Christmas in July

Ever hear of that? Well, if I was celebrating Christmas in July, here is what my Christmas list would look like.


-Nikon D40





-KitchenAid Stand Mixer





-Pottery Barn Traditional White Dishes

-Grecian Urn Flower Pots

-Prissy Plate Cake Stand/Chip and Dip

-Picnic Tote

What would you wish for?

The Ear That Keeps On Aching

theEdge has another ear infection. Yep, another one. I can't even remember how many he's had at this point. He started a low grade fever on Tuesday night but I didn't think much of it because he is cutting a few teeth right now. It lasted all day yesterday so I finally gave him some Motrin last night. He woke up several times and was really hot so we gave him more Motrin in the wee hours of the morning. Just before lunch I checked his temperature again and it had reached 103, so I called the doc's office. And they fit me in 20 minutes later.

The left ear, the ear that keeps on aching, is infected again. The doc had to pull some wax out and then said it was too inflamed to say exactly what is going on. Either he has so much wax and build-up that the tube is not draining and therefore is infected. Or....the tube has come out and is lodged in the ear canal. I'm thinking it is the latter.

I put a call into the ENT this afternoon but the earliest opening for Dr. B is in AUGUST! You're kidding, right. Nope. The receptionist said we are on the cancellation list and that the nurse will try to set an appointment as early as possible. You better believe I'll be calling a few times a week until they can see us.

Hopefully the antibiotics and eardrops will heal it for now. But I want to find out what the sources of the problem is so the ear infections will stop completely. My poor baby is so miserable when he's sick. Pray he will feel better soon, that we can see the ENT quickly, and for complete healing in his left ear.

Such a Slacker - The Last Chapter

The recital takes us up to the end of May. Here is what we did during June. If I had a camera I would show you a picture montage. But my camera does not work anymore so I will make a list for you.

1st week of June - errands, shopping, packing

2nd week of June - BEACH: went to Litchfield with both sets of grands. It was awesome and I'm so glad we got to go. However, I think if you have kids along during the "vacation" then it's not really a vacation. It's just life in a different city. There are still breakfasts to make, diapers to change, naps to enforce, bedtimes, etc. Anyways, we ate tons of delicious seafood, made new memories with our families, and had fun. T$ got to play putt-putt for the first time and this was also theEdge's first time at the beach. He loved it...always pointing out the windows of our condo towards the ocean. A few times we took him to the pool and he always fussed and pointed to the ocean. He loved sitting and playing in the sand, scooting around looking for a sand castle to destroy, and trying to eat things he shouldn't be eating. T$ loved the beach as she always has, meaning she prefers to get in as far as her ankles. She is not a fan of the waves and prefers having a hand(or two) to hold onto. So....she also enjoyed the pool where there are no waves and where she could "swim" with her floaties on.

3rd week of June - wedding and VBS: B and I left Litchfield on Friday to head to Columbia where B presided over his first wedding. He married two of our former college students in a beautiful and sweet ceremony. We came home Saturday evening, said goodbye to my folks on Sunday morning(who drove the kids home from the beach), went to church...Monday we hit the ground running at Summer Spectacular(what you call VBS if you're cool). I spent all Sunday afternoon with my c0-teacher getting our room and activities together. Monday through Friday we were at church by 8:45am and usually left around 12:30pm. This mama was tuckered out by the end of the week. But it was amazing and I feel so blessed to help each year. Once again, I taught K5 Missions and got to talk about missionaries from all over the world to a bunch of almost-first-graders. We had a really sweet bunch and they were very receptive to the lessons. T$ also had a blast as it was her first time to get to participate. She moved to each station(there are 5) with her class but said that Music was her favorite. No surprise there. She is still singing about the Boomerang Express...it all comes back to Jesus....

4th week of June - nothing...just recuperating from a busy week last week. My house hasn't been cleaned since the end of May so I am slowly working my way through each room. Organizing, putting away, and cleaning. It is going slowly and may take til the end of July. Even though we had a yard sale in May, I still feel like we have too much stuff. And I also got the big idea this month that we should do some room swaps - make the "den" into a playroom and make the "living room" into a family room. But I'm not sure if that can work in regards to our furniture and the way it functions for us. I don't want to spend money just to swap rooms. (that was a tangent) T$ had Cheer Camp this afternoon at church and I'm excited to hear how it goes. theEdge woke up with a fever, sneezing, and a runny nose so hopefully he will feel better soon. I am taking T$ to meet Meme on Friday. She will spend a few days in Nashville with her grands before coming back next week with my mom. Mom will hang out here with us over the July 4th weekend and return home just in time for my Girl's Beach Weekend(woot woot)!

So that pretty much sums up the month of June. No money in the foreseeable future for a new camera, so I will have to bum pics off the internet or other friends. Bummer.

Such a Slacker - Part 2

The rehearsal on Friday went very well and T$ was so excited about the big recital the next day. It was going to be great to have all the grands in town for the weekend! Unfortunately, plans changed.

My mom had surgery and had a set-back that prohibited her and my dad from coming to see the recital. It was so sad for all of us, but especially my mom. We were careful to take lots of pictures and call her several times throughout the day so she would feel a part of the excitement and fun.

Saturday morning we took theEdge to a friend's party. It was so fun to be there to celebrate Oliver's first birthday. His parents are such sweet and encouraging friends and we were glad to hang out at the park with them for such a happy occassion! We did sneak out a little early so we could get back to visiting with GrandMary and Papa before the recital.

After lunch and an early nap, it was time to get T$ ready. She looked precious in her costume but I think her favorite part was the make-up. Full on powder, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick. Oh, and her hair was fixed in a bun. She was such a beauty!

Her recital was awesome. She was right on que without even watching her teacher, who was just off stage. She danced her little heart out and we are so proud of her! Her class performed within the first 20 minutes of the 2.5 hour show. So, we had a lot of sitting and waiting to do before we could pick her up and head home. I actually enjoyed most of the show but there were a few questionable outfits and song choices from the older girls.

All in all, it was a great weekend(minus missing Granddaddy and Meme) and we are so proud of T$ for her hard work in dance all year long and for her grand performance!

Such a Slacker - Part 1

Golly, I've been such a slacker lately with my blog. I guess my Getaway with TresAlejandros really put me in a relaxed state of mind...so much so that I can't get finished with one post in about 10 days.

You can check out her post above for the play-by-play. I will tell you that it was fun and very relaxing. No fixing a plate for my child before I fix my own. No cutting up chicken or pouring drinks. No crying from anyone. No 6am wake-up calls. Ohhhh....it was so nice. We just shopped, hung out, ate out, napped, watched movies, and chit-chatted. Thank you to my in-laws for our resting place. It was so peaceful and quiet and just what we both needed. Unfortunately, my camera broke so no pics from me.

After we got back, I hit the ground running for the week. Besides the regular chores and errands, T$ had her last dance class of the year on Tuesday and our SS class had a Girl's Night Out. It was so much fun and I got to know some new gals. Wednesday was church and Thursday we just hung out. Friday was a big day because theEdge finally had his 12 month check-up and T$ had her Dress Rehearsal.

theEdge did well at his appointment and the doc seemed pleased with his progress all around. Although he is a shrimp, weighing in at 20lbs 5 oz and measuring 29in tall, he holds his own. She was impressed with the few words his knows(mama, dada, bye bye) and the many signs he has mastered(please, all done, more, cracker, milk). She made note of the FOUR new teeth he is currently cutting on the top. Poor guy! Dr. R said not to worry that he is not yet walking. He is pulling up on everything and cruising well along the couch and with push-toys. But he has made no attempt at standing alone or taking steps....that is just more to look forward to this summer. While in the room, theEdge would hardly sit still on the table and she asked what differences I noticed between his personality and T$'s. It is very different as he seems to know no fear and is full of energy. He will dive out of my lap, climb on whatever is close, throw balls and other toys, and always wants to be outside playing. He wears me out and he's only one! But, man, he's cute!

GrandMary and Papa arrived around lunch time and we focused our energy that afternoon on T$'s dance rehearsal. She was so excited to get dressed in her costume and let Mommy practice her bun and make-up. The dance studio is very strict about rehearsal and I had to drop her off in a car-pool line and come back later to pick her up. No parents were allowed at all! Since B was home with theEdge, I bought a frap from Starbucks and talked with another dancer's mom for 1.5 hours. It was nice to have some adult time until the girls were ready.

Outta Here

I'm away this weekend!

With a friend. No kids. No hubbies. Just the two of us.

With our books. Our magazines. DVDs. Snacks.

Shopping. Not cooking Eating out. Lounging by the pool.

Smoky mountains. Clean air. Q.u.i.e.t.




Seriously, it is the first time leaving theEdge. Although I'm a little worried about him and hoping he survives without me, I know it will be good for both of us. Pray he does well with B since he is not totally weaned. Hopefully he can do without for just a few days. :)

I'll be sure to catch you up when I get back!

Life From Her Eyes

T$'s view.

oops...finger near lens

she's my favorite

Sock Monkey Party Details

I had so much fun planning for theEdge sock monkey party. After I picked the theme I searched some of my favorite sites for ideas. If you are planning a party may I suggest you visit coolest-birthday-cakes.com, Etsy, and Flickr for inspirations. Just do a search for your theme once you get to each website. I have found so much inspiration at those sites.

Here's the run-down:

Paper Goods - I made the invitations, cupcake toppers, favor bags, and thank you cards using scrapbooking and card-making supplies. It was so fun designing the sock monkeys, cutting, punching(paper), and glueing to come up with everything. I was really pleased with how they turned out.

Decorations - I ordered one yard of one of my favorite Moda sock monkey fabrics and used that as my inspiration. I also used this fabric as a runner on the table. Because I'm cheap frugal, I decorated the table with two brown pails and two sock monkeys from theEdge's room. I bought six helium balloons to use as well.

Food - We had the party before lunch, so I only served cupcakes and Goldfish along with beverages. This made it super easy on me. I prefer Duncan Hines cake mixes and I did make homemade icing. It was yummy! Instead of worrying over fancy cupcakes, I just popped a cupcake topper in a few and called it a party. Also, for the other babies who haven't turned 1, I offered Banana Chocolate Chip muffins. Having a cupcake at a birthday party is like a right of passage so I thought these boys' mamas might like for them to wait for their own parties.

Misc - I found a gal on Etsy who makes jon-jons with the same monkey material that I ordered so I got one for theEdge as well as a matching skirt for T$. I went simple on the favor bags as well. I bought each child a bottle of bubbles and stuck in a baggie of Banana Choc Chip mini muffins. I whipped up a little birthday hat for my little man using scrapbooking paper and craft pom-poms. I just used a regular paper party hat for my template.