RoAd tRiP

Well, we are FINALLY on the road and praying for both safety and sanity during our 14HOUR drive. Our next post will be filled with sandy beaches, sunny skies, and huge smiles :)

Veterans Day

I am a LiTtLe behind on my blogging. We are trying to get ready for our vacation, and I forgot how much you have to back when you have a baby in the mix. No more whimsical, last minute vacations; this has taken serious planning and strategizing. Traveling supplies, snacks, & quiet car toys + 8 days worth of food, clothes, diapers, wipes, & beach toys + how am I suppose to fit a highchair in the trunk?? Oi.






Last week we were able to celebrate Veterans Day by attending the parade downtown. I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach my children about the sacrifices that are made by our military men and women so that we can live in a country where our opportunities are limitless, where men and women are respected equally, and where safety and choice are both a privilege and a right. I am honored that someone would sacrifice their time and their energy to ensure MY freedoms, and I am grateful that we have a day to honor them.

Goofy Gal

We will be out of town when Maddi turns 11 months, so I thought I would take the time now to write a few special things about our little princess.
At 10.5 months, Maddi...
has a contagious belly laugh
has two bottom teeth
has a giant gummy grin that will melt your heart
says mama, dad, go go go, dog, baba, and please
shakes her head yes and no
loves large crowds and being outside
dances and bobs her head every time she hears music
likes to watch Little Einsteins
has quite the since of humor
is obsessed with the keyboard on the computer
has to talk to Daddy on the phone every single time he calls
will cruise around the furniture, but then plops down and crawls to get around
enjoys feeding herself & has to sample everything we eat
loves activity songs especially patty cake
brings joy to our family each day

Lions, Lemurs, and Lorikeets

At school last week, Drew learned about living things, so that is all we've heard about, talked about, and read about for the past week. To encourage his love and learning of animals, we took a trip to the Birmingham Zoo. I know we go to the zoo all the time, but this time seemed extraordinary because Drew was completely engaged in the animals, their names, and where they lived instead of just wanting to rush through to get to the play area. Here are a few pictures of our favorite animals....

The Seal Show

Feeding the Lorikeets






Grooming the Rhinos


A few animals



The Barnyard

I was Awarded

I was awarded the

from Candace at www.ourloveremainsthesame.blogspot.com
Thank you SOOOO much Candace. I have truly enjoyed reading your blog and watching you're GORGEOUS little girl grow. Oh and I try really hard not to compare our little princesses even though they're only a few weeks apart. :)

Here are the rules for the award:
1)You must thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.
2) You must share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.
3) You have to present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
4) Last, you must tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.


10 Honest Things About Me
1. I love reading. Medical journals, scientific reviews, and research articles are my favorite.
2. Because of my hubby I'm now a hip hop convert. Embarrassing, but true.
3. I have a constant migraine. It's a sad situation.
4. I'm not a fan of meat. I try to convince myself that I'm not a vegan by choking down a hamburger every once in a while, but it just makes me gag.
5. I have the life that I always dreamed of but never thought I deserved.
6. I love the natural color of my hair so much that I keep putting off dying it even though the greys are slowly taking over.
7. I love to travel. It doesn't even have to be far; I just have to step away to take a deep breath every once in a while.
8. I enjoy writing. It's my therapy.
9. I am a daredevil. I love a challenge, an adventure... anything that makes the adrenaline flow.
10. I still sleep with silky, my childhood blanket. Don't judge.

Ok... on to the awarding.

Cari at www.cnc-noahsark.blogspot.com
Charlotte at www.ccharsspot.blogspot.com
Mary at www.mickeynmary.blogspot.com
Misty at www.mmandco.blogspot.com
Lydia at www.dougandlydstew.blogspot.com
Becki at www.kaniganfamily.blogspot.com
Mandy at www.samandjacksmom.blogspot.com

Thank you ladies for being honest, creative, and inspiring. :)

Costume Time

This week is going to be a little crazy, so I thought I would go ahead and take a few costume pictures while it was sunny outside and I had the time.
Drew gets to wear his costume THREE times... to church tonight, to school on Friday, and around the neighborhood on Saturday! He's going to get WAAAAY too much candy and I dread the "mommy can I have just ooooooone more piece?" chorus that will shortly ensue, but he absolutely LOVES his costume and is excited to wear it so many times.
Maddi is going to be a bunny for her first Halloween. (Thank you G&G Glouner for the amazing costumes!!) She is so cute crawling around with her little ears flopping as she scoots and her little fuzzy cotton ball tail wiggling back and forth.
All I can do is look at my little bunny and my darth vader and thank God that I am right here in this very moment to see their smiles, to hear their giggles, and to share their chocolate :)

Do I know you?

I vividly remember standing in the kitchen with my grandma. She was teaching me how to make cornbread, and in between ingredients, she would offer up words of wisdom. "Hand me that corn meal puddin' pop and remember, If you only have five minutes until your husband comes home and you must choose between cleaning up yourself or the house, always choose yourself." I know, all of you feminists are gasping for breath, but years later her words still resonate in my mind. Sure I'm not home cooking and cleaning all day, but I have realized the importance of showing respect for my body by taking care of it.
Well, on this particular day, my hubby had already seen both me AND the house a wreck, so I threw caution to the wind and headed out to conquer my to-do list. I had a sick kid, a headache, and two hours sleep, so I felt rather proud of the fact that I had showered, dressed the kids, put on my one pair of jeans that fits, a bleach stained maternity shirt, and a little mascara before heading out the door. I got in the car, cranked up the air to dry my hair, and tried to ignore granny's words of wisdom bouncing around in my head. Well, as I hurried in and out of stores and banks and pharmacies, I think I stumbled upon EVERY SINGLE PERSON I have ever known...friends from high school, from church, from work, neighbors, family friends... every person I thought I would never see again just happened to bump in to me. Oi. They gave me that 'oh my, she really let herself go' look accompanied by the 'bless her heart' smile. Oi. Maybe I have let myself go. I HAVE let myself go.. but I don't want to start the sob story of baby fat that refuses to leave and the ridiculous amount of money that we don't have for hair and makeup, and the not so great plan I hatched a YEAR ago to just wear scrubby clothes until I could squeeze back into my pre-baby wardrobe. Great plan [insert sarcasm here]. But, all of my whining does not amount to any kind of excuse for not taking care of what I've got. So, to all of you who witnessed the scary, unkempt me out in action, I'm sorry, and to my dear southern belle of a grandma, thank you for teaching me both how to cook and how to be a lady.