cousin fun!

My mom and I took Jaden, Kole and Presley to "Sunsets at Plaza de Luna" on Thursday night. It was pretty neat. They normally have a band playing and a character for the kids to interact with right at sunset at the Plaza de Luna splash pad. Buzz Lightyear flew in that night and despite inclement weather, we had to go see him. Toy Story is one of Jaden's favorites! He was a little leery being in the picture, but he was a good sport! He kept asking why Buzz wouldn't talk to us. My mom told him that maybe he was tired of talking all day to kids! He bought it! :) Presley didn't even know what was going on and Kole cried a little when we asked her to get in the picture! Ha ha! It was crazy rainy that night, but luckily we got out of Pensacola before the bottom dropped out. Then, of course, we went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. mmmmm! I love that place! We felt bad about not letting them play at the splash pad so we let them play at the restaurant. They had a blast!


Friday night Jaden and Kole came to spend the night! Presley just loves them! We watched Tangled and had popcorn. I still can't believe that Presley stayed up until 9:45. Her little eyes were red-rimmed and we kept asking her if she was tired...nooooo she said! On Saturday morning we had pancakes, which all three of them had 3 pancakes a piece! Then Karri came over and we let the kids play in the their little pool for a while. It was SO hot, but they enjoyed being out in the cool water.

Check out the crazy sky!

Pancakes on Saturday morning! :) I tried to get a picture of all three of them, but that was impossible with them wolfing their food down! Ha ha!

We always enjoy spending time with Jaden and Kole. And this time Presley wasn't mean to Kole and didn't hit her. Much improvement! :)

Happy SECOND Birthday Presley!

Presley, you are two years old now! And you think the world revolves around you! ;) You are a big, smart, beautiful, funny, happy, independent, caring little girl. Your Daddy and I have loved seeing you grow into the person that you are. I love being able to carry on conversations with you about "beebuds" (ladybugs) or going outside to "wing" and "side" (swing and slide)! You just got some new outside toys and you love them. You love being outside in general.

You have just learned how to say "I wuve uw" to people and it melts our hearts! I don't think there's anything in this world better than having your child squeeze you tight while saying this to you. You'll see what I mean one day! You also say "dare ya doh" (there you go) and you say it when you hand anyone anything. You know how old you are when we ask you. And you also say "Nana" with gusto when we ask "whose girl are you?"!

You keep your Daddy and I rolling with the things you do. Like now when we ask you something you answer us with "uhhhhhhhhhh...no" or uhhhhhhhh...yes". You try to pop a little attitude and it's pretty funny! (I know it won't be funny later but it is right now!) You still say everything is "boo" (blue) even though we've been working hard on all the other colors! I know you'll get them one day. When counting you say "free, four, free, four, five"! Ha ha! One and two aren't necessary! :)

Your favorite foods right now are chicken salad, hot dogs, spaghetti and tacos. You love to drink your milk, water, apple juice and V8 fusion juice. You still sleep from 8pm-8am and take a 2 hour nap after lunch. You are wearing 24 mo or 2t clothes for the most part. You can fit into 18 mo shorts and a 3t shirt depending on the brand. You just recently moved up to a size 6 shoe. And for Mommy that means more shoe shopping! Yay! :)

So you haven't shown any more interest in going potty. But that's ok, you will do it in your own time! You are also still sleeping in your crib. I don't think I'll ever want to move you out of there...it's my own personal baby jail! :)

For some reason I wasn't too tearful about this birthday. I don't know if it's because it has snuck up on me so fast that I didn't have time to think, or if I'm excited about how much you are going to grow and learn by your next birthday. I love you so much and I love being your Mommy!

Presley's Party Party!

We had Presley's Yo Gabba Gabba birthday party today! She had a blast! :) We had all of her little friends over to play in the sweltering hot backyard! I think everyone had a good time and no one melted, but next year, I've already decided we are definitely having a swim party!

I'm sure not everyone cares about the details, but I'll just jot down a few for my memories and for any family that wants to know!

*you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger*

Food- pb&j sandwiches, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, goldfish (those make the party ya know!), marshmallow pops, "2" cookies, fruit kabobs and funfetti cupcakes w/marshmallow fluff icing! Yum! The cupcakes had some of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters on them.

Fun- water table (thanks Nana & PawPaw!), bubble machine, & new swing set (thanks Meemaw for helping out with that!)

Friends that came- Piper, Emmy, John Parker & Anna. Isla couldn't make it and we sure missed her!


Once again I couldn't have pulled this off without our family's help! Jeremiah woke up sick today. Isn't that how it always goes? But poor thing didn't get out of bed until 4:30 PM! So my wonderful Dad came over and cut the grass this morning. And my wonderful Mom had already done a ton of stuff outside of today (she made the scrumptious cookies!) plus she saved me some much needed time by going to the store for last minute stuff. Our wonderful friend Karri came over super early (and she worked last night) and made the fruit kabobs and iced the cupcakes! My wonderful brother grilled all the food! And then Jeremiah's wonderful mom helped clean up my messy kitchen! WOW! What great family! Presley is definitely so blessed to be surrounded my people that love her so much! =) A gigantic thank you to all of them! We love you guys!

Presley's shirt had Foofa on it...her favorite character! She was so excited to get to wear "fafa"! Unfortunately I didn't get one shot with the front of her shirt. Oh well, I'm sure it's not the last time Presley wears that shirt!

Thank you to everyone who came! We enjoyed the afternoon so much!

WOW!

That was like a 10 day blogging break! I don't think I've even looked at any of my normal blogs in that time either! I probably would be having withdrawals if not for being so busy. Presley will be 2 on Saturday, so getting party stuff together has been top priority around here. I started (what I thought was pretty early) on making stuff for it months ago and yet here it is, a few days before and I feel worlds behind! Isn't that always the case? Ahhh!

We spent this past weekend sprucing up the yard. I just used Presley's party as a excuse for the things I had been wanting to get! ;) But here is a picture of my sweet girl with the new tree we planted. I wish we had done this around her first birthday...it would have been cool to see her grow along with it!

Well, I'm off to get some more stuff done! Oh, and I have to work tonight, so I better go get ready for that! Have a good night!

another "not really goodbye"!

So all of my friends are leaving me for Virginia! Waaaa! No, not really but another one of my good friends has moved to Virginia. What is it with that place? ;) I am really happy for her and her hubby. But I'm not going to lie, I'm super bummed for myself. Not that I see her every week but, losing the possibility of seeing her each week...stinks. Emily and I went to middle school and high school together. And she's honestly always been the sweetest person. She would do just about anything for anyone and she is as beautiful inside as she is out. She and I lost touch for a couple of years after we graduated. But when we did see each other again, it's like we never missed a beat. That's how great she is! =) Last Monday morning she came over and played with Presley. And then we went to lunch. Of course we had to take a picture together and I had to upload some of the other ones of us through the years. I wish I had a picture of us in middle school! I'm sure I do but we didn't have digital cameras in those days to upload anything!

Us at my bridal shower FIVE years ago!

At my baby shower TWO years ago!

Wow, we really like to be in the same pose, huh?! :)

And a Presley pic for good measure!

Thank you Emily for always being such a great friend to me! I know it's not "goodbye", but a "see ya soon". Good luck to you & Jason, miss you and love ya girl!

Memorial Day in photos

We have been busy little bees this past week and the blog has kind of taken a backseat! I don't really expect it to lighten up until after Presley's birthday...which is just 2 1/2 weeks away! Ahh! We spent Memorial Day at my parents' house grilling, swimming, watching movies and just plain taking it easy! It was a great day!

How have I just now seen this movie? It was SO cute! =)

beach day!

We went to Navarre Beach on Saturday afternoon after P's nap. We love going there, it's our favorite beach! Well this time, I'm happy to report that she LOVED it! (I thought I had blogged about it, but I guess not.....see this is what happens when I go too long without writing things down, I forget them!) Anyway, we had taken her to the beach one afternoon, maybe 2 months ago, and the sand and water were freezing and Presley wanted no part of any of it. She just sat in someone's lap the entire time.

She was still leery of the sand at first on Saturday. Actually it was like trying to put a cat in water! She had all limbs wrapped around my arms! Sure wish I had a picture of that! But I told her since she was born in Florida, she HAD to love the beach! I sat her little self down in the sand and she didn't even whimper...she loved it! Silly girl! :)

We built sandcastles, played in the waves and soaked in the sunshine! We were pretty ready to go by the end of the afternoon though! Presley had pooped and my friends, the swim diaper does not hold poop well. It was all over her swimsuit. Yuck! So I had to get her naked and try to clean off poop mixed with wet sand. Then my mom and I are trying to gather everything together with a naked Presley, Jaden had on the fish rings and he's climbing on the protected dunes so I'm yelling at him and he turns to spit (don't ask why he's at that age I guess!) and he spits all over himself! Oh goodness! I'm sure we look like such rednecks to other people!

I wish I could have taken more pictures, it was such a beautiful day! But I'm not brave enough to bring a toddler by myself AND my huge expensive camera. So iPhone pics will have to do!

23 months!

It is honestly getting a little hard to write these posts! I can't believe it's time again to write. I can't believe she's almost TWO! Birthday party planning is full swing around here! I (mostly me, because Jeremiah said he didn't care which theme it was!) decided to go with Yo Gabba Gabba. Presley LOVES this show. Love isn't really the correct word. She's obsessed! I really wanted to do a PB&J theme and kick it with vintage-y purples and browns. She also loves a good PB&J sandwich, but I didn't think that she would recognize that from the party decor. I think she'll be really excited about Gabba Gabba! And don't worry if you can't stomach the show, I promise you will only see the characters in small doses! Invites went out today...so they should be on your doorstep in no time!

So Presley is loving Yo Gabba Gabba right now. She also likes Sesame Street and Jack's Big Music Show. She is still crazy obsessed with babies. And trains and airplanes. We have a game on our iPad that plays the noises of different animals and automobiles. Well, there is a jet on there. And one morning we heard a plane and I said "oh I hear an airplane outside", then she quickly informed me "no, a jet". Nothing like being schooled by a 23 mo old! :)

This girl loves to eat sauces. Like as in ketchup, bbq, ranch....pretty much any condiment sauce! She is such a big helper now! She loves helping put the laundry into the dryer. She'll also help empty the dishwasher, minus the sharps and breakables of course. She has a play vacuum that she vacuums the carpet with. Kind of funny considering that she's terrified of the real one!

Bedtime is very routine procedure. She has to have everything just right before she'll go to sleep. She sleeps on her belly with her zebra puppy under one arm and her baby under the other. A pappy in each hand and one in her mouth, her lovey blanket on her back and her regular blanket on her legs. Can anyone say OCD? Oh and the monitor has to be plugged in with the light on before you put her in the crib or she won't lay down. She somehow knows that we watch her in it! Crazy! She also has to have her little bird music box on. When she gets up in the morning, she lays her puppy and baby down in the crib and cover them with blankets and tells them "nigh, nigh"!

Presley has just started calling cats "ditty". She use to just make a meow noise when you asked her what they were. She is also doing this thing where she holds up her index finger and then says "one more". This could be in reference to her getting another piece of food or throwing her up in the air or if she wants you to stop bothering her! She says everything is "boo" when you ask her what color something is. Oh and she says her name is "cessly"! Precious!

Well, the next time I'll write one of these I will have a 2 year old. I'm pretty sure that I'll have to have lots of tissues on hand for that one!

pictures I forgot

I meant to put these in the previous post, but they were in another folder on the computer and I forgot them. Vicky took all of these and they turned out great! So here they are.

Hoping Kole would give her some watermelon!Love this one!

I love this picture too! She looks like she's going "oh no!" to Pappaw wearing her bow.

Tickling Pappaw's beard!

fish fry and weekend fun

Johnny & Vicky (Jeremiah's dad and bonus mom) came for a visit this weekend. We've enjoyed them being here SO much! Here is a recap of the fun things we've done since they've been here and some pictures for good measure!

Friday, Jeremiah had to go in to work for a few hours in the afternoon so we mostly just hung around here. When I put Presley down for a nap, I went to Target by MYSELF! It was awesome! =] random, but I am loving the Calypso St. Barth line there! It just screams summer in the Caribbean and makes me miss St. Lucia! Anyway, back to the point, that night I made PW's meatballs again. Obviously they're something else I am loving! ;) We finally watched The A-Team, it was better and funnier than I thought it was going to be.

Saturday we went to my Mom's for a fish fry. Yum! Catfish straight out of the lake behind Johnny & Vicky's house! It was delicious. When Presley had watermelon that night, I said she looked like a little vampire because of all of the red on her mouth and clothes! Jaden said she looked like she "has a problem with lipstick!" Ha ha! He is so funny! Jeremiah & Johnny also dropped the TV cords behind the wall! Oh my gosh, it looks so awesome!

Sunday we took it easy again (poor Johnny pulled a muscle in his back and has been in some pretty bad pain) and played around here. We had fun with sidewalk chalk. And when Presley went down for a nap, Vicky & I got our shop on at TJ Maxx, Target and Dollar Tree! :) Papa John's was for dinner and watching The Dilemma was for dessert! I liked it but I expected it to be much funnier. I love Vince Vaughn in pretty much any movie though!

Today again we've done nothing! It's been nice! Tonight we are going out to dinner and then calling it an early night. They are going back home tomorrow morning. :( And then it's back to work for all of us. Ughh, I wish it could've lasted longer!

happiness in pictures!

Just wanted to share some pictures from our day! Jeremiah's dad and bonus mom are here so I'll post a lot more detail later on. :) Hope you had a happy Saturday!

girly weekend

This weekend was kinda girly....right up my alley! Ha! On Friday night I journeyed down to Navarre to have Mexican with two of my friends from high school. These gals are great! In the middle is Emily and on the right is Jessie. It was definitely bittersweet because I only get to see Jessie once in a blue moon! She's a big movie star in Hollywood...seriously she lives in LA and is an actress! Let's hope she doesn't forget us small folks when she's an A-lister! ;) And Emily is a sweet friend who is moving to Virginia with her military husband soon. I'm going to miss her even though we don't see each other often. :(

Then Saturday we celebrated Mother's Day with Joy, Jeremiah's mom. We also went to Kohl's and the grocery store for some shopping. Yay for Kohl's not so much for WalMart! & I made this wreath!

Sunday we celebrated with my Mom then came home and cleaned! :) It's only good because Jeremiah's dad and bonus mom are coming for the weekend! :)

And today was my Mom's birthday! & we celebrated Pioneer Woman style! With her meatballs...to die for, every time!....and the best chocolate sheet cake ever. Seriously that's the name of it. And boy does it live up to it's name! Make it tomorrow. I promise you'll thank me...actually you'll thank PW! I can't wait for August to get here! My Mom and I are headed to Atlanta for a few days to attend the Women of Faith conference! I'm so excited! A few days without husbands or kids! Amazing! =]

And lastly I leave you with a funny picture. Can you spot the little girl on the couch? Ha ha! She LOVES her stuffed animals and she has about 20 of them. She would even sleep with all of them if we would let her! She wanted all of them to sit with her on the couch and her Daddy helped her get them settled!

Much better the second time around!

Happy Mother's day to everyone! I know not everyone is a mother but in my opinion everyone has loved a child in their life like a mother would. Whether it be a niece, nephew, friend, neighbor, or even a child at work. It's hard work to love children sometimes! :)

Today was much different than last year, my first Mother's Day. We woke up and ate blueberry waffles, watched a church sermon from the internet and then Presley and I napped! (glorious!) We met my mom, brother and the kids at Blackwater Bistro for some scrumptious lunch after that. We were in a room by ourselves at the restaurant so it was nice to be able to be loud and talk. With four kids it's difficult to be quiet!

My sweet sweet husband and daughter got me the most wonderful gifts! The necklace is from The Vintage Pearl. I picked it out but the book was a complete surprise. I have wanted it for a while and can't wait to start reading it. I hope it will bring great insight! :)

The necklace is just beautiful! I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted just a P or her whole name, but I think her name is really pretty, what can I say, I'm partial! So I went with the entire thing. I figure if I ever have a boy I'd probably just get his initial since that seems a little more manly! And complete side note- but the top picture is bothering me! It is supposed to be horizontal but stupid blogger won't turn it that way. I've tried 3 times to fix it and it won't work! So you guys are just going to have to look at it sideways!

I'm so grateful for the 3 mothers that Jeremiah and I have in our lives....my mom, his mom and his bonus mom! They are all so wonderful! We celebrated with Jeremiah's mom last night by eating some yummy catfish. & we will have all next weekend to celebrate with his bonus mom because they are coming for a visit! YAY! We can't wait!

Hope y'all have had a great day!

another day, another wreath

Obviously I have some craft fever going on over here! I have been dying to make a rag wreath. I first saw it here. I fell in LOVE with the colors and the sheer happiness it exudes! :) It just screamed summer to me and since it feels like summer in the Florida panhandle, I decided our front door needed to wear it! It was super easy to make....WAY easier than coffee filter wreath and less hazardous! ;)

I meant to take pictures along the way and do a tutorial, but I forgot until I already had a bunch of fabric on the frame and I was not taking it off then for a picture! But I promise The Cottage Mama does a great job showing you how to do it all. Probably better than I ever could. She used scraps of Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey that she already had in her scrap bin. I don't have a scrap bin like that so I had to buy my fabric off Etsy! I found a seller who had what I wanted in a bundle of a 1/2 yard of each fabric. I decided to go with Hop Dot Sky, Swing Toss Pink, Hello Roses Olive, and Slim Dandy Stripe Pink. So in total I got 2 yards and cut them into 11 inch long strips and varying widths (thinner strips tie better on the wreath...fyi). I ended up using about 3/4 of the fabric I bought. & I used a thin wire frame, but in the blog I followed she used a dollar store wooden one. My wreath is definitely flatter than hers, but I still love it!