Life Happens

5/52

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seriously, you should make these

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

Definitely a crowd pleaser. Especially if your "crowd" is under 4 feet tall!

Saturday: A day in the life.

2012-02-01T05:30:00.000-05:00

Sleeping Baby

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

I love a sleeping baby. Can I still use the word baby when talking about my almost-4 year old?

Bowl of Cereal

2012-01-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

Who knew eating a bowl of cereal could be so much fun?!

Terrible Weeks

2012-01-24T05:05:00.000-05:00

I am on a need-to-know basis. Do you ever have terrible week(s) with your children? This past week, including the weekend has been pretty rough in our house.

The morning routine, the getting-in-the-door routine (go sit on the couch and drink your milk quietly while we put away the 800 bags of stuff)and the bedtime routine have been completely derailed.

I talk to my mom 5x a day. During one of our conversations I admit to how awful our week was going. She says, "Don't you have terrible weeks, sometimes, Amy?". I quickly reply, "Mom.....I have terrible DAYS...not terrible weeks!".

When tantrums weren't taking place in the house (or in public), this is the sweet smile that I get!

Let it Snow

2012-01-23T06:06:00.003-05:00

I didn't realize how much I disliked the Winter until I had kids.

This past weekend was a bit on the cold side. We are all finally feeling well, so I didn't want to risk heading back out there and getting sick again.

We had flurries off and on throughout the weekend and Jack enjoyed peeking out the window hoping that it would amount to something.

3/52

I am not too convinced we are going to get a decent snowfall this Winter since we actually have all of the winter gear one would need to enjoy a day in the snow...for both kids!

We will continue to wait patiently for the first snowfall of the season :)

Maggie

2012-01-18T06:19:00.000-05:00

What am I going to do with your terrible-two self?!

Bike Ridin'

2012-01-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

When I was younger I loved to ride my bike. We lived in a great neighborhood and I can remember getting up in the summer and I was out riding my bike shortly after breakfast.

Unfortunately, we don't live in the best neighborhood for bike riding, especially our young bike riders and it does break my heart a little bit.

I want them to enjoy riding bikes as much as I did. I think there is hope for Maggie, but Jack isn't on board as much (it may be because I think he has already outgrown the bike we got him this Summer?!)

As always, I had my camera with me....

(Buffy, since I know you are a regular blog reader, we call Maggie, "Buffy", in this pullover, can you figure out why?!)

Did I mention it was like 32 degrees today? It is days like this that I miss living at the beach!

2/52

2012-01-16T07:36:00.047-05:00

We have spent our three-day weekend dealing with sickness. Jack actually asked to go to the doctor yesterday, which of course was Sunday, which makes it really fun for everyone.

Being the awesome parents that we are, we actually went out for a date night on Saturday with Jack not feeling 100%. We met up with some friends at a new restaurant in "Alcohol Valley",which is a string of breweries and vineyards along Route 151 in Nelson County. We went to Wild Wolf Brewery. It is a sports bar and restaurant in one. We went there with the intention of having dinner in the restaurant, but ended up spending the evening belly-up to the bar! For the local people that read my blog, I think Wild Wolf is worth trying, but honestly, if I am going to drive that far to eat/drink, I would drive a little bit father for Devil's Backbone.

I am embarrassed to admit this, but Saturday was the first time in a long time that we had a non-family babysitter while the kids were awake! Often times, we will put the kids down and then sneak out while a babysitter comes over! I am happy to report that Jack did great; it was Maggie that actually made our babysitter re-think having kids in the future. I am not even kidding, she actually posted that on her Facebook page! I won't go into details about her behavior, but Jack looked at the young girl in the middle of Maggie acting up and said, "She does this all the time"! The jury is still out on whether or not she will be willing to babysit again!

Cake Pops

2012-01-13T05:27:00.001-05:00

Over the Christmas break, the kids and I got together and made some cake pops. Let me just tell you how awesome these things were. They were also pretty easy to make. I am thinking of doing these for Jack's classroom party this year instead of cupcakes.

All you need is a cake mix and icing. You can pick any flavor that you want. We went with a yellow cake with vanilla frosting.

Make the cake according to the directions on the back of the box.

Let the cake cool and then you cut it into squares and ~~eat it~~ crumble the cake into a bowl. Once the cake is all crumbled, you add the entire frosting container in and just mix until it becomes a workable dough.

Next, just start scooping out dough and rolling into balls that will go in the freezer.

We lined a cookie sheet with wax paper and put them in the freezer for a few hours. They will be easier to work with if they are good and frozen. Otherwise, when you dip them into the chocolate, they break apart, etc.

You will need 2 bags of chocolate melts from Michaels. Pull the frozen dough from the freezer and just start dipping them into the melted chocolate (follow directions for melting the chocolate on the back of the bag). Make sure you dip the sucker stick in the chocolate first and then into the dough so that it stays together better.

I had these bags and ties left over from a birthday party so I pulled them together like this. You don't have to take it to this level. They would be fine displayed on a party platter or in a basket.

They were definitely a hit in our house!

Playground Tour 2012

2012-01-11T06:06:00.002-05:00

What do you do when the weather is in the low 60's in the middle of the winter? You head to the playground. We hit up two in one weekend..I know, wild and crazy!

I do have to admit that I do have ulterior motives behind trips to the playground. It can pretty much guarantee a solid nap at the same time!

1/52 (take two)

2012-01-10T09:15:00.000-05:00

I had a few calls from family members trying to figure out what "1/52" means. Simply put, I am going to take a picture each week for the entire year and capture it here on my blog.

I did some playing around last night with this picture and decided I liked the black and white version better.

1/52

2012-01-07T17:21:00.000-05:00

Christmas Break

2012-01-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

Mark and I took the last week and a half of the year off. We chose to keep the kids home from school and just hang out together. I am not going to lie, there were days I was like, "why didn't we send them to school today?!"

We spent a lot of time in pajamas with unbrushed hair. Sometimes I have guilt that we aren't doing some sort of an "activity" together everyday. I try to remind myself that they do activities all day long at school and sometimes it is ok to watch Despicable Me 45x a day, no? If you think about, we like to just relax and not always be doing something so shouldn't they!

Since I was home, I was able to take pictures all the time. Here is what our Christmas break looked like.

A recent find

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

A little while ago, I was at a produce stand when I looked across the street at a junk store and saw what I thought was the oh-so-coveted campaign-style furniture that is sweeping many of the blogs.

I ran across the street, without even looking, and sure enough, it was exactly what I had been looking for.

Within 5 minutes, it was shoved in the back of the Explorer and we were on our way. I was hoping to use it in Jack's room because he very much needs a new dresser.

However, after several weeks of sitting in the garage, I realized it might look good in our "blue room" or the living room. So, for now, it will sit in the "blue room" until I a) figure out what color I am going to paint it, or b) have the energy and time to sand it down and paint it. That being said, I do not see this being done anytime soon!

Favorite Photos

2012-01-02T06:01:00.001-05:00

This took me a while to pull together and at least it will pay off. I sit and look at a gallery wall in our living room that is very much outdated and I am going to update those frames with the pictures below! I just need to take the next step and order the pictures!

A special picture

2011-12-30T06:06:00.003-05:00

This week we celebrated my Father-In-Law's birthday. We all decided to give him a framed picture of his Grandchildren.

The picture above was taken in a cradle that was built by Jim for Lyle and Mark to sleep in. Over the years, several babies have slept in this cradle, including all of our kids. Each kid has a plate engraved with the their name on the plaque, in addition to their birth date.

We thought that this would be a special gift for him to have all of the grandchildren in the cradle that he made over 34 years ago!

There is no place like home

2011-12-29T06:41:00.000-05:00

We both took the entire week off to just relax. There isn't too much relaxing when it comes to a 2 year old and a 3 year old, but we are enjoying this time together.

Christmas

2011-12-28T06:22:00.000-05:00

We are still getting over from the late nights and early mornings!

See what happens when there is no pressure!

Bike Path

2011-12-27T06:06:00.001-05:00

Over the last month, the City put in a paved bike/walk path that connects one part of the city (near our home) to a small park Downtown. The path is nice and flat (hard to find around here!) and it runs alongside the river.

We were excited to have somewhere to take the kids to ride their bikes. We don't particularly live on the best street for young bike-riders.

The short 1.5(?) path isn't the most-beautiful, since it runs behind old factories and buildings, but listen, we will take what we can get. Unfortunately, I am a bit spoiled when it comes to walking paths, I spent four years walking The Loop.

We will be in heaven once Maggie learns how to steer. She has the pedaling down, but would end up in the river if we let her go on her own.

Of course, no trip is complete without at least one break down. It is so easy to go from one extreme to the other!

On top of the new bike bath, our newly renovated library opens next month! We won't know what to do with ourselves with all of these amenities!

Must be Santa....

2011-12-24T22:44:00.000-05:00

Someone has eaten some white-chocolate candy cane cake pops and carrots....The milk is gone, too!

I will have a full blog next week dedicated to cake pops. I don't know why I haven't made these before!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T06:07:00.000-05:00

2011 Christmas Card

Christmas Card (rejects)

2011-12-23T06:49:00.000-05:00

I thought I had saved some of my Christmas Card "rejects", but apparently, I wiped them clean off my computer (and my mind!). Here is what I was going for, but I just couldn't get it right! I don't know what I was thinking...a 3 year old, a 16 2 year old and a prop!

I don't know what was taking place here...but I seriously considered sending this one at one point!

Ski Trip

2011-12-21T06:06:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we packed up and headed to Snowshoe, WV. We actually stayed at Silver Creek Lodge, which is like its own mini-resort with everything you would need under one roof. Since the season has just started, it was not as crowded and we almost felt like we had the place to ourselves. Mark did venture off the bunny slopes during nap time and said that advanced slopes were pretty crowded.

Jack did well for his first time. Put it this way, he did waaaay better than I did on my first (and last) go around in the 7th grade.

He spent about an hour with Mark in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, after his nap.

Maggie and I got all bundled up, too. We didn't want to miss Jack's debut!

The area where you can "train" was just outside of our window, so Maggie and I pulled up a seat and watched Jack and Mark. Occasionally, I would cheer from our balcony and wave like a crazy person.

We did check out the window a few times to see if Daddy was on his way home.

On Saturday evening, we took a "school bus" to The Village where the restaurants were a little better. We were not disappointed. I am a little nervous that Jack's favorite part of this trip was the ride on the shuttle bus.

Did I mention that my kids get up at like 5 AM these days. Since we figured they would get up early, we packed the night before and rolled out by 6 AM on Sunday. We were all starving and found our way to this great restaurant in Monteray, VA on our way home.

It was right across from this cute little Bed and Breakfast.

We had a great time and are looking forward to making a trip like this again, probably not so close to Christmas, but definitely again!

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-20T06:10:00.002-05:00

Isn't it funny how we all take a picture of our Christmas tree each year? This year we mixed things up with some colored lights that I got on clearance at Target last year. I am a little bit disapointed in them because I don't think the tree "glows" as much as it does with white lights. Oh well, the kids love it just the same and that is all that matters.

Now, about that present wrapping. It will be done by the 24th! Unfortunately, a certain 6'4"elf in this house, may have hurt his arm skiing, so I may be doing it all by myself!

Clarifications and a ski trip

2011-12-19T06:55:00.000-05:00

First of all, I wanted to give a few clarifications:

1. The turkey was a real, live, flying, wild turkey. It was flying across the interstate (from right to left). It was not a frozen turkey :) Don't worry, ~~Amy,~~ you weren't the only one to think that!

2. I am going to post several other of my "Favorite Photos" from the year. I don't think that was clear in my last post.

Ok....
This past weekend, we headed to Snowshoe for a family ski trip. When I say "family", I mean, Mark teaching Jack. Maggie and I had plans of swimming (which means I probably should have packed her bathing suit, but that is beside the point). I sat down tonight to download my pictures and share our trip with you, but I made a mess of my pictures during download and had to start over, which means, another night of starting over.

However, I did grab this picture which was taken from our balcony.

I actually do have quite a bit to share this week, so my sister Lauren will be pleased (she told me today I had become a major blog slacker). Hopefully, I can get my act together and share some pictures from our ski trip and other things that we have been up to.

Favorite Photos: 2011

2011-12-16T06:40:00.000-05:00

I thought I would look back at the pictures I took this year and choose a handful of my favorites. They are in no particular order.

This picture was taken at the County Fair. I love this picture because the slide appears to be high in the sky, which is how I remember it when I was a kid.

Turkey lurkey

2011-12-14T06:10:00.006-05:00

December is flying by. It always seems to. I am happy to report that I am done with Christmas presents. We have two family Birthday's a few days after Christmas and I am done with those, as well!

I am embarrassed to admit how many attempts at a Christmas card it took this year. It was almost a no-go as of 11:00 AM on Sunday, but I was able to get a few pictures of the kids that I could work with! Next year, I am not waiting until December to get a picture, expect a picture of us at the beach!

How is your elf working out? I try every few days to do something funny with "Buddy". The kids love it. It is tough to come up with ideas. There are tons of ideas on pinterest, but seriously, I think some of those moms have too much time on their hands! I am tired at the end of the day!

In the middle of the busy Christmas season, Mark and I had a small accident coming home from work this week.

I will spare the details, but let's just say a low flying 10 lb. turkey and our windshield met yesterday evening while going 70 mph during rush hour traffic. It hit on my side of the car. The rear-view mirror flew off and Mark and I were covered in small bits of glass from our hair to our shoes. Thankfully, the bird did not come all the way through the car (can you imagine?!). Mark was able to keep control of the car and pull us safely off of the interstate.

When telling Jack and Maggie about the accident, Jack promptly asked, "Daddy, did you get out of the car and tell that turkey he was a naughty turkey?". I think Mark had some words for that turkey and "naughty" was not one of them!

Thankfully, the only damage was the windshield and we will get our car back tomorrow.

Princess

2011-12-06T06:15:00.004-05:00

Maggie has some split personalities when it comes to getting dressed. When we are hanging out around the house, she is dressing up in play clothes and such.

When it comes to getting dressed for school, she throws the biggest fit when I try to put her in cute dresses.

On Saturday, we were in a tutu by 6:15 AM, over her pj's, no doubt. I think I finally got her out of that tutu around nap time.

Sleeping Beauty

2011-12-05T06:15:00.000-05:00

Apparently someone had a good time at Nana and Granddaddy's last night. We found Maggie like this after leaving her on the couch for a minute to switch the laundry!

I bet that this is what Nana and Granddaddy looked like within 5 minutes of Mark leaving with the kids!

Jack...take two (or three)

2011-12-02T06:11:00.001-05:00

Ok, apparently my family didn't like the second picture of Jack. Here is another one.

Jack is pretty good with the camera. He will let me practice for a good 5 minutes. Maggie on the other hand wants nothing to do with me or my camera.

Jack

2011-11-29T05:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, since Jack took one for the team yesterday, I thought I should follow up with him being a little bit more like himself.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I only get like 4 attempts when I try to capture a family photo, so this is the best one of the bunch. Ok, I lie, there was one where Jack didn't look like a crazy person, but I looked like a crazy person, so my son has to take one for the team on this ;)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family. We packed 14 adults and 2 ~~teenagers~~ toddlers into the dining room and it worked out just fine. It is a good thing I don't stress over things like that! I decided not to put a picture of my dining room table in here because I think my 4 readers are going to pull their hair out if they see another table setting. Trust me, it looked good, if I do say so myself!

Since we were responsible for turkey this year, we decided to mix things up a bit and use a Southern Living receipe for apple-bourbon turkey. I would say that the turkey tasted like most turkeys, but it was the gravy that I may have taken a small bath in when no one was looking.

I am also happy to report that my "Deer Ears" were a big hit. They didn't make it on the table as the centerpiece, but I did put them in a few places throughout the house.

My youngest sister, Lauren, moved about 2 weeks ago to Lake Charles, LA. I think my mom has finally stopped crying over her departure. I like to remind her that when I moved to Wilmington, I think she offered to gas up the moving truck to get those men on their way as fast as possible. She remembers it differently, but my story is much funnier.

Since Lauren had just moved, she didn't make the 16 hour drive back just for Thanksgiving so we Skyped with her. It was a nice because she was able to provide a quick tour of her new apartment and we got to provide pictures of that delicious food/wine that she was missing out on. Not to worry, she will be home for Christmas!

The kids are growing up and with each event it gets easier and easier to manage them. Since it was our house, I didn't have to be on high-alert and they behaved themselves pretty well. It seems that in recent weeks, individually they are really, really good. It is when they are together, "sharing" the same toys/books/tv, etc. when the nightmare begins for us!

Just before dinner, Maggie was playing with a small snow globe that my mom had given to Jack (he is obsessed with snow "globs"). She broke it and the only thing left was the little snowman that was inside. To make Jack feel better about his loss, my aunt told Jack that he should save his snowman because he could put it on a cake one day. Without missing a beat, he took off running and promptly put his snowman on the cheesecake! I don't think that is what my aunt had in mind, but it worked out none-the-less!

Speaking of dessert, Mark's dad made this pumpkin cheesecake that was on the cover of Southern Living last month. It was delicious!!!

We got our Christmas tree on Friday and it is all decorated. The Christmas tree is my absolute favorite part, so I am glad that is up and we can enjoy it throughout the month of December.

On Saturday, I lost 3 hours of my life that I will never get back.

I will admit, the kids and I (Mark was hunting in the AM) had fun on Saturday getting dressed in our UVA shirts/sweatshirts and we actually got to wear them proudly in Walmart of all places!!!

However, by the third quarter, we were quietly exiting a back-entrance of BW3's. Oh well, the week leading up to the game, including Saturday before the first touchdown were exciting!

Buddy the Elf

2011-11-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

I know, real original, but he was found clinging for his dear life on our back door this morning.

So far, Buddy's presence has had little to no effect on Maggie. Jack, however, is quick to remind Maggie when she isn't being "good" that Buddy is watching her. I guess he is selective when it comes to watching his not-so-good behavior?

Deer Ears

2011-11-23T08:28:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the idea to ask my dad if he had any antlers that he was looking to get rid of. Little did I know he had about 7-8 sets. This past weekend we brought them home and Mark went to work on them. I picked out one set to mount for later use and the rest were broken apart from the skull (gross, I know...trust me..I didn't do this!) with a saw. I then soaked them over night in a 50/50 bleach/water combination. As they were drying on the patio, Jack promptly called them Deer Ears and the name has since stuck.

Once they dried, they were exactly what I was looking for.

We are expecting 14 adults for Thanksgiving tomorrow. We (Mark) will be cooking the turkey and the masted potatoes. Which means, the only thing I am bringing to the table, is the table! I am hoping to pull my table together today so that I can just "relax" tomorrow! We shall see....... At any rate, I am hoping to incorporate these "Deer Ears" in the decor!

UVA is closed Wednesday-Friday, so I took off on Monday-Tuesday. Unfortunately, I came down with an ear ache and had to go to the doctor. The doctor said it was the worst ear infection she had ever seen! After my 2nd day of antibiotics, I am nearly good to go!

While I was at the doctor, the school called and Maggie had a mild temperature.

After I sat down to take her temperature, Jack came along and wanted to feel her head as well. These sweet moments seem rare these days, but I will take them whenever I can get them!

I do apologize for my absence. I have a new photo organizing system and it is literally rocking my world. I don't have any barrings on my photos right now, so it doesn't make me excited to get on here and try to find them to upload them!

I promise...

2011-11-15T06:01:00.000-05:00

I am still around.

Our weekends have been extra lazy and our week days have been extra busy.

Jack and Maggie have traded places in the behavior department. Maggie is definitely going through the "terrible two's" and Jack has been on his best behavior....

When I ask Maggie why she did something...say, "Maggie, why did you cry from start-to-finish when Mommy was just trying to get a picture for our Christmas card?". She will promptly respond, "because I did".

I think that is toddler-talk for, "what's it to you?" I should also add that she has this slight country accent, so it really sounds like, "cuz of de-ed"!

I will try to post a bit more frequently, but it is one busy week. I have off all next week, so of course, the week before your vacation is always a nightmare.

Mucho Sick

2011-11-03T05:00:00.002-04:00

We have had some sick kids in the house this week. Mark spent the day at home with Jack on Monday and I spent the day with Maggie on Tuesday.

I let Jack stay home from school, too, even though I am pretty sure he was operating on 100% (or more)!

I was able to control her temperature all day, but towards dinner time, it started to spike (doesn't it always do it at that time?!). Jack attempted to console Maggie (that was after he took a couple of cheap shots with the toy stethoscope earlier in the day, just for the record!)

After our long day, we were happy to see Daddy when he got home from work.

Halloween

2011-11-02T06:00:00.006-04:00

I feel like I need to provide a disclaimer about Halloween. For some reason, I am not a fan of Halloween.

I was talking about it at work to some friends and explaining that I don't like to push my kids beyond their bedtime. I was quickly called out as not wanting to eat into "Amy time". Since I am being honest, she was right!

As I continued to complain about this innocent holiday to my friend, Claire, she said that after I recover from Maggie's birthday party, I am already looking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas and Halloween is just a bump in the road.

My mom found these costumes at a thrift store and maybe paid $.25/each for them. I went with it for the sake of cost alone!

Ok, I am going to stop complaining now.

A long story short, we ended up trying to Trick-or-Treat on the Lawn at UVA. Let's just say we will never go back. Ok, maybe when our kids are older, but they were just too young. It was shoulder-to-shoulder trick-or-treating. Not my thing. We lasted about 10 minutes before heading home to have dinner and then head out to our own neighborhood (what we should have done in the first place!)

The kids were in bed just in time for ~~Amy time~~ bedtime!

For the first time in....

2011-10-31T06:10:00.000-04:00

....3 1/2 years, I don't have to carry a diaper bag! I haven't changed a diaper in about a month! I haven't purchased diapers or pull-ups in about a month!

I can finally feel confident in Miss Maggy's potty capabilities.

A few weeks ago, I got a call from Maggie's school that she was running a fever. It was a Thursday morning, which meant she wouldn't be able to return the next day because of the 24 hour rule. Being the mean mom that I am, I decided that since I would have Maggie all to myself for 4 days, we were going to take her potty training to a whole new level!

She had been using the potty when she was with us, but when she would go to school, I was putting her in pull-ups (school requirement for her class). After those 4 days of one-on-one potty time, she was ready for the real world. I crossed my fingers and sent her to school in underoos (the professional name that we like to use in our house) that Monday. While there were definitely some bumps in the road, it was definitely the right decision!

I am not going to lie, with a 3 year old and a 2 year old in the house, I feel like I spend most of my time in the bathroom with one or both of them. In fact, when we were trying to train Maggie,in an effort to also earn a treat, Jack would quickly run to use the bathroom so that he, too, could get a treat!

Also, there when I take both of them to Target, there is no doubt in my mind, we will have to pay a visit to the Target bathroom! It is ok, because not having to buy diapers is well worth it!

Best Buddies

2011-10-19T06:10:00.007-04:00

One day a few months ago, Jack looked at me, held up his thumb (for me to meet with my own) and said, "Best Buddies, Mom?". Of course you know my response.

The flip side to this sweet story is that whenever he is mad at me or I don't give him his way, he lets me know that I am NOT his best buddy anymore!

Often, he will ask Maggie if she is his Best Buddy. She comes from a different crowd, so she prefers the fist pump response, but none-the- less-she is his best buddy.

Jumping in Leaves

2011-10-18T06:01:00.001-04:00

We made the mistake of telling Jack that whenever Mark got around to working on the leaves in the yard, he could jump in a pile or two.

That means, every time he saw a leaf, he asked if he could jump in a pile.

Mark spent 30 minutes Sunday blowing some leaves to the street for pick up. He saved a small pile for the kids to jump in when they got up from their naps.

We were able to convince Mark to get in on the action.I have so many other funny pictures of this event, but Mark would kill me! My face hurt I was laughing so hard!!! This took place in the front yard, so I am sure the neighbors enjoyed it, too!

Maggie joined us when she got up from her nap. She was a little more timid than I would have thought.

The "Farm"

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday, we woke up to some beautiful weather. This was the view from our little kitchen table.

Ok, the view if you tip toe outside, hoping the neighbors don't see you in your t-shirt and pajama bottoms (which for the record, they did).

We had planned to head to PaPa's "farm" which is South of town. It is my late-grandfather's property that used to be a working apple orchard. My dad has kept a few of the trees, but doesn't do anything with them.

We walked along the field and saw a few bugs and spiders, but it was this big stick that stole the show.

It was your typical Fall day in October, where you start the day in long-sleeve shirt and a light jacket and after spending an hour in the sun, you are leaving a trail of clothes behind you.

By the time we finished our walk, PaPa was nearly finished "bush hoggin".

After some unsuccessful trips to a few antique/thrift stores, we had lunch with my sister and Mike and called it a day.

Well, the kids called it a day. I had to head next door and take some homecoming pictures. It reminded me how glad I am to not be in high school, while at the same time, wishing I was in high school.

Taking pictures of someone that follows directions, listens and is willing to retake a missed shot is AMAZING. I was spoiled rotten!!!

Homecoming

2011-10-14T11:24:00.000-04:00

This Saturday I have been asked by our babysitter (and neighbor) to take Homecoming pictures of her and her date.

I am a little bit nervous because I am really only comfortable taking 8000 pictures of my own kids.

Don't worry, no money is being exchanged in this endeavor. I am welcoming the practice.

She is in the 9th grade and the poses need to be age approrpiate so I have turned to Pinterest for some inspiration.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I won't be sharing my photos on my blog. However, here is the look I am going for.....

Source: photosbyevie.net via Amy on Pinterest

Source: None via Amy on Pinterest

I just pray that they don't end up looking like this!

Source:

Glass Markers

2011-10-14T06:10:00.003-04:00

Maybe the best $2.22 I spent. Although, the doors and breakfast nook window in our house now look like a dealership window.

Maggie loved them so much she didn't even realize that her hair was a complete rat nest and her undewear were giving her quite the wedgie ;)

Hibachi

2011-10-13T06:22:00.004-04:00

A week or so ago we took the kids to a Hibachi restaurant along with Erin and Mike. Talk about free entertainment...

We may have even tried to catch some chicken...

Maggie's Party Featured

2011-10-11T06:10:00.011-04:00

I am honored to have Maggie's Birthday Party featured on the ohdeedoh blog. Please head over there and check it out ;)

You know, just in case you missed it the first time!

Early Morning

2011-10-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

This morning, we stepped outside for a bit to enjoy the fall weather.

Today, we are headed to the Mud Bog! We have been dangling this over Jack's head all week, including this morning when he thought that 5:30 was the appropriate time to start the day. Mind you, we have to wake him up around 6:30 Monday-Friday, but on the weekend he is up and at it!

Fall Weather

2011-10-05T06:10:00.002-04:00

The weather this time of year is so unpredictable. Over the weekend it was in the high 40's and today it was in the 70's.

We spent our afternoon getting some fresh air in the backyard.

Kite Day

2011-10-04T08:14:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, a park just down the road from us sponsored Kite Day. For some reason, we thought that it was only for professional kite flyers, so we didn't bring ~~ours~~ Mark's. Apparently, Mark was quite the kite enthusiast in his former life.

We quickly paid the price for that error as we tried to fly a handmade kite that Jack and Maggie decorated.

The event was free, and included hay rides, face painting and kite decorating. They did have kettle corn available for purchase, which Jack guarded with his life!

Did I mention that it was a bit chilly on Saturday?

I think the professionals and enthusiasts take this activity pretty seriously. Some of the kites were so large they were anchored from trucks. The octopus was a crowd favorite!

Time Flies

2011-09-30T05:00:00.006-04:00

Another week has passed us by....

If Mark is the farmer below, I guess that makes me the piggy?!

Mugshot

2011-09-29T06:11:00.007-04:00

Painting

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I have tried to be a laid-back mom that isn't afraid of paint. Truth be told, I am NOT a laid back mom (when it comes to anything) and I am afraid of ~~the mess~~ paint!

My kids, however, love to paint...

Ok, maybe I am little more laid back than I thought!

Heck, this was painting in her church clothes! Talk about laid back! (It is washable!)

We are even going to get "wild and crazy" this week and bring their activity easel* up from the basement!

*The easel lasted about 5 minutes in our house before crayon was all over the hall wall. It has been in the basement ever since.

Rainy Sunday

2011-09-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

I feel like all it does these days is rain. I wanted to get outside when the sunshine started to pop through the clouds on Sunday afternoon, so the kids put on their rain boots for a short walk around the block.

We didn't make it any farther than our our front yard.

Sometimes, it is just the simple things in life!

UVa Game

2011-09-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, Mark and I were invited by a co-worker of mine to attend the UVA football game. Each year, UVA will offer one game at $10/ticket for an employee (up to 4 tickets).

Mark's parents took the kids for the day (and night) and we headed to Charlottesville to enjoy some kid-free time!

Leann is not used to UVA and their traditions. Coming off of a UVA graduation party, I had LOTS of UVA stuff to contribute!

When I brought out the mason jar full of orange flowers, I thought Leann was going to d-i-e!

I realized that I had definitely grown up since my last tailgate (2008?), when I told Mark to "watch his language" when he was telling a story!

All week, I had it in my mind that we were going to be sitting with our backs to the wall in the very top of the stadium (i.e. terrible seats!). When we were walking to the stadium, Leann pulled out her tickets to make sure she had them (again!) and Mark saw section "112"! We couldn't believe it! We were about 10 rows up from the field, in the endzone! Not too shabby for $10 seats!

Life.

2011-09-20T10:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes our routine gets the best of me (who am I kidding, all of us!). I am not sure if other working mother's feel like this, but I just feel like I don't get the "best time" with my kids. They are grumpy/moody in the morning because of the pressure/routine to get everyone out the door in time. They are tired/emotional when we get home because they are exhausted from their day. On the weekend, I want to do all of these things with them because I don't get to see them as much as I would like, and they just really want to veg out. Maggie will nap for 3 hours a day over the weekend and Jack will nap about 2 hours each day.

I will say, the mornings are getting a little easier and we aren't having as many knock-down drag-out fights like in the beginning. In the words of Melissa Gorga, Housewives of New Jersey, "Thank you Jesus!".

I am a little bit embarassed to admit that Mark and I have been going to bed around 9:00-9:30 each night! Thank goodness for the DVR or I would miss all of my shows!

While I enjoy Fall, I don't enjoy the daylight getting cut short because of the time change.

Anyway, as you can tell, I don't have much to report on here. It is somewhat difficult to do things when your bedtime is 9 pm ;)

2nd Birthday Party

2011-09-14T06:15:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated Maggie's 2nd Birthday. Let me just start by saying, I think lightening struck the night she turned 2 because she has developed quite the a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e!

This year, I went with a library/bookworm theme. I purchased old-school library cards and pockets on ebay.

Since we had a big party the weekend before, I figured I should keep Maggie's party to just family so that I didn't have a nervous breakdown.

I packed brown-bag lunches for Jack, Maggie and Mary Kate.

I kept the decorations very simple.

The food was simple, as well.

Can we talk about these cupcakes? How great are they? I did however break my number one rule and had colored icing. It was a bit of a mess with the kids. A few pieces of clothing are at the dry cleaners as we speak :)

For the party favors, I came across a quote that I felt was appropriate for this theme and put it on a bookmark for each guest.

Ok, this is a really long post now. Hopefully, you are still with me since I have limited words on here ;)

The bounce house already paid for itself!

Maggie is wearing a dress. Her dress is tucked into her bloomers so that she doesn't miss a beat in the bounce house.

Uncle Lyle, I mean, Elise ;)

My pictures of Maggie blowing out the candle were terrible. It kills me just thinking about it!

At the end of the party, my mother-in-law asked me when the next party was! I quickly replied, "March 2012!" I have to admit, I am a bit partied out. However, as much as it wears me out, I do enjoy pulling together all of the details and spending time with our family!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Maggie!

9/11/11

2011-09-11T20:20:00.000-04:00

My Birthday Girl

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Maggie!

I am sorry that the bugs took over your picture (What is worse is that you couldn't see or feel them when you were in the middle of them). I am also sorry that we didn't tie the balloons a little bit tighter on your arm so that they didn't slip off your wrist into the sky.

Mark squashed one of my party-planning ideas last night. He actually told me I was a little on the crazy side (Who me?!). It must have been a pretty far-out idea, because he rarely tells me no when it comes to these parties.

Ok, I am off to try and pull all of this together.

FURminator

2011-09-09T06:15:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried the FURminator?

Beau loved it.

This is a picture of the pile of hair only half-way into the brushing. The final pile was twice this size!

How old?

2011-09-08T06:11:00.001-04:00

A certain someone has a Birthday this week! Just how old is she going to be? We will let her tell you!

10?!

7?!

6?!

Ok, maybe by this weekend we will have it down!

Graduation Party

2011-09-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated Mark's graduation from UVA. Since I was pregnant with Jack, Mark has been a full-time student and a full-time stay-at-home dad.

Since he graduated over the Summer, he will not get to "walk the lawn" until May 2012. However, he has received his diploma and we are having it framed as we speak!

For his invitation, I used a picture of the Rotunda that I had taken earlier this summer.

My Aunt came into town from Wilmington and helped me get all of the food ready on Friday. I don't know how caterers do it! After 6 hours of mixing and baking, we had to de-vein 7 pounds of fresh shrimp that they brought up from North Carolina. We were leaning over the sink on our forearms because our backs hurt so badly from standing all day! We even had to pop a few Ibuprofen! I think we are just too old for all this work! In the end, all of our hard work was worth it!

I came up with these food cards at 10 o'clock the night before after I had asked Marked if he could make wooden cut-outs of the Rotunda with a saw. He looked at me cross-eyed, dropped a few bad words my way and told me I was insane. I resorted to Plan B...a paper cut out from a logo that was available online.

I am embarrassed to say that this is the only picture I got of Mark. This is a picture with my Uncle Cecil, Mark and his Dad, all of which are graduates from UVA. Mark is a sixth-generation graduate from UVA!

Leather/canvas belts must be a pre-requisite at UVA?!

I mostly took pictures of the kids and the newest addition to our family...our own bounce house. This purchase paid for itself this weekend. We will also have it out for Maggie's party next weekend (that's right, I will be doing this AGAIN next weekend...heaven help me!)

Bounce house was purchased from Walmart.com, with free shipping!

Oh yea, there were some delicious cupcakes (that I did NOT make! I will always outsource this!)

We had a great time with our friends and family and are all so proud of Mark and his accomplishment!

Pardon the mess

2011-09-03T06:22:00.002-04:00

We are busy planning a little party today.

I took off yesterday and made lots and lots of food, with the help of my aunt. Here is a sneak peak at one of my appetizers. These will be soo good with wine ;)

Pistachio Bites (crushed pistachios, goat cheese and cream cheese)

I will post the rest of the party pictures later this weekend. Have a great Labor Day!

Best Idea Ever

2011-09-02T06:31:00.003-04:00

I don't usually by wine for myself when I shop each week at the grocery store. Even though I really NEED to start buying wine for myself more often, I don't, because I feel like once you open the bottle, you HAVE to finish the bottle that day or the next or the wine doesn't taste good.

Well.....I had the best idea ever this past weekend while grocery shopping. I picked up a four-pack of wine. It is the same price as a bottle of wine (at least the price of the wine I drink!), and this way, you always have a fresh glass of wine!!!

Did you already know this and I am totally late to the party?! At any rate, I very much recommend this idea...whether it was my idea or not!!!!

More Pasta

2011-09-01T06:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, I hate to have another pasta activity on here, but I do. A while back, I had pulled a kids idea from Family Fun or somewhere like that. It was just dying dried pasta and making necklaces with it.

Well, since we were stuck inside on Saturday, I decided to give this activity a try. All you need is pasta (like rigatoni or ziti), vinegar (I would recommend regular vinegar, but this is all I had) and food coloring. My mom, a retired school teacher said it could be done with rubbing alcohol, too.

Mix the vinegar and the food coloring in separate bags.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and then place on a paper towel for about 15-30 minutes.

After everything is dry, start threading. It is a great activity for little hands to practice dexterity and if you really want to step it up a notch, my school-teacher friend, Mel, suggested starting a pattern and see if Jack could finish the pattern. We had already made our necklace when she offered this suggestion..maybe next time!

Healthy Poptart Recipe

2011-08-31T08:32:00.000-04:00

I have also been thinking about healthy and easy breakfast items for the kids and I thought about the poptart. I was thinking that there has to be a way to make this morning treat better for everyone. So, I googled, "healthy poptart recipe" and I came up with this.

This was the first one I came across, but I am sure there are 800 out there.

I got the ingredients I needed at the store and I made them this past weekend. I think they need some tweaking, here and there, but overall, not bad.

Pasta activity

2011-08-30T06:50:00.000-04:00

We were fortunate and that we didn't really have too bad of weather on Saturday. It was overcast all day and rained on and off. There was a really nice breeze into the night that reminded me of living in Wilmington, but other than that..nothing to write home about (thank goodness!).

Every now and again I go on cleaning missions. Saturday, I turned my attention to the pantry. I don't have any before and after pictures of the pantry, because I would be too embarrassed, but I will show you what I came up with while cleaning out the pantry.

I had boxes and boxes of random pasta from the last 10 years. Ok, probably not from the last 10 years, but farther back than I would care to admit on here.

I grabbed some kitchen scoops and cups and poured all of the pasta that I was otherwise going to throw out into a tupperware container. I threw down a sheet in the sun room and gave them the rule: keep this activity on the sheet. That was it.

I figured this would give me at least 15 minutes. Believe it or not, it gave me HOURS!!!! I swear ;)

Maggie did get cut off towards the end for breaking the one and only rule.

Healthy Eating

2011-08-29T06:11:00.000-04:00

Kids and food do not go hand-in-hand. It seems like kids and high fructose corn syrup do. Have you ever tried to get food for your kids that do NOT have high fructose corn syrup in it? It is soo hard! I have been working to eliminate this from my kids diets and it is a challenge in the grocery store each week.

I am also trying to pack an overall healthy lunch for my kids, with the catch of them also EATING that lunch, too!

Over the last month, I have stopped giving into the standard dinner/lunch for the kids such as chicken nuggets, hot dog and/or macaroni and cheese. Basically, the kids plate has all of the same food that Mark and I are eating for dinner. The only thing different is that I ensure that there is at least one healthy food on their plate that I know they will eat. For us, this is usually yogurt along with fruit.

They have to try everything on their plate, at least once. I realize I am making this sound soooo easy and our dinners are perfect. Trust me, this is not easy. I jokingly will tell Jack that after 20 times of tasting chicken, you just might like it on the 21st try!

For lunch, my old stand by is a PB sandwich. I am trying to branch out a bit so this week I came across this recipe that I thought would be winner for them, a pizza roll up.

You just need whole-wheat tortillas, pizza sauce, 2% milk mozerella cheese and anything else that you think your kid may eat (that can roll easily!) such as Spinach, mushrooms, pepers, etc. I like this recipe because we always have these are staple ingredients in our house, so it was easy!

I gave it to my kids for dinner the other day and it was a big hit so I will definitely try this again.

I have been doing some research and will share some of my other ideas/resources for a healthy kids lunch as I make them!

Big Girl Bed

2011-08-26T06:01:00.011-04:00

As I have mentioned before, we scored a great big girl bed for Maggie. It was sitting in our garage while we worked on the hutch, so when we finished the hutch, I decided to move right onto the bed (I needed by garage space back!!)

One day, I asked Mark to pick up a sample of a paint color that I had picked out. Of course, I didn't really mean an actual sample, as in a small can of paint. I meant a paint card sample, duh!!!!!

Well, he brought home a small $6 can of paint (i.e. an actual sample).

After priming the bed, I decided I would do a small test patch on the bed to see if I liked it. Before long, I had my first coat on the entire bed.

It turns out, I only needed half of that can to paint the bed frame (2 coats).

I already had the primer.

The bed was free.

Total cost of Maggie's big girl bed: $6.

All we need now is a mattress and we are in business!

Longwood

2011-08-25T06:50:00.005-04:00

I was able to make it back to Longwood this past weekend to watch the season opener for the Women's Soccer team.

Did you ever think you would see so many people at a Longwood Women's soccer game?!

After getting my sister on board, I was able to convince Mel to join in the festivities, along with Jenn and my former roommate, Kieley.

Photo credit: Mel

It was soo good to see everyone. It is funny how you are able to pick up right where you left off.

The team is amazing and I wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of starting or much less playing on this team. That's ok, I will take my memories (and my records!) and pretend that we were that good in my days!

I never miss an opportunity to take a picture of our old dorm. Yup, still hasn't changed (it is about the only building on campus I can actually recognize, everything else has changed so much!)

What does....

2011-08-24T06:17:00.002-04:00

Uncle Lyle with all the kids.

Me (to Jack): What does Shrek do?
Jack: ROAR!

Me: What does a buzzard do?
Jack: Buzz!

Me: What does Uncle Lyle do?
Jack: Snore!!!

I bet Aunt Erin would most certainly agree ;)

Birthday Celebration

2011-08-23T06:11:00.033-04:00

This past week we celebrated a certain person's Birthday....

Doesn't he look good for 26?!

On the day of his actual birthday, we went to a local brewery to enjoy some fine dining...

After dinner, we went and got Ice Cream for the first time this Summer (can you believe that?!)

This past weekend, we celebrated with family and a Birthday cake.

Small (rug) rats were also in attendance.....

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Behavior Modification

2011-08-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

I am sure you thinking, what...behavior modification....no way!
Right!

Yes, that's right, I broke down this week and created a chart that shows the activities that I expect from Jack each morning. If he completes each task without any push back he gets to put a smiley face on the activity. If he gets all six of his smiley faces, he can drink a sippy cup of milk on the way to school.

Last week went pretty well as far as getting out the door with minimal tears, on their part or my own!

However, this week was a different story. I don't know if it is because allergy season is in full-effect now and I have two crusty birds living here that don't feel 100% or what, but something had to give.

So far, it is working out pretty well for everyone. I just hope it continues!

Here is the chart that I created. I created this in the all-too sophisticated Microsoft PowerPoint. I then had the printing services at UVA print it in color and laminate it. You could use magnets for your smiley faces or you could use Velcro.

As you can tell, we are in allergy season. "Medicine" is daily Claritin and "Treatment" is Albuterol inhaler. The rest are self-explanatory.

Here is the little man after completing his first morning without fighting me each step of the way!

Grace

2011-08-17T06:22:00.001-04:00

Most of the time as a parent, I get caught up in the "things" that my kids learned in school that I sometimes wish they hadn't. Jack learned the word "bad" one day a year ago and now everything is "bad this" or "bad that". I often overlook the things that they learn at school that are worth noting.

Since Maggie has started school, she will say Grace with Jack each night at the dinner table. I noticed this sweet little face praying last night and remembered to have my camera ready to go at dinner the next night.

I forgot to mention...

2011-08-16T06:22:00.001-04:00

I submitted my China Hutch re-do to a blog I read, Before and After. Lindsey featured it last week. Her blog is a great place to go for inspiration and it is easy to go back through the archives to look for ideas for your next project!

The County Fair

2011-08-15T06:41:00.001-04:00

We made our way to the County Fair on Friday, after a long day of work and school. I am not sure who we were kidding or what we were thinking.

Despite the fact that our kids pushed our buttons ~~like none other~~ a bit, the weather was perfect and it was really a nice evening to be outside.

Of course there were tons of animals to pet (and smell).

There were a handful of tractors to play on.

Lots of attractions to see.

After spending more money on 3 amusement park rides than I thought was possible, we drove off into the sunset with our kids kicking and screaming because they didn't want to leave as I ~~shared~~ ate a funnel cake in the front seat and got powdered sugar all over the place.

Do you remember as a kid how this slide seemed as tall as a skyscraper?

What would you do?

2011-08-13T08:05:00.000-04:00

Your daughter is on her first ride at a fair (really, first ride ever). It goes a little something like this.

Are you the parent that would ask the crazy Carnie to stop the ride to save your daughter from her misery?

or

Would you snap pictures of her crying during the entire ride?

....if you aren't taking pictures do you pretend that you aren't even there?

Yes, we are those parents.

23 months

2011-08-11T06:22:00.002-04:00

Somewhere in the last 23 months my baby girl grew up and became a diva in the making.She hit the "I do it" phase about 6 months ago! I swear we weren't there with Jack until he was at least 2 years old!

I really haven't done a post to capture the monthly milestones, behaviors, characteristics in forever. I don't know that I have ever done one for Maggie!

I think what amazes me most about Maggie is her vocabulary. She is stringing together 6 and 7 words sentences and having full-fledged conversations with me at this point. Jack also had a good vocabulary, but it wasn't as strong as hers at this point in development.

She is a happy baby that easily entertains herself. She loves all things Jack related. Which means, she loves, cars, trucks, bugs and tools. However, she is obsessed with babies and loves her dolls and "Sally" (seahorse). She loves to read books and we still spend about 20 minutes each night reading books before bedtime.

I still can't believe she will be 2 years old in one month! Where does the time go?

Day 2

2011-08-10T06:31:00.004-04:00

I am happy to report that we have survived these last two days. A new routine is challenging enough, but when you factor in two kids and a new job, it is overwhelming!

We have been able to get out the door without any tears being shed, by the kids or me, so that is a good sign! In the morning, I probably worry most about them not eating a decent breakfast. They aren't used to waking up and eating right away, so I do struggle a bit with that transition. Right now I am trying to think of healthy and easy breakfast foods that they will eat.

I called the school around 1:00 to get a status report and was told that it was nap time and Jack wasn't sleeping, but he was doing what he should be doing, which is laying down quietly. While this was good news, Jack (knock on wood) still takes a nap each day (for the most part) when he doesn't nap, we all pay the price. More on that later ;)

The Director said that Maggie had been fine and had just gotten up from her nap. I was able to breathe a small sigh of relief and get on with my day.

Later that evening when we arrived home, Mark and I changed gears to start preparing for dinner, bedtime and the next day. By 7pm, Jack was in a puddle beneath the dining room table crying uncontrollably. He was asleep by 7:15.

On the 2nd day of school, she was quick to ask for her back-back and her sunglasses and march out the door. However, I received a call from the school around 3:30 letting me know that Maggie had been somewhat fussy throughout the afternoon, but that her behavior was normal for her new situation.

Mark and I on the other hand get to enjoy a quiet 30 minute car ride each way, without interruptions or distractions in our conversation. Oh, unless you count the number of interruptions to let me know that I am not a good driver (which I never claimed to be)!

New Routine

2011-08-07T15:59:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is our first day of BOTH of us heading out the door to go to work. My stomach turns a little bit when I think of it. Mark landed a job opportunity at UVA, so we will be able to carpool together, which will be nice. He is a much better driver than me and I can sit and drink my coffee and enjoy the ride ;)

We enrolled Maggie at the same school as Jack and they will both be going full-time.The day that Mark told me he got the job at UVA I started crying thinking of Jack and Maggie in school/daycare from 8 to 5ish every day. I knew that this day would come, but it didn't mean I was prepared for it! . The fact that one of us was able to be at home with them until Maggie was 2 (next month) and Jack was 3 and a half is amazing! I am excited for them because I think the kids and teachers at school will provide a lot more entertainment than we can provide them at this age.

On Friday, Mark took Maggie to her new classroom to help her adjust easier on Monday. Mark called me at 11:00 to tell me he could have left 2 hours ago!

I do worry about Jack. He isn't as quick to adjust to new schedules and routines and will be very quick to pick up on my anxiety no matter how hard I try to hide it.

While I have tried to relax today, in the back of my mind, all I can think about are the lunches to pack (4 of them!), the number of sippy cups that I need to fill (4 of them), the travel coffee mugs (2), the water bottles to fill (2), the laundry that needs to be folded, the outfits to be laid out, etc. The only thing I could think to do was a make a list of "things to do".

I don't know how our family of 4 will be out the door (with Beau fed/walked) by 8 am, but we will. On top of all of this, I have an extremely important meeting at 10 AM. Don't they know I just want to sit in my office (without windows), close the door and cry?

Much Needed Walk

2011-08-05T07:17:00.003-04:00

This week at work has been terrible. It is one of those ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ months at work where even when you are away from work, you are thinking about work.

When I got home from work on Wednesday, we decided to go for a walk at a park nearby. The park is basically just acres and acres of uncut fields, with the exception of a walking path that goes around the perimeter of the park. You can also have your dog off the leash. We actually had Beau off leash (for some of the time). I never thought I would see the day when Beau could be in public off-leash!

This walk was just what I needed to change gears after work. I can't believe we haven't gone here before!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-08-04T07:04:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we had nothing to do and it was GREAT! We did however head over the mountain to Mark's parents house for a cook-out. They set up a baby pool and the kids enjoyed themselves.

I am happy to report that Maggie is doing well despite drinking from the hose...isn't that a big no-no these days?!

It was a great way to end the weekend. You know, before Sunday-night depression sets in!

The Hutch (and the next project!)

2011-08-03T07:17:00.003-04:00

We soaked the original brass in a vinegar and salt combination and then brought out the Brasso for the hard to clean spots.

My china is white with black trim, so I didn't want it to be all white in there. I figured the china would be lost. I couldn't decide if I was going to stencil the back, wall paper the back or use fabric on the back. Whatever I was going to do, it needed to be inexpensive and easy because I don't have time or money to waste!

About two weeks ago, I decided on the chevron pattern. I roped poor Mark in as my assistant (although I am really his assistant in projects like this).

After priming and painting (white) the back of the hutch, which Mark popped off when we first starting working with it, we marked off the board with 6 inch marks to line up our lines.

We decided to do a lattice pattern and then go back and cut out the extra lines to make the zig zag lines. Make sense? I was really trying to avoid having to paint between the lines. I just wanted to be able to roll the roller over the entire thing and then peel the tape off.

This picture was shot outside on a 110 degree day. The tape wasn't as tight as I wanted so we moved indoors for the next couple of steps so that the humidity didn't fight with the tape.

Once we had the lattice pattern down, we went back with a black marker and traced the lines that were going to stay. Which meant that any tape that didn't have a black line had to go. We used a craft knife to remove the extra tape.

Once all of the extra tape was removed (sorry, I ran out of energy here and have no more pictures of our progress!), we just rolled the gray paint over the whole board. We were quick to remove the second coat of paint so that we didn't take our previous work with us. You could have easily used spray paint here. However, we are getting ready to paint our dining room chairs the same color as the gray stripe, so we had a gallon of paint for both projects.

There was some touch up work, I am not going to lie, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

If I ever do this again, I will probably prime the heck out of the board, using at least 3 coats.

I am not sure if this is the best way to get the zig zag lines, but it worked well for us and we were able to move pretty quickly through the project.

Up next, these chairs (below) will get a fresh coat of paint. The seats were just re-covered a year ago. I have been torn with the idea of painting nice chairs, but finally realized it is cheaper to paint them than to replace them all-together!

25 years later

2011-08-02T07:58:00.004-04:00

Ok, maybe not that long, but it feels like forever and a day ago I found my dream hutch and had big, big plans for it! I read all of these blogs where these people do stuff like this over night. I don't get it. Do they not have kids? Is painting furniture their job? I know this for sure, this will NEVER be my job and I will NEVER paint another big piece of furniture like this again!

I apologize for the pictures. Our dining room is in the middle of our house, so we don't have any direct light coming in. This is mostly why I hate this room and have struggled with trying to pull it together since we moved in. The walls have been painted three times in the last 5 years!

I will try and do a post tomorrow on the two of us tackling the chevron pattern on the back!

Now to pull out all of that china that has been stored away for a few months....that is a whole new project!

Easy summer lunch

2011-08-01T06:58:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we had Mark's family over for lunch. I love trying out new recipes, most of which come from Southern Living. I look for easy ones....with easy ingredients and a lot of flavor. I pulled these recipes out a few months ago because I knew it would come in handy some time or another.

We had Goat Cheese and Strawberry Grilled Cheese and Tomato and Watermelon Salad (and Sweet Tea, of course!). It was nice to use three different types of produce, all of which are in season!

The salad was good, but I probably will not make it again, while the grilled cheese was perfect! The more goat cheese, the better, as far as I am concerned!

Did you know?

2011-07-30T07:58:00.005-04:00

If your big brother plays in the dirt.

You think playing in the dirt is pretty cool, too.

Always Remember

2011-07-30T07:21:00.002-04:00

If a ball smacks you in the face.

Daddy will be there to kiss it.

Library Visit

2011-07-29T08:09:00.004-04:00

The other day when I got home from work, we decided to walk to the library to pick up some books that were being held for me.

Jack loves to go to the library. Whenever we go to the library I think about Mel. She isn't a fan of public libraries, but I happen to love them!

We suggested that Jack take his back pack with him so that he could carry all of his books home.

It worked out well on his way there when it was empty. Once it was stuffed with tractor books, he wasn't as interested in carrying his back pack.

We usually end up reminding Jack that he is not checking out books that WE ALREADY HAVE AT HOME!

I spotted these hydrangeas and decided that I would borrow a bloom or two for our house. Blooms like this are made to be picked!

Black and White

2011-07-28T07:13:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, I snapped these pictures in black and white.

We had Mark's parents over for lunch on Sunday. After the kids got up from their naps, we headed over to my parent's house to celebrate my dad's Birthday. In one day, my kids were able to see all of their Grandparents and their Great Grandmother. We are very, very fortunate.

Waterpark

2011-07-27T06:22:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we packed up the kids and headed to the Splash Valley Water Park. We met up with our friends, Paul and Rachel and their daughter Riley. Paul and Rachel are expecting their second child any day now!

Unfortunately, the park was a little more crowded than I recall. The last time we were there, it must have been a week day because it was a bit on the crowded side this past weekend. I tried to catch up with Paul and Rachel during our visit, but it was a bit of a nightmare based on the crowds!

After an hour and a half, we had to clear the park because of thunder within 10 miles. You can only imagine how awesome that is to explain to three little kids We decided to head to lunch and made our way to Hooters. At Hooters, we were able to catch up and partake in some beverages, while the kids were entertained by balloons and hoola-hoops. I don't see that kind of service at Chilli's?!

After lunch, we headed back to the park to swim, while Paul and Rachel made the smart decision to head home! I was able to snap a few pictures because the crowds were not as bad.

...after 45 minutes another thunderstorm rolled through and we had to leave again. Yes, that went over really well.

Last couple of weeks

2011-07-26T06:34:00.005-04:00

I am slowly pulling myself out of my anti-blog funk. Between the heat and our summer activities, my energy level has hit rock-bottom.
Last week, the kids and I went to my parents house after work and went swimming for hours. We had picnics by the pool that consisted of limited food group representation. Bath's were not necessary those evenings because they had been swimming. Normal bedtime came and went.

Not only have we been swimming every other day and then some, but we...

....had peach ice cream at Chiles peach orchard.

....didn't want to leave the peach orchard.

...have been enjoying the 10 for $10 pepper sale from Kroger. Seriously, my kids eat their weight in these.

..picked our first tomato of the season! It is Jack's garden, but Jack doesn't like tomatoes. Maggie, on the other hand, will steal a tomato slice right off your plate if you aren't careful.

...have gotten along when no one was watching. I love these moments. I was cleaning the house, while Mark helped my dad and these two happily entertained themselves. It can happen!

....had a meltdown or two! Nothing like a mom with-a-camera taking a picture of the meltdown to add fuel to the fire, right?

...went "shopping" in my in-laws' basement! I picked up a great stool that I am in the process of painting and the future daybed for Maggie's room (next in line for painting).

I think that is about it!

Before and After

2011-07-23T09:06:00.000-04:00

Were you worried that I had given up my blog duties over the last week or so? Every now and again I get in anti-blog moods where the last thing I feel like doing is writing a blog. I haven't had the energy lately to carry my camera around, so I didn't have any pictures to share.

I did get the chance the other day to snap a picture or two of what I have been ~~reluctantly~~ working on.

You may remember this find from a month or so ago (I told you it would take me forever to get this done):

After soaking the brass in a vinegar and salt combination, painting and sanding, painting and sanding, the chest was finally ready to get upgraded from the garage to the house. The pictures below are terrible. We put it at the top of the stairs and it is a small space with bad
lighting. It is so tight, I couldn't get a decent picture without flying to the top of the staircase.

I had plans to do more with this chest, but at the end of the day, I was one tired workin'-mama and I just didn't have it in me. We don't have a lot of storage upstairs, so we use this for storing towels and sheets, that were previously stored downstairs. Do you know how frustrating it is to have two babies in the bath tub upstairs and realize you don't have clean towels? Problem solved!

Hottttttttttttt

2011-07-13T06:41:00.000-04:00

I don't think I will be the first to tell you just how hot it is this week. I didn't have the energy to take the kids to my parents to swim after work, so we settled on a run or two through the sprinkler in the back yard.

Maggie enjoyed the sprinkler a little bit more than Jack.

Jack on the other hand showed some interest in learning how to throw and catch a football.

I continued in my efforts to drink a little more and enjoyed a Bud Light. For the record, my additional drinking for the week has only totaled 3 beers, so don't call AA just yet ;)

Summer weekend

2011-07-11T06:58:00.001-04:00

Is it me or does the Summer fly by and Winter creeps along? I feel like since we had kids, the winter is the longest time of the year, trapped inside, watching movies. Come February I am seconds from writing "REDRUM" on the mirror?

Tonight we grilled out and watched the kids play in the back yard. It was hot out, but the shade was so nice, especially with my beverage of choice. A co-worker told me this week that I need to drink more often, so I am giving it a try. So far so good ;)

Another thing that we tried tonight is white bbq sauce. I got the recipe from Southern Living this past month. Mark added some horseradish to spice it up a bit and it was really good. It would also be really good for dipping fresh peppers in.

While we were outside playing, we apparently missed one of the best soccer games.....ever...on t.v. I set the DVR to record the USA Women's World Cup game so I can see this game for myself.

Jack continues to love t-ball. I asked him the other day if he wanted to play baseball for UVA and was quickly shot down. I will try again next week ;)

Holding Hands Tour

2011-07-08T06:41:00.005-04:00

For some reason, Jack and Maggie decided that they were going to hold hands this whole weekend. I swear, I didn't even prompt it for the sake of a picture! It got to the point where Maggie would scream at Jack, "Hold my hand, Jack!"

And just so that you don't think my kids are perfect all the time and we sing and hold hands all day long together, here is a shot of what also happens when these two are together.

If you look carefully, you will see a certain 3 year old's hand going in for a pinch!

Mini-vacation 2011

2011-07-07T07:17:00.002-04:00

Hi, my name is Amy and I just survived a 4 day, 3 night mini-vacation in a hotel room with my 3 year old and almost-2 year old.

I used my hotel points to book a trip to Wrightsville Beach this past weekend. We spent most of our time Soundside where my aunt/uncle keep their boat and the water is calm. It is so nice because it is like our own private beach.

We were able to get down to the beach around 9:00 each morning and were able to last until about 2 o'clock each day. At two, we headed back to the hotel room, where Maggie slept like a college student and the rest of us watched the Casey Anthony trial (ok, maybe I was the only one watching!).

Sunday morning, we headed out on the boat. Jack loves all things planes, trains, boats, cars and trucks, so sitting in the Captain's seat on the bridge was right up his alley.

One morning, Mark had an opportunity to go fishing, so the kids and I went for a walk on the beach pretty early (like 7:30!). I may have put them in some cute clothes in hopes of getting a few good pictures of them. Did I mention that Jack jumped in the water like he was wearing swim trunks?

Ok, maybe we will try this shot again another time?!

In an effort to spend as little time in the hotel room in the evening (when we weren't eating dinner at my aunt's house!), we hung out on the Southern end of the beach. This is where I would spend my non-kid days laying out from 8:45 am until 4:00!

Picture attempt #2. Oh well........

After spending the evening on the beach, we headed to the boat to watch fireworks.

Our last day there, we headed to the "big beach" (i.e. the actual ocean). The weather was so nice. Mark and I would take turns going for a swim in the ocean, while the other one hung back with the kids.

This picture was taken on July 5th and we practically had the beach to ourselves! The crowds really rolled out after the 4th!

It was a great getaway for us and a much needed one at that!

Who knew?

2011-07-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

I should probably be playing the lottery right now since Jack actually fell asleep on the beach...under the dock (in his "fort" as he called it!).

I will post MANY more pictures tomorrow!

Picnic, for real this time.

2011-06-27T07:52:00.001-04:00

We have had very mild temperatures these last couple of days, so Mark and the kids and maybe my camera, met me on "the corner" for lunch. I grabbed Bodo's and we just threw out a blanket and I am fairly certain that Jack and Maggie didn't think twice about eating.

I figured I should put my money where my mouth is and eat lunch where I work.

We would NEVER be able to get away this while the students are here, unless Mark wanted to pay an arm and leg for parking nearby or he takes a shuttle bus into town...

Do you see what happens when you are the one that is attached to the camera...you are left out of the fun!!!!

The kids were pretty good when it came time to end the picnic. It is so nice to have lunch where there is no playground equipment (did I say that out loud?) The kids just ran around beneath the trees, playing with each other and looking at bugs.

Have I talked about how much I dislike Crocs and how much my kids love them. I think they are the dirtiest, nastiest shoes ever. Can't you put them in the dishwasher or the washing machine or something like that? They make the kids feet soo filthy dirty I can hardly stand it! Unfortunately, since I hate them, Maggie loves them. She wants to wear her "pink Cwwaaaahks" everywhere and with every outfit!

A Painting Party

2011-06-22T08:09:00.001-04:00

Jack and Maggie went to an adorable "painting party" this weekend. My girlfriend Rachel's little girl, Riley, turned 3 this past week!

She has some more action shots on her blog from the party, but I wanted to share some pictures of my little painters. I had no idea they enjoyed painting with watercolors so much. We have definitely done some finger painting in the house, but we may need to spread our wings a little bit (in the back yard - no where near the white couch?)!

Note to self: Do not put your kids in nice clothes to attend a painting party! All articles of clothing are receiving special treatment as we speak at the dry cleaners.

~~Did I mention that Rachel is crazy?~~ Not only did the kids participate in a painting activity, but there were cupcakes to decorate (and eat!) She also lucked out with the weather. I was having a panic attack for her knowing that these two activities could end up in her living room.

Now that Riley is 3, she and Jack are in the same classroom together at school!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

....from our perfect household to yours!

Jack and Maggie fighting over who is going to give daddy his present