The Beach and a Frog Potty

Well, this was one of those spontaneous we were going to Branson to have a break from the little ones but then watched the weather and decided it was only 2 more hours (in the other direction) to the beach and of course there's no way they would miss out on that kinda fun...and there we were at midnight getting checked in with babes crying...but little miss knew that the next morning would bring great fun because she loves to play at the beach!!! I definitely caught myself in one of those "Life is Good" moments, while I hit the boardwalk on the way to squish my feet in the sand.



Little man found a puddle and had a heyday!!





Back to reality, lil miss had a valentines day party at school. They got to put their own icing on their cookies and sprinkles too. You can't go wrong with that idea!





Little man began his maiden voyage into potty training today. So he got to pick out his very own potty chair (okay ,so I researched it a bit and steered the shopping cart in its direction and we drove 20 extra miles just to go to the store that had one in stock) but for all he knows today he chose this frog potty and he likes it!!!




Oh,and of course the almighty MM's as he calls them to help motivate the process.




Had to add a couple of clips of the children's joy!

Ahoy, a birthday party where the dad's cracked a smile is always worth it!!
The Homebuilders Pirates!



Little miss decided to be the fairy godmother instead of a princess at this party.




Little man is not sure about being a pirate yet.




Gimmie that paci... it won't be long before it's gone. Sweet boy!




How he is the happiest!! Choo choo.




Welcoming a little one to the fold. The love of God wraps His arms around this precious soul.

dialogue

I don't normally post these funny little conversations but sometimes you just can't help but be humored by a 3 year olds wisdom.

jma "Mom please can we go to a restronk"

me "We don't have any money to go , sorry"

jma "But mom I really wanna go to Chucky Cheese, please"

me " Well, where are we going to get the money?"

jma "Oh,mom that's easy just go up to the drive up bank and they will give us some"

me(thinking to myself...the sweet joys of being 3)

And a link to the right is a family to keep in your prayers...According to their doctors , their baby wasn't supposed to be able to survive out of the womb and he is still here with them...please add them to your prayer list.

My BFF's baby shower was so much fun. Her bump is really growing and yes I meant to crop her face out of the pic.



My wonderful SIL and I made these cookies (thanks to Stephanie for her awesome onesie cookie cutter). We used a book called Creative Cookies by Toba Garrett.
The icing took about 8+ hours to dry but the icing was really shiny. YUM!



Here's the cake we made going on a bluebird/storkish theme since my BFF wants to believe that's how the baby is delivered. I wish!



Snowy day today. No dance, no 2 yr DR visit, just snowy and hot chocolate! Think we'll make some cookies too. Below little man dabbles with the snow.

The party

Here is our little train enthusiast waiting for his family to arrive.
A look of longing and excitement...



TWO



After lunch came his favorite part... "cake cake cake!" he kept exclaiming. YUM!




Sister loves to help.




Jodi and Steven made an awesome funfetti train cake along with some delicious chocolate mold candies in the shape of trains...they are also responsible for the giant train balloon pictures above and much much more.




We also made a cake in the shape of a train and it was really fun decorating the train cars.



I feel so blessed tonight as these little ones sleep to have such special family and friends that are supportive and love us so well! A few pictured below, the rest held tight in our hearts. We have nearly made it to the end of a long road with many exciting journeys ahead. As duck season draws to a close (ie- only one more night here doing the parent thing alone) that is until turkey time. And with no heat since Friday...it is amazing how love can make me feel so warm inside!

Two

Yesterday, daddy woke the little man up before he headed out to give him a present he had handmade for him--an airplane. He loves it!




Later on his big day... We celebrated with some yummy chocolate cupcakes that little miss and mom made. This picture is right after he got his candles blown out.




He enjoyed them! I don't know how he could breathe with cake all up his nose though!





Then, he and sis played outside and made mudpies and mud bird food. They couldn't understand why the birds wouldn't come down to eat their food when they called them.




And a good ending to the birthday...bubbles and all.
Happy 2nd Birthday little man!
Soon to come his family party...and the most wonderful part is that he doesn't ask for anything at this age except to eat and for lovin' --that's the best!

Choo Choo & Turnin' 2

Well, this year it has been easy to decide on a theme for the little man's big day. Now it just comes down to turning the house into a train station...



All aboard!! He can play like this for a long time. It is so sweet to watch.



Big hugs - big loves!

Those birthdays are a great reason for chocolate cake! I thought the magic relighting candles would be fun, but they had quite a smoke out effect-luckily we didn't set off any smoke detectors.




Anyone else have the 'Elf on the Shelf' this year??? Lil miss named hers Kennycackle and he was a hit for sure! See him hiding up in the tree-thanks Hope.




Little man got what he wanted.




So,did little miss...
and so did we ~ a great time with our family!

To all our friends and family near and far... Happy Christmas.




This is the kind of fun the little ones had with dad while I was out of town. YUM! (Marshmellows on a stick coated in peanut butter and chocolate.)




Lil miss had a busy week. This pic is of her in her Christmas program at preschool. The same day she also had her first dance recital. It was very sweet. I will try to post that video sometime. She loves to perform and rarely has a shy moment. Last year she asked Santa for a pink guitar and this year it is a violin.



Today was unseasonably warm and so we went to the zoo. This lil man is really talking a lot these days. He carried on a whole conversation with the giraffes. And to say that he still loves trains is an understatement. I am in such disbelief that he is nearly two.

At home

Well, here I am at my dad's for a few days and found some great ole memory lane photos in his computer that made me smile.




This is my lil gran playing put put put on a tractor...She is now 91 and we are so blessed to have her here.





That first born, falling in love moment. My little miss!




My lil mister-how he has grown since this...how I wish we were there tonight watching the moon glisten over the ocean waves.



Giggling and chasing her shadow...
Pictures are so precious.

Family and fun

The lil ones were very happy to see their special aunt and uncle come for a visit. We had so much fun especially jumping on their blow up mattress and playing games at Chucky Cheese. We adults liked playing board games and spending some real quality time together! We also had fun baking gingerbread cookies in the shape of men, deer, sticks, circles and even made some chocolate chip cookies as well. Yumm--the holidays are a great time!




The little miss and I went to see the Nutcracker at the Orpheum on a girl night with Grandma D and my BF. This is a pic of her looking up at the ornate ceiling. We sat right up front and it was a heartwarming just watching the expressions on her face as she took it all in.




Here we are lovin' being mom and daughter!




This is at dinner before the Nutcracker when she spontaneously found a spot to dance for everyone in the restaurant. Our firecracker! :)