Schools Out For the Summer...

and I couldn't be more excited! My main reason, besides the obvious of getting to spend every day with both of my kids, is the fact that we all get so sleep in an extra 30 minutes in the morning. I cannot tell you what a difference those 30 minutes make, but they make a HUGE difference in my day. Anyhow, I have digressed...

My first born, Landon, is an official 2nd grader and I am speechless! He has grown up so much this year not to mention the past 7 years. Here he is on his first day of 1st grade...



and here he is on his last...



He is an incredibly bright child both academically and socially. I am not sure how or why God chose me to mother and raise this sweet boy, but words cannot express my love and admiration for him. Since we moved last summer, he had to switch schools and did so without missing a beat. Anytime, we go anywhere he instantly makes a friend and jumps right into the play. He is an awesome big brother and his little sister adores him. And, she and I are so excited to get to spend our days with him now!

We have lots on our agenda starting with our annual camping trip this weekend in the Smokies. (And yes, I am going to attempt it all 7 months pregnant of me...I am sure I will have something interesting to blog about next week! ) Quickly followed by a week at the beach. (Praying hard that the oil will stay away) Then our days will be carefree and spent at the pool or in the sprinklers, on the playground or on the slip n slide, eating popsicles or making ice cream, going to camps, playing sports, having playdates and spend the nights and maybe another get away or two. So here's to school being out and the official start of summer!!!

Playground Possy

We have discovered a new park nearby that we now absolutely love. A good friend lives down the street and disclosed the secret to us and its now our new favorite go to. Its right next door to a small elementary school, and even though the school has its own playground, they have been using this one while the other one gets renovated. Anyhow, on our first visit to the park, a couple of 4th grade classes were out for their recess. I was a little hesistant letting Lucy run wild amongst the 9 year olds but she quickly fit right in. In fact, she pretty much took over for the entire 30 minute recess.

The teachers kept apologizing to me for their class being so "involved" with her. But I quickly explained that she has no idea she was a baby and definitely considered herself one of them. Once, they became aquainted...



...they played follow the leader with Lucy being the leader.





They made a fan tunnel for her while she went down the slide.



And when she needed a water break, she had plenty of assistants.



She LOVED all the attention and ate it up. I couldn't get enough pictures of my 18 month old and her 4th grade possy.



We really like our new park our new 4th grade friends!

Home of the Braves

It's that time of year again, where our second home becomes the ball field.



I don't mind it much anymore and have actually become fond of our time there. Landon's team is the Braves and they are really good. What a difference a year makes!? We are done with t-ball and have moved on to machine pitch, which I was a nervous wreck about at first. But, nearly every ball gets hit and more often than not it makes it into the outfeild...wow!! A year ago our team struck out at the tee!! Landons hitting has improved so much since the beginning of the season and he is one of the most if not the most consistent hitter on his team.



And he is so quick to get to base, he has been given the nickname "Landon Lightning". I mean, look at that lead!



Of course, it is serious business and each team has at least 4 coaches and teams stats are kept and posted online and the teams are ranked. The Braves are currently in 2nd place with the regular season ending Saturday. Then the playoffs begin. I say this with a tinge of sarcasm, but in all honesty, you can't help but get caught up in the hype. So of course, we go check the stats and ranking after every game. And I have even "boo"ed an umpires call...several times! But no matter how serious the "grown ups" are taking it, the kids are having a blast!



And of course, Miss Priss is everywhere and into everything she shouldn't be. She really deserves her own post, but I don't have time to snap any pictures of her. And when I say she is into everything, I mean it. The mud, batting cages, sneaking onto the feild or dugout, behind the feild...you name it! The only reason I have these pictures is because my parents came to a game and I had 5 minutes to get some shots...thank goodness. And never to be outdone she still manages to steal some attention!



Since, we are at the ball park so often and usually in the middle of dinner time, I have been searching and trying out crock-pot recipes. This one is so easy and good and is now one of my favorites and all 4 of us loved it! So if your in need of something quick and simple try it and enjoy! (This is perfect for Cinco de Mayo)

Crockpot Enchiladas

Place a package of chicken tenders and 1/2 jar of salsa in crock pot on high for 4-5 hours. Once cooked, shred chicken and add a 1/2 can of enchilada sauce. Cook another 5-10 minutes until heated. Pre-heat oven to 350 and fill a soft taco with crock pot mixture and place seam down in a dish. Once enchiladas are filled, top with remaining enchilada sauce and plenty of cheddar cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. I served with a can of black beans and yellow rice with sour creme and green onions.



I really love our game nights now and am treasuring each one of the them. Did I mention that the new baby is a girl! So, this is it. Landon is our ball player and will be the only reason to go out to the ball feild. He is growing up too darn fast and I am enjoying each minute of my sweet baby boy and little slugger! So go Braves and go Landon #40!!

Easter Weekend Recap (a few weeks late)

I really wish I could be more on top of this blog...I really am working on this. But you know my favorite saying, "better late than never" I know this drives a few of you crazy and it does me to, but...

We had a great Holy Week. I attended services all week and feel like I got more out of Lent and thus Easter because of that. I got Landon out of school early on Good Friday and we walked in the "Way of the Cross" in Homewood. It was very moving seeing the community come together for such a powerful lesson in our faith. About 6 churches in Homewood came together and led the community through the way of the cross stationed throughout Homewood.




Later that night, we went to my sisters 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Night. This was so much fun and great for older kids. We hid the eggs as usual, but once it gets dark finding them, becomes a challenge and takes more like 20 minutes instead of 20 seconds to find all the eggs.



Now that a couple of weeks have passed, I am not sure what we did Saturday besides getting our Easter best ironed and laid out. On Sunday, we actually got up in time to make it to early service at church (HUGE accomplishment for us) and after the service we loaded up and headed to Auburn for Easter lunch.



My 2nd oldest sister, Tiffany, lives there and it has become tradition for Easter lunch to be held at her house. And I am in love with her house. To me, it is the quintessential southern home.


And her yard serves as a gorgeous backdrop for anything...especially kiddos in their Easter outfits. Lucy was introduced to suckers in her Easter basket and I am not sure she was ever without one in her mouth all day.







She quickly learned the name of the game and would find an egg shake it, and if it rattled it made it to the basket, if not, it went back to the ground!





Poor Landon was popped with his allergies that day and every picture I have of him, he is squinting and/or rubbing his eyes. These are the only ones I have where he doesn't look absolutely miserable.





And we actually got a picture of the four of us. Honestly, I am not sure we have done that since Lucy was an infant.



Grammy came down for the weekend but she is not in a single shot. Grammy - we have got to get better about this! We had a lovely Easter week(end) and are so thankful for our risen Savior!

"Bee"utiful Saturday

I had an incredible weekend this past weekend. Not only was the weather beautiful but I got to hang out with friends and family and partied all day long on Saturday. It was incredibly fun, rewarding, and not to mention incredibly exhausting. I have been so fortunate to join a Mom's playgroup through church that has some fun and faithful moms in it. They have quickly become great friends that I meet up with at least once or twice a week with. The group is called "Mama & Me" and we gather every Tuesday at 10 at my church, Trinity Methodist. Our kids play (Lucy mainly eats snacks) and we have a quick devotional followed with fellowship.

Anyhow, our group was asked to participate in "Party on Purpose" a fundraiser for UMW at Trinity. I quickly volunteered as I love a good party, and off to planning we went. Since nearly everyone in the group is either pregnant or just had a baby, we thought a baby shower theme would be appropriate. So we came up with "B is for Baby" and the party evolved into one of the cutest showers EVER! Kallie, the other party planner and I spent all day Friday setting it up and all day Saturday showing it off. It was "bee" themed but not too over the top...

Bees made out of marzipan. They are really simple and Martha does a much better job with instructions than I could.



These little pom pom's were the steal of the show. Everyone asked about them and I cannot even tell you how easy, quick, and cheap they are to make. Again, you can find directions from my good friend Martha Stewart! :)



We simply cut circles out of black seersucker for chargers and made a table runner and napkin rings out of a bright and cheerful fabric. (sorry for the lack of color in some of these pictures...not sure what was going on with my camera)



Simple yellow, white, and lime green flowers make for a cheery arrangement...



And the candy bar was also a huge hit.



We tried to use only yellow(ish) candy to keep with the color scheme. Think vanilla wafers, white chocolate covered pretzels (tinted with yellow food coloring) yellow marshmallows (sprinkled with yellow sugar sprinkles) butterfingers, bananas, and butterscotch. And the banana cupcakes were divine and also the food sample we handed out to guests. Once again, courtesy of Martha Stewart.




Even though our party was my favorite by far there was some fierce competition.

"Alice in Wonderland Mad Tea Party" Party







I LOVE those dishes!

And candyland was awesome...how cute are these candy bouquets!!?? I examined them and they are really easy to make. I think I will start giving these for birthdays!







"Derby Days" had a cute arrangment with the riding boots.



And, I think I will have to use these for NYE 2011 Party



I had an absolute blast planning the party and honestly can't wait to host a baby shower so I can use everything again. I think it is safe to say that the "Party on Purpose" was a huge success and all the parties were awesome, but "B is for Baby" still gets my vote. :)

Mark your Calendars

Just a few things you will NOT want to miss:

First, Kidz Klozet will be in Birmingham two weekends from now on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10. Kidz Klozet is a new clothing show based out of Mobile and features overstock clothing from awesome brands such as Castles & Crowns, Beax & Belles, Blessed be the Name, Anavini, Ralph Lauren, Hartstrings, and of course our old label, Mary Michael and many other great brands. These clothes are marked 30%-70% off retail meaning you are shopping at wholesale prices. You can visit there website for more information. I would definitely try to go on that Friday but be warned that it will be chaotic!

Secondly, my church is hosting an event "Party on Purpose". This is a party themed event with over a dozen party rooms set up with how tos and what nots. There will be delicious treats served for each party as well as 2 guest speakers that you will not want to miss. Both editors from Celebrate Magazine and Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Magazine will be giving presentations on the latest party and hosting ideas as well as other great tidbits.

I will hosting a party room with a "B is for Baby" theme. This is a gender neutral baby shower that is sure to impress any mother to "bee" You will not want to miss this or any of the other great parties for ideas and inspiration.

Party on Purpose is Saturday April 10, from 12-4. Tickets can be bought through Trinity Methodist Church or through me, and all proceeds benefit childrens' and womens' missions. So its a lot of fun for a great purpose! Let me know if you would like a ticket or if you want more information.

And finally, if you are in the Birmingham area, I am having a garage sale tomorrow from 7-1pm. There is ton of everything from a gas grill to a tv and everything in between; furniture, adult clothes, shoes, children's clothes, toys, basketball goal, paintings, prints, and a ton of decorative accessories. If your in need of anything or just out and about, come by, I would love the visit!

My Little Olympian

For Christmas, Ashley gave me a ski trip to Vail. I have been wanting to go for years and we just couldn't swing it until now. I was ecstatic to go and was even more excited for Landon to get to go. Well, fast forward a week or so and we found out we were expecting. So, I was out and my ski trip got turned into a boys trip. It was a little hard to swallow at first but I really wanted Landon to go knowing he would LOVE it. And to top it all off, the winter olympics had begun and he had been glued to the tv watching everything from hockey to curling and of course he really loved the skiing and snowboarding. Needless to say, Landon was all about it. So two days after his 7th birthday, Ash and Landon headed out to Vail for skiing.



Ashleys cousin, David, is an avid skier and decided to fly out to hang out with the boys. David is a great cousin and was Landon's official ski instructor...no need for ski school.









He did a great job with Landon, and within a few hours, Landon had it down...thanks Cousin David!!

Ashley's other cousin, Rosemary and her husband, live in a small town just down the mountain from Vail and they were able to hook a cousin up! They got the boys great deals on ski passes and ski equipment. They own a cute little shop with ski apparel and equipment and offer fly fishing excursions and tours during the off season. If your ever in vail, check out, Minturn Anglers, in the small town of Minturn.



Landon has a small crush on his cousin Rosemary! :)




Rosemary's brother, Tim, Ashley's other cousin, had already planned a trip to visit his sister so it all worked out that a bunch of cousins were able to enjoy a ski trip together.



Landon (and David) pretty much dictated every day with skiing. I am pretty sure ash could have given up a day, but not a chance. Landon did not want to give it up. On one of the days he just passed out from exhaustion at the restaurant table during lunch! :)









Does it surpise me that Landon loved it? Not a bit

Does it surprise me that he picked it up almost immediatly? Nope

Was I shocked to hear he was keeping up with his dad and cousins on the blue slopes? Maybe a little bit

Was I shocked to know he even went on a black diamond slope? Ummm, YEAH, you got me there!

Even though I didn't get to go on my own Christmas gift trip (can you tell I am still not completely over it? :) ) I am so glad Landon got to have the experience. He and Ash had a blast and I know its a trip that they will never forget.











Although, I think training for the winter olympics is downright impossible in Alabama, perhaps I will be showing these pictures to the press 10 years down the road at the 2022 Winter Olympics!? :)