lingered and enjoyed dessert, drinks, and each other's company.
Colin made this particular date night extra special by taking me to the restaurant where we had our first date, PF Chang's. I think I've told this story already, but it's not that we picked that restaurant for our first date, we just got too hungry to make it all the way into New Orleans from Mandeville on our first date so that was the first place we stopped. Not that PF Chang's isn't a wonderful restaurant, I just planned on having a more "special place" as our first date, but we were ravenous. But now I'm glad that it was the spot we landed because there are plenty of PF Chang's around and so we can relive that night whenever we want. So that's exactly what we chose to do on our date night.
I was walking on clouds the whole night. I was so proud to be on Colin's arm. He was so sweet all night and treated me like a queen.
Then at the end of the night, he asked me to marry him all over again. My heart pitter-pattered just like it did the first time he asked me.
It was a night to remember. I know I'll never forget it.

Biker Babies

2011-04-02T14:50:00.001-04:00

While we were out playing yesterday, the kids had their little trikes out. Drew LOVES his little Harley and Emma loves to steal a moment on it herself when she can.
They are such a hoot together now that Emma is getting a little older. They really keep us laughing around here almost always.

They both dance around while Drew plays the radio on his bike

Emma pointed out a cloud that looked like a dragon and Drew easily recognizes it. It was a very precious moment.

She steals a quick moment on his Harley (my favorite picture)

Our cute little biker babie

Lessons Learned

2011-04-01T23:48:00.001-04:00

This progression of pictures cracks me up. Poor baby girl definitely learned her lesson about touching the bubble wand to her mouth.
The pictures tell the story so much better than I could ever do.
So here's the story...

So there you have it.

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

2011-04-01T23:33:00.003-04:00

~Robin Williams

If mother nature is saying, "let's party," then Drew and Emma sure are taking her up on it!
Today we played in the backyard and I took my new lens out for a test-ride. I'm so excited about it and I love the results so far. I am really excited about trying to meet the challenge of being a good enough photographer to deserve it.
We had such a great time and I enjoyed my favorite little models ever.
The day started out by looking out of the window anticipating getting out into the pretty weather.

So we decided to go out and enjoy

Happy Birthday, Colin!!!!

2011-03-21T13:23:00.005-04:00

Happy birthday, Colin! It has been a wonderful weekend of celebration, and now here we are on the true day to celebrate the day you were born, a day that changed so many lives.
I love celebrating your birthday - celebrating you.
And if you ever wonder why your birthday gift was ordered all the way from Italy, or why you had the most rockin' custom birthday cake ever, or why we celebrated your birthday for days, here's a list of just a few reasons:
... you built me a raised garden even though you know I have a brown thumb
... you are the funniest person I know
... you put up with my drama
... you know how to use every power tool imaginable
... you have tea parties with your daughter
... you make me crepes in the mornings
... you have 5,000 hobbies, all of which you are passionate about and you are an expert
... you are gorgeous
... you have shown me what truly, deeply loving someone is all about
... you build yourself an over-the-top garage because you know you're worth it
... you are the head of our home
... you let me be the heart of our home
... you make me feel special
... you watch all of my Bravo shows with me and let me gossip like we actually know those people
... you are an optimist (even when it drives me crazy)
... your kids think you are a rock star (and so do I)
... you know how to fix a car
... you can build a computer practically from scratch
... you are good to our babies
... you are like our own MacGyver, I know we'll be ok as long as we have a stick of gum and a paperclip
... you don't mind watching the kids when I'm getting ready because you appreciate that the longer I take, the better I'll look
... our babies get stars in their eyes when they look at you
... you can create a power outlet where ever I want one so I never have to be inconvenienced
... I love when the kids hear the garage door open they scream "daaaadddddyyyyy!!!!!"
... you love me as much as I love you
So are you getting the picture yet? I love and adore you and that's why I love going overboard for you... because I am over the moon in love with you.
~Happy Birthday!

Snap, Crackle, Pop: The Secrets Of Our Pines

2011-03-20T21:50:00.001-04:00

While playing in the backyard today, we listened to the secrets of our pine trees. As we played, we heard the sounds of the pine cones opening. It was as though we had just poured milk over some Rice Krispies. It really is a special moment to be a part of when you think about it.
Anyways, the kids were curious about it, so I told them that the pine trees were talking to us; that they were telling us their secrets.
I asked Drew what secrets he thought they were trying to tell us. He said that they were telling us to be quiet because the squirrels were trying to sleep. I asked him why the squirrels were trying to sleep in the middle of the day and he said it was because they were eating all of the bird seed out of our bird feeder that is hanging in the tree (we have always had that problem and have tried every kind of bird feeder ever made it seems to keep the squirrels out).
Well, you can't argue with logic, so I guess we'll need to be quiet for our fat-bellied, sleeping squirrels. What a life!

Give The Muse A Drink!!!!

2011-03-12T17:05:00.006-05:00

My muse needs lots of help - especially when it comes to painting!
So, help I gave her.

Last Saturday night Mary, Mama Horton, and I went to Cajun Canvas. This is one of those sip - and - strokes or cork - and - canvas kind of places. So we loaded up our wine and headed off to do some painting.
It was Mardi Gras weekend so we try to do what we can to celebrate from a distance. We painted Louisiana themes with Louisiana people. It was great!
We started the evening with some good Louisiana food: gumbo, red beans and rice, and shrimp mirliton dressing with king cake for dessert.
Yum -mie!!!
Then we loaded up on a little more liquid courage and began our painting.

First we talked about what we would paint. We were given instruction on how to do all sorts of designs. Because it was a special occasion and a special class, we were given lots of freedom to paint what we wished using any combination of techniques she shared with us.
Then we were given pointers, like don't put your wine glass on your dominant hand side. Wine is an awfully bad way to clean your brushes... haha.

Then, it was off to the painting.

I'm afraid they didn't feel that I needed anything more than this child's water color paint brush for my painting. (Just kidding, that was our mixing tool).
We chose to paint a Mardi Gras mask.
We tried to look like this:

But inside, we felt like this:

But we got over ourselves and decided "we ain't sceered" and we painted and dried...

and painted and dried...

until we had this:

We had such a great time. We will definitely be going back to do it again!

Cajun Canvas Album

"Gettin' Our Cirque On"

2011-03-11T12:34:00.004-05:00

I'm afraid we may have greatly altered our kids idea of the circus. When the day comes that Drew's class will talk about the circus, the kids and teacher will probably talk about things like tents, elephants, clowns, trapeze artists, and popcorn.
Drew will surely cock his head to the side and ask about the singers, costumes, and storyline. If they are asked to draw a picture of the circus, his blue and yellow tent will stand out amidst all of the red and white ones. Of course I'm kidding, but his idea of the circus for now the French Canadian type.
We took the kids to see Cirque du Soleil's "Totem" on opening night Friday.

Photo courtesy of TBWA\Busted on Flickr

I know what you are thinking... "you did what!?! You took a 2 year old and a 3 year old to Cirque du Soleil!?!"

And my answer is YES. Yes we did. And they LOVED it.
We couldn't have been happier with their behavior.... especially considering show time was 8:00.
I know, I know! We were very - how can put this nicely? - brave, but we are so glad we did it because they were perfect and they loved it.
I had "prepped" Drew by showing him an example of what he'd be seeing because I didn't want him to be disappointed that there weren't going to be clowns and elephants. Colin and I buy the DVD's of the shows that we've seen, so I played one for Drew. I was a bit concerned when we were watching and Drew asked me if we were going to "the scary circus." Apparently the music in one of the scenes scared him a bit. Oops. But all was good and he was still excited. So excited that he danced around on his tippy toes in place when I told him that we were going to go in a tent that was bigger than our house.

Photo courtesy of RiaPereira (uninspired) on Flickr

Here is where I would like to note that Cirque was stupendous about having young children. They accommodated all of our needs. They even had these little booster seats for the kids that I was quite jealous of. They were just big cushions... I would have loved one, but I'm not sure those behind me would have appreciated that too much.
We got there with little time to spare. We figured the less time we hung around waiting for the show to begin, the better. It was great that we basically walked in and then the show started with no down time in between.
The show was beautiful! Of course. We were all in awe the entire time. I absolutely love these performances. We didn't hear a peep out of Emma all night. She just stared on wide-eyed and snuggling in her blanket (since it was bed time and all).
Drew, on the other hand, ooohed and aaaahed the whole time. He was amazed by the things he saw. There were some loud and intense moments, but he just nestled into my side and stayed brave and enjoyed the show.

Photo courtesy of Eva Blue on Flickr

We had some fun family time during intermission. We first went to the shops, but it was way too crowded, so we ended up spending most of intermission outside enjoying the fresh air.

The girls enjoyed spending time together and smiling for Daddy's camera

And the boys were silly as usual

A good time was had by all. The kids were out before we even got out of the parking lot (which by the way was only 5 minutes after we got in our car thanks to a not-so-well-known back exit). Drew still talks about his favorite "scary" circus and the parts that he loves.
We will definitely plan it again the next time Cirque comes to town.

(Cirque Album)

My Mother, Mary Jane

2011-03-10T18:51:00.000-05:00

It was five years ago today that I lost my mother.
Five years ago today my father, my sister, and I stood by her side, held her hands, and watched her slip out of this life.
Here it is, 3:24pm and I feel I've just been able to take my first breath of the day. Grief creeps through your body, into your lungs, and steals the breath right out from inside you it seems.
But now, here I am.
And now that I've given the grief time, I need to give the positives time too.

It is so exciting that Fight Like A Tiger has been so successful. She would be so proud of what it has turned into today. Of course it's still (and always will be) really emotional to see it on people. When I see that subtle "MJ" in the tiger striping, it's like the shirt is winking at me. I know most people don't know it's there and that's the way she would have wanted it.

To date, somewhere in the ballpark of 9000 shirts have been sold!!!! And orders are still piling in!!! That equates to over $45,000 in research and financial aid to families affected by leukemia, lymphoma, and other life altering diseases that those shirts have generated!!!! $45,000 donated!!!!!! Astounding!!!!
I miss her so much and there is so much more to her legacy than this, but this is really special and she ecstatic about it.

Thanks so much to Kim and Bart Landry at Creative Impressions Silkscreening in Port Allen, LA for the awesome work they have done!!!

As for this day, it's a very tough one for my sister and me. It was the day we lost our mother, and the day my father's heart broke un-repairably. But my parents are now in heaven together, and I just couldn't ask anything better for them.

Emma Jane, Don't Ever Change

2011-03-05T01:46:00.001-05:00

Our girl. What to say, what to say.

She's got a look in her eye that is just daring you to mess with her.
She's got spunk well beyond her years.
She's got the best sense of humor.
She's got talent.
She's got "skillz."
She's got smarts.
She's got the cutest, most contagious smile.
She's just got it!

So those cute little feet suite her. It's the perfect picture to capture what is Emma.
But the funny part of it is that the whole outfit actually captures who Emma really is.

You see she's this little girl who is so certain, so confident, already in all that she does, that she looks to no one for acceptance (or permission for that matter). And as I've said so many times before, while this is tough on her daddy and me, we wouldn't have it any other way. It will serve her well later in life.
So Emma Jane, my little firecracker, don't ever ever change a thing. You are perfect just the way you are!

Cleaning The Floors

2011-03-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about kids is that they always give you an excuse to make things fun.
Drew and I love cleaning the floors. Yep, that's right. I just said we love to clean the floors! I can see the anticipation fluttering through him whenever I even mention it.
We get the warm soapy water in a cup and pour it all over the floor first. He thinks it is so awesome that he is actually allowed to pour a cup full of liquid all over the floor.

Please excuse the underwear shot... I make him take his pants off so they don't get all wet.

Then we glide around in our socks. We pretend that we are skating, on an Olympic level no doubt.

Then it is time to dry the floors.

Drew has a hard time with this part. This is why I think he's going to be a skier rather than a snowboarder.

He has a hard time with his feet being connected (he comes by it honestly, I'm the same way... especially on the ski hills. I need to be able to flail if need be).

After all of this is done and the floors are sparkling, it's time for us to get cleaned up.
Then, time to start making a mess again so we can do all over again next week.

Thinking Back With A Chuckle

2011-02-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

Sitting here watching the Oscars with a glass of red wine that my sweetie bought for the occasion (isn't he just too cute), I see some scenes from our movie, Titanic.
It's not "our movie" because we loved it so much... hell, we weren't even together when it came out. But it's our movie because we re-enacted the big "king of the world" scene in front of hundreds of people in front of a green screen.
I posted about it before, this was what I wrote from February of 2009:

So with Valentine's Day being right here, I was thinking of all of the romantic scenes from movies. Of course Titanic is one of the first on-screen-kisses you have to think of. Well, that reminded me of a story that I almost forgot about. This story is just a typical example of our life and some of the things that seem to happen to us.
One day while up in Barrie, Colin and I decided to go to Canada's Wonderland. I love a good theme park! Well, it was hot, so as respite we decided to go see a show. The show was about movies themselves. Well, before the show even started, someone who worked there asked us if we would like to participate. Well, sure, why not? I figured they were probably asking several people to participate. So they pulled us off backstage and gave us some costumes. I was dressed as Rose, with the shawl and a wig and everything, and Colin was dressed like Jack. When they got to the part about using green screens, they used us as the example. They had us reenact the kiss at the bow of the boat. We had to get up on this boat bow that they built and recite lines and everything. You can imagine my surprise when I realized we were the ONLY people from the audience who they asked to participate.
It was so funny and a lot of fun. We had to kiss in front of about 350 people with the green screen behind us and the all-too-famous music playing in the background. Then we all got to watch the scene when they superimposed the background.
What a kiss!

Mr. Motorcycle Gets His Chance

2011-02-12T14:14:00.001-05:00

Colin's been waiting for a chance to take his bike out for a spin and with the weather being as beautiful as it is today, he couldn't pass up the opportunity.
I know the wife is suppose to be opposed to the motorcycle and yadda yadda, but I can't help it. I love it! I mean look at him...

BIG

2011-02-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

He's done it! Our boy has read his first word independently!!! I mean really read it.
He was looking at the cover of his book, "Big Rex and Friends" and he asked me, "Mommy, what is this word?"

I asked him what sounds it made. He's been testing out beginning sounds for a while now, saying a word randomly and repeating its first sound and telling me what letter it begins with. But this is the first time he's attempted to string sounds together.
His thinking was so cute too.
He said, "B-B-B" when I pointed at the B. Then "I-I-I" when I pointed at he I. Then, this was my favorite, "J-J..." and tried out BIJ and said, "no not that one... G-G-G" when I pointed to the G.
I was damn impressed if I do say so myself.
Then he looked at me as if he just unlocked the universe. "Mommy, it says 'big!'"
Wow, I am so proud of our little man.
Not that I think he's going to be reading epic poetry anytime soon, he was not at all interested in doing this again for me when I tried to get him to sound out the word 'sit.' He's very much like that, he only does things on his terms.
He amazes me every day.

Camille Hope

2011-02-08T23:36:00.003-05:00

Camille Hope is here!!!!!
At 8lbs 1oz and 21 1/2 inches long, she's an absolutely perfect, precious bundle of joy. Melinda, Michael and Sadie are over the moon in love with her.... as we all are.
The only problem this sweet little baby has had so far is that she's drawn too many visitors. While I don't think the nurses were overly thrilled with it, it's a good problem to have.

Mary and Camille

Happy Birthday, Jill!!! It is quite special to share a birthday with baby Camille.

I got my turn too.... and took way too long. I couldn't give her up once I got my hands on her.

And of course Mama got her turn..haha

Mama Horton and Camille.... It's a love thing

Crystal and Camille

Sadie came back to see her baby sister after taking a break to go ride her scooter.

She was so excited to sit with her Aunt Kaelyn

Melinda can't get enough kisses. She's been waiting to do this for 9 months

Sadie loves her baby sister

So sweet

Random Pictures

2011-02-01T17:34:00.002-05:00

I found a few fun random pictures on Colin's iPhone that were never published. I LOVE going through pictures (I'm one of those people that would actually enjoy going through old photo albums from anyone who offered) and so it was so fun to flip through these.
I thought I'd share some of my faves!

Colin and I at a Panther's game.

Drew and James cruisin'

Sadie and Drew... two very tech-savvy kids

Drew has gone to see so many firetrucks and he enjoys it just as much every time he goes.

Emma is a very aggressive shopper

Our own little Superman

Cape and all

...and then he turned conductor

Some Canadian grocery shopping (look at all that Tim Horton's... I could drink it all!!!!)

A BFF Christmas from "yesteryear" (obviously Colin was not the photographer we were paying attention to)

I love pictures of them together

Drew all tuckered out

Do you think he's just a bit spoiled?

The car always does the trick

I share this one even though it's incredibly emotional for me... almost too much to put "out there," but it is a part of our lives. This is Drew visiting his Paw Paw and his Grandmommy

A young Drew enjoying some mac and cheese and apple juice.

2011-01-13T13:49:00.003-05:00

If ever you wonder why I haven't posted in a while, well.....

Love to you all and hope you are enjoying snuggling up to the one you love this winter and upcoming Valentine's Day season!

12 Drummers Drumming

2011-01-06T19:28:00.003-05:00

So yesterday we wrapped up the 12 days of Christmas and so today is The Epiphany (or 3 Kings Day, or Little Christmas).
It is the day that we celebrate the 3 Kings visiting baby Jesus.
This will be the last day of our Christmas lights at our house. We will light them to symbolize the 3 Kings finding their way to Bethlehem, even though all the Christmas lights in the world would not be as bright as the star God used to guide them.
And for all of us Louisiana folks, it is the beginning of one of our favorite times of the year.... carnival season.
In honor of this, my sister made the most beautiful, homemade King Cake.

This really impresses me because it's authentic. That's not usual outside of Louisiana.
She did a beautiful job.
So it's time to break out the Mardi Gras music and beads, gather the festive decorations, and celebrate the carnival season!

Scenes From An Enchanted Fairy Birthday

2011-01-04T16:39:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday on Sunday January 2. It was sweet and pretty, just like the birthday girl.

The perfect fairy dress for the perfect little girl

Miss Emma was celebrated for turning 2

The birthday room

A little fairy dust to make her birthday special

These little grass mats made an adorable table runner for the cake table

Tinkerbel flittered around to make the evening extra special

And she was found snuggled comfy cozy into the decorations

White Chocolate Oreo Lollipops were a nice treat

The birthday fairy had a great time!

And so did all of her fairy friends

And her "Fairy Godaunts"

And Fariy Mommy

And her brother (haha)

I couldn't pick which cake picture to use, so I just put both of them in!

Daddy sat with the birthday fairy for some cake

Yummy!

And Drew tried to steal a lick here and there

Then it was present time

Drew wanted to share this time with her, and she was quite agreeable.

A special gift from Mommy and Daddy.

My favorite moment of the evening

Emma had so much fun playing with blocks...

playing dress-up...

and playing with Mama Horton

What a wonderful evening! It is a true blessing to have Emma in our lives.

Strange Sensation New Year's Day

2011-01-03T14:20:00.002-05:00

***This was written on New Year's Day***

This is the second year that I have found New Year's Day to be a strange mixture of conflicting feelings.
All in the same day I am starting a new year just like everyone else, but on the other hand, it is the "wrap up" of precious Emma's one-year-old-world.
Tomorrow our sweet baby girl will be turning two. It's so hard to believe that this may be the last day of my life (depending on what God's plans are for us) to have a one year old.
I've looked at her all day trying to soak in her "oneness."
She's amazing. She's what I've always dreamed of and so much more. She's beautiful, strong, spunky, smart, and most importantly she has such a sweet tender heart.

She is such a girlie-girl, loving to put anything circular around her wrist pretending it is a precious piece of jewelry, prissing around in her little princess dresses and "heels," and grabbing every handbag she can configure to hold all of her worldly belongings. And the girl loves a good tea party. It amazes me how "hardwired-girl" she is. Especially considering she has a big brother.

But then there is the spunky side to her. She loves to get into the mix of things, she doesn't care if she's dirty, and she can give her big brother a run for his money physically in any competition they may have (to put it nicely).

She fills our lives with such joy and laughter, love and beauty, and sweetness and tenderness.

Happy Birthday, Emma!

2011-01-02T22:56:00.016-05:00

Well, for the first time ever I put my two year old daughter to bed earlier. What a wonderful day! And although I wish I could slow down time, I certainly feel blessed that she's growing into a beautiful, healthy, smart little girl!
I pray that she's happy, healthy, and she feels all the love in the world that she needs, and then some.
Happy birthday, Emma! We love you!

Auld Lang Syne

2010-12-31T20:08:00.018-05:00

I love New Year's Eve.... a day of reflection of the year gone by as well as a day of preparation for the upcoming year.
But the question, "should auld acquaintance be forgot"... I think not!
I rather like ringing in the new year with my old acquaintance.
Last year, for example, was quite nice with "my old acquaintance".....

...blush blush!
And so far this has been my evening with that special man again.

New Year's Eve dinner: filet, steamed lobster tail with clarified butter, twice baked potatoes, and steamed asparagus. Yummy.
I am a huge believer in starting something out right. I always stay up for New Year's and I always try to make it a special evening/moment (even if I didn't get Emma's toys out of the way, or my computer off of the table...ha!)
As I look back at the year, I am thankful for all of our blessings. My family is healthy, happy, and loved. Not much more that I could ask for.
So here's to 2010!

Restoring Photos

2010-12-30T11:35:00.001-05:00

I have finally gotten a little bit of time (ok, not really, but I've let some things slip because I enjoy working on this) to work on some old photos.
I just finished my first one.
This is a picture that I found of my grandfather. What a handsome man.
But there were some scratches and damage that made the photo unable to display.
It's not the best, but it's my first try at this whole restoration thing.
The beauty of digital is that opportunity is related to time, not materials. There is obviously no permanent changes to the original.
So, here it is....

Coming Together

2010-12-29T00:08:00.008-05:00

I love how families come together.
This is a tea cup that Colin's mother gave us and this is a cameo from my grandmother
(the faint handwriting in the background is my father's from a letter he wrote to my grandmother from college)

Preparing For Skype

2010-12-29T00:02:00.002-05:00

Tonight we had a "Skype date" with Colin's family. His brothers were visiting his parents for Christmas so we were able to "Skype" with them too.
I talked to the kids about how we were going to be able to see Nana, Papa, Uncle Peter, and Uncle Jeff tonight. They got all excited.
So I asked them if they wanted to dress up. Well, I suppose I should have used the term "dress nicely" because right away Drew said, "Yeah!!! I'll be Buzz and Emma can be Woody!" I had to laugh.
Who can argue with that?
So...

Quick Draw McGraw (Emma) really cracks me up in this picture. She totally looks the part! (minus the pink paci)

Let It Snow

2010-12-26T12:34:00.020-05:00

When we woke up this morning the house was nice a bright and seemed to be glowing. We looked outside and the trees and ground were covered in snow. It was so beautiful.

So we ate a quick bowl of oatmeal (or eatmeal as Emma calls it) and piled on the winter gear. I couldn't help but chuckle thinking of little Randy from A Christmas Story, "I can't put my arms down!" Ha!

We headed out and had some fun in the snow. We built our snow man with Daddy and were pleased with the final results.... except Drew. He was quite disappointed when the snowman didn't come alive when we were finished. But he understood that we didn't have THE magic hat and that's why our snowman wasn't coming to life.

Emma had fun playing in the snow, except when she face-planted. Oops!

But she was right back at it once we got her dusted off.

The new (and temporary) member of our family. Drew wanted to call him Oatie, short for Oatmeal

Now it's time to come in, get dry, start a fire, and play with all of our new toys.

And then cuddle time with Daddy on the couch.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T01:39:00.002-05:00

My how he's grown.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T01:37:00.015-05:00

Christmas Eve was a very nice day. We hung around the house together until it was time to go to Mama Janet's house for dinner.
We had such a great time at Mama Janets. The kids were shy at first, but it took no time at all for them to get very comfortable there, especially after Mama Janet started offering cookies. (:

We watched White Christmas in the background, opened gifts, and spent special time with Mary, Brandon, Daniel, Jennifer, Mama Honey, Papa Horton, Mama Janet, and Mr. Wayne. It was a wonderful night.

Drew did a great job putting together his new puzzle

And Emma loved her new tea set

Of course, Drew's new car set was a big hit!
When the evening was over we prepared for Santa's visit.
We put the carrots on the front lawn for the reindeer and sprinkled our reindeer food to make sure Comet, Dasher, Rudolf and all of the rest of the gang were happy while they were here.
Then we came in and prepared Santa's cookies and milk. This year Santa got our Molasses Spice cookies that Drew and I made.
After we set the cookies out, we got ready for bed. As Drew and I were saying our prayers, we heard Santa fly over! His bells jingled and we quickly got to bed so that he would come.

Santa 2010

2010-12-25T01:37:00.013-05:00

Drew was "all business" when it came to Santa this year.
He knew exactly what he wanted to say to him and he wanted to make sure he was on the "nice list."

A job well done, Drew!

Twice!

Christmas In Village Park

2010-12-25T01:36:00.010-05:00

Santa Clause, Christmas carols, Christmas trains, and the big big Christmas Tree!
Christmas in Village Park was so charming this year.
First we visited the Christmas Train Village inside. Drew loved the model trains.

The only thing that could tear him away from it was the fact that we were going to take a train ride.

It was so cold, but we enjoyed the train ride nonetheless.

The tunnel of lights was the biggest hit of the night.

Everyone oohed and awed over it and then were melted by how excited Drew was about it.
Everywhere we go, Drew and Emma are always such a big hit, and this time was no exception. People were so warmed by how happy he was.
The lights were so neat and the train was adorable.

Then we walked over to the bear show and let the cuddly creatures sing carols for us while it snowed by the Christmas Tree.

Then Santa came over. Emma was not comfortable enough to see him by herself, but this was Drew's year to really get to know Santa.
He couldn't wait to meet him. As soon as it was his turn, he hopped right up on his lap and started talking to him. He was so excited to tell Santa that he wanted "Cranky at the Docks" for his Thomas set. Then he took some pictures with Santa and gave him a big hug and hopped off his lap.

Mission accomplished. Santa knows exactly what Drew wants this year and Drew has confirmed that he is, in fact, on The Nice list

The Sugar Cookie Incident

2010-12-25T01:36:00.009-05:00

We made a batch of Granny's Sugar Cookies from Aunt Mina's recipe book for Christmas. Apparently Emma was attacked by one of the Christmas Tree Cookies!!!

The victim

The culprit (or is it the other way around?)

A BFF Christmas

2010-12-25T01:35:00.004-05:00

This year's BFF Christmas did not disappoint.

When we walked in we were greeted by our friends. First I looked at Jill and said hello. Then I saw Kaelyn and she was looking at me very suspiciously. I felt a bit uncomfortable I have to admit. Then I looked at Michael to say hi. I was looking squarely at "Cousin Eddie" from Christmas Vacation.

He had the outfit down pat! I busted out laughing!

Then it all registered! That's why Kaelyn was looking at me all funny. I laughed again so hard.
We had lots of laughs as people were arriving and seeing Cousin Eddie for the first time.
We had so much fun sharing food and good company with our best friends.
The kids were all dressed in their Christmas PJ's to put us all in that Christmas-morning-mood for our gift exchange. They had a blast playing together with all of their new gifts.

Sadie and Drew

Drew, Sadie, and Emma

Drew and Sadie conversing about the upcoming gift exchange (or at least that's what I see when I look at this picture... who knows what they were talking about...haha)

Drew opening up his favorite gift

"Daddy, I can't wait to open it!"

And Daddy had his little helper too

The kids opening more presents.

A cute little Emma playing with Sadie's Elmo

Just a cute picture of Emma playing with Sadie's kitchen. Emma is so happy and so cute wearing her new little tie dyed shirt

Emma's front row seating at the drive-in
***Thank you so much, Mary for taking all of the pictures!

Rockets And Downtown Disney

2010-12-25T01:34:00.063-05:00

Our last full day in Orlando was quite the grand finally.
We started the morning by walking around the neighborhood and going to a great spot by the big lake near the shops that Karen had recommended.
We sought this spot out so that we could watch a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.
That's right... Drew got to watch his first NASA rocket launch. It was so awesome!
He loved it!

After the rocket launch, we packed our stuff up and headed over to Disney one last time. I thought we would just spend the day walking around Downtown Disney. There was so much to see there that I wanted to go back.
First we went to T-Rex for some lunch.
Drew was a bit nervous and downright timid during the "thunder storms" but he loved the restaurant.
We did a little shopping in the gift shop afterwards and then headed out for some more sight seeing.

This is Drew happily enjoying the cool dinosaur scenery. I was truly amazed by how much he knew. He knew the names of dinosaurs that I truly had NEVER EVEN HEARD OF!!! I have a dinosaur app on my phone that he loves to play with. Now I know he's paying attention!

...and this was him during "the storm." Poor little guy. Don't worry, I invited him to come sit with me (right after I took this picture that is)

We did some shopping in the toy stores and even stopped at a trendy boutique for me.

We also stopped in at a candy shop and stopped to eat our goodies while watching the carousel and listening to the music.

We walked around and looked at the You Can Fly hot air balloon and all of the other attractions that there were to see.
It was a great day and a great way to end a fabulous trip.

The Orlando Science Center

2010-12-25T01:34:00.060-05:00

Our Walk In Baldwin Park

2010-12-25T01:33:00.016-05:00

We took Monday "off" while we were down in Orlando and hung around my sister's for the day. I decided after the Cinderella dinner, we needed some rest. The kids had been pushed pretty hard, and while they were having a blast, it was wearing them out.

So we rested. We hung out and watched some tv, did laundry... you know, all the fun stuff. Ha!

We did get out for a couple of walks around the neighborhood though. Karen lives in a beautiful area, Baldwin Park, where little lakes and wildlife is aplenty.

We took it all in and made a few friends along the way.

Drew was very interested in these birds.

But Emma was just interested in shu-ing them away.

It was a beautiful walk around Karen's neighborhood

Drew's new friend... the cat, Speedy (or at least that's what Drew named him)

They were little buddies from that point on

So cute

My Cousin, Dillon

2010-12-23T16:59:00.001-05:00

Drew had such a great time with his cousin, Dillon (Drew always refers to him as "my cousin, Dillon." Never just "Dillon"). He really looks up to him. And Dillon is so good to Drew too.

The boys had such a good time when we went to Downtown Disney. They especially loved Lego Land.

Posing in front of the Lego T-Rex

All of the cousins in front of the Lego Nessie

Drew loved Lego Woody

Dillon and Drew decide they want to play Wii

But first Dillon has to teach Drew

Then Drew will teach Emma

Dreaming Of Prince Charming and Gingerbread Cookies

2010-12-23T15:16:00.002-05:00

While down in Orlando, we went to The Grand Floridian and saw a true gingerbread house.
Really! I mean, there was a whole candy shop inside. It was adorable!

After taking lots of pictures and purchasing our fair share of chocolate and gingerbread, Aunt Karen arranged for us to have dinner with Cinderella and her prince
I would love to say that we were prepared for our evening with royalty, and that Drew and Emma are perfect as far as dinner table etiquette goes, and that Emma acted like a little princess herself. But we weren't, they aren't, and she didn't.... at all.
But we still had a wonderful time nonetheless.
We met Cinderella's step mother first. She wanted to make sure that the kids were eating their vegetables and minding their manners.

Then we met her step sisters. Maggie even got a chance to sing with Drusilla. It was so cute.

Then Cinderella and her prince were announced. We got to watch them dance the waltz and then they came around and greeted their guests.

This one was a big hit on Facebook. The common comment was that he's just like his daddy. Haha!

It was an enchanted evening, but it was too bad that the clock struck midnight for Emma before the evening ever even began. But hey, it's Disney. We weren't the only ones with tired toddlers. Tired is a sign of a fulfilling day, right?

Our Little Ham

2010-12-18T01:03:00.000-05:00

I was trying to send an email to Nana and Papa tonight with pictures of the house all ready for Christmas and of the kids in their Christmas pj's. I wanted to show them what Drew and Emma would be wearing for Christmas morning but the picture of the two of them together didn't really show the pj's very well so I was going to take a picture of the front of Drew's shirt. This is what ended up happening with our little silly goose....

Such a silly boy... but then he started cracking himself up. That's when I really start laughing.

By this time we were all laughing so hard. That's one thing I can say about our house. We laugh a whole lot!!!

Evan Emma was getting in on it...

Then I couldn't calm them down enough to take a really good picture, but who needs that when you have so much laughter!

You'll just have to take it from me... their pajamas are so cute and they will look adorable on Christmas morning.

Setting Up Camp On Main Street

2010-12-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

After the lighting of the castle we walked around for a bit and Maggie and Karen rode The Magic Carpet ride. Drew wasn't quite ready for it and I wasn't about to push it after a full day at Disney.
After walking around we decided to get our spot for The Electrical Parade.
The Electrical Parade holds a special place in my heart because I remember it so vividly from when I was a child. For some reason the little snail is my most vivid memory from our family trip when I was young.
We found a good comfy spot on the ground and settled in for the show.

We watched the fireworks and the parade from this spot. It was so great except that poor Drew fell asleep in my lap before it even began. I put him in the stroller and let him sleep. We'll have to make another trip soon so that he can see it.

Dopey driving the mining carts full of gems

I couldn't stay still I was so excited to see my little snail!!! haha

Puff the magic Dragon

When you wish upon a star...

The fireworks were so beautiful

The grand finale was amazing!

The video surely does it no justice and I was holding Emma on one hip and recording from the other, so it's not great, but I wanted to remember. My favorite were the star and heart shaped fireworks and Tinkerbell flying over from the top of the castle. What a show!!!!!

Main Street after the fireworks show

Cinderella's Sparkling Castle

2010-12-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

The lighting of Cinderella's castle is just as magical as a pumpkin turning into a carriage. The Fairy Godmother doesn't disappoint this Christmas.
We were able to see the lighting of the castle up close and personal. We really enjoyed the show.
Minnie, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy just couldn't figure out how to decorate the castle. Goofy suggested stringing it with popcorn and Donald suggested wrapping it, but after a visit from The Fairy Godmother they decided to turn to Cinderella herself.
I got the goosebumps when she came waltzing out of the castle with Prince Charming. She told The Fairy Godmother that what she would love would be to see her castle sparkle like her glass slipper.
Well, Bippity Boppity Boo!!!

Meeting Mickey Mouse Himself!!!!

2010-12-12T15:36:00.001-05:00

The epitome of the family Disney trip.... meeting Mickey. We did it and it was everything I ever hoped it would be.
We went to Minnie's house first and toured around. It was so crowded, but so cute. Then after Minnie's house we walked on over to Mickey's. I though maybe it was closed because there was nobody there. But when we walked in, we found that it was opened. We looked around the house a bit and then went into the back yard where Mickey himself hangs out sometimes.
There was another building for us to go into to get to him so we wondered on in. We were in line for maybe 30 minutes and then it was time for our big moment...

At first Drew was a bit nervous around Mickey. We took our pictures and he was a little reserved. Then Maggie took her pictures with Mickey. She was adorable as usual!

Then Drew was starting to get comfortable with Mickey, but our turn passed. I was devastated for him because he told me he wanted to hug Mickey and I thought he had missed his chance. The lady working the line heard him and told him that he could hug Mickey. She scooted him in front of the people that were next and let him have another try.

It warmed my heart to see the interaction. Mickey was thrilled that he was able to hug Drew finally and Drew ran to Mickey for his hug. It was the sweetest moment.

Our Day At The Magic Kingdom

2010-12-12T13:41:00.005-05:00

Our second full day in Orlando we headed over to The Magic Kingdom. We had a few things on our agenda that were a must... we wanted to ride The Tea Cups, Peter Pan, It's a Small World, and see the Electrical Parade and the lighting of Cinderella's Castle.
Karen knew exactly how to go about all of this. It was so awesome to have "a local" showing us around. Every things ran so smoothly. She knew what bathrooms to use, what restaurants we would have a shot at finding a seat in, and what rides we needed Fast Passes for.
It ran so smoothly (oops, I already said that. But it could have been tough considering how crowded it was).
The ride in on the monorail was so exciting. There's nothing to describe the feeling of when Cinderella's Castle comes into view.
We hopped off the monorail and got to it, so excited to go see the kingdom after getting a view of it on the way in.
First Karen got our Fast Passes for Peter Pan. Then we walked around a bit while I admired the castle from all angles and while Sean Kingston performed for the Christmas Day Parade Special. Aparently they were taping the Christmas Day Parade that comes on TV the day that we were there.
Anyways, I was more focused on the castle. I love that castle. There's just something so magical about it, especially when you are seeing it with your children.

After that we went to Mickey's Philharmagic. We all got our 3D glasses and got ready for the show. Emma snuggled into my shoulder refusing to wear the glasses after one second of the show. It was the best 3D I've ever seen in my life and I think that worked against us. It was a bit intense for her.
Drew didn't take his eyes off of the screen. He was fixed on it. He wasn't quite comfortable with it enough to loosen up and enjoy it, but I could tell he surely took it all in.
Then we were off to ride the Tea Cups. While we were in line, Drew saw the little race cars. Well, you know Drew's focus went immediately to them. That's all he wanted after he saw them. Well Larry, being the sweet uncle that he is, went to check out the line and ended up taking the boys to the race cars. So the girls rode the teacups and the boys rode the race cars.

Emma LOVED The Tea Cups. This was one of those moments that mama's dream of, me sitting with my little girl in a pink tea cup! Precious!!! I'll never forget it.

Then it was time for lunch. We actually got two tables next to each other so the kids could sit together and we could sit together. But when things were all said and done, there was a boy's table with Larry, Dillon, and Drew and a girl's table with Karen, Maggie, Emma and me.

After our lunch and rides on the race cars and tea cups, we were off to "the big event"....

Orlando Or Bust

2010-12-10T17:53:00.003-05:00

Where to begin!?! We had such a wonderful time on our almost-dream-trip. What could be better than a trip to visit family, and hey, while you're there you get to go to "the happiest place on Earth!" The only bad part of the trip was that Colin was not able join us. We missed him so much, but he was happy for us and we brought back lots of gifts, pictures, and memories.
We went to visit my sister and her family in Orlando and we had such a great time.
We arrived on Thursday and started our time there having fun hanging out with family. The cousins had so much fun together. The girls played dress up and the boys played with the computer and legos while my sister and I got to catch up. It was perfect!!!

Maggie fixed Emma's hair and dressed her up like a princess. She also did herself up like a princess.

The girls looked like true princesses.

I love this picture of Maggie taking care of Emma

Maggie and Drew were planning a vacation around the world with the globe.

The Happiest Place On Earth!!!

2010-12-06T19:29:00.000-05:00

Just stealing a quick moment during our vacation to show you all a couple of pictures from our Disney trip. The kids are having so much fun. It truly is a magical place and you can see it in their eyes. It's so sweet.

My Bionic Husband

2010-11-27T11:04:00.004-05:00

Well, I think I can safely say now that Colin's experience of having his wisdom teeth extracted went exceptionally well. He had them removed on a Monday at 2:00 and was back to work (on-call non the less) Tuesday morning with minimal pain. I just can't believe it... it's not suppose to be that easy!
Because we were pretty well homebound anyways, due to Drew's cough, we had no choice but to take it easy. I did everything the Dr. told me to do as his care-taker. I had my one timer set to make sure that he was getting ice for a half hour on, and then a half hour off. I haven't been on such a demanding schedule since bringing Emma home as a newborn! Then I had another timer going to pain medication, and then I had yet another timer going for Drew (so much going on, I wasn't about to rely on myself to keep up with it all.... I know myself better than that and have no problem admitting it).
Colin laid on the couch Monday evening, but was up and at 'em the next day. I was so proud of him. Here we are almost two weeks later, and he's still pain free! Yay!
I had to snap a couple of pictures of how pitiful he looked. Of course he hammed it up for the camera, wanting to seem way more pitiful than he was, then he got me laughing so hard we couldn't stop. Here's the results of our silliness.

My poor, swollen hubby

looking so pitiful in his ice sling...

...and even more pitiful

ok, this is getting ridiculous!

This is where I begin laughing...

... and that just makes things worse.

Mr. Funny

And life is good again.

"Mama, Let's Have Pizza Pie!"

2010-11-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

***This one was written Nov. 16... obviously today is a catch up day on publishing***

"Ok" I said. Right now Drew is still getting anything he wants. So pizza it was.
It was a fun break from our "trauma drama" and post surgery recovery (Colin had his wisdom teeth taken out Monday... more on that later).
So we got out all of the ingredients and Drew built our pizza. It is so amazing to watch him now. He is getting so big and doing so many things on his own.

We are ready to cook, Mama!

First we rolled out the dough.

Then some sauce

Let's put lots of cheese!

And pepperoni too!

The cook kept a close eye on the pizza in the oven.

Drew didn't stop with cooking, he wanted to help with everything

He even fixed the drinks

Then we had family time around the dinner table with pizza and good conversation.

Halloween Traditions

2010-11-27T10:08:00.001-05:00

*** This was written Oct. 29. I just didn't publish it until now.... oops****

Tonight we popped some popcorn and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" tonight. It's Drew's new favorite. He absolutely loves it when Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown when he tries to punt it. He laughs so hard it cracks us up.
Emma just enjoys watching it and laughing whenever her brother laughs.

I love these moments with them.

"I'm Laughing At Clouds So Dark Up Above"... And At Drew

2010-11-24T11:52:00.004-05:00

Last weeks Glee was one of my favorites to date (of course I say that every week).

I purchased "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella" on iTunes and we've been listening to it quite a bit this week. I've been asking Drew if he wants to listen to the rain hip hop song so we can dance. He's so funny when he dances and I just can't get enough of it.
Well, this morning he says, "play the hippity hop song, Mama!" and so I chuckled and put it on and we danced and danced.
While Emma's rhythm has come quite naturally to her, his has taken some time and practice. This morning though, I saw some improvement. It so happened that after we listened to that song, things shuffled over to Dave Matthews (of course) "When the World Ends" which is a much smoother song. He completely went from his "hippity hop" moves to the backbone slide.
It is so entertaining to watch this!
I can't wait until the Christmas music comes on Friday to see what he does then!

"Cakes and cookies, toys and gifts..."

2010-11-18T20:54:00.049-05:00

Although Mary and I attended the 43rd annual Southern Christmas Show on the last weekend, (tomorrow is the last day... get out there folks! Don't miss it!) we were able to get right into that Christmas spirit early and get a jump start on my season!

"Sounds of Christmas" is this year's theme for the show and let me tell you, I was certainly listening!
Christmas music danced through the air in the lobby luring us into the magic that is the show.
The show is divided into several sections including an enchanting village of Christmas known as Olde Town, my favorite. Unique gifts and whimsical decor were plentiful. Gift ideas were swirling through my head with so much festive splendor at my fingertips.
One of the highlights of the show for Mary and I was meeting the gourd lady, Margaret "Sparky" Sparkman. Her amazing gourd crafts have graced The Southern Christmas Show for 42 years! The lady in front of us in line talked to us about how she remembers going to visit the gourd lady at The Southern Christmas with her mom when she was a little girl. "Sparky" has been featured in many publications such as "Southern Living" and "Our State" and has been on talk shows as popular as the Jay Leno show.

We, of course, bought a Santa gourd (you can't not own one of the gourd lady's adorable gourds) and had our picture taken with her. It was so exciting and she was such a sweet lady!

Then we strolled down Christmas Tree Lane and I felt a rush of inspiration fill my soul as we were mesmerized by award winning trees, fresh and festive in decor. With dozens of Fraser Firs from the North Carolina mountains on display, my problem for this year is no longer lack of ideas. It's quite the opposite, this year I'm thinking I'll need several trees because I can't decide which ideas to use in my own home.
It wasn't long before our noses lead us to some piping hot strudel and other tasty Christmas treats. We also purchased several packages of the Moravian Cookies that have been hard to find in years past. Then there was a quick visit with the jolly man himself. We just wanted to make sure we were still on the right list after stopping by the wine tasting booth.
This year's Christmas show has certainly lived up to its reputation as one of The South's favorite Christmas traditions!

Post Trauma Fun

2010-11-14T15:36:00.006-05:00

Ok, so our lucky streak is over. We have now been introduced to the awful world of bringing your child to the ER. Before I tell you what happened, I want you to know that all is well and we had a happy ending (thank goodness!!!)
I'm making light of it simply because I can't deal with it seriously yet. It was quite scary and quite serious.
So I'm going to give you the abridged version, because I'm not quite ready to relive it enough to pound it out on the keyboard.
Basically it boils down to finding my son blue and unable to breathe, Colin calling 911, our boy finding his strength and great instincts and relaxing enough to open his airways again. When the first responders arrived at our house his oxygen levels were recorded as unbelievably low. They rebounded quickly though. We went to the ER and they took great care of us after diagnosing croups secondary to laryngotracheobronchitis which caused a spasm that made his airways close up on him. This was on Friday after having the flu vaccination spray (the live virus) on Tuesday.
Here's where the fun begins. First, I have to comment on how I think it's incredible how quickly children bounce back from trauma. Within 15 minutes of being at the ER, Drew was having a blast. He loved the breathing treatment, "I got to breath steam, Mama!" and the popsicles that "Nessa", nurse Vanessa, brought him.

He was a champ at taking a nasty tasting steriod with an OJ chaser. Here's where I have to be inappropriate and say that it was like watching a man drinking a shot. Imagine that scene, that's how Drew did it. He might as well have pounded on his chest afterwards. I thought "uh oh, that can't be good for his future."
Anyways, back to him having fun. He thought it was so cool to have the light on "the little piggy that stayed home."

He loved that "Aunt Mary" was there to take care of his little sister while we tended to him. He was totally ok with her leaving with Emma so Emma could go home and get some sleep. He had so much fun playing with all of his Thomas trains in his bed, but he was frustrated that he couldn't get up and walk around.
Daddy took a bit of a cat nap since we had to wait around in the ER for Drew's breathing treatment to wear off. We were there until 5 am and Drew never even got sleepy. It was quite a long night.

Then our friend Chuck showed up.... yep, at 3 AM Chuck came to visit Drew. Chuck works in the ER so it was nice to have someone there who knew exactly what was going on. Chuck wasn't working that night so it was really sweet of him to visit. Now that some time has passed and I've learned a little more about what happened, Chuck must have known what a close call we had with Drew. He knew by seeing us that night that it had not sunk in yet and we did not realize just what had happened. I still don't think it has sunk in all the way. In a way, I suppose I hope it never does.
Now we are home and Drew is enjoying all of the attention that he's been getting. We've decided that he totally rules the roost for a little while. The boy is getting anything and everything he wants.
Yesterday Emma and I went through the grocery aisles just picking up anything that we thought he might enjoy. Colin went through all of the toy aisles picking out anything and everything Drew could ever want. Colin is quite cute about the whole thing now. He can't be away from Drew, including just being in another room, for more than about 10 minutes. I don't what he's going to do about work come Monday morning.... haha
I've been doing what I do, heal through food. This morning Drew woke up to a huge breakfast of pancakes and fruit and yogurt and much more. For lunch he had panko crusted chicken nuggets with seasoned potato wedges and corn on the cob with sweet tea. Tonight we're doing homemade pizza.
We've also been doing whatever he wants to do (that doesn't involve running around and getting hot and sweaty). We've made forts in the living room, a model of a triceretops out of a diaper box and a wet wipes box and played lots of games on the computer and read tons of book (actually just a couple of books tons of times).

Please excuse the counter tops. Because I'm only focused on him right now, I just go from one kiddie activity to another so I've taken little time to clean up after all of it. Cleaning can wait! It'll be there when I'm ready for it. (:

We've also watched lots of movies and football, his favorites. Just a minute ago we asked him if he'd like to lay on the couch and watch some football for quiet time and he looks at me and ~~demands popcorn~~ sweetly says, "yes, and I'd quite like some popcorn." (Karen, it was as though Dad were here. He said it just like "the pie statement" You know what I'm talking about..haha)
Do you think he's got this whole thing figured out? Yeah, I think so too.
But that's ok. Anything for King Drewby for now. We'll work out all of these spoiled kinks later.
He's living it up and really, why not? Wouldn't you!?!
Emma is even happily reaping the benefits.

What a mess!!!

Emma loving the pudding that she picked out at the grocery for Drew.

The Year Of The Monsters

2010-11-04T18:07:00.004-04:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! We had a great time with great friends.
Our little Halloween parties are getting bigger and bigger every year.
This year we added a hay ride to our party. Yep, that's right, a hay ride! Right here in our neighborhood.
Darian and Crystal brought over a UTV SxS and a trailer and we loaded it up with hay and took the kids (and adults) out for a ride through the streets of the neighborhood.
It was so much fun!
The kids had a great time. Emma was Cookie Monster and Drew was a Monster Truck. We knew what we were going to be well in advance this year, so I made Emma's costume while Drew's was store bought (with love) (:
I also had a bit of a home made theme for food this year. While we still did our traditional pizza, I added some requests to the table. We had homemade chicken salad, homemade pimiento cheese, and of course muffelettas, and homemade desserts like candy corn and carmel popcorn balls and candied apples. It was a bit of a hodge podge of food, but that's what the people asked for, so that's what they got.
I was busy the days leading up to the party, but it was all well worth it and turned out beautifully.
(Thank you, Mary for taking all of the pictures!!!)

Sweet Emma holding on to her "Boo Cookie"

Fluffy Cookie Monster tutu

Sadie as "Pickles the Frog" and Drew as a Monster Truck

The kids were having so much fun at the party

The kids ready for their hay ride! (Emma: not quite ready...haha poor thing)

On hay ride, round 1

We hand out candy from our driveways every year, so this is our camp all set up and ready for trick or treaters to come

Sadie and Melinda

Me and the kids

Sadie and Drew holding hands while trick or treating

Sadie and Drew

Sadie said she was too tired to carry her pumpkin full of candy

Emma's Princess Pumpkin

2010-10-29T22:54:00.000-04:00

Today we carved our pumpkins. Drew's was really easy. He just wanted a Cookie Monster pumpkin which came with one of those little sets where you just poke the pieces into the pumpkin. Can't complain with that one.
Emma on the other hand is a different story. She picked out the princess pumpkin kit. She's already so girlie when it comes to some things.

So we worked on our pumpkins today and tonight we will make candied pumpkin seeds. Really it's a recipe for Pumpkin Seed Brittle, but it takes hulled pumpkin seeds and I'm just not willing to do that and I want to use our pumpkin seeds (I'm all about authenticity (; and a good deal). So I'll take the crystals that the hulls will cause and deal with it.
And here it is.......

.....the Princess Pumpkin.

Bitten By The Bug

2010-10-25T22:55:00.003-04:00

Time to get the bug spray out y'all. We've got the stomach bug at our house. I think this is the first time I've sat down in 2 days (nights included).
It is the most pitiful thing in the world to see your children sick.
It all began at 3:45 Sunday morning with Emma. We heard her in her bed and I went and checked on her and didn't at all like what I saw, let's put it that way.
After a load of laundry went into the machine while Daddy rocked her, I settled into the chair letting Daddy go to bed and I rocked her, she was back sleeping and content.
Later in the morning, when everyone was waking up, we realized that it wasn't over. Poor baby didn't keep anything down all day.
But she woke up this morning with quite the appetite. After eating a gentle breakfast, she was exhausted. She was so pitiful that when Drew and I were working on his "schoolwork" she fell asleep on the floor next to us.

That is so not like our full-of-energy Emma

Then, Daddy started. He's got the bug.
Drew and I went to the grocery to stock the house with the sickie essentials. You know the ones: soup, ginger-ale, saltine crackers, etc.
I also prepped everything in anticipation of my getting this bug. Veggies and fruit are chopped and ready to just hand the kids for snacks when I don't feel like preparing something. Sandwich fixings are on hand so I won't have to cook. All blankets, sheets, towels, and pajamas are fluffed and ready for use. I'm as ready as I can be.
Then after the preparations have been made, Drew starts. He has been so big about the whole thing. He's such a strong boy. No whining or whimpering other than at the moment of being sick. He just asks, "why did I spit like that?" I told him that he got the germs that we talked about from Emma and they will make him "spit" for a little while. But he'll be done soon. He just shrugs his shoulders and says, "I'll be ok. I feel pretty good right now." What a guy!

Here is Drew laying in his "designated area" He's set laying on his Lightning McQueen pillow in his Lightning McQueen pajamas, under his Lightning McQueen blanket and eating ice chips out of a Lightning McQueen ziplock bag.

So that takes us to now. We are relaxing, watching some football. I'll go to bed (and probably get my first chance to read for a bit) after the game so I can be ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
So if anyone would like to get us some bug spray to keep this bug at bay, we'll gladly accept!

The Biltmore House

2010-10-23T23:13:00.001-04:00

After waking up, we enjoyed a quick breakfast and headed over to the Biltmore Estate.

First we went to the house. There are such beautiful views and the home itself is so amazing.
Even the approach to the home is scenic

We didn't actually go in this time. This is the first time that I've visited the home and not gone in, but there was so much else to do and we've toured it quite a few times, that we decided to forego the tour.
We toured the gardens though. They were amazingly immaculate!

Back to the parking lot. Even that was gorgeous.

The estate is so big that it was a 2 1/2 mile drive to get to the winery.

After touring the gardens we went to the winery which now has the new Antler Hill Village, aka my new favorite area of the Biltmore Estates.

We had a wonderful time there. The winery, as always, is beautiful on its own. But now there is a whole little village of shops, restaurants, a sports center where you can rent equipment and bicycles to ride around the estate, and even a little creamery for an ice cream treat.

We went over to the barn area where we ate lunch at the charming little Smokehouse. This was an area where they posted there menu of Carolina BBQ on a chalk board and a lady behind a half door took your order. It was so cute! Charming enough that we passed up some rather nice restaurants for it.

The biggest plus was enjoying our BBQ outdoors while the kids played in the courtyard.

The kids are playing farm games while we eat our lunch

Emma stops to smell the flowers outside of the Smokehouse

Games for the children were set up in baskets and at benches all along the perimeter of the farm.

Drew and Emma found these little horses to gallop around on.

Emma playing on the chalkboard

There were simple yet beautiful fall arrangements everywhere you turned.

Farmer Drew about to take the tractor out

Farmer Emma had her turn too

"That Pumpkin is this big," says Drew

All of the scarecrows.... wait, something's not right here...

Biltmore would never have just your ordinary scarecrows. I loved the romantic, victorian styled scarecrow

The family takes a moment to pose on "The Biltmore School Bus" This really was a recreation of the school bus they used.

This was the view as you approached Antler Hill Village

A Drive On The Parkway

2010-10-20T00:13:00.028-04:00

My favorite time of year in the Carolinas is fall.

We headed up to the mountains for a weekend get-away. It was beautiful!

The first day of our trip was just driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Colin drove his motorcycle and me and the kids lived the cush-cush life in the Jeep.

It was beautiful!! We stopped at several overlooks to let the kids stretch their legs, and in some cases to even run up and down hills.

The kids and I at "The Lump Overlook"

Climbing "The Lump" (I'm not making this up. It really is called "The Lump" (:

Emma and I after coming down, you guessed it, "The Lump"

Drew being silly at one of the look outs.

We took a walk down the hill to stretch our legs

Drew was telling Daddy how much he likes his motorcycle.

Next time we plan a mountain trip, I think what we'll do is plan to get on the parkway at the NC state line and drive to Blowing Rock and spend the night there.

See, the problem with this trip was that I love Blowing Rock way too much. We stopped to visit our favorite little spot to eat, and we ended up staying too long. This made for a long drive to Asheville, our final destination.

But alas, we made it. We cozied up for the night for some sleep.... or so we thought.

Ok, another lesson learned. We've always had suites when traveling with the kids before so the kids could have their own little space to sleep.

Well, brilliant me thought, "we'll just all stay in the same room this time, It'll be fine." ... famous last words, right.

Well, after a night of silly kids that didn't know how to handle being in the room with us, we finally got some sleep... at about 2am!!!!!!!! Or at least that's when I woke up and realized that Emma was sound asleep in my arms in our bed!

For the first time ever in their lives, the kids slept in our bed.

The next morning came way too soon, but we were excited to get our day started and explore The Biltmore Estate.