Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Bucs for Life

Memorial Day Weekend consisted of a road trip to Mississippi with 2 other couples from high school for a lake weekend. We enjoyed dinner out, sleeping in, yummy food, boat rides, lake floating, cocktails, games, and lots of laughs!


We ended it with more high school friends with a cookout and movie in the yard night! 
(plus a neighborhood Memorial day party!)



So thankful for lifelong friendships that everyone continues to pour into. 

Monday, May 22, 2017

That's A Wrap

And just like that, Maggie's first year and Mae's 3rd year of MDO is over! I can not believe it! We had a great year! We loved our teachers, our school, our friends, and learning! I will cherish the HUGE box of art I have collected (will be framing some soon for the playroom) and the teacher in me is so proud to see my girls as "students".

First day and last week: 


Maggie's Wednesday Teachers: Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Jessica


Mae's Wednesday's teachers: Mrs. Shannon and Mrs. Jodie


Maggie's Monday teachers: Mrs. Shelley and Mrs. Karen


Sadly, I didnt get a picture with Mae and her Monday teachers but they were amazing like the rest! LOVE our school! Thank you sweet teachers for investing in my girls, loving them, and teaching them so much!

Boom!

And just like that, my baby is potty trained.

I waited until a weekend that we would be home for a few days, school was out, and my mom could help. I couldn't find one. So I backed out last minute sadly to a weekend with my hubby and some friends to go to Memphis for the Chainsmokers concert and the BBQ-fest. I sent Ryan with a college bestie, and enjoyed a girls weekend with my mom and girls.

Day 1:
We started off reading "The Potty Book", put on new big girl panties, discussed the process, and encouraged with Jelly Beans. She went immediately on the potty. She had way more successes than accidents on that first day. 12 to be exact and 3 accidents. She was so proud and so was I. I dreaded this, because with Mae I was on pins and needles. I think I was more calm this time, because it was not my first rodeo, and she nailed it. I can't get over her in her big girl panties.




Day 2:
No accidents. We skipped church just to follow the "3 day potty training rule". But by dinner time, she had done such a great job, and Mama was stir crazy, that we went out to eat. She went on the potty while we were gone and we celebrated with ice cream and the park. I am so proud of my girl!




Day 3:
Today. No accidents and we even ventured to Costco. She gets so mad when I make her wear a pull-up for nap time and bed time but she still has not conquered that. I think she will soon though, based on how well this is going! Yay Maggie GIRL! I will always remember the two potty songs we sing and how exciting this has been for you! AND ME! PROUD Mama HEN!

Thursday, May 18, 2017

2 Little Fish

Swim lessons are in full force around here! Thankfully, we found someone who will come to our neighborhood pool for lessons. BB graciously is treating us to our lessons again this year, and we are so thankful! She has a pool in her backyard so she sees the importance, and so do I!

Mae is LOVING lessons and is doing great! She is still a little timid, but each day she grows more and more confident. I have to drag her out of the water to come home each time!







I had not planned on putting Maggie in lessons this year, and was going to wait until she is 3. The swim instructor brought an assistant so we decided to let Maggie try! She did great the first day, good the second, and only lasted 5 minutes the 3rd. But I do credit that to her not feeling great. I am so proud of her for trying to and doing so well!






We are halfway through lessons, and fill finish them up next week! Thank you BB for making sure our girlies are ready for the summer!

Monday, May 15, 2017

Mother's Day 2017

We had a great Mother's Day weekend. Mae's sweet teachers invited us for a "Parent Party" for Mother's and Father's Day. They served muffins for moms and doughnuts for dads. The students sang songs, recited bible verses, and gave us gifts. It was super special.



PS. I have maybe made spaghetti 5 times in her life. IF that...


This is Mae's sweet group of friends from school that we also go to church with. Love their hearts, and their parents!



My brother and I took my mom to a Mother's Day lunch on Tuesday, because she went to Florida to see her mother for the weekend. Ryan built her a flower box for her dining room table and the girls and I were in charge of filling it!






We celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday. I woke up to beautiful flowers and a card. We went to our traditional Saturday morning breakfast, and then headed to Farmhouse + Family in Alabaster, I place I have been wanting to try for awhile. It is a minor scale of Magnolia Market in Waco. I found a great piece for my dining room. We then ventured on to Lowe's and bought wood and flowers for Ryan to build me a window box for our house. It is still in the process, but I can not wait until it is done!

We enjoyed a family day at home playing and after naps went to the pool. Sunday, we enjoyed church with Ryan's parents and grandmother and then a yummy lunch afterwards. We got Ryan's grandmother and aunt flowers, and Ryan made a gorgeous white washed flower box for his mom. I also gifted her a book that our friends sister just published! Sadly, I didn't get any pictures because I was at my friend Molly's baby dedication! Sweet Grayson was dedicated back to the Lord!

We did spend Friday with Ryan's mom at the zoo. She treated us to pizza afterwards and we napped at her house to seal the day!




Spending time with my family makes the best Mother's day weekend, but also is our weekend every weekend, which is why life is my favorite!

Friday, May 5, 2017

Progress!

My big girl is a big girl in so many ways. She potty trained early, obeys so sweetly, is my rule follower, loves to learn and picks up on things so quickly. One thing we still have struggled with is finger sucking. She has sucked her two little fingers since she was a baby. I have always thought it was the cutest thing, and I was so proud we did not have to fool with pacifiers (losing them, night time paci-plucking, getting rid of them, etc.). But then I realized that we were in trouble. I could not take away her fingers! I thought she would grow out of it and she had some by only doing it when she was tired or in the car, watching a show on tv or in an uncomfortable situation.

With the support of both dentists she has seen in Charlotte and B'ham, but pediatricians, and some family support we started to tackle it. We gave her incentives, we told her babies sucked their fingers and she is a big girl. We refused painting her finger nails because we told her she would suck off the paint. We explained how Maggie can cause she is still the baby in the house but Mae is the BIG girl! We tried putting band-aids on her fingers. We told her we would go get a REAL manicure and the Easter bunny would bring nail polish for her finger nails (we have always painted her toes). We explained that everytime she put her fingers in her mouth she was bringing in yucky germs from school, outside, and would get sick and have to maybe go to the doctor...all to no permanant avail.

So finally, I bit the bullet, and Ryan and I decided together it was our last resort...we bought the nasty Mevela you paint on her fingers that taste bitter and sour and went with it. We told her when she stopped we were headed to get her nails done! BB offered, my mom offered, I offered, and our neighbor even offered (two sets!). Everyone was on board for the most part.

She was so excited until the first time she put her fingers in her mouth out of habit once moreing watching a cartoon and I could hear her gagging from the other room. She learned quickly. We used that stuff for a week or so until some little 2 year old dropped the GLASS bottle. We thought Mae learned how to kick her habit so we just kept encouraging her and telling her Jesus can see her all the time and loves when he sees her like a big girl. Since then we have caught her a few times before nap, but we STILL explain no sucking fingers and remind her. It seriously is just a habit and she has done it for 4 years she just needed a little guidance. I bit the bullet and bought MORE of the stuff (so dang expensive!) and we are not back on track! She is SO proud she isnt sucking them and I can tell when we are in the car and she normally would suck them, that she is so proud to say "look mommy I am not sucking my fingers! Jesus is so proud of me!" yes baby, and so it mommy!

So to celebrate, BB won the manicure day, and we had a fun girls day of lunch, park, and mani-pedi's! Thanks BB for helping support our little habit breaker!


Maggie snuck in on the action. She is next when she turns 3...my little thumb sucker!










Thursday, May 4, 2017

Big Girl Bed x2

When I came home from the beach, we had plans to take down Maggie's crib and go with her big girl bed. My original plan was to keep her in her crib for forever and seriously not take her out of it for at least another year, because she is my baby, I didn't want her to escape and feared she would, and didn't think she was quite 'ready'. Well, after our spring break trip to Charlotte, she slept in a toddler bed air mattress and never once left it after I put her to sleep for naps or nighttime, so I knew she was ready. I told her to yell "mommy" when she was awake and she did just that. Well, she yelled "mom!", and I keep reminding her I am not her mom, I am her mommy! Cue the mama tears. 

From crib: 



To big girl bed:








No going back! She did fabulous! I am giving her crib to a neighbor this weekend and the pack and play with to a sorority sister! She has now conquered big girl beds at BB and Bups and K-Pa and Nonnas. SO so proud of my big girl!


Bunny Hop 2017

I had a much needed girls weekend away, while Ryan held down the fort. I was FINALLY able to attend my best friend's memorial race in honor of her sweet Daughter who had passed away tragically 4 years ago. It was a weekend of remembrance, tears, laughs, sleep, food, and MUCH needed relaxation!

4 of the girls rode together Friday around lunch time with a loaded down car, magazines, and said our goodbyes to our hubbies and kiddos. Amy greeted us with monogrammed towels and a bottle of wine for each of us! We headed to the hot-tub as the pool was a little chilly late in the afternoon.


We had a great night with Amy's family and the rest of the girls who joined us with a shrimp boil and enjoying each others company!





We got the shirts read for the race and hit the bed. 



The next morning we were up early for the 3.2 mile race down at the Wharf. Amy did a great job with her speech and prayer. She always is so well composed and I truly have looked up to her in the way she has carried herself through this nightmare. It was an honor to run and support the Ann Reese Memorial scholarship and donate toys to the hospital where she passed away.



 

 


After the race we headed for a yummy brunch and then hit the pool the rest of the day with the view of the ocean! It was a dream!


It was exactly what Amy needed, and in return was exactly what this mommy needed. Special shout out to Ryan for keeping the kids by himself, running the entire neighborhood Easter Egg hunt I was in charge of and  threw on him at the last minute, took the girls to a birthday party, tackled the grocery store, cooked out, and finished with church on Sunday. Man he is a stud! I am forever grateful.