VBS is a success

This was Miss Morgan's first year for Vacation Bible School (VBS) at our church and since she has never spent much time in the nursery, I was really nervous that she would scream for the entire 3.5 hours that I'm volunteering. Surprisingly, and thankfully, she has done wonderfully well with Ms. Nancy and Ms. Carrie. She has played, ridden in the Bye-Bye-Buggy (cutest thing ever!!), made new friends, and eaten very well every day this week. While I love my sweet baby more than my next breath, it is a real blessing that she will happily stay with other people. But there's nothing like picking her up at the end of the day and seeing that giant smile that's all for me!



See you soon!!

Happy Father's Day!!

I am so blessed to have been able to spend today with my wonderfully sweet Daddy and the most awesome father of my children!!


Yesterday, we were going to take Chris on a picnic and hike at Ozone Falls, a place we've never been about 1.5 hours away near Crossville. Well, the forecast called for rain, but I was hopeful that it would hold off, so off we went on our little adventure. We were almost to our exit when the skies opened up. It was a terrible storm, with lightning zizzing this way & that and terrible claps of thunder. Since it looked like it wasn't going to let up any time soon, we turned around and headed home. Luckily (?), there was a gun store that Chris likes out there in the middle of nowhere, so we spend some time there, waiting for the storm to pass. The kids had a blast! Morgan got to play briefly with a very tiny kitten, whose face she grabbed, abruptly ending their play time! Bailey also played with the kittens and ate mightily from the jar of Mike & Ike that was on the counter. After the rain stopped, we headed on home and spread out a quilt and our picnic lunch on the living room floor! When life gives you lemons . . . We had gotten Chick-Fil-A chicken strips, which are by far the best in town, and also ate the pimento cheese and pasta salad I made. The pasta salad was delicious!! I omitted the spinach and added tomatoes, fresh basil, grilled chicken, and bacon to the mix. I've never made a pasta salad with a creamy dressing before, but it was fantastic, and the smoked mozzarella added a wonderful flavor.

Today, we met Mom & Daddy at Shoney's for their yummy breakfast bar. It's one of Daddy's favorites! Morgan ate a French toast stick for the first time and Daddy fed her her first grits! She was uncertain about the first bite, ate a few more, and then decided those particular grits weren't for her! We really enjoyed our meal and our time together and are so very grateful to have such special men in our lives!

See you soon!!

Summer Update!

Unfortunately, when I devote my time to updating one blog, I neglect the other one! And since I've been doing some papercrafting, the kids' blog has suffered! Not that we've just been laying around this summer! No, sirree! We've been busy! This week, Bailey is going to Forensics Camp at UT to learn the ins and outs of all the lab stuff we see on NCIS! Yesterday, she learned about fingerprinting, lip printing, and DNA. On Wednesday, Dr. Bill Bass of Body Farm fame spoke to her group. So cool! I want to go to summer camp!!



Morgan had her 9-month pictures made on Wednesday while Bailey was at camp. Can you believe she's almost 9-months-old? She crawls around all day looking for new adventures and she is FAST! She's also standing for a few seconds without help. One day, she's going to walk across the living room and we will be in for some REAL excitement! And she will eat just about anything you present! Even though she doesn't have any teeth yet, she is still able to eat most soft and semi-soft foods, even table foods. It is so much fun to watch her eat and try new things. She's also getting some more hair, especially on the back of her head where there once was none! She's just the sweetest thing and we are so blessed to have two beautiful girls!




See you soon!!

First Day of Summer Vacay

Not surprisingly, Bailey woke up at the crack of 7 last Thursday, which wasn't a big deal because Morgan was already up, too. That doesn't bode especially well for the summer, but I digress . . . Bailey has been clamoring to go swimming since the temps hit the 80s a few weeks ago, but my parents just recently opened their pool, so we got an early start today, hoping to swim before the storms rolled in. Unfortunately, I didn't walk outside to check the temperature before we left so when we got to my parents' house, we were surprised that is was so breezy! Bailey was undaunted, but Morgan stayed bundled in a towel for most of the morning. The sun made an oh-so-brief appearance, just enough to tease us, and we finally packed it in, hoping for a warmer day in the not-too-distant future. Luckily, we were there long enough to snap a few pics . . .

See you soon!!

Summer Preview

A couple of summers ago, Bailey and I kept the road hot once school let out, starting with a movie after school on that last half-day. We went everywhere and I chronicled our almost-daily activities in a Facebook photo album. We had a great summer, but it was a grueling pace some days. Then, there was last summer, when I was terribly pregnant and it was 100 degrees every day. We didn't even go to the pool much because the water was warm and it was nearly impossible to breathe in that heat. We stayed home in the air conditioning for weeks. Of those two, polar-opposite summers, I admit that it's the busy one that I liked better. So, on Saturday, since Chris was working all day, I decided to do a trial run to see how much activity I could stand in one day! We got ready fairly early and left by about 9:45 a.m. to go to the Children's Festival of Reading at the World's Fair Site. We walked around for a bit, but Bailey really had her eye on the GIANT fountains at one end of the park. She had packed all of her gear on her own, so I could hardly refuse. Morgan & I watched from a bench while Bailey played in the water. We did great! And by "we," I mean Morgan! Then, Bailey wanted to go to the playground that's adjacent to the fountains. So, Morgan & I found a shady spot under a tree, had a snack and a drink and waited for Bailey to run off some energy. All the while, Morgan was very cooperative. After Part I of our adventure, Bailey wanted to sneak in a quick trip to the Sunsphere, which was nearby. An unexpected stop, but I was up for it, so off we went. Morgan was less than enthusiastic, so while Bailey looked around the observation deck, I sat in a corner and fed her. Worked out perfectly! After THAT, we headed to the Market Square Farmers Market. Sadly, our favorite bakery had already sold out of cookies and bread, but we had fun walking around, sipping strawberry smoothies. It was a semi-long, hot day, and I SURVIVED, happily with a good attitude. I think that bodes very well for this summer. A girl can hope . . .

See you soon!

Tutu Photo Shoot

One of about 150 photos I took today of Miss Morgan in her new tutu in the front yard. I'm so glad the tall grass is good for something . . .

See you soon!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! We actually made it to Sunday School AND church and my parents met us for the worship service. It was a beautiful day! After church, we all came back to our house for brunch, which turned out fairly well. Bakes grits, coconut bread, and caramel cake were yummy!! Ham & cheese strata, not so much! At least in my opinion, but everyone else liked it, so we'll call that a semi-win!

And I loved bringing out all the beautiful old wedding gifts that I don't get to use nearly often enough - the china, the crystal, the "pretties!" There are few things better than a lovely brunch!

See you soon!!