Austin

When Uncle Troy and Aunt Cheryle came for a visit back in May, they had invited us up to their place in Kansas for 4th of July weekend, and we were really excited about the trip, as they had tons of fun stuff planned for us to do. But as it got closer, we decided that it would be too long of a trip to try to make with John David being so little and with the short amount of time that we would have. So we decided to go to Austin instead and visit Adam and Rachel. We left Thursday after Aaron got off of work. After the girls asking nine hundred ninety-nine and a half times "Are we there yet?", we finally arrived around 6PM, and went out to eat some yummy Mexican food. Then we headed back to Adam and Rachel's place to hang out for a little while. The girls had a blast playing on the skateboard ramp that Uncle Adam built in his back yard. Katie loved rolling around on the skateboard, while Sarah thought it also made a great slide. Aaron even tried to see if he could still do some tricks too. He was a bit rusty, to say the least. I'm just glad he didn't hurt himself.



On Friday morning we went to the Austin Zoo while Adam and Rachel were working. It was a small zoo, but very shady, which was nice since it was so hot. And honestly, we think a small zoo is much better than a large zoo when you have small kids. They had a petting area, where the girls got to feed and pet goats, sheep, and llamas. They loved it, especially our little animal lover, Sarah. Several of the goats looked like they were going to jump the fence trying to get to the food. It was funny. They also had peacocks walking all over the zoo, which Sarah loved and pointed out each time she saw one. My favorite animals were the two cutest little ducks I have ever seen!



Since we can't seem to go on vacation without eating at Chuck E Cheese, we had to stop at the one on the way back from the Zoo. Aaron and I were sitting down while the girls were playing, when we heard two very familiar screaming voices. No, they weren't hurt, they were enjoying the "roller coaster ride". They loved it, and probably spent more tokens on it than anything else. It was pretty funny to watch, because they were acting like they were on a real roller coaster. But their favorite thing about Chuck E Cheese that day was buying ice cream on the way out. It was pretty dang good. Nothing beats ice cream on a hot summer day!



That night we headed to downtown Austin to eat at The Green Mesquite, which had some dee-licious BBQ. Like many resturants in Austin, it had an outdoor seating area and a little stage for the live band. Great food and atmosphere. We then went to see the largest population of bats in the United States. It is apparently a big deal, as you can see from the crowd on the bridge, and under the bridge as well. Every evening just before nightfall, they come out and fly to who knows where to hunt for the night. They were seriously streaming out for at least 20 minutes, Aaron says it was even longer. Anyway, it was pretty cool.

Happy Independence Day!

Those Summer Nights

Tonight the girls asked if they could go outside and play in the sprinkler that Aaron had put out on the lawn to water it since it's looking so pathetic because of the lack of rain this summer.



At first I told them no because it was too hot and it was almost time for bed. But then I thought that it was actually the perfect time for them to go out and play because it had cooled down a little. And it's summer!



What better time to go out and play until it's dark! So they quickly got changed into their swimsuits and went out and had a blast!





I had a blast watching them play and enjoy this wonderful summer night!

My Heart (and my camera) Took A Picture

It is a sad day. A sad day indeed. It is time to put the bassinet away. It has been sitting in our bedroom unused since April. I was trying to ignore the fact that my baby isn't little anymore. Not that he ever was little, but he was small enough to sleep in it for a couple of months.



We bought it from a second had shop in Wilmington, NC, before Katie was born. So all of my babies have used it. I absolutely love it. I love that it is all white, and I love the eyelet fabric. So pretty. Aaron thinks it's girly, but I think it's heavenly. Every time I would look at one of my sweet babies in this bassinet, it would remind me how precious and pure they are--truly heaven sent! Have I mentioned how much I love it?



I put John David in it one last time, just to reminisce, and for one last picture. He was trying to roll over and was so wiggly that the base was squeaking and making all kinds of noise.



Why can't they just stay little?

It's A Wonderful Life

Do you ever wake up and just feel incredibly grateful for no apparent reason? I know this is terrible, but for me it usually takes something major in my life or the life of someone close to me for me to feel this way. Not that I don't feel grateful on any given day, but I woke up this morning with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and love for my Heavenly Father for all that He has blessed me with. It makes me a little nervous and wonder if something major is about to happen, but hopefully if it does, I can be grateful for that too, knowing that somehow it will help me to grow and become the person that I am supposed to be. As I have been pondering on these feelings this morning, I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon. It is in Alma, chapter 26, verse 16, where Ammon is rejoicing because of the conversion of his Lamanite brethren. It says, "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of His great power, and of His mercy, and of His long suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

Going Private

When I first started this blog, I had intended for it to be private, and actually thought it was for about a month. And even though I finally figured out that it wasn't and how to make it private, I just never did it. But after discussing it with Aaron, we have decided that it would be best to go ahead and make it private. In the next few days, I will be making the switch. So, if you would like an invitation to our soon to be private family blog, either email me your email address, or leave a comment with your email address, and I will send you an invitation. Thanks!

It's A Tough Job, But Somebody's Gotta Do It

John David is rolling all over the place these days. The other day he rolled himself up next to the couch. He tried and tried to move that couch, but it wouldn't budge. He apparently wore himself out.



The yawn.



Going..................



..............going.................



............gone! I can't believe he just fell asleep right there on the floor.



I just want to smother him with kisses!

Sarah Funnies

*The other day Sarah and I were laying on the floor playing with John David. John David grabbed the neck of my shirt and was trying to put it in his mouth. While I was trying to get him to let go of my shirt, I said, "Are you trying to eat Mommy's shirt?" Sarah replied, "No, he's checking to see if there's anymore milk in your milk jugs."

*This morning Sarah, noticing that I had a new toothbrush, starting telling me how worn her was and how badly she needed a new one. I told her we would get one for her next time we went to Walmart. As she is getting the step stool to climb up and take a look at the shelf that has our year supply of bathroom stuff, she says, "I think we have some extras. Let me take a look at our year three thousand shelf."

Getting Ready For Hurricane Season

Evacuation Plan in place--check
72 Hour Kit--check (although I do still need check for expired items)
Generator--check
A/C window unit--check
Cut down dying trees in front yard--check, check

Although this is something I hadn't thought of, Aaron did, and it definitely needed to be done. Luckily, since he and his dad know a man who has a tree removal company they use a lot for their jobs, he was willing to cut ours down for a super cheap price. A few years back one of them was hit by lightening. You can see the place where it peeled the bark off all the way down the tree. He said it must have jumped to the other tree too because they were both dying, and if the wind was blowing the right way, they would definitely hit the house. So we went ahead and cut them down. It provided a few hours of entertainment for the girls.



Before



After



I know it's silly, but I miss my dying trees.

Father's Day Weekend

Saturday--Since Aaron had a wedding that evening, we got up early and went four wheelin' with the girls and Aaron's good friend from high school, Dan and his daughter, DanniKay. We found out from Dan that the area we had been riding on Holly Beach last time was illegal. Opps! So Dan showed us a legal spot to go riding. Since Dan was letting DanniKay steer (with his assistance, of course) the girls both wanted to try steering too. So we let them, and they both did pretty good. Sarah was riding with me and only scared me half to death a couple of times. Fun stuff.

Sunday--The girls and I got up early and they helped me make breakfast for Aaron. He had requested bacon, eggs, grits, and homemade biscuits. It was delish, if I do say so myself. Then we decided to give him his gifts before he had to take off for his meetings. First we gave him this cute picture frame. (I stole this idea straight from Tip Junkie. I love me some Tip Junkie!)



Here is a better shot, where there isn't a glare on my sweet little John David. I absolutely LOVE how well it turned out! Aaron did too. He said it was his favorite gift.



I found these cute matching "pretty boy" shirts for Aaron and John David at JCPenney and fell in love with them. I had to get them, even though he had requested that I not get him any "pretty boy" shirts. He was glad I didn't listen.



Look how cute they are in them!



And I love this picture of them. So sweet.



When Katie and I saw these cute cupcakes in the latest issue of Family Fun, we knew we had to make them because we knew they would be perfect for our weed eating, lawn mowing, grass blowing Daddy.



And he thought they were pretty awesome too!



Since my man loves him some beef, I cooked a big ole' brisket and some of my 'famous' (at least in Youngsville) creamed taters and we had Kent and Johnice and some of our friends over for a Father's Day Feast. We had a great time celebrating the Fathers who bless our lives.

To Our Favorite Fathers........

..........thanks for your time, your unconditional love, and your faith that you have shared with us! We love you, and are so grateful to have you in our lives!

My Natural Woman

My natural woman would have been really frustrated with this little girl for adding to my already long list of things to clean in order to be ready for friends coming over the next day. But when she started crying before I even walked into the kitchen, this natural woman's heart was softened, and I said a prayer and took several deep breaths before entering the kitchen. When I got there, I asked why she was crying. She said it was because her pants were wet, but I'm sure it was also because she thought I would be upset with her. I told her to stop crying and then said, "I like what you have done with the kool-aid. It's like a work of art. I LOVE it! Can I take a picture?" She then started laughing through her tears, and all was right with the world. Maybe, just maybe, there is hope for this natural woman after all.

Got Dessert?

Here is a yummy treat that I found on one of the cooking blogs I like to read--I just can't remember which one. It's a cake you mix and cook in a mug in the microwave. I think whoever thought of this was a genius.



The girls and I tried it out the other day and they loved it. It is simple enough for them to mix, but their favorite part is watching it cook in the microwave. It rises so high over the top of the mug and you think it is going to fall over, but it doesn't. It would make a great FHE treat, since it is quick, easy, and delish! And one mug was plenty for the three of us.



5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. I like to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and when I'm really bad, drizzle a little hot fudge over the top!!

Toe Jam

For the last couple of weeks John David has been trying so hard to get his toes to his mouth. And today, he finally did it. He must have liked his toe jam, because he kept doing it over and over and over and over. So funny, and so cute!

In The Pretty Garden

Monday evening we went to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house.



They have a beautiful garden and Paw Paw asked the girls to come out and help him pick some beans, cucumbers, and squash. After they picked everything, they even helped snap the beans so Maw Maw could can them. They loved it! Having a garden is a wonderful thing is so many ways.



Katie said, "Our garden didn't look like this!" HA! Sad, but true. But it was our first attempt. I wanted to have one this year, but I figured it would just be neglected. Maybe next year when John David is a little bigger, and will probably love playing in the dirt. And hopefully, it will look more like Paw Paw's.

Just Because

Tiffany took this picture of me and John David during Memorial Day weekend and I wanted to post it because it is one that I actually like. I love this little guy to pieces! I could just "eat him up!" I never understood what that meant and why people said it, until I had kids. Now I understand. Completely.

Four Months

John David is four months old today. At his check up this afternoon, he weighed 17 pounds and 9 ounces. He is almost as big at four months as Katie and Sarah were at twelve months. Yep, he's a big 'un, but all of that poundage must be loaded with sugar, because he is the sweetest baby ever! I'm not sure how it's possible, but he somehow gets sweeter and sweeter with each passing day. How ever did we live without this sweet little man? We just had no clue what we were missing, I guess.



He is sooooo happy when he wakes up in the morning and is ready to play and laugh and talk, after sleeping all night. I'm telling you, if all babies were like this, there would be a lot more babies in the world.



He loves to lay on the floor and play and is trying to grab things.



His favorite thing to grab is his sisters' hair. The other day I was cleaning the kitchen when I heard Sarah calling for me to come in the living room. I thought she wanted to show me something cute that he was doing. Nope. He was laying on the floor, and she was bent over him and he had both hands full of hair and she couldn't move. It was kinda funny. And no, the newness still hasn't worn off. They still love to hold and play and hug and kiss on him every chance they get. They are really a big help to me, especially when we are trying to get ready to go somewhere. They watch him while I get ready, and even dress him for me sometimes. We wouldn't make it to church on time without their help. I'm so grateful they are so willing to help (most of the time) when I need them.



He is teething, and has been a little uncharacteristically fussy lately. He even refuses the bottle sometimes in the evening. So we have been giving him some rice cereal, which he really likes and eats well. Even from the very first time feeding him, he eats like a pro, and we don't have to feed him the same spoonful four or five times like you normally do when babies first try to eat from a spoon.



He is constantly gnawing on his hands or fingers.



He seemed to enjoy his second time in the water much more than the first time. Of course, that may have been because he was with Daddy.



And he's just now discovering his feet. He tries, unsuccessfully, to get them to his mouth.



I can hardly stand the cuteness!



He rolled over for the first time on May 18th, from his belly to his back. He then cried. I'm not sure if it was because he got scared from rolling, or from all of the cheering. The above picture was taken on Sunday and was actually his first roll over from his back to his belly.



He wasn't sure what to do, I think.



So, he cried.



We love you sweet little man, and are having a blast watching you grow!