To Grandma's house we go...

We took a day trip to visit Marty's family today. We decided to celebrate Maddie's birthday a little early since they can't make it to her party.

Show off!
Aunt Rose got Maddie the cutest puppy cake
She was so embarrassed when we sang to her
Do you think any made it in his mouth?

Cousin D wants a turn

Maddie got her first head band and stick on earrings
She had to see the earrings in the mirror... such a girly girl

Summer fun

We have been enjoying our summer to the fullest! Unfortunately, I have forgotten the camera on more than one occasion. I have had lots of questions about Preston's nose, and it is healing pretty well. We keep lots of sunscreen and Mederma on it.

Our big girl is fast approaching 3!! I can't tell you how many people (friends, family, strangers) keep telling us age 3 is far worse than 2. Hmmm. 2 started off a little rocky, but only lasted a short while. Marty and I will be praying over Maddie as she blows out her candles!! ha ha

Maddie loves to spell. She is constantly asking us how to spell EVERYTHING! She can spell most of our friends and family's names, and she has also taken a liking to learning everyone's "whole" name. She understands that many people have a first, middle, and last name, but her brother has 2 middle names, one of which is Preston. She also seems to understand that her real name is Madaline, but we call her Maddie. It's a wonder kids don't grow up completely confused.

Preston is becoming quite the talker. His new words are cookie, night-night, more, Bible, football, and baseball. He knows baby sign language for "more", and he uses it at every meal. The kid can eat. He often eats 3 helpings, and his little belly just pooches out.

We are having so much fun with our kids. I will try to get some new pictures soon!

Breaking the rules

We had this crazy storm the other night. Marty had a ball game, which was called off half way through it. The wind was so terrible, I put the kids in bed with me until he got home. We never let the kids sleep with us, but I was worried we were all going to blow away!

Who could sleep with the 2 of them?

Kenny, Gerand, and Liam came in town for Kenny's birthday. We met up at the California Pizza Kitchen and had a great time visiting.

Daddy's Ballgame

I took the kids to daddy's game a few weeks ago (I am WAY behind on the blog). They loved standing at the fence yelling "dada" and "go daddy go!". We went to the zoo after the game, and on our way home we spotted a random pony ride on the side of the road. Of course we had to stop.

Tough Guy

Mamaw and Papaw are not gonna be happy about this. Marty and I were putting together a new toy shelf for Preston's room when he tripped and fell on the edge of it. His nose has a huge gash. When I stood him up, my heart just ached. It is so difficult to see your child hurt. Maddie was worried about him and she wanted to help take care of him. He only cried for a minute. I think he was really excited about the toy shelf.




What's the worst boo boo your child has had?

Girl's Night

We had a great time celebrating Heather's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory!

Shawna, Cindy, me, Anne, Heather, and Jennie
Happy Birthday Havanna!

We got it!

Our first letter from our sponsored Compassion child was waiting in the mail for us today. We couldn't wait to read it and learn more about this precious boy. He lives in Indonesia, and he will be 7 next month. His family's monthly income is $25.00. $25.00. I can spend $25 at the dollar bin on toys that my kids don't need. I can spend $25 on a pedicure. We can spend $25 on fast food. We have no idea how blessed we are. I pray you will consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International. It can truly change a childs life and provide a future and education they would otherwise not receive. You won't regret it.

Ricky's picture (sorry, I can't show his face)
Our treasured letter

C - E - C

Marty and I refer to chuck-e-cheese as c-e-c so that we can keep our visits a surprise from Maddie. We took Maddie and Olivia last weekend, and Amy, Chris, Scout, and Nat-nat came with us. It was lots of fun.
The girls wanted to dress alike.
This made it very easy for us to spot them.

In the mouse house
Dance dance dance

Holes

Maddie has let us know that she would like us to get her some earrings. She was very matter-of-fact about it, and told us that she was ready for "holes" in her ears. She's not getting earrings any time soon, but we thought it was funny. We don't know how she even learned about "holes" in the ears. No one in her class has pierced ears. What age did you pierce your daughter's ears?

4th of July

2 baby pools and at least 3 bottles of sunscreen. It was a beautiful day. Until it was time to eat. But we improvised with the rain.

We played outside all day.
This guy had more fun than anybody!



Everyone piled on to our back patio to watch the fireworks show.
We could see them from 2 local parks, but...
Our neighbor puts on the best show around.

Oh my!

Yesterday at school, Maddie told her class that she's gonna get a baby sister after she's done with her brother. Oh, she makes us laugh!

On to some pics of Hailey's last day with us. She was able to visit for 4 weeks, but she has other fun things to do back home before her summer break ends. We miss her already, and we hope to make it a yearly tradition!!

What a spectacle!

I took Hailey for an eye exam, and we learned that she needs glasses. We got super cute ones with baby blue on the inside of the frame. I think she looks great!

Hula Hoop!!

Maddie just loves to hula! She is actually pretty good at it, and we love to watch her shake her tiny hips. It is so cute. Marty came inside from staining the deck (hence his dirty shirt) to take a hula break with her. (You can find toddler size hoops at Dollar Tree)

The weighting game - Tasty Tuesday get's a makeover

We have been really busy, so I have put Tasty Tuesday on hold for a while. Besides my niece staying with us on her summer break, we have made some other changes around our house. We have decided to change the way we eat. Not diet. Just eat better. We want our kids to eat well and make good food choices as they grow. I happen to be lucky enough to live across the street from a dietician, and she has been helping me with food ideas. So...I am going to pass the better choice ideas along for the next few Tuesdays. I am also going to "tweak" my previous Tasty Tuesday recipes to see if I can make them healthier. Now let me make this very clear...we are not dieting. I don't believe in diets. We are choosing to eat better foods. The first step in this process is shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. Buy the fresh stuff! I almost never walk the "aisles" of the store anymore. We buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. I get the Boar's Head fresh sliced deli meat instead of the processed stuff. I limit dairy, but if I buy it, I buy the fat free version. As luck would have it, the ice cream isle is also on the perimeter of our grocery store. So you know what I buy there?



Skinny Cow is my new favorite thing. The sandwiches have less than 150 calories (a small bag of M%M's has over 250) and you will not feel like you're missing out on treats.

These are also great!








I have only missed one thing: soda. I don't buy it anymore. Not even diet soda because there is evidence that artificial sweetners spike your insulin levels just like plain old sugar. Plus, I don't like the idea of drinking "artificial" anything. We are drinking water. If I go out to eat, I might get a soda, but I ask the waiter to refill with water, not more soda.

I'm sure you're thinking that it is too expensive to eat healthy. If you stop buying all the processed "junk" in the aisles, you can easliy afford to buy the good stuff.

I have lost 8 pounds and Marty has dropped 11! Just like that. In less than a month. So I am going to help you with tasty healthier food choices. Cause let's face it, if the food isn't good, you won't stick with it! That's why diets fail.

So here we go. Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Keep it around 500 calories. If you have to eat carbs, go for high fiber choices. They will make you feel full longer.

Option A: One cup of "O" cereal (plain, not flavored) and 3/4 cup fat free milk with fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Add a banana or an apple on the side.

Option B: A single packet of Quaker Instant Oatmeal, either the low sugar or high fiber flavors. Mix with water (or fat free milk if you have to) and heat in the microwave. Add 1/2 cup grapes or an apple on the side.

Option C: One Weight Watchers low fat yogurt cup plus a banana.

Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or adult nutrition expert. I'm just a mom who wants to wear a bikini again!

Pool fun

We spent the afternoon swimming at Uncle Jay and Lisa B's house. Maddie had a blast jumping off her daddy's shoulders, and she is learning to hold her breath and go under water.