Fun in the sun...

Our day today was much of the same...beach, pool, lunch, nap and out to dinner. Our kind of vacation day.

a J afternoon...

This afternoon we took J to a place called THE TRACK. MG stayed with Grammy at the condo and we went out on a "date" with our little man. We have not been able to do anything like that since MG arrived.

The place was deserted upon first glance. We were certain they were closed...not a soul in sight. I found two guys in Hawaiian shirts (who I later learned were employees) and they pointed us in the right direction. I am not kidding when I say there were TWO other families in this entire park. No waiting in lines for us today!

The three of us had a great time doing big boy stuff: riding go carts, a kiddy ferris wheel, a kiddy train, bumper boats, an airplane ride and arcade games. The Ferris Wheel was a little too loud and he made sure Hawaiian shirt boy knew it. J screamed at him the entire ride..."I want to get off, it's TOOOOOOOOOO LOUD". repeat. repeat. repeat. He finally got the picture and let him off. We topped off the afternoon with a good ole game of miniature golf. Daddy tried to work on J's form but gave up after a little protest. 4.5 year olds don't need any help, ya know? We didn't keep score but we're certain J won. ;-)

We were headed for ice cream to complete our "date" when we found J fast asleep in his car seat. It was late afternoon so we let him power nap and headed home to pick up Grammy and MG. Then it was off again for an all-American dinner at a cute little place called Pickles in Seaside. Little man thought that name was toooo funny. Pickles. Can't you just hear him saying that in his silly voice followed by that crazy 4 yr old laughter? Good times, my friends, good times!

a MG morning...

MG's favorite trick today was kicking her legs up and splashing them down in the water. She thought that was sooo funny! Grammy was a good sport and humored her longer than I could.


Hey Daddy, this stuff on my fingers is sand. Have you ever put sand in YOUR mouth? It's interesting. Here, try some...MG wasn't interested in having her picture made with Grammy. That grouchy face is usually accompanied by a loud whiny voice. She had had enough of the sun and sand for one morning but I took the picture anyway.

Beach Portrait day...

This evening we had beach portraits taken by Camera Shy Photography. We received the proofs before we headed home and they turned out great. J was BUSY as ever. I am surprised she captured one image with him looking at the camera. I have asked her permission to post a few watermarked images here. When I hear back from her I'll let you know.

Favorites from our first day...

Beach babies...

Clueless weather man scenario...

Never listen to the Weather Channel. They get everyone all worked up for nothing. It was only a tropical depression and passed through while we were on the road this morning. The weather is fine. We drove through intermittent rain showers on the way down. The ocean is rough but the sky is blue. More importantly my toes are in the sand. Hooray!

Got ocean?

We've been counting the days, marking them off one by one, and the day has FINALLY come! VACATION!We're headed here...to do this...and this...and this...

The National Weather Service says we're headed for this...
but we're going with the "clueless weather man" scenario and hoping for the best. Don't worry, my aspiring meteorologist husband will be watching this...for frequent weather updates. (I can hear the chuckles from those of you who know that story).

It's only a Tropical Storm right? No big deal, RIGHT? Should we let a little Tropical Storm deter us from our long awaited trip? Shall I tell my 4 year old that our vacation has been delayed, or worse, CANCELED? Should we reschedule for next year? Ummmm...NO...not going to happen. The NWS says the worst should be gone by Tuesday. I hope they are right because sand is needed between my toes...ASAP!

We're leaving at 6 AM. Have a great week my friends.

Public Service Announcement...

Have you ever wondered what might happen to an aluminum foil wrapped breakfast cookie after 2.5 SECONDS in the microwave? Well, I never have but guess what...Cookie on the left is what the package looked like BEFORE. Cookie on the right is what a little microwaving will do. Heh.
You see, I was in a hurry this morning getting ready for church. We were running behind (as usual) and I pulled one of Daddy's breakfast snacks from the box, opened the end and popped it in the microwave. Literally ONE SECOND later it sounded like there was a bomb going off. Sparks were flying, I was screaming, it was like SLOW-MOTION reaching for the handle. I jerked the microwave door open and a little trail of black smoke was rising from the package. Hmmm...what in the world just happened? Well, well, well, my friends, perhaps I need to have a little chat with the marketing team at Quaker Oats. Hey, here's a suggestion from one who now has the t-shirt...could you make your packaging a little more unique to each product. Maybe you could make the boxes a different color and make the word MICROWAVABLE a little LARGER!!!!!!!!!! As you can see, I grabbed the NON-MICROWAVEABLE breakfast bar on the left instead of the Oatmeal ON-THE-GO bar on the right! Do you think if I sent them a link to our blog they might see where I'm coming from?

Silly hair...

What happens when Daddy gets me ready for bed and forgets to take my pony tail out? Don't I look silly?And I couldn't speak of hair without noting J's new haircut. Isn't he the most handsome?


Can you tell that is one of MG's favorite dresses? Thanks Molly!

Guess who's getting married?

Yep, it's ANDREA! Tonight, after I drove Courtney home from Deeper Still, I headed straight to Andrea and Neil's engagement party. Andrea is one of my best friends from my high school days. We have been hoping and praying for this day for a LONG time and we could not be happier for them. We think Neil is a really great guy. In our 14 years of friendship, I have never seen her happier. There are two penguin suits and a STRAPLESS bridesmaids dress in our near future. Three of the four Wombles are in the wedding. I have only worn one other strapless ANYTHING in public and that was in the wedding of my other high school friend April. Oh, the things we will do for our friends. :-) Oh, and just to clarify, MG was not left out. She is a guest simply because I convinced the Bride that two 18 month olds in a wagon pulled by my soon to be 5 year old might not be a great idea. Amy (fellow wedding party friend and Mommy of 18 month old #2) and I were happy about that. :-) With the engagement party behind us, let the countdown begin. December 1st marks the beginning of a lifetime of happiness for one of my most precious friends. Congratulations "Andee" and "Meester Neil". We love you!

Deeper Still...

WOW, what a blessing! There really are no adequate words to describe the past two days. Courtney and I, along with 26,000 ladies from all over the US and abroad, had the privilege of attending Deeper Still. For those who are not familiar, Deeper Still is a womens conference featuring three of the most well loved and respected female Bible teachers of our day.
From L to R: Beth Moore (my absolute FAVORITE Bible teacher of all time), 73 yr old beauty Kay Arthur (her name speaks for itself) and Priscilla Shirer (not only a woman of God but a Mommy with small children wading through every day life just like me...who also happens to be wearing a REALLY great jacket)

These three women shared their faith, their hearts and their sincere desire for every woman to go "deeper still" in God's word. We talked about who we are and Who's we are. We talked about having a relationship instead of a religion. We talked about how differently we might live life if we reminded ourselves that God is always there, always "in your face" so to speak. We talked about motherhood, marriage, everyday life and so much more. We laughed until we cried and we cried until we laughed. It was EXACTLY what I needed in so many ways. I returned home to my family 30 hours later with a renewed spirit and appreciation for the life that I have been given. This weekend was a blessing to my heart and I hope what I took away will be obvious to those of you who know and love me (and to those of you who know me and love me anyway).

Little Miss loves Italian...

Our Brave Little Man goes Back to School...

We've been counting the days for the past month, crossing them off one by one until September 5th finally arrived. Two weeks ago we met his new teacher and future classmates at St. M's Preschool Open House and he's been talking about them ever since. He was up bright and early this morning. He wanted to go back to "Ms. Kara's school" so it took a little coaxing to get him to agree to go back to St. M's.J. was gifted a beautiful book by his friends Kenzie, Braden and Kylie in honor of his first day of school. It is called The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. It is a precious book about the first day of school and the many fears Chester Raccoon is feeling. Chester's Mommy gives him a big kiss in his left hand and it serves as his reminder that no matter where he is, his Mommy loves him. When he feels scared or sad he can look at his kiss and be reminded of her love. Chester Raccoon then gives his Mommy a kiss in her left hand and tells her the same. Yes, quite the tearjerker for those of us who are Moms. So, we read the book Tuesday night and this morning before his first day. We put the sticker on his left hand and off to school we went.When we arrived at St. M's this was our conversation...

J: Mommy, I don't need my sticker anymore because I am brave
M: Yes, buddy, you are SO brave and you are going to have such a fantastic first day of school... (blah blah...insert encouraging Mommy talk here)
J: Here Mommy, you take MY sticker and wear it
M: Are you sure J.?
J: Yes, you put it right here (sticking it on my arm) and when you miss me you can remember that J. loves you
M: Thank you J. (holding back the shower of happy tears)
J: Don't lose it Mommy, OK?
M: I won't Buddy, I promise

I put on MY brave Mommy face and held back the tears as I walked our little man to his classroom. The first time he was admitted to Children's Hospital at seven weeks old, his night shift nurse told me her story of how every night before bed she told her son "you are brave and you are loved". Her words really stuck with me. From that night forward I have told him "You are strong and sweet and smart and brave and Mommy loves you!" Today he proved just how strong and brave he really is. It is moments like this that I am overwhelmed by the privilege of being his Mother.
Here is the annual first day of school photo op with his new teacher. I am happy to report he had a FANTASTIC first day. Hopefully, there are many many MANY more to come.

OAMC...

Once a Month Cooking...sounds like a great idea huh? IT IS! IT REALLY, REALLY IS! My friend Courtney and I have taken on this adventure and we couldn't be happier with the results. Many of you have asked questions so I thought I would share a little info about it. The theory in a nutshell is to cook for a day, eat for a month (or two). Think about it, how many times a month do we do the same things over and over: boil chicken for casseroles, prepare chicken for the grill, chop onions, fry ground beef for spaghetti or tacos, etc.? We all do the same things over and over and over again. Well, OAMC condenses all of your repetitive kitchen behaviors. We decide upon recipes we think both of our families will eat and then double them. One for us and one for them. Sounds like a great plan, right? OAMC helps me stay organized and prepared for that infamous question...What's for dinner?

Today was the big day! I hit the floor running at 6:45 AM (The kids slept late :-). I officially began my cooking day at...(it was J's Saturday to sleep in so I didn't get started until he got up).

I had my large list of ingredients on hand and a large bottle of...12 hours later this was my bottle...and THIS was my freezer...Finally to bed nearly 12 hours later...Once we swap on Wednesday, we each will have 20 different meals. Here is our September-October menu...

Poppyseed Chicken x 2
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole x 2
Chicken and Spinach Manicotti
Chicken Pot Pie
Creamy Chicken and Rice
Chicken and Potato Casserole
Nacho Cheese Chicken (courtesy of my good friend Paula Deen)
Lasagna x 2
Baked Spaghetti x 2
Sloppy Joes
Taco Soup
Baked Enchilada Casserole (P. Deen)
Goulash
Layered Meatball Casserole (P. Deen)
Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

We made 10 meals each. This month I was chicken and she was the beef. ha. the beef. Sorry Court. We rate the recipes from 1-5 to decide which are keepers and which are LOSERS. Over the next two months we will eat these OAMC meals along with grilling, Wednesday night church meals, a few eating out nights and simple supper nights. The good news: all of the labor intensive meals are done and I am free to spend that time with my family instead of cooking and cleaning my kitchen. The time and MONEY we are saving is well worth the 12 hours of hard work. Can't wait to start taste testing...