The Countdown is On!

The big day is quickly arriving! 

The excitement around here is

contagious! 

 

Hurry Up Thursday!

Crazy for Carving

I again say a statement I find myself saying so many times… I am not sure who was more excited about this evening pumpkin carving…Bubba or the kids!  Regardless of what answer is actually correct, the truth of the matter is , everyone enjoyed the fun!

Bubba worked hard to plan out the scariest pumpkin that he could design!  Per Charlie’s request, our pumpkin was to be scary not silly! 

But what is more than fun “pumpkin brains”!?  All the kids took turns scooping out pumpkin brains before the carving began!

 

When I look back on this night, I know I will remember Ben.  The only word the child said for the 30 minutes pumpkin brain scooping session was “Ewwwww”.  No kidding.  He would leave the fun and still be saying “Ewwwww”.  It was his favorite word of the night! Therefore, in pretty much every picture, his mouth is saying “Ewwww”. 

 

 

 

And finally, our little pumpkin was completed!

 

 

With excitement in our every step, we headed straight for the porch to test our pumpkin!

Happy Halloween from our crazy zoo!

The PERFECT Gift

If Ben could write this blog, I know for certain he would 100% agree with this title!  A big thanks to RahRah for giving Ben the most perfect gift! 

Because ladies and gentlemen, what could be better than a Light Up Elmo?!?!?

The kid is totally and completely in love with his new Christmas decor!

He lugs Elmo.  He hugs Elmo.  He kisses Elmo.  He couldn’t be happier! 

I do wonder how Bess’ light up Baby Jesus will feel about having Elmo by his manger’s side! 

Now if only we could find a light up Spiderman and Cinderella, this house would be S.E.T.!!!

 

Oh how I love these little moments.  I know one day he will be embarassed by Elmo but I love that his world lights up when he hears that infamous voice!

Light Up Elmo, welcome to the family! 

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!!!

The trip was planned months ago but this weekend we were finally able to let the cat out of the bag! 

Mickey Mouse… here we come!!!

Sunday was a day I had been so excited about!  I have been thinking (and pinning) all the precious things that are out there for a Disney trip!  And this morning, the big secret was revealed and the kids are finally in the know!

Mickey planned a special breakfast for our soon to be travelers!  Complete with bacon, eggs, biscuits , Mickey Mouse pancakes and even Donald Duck juice! 

The Chef did a fantastic job preparing this fantastic meal! 

  

At first, this group of cousins was a bit slow picking up on the fact that Mickey Mouse was on their plate.  They needed a little prompting! 

Thankfully, Mickey had left a letter for them to read!

So after a little help in understanding what exactly was going on… this was a happy crew!

With bellies full and spirits high, this group headed outside to see what Mickey had sent them in the mailbox.  Just like they do at school, Charlie let the girls know to get in line behind him!   (Leave it to Wylie to always pose for a picture!)

And off the headed!

 

Anxious to see what Mickey had left!

And even though Christmas is a bit away, this crew got their first of many treats from Mickey!  New “decorations” (as Charlie likes to say) for their upcoming Christmas trees! Complete with their names on them!

 

YEAH DISNEY!!!

 

 

In just a few short days, 5 cousins, 2 mommies, 1 daddy and 1 YaYa will drive the L.O.N.G. drive to Florida to spend a few days in the most magical place on Earth!  The excitement is contagious!  I can’t wait to see what Mickey has in store for us in the days leading up to our big trip! 

See ya real soon Mickey!

The Week Long Birthday

I will not lie.  Having your birthday span an entire week has not been bad!   I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate this birthday with family and friends!

And thanks to one incredible hubby, I had a fabulous girls weekend to kick off the birthday festivities! 

Edisto was the perfect setting for a fun group of girls to laugh, be lazy, eat too much and have a few glasses of wine together!  The weather was absolutely perfect making our stay that much better!

 

Thanks to my super sis for entertaining us with her expert moves in PureBar.  We might not be there in the new studio to workout with you but we sure enjoyed the demo in the kitchen!   You might be crazy but I love ya!

Thanks to super sis in law for the cutest cake ever!  Had so much fun being lazy, planning our next trip and watching the Cocks !   Love ya and thanks so much for coming! 

 

To the girls that kept me laughing!  Had so much fun being lazy on the couch, being lazy on the porch and laughing at the great lines of the night!  You girls are fantastic! 

 

 

All we are missing is Beth here!!!  Girls, we go way back and I love you more and more each time we are together! 

 

 

Huge thanks to Katherine for letting this group of mommies stay at your house!  You are a wonderful girl and soon to be sis in law!!  So thankful you were able to spend the birthday celebration with us!

 

7 Sharp!

When the clock strikes 7 around these parts, there is only one thing on my little Charlie’s mind!

The child is addicted to America’s Funniest Home Videos!  He knows how to read the clock and is quick to let you know what channel he would like to view at 7 o’clock sharp!  He refers to it as the silly show and laughs out loud through it all.  The people sleeping soundly and being attacked, the people falling off playground equipment, the dogs singing songs…he loves every last minute of it!   I even record these shows just to give me a moment of sanity throughout the long taxing days that all too often roll around!  They are like magic!

Bless his bones, the precious giggles that come from this child are heart melting!

My little man, how you look so much like me, and take so much after your daddy!

“Yuck”Loaf

The Backstory:  In 2003, I was newly married.  I was also on a quest- to win the Best Wife Ever Award.  So, one summer day while my hard working husband slaved over his new job at the bank, I was home preparing one of his favorite meals:  Meatloaf.  I researched recipes for days and finally settled on one I felt was worthy !  Knowing Bubba loved Barbeque, I opted for a recipe for Barbeque Meatloaf.  I was so proud. 

Bubba arrived home, I happily plated his supper and before my eyes, the meatloaf I had labored so hard over, was just a large pile of soupy mush!  Being the trooper, he attempted to eat it but even I was encouraging him to chunk it.  I realized, in the quest for the perfect meatloaf, I have failed- miserably!

Fast Forward 9 years to present day 2012! With the invention of Pinterest and a world of recipes at the touch of your finger, I decided this would be the day I braved the Meatloaf Challenge once again!  I found “the perfect” recipe and arrived home this afternoon and turned into Suzy Homemaker as I prepared our feast! 

Look at how gorgeous the Pinterest picture was! And Pioneer Woman is one of my favs!  This was a sure fire homerun! It had the essentials but then it had bacon and brown sugar.  How can one go wrong when bacon and brown sugar are involved?! 

In the oven it went, patiently I waited for the delicious dinner I just knew Bubba would die over!  But dear friends, I write this post with a defeated heart!  For yet again, in the Quest for Meatloaf- I have failed!

Just to paint a picture for you, as I realized this meal had gone horribly wrong and there was nothing to do but suck it up and laugh, I asked Bubba what should the name of this post be.  His response is my current title:  “Yuck”Loaf!  While the meatloaf did look pretty, it certainly did not taste pretty! 

Despite what he knew was coming, the love of my life did try the “yuck”loaf.  I honestly think it was more for the kids to see him eating it, but, never the less, he tried!

Then, just as their fearless leader of a father had done, it was eating time for the kids!  

Clearly, Charlie was excited about his meal!

  

 

And the excitement was practically pouring off of Wylie’s face!

Ben had but one thought:  Flee the scence.  If you can’t catch me, I don’t have to eat it!  And even if you do corner me, I am a stubborn 18 month old and I won’t eat it anyways!

But thankfully, I do have one child, who despite the very awkward taste that this “yuck”loaf had, she still ate EVERY LAST BITE OF IT!!!!   I think God just didn’t want me to feel completely defeated today!

 

In conclusion, I will wait another 9 years before I make my third attempt at meatloaf making!  2021!  Maybe by then, I can just find the picture on the computer, click and have it appear already cooked in my kitchen saving me another round of humiliation and defeat!

Recently continued….

Recently #3

I was so excited by this event! Every year, I turn this blog into a book. I suffer for hours over selecting pictures for the book. I reread 1,000 times the stories making sure I love the pictures I have selected for the story! I add even more pictures to tell as many days of their lives in a book as I can. I hope and pray over the book that one day, my children will see it as a true treasure of  their childhood, milestones, good moments and times of craziness in a house full of love!

This book was no exception. It begins by looking back at the year of 2010 month by month and finished with Christmas 2011 and the arrival of the bikes! It captures the birth of Ben, a mud fight in a backyard, the excitement of a goldfish party, laughable moments that have taken place in our kitchen, many dress up events the girls have created (and attended), birthdays, and so much more!

This year, I was truly (seriously truly) shocked when I was DENIED extra pages. First, who knew there was a page limit in a book you create on your own and secondly, I discovered this the night I was set to press the “Order Book” button. My photographic month by month plan that was already 1/2 completed, had to be swiped! While disappointing, I survived and ended up with a book of memories that is 422 pages!

Even if the kids never treasure these books, I certainly do! I could reread them everyday just to remind me of all the small moments that so often end up getting lost in our memories!

Recently #4

If anyone ever lets Ben in on the secret that he is not a 4 year old, I will be scared for his reaction! This child, though pint sized at times, is tougher and rougher than any other child! In the bruise and fall comparision of our other children, this child takes the cake! Yet, he cries for his 2 seconds and then can move on.

Ben decided the high chair was a bit out of style for his dining fashion. Thankfully he loves the Bumbo booster seat and Wah-Lah we have a table eater! This makes life easy some days and hard some days. Some days Ben sits so quietly and politely in his seat, eats his supper and then gets out of his seat- pretty under the radar at the table. Other nights, he throws all his food to Hank , eats 2 bites before deciding he would rather not eat or in true Ben fashion pitch a temper tantrum that lands him in his crib upstairs!

Nevertheless, the “baby” is growing up, quickly! He thinks he should be climbing the bunk bed ladders, using the potty, wiping his own nose and getting his own juice from the fridge. While believe me he tries, he just can’t do it all yet. He gets an A for effort though!

I am savoring all the little moments of him as “baby”. The love of Elmo, the cuddling in the rocking chair before bed, the sweet sounds of the word Momma coming from his voice, the babbling that makes no sense….

I know it won’t last and he is growing up. I just wish I could hit pause some days.