Sunday, June 28, 2009

Mmmmmm Delicious!


How cute of a wife am I??!!!! This was my little creation for my handsome hubby tonight! He's been craving this and I delivered!!! Not only was it delicious, but it's super healthy!!!
Today Gordon was called to be in the YM Presidency in our ward. After serving 6 years in the Stake YM Presidency, it was only a matter of time before they would snatch him up again!! He is so great with the youth and he is so excited to be serving with them again - this time on a Ward level.
Gordon also sang in sacrament meeting - "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". He sang it acapella and he did a beautiful job! I am so proud of you baby! I love you with all my heart!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Crazy 8's


Thanks for the TAG Carly! I haven't been tagged in a while...so here it goes!!!

Crazy 8 Tag

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. I always look forward to the weekend - the hubby is home!!
2. The slim chance of sleeping in - on rare occasion both girls will sleep until 8am!! Most of the time they are up at 7ish.
3. Losing this "baby" weight and feeling great!
4. The next time my family can come to NC and visit us.
5. 1:00pm every day - NAP TIME!!!!!!!!
6. Girls Night Out - these times should happen more often!!
7. Date nights with my amazing and handsome husband- I LOVE HIM!
8. Christmas in our new house with our girls- this year is going to be FUN!

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Took the girls to the pool with friends and Evelyn SWAM!!
2. Made chocolate chip cookies for FHE refreshments - yum!
3. Played the piano just for fun - I need to play more often b/c I love to play (by myself)
4. Clipped all my coupons for the week
5. Kissed my kids and my husband even got some action - lip action that is! Tee hee!!
6. Stalked my blogs - keep blogging fellow bloggers!!!
7. Started a diet - well, it was Monday!
8. Cleaned house - boring!!!

8 things I wish I could do:
1. See the future - good one Carly
2. Dance - I don't have rythem unless I am clapping
3. Visit Europe - one day
4. Sing - nope, I can't carry a tune...Evelyn, my own daughter, even plugs her ears when I sing in the car!! HA HA HA! True story!!!!!
5. Fly any where in the country for free and anytime I want
6. Find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow
7. Decorate my house, furnish my house, paint my house...do all my house projects
8. Go back to school

8 Shows I watch:
1. American Idol
2. House
3. The Office
4. The Biggest Loser
5. Americas Funniest Videos
6. Franklin
7. Blues Clues
8. Curious George

8 Favorite fruits:
1. Strawberries
2. Blueberries
3. Oranges
4. Apples
5. Raspberries
6. Bananas
7. Melons
8. Grapes

8 Places I'd Like to Travel:
1. Paris
2. Austrailia
3. Scotland
4. Switzerland
5. Hawaii - again
6. New York
7. California - home town and I haven't been back in years!!
8. as always - the beach

8 People I've Tagged - lets make it 10:
1. My Emmers - I miss you!!!
2. Meredith U.
3. Mindy F.
4. Shena A.
5. Korie B.
6. Leighanna L.
7. Liana W.
8. Kim K.
9. Rachel H.
10. all my sisters- booo-yeh!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Whatever works, RIGHT?!

So we have been potty training Evelyn for what seems like FOREVER now and since the candy ran out we have resorted to new...what do you call them...bribes? That way she has something to look forward to during a 'potty session'. The most recent fad is coloring with crayons on the potty. It's a new one for sure!!

Pool Time

We took the girls to a public pool and we had the time of our life! We have a couple of water babies in our family! Evelyn was jumping in the water before we could get her swim suit cover up off her body!! She was non-stop splashing and trying to swim. There were short little water slides for little people and she went up and down that slide too many times to count - she wouldn't even wait her turn, she would run up the stairs and she's so little that she would push her way to the front of the line, sit down and slide down!! Our little cheater!! It was funny.

Claire wasn't quite sure what to think at first, but soon enough she was also kicking her little feet and splashing her arms as fast as she could! We loved the day and were probably in the sun far too long - but thankfully no sun burns!!

NC ZOO

We went to the ZOO! It was HOT HOT HOT! We were there for a few hours and Evelyn loved it and Claire was a good sport. I think Evelyn's favorite part was a small green frog we found outside one of the restrooms. Not the Elephants or the Lions or the Monkeys - a frog. It wasn't even part of the Zoo...it was just some random frog sitting on a door frame. She loved it and she wanted to bring "her" home with us. We bought a Family Pass so we can go back anytime we want. We can't wait because there is so much more to explore!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Sisters! Sisters!

Jamie and Jennifer

I was spoiled with a visit from my sister Jen and my neice Presley in the beginning of June. I had so much fun with them!! I loved having them spend time with me and my girls and even though it rained - A LOT - we still enjoyed our time together. Evelyn and Presley are about 4 months apart and they had so much fun chasing each other around the downstairs. I think Evelyn loved having her cousin to play with all day/every day for a week, but she really LOVED Presley's shoes and kept stealing them from her... Presley was a good sport about sharing her cute pink shoes with Evelyn. The girls became instant friends and us moms had fun watching them play together. They would have screaming competitions (who was the loudest) and they would compete for moms attention ... like this "MY MOMMY!" "NO, MY MOMMY!" "NO, MY MOMMY!" This would go on and on back and forth with the two of them...at first it was adorable, but you can imagine how cute it was by day 5!!
Amidst ALL the rain, we were able to get out and about - I took Jen to an Antique market place - she loves antique shopping and I have never really been - it was so much fun! I could see myself becoming an 'antiquer'! We left the kids with Gordon one afternoon and went and got my hair cut together. The girls made rice crispy treats which resulted in a much needed bubble bath. We read LOTS of books - Presley LOVES to be read to...it could be the same book 10 times over as long as she was being read to!! SO CUTE! And I even learned how to do a T-Tapp Hoedown! Talk about a burning 5 minute work out!!!
I love my big sister and I really felt special that she took time to come and visit me in NC - Thanks Jen.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Has it really been a month??!

Shame on me for not posting to my cute blog in a month! Time is a precious thing these days and finding the time to blog is rare! We have been busy bees these last few weeks and I can't believe how quickly this year is passing by!! Some highlights of the last month are:

*Claire having her 6 month check up - she is growing so fast and she is quite the CHUB! She weighs almost what Evleyn weighed at ONE YEAR! She's 15 1/2 lbs!! She loves to smile and laugh and she LOVES it when Evleyn holds her and smothers her. She loves all of her fruits and veggies and she hates to miss out on anything, the problem with that is she is not the best nap-taker...but when she's awake she is the happiest baby ever!


*Evelyn is cutting her back molars - upper and lower ones - OUCH! She's been turning down food that she normally eats so I am anxious for her teeth to just grow so that she'll resume normal eating habits. She has quite the imagination and we have noticed recently that she talks a lot about someone named Bobby. We don't know anyone named Bobby or anyone that has a name close to Bobby and when asked who Bobby is she will tell us that he is her friend and he is right here (pointing to empty space next to her) So we have decided that Bobby is her imaginary friend. She even prays for him at her bedtime prayers!! It's pretty funny. Evelyn's shining moment this month, however, is that she is well on her way to being completely potty trained! YAY! We have made several visits to places and she uses the potty wherever we go. Knock on wood - but we have not had an accident yet!!! She is my big girl!

*Gordon is on VACATION!!! Gordon is taking this whole week off of work and we have our calendar booked with fun things to do as a family. We had the best Saturday together which was the perfect kick-off to his break from work! We love having him home and can't wait to spend the week with him!

*As for myself, I am training for a 5K in August - it's only 3miles, but it's a start! I got myself a new pair of running shoes and I have been walking/running for about 2 months now. I recently cut my hair! It's super cute and so easy for me to do in this summer heat!! I cut off about 7 inches and I love my new hairdo! I was spoiled with a visit from my sister and her daughter and that visit deserves a post of it's own, so I will do that later.

But here's a LONG story.... I can't seem to break my streak of being accident prone! On Wednesday last week, I was getting ready for the day and Evelyn loves to watch me put on make-up, so this particular morning I decided to bring a mirror and my make-up downstairs to sit on the floor with Evelyn and 'play' in my make up. She was so excited and I would brush her cheeks with blush and a dash of eye shadow on her eyes...she was lovin' it...then when I was putting on my mascara she decided to JUMP into my lap which bumped my right arm doing my mascara application and I shoved the mascara wand into my eye. Directly into my eye. I have never felt pain like that before and I have felt my share of pain, but nothing I have ever been through compared to the pain I felt in that moment!!

I immediately called Gordon because I thought I was blind in that eye. It was watering and I couldn't open it at all because it hurt so bad. We called my good friend Mindy and she came to my house and Gordon rushed home and Mindy watched the girls while we rushed to the Dr. The Dr did a test with dye and a black light to see if there were any abrasions and sure enough there was a big one on my cornea...OUCH! He put some ointment in my eye and then patched it and said to come back in 24 hours. Gordon stayed home the rest of the day and tended to me. I had to rest my eye as much as possible so I was 'OFF DUTY' so to speak as mom for the rest of afternoon/evening.

For the entire rest of the day, I kept my eyes closed. I wore one of those sleeping masks to help keep my good eye closed as well. I experienced blindness for 24 hours and I have to tell you how humbling that was!! I am so greatful for my eyes and that I have sight. There was a moment during the day when Gordon needed me to hold Claire for a minute and with my patch and my mask covering my eyes I was holding her. I couldn't see her face, but I could hear her and then I felt her hands grab my face and pull me into her face. I just started crying because the power of her touch was incredible. I couldn't imagine going through the rest of my life not being able to see her sweet little smile and her blue eyes staring back at me - when she grabbed my face I wanted to rip my patch and mask off so that I could see her. I only experienced a minimal amount of time without my eyes and it was practically unbearable. It was such a humbling experience for me and I have a better appreciation and understanding of what a blind person goes through each day.

The follow up appointment the next day brought good news - keeping my eyes closed for 24 hours helped the healing process. The Dr did the same test and he still saw the abrasion, but it was 1/4 of the size it was the day before. My vision was still blurry and cloudy, but better and I could tell it was returning. I took it easy that day as well and by the weekend, it is almost 100% better. Now I am just putting medicated drops in my eyes, but am without the patch! YAY! I can't thank my friend Mindy enough for helping me this last week during my temporary 'blindness'! For tending to my wound, watching my kids and driving me to and from my Dr appts!! YOU ARE THE BESSSST!!!


All in all we have had a good start to the summer - and we are all doing great! Here's some random pictures of the girls - just because they are so cute!!!!!!!!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

What's in the news today Evelyn?

Evelyn has always loved books and there have been so many times where we will catch her in a corner or in her room up on her bed or snuggled up on the couch with a book reading outloud (in her own language) and I just smile because it's so cute to see her get so focused! Well one morning I brought in the paper and put it on the kitchen table and then I went upstairs and when I came back down I found Evelyn had climed up in her seat and she had opened up the newspaper and she was just sitting at the table reading the paper. I snuck the camera out and captured the moment! It was just too cute to see her up there reading the paper like an adult!!

Grandma Time

I forogt I took these cute pics of my mom and the girls when she was here visiting last week. She loves her grandkids and they love her! Claire would just stare at her and smile and Evelyn just wanted Grandma to play with her - not mommy!! It is the best to sit back and watch Grandma get her quality time with her grandbabies!! We love you mom/grandma!!!

Cute Kiddos

This is going to be one of those posts that will make me cry when I look back years from now and read. I just have to say how much I love my kids!! I love being a mom and looking into their happy faces every day! The smiles they give me just brighten the room and make my day. They remind me how important it is to take the time to love on them and play with them and just enjoy them every day. They complete me and I can't imagine life without them! I love you Evelyn and Claire!!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Carolina Beach

Last week/weekend we decided to go to the beach. It was so much fun!!! It rained the whole drive down there and then the next day when we woke up we had a perfect sunny day and it stayed perfect and sunny the whole time! LOVE IT! We had a room at the Courtyard on Carolina Beach and we were right on the water. Since we got there before the weekend started, we had the entire beach practically to ourselves - and the hotel's pool. The water was in the 70's and Evelyn had a blast getting knocked over by the waves and playing in the sand. Claire was a trooper being so small she had to be held a lot, but thankfully Grandma and Grandpa were there to help out.

We went to the aquarium and that was the coolest thing to Evelyn. She loved looking at the fish and she got to see a sting-ray and some crabs and shells up close. She was so fascinated with all the tanks and aquariums of fish - she especially liked "Nemo".

We all probably gained 10lbs just from this one doughnut shop we found. This place makes the best doughnut I have ever eaten - and I have had my share of doughnuts!!! It's called Britt's Doughnut Shop and he started making just glazed doughnuts since 1939 and that is the ONLY kind of doughnut he makes - glazed. He serves them HOT and FRESH and they just melt in your mouth!! We went there a few times (shouldn't have, but we did) and every time we went there was a line out the door to get a doughnut!! It didn't even matter what time of day it was - he was serving glazed doughnuts all day long!! They were the best!!
On our last day there, I decided to free myself of both kids and go and play in the water. I was in the ocean maybe 5 minutes when I felt instant pain around my left ankle. I didn't know what in the heck it was, but it stung!! I slowly walked out of the water and with each step I felt the throbbing getting worse. I finally made it to shore - Gordon and some other beach people came to my rescue and my ankle was inflamed and red and in one spot bleeding! Everyone determined I was attacked by a jelly-fish. OUCH! They told us to stop the poison from the tentacles we should pour vinegar on it. So we made it up to our room and the hotel manager brought us vinegar and Gordon had to clean it really well - talk about BURN and PAIN!!

Thankfully I did not have an allergic reaction to the sting and today it is healing very quickly!! I am glad it happened to me and not Evelyn who was 100% of the time playing in the water and I am glad it happened on our last day so it didn't ruin all the fun!!

Thanks grandma and grandpa for a great trip! We can't wait to see you again!!!
The beach was ALL ours!!
Evelyn loved the water!
Claire loved the pool!
The Aquarium was a lot of fun!!