the parker family.

project 365: week 2

2012-02-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

This week seemed to fly by, and I have to admit, I had to remind myself to take pictures every day! We had stuff going on each day this week and were busy bees!

Monday: Playing with scarves (and Claire "Bear" Brown, as she introduces herself as) at Music Class

Tuesday (really Monday night....details, details): Caroline sleeping in her Big Girl bed All.By.Herself!

Wednesday: We took a trip to Target to pick out her "prize" for being such a big girl! She now goes by "Cinderella" and walks around in her costume all day losing her slipper (walking out it and saying, "Oh no, I lost my slipper!)

Friday: Molly seems to like Caroline's new bed, as well as her own! I moved Caroline's crib into Molly's room. We were given one while Caroline was still in it. Caroline also seems unable to look at the camera and give me a nice smile these days, as evident in these pictures.

Saturday: We made Valentine's Day cards for the Girls' Waumba Land teachers! I used Caroline's hands for all eight cards, because I wouldn't have trusted Molly to sit still with red paint on her hands!

I promise next week won't all be about Caroline's new bed, but when an event like this happens, it seems to consume your whole life!

baby mozart

2012-02-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

The girls got this Melissa and Doug piano from their Aunt Claudia, Uncle Matt, Charlie, and Megan for Christmas. Caroline likes to bang on it every now and then (but especially between 5-6 at night or when I'm on the phone), Molly however loves to sit and play with it. I don't mean, actually play, but she'll press the keys and clap for herself, giggle some, and play some more. She reminds me of the Charlie Brown character, Schroeder when she's sitting at it because she fits perfectly under just like that little boy in all the Charlie Brown cartoons. I think that's why she likes it so much; it's the perfect size for her. And yes, I did have to google Schroeder's name. :)

She was playing away the other day and let me get some pictures of her.

Maybe it's the subject or the new lens, or a little of both, but I love this shot!!

Now if you only hear her chubby little fingers clanging away!

10 months, what?!

2012-02-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Molly is:

*Weighing 24-25 pounds - she's officially a "big baby", as in off the charts. Sweet Chunky Baby!

* 28 inches in length {75th Percentile}

*Wearing size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 huggies overnights for bedtime. Both girls can wear 4s and 5s at night so this will save some $. C only wears them at nap time.

*Molly is wearing 6-12m dresses only, 12 months, and 12-18 months, those these are long. I am mostly borrowing, and working with what I have, but a couple stores were having huge sales, so I bought a few things. I'm hoping that since she's moving more now, she'll slow down in weight.

*She has 9 teeth (5 on the bottom, 4 on top), but I feel her molars coming in. We had a few sleepless nights due to those a couple of weeks ago.

*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), although her morning nap is slowly going away. She still naps, but it can vary from 45 mins to 90 mins, I think by summer it will be gone. I've gotten the girls on the same afternoon nap schedule {Hallelujah!}, so they both go down at 2, and I get some "down" time.

*Taking around 24-28oz of formula including what she gets with cereal. She's started not eating as much, Caroline did this as well. Once we started her on solids, she realized that was better then the formula.

*She's really only eating baby food with her breakfast and if she doesn't eat a lot of the table food I give her. She's over it...I don't blame her either.

*We've given her deli meats, cheese, blueberries, peaches, black beans, peas, green beans, black eyed peas, broccoli and cheese, mac and cheese, pizza, CFA french fries nuggets.

*Besides the baby food, she eats by herself, this makes feedings so much easier!

*I've also started giving her water out of a sippy cup. We get a lot on our shirt, love to dribble it out of our mouth, but do get some in too!

*She still loves Yogurt Melts and Puffs, also from Happy Baby Food.

What Molly's loving these days!:

*Pulling up and cruising. This started over night, and seriously hasn't stopped. She crawls to the fireplace, couch, windowsills, and up she goes.

*Crawling, no more army crawling for her, unless she wants to go really fast or is tired from chasing Caroline. She LOVES to follow you into another room.

*Eating in her highchair or bumbo!

*Puffs, yogurt melts, and Cheerios! The girl can put these away!

*Playing Patty-Cake and clapping when you say, "Good Job, Molly!"

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:

*Her belly laughs when you tickle her!

*She reaches for us when we go to pick her up. Melts.My.Heart. Love this!!

*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!

*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!

*Her independence. She wants to try everything for herself...including the taking the spoon from me, not that she can feed herself, she just doesn't like me doing it.

*She is seriously the happiest baby ever, seriously.

Thanks so Moms On Call, here's our schedule:

Wake up and have bottle (8oz): 730ish

Breakfast: 8-830am -- oatmeal and fruit (or Ella's Kitchen Brekkies) and Eggo Mini Waffles (our new favorites)

Nap: 9am-10/1030am -- my girl is growing out of her am nap, its happening! Some days I have to wake her, but more often then not she's up before 1030.

Bottle (4oz): 1130am

Lunch: 1230ish (I fix Caroline's lunch at 1230 and then feed Molly) Deli Meat, peas, diced peaches, blueberries, cheese, then cheerios and water from her sippy cup

Naptime and bottle (4oz): 130-145p (JUST got them both napping at the same time); she gets a small bottle here.

Supper Bottle (4oz): If she wakes up early from her nap, she gets a small one, if she wakes around 5pm, I just give dinner a little early. She's trying to drop it.

Dinner: 530pm -- deli meat, veggies, fruits, pizza crust; she doesn't care for a ton of baby food anymore, so I've really stopped trying.

Bathtime: 630

Bottle and Bed (6-8oz): 715ish

Molly and Caroline at 9 Months:

And because what's a post without this Munchkin too?!

our week in pictures: project 365

2012-02-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

I came across this project on my friend Megan's blog, and thought that this is something I should definitely be doing! I've been such a slack blogger lately that I figured this would make me take pictures and blog, perfect!

I really haven't been meaning to be MIA, but we've had a case of the yucks over here, and our schedules have been off. No naps means no time for Mommy, and no time for blogging.

So...even though I'm a month late, and I don't even have pictures for the entire week, I'm going to give this a whirl. I also will be posting on Mondays, because I like weekday posts versus weekend ones. I'll also include Sundays, because I'm a rebel! Ha!

Here are some pictures from our week!

Tuesday: Told you we were sick...

Wednesday: Blueberries sure are tart!

Thursday: I had the privilege of taking some pictures of my new niece, Charlotte. I hope to show more soon, but I couldn't resist sharing just one!

Friday: Teaching them young to love the Christian Chicken! Our carseats even show our support for CFA!

Saturday: We went to see all the "-ishies" at the aquarium!

Sunday: Our weekly outing to Publix after church. Caroline was "burry" despite the sun shining and it being 60 outside.

playtime with charlotte!

2012-01-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Christine and John brought Charlotte over for a little bit to "play." She just slept while mine played, but whatever.

Caroline noticed her when she was resting from running around like a wild woman, but Molly was very interested in her! She didn't know what to think..."someone smaller then me?" She kept wanting to touch her and take her bow off, and later she even crawled over to kiss her. It was so super cute!

We had a great afternoon watching the girls and loving on Charlotte, can't wait for more of these in the future!

To think...they are only 8 months apart. My goodness there's such a difference right now!

Sweet Caroline and Charlotte...looks like Caroline is scheming something. ;)

This melts my heart! Molly crawled over to Charlotte on her own to give her kisses. I kid you not. She gave her 3 or 4 kisses. Love!

The cheetah print and bow are too much, so cute!! Love newborns, they'll just sit and pose for you all day long. :)

gi molly

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

The girls in Molly's Waumba Land (Sunday School) class call her GI Molly because of her "mad army crawling skills". The girl is fast and tries to out run Caroline! She gets a kick out of playing chase with us, but especially Caroline. This mostly consists of Caroline running around the house as fast as she can, and Molly crawling (and belly laughing) after her. Caroline obviously will pass her many times, but Molly just keeps crawling along until she's gotten to her destination point. At this point, Caroline is usually spent from sprinting, and Molly is just as happy as can be, ready to play some more! I guess slow and steady does win the race.

Love that she is becoming more mobile, but with that comes boo-boos and owies. So far this week, we've gotten fingers caught in drawers and cabinets, bumped our head after pulling up onto the fireplace, and been pushed and pulled by Caroline because she wasn't moving fast enough ("Mommy, Baby too slow"). No real battle wounds or even tears for that matter, this little one is tough! It's the silence that is scary...I know she is getting into trouble when I don't hear her for a few seconds.

Here's what I've caught her doing this week...

What? I'm not doing anything I'm not supposed to!

Be careful...

Don't worry, she's not hurt, she's stuck. She didn't know how to let go!

Sweet Molly Grace!

And a little video too. Just love her chubby little legs scooting around!

prayer hands

2012-01-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Last year I started a prayer hand for Caroline that I hope to do each year for my girls until they get to college. One of the leaders in my Mom's bible study did this with her children, and it was a great visual to see how they've grown each year and a reminder of what was on her heart each year.

What's a prayer hand you may ask? Well every January, you trace your child's hand and write a simple prayer on it. One that you will pray the whole year over them. I also put the year and their age so I can have that as reference.

I used Praying the Scriptures for Your Children as a reference. If you don't have this book, its a great one! Jodie Berndt does a great job going through different situations that you will go through with your child and gives words of encouragement and prayer to help you through what it is that you're dealing with.

I will admit, praying for toddlers and babies is so hard when you aren't worried about their grades in school, their "love" life, and who their friends are {I've been able to control this situation so far ;)}. But try not to make it difficult. Last year, we were going through the terrible twos (which sometimes I feel hasn't ended yet), so I prayed that Caroline would make good choices and obey Mommy and Daddy "for it is pleasing to the Lord" {Ephesians 6: 1-3}. This year I am praying that she will show respect to everyone -- all family members, friends, and teachers {1 Peter 2: 17}...do you see a recurrent theme here? And for Molly, I am praying that she would be "joyful always" and healthy as well {1 Thessalonians 5: 16}.

I hope to make these into some sort of book to keep. I know it's a long way away, but I can't go back in time to trace their hands, so I have to begin now. I also want them to know we were intentional about the prayers we prayed for them. What a wonderful gift to have when you're feeling alone at college or having a bad day, to be able to read all the prayers that your parents prayed over you while you were growing up.

Do you have a special memory book or keepsake that you've started as a gift to give your children at some point later on?

2012 goals

2012-01-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

So despite that fact that it's January 16th and I'm just getting around to posting this, I just want you to know that I have had resolutions since the beginning of January.

Resolutions are always so hard for me. I hate giving anything up, because that just never really works out as planned, so I like to instead set goals for myself for things I'd like to do and accomplish. I follow through with some and not with others, but isn't that what happens with everyone?

So here we go...

*Stop impulse buying. If I/We need it, fine. If I/We don't, then don't buy it. I'm hesitant to even set a "limit" per month, because that will just "allow" me to spend that much or buy that amount. So for now, NO BUYING UNNEEDED ITEMS. We did major winter cleaning over the break, and seeing all the stuff we had and don't use, is ridiculous. Goodwill got some great stuff from us!

*Waking up before the girls to do my daily devotional and bible reading. I had been doing this during naptime, but sometimes I'm so tired or in need of getting dinner started that I forget or just don't get to it. This way, I make it a priority by doing it first thing. Plus, the quiet in the early morning is actually really nice...and so is the FULL, HOT cup of coffee I can enjoy too!

*Attending Mom to Mom again. I participated in this bible study last spring and loved it. It really helped me focus on my "job" as Daniel's wife and Caroline and Molly's mom, and understand how to be the best wife and mom I can be in this hectic world. Due to my allergy shots this fall, I couldn't attend, but now that I'm giving them to myself, my Tuesdays are free again!

*Baptism and membership at Buckhead Church. Since attending Buckhead, Daniel and I have wanted to become official members. In order to do this though, you have to be baptized first. Daniel attended a Baptist church growing up, so he made the decision to be baptized when he was younger. I went through confirmation as an Episcopalian and then became a member of the Presbyterian church I attended in high school and college. So for me, there was no baptism, despite making a decision to become a Christian years ago. My baptism is in March of this year, and though I'm nervous (there's a video involved), I am also really excited about taking this next step. I want to be a role model to my girls, and being baptized, I believe, is my way of publicly showing them how I am following Christ.

*Fill out my Mom's One Line A Day Journal. I failed miserably at this last year, and I'd really like to do better this year. My girls are at such wonderful ages, where everyday is a new milestone, so I need to record all I can. I think looking back on it will be so much fun.

*More datenights. Daniel and I have a lot on our plate these days, but we also need to stop and enjoy each other, even if it's just a trip to get ice cream! It's easy to forget about making time for each other when there is so much going on, but it's so important!

And because I know some of you only read to see my cutie patooties, here they are after church yesterday!

cooking with caroline: cinnamon swirl banana bread

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Once again, thanks to Pinterest, I found a recipe that I just had to make. Last week, I pinned this recipe from a blog called Lovin From the Oven. How fun is that name?! Anyway, I saw that it was going to be cold and rainy yesterday, so I decided that while Molly took her morning nap, Caroline and I would bake this yummy banana bread...I also thought it would be a good time to get in Caroline's ear about moving from her crib to her big girl bed. ;)

Per usual, Caroline enjoyed mixing, pouring, stirring, and tasting!

And...the seal of approval!

I don't know if it's the magic of photoshop editing, or my baking, but Lovin' From the Oven's Banana Bread looks prettier then mine! Regardless though, this is a simple recipe, and oh so good! Think Duncan Hines Cinnamon Swirl Muffins and Banana Bread mixed into one. The Cinnamon/Sugar gives the top of the bread a crunch that was unexpected to me, but I loved it. Then again, I love anything sweet.

*I used 3 bananas, but I will use 4 next time. The recipe calls for 1.5 cups AP flour. I used half AP, half whole wheat because I like to believe that makes it okay to eat 3 pieces for breakfast. I don't believe it altered the taste one bit.

Molly woke up just in time for a taste test time, unfortunately she was only tasting her Banana Puffs today!

molly's 9 months!

2012-01-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Molly is:

*Weighing 24 pounds - she's officially a "big baby", as in off the charts. Sweet Chunky Baby! {Caroline weighed 19lbs at 9 months, 21.5 at 1 year, and 24 at 18 months} Yep, they are different alright!

* inches in lengh {75th Percentile}

*Wearing size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 huggies overnights for bedtime. Both girls can wear 4s and 5s at night so this will save some $. Yes, you read that right, they wear the same size diapers. C only wears them at nap time.

*We are having some issues with clothes. Seeing how Caroline and her are very different sizes at 9 months, what Caroline wore at this weight is all summer stuff. Molly is wearing 6-12min dresses only, 12 months, and 12-18 months, those these are long and still a little big. I am refusing to go out and buy clothes so I'm borrowing, and working with what I have. I am hoping that once she starts moving a bit more, she'll slow down in weight.

*She got another tooth this month! She now has 9 to match her age. 5 on the bottom, and 4 up top. I can feel the latest, but can't see it yet.

*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes, but rarely, a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm...this only happens if she didn't take a good afternoon nap and she can't make it till 7. I've gotten the girls on the same afternoon nap schedule {Hallelujah!}, so they both go down at 2, and I get some "down" time.

*Taking around 32oz of formula including what she gets with cereal. She's started not eating as much, Caroline did this as well. Once we started her on solids, she realized that was better then the formula.

*Eating oatmeal with fruit in the morning before her nap, a veggie/fruit combo before her afternoon nap, and eating cereal with veggies for supper.

*She's started eating some table food. We've given her deli meats, ham that I made for New Year's, and she's also eaten peas, bananas, CFA french fries, and some chicken.

*She's just started feeding herself, making the above a lot easier.

*We love Happy Baby from Happy Baby Food. It comes is squeezable packages and have great veggie/fruit mixes that M devours.

*She still loves Yogurt Melts and Puffs, also from Happy Baby Food.

What Molly's loving these days!:

*Rolling constantly. She rolls from one side of the room to the other, and she's quick! I put a drink down on the opposite side of the room the other day, and came back to see her splashing in it. Fun times.

*Sitting up like a big girl. If I have to leave her side, I put the boppy around her so she doesn't topple over, but this very rarely happens. She is sitting up so well.

*Army Crawling like a mad woman! She will get up on all 4s, rock a bit, but then flatten out and crawl using her arms. She LOVES to follow you into another room.

*Eating in her highchair or bumbo!

*Beginning to pull up. She can pull up when holding on to your fingers, but is also trying to use the couch and some toys.

*Puffs and yogurt melts! The girl can put these away!

*Playing Patty-Cake and clapping when you say, "Good Job, Molly!"

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:

*Her belly laughs when you tickle her!

*She reaches for us when we go to pick her up. Melts.My.Heart. Love this!!

*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!

*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!

*She's starting to feed herself, as opposed to Caroline doing all the work for her. ;)

*Her army crawl-athons around the house, chasing after us!

Here's our schedule:

Wake up and have bottle (8oz): 730-8am

Breakfast: 830am -- oatmeal and fruit (or Ella's Kitchen Brekkies)

Nap: 9am-1030/11am.

Bottle (8oz): 1130-12

Lunch: 1230ish (I fix Caroline's lunch at 1230 and then feed Molly)

Naptime: 2pm (JUST got them both napping at the same time); she gets a small bottle here.

Supper Bottle (8oz): 4-5pm when she wakes up

Dinner: 530pm -- deli meat, veggies, then I'll give her some baby food

Quiet time/Cat nap: 530-615 or so if needed.

Bathtime: 630

Bottle and Bed (6-8oz): 715ish

Molly and Caroline at 9 Months:

And in case you were wondering who Molly looks like, take a guess at who this is....

christmas wrap-up!

2012-01-04T09:49:00.002-05:00

First off, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I thoroughly enjoyed "unplugging" and enjoying this time with Daniel and the girls. Daniel was off for the entire week, and we LOVED every second that he was home! We had a great holiday just hanging around town and enjoying our family time.

This was the first year Caroline actually understood Christmas, and I can't tell you how much fun it was for us. Having kids really brings that spirit of Christmas back into play! It's a special time, that's for sure! I told Daniel over and over how I dread them growing up and losing the innocence they have right now. Anything and everything they we tell them, they take in as the truth, my how I'd love for that to always be the case!

As you can imagine, I took tons and tons of pictures, and figured a few collages would be the most efficient way to get the most pictures into this post without overwhelming you!

We went to church Christmas Eve morning with Grand Dan and Janice and then came back to our house for brunch and to open presents! They also (thankfully) got the one picture of all four of us from the holidays as seen above. :)

Cappy came over for dinner Christmas Eve Night. I made the Southern Living White Lightning Chicken Chili, and it is now a favorite around here! So quick and easy! The girls then got dressed in their Christmas jammies and got ready for Santa! Caroline did get to open one present, a little bribery for a picture never hurt anyone!

After Molly went to sleep, Caroline and I snuck outside to leave Rudolph and his friends some food!

This is her telling me that I have to get the ladder and get on the roof...I convinced her that they'd see the food better if it were in the street!

She also wanted to leave some for our neighbor's reindeer. What a good sharer!

Getting Cookies and Milk ready for Santa! Notice Daddy's "milk"...a little John Daly. ;)

And now for Santa!...
Molly LOVES her Incrediblock from Fisher Price! She pulls up on it and pounds on the top of it when music is playing, quite entertaining to say the least!

Caroline, discovering her gifts from Santa and seeing her Dollhouse for the first time...an 11th hour gift thanks to Santa.

Christmas Evening, playing in their new Radio Flyer from Cappy. After a couple days, we had to convince Caroline that this was definitely an outdoor toy, not a means of carrying Molly from room to room. Of course a fit ensued, but I think we're all good now...

I also realize today is Molly's 9 month birthday! 3 more and I'll have a one year old! What? We are spending the morning riding up to the fire department to have them check our new carseats! Caroline got a bigger Britax and Molly is moving to her old one. Good bye infant seat!

I'll post 9 month pictures along with stats next week after we see Dr. Pip. Any guesses to weight? I'm thinking 23 pounds.

tea collection sale!

2011-12-26T11:14:00.001-05:00

As the hustle and bustle of the Holidays comes to an end its time to take advantage of all the after Holiday sales. Tea Collection is a great place to find clothes for all ages. Starting today Tea Collection is offering up to 60% off on pants, dresses, and shirts.

Let the little girl in your life bring in the New Year with style in the Corzo Chambray Dress. This dress will sparkle and shine and is sure to make any little girl feel like a star.

Your little boy will look so handsome and grown-up in the Alegre Aztec Sweater Vest.

Even moms are allowed to dress up! Treat yourself to the Chiapas Tunic Dress. Perfect to wear around the house or out to dinner.

Make sure to shop Tea Collection and save up to 60% only while supplies last. This is a deal you definitely don't want to miss.

Happy Shopping!

merry christmas!

2011-12-25T07:12:00.000-05:00

From our family to your's, Merry Christmas!

Hope you have a wonderful day with the ones you love, remembering the true reason we are celebrating today!

As Caroline says, "Hap Bertday Baby Jeez!"

christmas treats

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Caroline and I did some baking this week!

I knew I wanted to make Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa and then I saw this recipe from Grits! It is easy and so delicious! I think it's a great recipe to have on hand during the holidays to use as hostess, teacher, neighbor, or co-worker gifts!

I sent some in with Daniel for their gift exchange with a gift card attached, it was the perfect addition. As nice as gift cards are, to me it looks nicer when attached to a bag of sweets.

We are giving a bag of these to all of the girl's Waumba Land teachers as well, to thank them for being so sweet to our girls and helping make sure their time at church is wonderful.

Did I mention they are super easy to make? Caroline and I made them right after I put Molly down for a nap, and let them cool during her nap so when she woke up, they were all ready to cut!

The cookie recipe I use is from a high school friend of mine, Katie. I first remember helping make these cookies for her sister Mandy the summer before she went off to Auburn. They are hands down the BEST cookies ever. I have tried many, many chocolate chip cookie recipes, and none compare.

I think the secret is dark brown sugar and the sweet buttery goodness that is....crisco!

mmmmmm!...

"Good job Mommy!"

And just so you know, Molly was there too!

Do y'all have any special recipes that you use just around Christmas?

calling all procrastinators!

2011-12-21T09:51:00.001-05:00

For all you procrastinators out there who still haven't gotten your Christmas cards yet, Minted has come to the rescue!

Now through January 2, 2012, Minted is offering 15% off ALL holiday cards! New Year's cards are included with this promotion, so if Christmas cards just aren't your thing, or you can't get it together before then and are choosing to send out New Year's cards instead, you're in luck!

Here are just a few of their adorable 2012 {that's so crazy to say} cards:

All you have to do is enter the code SLED15 when checking out and you're good to go!

meet...charlotte!

2011-12-19T10:26:00.000-05:00

Our newest family member is here! Charlotte Sarah Thombley was born on December 7, and we love her so much! We took the girls to visit her, but she decided she was a little too tired to play. Maybe next time! Caroline and Molly can't wait to grow up with you Sarah, I am sure many fun times are in store! Daddy and Uncle John just better prepare themselves now!

Taking a picture with 3 kids proved to be much harder then we thought. 5 adults, 3 kids...the kids one. I couldn't get one with my two munchkins both smiling while also getting a good view of Charlotte.

Molly's always has to see what Caroline's doing...

Look happy Mols!

And to think they are only 8 months apart!!!

oh what fun it is...to decorate!

2011-12-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with Erin for "Oh What Fun It Is To...Decorate!"

Our Christmas Table

I didn't register for Christmas china when we got engaged, because I had no idea what I wanted, and I honestly couldn't imagine when there'd be a time that I would be hosting Christmas at our house. I'm so glad I waited, because I can promise you what I have now would not have been what I would've picked out then. My Christmas china is Spode Christmas Rose, and I think it's gorgeous! I've never seen it before, which I like, and it has a lot of gorgeous Christmas colors in it. My other china is platinum banded, so I really like that my Christmas is gold banded. I like that I have two completely different looks.

I mix silver and gold in my Christmas table. I have a good many silver serving pieces, but no gold. So I load up my table with silver accents to balance the the silver serving pieces I have with all of my gold chargers, plates, and linens.

When Caroline was born, I bought her a Wallace Sleigh bell for Christmas. I've bought her one each year, and have now started buying them for Molly as well. I want them to have a special ornament from us each year that they will have forever and one day put them on their own trees. They also have silver 1st Christmas Cups that my Mom bought them. I think they are perfect on our chandelier!

It's still a work in progress. I would like to buy two other sizes of the lismore candlesticks. I have the 6 inch, but have my eye on the 8 and 4 as well. I love the way they look all staggered. The ones I have are staggered, but mis-matched. I'm on my way to finishing my crystal, just a couple more glasses to go. I only have 4 silver napkin rings, the other 4 are pewter. I would like 4 more silver, even if they don't match. I am also in love with the Picard Monongrammed plates in gold. I think these are absolutely gorgeous. I want the salad plate to use as dessert/appetizer plates. I think they would be a great to have for parties, showers, luncheons, etc. Just add them to the list I guess! ;)

Teacher Luncheon Tablescape

I am on the Teacher Appreciation Committee at Caroline's school (who best to know what teacher's appreciate then a teacher), and I volunteered to decorate for the Holiday luncheon this week. I love "attempting" to be creative and pouring myself into projects, especially if it's something other then for the house or the girls. I love doing things for them too, but sometimes its nice to have outside activities to work on. So I enlisted the help of Nina and Erin to help me brainstorm. I told you about the pinecones here and then got 3 different fabrics that I cut in to squares which coordinated with the pinecones as well as the teacher take away gifts -- coordinating ornaments which we placed at each setting.

I thought the squares would be bigger, but I think they turned out pretty cute. I tried my best to get some good pictures, but the lighting was kind of dark in there.

making christmas memories!

2011-12-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with AP for "Oh What Fun It Is To...Make Memories"

Caroline is at the perfect age this year to begin family Christmas traditions that she'll remember, and because of that, we've "gone big"! We've started a few, in hopes that they stick and kept up with some that we started a couple of years ago. I'm only going to talk about 3 today, otherwise I'd love you completely!

*Warning: Picture overload!"

Rudolph Puppet Show

We are extremely blessed that both of my girls' grandmothers live nearby. Not only do we get to see them a lot, but they are also able to take them on fun outings from time to time. Caroline loves her Nana and Cappy (Molly does as well, she just isn't able to express it as much quite yet), and is always so excited to see them!

A couple of weeks ago, my Mom took Caroline to see Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindoor at Atlanta Puppetry Arts. It was based on the clay-mation that I'm sure you're all familar with. Caroline was completely in awe of the performance and sat there mesmerized for most of the performance. She is constantly talking about the "puppet show" with "Nan" now. Going to see Rudolph may not be a tradition per-se, but they definitely made some great memories on their outing together!

Nana and Caroline getting ready for the "puppet show"

Don't you love the tights?

She couldn't go without her fur on!

Nutcracker at the Fox

Last weekend, Caroline and I went to the Fox to see the Nutcracker with our friends, the Browns. When Jenn invited us to go, I immediately said yes! Growing up a dancer, I saw the Nutcracker at least once a year, and in eighth grade I was a flower in The Waltz of the Flowers (sadly, I could probably still remember the dance if I tried hard enough). I have always intended on taking my girls to see the Nutcracker each year, so I was so excited we had the chance to begin this year. My only hope was to make it to the intermission. I couldn't believe it when she not only made it, she sat and watched the whole first act. She loved it! When the lights came on, Caroline began saying "try again, try again." That's her way of saying, keep going, do it again. I explained that the dancers needed a rest and they would be back. When Act 2 began, her and Claire both were more into playing with one another then watching, so after Mother Ginger came on, Jenn and I made the executive decision to leave before we made a scene. Truely though, they surpassed my expectations, and I am looking forward to doing this again next year! Maybe we'll make it the whole time although I won't be holding my breath!

Mommies and Daughters outside the Fox

How adorable are they? Caroline loves Claire. She loves to hold her hand and give her hugs! These two had the entire lobby cracking up as they held hands and yelled "Cheese" in front of the Christmas tree. How can you not smile at these two though?

Lounging while we got them snacks

Macy's Pink Pig

This was our third time riding the Pink Pig. We first went when Caroline was Molly's age with both grandmas, then last year Aunt Claudia (Aunt Char as Caroline calls her), Charlie, and Megan joined us as well. This year we went with Jenn and Claire, and decided to take Marta down there. Molly didn't join us because she is sick with a sinus infection. We've been dealing with this on and off since October, and I'm determined to get her well before Christmas!

When I told Caroline we would be taking the train to see the Pink Pig, she responded with, "Oh thank you Mommy!" and then a hug and a kiss. I die.

Waiting on the train, which we rode to the Pink Pig

You can't leave without getting a souvenir!

We've had a lot of fun so far this holiday season keeping traditions, and making new ones! Hopefully there's still time to squeeze in a few more.

Merry Christmas!

candy cottage

2011-12-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with The Tichenor Family for "Oh What Fun It Is..." to Create!

The Carroll Boys sent my girls the cutest "happy" in the mail last week. It's called The Candy Cottage, and it's a no-bake, washable, reusable Gingerbread House! They must know how much we like decorating houses as seen here and here and my joy for cooking with Caroline. It was such a thoughtful gift, and a much needed "project" for last weekend!

I let her play with the house while I fed Molly her morning bottle and we had breakfast. I figured the initial "awe" of it would be over and we could get to work once Molly went down for a nap.

This is the face I get EVERY time I say, "look at the camera!"....

We got all of our supplies ready. I have to admit, this was a lot more fun then using the candy that's in the box, however, I never eat that candy. This candy, that's another story!

Then we got to decorating!

And tasting too of course!

If you want an activity to take up lots of time, have them help you unwrap all of the candy! Caroline would've flown through the decorating in 5 minutes had it not been for this!

Ta-da!!!!

Our very own Candy Cottage! {This is her sad face because we were done.}

How cute is this?!

Thanks again Erin, Hudson, and Hayes, we love it! I'm already thinking up ideas for a Valentine's, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter House! :)

six years...

2011-12-09T09:36:00.001-05:00

Six years ago (tomorrow) I married my best friend. I can't imagine life any differently, nor would I want to change a thing!

Love you Daniel! Thank you for six wonderful years!

According to Happy-Anniversary.com, I should be expecting candy and iron! Ha! I'll take a bottle of wine and quiet dinner sans kiddos instead.

c-a-r-grrr!

2011-12-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

We have even practicing spelling our name lately. She usually gets it all right, which makes me so proud, but today we decided our name has a roar in it! This child keeps me laughing!

sittin' on santa's lap

2011-12-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

We took the girls to see Santa the week of Thanksgiving (sorry, I've been slack and not gotten them up until now), and things went better thn last year! When Mommy doesn't have to sit on Santas lap too, we've made progress.

Molly wasn't so sure about the jolly fellow in red, but no tears were shed! Caroline sat there with what I like to call a "no teeth smile," which is very unlike her, but again, it's progress! Last year she cried.

We got the DVD in the mail thus past week, and Caroline has enjoyed watching the video of the girls with Santa on repeat, and every time Santa says, "And what would you like for Christmas this year?" I hear, "puzzles, cars, books, and a dollhouse!" So apparently she wants a dollhouse. Hmmm, didn't see that coming, nor did this Santa have it on her list. Guess the elves better start working on that!

Oh and keeping with tradition, Caroline jumped on the rocking horse in another kid's picture! Never a dull moment!

Biding time before seeing Santa.

Looks like Caroline is falling off his lap!

Being silly afterwards

happy 8 month birthday molly girl!

2011-12-06T08:26:00.000-05:00

Molly is:

*Weighing around 22.5 pounds {Caroline weighs 30 pounds}.

*Wearing 6-12m, 9 month clothes, and 12 months as well. She wears 6-12 gap footies or 12 month gerber cotton-fleece at night.

*She got another tooth this month! She now has 8 to match her age. 4 on the bottom, and 4 up top.*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes, but rarely, a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm...this only happens if she didn't take a good afternoon nap and she can't make it till 7.

*Eating oatmeal with fruit in the morning before her nap, a veggie/fruit combo before her afternoon nap, and eating cereal with veggies for supper.

*We love Happy Baby from Happy Baby Food. It comes is squeezable packages and have great veggie/fruit mixes that M devours.

*She's just started eating Yogurt Melts and Puffs, also from Happy Baby Food. I gave her a piece of pizza crust last night to chew on, and she seemed to like it. She hasn't grapsed the concept of putting the food in her mouth yet. She can pick it up, but won't put it in her mouth by herself.

What Molly's loving these days!:

*Sitting up like a big girl. If I have to leave her side, I put the boppy around her so she doesn't topple over, but this very rarely happens. She is sitting up so well.

*Beginning to scoot. She does the arm crawl. I've seen her get on all fours in her crib, but not really when we're playing. She uses the rugs to help pull her around to where she wants to go. She likes pulling herself up into your lap.

*Eating in her highchair or bumbo!

*Still loving her Exercauser.

*Puffs and yogurt melts! The girl can put these away!

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:

*Her belly laughs when you tickle her!

*She reaches for us when we go to pick her up. Melts.My.Heart. Love this!!

*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!

*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!

*Her rolls. It's no secret, the girl likes her food, and I am loving the little chunk that she has become.

Here's our schedule:

Wake up and have bottle (8oz): 730-8am

Breakfast: 830am -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of oatmeal and fruit

Nap: 9am-11am. She usually stir at 10 or so, but I just leave her and she'll go back to sleep till 1030-11.

Bottle (8oz): 1130-12

Lunch: 1215 (I fix Caroline's lunch at 1230 when I'm done feeding M)

Naptime with small bottle if she has any left from her 12pm bottle, if not, then straight to bed.

Supper Bottle (8oz): 4ish

Dinner: 5pm -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of cereal and veggie

Quiet time/Cat nap: 530-615 or so if needed.

Bathtime: 630

Bottle and Bed (6-8oz): 715ish

Caroline and Molly both at 8 months:

Caroline was not only crawling, but pulling up and walking the perimeter of her crib. So glad Molly isn't that mobile yet, I'd be in trouble!

charlie the elf

2011-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Surely by now you've heard of Elf on the Shelf. We didnt do anything elaborate to start this tradition, because frankly the girls are too young to remember anything like that just yet. Maybe next year...So we read this book a couple of weeks ago, and she LOVED it! In one part of the story, you're told that you have to name your elf in order to give him magic. Caroline knew immediately what our elf's name would be...Charlie! Shocker, right.! Everyone knows her favorite person ever is her cousin Charlie. So we started the whole, hide Charlie each night so we can find him in the morning deal, but she honestly wasn't too interested. Then came CBS' Elf on the Shelf movie and our world changed. Charlie is now a permanent fixture to our morning routine and daily chats. The elf in the movie is named Chippey, who I will refer to, but am immeditately scolded, "No Mommy, Charlie!" Yikes! She has to know where he is at all times, and despite the fact that he "loses his magic when touched", he's currently taking a nap with Caroline. Whatever works! She still believes he has magic, if she even knows what magic is!

I took pictures of all his different hiding spots this week to share. She comes down every morning ready to look for him. I'm going to have to start getting creative, because she finds him pretty quickly! It's a fun little tradition, and I'm very interested to see if next year she remembers what his name is!

gobble gobble!

2011-11-29T22:34:00.001-05:00

Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! Our week was jam packed, but was lots of fun!

We started our Thanksgiving festivities by celebrating Aunt Sarah's birthday on Tuesday! Caroline joined all the adults for dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was WAY better behaved then I could've imagined. Seeing how 6 o'clock is usually a rough time for us (read major meltdowns), I wasn't quite sure how it would go. She was great, and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed her company, especially Aunt Sarah! We also enjoyed seeing Aunt Claudia (Aunt Char as Caroline calls her), who came into town for the birthday dinner as well!

On Thursday, we headed over to Nana and Pop's house for Thanksgiving. Caroline didn't eat much Turkey, in fact, I think she ate a fish stick. She also had mac and cheese, a crescent roll, and of course desserts galore. What are you gonna do? If I can get her to sit down and eat anything with us, I'm happy; two year olds are SO picky! She really enjoyed playing outside with Uncle Eric and Cassie though. I believe they were looking for deer and bunnies! :)

We headed over to Cappy's on Friday and had our last official Thanksgiving meal, although I was still having leftovers on Sunday! The girls played and played while Daniel and I continued to stuff our faces!

Saturday was spent at Bobby Dodd Stadium, watching Georgia beat up on Georgia Tech! I always love going to the Ga/GT game in Atlanta. One, it's close to home and two, I think it's so neat to watch a college football game and see the Atlanta skyline all at once. It's a great atmosphere too...winning does help though!

As always, I wish I had gotten a few more pictures, I just forget. The ones I got though turned out cute!

Hope ya'll had a great holiday weekend! I have Santa pictures to share on another post I'm getting ready!

All the different faces of Caroline Parker...all I wanted was one with both of them smiling. Is that too much to ask? ;)

Shhhh....looking for deer!

A view from our seats, Tech likes to put the visitors waaaay up in the stands, but I like the view!

familiy photo sneak-peak!

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

We took Molly's 6 (really 7) month/family/Christmas card pictures a couple weeks ago. With the holidays swiftly approaching, I was a little worried I wouldn't get the pictures in time to get the card I wanted done. Luckily, I received an email from our photographer before she went out of town for the holidays, containing our slideshow! I can't stop looking at them! The colors of the girls' dresses are amazing with all the fall colors in our yard!

Here are just a few of the MANY that I'm in love with! Heather did a great job, I am so impressed. I think she captured the girls' personalities perfectly! Can't wait to get these printed and hung around our house!

turkey or sides?

2011-11-23T09:11:00.001-05:00

Are you a turkey or a sides person?

I'm a sides girl all the way! As I heard Star Jones say on the Today Show {because don't you get all your news from her too}, "You can eat Turkey anytime of the year, you only have the sides once." Excellent point!

I'm in charge of sides at my Mom's house this year. I know I'm probably making too much, but that's half the fun isn't it?

Here's what I'll be cooking up in my kitchen come nap time today!

What's Thanksgiving without Green Bean Casserole?

Source: campbellkitchen.com via Callie on Pinterest

I'm making Paula Deen's Squash Casserole with Zucchini ala Poppy. This is my Dad's made up recipe and it's full of Cheesy Yumminess!

Source: pauladeen.com via Callie on Pinterest

I had these Mac and Cheese Cupcakes at my friends Sarah and Hank's T'Giving Potluck, and I'm hoping they are every bit as good!

Source: framed-mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com via Callie on Pinterest

I made this cake for the Potluck and did an excellent job if I don't say so myself! I sometimes add a Chocolate Glaze to the top as well.

Source: lovefromtexas.com via Callie on Pinterest

And top it off with Chocolate Chip Cookies, because you can't ever have too many chocolate chip desserts and my brothers are suckers for my cookies!

Source: kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com via Callie on Pinterest

There you have it, I've got my work cut out for me today! But I secretly can't wait!

So are you a turkey or a sides person and are you bringing anything with you to your feast tomorrow? Please share your recipes, or just Pin them! I'm sure I'll find them!

mini picasso

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

I had a project that needed to be tended to the other day, so I decided Caroline and I would both set up shop outside and get some painting done! She had her corner of the yard, and because I was spray painting, I had my own corner too!

Caroline got this Melissa and Doug easel for her birthday, and while the chalkboard side has been used over and over again, I had never been brave enough to venture onto the paint side. Funny how things change when you've got something that HAS to be done! She's also been doing a lot of painting at school, so I knew she knew what to do. While my pinecones were drying, I got some good shots of my little Picasso!

She broke the cardinal rule...we do not mix paint! :)

Stepping back to admire her work of art!

Ta-Da!!

If you'd like a masterpiece of your own, she'll be happy to paint you one! :)

And in case you were wondering, because I know you were, I was painting pinecones for the teacher luncheon at Caroline's school. And yes, I had to prime them first. The paint just ran off of them before I got smart! ;)

My friend Nina, sent me this picture from pinterest.

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Callie on Pinterest

I am hoping mine turn out as cute, but regardless, Caroline and I have had fun collecting pinecones from our yard...and watching the Daddy Hawk who lives in the trees in our backyard.

Baby Cheese

2011-11-14T11:41:00.001-05:00

We bought Caroline the Fisher Price Nativity Set, which I personally think is a perfect gift for little ones! It plays Silent Night and Away in a Manger, the Angel sits on top of the Inn, and all the "main" characters are included! We've got Mary and Joseph, The Three Wise Men, animals galore, the Angel, and of course Baby Cheese (isn't that what everyone calls Baby Jesus?)!

Caroline has been playing with this since we opened it a few days ago, and it has been a great "baby sitter" because both girls have been sick this week. Molly has croup and Caroline is getting over a gross cold. So despite being homebound yesterday, it has kept her quite occupied! She will carry it from room to room, she loves it that much.

So anyway, this morning she was playing with it when I hear her all distressed, "Where's Baby Cheese? Where's Baby Cheese?" Ummmm, I got nothing. I had no idea what she was asking for, so I felt bad not being able to help her. I should've figured it out considering what she was playing with, but with Molly fussing and me trying to get them ready to take Caroline to school, my brain wasn't working. Well I guess she eventually found Him because she came running into the kitchen, "See Mommy, Baby Cheese! Baby Cheese!" as she was holding Baby Jesus. Oooooh, right! Ha!

This is one saying I hope she holds onto for a while, because it's just so darn cute!

If you're in need of a Nativity set for your little one, I highly recommend this one! We also ready the Nativity story from our Jesus Storybook Bible, which I also recommend for kids. It tells popular stories from the Bible in kid-speak with great pictures! Both of my girls have them, and while I don't know that Molly enjoys them quite yet, Caroline sure does!

Via Amazon.com

molly is 7 months old!!

2011-11-07T10:03:00.003-05:00

Molly is:

*Weighing around 21 pounds or so.

*Wearing size 3 diapers during the day and 4 or 5 overnights at night. We have just a few more 3s and then it's onto 4s. Both girls can wear 4s and 5s at night so this will save some $. Yes, you read that right, they wear the same size diapers. C only wears them at nap time.

*Wearing sizes 6-9m, 6-12m, 9 month clothes, and a few 12 months, though those are still a little big. She wears 6-12 or 12 fleece at night.

*She got another tooth this month! She now has 7 to match her age. 3 on the bottom, 4 up top.

*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes, but rarely, a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm.

*Takeing anywhere from 32-36oz of formula including cereal.

*Eating oatmeal with fruit in the morning before her nap, a veggie/fruit combo before her afternoon nap, and eating cereal with veggies for supper.

*We love Happy Baby from Happy Baby Food. It comes is squeezable packages and have great veggie/fruit mixes that M devours.

*She's just started eating Yogurt Melts and Puffs, also from Happy Baby Food.

What Molly's loving these days!:

*Rolling from back to belly and back again. She only does the second roll in bed, and its hysterical to watch because she isn't always sure of what's happened.

*Sitting up like a big girl. If I have to leave her side, I put the boppy around her so she doesn't topple over, but this very rarely happens. She is sitting up so well.

*Beginning to scoot. If she does get out of the boppy, its to go after a toy! I'll find her in a completely different spot then I put her down in.

*Eating in her highchair or bumbo!

*Still loving her Exercauser.

*Puffs! The girl can put these away! I'm working on her picking them up herself (the pincher grasp), but she hasn't gotten that yet.

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:

*Her belly laughs

*She reaches for us when we go to pick her up. Melts.My.Heart. Love this!!

*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!

*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!

*Her rolls. It's no secret, the girl likes her food, and I am loving the little chunk that she has become.

Here's our schedule:

Wake up and have bottle (8oz): 730-8am

Breakfast: 830am -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of oatmeal and fruit

Nap: 9am-11am. She usually stir at 10 or so, but I just leave her and she'll go back to sleep till 1030-11.

Bottle (6oz): 1130ish

Lunch: 1215 (I fix Caroline's lunch at 1230 when I'm done feeding M)

Naptime with small bottle (4oz): 1-115 until 330 or 4.

Supper Bottle (8oz): 4ish

Dinner: 5pm -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of cereal and veggie

Quiet time/Cat nap: 530-615 or so if needed.

Bathtime: 630
Bottle and Bed (6-8oz): 715ish

The girls both at 7 months {I promise, the outfits were a complete coincidence!}

I can't believe I just let poor Caroline drool all over her shirt like that, bad mommy! As you can see, the girls look quite different. :)

pinnable me: pinterest recipe challenge

2011-11-04T14:28:00.002-04:00

*I'm linking up with Stephanie at Paw Prints and Pastry Bags for Pinnable Me Fridays!

I'm jumping on Jackie's bandwagon and going to "attempt" to make one thing a week that I see on Pinterest. We keep having the same things over and over again, and I'm just tired of our meal plan these days.

I've already got two recipes planned for next week out of my Cook's Country magazine. Do y'all take this magazine? It's a must! The recipes are all easy, and make fantastic home-cooked meals! I saw a few recipes that Darby made last year, and immediately started my sub with Cook's. All the recipes even come on handy recipe cards that you can just throw in your recipe box. Love it!

So anyway, here are two things I found on that I may try. I'll definitely try one, just haven't made up my mind yet. I'll probably choose one for this week and one for next.

20 Minute Terriaki Chicken -- all about quick meals these days

Source: whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com via Callie on Pinterest

Perfect for Mexican Fiesta (aka every Friday night)

Source: marthastewart.com via Callie on Pinterest

LOVE a good crock pot recipe, especially when it's a comfort food recipe!

Source: crepesofwrath.net via Callie on Pinterest

And because every good dinner deserves to end with a delicious dessert!

Source: tendercrumb.blogspot.com via Callie on Pinterest

Wanna join me on this recipe challenge? What good recipes have you "pinned"? Please share!

halloween parade

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

This was our second year attending our neighborhood's Halloween Party and Parade, and Caroline definitely seemed to enjoy herself more this year then last.

She rode the ponies probably 10 times if not more, not kidding. She played a few of the games, played on the playground and marched in the parade all by herself (I even have a video that is hysterical!)! She LOVED it. She loves playing with older kids, so to her this was a blast!

I tried to get pictures of all of our friends, but they seemed to run from my camera!

fall party and a surprise!

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday was not only my 30th, it was also Caroline's fall party at school. All the parents were invited, so my Mom and I went with Molly in tow.

Caroline was so excited to show me where she sits for snack and small group crafts, her friends who sit around her, and as you can see, the Halloween Treat bag she made! She was so proud of herself!

I'm in charge of the Christmas party so you can be darn sure I'm scouring Pinterest everyday for new ideas! Can't wait to show them to you!

Remember the ADORABLE shirts that I blogged about Here (and that C and M have on in the pictures above), well Blair has SO graciously offered a discount to all of you!

All you have to do is go too LuluMcgee.com and when you're checking out enter the discount code:

THEPARKERFAM11

You'll receive 10% off anything on the site (Blair has the lowest prices around already) and is good from now until November 30th! I've gotten a sneak peak at her Christmas line, and it is TDF -- so cute for boys and girls!

i'm not 30, i'm 29.95 plus tax!

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Between all the texts, calls, Facebook messages and tweets, my phone dinged all day long, and I LOVED it! Thank you, thank you! I had a fabulous birthday thanks to all of my birthday wishes!

We have a child-free, in town vacation planned this weekend! We are headed to dinner with a group of friends tonight, watching the Georgia/Florida game tomorrow, and then another adult only dinner on Saturday before picking the girls up on Sunday.

Here are a couple pictures from yesterday.... everyone deserves a cookie cake despite their age!

Have a great weekend and Go Dawgs!

my next 30 years...

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I honestly have no idea what my next 30 years will bring, I just thought that was a great blog post title. ;)

In reflecting over my last 30 years (or what I remember of them), I decided I'd share things I've done/accomplished and gone through in just the past 5 years. I am amazed at how much has changed since I was 25!

Here are some, in no specific order:

*started a blog
*gained many, many great friends because of the blog

*lived in florida, south carolina, and georgia

*traveled to new orleans, miami, scotland, la/pasadena, new york, philadelphia, dc, chicago, vail, denver, pheonix, dallas, the bahamas, charleston, hilton head, jacksonville, nashville and many places in between

*became an aunt!

*said goodbye to my Poppy

*"retired" from teaching other children to begin teaching my own
*became a Mommy not once, but twice to two BEAUTIFUL and perfect girls
*celebrated 5 years of being married to my best friend and 10 years of being together
*attended Eric's high school graduation
*attended a lot of weddings, participated in a few, and sadly, missed a couple
*watched and supported daniel as he left his job of 10 years to begin a completely new, yet perfect-for-him job
*found a church that is perfect for our family
*potty trained Caroline (laugh if you will, but this is a big one in my eyes!)
*watched as my baby started preschool for the first time and realized she's not a baby anymore, but a little girl with a BIG personality!

I am beyond blessed in all that I've been able to do these past 30, and specifically 5 years, and really can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us and what he'll teach me in my next 30 years.

we're official!

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

So it only took 3 years to make us an "official" blog! My creative juices are null and void these days so I couldn't come up with a great domain for us, but you ready to see what our new ".com" is???

I told you I couldn't come up with anything creative! Ha! So now you can all drop the .blogspot and simply go to www.ugaparkerfamily.com. Please bookmark it and visit us often!

I've also got some great deals for you that are available for this week ONLY! I'd LOVE to say that tinyprints is doing this to celebrate my birthday, but sadly they aren't. Regardless though, check out their gorgeous Christmas cards if you haven't already bought them yet.

Here's what I've got for you!

Wednesday {Today}, 30% off Flip Cards Enter Code: 1026DOD

I'm loving all the light blue/grey and red cards this year!

Thursday, 25% off Ornament Cards Enter Code: 1027DOD

I'm also a sucker for the red, lime green, and pink cards too!

Friday, Free Upgrade to Rounded Corners Code: No Code Needed!!

I think rounded edges adds that extra little something to your cards, and you can't get any better then FREE!

I think there's something here for everyone! Hope you find the perfect card for you and your family!

Come back tomorrow for a special birthday post!!

we love our lulus!

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

My sweet friend Blair from Lulu McGee sent the girls these ADORABLE Halloween shirts!

How cute are they?! She said she spotted the purple "sparkly" fabric from across the room and knew it'd be perfect for my girl! How well does she know me? She was a little nervous that it'd be too hot to wear the long sleeves, but lucky for her it's in the 40s this am!

Blair has a talent for appliquéing, I have been so impressed by her fabric choices and details, I can't wait to see our Thanksgiving shirts! My girls will have a closet full of Lulu McGee before long!

If you're interested in ordering from her, contact her at Lulu McGee, she is FABULOUS to work with and will find a pattern for you if she doesn't have it!

pinterest s'mores

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Along with finding fun ways to decorate our pumpkins on Pinterest, I also found these yummy treats!

Meet the 100 Calorie S'more...

Source: texascottage.blogspot.com via Callie on Pinterest

Oh my word, these are addictive and quite fun to make with your little helper!

pinnable me: pumpkins

2011-10-21T08:14:00.000-04:00

via Pinterest

*I'm linking up with Stephanie at Paw Prints and Pastry Bags for Pinnable Me Fridays!

It all started with Pinterest, my downfall most days. I see all of these great ideas and next thing I know, I'm consumed with trying/attempting to re-create all of these fabulous things I've pinned!

I saw this "Boo" pumpkin and thought, what a great idea! No carving, no mess, and they'll last longer! It is a great idea if you can find the 1000 buttons it takes and $ it would cost to but all of them! Maybe the girl who made this just has a lot of black shirts and pants with extra buttons?? I searched high and low and all I came up with were sequins. It did the job, but not nearly the effect of the different sized buttons!

So after deciding we'd be decorating our pumpkins this year, I then set out to figure out how we'd bedazzle them all! I came up with four ideas: a "boo" pumpkin, a polka dot one, a white ghost one, and then a "P" (for Parker, not pumpkin) pumpkin!

Although they won't be making anyone's Pinterest boards, I think they are pretty cute!...with a 2.5 year old in charge of the stickers, sequins, and glue, it was all I could do to get them actually looking semi-what I had in mind.

Our Polka Dot Pumpkin --
We put happy face stickers all over it, then I spray painted it black. When it was dry, I peeled the stickers off, and we were left with PERFECT polka dots!!

Ghost Pumpkin --
I opted on buying an actual ghost (white) pumpkin as opposed to painting one. Then we cut out felt eyes and a mouth and made a bow! Nothing to it, but it's super cute!

"P" is for Parker Pumpkin --
I colored a silver "P" sticker black and simply slapped it on the pumpkin!

In all their glory on our front steps!
{I opted not to show you the steps I took getting to the "boo" pumpkin, because it was pitiful. Clearly I forgot to stagger the letters, but Caroline LOVED gluing the sequins on, so that's all that matters!!}

Molls wants you to know that she was there too!

chubby baby laughing

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

I wish I could bottle this sound up and save it forever!

party house

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently every show that Caroline watches these days is having a Halloween Party, because it's all she can talk about! Know this new found love for "a party," her Cappy bought her a Haunted Gingerbread House to decorate. She kept screaming "Party House! Party House" when she saw it in the box. I need to teach her Halloween is the holiday, not Party.

It came with lots of fun decorations including orange and black icing. When my hands became stained from the orange, I quickly tossed the black...wouldn't want my white countertops stained with black icing!

I feel like we were half way through decorating when I finally figured out how to use the icing kit (using my hands just wasn't cutting it), and despite the HUGE mess we had in the kitchen, the fun we had was totally worth it!

Who could resist making a "Party House" with this sweet child in her "Party Hat"?!

This is what orange icing and a few jelly beans does to Caroline...she becomes a complete ham!

Luckily, she reeled it in for one sweet picture.

This is for Uncle John...he loves when she points to things! ;)

diaper rash cure all

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Cotton Balls + Mineral Oil = NO Crying During Diaper Changes"

If you've got a teething baby or ever had a teething baby, I don't need to explain to you how bad diaper rash can be. Both of my girls have had it so bad we all cried during diaper changes, but all I'd ever heard was...

*don't use wipes, use paper towels or washcloths -- we use wipes with no alcohol to begin with, paper towels? ouch! washcloths? yuck. i hate rinsing poopy washcloths out in the sink, and with my children, one washcloth was never enough, if you get what I mean.

*let it air out -- that's fine for an infant for baby that isn't mobile, but how am I supposed to get a toddler to sit on a towel for any amount of time?

*try triple paste, butt paste, a&d for severe rash -- tried them all, and they worked fine, but it was still getting them clean enough to put the ointment on.

*oatmeal baths -- C has had them so bad, that baths weren't an option. She wouldn't sit down to in the water to save her life

I feel like I've tried it all, and who knows if any of them worked, or the rash just went away itself. A couple of months ago though, Molly had one so bad we thought she had intestinal bleeding (I'll spare you graphic details) because of some blood in her diaper. I immediately took her in, found out it was "severe diaper rash with fissures (cuts)" and was again, sent away with the same remedies from above. On my way home, I was talking with my good friend Katie who's been a nurse in a children's hospital and she gave me the greatest remedy ever!!...Mineral Oil.

She said to use mineral oil as the wipe, then lather on Boudreaux's, which happens to be our personal favorite. The oil soothes their bottoms, while cleaning too, and because there are no irritating agents in it, the babies don't cry! Genius!

So here's what I do: Get a ton of cotton balls, but them in some tubberware and pour the mineral oil all over them, then just put a top on the tupperware and you're set! Now you have diaper rash "wipes" at your disposal at all times. I usually squeeze the cotton ball out before using it so as not to get the oil everywhere, but just use them as a wipe, and then put the ointment on the sensitive spots. It may seem like its sliding off, but get it on there as best as possible. You'll see the mineral oil will help the irritated spots too! You can also put some in a "baby" size tupperware and throw it in your diaper bag for when you're out, just make sure the lid is on tight!!!

I swear this works, and works fast! My friend Hillary was pleading for a remedy this weekend, I told her about our's, and she said it worked miracles on her little Sadie too!

Hope this helps!

Do you have any remedies you swear by?

baby dedication hodge podge

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know I didn't get everyone in the pictures, but with an almost 4 year old, 2.5 year old, and a 6 month old who was in need of a nap, things got crazy at the end of the dedication. I tried my hardest, I promise! Here are just some of the ones I did get though!

The star of the show, starring at the the yummy cupcakes you'll see in the picture below!

These were hard not to dive into as soon as we sat down. They were delicious, and an expected treat!

One of Molly's pictures from the slideshow. I tried to get the family shot, but wasn't able to.

GrandDan and Aunt Sarah were able to celebrate with us!

With Aunt "Tine" and Uncle John (and inside Baby T, who we can't wait to meet in just a few weeks!!)! Yet another beautiful girl for our family!

Cappy (aka Cap) of course was there too!

So thankful Aunt Claudia and Charlie were able to make it all the way from Texas! We were glad Uncle Matt and Megan joined us at our house after nap time as well! We loved seeing y'all!

{MG was WAY ready to leave at this point}

Caroline LOVES her cousin Charlie!

As you can see, not everyone made the pictures, but we tried!

Last but not least, the very special dedication card that Beverly and Heidi at Sweet Birdie's Nest made us, it came out perfect!

Thanks again to everyone who was able to come both in person and spirit, and thanks also to those of you who prayed for our family during this special day. It was a memorable day for all, we are blessed beyond belief!

holiday shopping!

2011-10-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

It's that time of they year, everyone is gearing up for the start of the holiday season!

Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Yeah, me neither. I do however, know a few ladies on my list that would enjoy some personalized items from Erin Condren! I'm sure you've heard all the hype about her Life Planner, and yes, I bought into it too (shocker!), but it really is the BEST planner around. I've tried them all, and as a person who is Type-A when it comes to organization, this is a dream! But life planners aren't all she has, if that's not your thing.

Here are some perfect Erin Condren gifts for the ladies on your list:

Personalized Stationery

Personalized Notepads

Erin's on One Kings Lane today until Friday with lots of discounted items, check them out for yourself!

Willow House is also having a HUGE Harvest Sale this month!

Dress your home in rich, earthy neutrals of our Gail Pittman Alfresco and Allegria Collections. Fabulous for the fall, these beautiful pieces are neutral enough for every day serving and decorating.

Sale prices good from October 3 -31, 2011

Special Bonus: When order minimums are met ($39.96), these items can also be used at customer specials! That means you can save an additional 50% off the sales price!!

And lastly, if you missed out on the Minted 20% Off Sale, don't worry, they have another one! Now through October 17th, get Minted Holiday Cards at 15% off! I haven't ordered mine yet, so I need to do so ASAP, so I don't miss out on yet another great offer!

Here are the cards I've got my eye on:

I love that with both of these cards, you have the option of doing a photo collage on the inside as well as one on the back because let's be honest, who can ever decide on just one picture?

All you have to do to get 15% off is visit Minted and simply use the code EARLYBIRD15

Happy Shopping! Come back and let me know what you get!

molly's babyd

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Molly's Baby Dedication (or babyd as our church calls it) was Sunday, as I mentioned last week, and I couldn't have been happier with how it went. We had a few tears -- not all from Molly, I'm a HUGE sap at church -- but when an event is to begin during naptime, that is to be expected. Overall though, I feel blessed beyond belief at the support we felt from all the family members we had in attendance and those who couldn't make it and a church that is "partnering" with us in the crazy thing called parenthood. We can't do it alone, that's for sure!

Before showing up today, we were giving "homework." We had to listen to a series of messages about parenthood, marriage, and families. We were then asked to reflect on what we'd heard and come up with a list of fives values we, as parents, want to instill in our children. We also were asked to think of two consistent family habits that we hope to establish. After much thought and prayer, here's what we came up with.

Five Values We Want to Instill in Our Children:

Forgiveness

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Kindness

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34

Obedience

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1

Generosity

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Honesty

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. Hebrews 13:18

Two Consistent Family Habits We Hope to Establish:

*Pray with Both Girls at night, reminding them both that no matter what we are proud of them, we love them and God loves them as well.

*Ask both girls to name one thing they are thankful for daily.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

~Psalm 139:14

hakuna matata

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

I had plans to do a post on Molly's 6 month pictures today, but the photographer had a family emergency, we we've had to reschedule. Instead I'm doing a mindless post! Enjoy!

Via Amazon

Did y'all get the Lion King delivered on Tuesday like me? Am I the only crazy, ok thought so! I loved this movie growing up, so I knew we'd be getting this as soon as it came out. I had plans to keep this as a stocking stuffer for Caroline, but the migraine I had on Tuesday had other plans. I couldn't' think straight, so this helped me through the pain until Daniel got home from work.

Molly's Baby Dedication is on Sunday! We are very excited about this and that a lot of our family will be there to celebrate with us. We had Caroline dedicated at Daniel's Mom's church, and our church does the dedication very differently. I'm very interested in how Molly's will go, but I know I won't be disappointed. Heidi and Beverly over at Sweet Birdie's Nest created Molly's Baby Dedication card. I can't wait to show y'all how it turned out!

Daniel's sister and her family are in town this weekend! We haven't seen them in months, so I'm very excited they'll be here tomorrow and for Molly's dedication on Sunday. Caroline is SUPER excited that Charlie, her favorite person ever is coming to play with her!

The migraine I talked of earlier is all due to allergies we just found out I have. I have had a sinus infection since July. No meds have worked, so testing was our next step. They tested me for 36 allergens, I'm allergic to 33 of them. Yikes! I start allergy shots in 2 weeks. Hopefully these will help me get back to "normal". I've really never had allergy problems, so this has all come as a surprise to me, but I've been so run down for months that it makes sense and am looking forward to getting better soon.

My 30th is coming up, so I'm loving coming up with my "Wish List." If I'm honest with you though, I know exactly what I want, all the other things are just on there to fill up the space and maybe to put on my Christmas list!

Speaking of Christmas, have y'all started shopping? I have and I'm pretty much done with the girls! I know what I'm getting Daniel, just haven't gotten it yet, and as for me....there's a running list as noted above! ;)

Have a great weekend! Any big plans?

happy half birthday, molly girl!

2011-10-05T10:22:00.002-04:00

Molly is:

*Weighing in at 20lbs 1oz (97th percentile). Caroline weighed around 17.5 pounds at 6 months and 21.5 pounds at a year, so Molly and Caroline are quite different in size. ;)
*26.25 inches (75th percentile); Caroline was 26.5 inches so almost same length but almost 3 pound difference.

*Wearing size 3 diapers during the day and 4 overnights at night. I think I'm about about to change to 4s though b/c they seem so tight sometimes and I'm just about out of 3s anyway.

*Wearing sizes 6-9m, 6-12m, 9 month clothes, and a few 12 months, though those are still big. She wore 12 month footie pjs the other night that I commented were big and long, Daniel said "they aren't big around her legs!" Poor girl.

*She has 2 bottom teeth, her 2 upper canine teeth, and a front upper that just cut through her gums.

*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes, but rarely, a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm.

*Takeing anywhere from 32-36oz of formula including cereal.

*Eating oatmeal with fruit in the morning before her nap, a veggie/fruit combo before her afternoon nap, and eating cereal with veggies for supper.

What Molly's loving these days!:

*Rolling from back to belly and back again. She only does the second roll in bed, and its hysterical to watch because she isn't always sure of what's happened.

*Her feet! Yep, she's discovered them, so she's in a constant crunch, holding them for dear life.

*Licking her feet, then giggling because it tickles.

*Squash. Yes still. I found an organic mix of Butternut Squash and Harvest Apples. The girl licks her chops, she loves them so!

*Caroline. Apparently Caroline is the funniest person on the face of this earth. Caroline and I can be doing or saying the same thing and she just stares at me. She'll belly laugh for Caroline though.

*Still loving her Exercauser.
*Sitting supported and for a few seconds alone before toppling over.

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:

*Her belly laughs

*Her schedule! I can't say it enough, but thanks to Moms On Call, she is on a fabulous schedule and it's predictable. I can figure out my day around her eating and naps, b/c I know when they will start and end. It makes life with 2 much easier and enjoyable! I actually just switched it up a bit.

*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!

*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!

*Her rolls. It's no secret, the girl likes her food, and I am loving the little chunk that she has become.

Here's our new schedule:

Wake up and have bottle (8oz): 730-8am

Breakfast: 830am -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of oatmeal and fruit

Nap: 9am-11am. She usually stir at 10 or so, but I just leave her and she'll go back to sleep till 1030-11.

Bottle (6oz): 1130ish

Lunch: 1215 (I fix Caroline's lunch at 1230 when I'm done feeding M)

Naptime with small bottle (3oz): 1-115 until 330 or 4.

Supper Bottle (8oz): 4ish

Dinner: 5pm -- 2oz of formula with 2tbsp of cereal and veggie

Quiet time/Cat nap: 530-615 or so. This occurs in swing, stroller, or bed

Bathtime: 630

Bottle and Bed (6-8oz): 715ish

Here is the comparison picture. You can see Caroline has more of an oval face, where Molly is round and the PJs that C has on fit Molly perfectly now, not as loose.

*And yes, that is a tear on Molly's face in a couple of the pictures. The day after shots, is way worse then the day of shots. She's been pretty fussy today.

office space

2011-10-03T08:44:00.001-04:00

Since Daniel is not working out of the house anymore, and our den is becoming overrun with toys, we decided it was time to turn the office into a playroom/office...and I love it!

I love that our den is no longer congested with toys everywhere. I love that we actually use the office/playroom now. I love that my computer is downstairs (I hated being stuck either downstairs or upstairs if the girls were naming due to our extra loud, creaky stairs). But I really love that we now have a place to display Caroline's "work" and a lot of our family pictures {they just aren't all in place yet}.

Before...this picture cracks me up! This must've been taken the week we moved in, it looks sooooo different in here now!

And after!

We/I moved the desk against the wall, moved the diplomas above the desk, moved one chair to the desk, moved C's play kitchen and toy shelf from the kitchen to the playroom, put my old jenny lind table and chairs between the windows, hung curtains, and had the the chairs slipcovered! As I said, it's VERY different in here now!

I'd still like to put these on the wall where the diplomas used to be, above the toy shelf.

My friend Jackie showed me these that I would like to put on either side of the doorway.

And what's a "photo shoot" without C wanting to say "Cheese!"

little miss manners

2011-09-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

warning: brag alert!
This post has a lot of bragging in it, but you know when your child (or you) does something that you just can't help but share, well I have to "toot" Caroline's horn, since she can't tell you herself!

Caroline has the best manners! Now I'm sure they could better, and she's not a perfect angel every second of the day, but really, for a 2 year old I'm quite impressed.

I've received a lot of compliments lately about how sweet and well-mannered Caroline is so I started to take notice myself.

Here's what she says on a regular basis, usually without being prompted.

*Please and Thank You before asking for something and then after being given the "wanted" item.

*Bless You after someone sneezes except it's "Oh, Bless you ---!" Then when you say thank you, she says "Welc"

*Excuse Me if she burps or {ahem} toots. And if Molly does this, she'll quickly say "Oh Scuse You Molly."

*Good Job! -- We were doing a puzzle together and I put a correct piece in it's place. She said "Good Job Mommy!" and gave me a thumbs up. She also says this to other kids when they go potty, which cracks me up!

*When she completes a puzzle, cleans up, makes it to the potty, etc. We will say, "Good Job Caroline!" and she follows it up with a "Thank You --- (whoever is speaking to her)" -- this is our favorite b/c its so darn cute!

*Yes, Please or No, Thank You as opposed to "uh huh" or just "no"

*We are starting with the "Mams" and "Sirs," but one thing at a time...this is a prompted reply right now.

*We usually can't start dinner without saying Grace, and if she starts, she'll say "Oh Dace!" then clasp her hands and close her eyes. When we're done, she says "Amen!!"

*I know I already said "Please," but her latest thing is to ask for something while in the car when she knows the answer is no, but when she says "Please" how can you resist! It'll go like this "Donuts please, Mommy Donuts please" as we pass DD at anytime of the day. "Ice Cream please, Mommy ice cream please" every time we pass the ice cream store which is on our way home from EVERY WHERE. Sundays on the way to church, "Chick Way please, Mommy Chick Way." "I'm sorry Caroline, they are at church, CFA is closed on Sundays." "Otay Mommy." -- uh, what a sweet child! Love her!

So anyway, just thought I'd share! I think for a 2.5yo, this is pretty good! Plus, I'm sure I'll want proof of the sweet child that once existed when her teenage years are in full effect! Ha, just kidding!...kind of.

Just hope she teaches this one these manners too!

first kiddie cut

2011-09-29T10:34:00.001-04:00

I'm really not sure how we managed to make it 2.5 years without every having Caroline's haircut at a kid's hair salon (other then my husband is a DIY kind of person when it comes to these things). She has had her hair cut once before, by Brad, but other then that it has been us placing her on the kitchen counter by the sink and trimming it ourselves.

I decided for school pictures though, we'd be having none of this! She needed a "real" haircut! We tried out Snipits, and while I think Pigtails and Crewcuts may have been our better option, her hair turned out cute as pie!

I am shocked that she climbed right up into the chair and just sat there. I think she saw the lollipops and figured she'd get one if she sat still! Ha! Nothing like a little bribery. She wasn't as uncomfortable as she seems in this picture though.

She kept checking herself out in the big mirror, and the lady kept saying, "Please look down..." Yeah, right. When there are cartoons on all the tv's, circus music playing in the background, and a "center" area next to her chair, she's going to look everywhere but down!

I tried to get a picture of her afterwards, but Daddy showed up (Mommy forgot her wallet at home), and it was all the lady could do to finish evening out her hair (looking all around doesn't bode well for a straight cut). But her bangs are out of her eyes, her hair is even, and I'm sure we we'll be cutting her hair over the sink for the next 6 months. I saw Daniel's eyes bulge out of his head when she told him the price followed by a few, I wouldn't pay that for MY hair cut.

Oh men....

sunday funday!

2011-09-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a little fun in the sun...especially when the weather is perfect!

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

scarf swap!

2011-09-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

I participated in Meredith's 3rd Annual Scarf Swap and got Haley as my partner!

I immediately knew what scarf I'd be giving away, because let's be honest....I've been wanting one myself!

I sent Haley this adorable Monogrammed Scarf from Marley Lilly. I gave her the eggplant one with ivory monogram. I can't wait to see a picture of it. Hope you love it Haley! :)

And in return, I got a super cute navy chevron scarf with gold/yellow poms! Love chevron, especially when it's navy! Now bring on the fall weather!!! (I refuse to show my face due to the mountain of a zit that is on my chin.)

Thanks so much Haley!

september sponsor specials!

2011-09-22T13:16:00.000-04:00

My inbox was full of great promotions and sales from my sponsors this morning, be sure to take advantage of them all!

Tea Collection is offering 15% off orders of 3 or more items for four days only --Thursday, September 22nd through Sunday, September 25th.

Here are the sale details:
Enter Promo Code: YAYPICK3 when checking out

Offer valid: Thursday, 9/22 through Sunday, 9/25 at 11:59 pm PT

Minted is offering my readers two fabulous deals on Halloween and Thanksgiving cards! Enjoy 15% off any of Minted's Halloween cards with code PUMPKIN15. This promotion expires 9/30/2011

These are a couple of my favorites!

You can also receive 15% off any of the festive Thanksgiving cards with code GIVETHANKS15. This promotion also expires 9/30/2011.

Mini Boden is offering 10% off all orders PLUS free shipping and returns!

I just bought the girls the MOST adorable outfits for our family pictures in a few weeks from Mini Boden! Their clothes are fun and funky, not some you'll see just everywhere!

There you have it, lots of great promotions going on right now, have fun shopping! :)

school days, school days

2011-09-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Via Amazon

Before I forget, Minted's Mommy Cards Promotion ends Friday, after that you'll have to pay FULL price, get them now for FREE!! 25 Free Mommy Cards from Minted!

With the school year just starting, I am trying to get myself (and keep myself) organized. If you've known me for any amount of time, you know I am Type A all the way when it comes to schedules, organization, and keeping things in order. I LOVE my Erin Condren Life Planner, I love my home organization notebook, and I love my iCalendar on both my phone and computer(I can't wait for apple to lauch iCloud so everything can sync!). I have to have both written and digital calendars, just in case I forget one at home or lose one, I have it "backed up" with my other version. So you can see, my life is in order, what I'm quickly seeing that Caroline's School Life is not. There are papers, constant events, and crafts galore! But where do I put everything? I've asked friends via text, email, and twitter how they store their kids' school stuff, and everyone seems to have a different way of organizing all the memories.

I've gotten the "homemade" answer...either get an under-the-bed rubbermaid bin and write the school year on the lid with a sharpie, or get a file folder and label that, then put it in one big bin like below.

Via In Order For Life

Or here's another version of the above homemade box. Get an already assembled box with folders and then just label the box with each the child's name. You can put trophies/awards, bigger craft items and the like behind all of the folders

Via See Jane Work

There's also the large art box that I've seen in numerous stores. While I love this idea, I'm not sure how I feel about all of the boxes that will stack up, literally, which each passing school year. We don't have that much room for box after box of memories for each child. It can also get pretty pricey.

Via Exposures

Amazon has one that is for 6 school years, comes with a box (for the bigger items), folders for each year, and a book to write special events that may occur during the years. I like the idea, but I'm bad about scrapbooks/journals. Caroline's baby book is a joke, Molly doesn't even have one, and my One Line A Day Journal hasn't been written in since April. My blog serves as my scrapbook, which it in it's self is hard to keep up with as well!

And lastly, there's the digital memory "book". Take a picture of everything, load it to your computer, comprise them all together into one large book on a given date or when your child graduates. But my question is, do you just toss all of the artwork? I couldn't bring myself to do that!

So I must ask, what method do you use? This Momma is in need of some guidance! :)

potty time!

2011-09-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

Via Amazon

*Disclaimer: If you don't care to read about potty training, you'll probably want to skip this post! Not that this is graphic in any way.

Well, we are a little over a week into our potty training/no diapers stage of life with Caroline! I wanted to give you a little overview of what we did, what worked, what didn't, and how it's going!

I read two potty training books -- 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jenson as well as Potty-Wise (part of the Baby-Wise series). The 3 day is intense, where the Potty-Wise is a little more "kid-friendly" if that makes sense. I read the 3 day and knew it front to back, knew when we were going to begin, but Caroline had a different plan in mind...

Caroline came home from her first day of school last Tuesday and when she woke up from her nap, she said, "No Diaper Mommy," and so it began. I asked her if she was sure, to which she said yes, then asked if she needed to sit on the potty, which she did. She went right away and I though, "Whoa, surely it's not going to be this easy." I quickly gathered towels, tons of panties, put her only in a shirt and panties and started feeding her snacks and lots of liquids. I think I panicked because this wasn't "my PT training," so because I was caught of guard I felt ill-prepared. After about 30 minutes and constant nervous pacing on my part, she yelled, "Potty!" and ran towards the bathroom. I looked at my Mom and laughed because I just felt this was way too simple. Where were all the accidents and craziness that I'd heard of? I guess I spoke too soon.

Soon after her 2 successful trips to the potty, we began having accident after accident. No sooner then would I scoop her up, run her to the bathroom, explain that she has to remember to tell Mommy, change her, give her another reminder, that she'd have another accident. I think I sent a text to my friend Erin that said, "Why is she peeing so much?" Ha! Well...I quickly realized that she's never had to hold it, so kids just go constantly throughout the day. This whole process was very tiresome and got old really quick. I mean 4p-6p isn't called "The Witching Hour" for no reason. Molly was fussy, Caroline was fussy because she was so frustrated, and I was fussy because it just seemed like pure chaos. Caroline had no idea how to remind me because she didn't know, and I felt like she wasn't getting rewarded because she wasn't being successful. We ended the night all drained and wondering how the next day would go, but I knew something had to change.

On Day 2 I decided that I needed her to learn two things: 1.We go potty in the potty and 2.We need to learn to stay dry as well. So every 15 minutes, I would ask her if she was dry. If she was, she got a reward! This helped keep things positive; rewards for staying dry and also for making a successful trip to the potty. Since the later still wasn't happening, I was still able to praise for not having accidents. Around 10am she ran to the bathroom yelling "potty," but didn't quite make it. I reminded her of everything but was so happy that she almost made it, this was progress. At 11, she finally did it! She started to have an accident, stopped herself, and finished in the bathroom -- success!! I could see at that point she was getting it. At 1230 or 1, before nap, she told me and made it to the bathroom without an accident! Yay!! From then on, it's been pretty smooth sailing. After her nap she had 5 more successful trips to the potty.

I kept her home from school on Day 3, just to make sure that she would continue to do well. My fear was her having an accident and being really embarrassed. Considering she had only met her teachers once and had never gone to the restroom outside of our house, I wanted to ensure success for her, so with the blessing from her teacher, we stayed home. No accidents on Day 3!

Day 4 came and went with no accidents, and we even ventured out to MOPS! I did put a pull up on her just in case, but it was dry. She did however sprint into the house and go...guess she held it for the 2 hours. :)

On Day 5 she FINALLY went "potty" potty. I was quite concerned with this, but I guess it just took a lot of apple juice, some fiber snacks, and Mommy leaving her with Grand Dan and Janice for the afternoon to get her to go. Since Day 5, all has been normal (in case you were worried).

She has had 2 small accidents since beginning last week, but both have been when she was outside playing in our backyard. I guess she just got to playing and not paying attention. She told us both times when it was a little too late. She will NOT "try" though, so even though I asked her to try before going to play both times, unless she really has to go, she won't.

So there you have it...sorry this has turned into a slightly longer post then I wanted. Bottom line is though, I waited until SHE was ready, not me; I rewarded for TWO things (staying dry and successful potty trips); and despite her being ready, we still had accidents, but after getting through Day 1, we were both less stressed. She does still wear diapers/pull ups at nap time and bedtime. I don't plan on changing that anytime soon. She's still in her crib, so I can't expect her to wake up, have me take her, then put her back down. No way would that work!

I hope this helps some of you who have emailed me saying there was not way you are ready...you don't have to be (I wasn't), but if they are, try it. I'd love to hear how it goes! Good Luck!

mommy cards reminder

2011-09-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Minted's Mommy Card Promotion is still going on, it's not too late to get your's for free!

All you have to do is visit, Minted.com, then you pick your favorite from the over 150 designs. Once you've picked the design that you love, you personalize, and order. Minted will even send you a digital print for free! All you have to do is pay for shipping, its a no brainer in my opinion. Just hurry, you only have until September 23rd!

Here's the link:

25 FREE Mommy Cards

I'd love to see the design you decide on!

make over!

2011-09-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Jenn over at Munchkin Land Designs helped me with my new blog design, and I think she did a fantastic job! My OCD made me a very picky customer, and I'm sure not the easiest of people to work with, but she was as sweet as pie and came up with a design that is exactly what I had in mind!

If you are thinking about re-doing your blog, twitter, etsy page, or even just want a new header, Jenn is your girl! Her prices are great, and her customer service is even better!

Thanks so much Jenn, love it!

more peas please?

2011-09-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

We haven't quite taken to the peas like we have the squash. She's not too sure about them, can you tell by the shudder?! Babies trying baby food is always an adventure and I usually get a chuckle out of it (as well as some food raspberry-ed onto my face as well). Fun times!

Happy Monday!

you never let go of me

2011-09-11T13:45:00.003-04:00

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. ~Psalm 23:4

We sang Matt Redman's song, You Never Let Go of Me in church today, and I think it is the perfect song for our nation today.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

(Chorus:)
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

I pray these words over all of the families of the 9/11 victims as well as the families for all of those lost fighting to keep us safe since 9/11.

We will never forget.

Cooking with Caroline

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't cooked/baked with Caroline since Molly was born, so I figured we were due for some home baked goodies! Publix had BOGO free brownie mixes last week, so that's what we decided on. I got the one with the chocolate frosting, because let's be real, if you're going to make some brownies, just go all out!

Caroline's new thing, regardless of activity, is always to say, "My turn, My turn!" or "Care's turn, Care's turn" {we're in the speaking in 3rd person stage}, so as I was stirring, Caroline quickly got her own spoon and needed to help me stir!

And again, because stirring with Mommy's spoon is no fun, we must stir with the smallest spoon in the kitchen.

There we go! Soooo much easier.

She wanted to so bad, but I didn't let her because of the raw eggs. Mommy on the other hand...

When the oven timer went off to put them in, Caroline yelled, "Oh Mommy, Ready, Set, Go, Go, Go!"

And I had to try one just to see how it tasted before icing them. Don't judge.

Highly recommend the iced brownies!

Even Molly got in on the fun!

1st day of preschool and more!

2011-09-07T12:43:00.002-04:00

Tuesday was a HUGE day at our house! First, Caroline started school today! It was her first day of 2 Day - 2 Year Old Preschool, and we had NO tears from anyone, Mommy included! And secondly, which I'll get to later, we started potty training. I must be crazy!

Let's talk about school first! Caroline was so so SO excited about going to school! She was ready the second she woke up, and got quite frustrated when I told her it wasn't time just yet. Once we got there though, she walked right in, and over a child that was having a not so good morning, up to her teacher to say hello, and then blew me a kiss and waved "Bye Bye Mommy!" She received a great report when I picked her up and then a follow up phone call, letting me know what a pleasure Caroline was and how she was fabulous from the time she got to school to the second I picked her up. Talk about pulling at a Mom's heart strings....love it! I am so proud of her! So now, picture overload!

This is the face I get when I say, "Caroline, look at Mommy!"...where did she learn this?

Of course we had to twirl in our brand new dress.

The three faces of a "Caroline Meltdown" -- too many pictures, too early in the morning, and no more playing with chalk in our new dress before school. Oy!

"Just one picture with Mommy before we leave...please!" {Please excuse the no makeup}

"All ready!" Off we go to "Care's" school!

The only good pictures I got. As you can see, there was no looking back. After stepping over the child that was not having a good morning, she was ready to "check in" by giving her picture to Mrs. Laurel to put in the classroom mailbox. I'm honestly shocked she remembered to do this, I think it was said in passing last week. Guess it's just me she doesn't listen to!

And now back to the second big event...potty training! Caroline woke up from her nap around 330p complaining of her tummy hurting, so I said do you need to go potty? She said yes, so I sat her on her potty and the potty training began. She "tee tee-ed" twice yesterday and went "poops" once. Sorry for all the potty language, but we're all adults here, right?

After her 2 successful trips, we had ALOT of accidents, I mean ALOT. One of my friends explained it to me well...she's never had to "hold it," so she has to learn, and that just takes some time. Even though we had so many accidents, we ended the night dry for an hour before going to bed, and that to me is a success!

I'm hoping for more successes tomorrow, and will then have to decide what to do for Thursday (she's supposed to go to school), and we'll be on house lock down on Friday as well. I figure now that I've started, I can't go back, unless it's all too much for her.

Wish us luck!

molly is 5 months!

2011-09-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Molly is:
*Wearing size 3 diapers during the day and 4 overnights at night.
*Now is size 6 month, 6-9m, 6-12m, and 9 month clothes. I've had to buy a few extra things, b/c most of the clothes I had for these sizes were long sleeve. She's DEFINITELY bigger then C.
*Her two bottom teeth are very visible now, and I believe she's getting a third now as well.
*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm.
*Taking 4 bottles a day, all 8-8.5oz each.
*Eating cereal with fruit in the morning before her nap and eating cereal with veggies before her catnap in the evening.

What Molly's loving these days!:
*Rolling from back to belly. I can't put her down before she's already on her tummy.
*Her feet! Yep, she's discovered them, so she's in a constant crunch, holding them for deal life.
*Licking her feet, then giggling because it tickles.
*Squash (We've tried squash, pears, applesauce, and peas - I have a video of this)
*Her big sissy! She's really started to take notice of Caroline and will laugh at her when Caroline gets in her face, which is most of the time. They have a new game where Molly sits in her exersaucer and Caroline runs around it over and over, this apparently is the funniest thing either of them has ever seen.
*The Exercauser. I think she loves that she isn't in the sitting position anymore. She has just figured out how to turn around in it and look at all of the toys on it. She especially loves the mirrors...she's so vain! ;)

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:
*Her belly laughs
*Her schedule! I can't say it enough, but thanks to Moms On Call, she is on a fabulous schedule and it's predictable. I can figure out my day around her eating and naps, b/c I know when they will start and end. It makes life with 2 much easier and enjoyable!
*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!
*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!
*Her rolls. It's no secret, the girl likes her food, and I am loving the little chunk that she has become.

Both girls at 5 Months!
Definite differences, but their smiles are the same!

callin' the dawgs!

2011-09-03T10:33:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't know, we're quite excited about football season starting!

Go Dawgs!

must reads

2011-09-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner, to share a few of my favorite blogs with you!

This was hard because I have a TON of blogs that I love (my google reader can attest to that), but there are just a couple that I read daily and have been reading for some time now.

In ABC order, here they are!

According to Nina -- LOVE Nina! I came across her blog a few years ago. I loved her style, adorable personality, and fabulous ideas for throwing a party; from tailgate parties to christening and baby showers! She's covered it all. Then, through blogging, we became friends! She has been a huge supporter for my Willow House business and just has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever met!

Blue Eyed Bride -- Through the powers of blogging and twitter, but mainly twitter, Erin has become a really close friend of mine. I started reading Erin's blog when we lived in Greenville and I loved everything about her! We both got pregnant {her with Hudson, me with Caroline} around the same time, and I really became invested since we were going through similar things, and I really didn't know many other girls that were pregnant at that time. THEN we became pregnant with our 2nd children around the same time, and we've been texting daily every since! Ha!

Four B's in a Pod -- Betsy and I have been friends since elementary school! We cheered together in high school, then she rushed me at UGA, and also introduced me to one of my dearest friends Katie! Betsy and I now have children the same age! I really enjoy reading her very honest posts with a few pictures of her adorable boys sprinkled in there. :)

In This Wonderful Life -- I'm sure Megan is on a lot of lists. If you haven't heard Megan and Brent's story, check it out for yourself. I became an avid reader right before Baby Cohen passed away and was beyond thrilled for them when I learn they'd be having twins this summer. Megan has such a sweet spirit and huge heart, you'll love her too!

Pretty in Pink Megan -- Here's another Megan for you! Megan cracks me up with her vlogs and commentary. She's also got a great eye for fashion, I just wish I could wear half of what she blogs about.

The Norris Family -- Amy is a sorority sister of my sister in law, and also the designer of Brownie Goose {fabulous kids clothing that we LOVE in this house!}. Amy is a no holds barge, tell it how it is Momma with southern sass! Her stories about Louisa, her firecracker toddler, will have you laughing out loud!

Tutus and Tantrums -- Katie is hysterical! Katie's husband and Daniel used to work together and we just love their family. I've never met a funnier couple, everything they say makes me laugh! They also have 2 girls, just like us, and have moved around a ton, again, just like us. I wish they'd move back to Atlanta, because they are such a fun family!

Hope you enjoy reading these fabulous ladies' blogs! I've got more listed on my "Daily Reads" blog roll as well!

What are some of your favorites? I love finding new blogs to read!

a few more beach favorites!

2011-09-02T05:30:00.000-04:00

Can you tell where I wish I were going to be for the holiday weekend?!

I found a few more "favorites" when I was looking through all the pictures again, and I couldn't resist posting just a few more shots with the slideshow at the end!

Enjoy!

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Our Little Fish who refused to get out of the water!

Yay Pool Time!

MG enjoyed the water too!

Poor Caroline was stung by a jellyfish (she still has a big red mark that wraps around her ankle).

We put mayo on it, the vinegar in it is supposed to take the sting away. We don't know if it helped or just go her mind off of it. :)

Molly enjoying a little beach time in her stroller.

Let me know if this slideshow doesn't work...it was acting a bit wonky before.

mommy cards from minted!

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

I finally got my Mommy Cards in the mail, and am super excited to start handing them out {especially since school starts next week}!

I picked the "According to Dotty" and changed the format a little bit so that the girls' names are on the card as well. I couldn't be more thrilled with how they turned out, I think they are perfect!

They also came in the cutest little box! Perfect for my purse, or I can just throw a couple in the zip pouch of my Erin Condren planner!

I had a hard time deciding between the "Real Simple" and "Colorful Playtime" though.

I love the grey stripes in this one.

This coordinates with my Erin Condren LP perfectly!

You too can get in on this fabulous offer! All you have to do is visit minted.com, choose from any of their 150 designs, personalize and pay for shipping! This offer runs through September 23rd, so you've still got plenty of time to get your order in! I'd love to know which one you pick!

Get 25 Free Mommy Cards From Minted!

paci fairy continued...

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Days 1 and 2 were perfect in terms of no crying or meltdowns, minimal asking about the "blue pass," just waaaaay better then I ever could've expected.

Days 3 and 4 for naptime were perfect, but at bedtime C began to stall, ask for "1 more book, no 2 more books, 3 more books." I was waiting for the Count to jump out of the closet and say, "ah, ah, ah!" After ALL books were done and prayers were said, she would scream bloody murder, jump up and down enough so the bed would move, and just cause utter chaos. We took turns going in and calming down and eventually she fell asleep.

Day 5 comes and she talks Cappy into laying down with her...sucker! ;) So all is "fine" with nap time that day. Again, bedtime is a disaster.

Day 6 - Day 8 we get the craziness at BOTH naptime and bedtime. I hated, hated disciplining. I hated raising my voice. I hated feeling like a failure because my once easy going child has turned into a difficult child when it comes to sleeping. And I also hated when the screaming fits woke Molly up, shook the house, and frazzled me so much that I just didn't know what to do anymore.

I kept wondering, did we do the right thing? Should we have kept the paci a bit longer? Is this even due to the paci? I pulled out every parenting book I have, scoured the internet, asked friends, and it seemed as though regardless of how small or severe these fits are, most toddlers go through this. Reading and hearing this doesn't make it any easier (especially during a screaming fit), but I was just holding out that "this too shall pass."

Day 9: We decided that after we give hugs, kisses and "I love your", we just have to walk out. It was becoming too much of a power struggle of lay down, when I count to 3, okay 1 more time. Now it's just we love, we'll see you in the morning/after nap time, and leave. At nap time she cried for 2-3 minutes, and at bedtime not even a full 2 minutes.

Day 10: At nap time and at bedtime she cried until I reached the top of the stairs (6 steps from her bedroom door). *This is how Day 11 went as well, so hopefully we are past the meltdowns...for now.

So there is hope for! This past week (Days 3-9) was brutal. I swore I'd done the wrong thing, and gone were the days of easy nap times and bedtimes, but I just stayed consistent, got a few extra pep talks from my friend Erin, and we seem to have broken through! PTL! {Please remind me of all of this at our next crossroads!}

In other news, here a couple of pictures from our weekend!

Caroline can't stand still these days, so I got a moving shot from Doc's 2nd birthday party

MG was there too, chillin' in the stroller!

And enjoying her exersaucer!

paci fairy - day 1 and 2

2011-08-29T06:23:00.000-04:00

I've gotten emails and tweets asking how the paci fairy went, I want to tell our whole story, because I want to help others who may be nervous about giving up the pacifier. So, with that said, I'm going to do 2 parts -- Days 1 & 2 and Days 3 - Now

Over the past couple of weeks, DP and I have been discussing when the appropriate/best time to take away C's paci would be. I mean let's be real, is there ever an easy time? We knew we had to give her some time after Molly joined our family, and she's ONLY allowed to have it when she's in her crib (nap time and bedtime). If she's not sleeping, she doesn't have it. One exception, a long car ride. I'm not talking Atlanta to Athens. More like Atlanta to the beach.

So for our traveling days to and from HHI, we allowed her to have the paci in the car, it kept her calm and relatively quiet, but we both noticed that she wanted it more and more during the day at the beach. While the trip home was fine, no major meltdowns, she fell asleep as we were literally turning on to our street. I tried as best I could to keep her up but to no avail (Mommy Fail!), and then once we were home, that was it. No nap, just fussy Caroline. And with fussy Caroline comes the constant, "blue pass, blue pass" (yes, she still has her blue soothie pacifier from when she came home for the hospital). After an entire afternoon of the fussies, we decided tonight was the night. I figured she was so exhausted that maybe she'd just pass out without realizing they were gone, or cry, then pass out. I got on twitter and pleaded for ideas STAT! After getting the same answer over and over, we decided to try the Paci Fairy.

Here's the gist: (and I know everyone has their own way, there's even a pacifairy.com that has a book, letter, etc, but I need to get this done ASAP so I had to improvise a bit. :) )
Put the pacis in a bag, write a letter to the fairy, leave them for her to come and get at night, she leaves a surprise treat in the morning.

Here's how the Parker's roll...get on the computer, write a quick letter to the paci fairy from C telling Miss PF that she's a big girl now, pacis are for babies and please take her's to babies that need them (used pacis - yuck!), explain to C that she REALLY is a big girl, not a baby like Molly and that it's time for her "blue pass" to go bye bye, Mommy runs up the driveway, shoves a bag of M&Ms and "George Snacks" (Publix Curious George Fruit Snacks) in the mailbox, hands C the bag of pacis and letter to put in the mailbox herself. And what do you know?! There's a treat bag in there!! We do a quick exchange, blow kisses, and proceed to gobble down all the "M-uh-Ms" and George Snacks before we can think about what we've done! Phew!!

So bathtime rolls around, jammie time, book time, and no mention of the pacifier. After prayers, we put her in the bed, told her how brave and wonderful she was, that we loved her and we'd see her in the morning (thanks Moms on Call ;)). She asked once, "blue pass?" to which we responded, you gave them away, you're a big girl now. She nodded and went to sleep. What?! Seriously, no tears, no nothing. Night 1 was a success.

Sunday morning rolls around, and Daniel and I, fully expecting to have a terrible night of night-wakings, were shocked that she hadn't budged all night. When her Mr. Sun light came on, signifying it was time to get up, we both bust in there doing the happy dance! Woo Hoo, what a big girl! So we told her after church we'd take her to target to get a special toy for being so brave! And you know what she said, "Blue Pass Outside"...uh, no the fairy took it.

Church comes and goes, we went to Target and she picked out some great toys. Then came nap time, which I'll be honest I was dreading. I figured she would realize what had been done and have a total meltdown. To my dismay, no meltdown, just a simple "Blue Pass Outside?" "Yes, Care we took them out yesterday and have them to the Paci Fairy, you're a brave girl now." "Okay Daddy"... uh, breaks my heart. But she took a fabulous nap, and we went through the same conversation at bedtime, and same outcome...she slept great! I was shocked, still am, but day 3 is where it gets fun! Ha!

So Day 3 to present is where I'll pick up for my next post. For now though, here are the pictures from our Target Adventure!

Her new/old obsession, Cars! So many choices!

After much debate, she settled on a talking "Whitening Queen" and Mater

Our big girl! She wouldn't pose, so these were all I could get.

And the kicker...a video! Kachow Daddy!

mmm....rice cereal!

2011-08-26T05:30:00.000-04:00

Yep, we've started Rice Cereal! Aren't you jealous?! I mean, who doesn't want rice cereal raspberried into their face and on their clothes! I forgot the mess that it can cause, but boy does this little girl love her some yummy rice cereal! Can't wait to share the video of her first bite of peas! Ha!

Gimme that rice cereal Mommy! {Notice the clean face}

And the mess begins...

"What's with that camera in my face, I'm trying to eat here!"

"We're not really done, are we?"

"Oh I want more!!"

is that a plank in your eye?

2011-08-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7: 3-5

I'm going out on a limb today...I wouldn't normally blog about something so serious, I mean wouldn't you just rather see giggling babies and laughing toddlers, but I feel compelled to share this message with you.

On Sunday, our pastor Andy Stanley, started a new series entitled "Recovery Road". We have so many things going wrong in our country and government these days and instead of dealing with our own "demons" and issues per-se, we would rather call our congressman, yell at the guys on CNN and Fox News, and tell everyone we know "I could do better." We're all guilty of this in some way or another, but that's not where I'm going with this. You can listen to Andy talk about that aspect of the message, he said it far better then I could ever even try.

What I do want to talk about is how Matthew 7: 3-5 pertains to the everyday aspects of our lives. Are there parts of our personal life that are in need of a recovery road? I read lots of mom blogs and have lots of mom friends and there is, as I know so many of you know, a battle going on. Who can mother better? Who's kid is more well behaved? Who has the better life in general? Working Moms vs Stay at Home Moms? The list goes on and on, but really it could all stop if we all just "take the plank out of our own eyes" rather then be worried about everyone else's "speck of dust."

I hate hearing of moms that are bashed and kicked down because other moms don't like what they have to say or disagree with an issue that frankly is none of their concern. I get it, blogs are out there for people to read and comment on, but there's a real person behind that post. A person that is trying their hardest to raise Godly, well rounded children, in this scary world. At the end of the day, isn't that what we are all trying to accomplish? My only guess is that they are attempting to make themselves feel better by pointing out everyone else's flaws. If they were to look in the mirror and change themselves first though, they would see clearly...maybe that "perfect" mom is struggling, maybe everyday isn't a piece of cake; you just can't see it because you're blinded by the log in your own eye.

I've got to work on prying the plank out of my own eye as well, but I'm willing to admit there is one and to start trying to get it out...

Recovery Road Part 1