Royal Icing Recipe - Question/Answer

Question/Answer
Nicole wants to know if she can decorate gingerbread man cookies with my "Royal Icing" recipe. An answer to her question - absolutely. In fact, that's how I was introduced to this recipe. When my nieces and nephews were real little and coming to my house for Christmas. I made homemade gingerbread man cookies for them and I wanted to pipe out their names with icing. I was very pleased with the results. You can tweak the recipe anyway you want, if you want it really stiff or more smooth. The original recipe (the way it is written out) was stiff enough for me to pipe on the cookies.

As far as coloring the icing. Yes, you can divide it up in portions and add a little food coloring. Have fun with it!

Nicole, I hope I was able to answer your questions and have fun make those delicious cookies. I absolutely love homemade gingerbread and it has a lot of love put into it. It's nothing like you buy at the store. For the rest of y'all out there. If you've never made gingerbread, you've got to make it at least once in your lifetime. Lots of love and oh so good!

Tax Free Day
Well, I was one of millions of people out and about today, taking advantage of "Tax Free Day." Katie and I picked up the rest of her school supplies - glue stick, crayons, washable markers, pencils, and washable watercolor paint. We roamed over to the clothes and picked up a couple of jeans. She absolutely hates denim jeans, but I was able to persuade her with a pair of glitter jeans and another pair of jeans with some embroidery (flowers & hearts) by the front pocket & both back pockets. I was also able to persuaded her to get a denim skirt. I didn't push anymore because I was afraid that I would be pushing my luck. She liked a couple of shirts. One was a short sleeve peace sign with hearts and other art work on it along with glitter. Are you seeing a trend with Katie and glitter or BLING? I can't get over how she agreed to get a long sleeve sweater hoodie. I think it's because it was pink.

I think Katiebug is set for school next week. She asks me every now and then when she starts school. A week ago, I picked up a "Clifford" book about Clifford's first day at school. I'm hoping it will ease her nerves because I know how nervous a person can get going into a new environment. I think it's not knowing what to expect that unnerves people. I remember feeling sick at my stomach the first day of school until I hit high school. I bought Katie some Children's Tums to ease her stomach. She's never really had stomach issues, except for this past week when her sinuses have been draining into her stomach. She's had a little Summer cold for a few days. That's what we get for allowing her to run her fan in her room during the night.

Peggy is allowing me to do a little shopping this weekend. See if I can find any bargains. Woo Hoo! I do need to go to Babies R Us. It makes me so mad when I go to Walmart and see something that I might need for Colton. I think, well I don't need it right now so I'll wait and get it later. Uh, I've found out that I had better get it , if I see it because it may not be there later. Ugh! I need disposable bibs and "when" Walmart has them in stock, it's maybe 2 or 3 and their large. I need the medium! It took me 3 weeks of checking back in order to get the large ones. It's too bad that a Babies R Us or Toys R Us isn't close by. They always have what I need! Another thing I'm having troubles finding is fat free tortillas . I've checked Walmart and the local grocery stores. Nope, nada. I know Walmart sells them because I found them at a super center in Hoover. I also know the Target Supercenter in Madison sells the FF tortillas, so I'm going to try there this weekend. So aggravating.

Katie Story
Yesterday, it was so cute. Colton was in his bed playing, when I heard Katie talking in his room. When I peeked around the doorway to see what was going on, it was so sweet. She took one of her story books into Colton's room. Standing on the side of the rail, she was reading him a story. What was so cute, she was showing him the pictures in the book. I slipped away to get my video camera. Thankfully, I was able to tape a little bit of the precious moment. As I got a little closer to his bed, I wanted to film him watching Katie, all I could see were feet. He was playing with his feet, listening to his big sissy reading him a story. Is that sweet? Oh well, I guess it's a mom thing. I've been pretty busy, so I'll try to post the movie as soon as I possibly can.

More Needs To Be Met

More Needs Out There
Allison was so sweet to remind me of "man's best friend." The pets are suffering right along with their owners during this recession. What I thought was a great idea, she wrote me saying "The Humane Society" and area animal shelters are helping folks with funds that can't afford to feed their pets. This way, people would not be forced to turn their loved ones (pets) over to the animal shelters. I know the shelters nation wide are over run with dogs and cats as it is. I'm sure with the recession, it is making matters worse.

Allison, you may have to correct me if I'm wrong, but I know my mom use to donate dog food (unopened), pet bedding and shavings to our animal shelter. I would think that they would still do this today. If you think this is a great idea, call your local animal shelter. If you would like to donate to "The Humane Society", please click HERE. My mother religiously supports the ASPCA. If you would like to donate to "ASPCA", please click HERE.

Question/Answer
Allison asked me if I had one of those mesh veggie & fruit feeders. Nope, not yet any ways. I have got to get to MADISON! I've got to go to Babies R Us and then over to Target, but I've gotten myself into a rut. I'm just now getting brave enough to go to Walmart by myself with the kids. My problem is I just can't handle Katie running every where, grabbing stuff that "she has to have" and Colton screaming, while I'm trying to search for stuff in the store. It doesn't matter if it's just one child at a time acting up or both at the same time. By the time I get home, my hair is down around my head (still falling out BTW), my eyes are bugged out, and I'm telling Katie to be quiet. There are days where I honestly believe that my head is twitching. My mother-in-law told me she would watch the kids for me one day, so I could run up to Madison. As soon as I get there, I need to pick up a mesh baby food feeder.

Katie Story
As I was washing dishes today, Katie and I were talking about the upcoming seasons. Since Labor Day doesn't mean that much to her, I told her that the next holiday was Halloween. She was excited. She announced this afternoon, she was going to dress up as a witch this year. We'll see if she will stick with it by October. After discussing Halloween, she piped up and said "then Christmas is next." "No," I told her. "The next holiday would be Thanksgiving or Turkey Day." "Yeah," she said. We were talking about the Thanksgiving Day parade. Her eyes got big and asked if she could be in a parade. I told her that I didn't know, but we would have to wait and see. Next thing I know, she is waltzing in the Living Room wearing her headband, a scarf (as her hair) and pom poms. I asked her what she was doing and she said that she was in a parade. She asked if I wanted to be in the parade because she had some bunny ears for me to wear. HA HA! It all went silly from there. Before long, Katie wanted to try on all of her special headbands and have her picture taken. Next thing you know, Colton was wearing the headbands. I had to stop her when she wanted to put Minnie Mouse ears and Snow White's red bow on his head. I knew Doug would have a heart attack, if he even thought we might have dressed up his son like a girl. HA! I hope you enjoy the silly pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Simple Homemade Granola Bars

If you're looking for a great recipe to make simple homemade granola bars, you'll have to check out my niece's blog. She recently posted a wonderful sounding granola bar recipe. She is great cook, so I know that they will be not only delicious but nourishes. You can find the recipe HERE. With Katie in school, I'm definately going to try this recipe. It will be another creative photo op. TEHE!

ENJOY!

A Fulfilling Life . . . From Preschool to Spit Up

Today, Colton, Katie and myself went to Walmart in order to purchase some snacks for Katie's school snack time. I think I went a little over board, but I know my daughter. One day she will love one thing and the next day, she'll hate it. Ugh! That's what we get for raising a "Drama Queen." I did let her pick out most of the snacks. I've got her covered: Cheddar Fish Crackers, Ritz Mini Peanut Butter sandwiches, Cracker Cheese Dunkers, snack size Pringles, Trix yogurt and juice boxes. She wants me to go back and get her some apples, bananas and strawberries. I didn't want to get them today because she doesn't start school until the 12th of August. How well do you know about the yogurt that's suppose to be good for your immunity system? Well, I thought it would be good for our household, minus Colton, to drink these Immunity yogurt shots every day, since Katie will be exposed to God knows what. so, I grabbed a pack to try. I haven't tried it yet and I hope that it will taste okay. I also grabbed some yogurt for myself. I've always had a sweet tooth and that's what gets me into trouble with my weight. So, I thought I would get back into eating the fat free, light calorie yogurt to help my sweet tooth. I've been off of bread for about a month now. I've substituted my breads with fat free wraps for both breakfast and lunch. All I make are either breakfast burritos or sandwich wraps. I've been taking it slow and easy because I know I'll binge, if I cut everything off. Anyway, that's another post for later. Katie was so excited, picking out snacks. I even let her pick out a different pencil bag. She's had her Elmo & Zoe pencil bags for a couple of years and she doesn't even like Elmo & Zoe. I don't know what it was that turned her away from them because she liked them when she was beginning to toddle around. As soon as she figured out what a princess was, that's all it took for her to turn. Now, it's all princesses, ballerinas, and fairies. So, guess what kind of bag she picked out? Yep, you guessed it! The Disney PRINCESSES! I wanted her to get this light pink bag with sparkles all over it. Nope! She liked the princesses better. Oh well!

I'm trying my hardest to hold off until Friday to purchase any real school supplies (pencils, crayons, finger paints, Kleenex, and baby wipes). Does your state offer "Tax Free Day"? Well, we are suppose to have ours starting August 7-10. Yep! All weekend! I can't wait! {writing this with sooo much sarcasm}

I still can't believe that school days are here. It was just the month of June last week. I guess we had such a busy July that time flew so fast for us. I didn't even get Colton's 3 month old picture taken at Portrait Innovations. Ugh! I did take a few snapshots. Maybe he won't hate me when he gets older. Needless to say, I've got to get his picture taken. With Peggy's help and Katie's free days (between school & ballet), I plan to take Colton sometime this month to get his picture taken. I spoke to Katie this morning about not having her picture made with time Colton, this time. Before you begin throwing the tomatoes in my face, hold on and let me explain. You know the first year of a baby's life is so important to professionally catch those milestone months (3, 6, 9 & 12 months old). After that I figure once a year is good because they really don't change that much, like during their first year. Well, Katie just had her picture made with Colton at Easter. She will also have her picture made this Fall and Spring at school. Let's not forget this year's Ballet Portrait. Plus, this year is Family Christmas Portrait, which I like to have made around the end of November. Can you say Cha-Ching!?! Ugh, all I can see right now are DOLLAR $IGN$. I don't think it is necessary to have Katie's picture taken every time Colton has his taken. When I do get him scheduled for his 4 month old picture session, I'm going to try to refrain from purchasing the big package. Instead, I'm going to try to purchase the $9.95. The only thing is you can only pick out one pose for this package. Boo Hoo!

Y'all, Colton is developing the cutest little personality. Call it a mom thing, but daggum he's so darn cute. He could be laying in his bed crying and screaming, trying to get my attention. As soon as he sees my face, a smile comes over his and those hands and legs begin flying every where with excitement. Little stinker! He absolutely is a cuddler and loves to be rocked. If I try to lay him down, while he is still awake, he'll cry and whine until I pick him up and head for the rocker. He might fight me a little bit, to stay awake, but it's usually not long before he's out. My gracious, he has been eating the food. I've been noticing him getting cranky and taking a 5-6 oz. bottle more than before. So today, I thought I would just feed him until his heart is content. Oh my! I hope I didn't feed him too much. This morning, he took a 7 oz. bottle of formula and 6 Tbsp. of oatmeal cereal. It wasn't 5 hours later, he was hungry. I fed him a 6 oz. bottle of formula and a 1/2 jar of Sweet Potatoes (baby food). Three hours later, he was hungry again. Knowing that it hadn't been that long before I fed him, I gave him a 4 oz. bottle of formula. Four hours later, he was hungry. I gave him a 6 oz. bottle, 1/2 jar of sweet potatoes, 7 Tbsp. of oatmeal cereal, and a jar of Prunes. I think he would have continued eating if I gave it to him, but I was afraid he would get sick. For you moms that are laughing at me right now, thinking that I've lost my marbles. You have to understand, I'm not use to this type of eating habit. Remember, I had the little petite "MISSY" that ate like a bird until she turned 3 years old. I had to put a whole jar of apple sauce in her oatmeal/rice cereal in order for her to take a couple bits. It might be just me, but I think the oatmeal and rice might fill Colton up a little better than the pureed baby foods. So, I think starting tomorrow, I'm going to up his cereals at every meal and see if that will help him out a little better. Oh, someone asked me the other day if it looked like he might have a favorite food. Well, I think we found a winner. I wished I had recorded him eating Prunes this evening. HA HA! He was one happy little boy with all that yucky brown looking prune juice all over his face. As soon as I would say "bite, bite" that mouth would fly open and he'd go searching for it. When he got his bite, he'd start smiling and talking to me. Just like he is saying "Yummy that's so good." HA HA! So cute! I have to say his first bite of Prunes was pretty funny. It was sour because his mouth puckered up and his one eye closed. After the 3rd taste, he was at it with both hands. Yes, he actually grabbed at my hand (with the spoon full of food) and pulled it toward his mouth. He was a movin' and a groovin', eating his PRUNES! I couldn't get over how he ate the whole jar. I only have one more jar of Prunes to give him, so I guess I'll have to pick up some more the next time I go. I only got 2 because Katie never cared for Prunes that much. Her favorite baby food was apple sauce and it is still her favorite, except I buy her the "Strawberry Banana" flavor now. She's my strawberry nut.

By the way, I think Colton did have a little too much to eat. I say this simply because he spit up after being burped, then during bath time and another time before going to bed.

"The JOY of SOURED Milk!"

Much Need

You know, there are lots of needs out in the world 24/7. I do try to do my part and donate what I can to help. Sure, I have tough times just like the next person. For the first time, I believe, in my life I'm witnessing a recession. According to FOX News, the unemployment rate is as high as it was in 1983. Now, being born in 1974, I don't remember that much about 1983 other than my sister graduated from high school, she got married and my nephew, from another sister, was born. That's it! Yeah, you can go ahead and say that I lived a very sheltered life because it's true. All I cared about was playing with my friends and Barbies. News was pretty much boring to me until the past 10-12 years. The only time I watched the news was to see if it was going to rain the next day or if we were expecting snow, so I could skip school. So, I can't compare today with 1983.

Saying all of this, there are so many people with out jobs, money, and security. They need us more than ever this year. I feel like God has put this on my heart because he expects us to take care of those who have nothing. He has blessed me and my family beyond words. Sure there are needy people that need our help 365 days and not just around the holidays. But for some reason He has laid this on my heart to remind all of us to help our fellow man. I wanted to make sure to get this word out and if there is anything that you can do to help someone else during the Fall and Winter months, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated.

In the past, I've helped with Shoeboxes of Love, Cozy Coats fundraisers, Adopt an Angel from either the Salvation Army or our church, food banks and of course, cash donations to my favorite charities. I mentioned these programs to get the wheels in your head to turning. If you don't know if you have these programs available, do the research and find out. If not, this would be a great opportunity for you to step up and receive a wonderful blessing.

I'm planning to get with our church secretary and see if our donation center "The Caring Center" needs volunteers with any special fundraising this Winter. I think I might skip the Fall Yard Sale and donate a bunch of our clothes, including the kids to the center. If you don't know, "The Caring Center" is an organization funded by our church, Northbrook Baptist Church. They help people that are hard on their luck. We have a wonderful husband and wife team that monitors every prospect carefully. Those that qualify will have access to clothing, food, and sometimes cash donation to pay for gas and/or bills. I didn't realize so many people that either knew about the place or needed their help, until I filled in for our weekday Church Greeter a few times. Man the people that would come in and asked for Nikki, the Missions Director. I also want to involve Katie this year with either the "Adopt an Angel" or "Shoebox" programs. I would like to encourage you to do this as well. Get with your church, co-workers or community to volunteer for a great cause. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. If you don't have time to volunteer, may I encourage you to send funds to an organization. If you would like to send funds, but you don't know who, may I suggest a few great organizations that would appreciate it so very much.

Jimmie Hale Mission
Let me tell you a little bit about The Jimmie Hale Mission. It's a great Christian based organization that helps people (men, women, and children) with providing them with a cozy bed to sleep in, a meal and Christian fellowship. They are located in Birmingham, Alabama. Your money will allow numerous people to get their next meal, shelter from the cold night air and let's not forget security. It was founded by a wonderful family that got people off the streets, provided them with a meal, shelter and feed them spiritually. If you would like to know more information, you can visit their website HERE.


The Children's Hospital of Birmingham
Now, I know there are several Children's Hospitals all over the world. You should be able to find one in your own back yard. This organization is personal for me because I too was once a Children's Hospital patient. You see, I was born with a hole in my heart aka "ADS." Open heart surgery was done in the 70's, but the technology was nothing like it is today. They couldn't operate on me until I weighed approximately 30 pounds, give or take. I didn't weigh that until I was 4 years old. Yeah, I looked like one of those poster children, advertising to feed the hungry children. It's not that my parents didn't feed me, it was I was so sick that it became difficult for me to eat. Meanwhile, my blood wasn't being filtered correctly causing bad blood to flow throughout my body. With the help of doctors and nurses from Children's Hospital and UAB Hospital, I'm kickin' today. Children's is special place for me because I know there are sick kids in there just like me or worse that needs my help. If you would like more information or find a Children's Hospital close to you, you can visit the Birmingham website HERE.

St. Jude Children's Hospital
If you haven't heard of St. Jude's, it is a special hospital solely dedicated to cancer stricken children. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee. Danny Thomas started this organization and his daughter, Marlo Thomas has taken over heading this great hospital. If you would like further information, you can check out their website HERE.

The American Heart Association
My neighbor, Ms. Phipps, got me to donating to this organization. I think the name is pretty much self explanatory. If you would like more information, you can check out their website HERE.

Your Local Church
Of course, this would be a great way to donate and know that your monies will be used the way God had planned.

There are so many great Christian based groups that need your help, please bless someone and yourself by volunteering. It's the best high you'll feel.

If you know of any other great organizations that needs our help and you want to get the word out. Please feel free to send me a comment. List the organization's name along with a website, so that I may check it out. If it's genuinely a Christian based organization, I will be sure to post it just like the above.

A Mother's Day Is Such Joy!

I wished I had grabbed my video camera in time. I had to wash dishes and Colton was still awake. I did what any mother would do. I strapped him into his chair, popped in a movie and had Katie watch him, while I washed dishes. I thought about the Baby Einstein movies that we got for Katie when she was a baby. You talk about digging them out. They were clear in the back of Katie's movie collection, collecting nothing but dust. Katie was so excited that they were going to watch a Little Einstein movie. When it started, she found out real quick that it wasn't "The Little Einsteins," but "Baby Einsteins." She sat there for a short time and watched it with baby Colton. As soon as she got bored with it, she began clowning around with him. I would check on them in between rinses. Katie had Colton cracking up in there, she was being so silly. By the time, my brain cells began to tell me "get the camera, get the camera" it was too late. Katie was getting tired, not to mention shy because she spotted the camera. I asked her to get Colton to laugh again, but she couldn't. I've got my camera on standby now, so if and when it happens again I'll have it. They were so sweet playing with each other. Katie just can't wait for Colton to grow up, so she'll have someone to play with.



I've been working on Katie's vocabulary. Sometimes, she gets her words mixed up. For instance, she calls someone's ring and earring. A heart is a pop tart. When she's too shy to talk to someone (she doesn't know very well) or associate in any way, instead of saying "I don't know you." She says the worst possible thing, "I don't like you." Katie and I like to play a game with Doug when we have to drive in separate vehicles, it's called who can get home first. Well, Katie tells me "hurry up mom, we need to beat daddy up." When she wants to race me (doing anything), she tell me that she's going to beat me up. When she learns something new, she'll say, in excitement, "I know how to learn." Or if she wants me to teach her to do something specific she'll say, "mom, I need you to learn me how to do that." I think it's cute, but I know I have to teach her the correct way or she might be teased later in life.

Katie Story
Speaking of Katie, she fills our life with all the excitement God could possibly bless us with. It is definiately not a dull moment around here when "Katie is in the house." I should be spanked for allowing Katie to eat and drink in her room, but hey if it buys me a few extra minutes, so be it. The down fall with this grant, is I have to go in her room later and pick up all the mess (wrappers, paper towels, plates, cups, I think you get the idea). Again, I've been teaching Katie to pick up after herself and help me out. I told her that if she can't pick up after herself then I will have to reconsider the food and drinks in her room. Personally, I don't want to see that happen because it helps me out A LOT! Well, so far so good. She's been doing really well, but I still have to remind her often. I can tell she really wants to try hard because she knows I mean business.

Today, after she ate her lunch (all of it), she asked me if she could have a sucker. I had no problem, but I told her to throw away the wrapper and stick when she's finished. She nodded and said "ok," so I know she heard me. A little later, she was playing around and I noticed that she didn't have the sucker. I asked her "where's your sucker." She had to think for a minute, then she pointed to her mouth. I asked her, "did you eat it all up?" "Yes" she replied. "Where's the stick?" I asked. Her eyes got big and she was at a loss for words. I asked her again. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders and said the famous "I don't know." I told her to go straight into her room, find the stick and throw it away right now. She went crying back to her room looking for her sucker stick. I went back there to check on the situation. She was watching TV and no stick. By this time, I was fuming. I calmly turned off the TV and told her that she would not be getting any more suckers or watching TV until the stick was found and brought to me. I destroyed that poor little girl's world. What really killed her was the fact that her favorite TV show was on "Phineas and Ferb." She doesn't miss an episode. I told her that if she wanted to see "Phineas and Ferb" again then she had better get busy finding the stick. It wasn't long, I could hear her coming down the hallway, I was rocking Colton to sleep. She was all slumped, dragging her feet and face. She was so sad. She shrugged her shoulders once more saying "mom, I looked every where and I can't find it. I don't know where it is." I told her that I was sorry, but until it was found there would be no more suckers or TV. She turned around to go back into her bedroom. When something caught my eye. I called her to come back. I guess she thought she was in trouble because she quickly began asking questions like "what is it?" What's wrong?" I told her to turn around, she hesitated but turned and there it was! The sucker stick was stuck to the back of her head! =O) "I FOUND IT!" I declared as I pulled it out. We both began giggling. Right off the bat, she asked "can I watch TV now." What a sticker!

Guess what? You can make S'mores and not even need a camp fire. How about that? I guess I'm behind the times, I don't know. I've been hungry for S'mores since my Aunt Sherry was here and began talking about it. I bought all the stuff to make them, but never had the chance to actually make them. Ugh! It's been frustrating. That is until I found a recipe for "Indoor S'mores" on the back of the marshmallow bag. Yippee! It sounded so simple, but would I have the time. Yesterday, Katie was making one mess after another, so I thought I would do Liz's method - COOK! Note to Liz, IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME! Katie still makes messes and gets into mischief. Katie likes the Strawberry marshmallows, so her S'mores were made from the Strawberry marshmallows and I had the plain good ole' white marshmallows. They were just as ooey gooey delicious as if by a camp fire. Yum!


Indoor S'mores Recipe
Graham Cracker
Marshmallow
Hershey's Chocolate

Break a sleeve of graham crackers into (to make equal sandwich parts)
Sandwich together a marshmallow and chocolate pieces between graham crackers
Place sandwich on a microwavable plate
Microwave sandwich for 15 seconds at 100% Power
Yield: 1 serving



Do you know what's sad? When your daughter sees what you've made for supper and says "oh mom, that looks and smells so good, you should take a picture of it." Yes, Katie did say these exact words to me yesterday. I had just pulled out my baked chicken breasts from the oven, opened the bag to make sure the chicken was cooked thoroughly. Katie got a whiff of the food and went on and on about how it smelled so good. Then, out of the blue she told me that I needed to take a picture of it. HA HA! I guess that's what I get for taking so many pictures of my different recipes that I've created.

While Katie was suppose to be getting dressed in her room, she found her "Ariel" Winter hat and scarf. She paraded around the house most of the morning with a T-shirt, shorts, this hat and scarf. She told me that she was cold. Next thing I know, she's got the hat and scarf on Colton. "Look mom! Come look and see baby Colton" she said so proud of herself. I have to say it was pretty darn funny to see him all dressed up. Doug was coming through the door from work when all of this went down. I don't know if he was too keen on seeing his son dressed up in girl's accessories. HA HA! Here's a picture:

Colton's 4 Month Old Check-Up

Katie and I took Colton to the doctor this morning for his 4 month old check up. Dr. Lunsford said he is doing great. Colton weighs 14 lbs. 8 oz. and is 27 inches tall. He's eating five 5 to 6 ounces of rice milk a day. Dr. Lunsford confirmed that it's time for Colton to ease off the rice cereal in his milk and begin eating it with a spoon. He told me not to worry about him not taking to spoon fed, if he doesn't cooperate. I didn't tell Dr. Lunsford about yesterday, when I fed him a few tiny bites of bananas and oatmeal. I thought Colton took to oatmeal really well. He ate it all. Tonight for supper, I fed him more oatmeal. This time, I made it a little thicker than the day before. He loved it! He gobbed it all up. As you know, Colton has to be compared to all the other babies his age in the world. Dr. Lunsford, showed me where Colton was "on the scale." He is 95% percentile in his height and 75% percentile in his weight. Overall, he is doing great! We won't go back until he turns 6 months old. Poor baby, had to have 3 shots and an oral. Katie couldn't stand it. She began whining because her baby brother was crying. She told us (me and the nurse) not to hurt him. Once it was all over and Colton calmed down, Katie said "that wasn't so bad." The nurse was still in the room, when I responded to Katie by saying "yeah, you didn't feel a thing did ya Katie." Katie smiled and answered, "uh, huh!" The nurse giggled at us.

We were in the doctor's office for 2 solid hours, so Katie and I were hungry. I thought it would be good, if we went back home and ate a bite before heading to Wallie World. Poor Colton slept from the time we left the doctor's parking lot till we were headed back home from WalMart. I did give him some Tylenol before the doctor's appointment, but I bet all those shots wore him out. After his little cry from the shots, he responded very well to them. He wasn't cranky, no fever and no swelling. He is a real trooper!

At Walmart, I went ahead and grabbed him a tray to go with his "Bumbo" (I think that's what it is called) and a mat with pillow, for him to lay on his belly and play. I never bought Katie one at that age and now I wished I had. As soon as Colton ate lunch, I put him in his chair and gave him a toy to play with. He had so much fun. He kept swatting at his toy, knocking it off of the tray. He'd just look at me with confidence on his face like "look what I just did." He is doing so good sitting up. He can sit in his "Bumbo" sit without any assistance for quite some time before he gets tired. I did try to feed him tonight, while he was sitting in his Bumbo. After a while, it didn't work out so well. His poor face was on the tray by the 5 or 6th bite of oatmeal. I can feed him better when he is sitting in his rocking chair. Don't worry, I can strap him in before the feeding begins. HA! He hasn't tried out the pillow and mat yet. We might just have to try it out tomorrow. I'm not planning on going any where because it's suppose to rain most of the day.



I got a couple of things for Katie's school. I received a list of supplies from her school a few weeks ago. I've had to slap my hands from going ahead and purchasing the items. Today, I thought it would be okay to go ahead and purchase the plastic shoe box with a snap on lid. Now, being a first time preschool mom, I actually went looking for a box that fit that exact description. Yes, I went around to all the plastic boxes in both the storage and school supplies departments, reading the price tags for a "shoe box." I finally asked Susan and Leslie the other day about my problem. Susan, right off the bat said "oh, that just the plastic storage boxes that you would think could fit a pair of shoes." HELLO! All I've got to say is, Sue had better be right because I bought a plastic (attached) snap on lid that I felt would fit a pair of adult shoes. What Katie's teacher would need it for, I have no idea other than storing her finger paints that I have yet to purchase. I had Katie pick out a coloring book for school and guess what she picked out - DISNEY PRINCESSES. I figured she would have picked out "Hello Kitty", "Barbie" or "Tinkerbell." Oh well, I guess she will always be partial to the Disney Princesses. I had to pull myself away from the children's books and activity books. There were a few I would have loved to put inside the buggy. The Little Einsteins have a few really great educational books out. They have a hard bound "1st Picture Dictionary," "Alphabet Animals" and a wipe-off activity book. I loved the activity book because it has picture word association, letter/word games, but I felt it was a little old for Katie. The age limit they had on it was from ages 3-7. I'm hoping by the end of school year, she'll be ready to use it.

Doug and I have discussed Katie's Pre-4K school activities and I think we both are content with the schedule. According to the teachers syllabus, by the end of the school year, Katie should be able to count to 20, know her ABC's (letter recognition), the months and days of the year, colors, and shapes. There was an added note that if Mrs. Katie feels the child is ready to begin reading, she will prep them for that as well. She will participate in a music class (both sing and use different instruments). It is the parents option to enroll her in Art Class once a week. Doug and I have agreed that it would be a good experience for her to take Art as well as Music. I'm just tickled for her. I took Katie by the "Leap Frog" educational toys. I had her look at both the "Tag" books and "Gamesters" to see, #1 if she would be interested in receiving one for Christmas and #2 which one she would prefer learning to read by way of books or by playing a video game. I explained to her the best way I could about what the purpose of the toys. She seemed to understand and wants the "Tag" books. I told her that I would keep that in mind. Then, she saw IT! She went running down the aisle to jump on a "Disney Princess" bike with training wheels. Ugh! My worst nightmare, but I know she's got to learn some day and some how. I let her ride the bike around the aisle for a little while. This bike was a step above a tricycle, so I had her try out the next size up because the Princess bike fit her too well right now. I pulled down a "Barbie" bike with training wheels and she fell completely in love with it. It's $69, which I don't think is too bad. I asked her what she would rather have for Christmas and before I could get it out of my mouth, she said with a smile "a Barbie bike." Oh me, oh my! I guess I'm going to have to sit down with Doug and talk this one through. If you think I'm being a mean mom, not letting Katie have a bike already. Just hear me out because I have a lot to consider. First of all, we live on a pretty steep hill. A few of our neighbors drive down our little street like a bat out of hades, and our neighborhood is very hilly period (a lot of blind spots for drivers). So like I said, Doug and I have to talk about this one (way out all the pros and cons). She's not only thrown that curve ball at me, but the pet issue as well. Which is a BIG FAT "NO"! Poor Montana is on his last leg and I don't know if he'll make it to Christmas, but he is the only remaining pet we have on the place. He is a good dog, but has arthritis really bad. He is 12 1/2 years old and I think has had a pretty good life overall. When it comes to my pets, I just don't like to see them suffer like barely able to walk without falling, which is what Montana is showing signs. I'm sorry to say to Katie, but after Montana is gone that's it for a while. Of course, I want her and Colton to experience the joys of having a "best buddy." I would like for them to be a little older and that's not going to go over very well with Katie, but she will have to get over it. I know, I'm so mean!

Colton's First Foods

Yay! Colton turned 4 months old today, another milestone. Today, he is old enough to try baby food. Right before I fed him his bottle, I got out a jar of bananas. Katie kept wanting to smell the jar. I guess the smell got her hungry, so she grabbed a banana and began eating it, while I fed Colton his bananas. HA HA! She asked me if she ate bananas baby food when she was a baby. Here are a few pictures of Colton's first experience with baby food.



I don't think he liked the bananas as well as he liked the oatmeal with bananas. He's little mouth flew open for it. Of course, Katie had to smell it. Eeewww, Katie didn't like it at all. After a few bites, he was wanting his bottle. I didn't make a big bowl of oatmeal for him, so he ate it all before taking his bottle. Katie noticed that I was using her princess bowl. "Hey, mom! You've got Colton's food in my bowl." she said. "Are you going to wash that stuff out?" she asked. When I said, "yes." She seemed relieved saying, "good 'cause I don't want that stinky stuff in my bowl."

I think Colton is going through another growth spurt because he has been so sleepy. He slept from 9:30-nearly 9:00 this morning. He slept over 4 hours after lunch today.

Wade and Sandy headed home yesterday morning. We enjoyed them visiting us, but I think they were ready to get back home. The last few days that they were here, they spent it at Tim & Susan's place. We went out there Friday and Saturday, visited and Katie did a little fishing. The fish were not biting much, but Katie caught 2 on the Scooby Doo rod & reel.





We enjoyed our last day with Allan, Sarah, Emma and Lilly. Katie hated to see Emma leave. She asked me every night for the past few days, when we were going to see Emma again. She told me "mom, I had fun playing with Emma." I thought they played so good together. Here are a few pictures:

Daddy's Little Girl

Wearing Daddy's cap

There are more photos on photosite.

Tomorrow, Colton goes to the doctor for his 4 month check up, which means more shots. Ouch! When I told Katie tonight that we have to go to the doctor tomorrow, she told that she doesn't like hearing baby Colton crying. Then she asked me, "why does Colton cry?" I told her "so he can stay well." She looked at me real confused, which I don't blame her. I would think that if something is suppose to keep me well, it shouldn't hurt.

Putting on Makeup

As I was putting on my makeup the other day, it reminded me of Jesus' love for me. I know it may sound weird. What does makeup have anything to do with Jesus' love for me? Well, hang on and let me explain. Most of the time, I don't leave my house without my makeup. Without my makeup, you can see all my flaws (blemishes, age spots, scars, etc.) I am flesh of a sinful manner, just like my blemishes on my face. I thank God for coming into my life and wiping thoses blemishes and other flaws away. It may not be physically wiped away, there are scars left, but spiritually. Makeup may cover my flaws temperarily, but Jesus Christ covers my sins eternally. What's the lesson here today? Never leave your house without Jesus Christ in your heart, just like the makeup on your face.

Yesterday and today, we've been at Tim & Sue's house. Wade and Sandy will be here until Monday morning. They will be heading back to Wheatland, WY. That's why I haven't blogged much in the past few days. Lots to do! I'll update you later, with more pictures to show.

Wow! What a weekend!

The Wedding of the Year
How do you know you've had a spectacular weekend with lots of laughs and unending fun? Well, I've got aches and pains all over and I feel completely wiped out. Eventhough, we had an exciting and wonderful weekend, I could use some good ole rest and relaxation.


Whitney & Zayne had a beautiful wedding. Their colors were champaign, black and crimson. A violin playing in the background, welcoming people into the chapel. Zayne's best buds, escorting all the guests to their seat. Natalie had the priviledge of being Whitney's Maid-of-Honor. Zayne's brother, Zach had the priviledge of being the Best Man. Pictures tell how beautiful Whitney was on her wedding day. They both looked so happy and ready for this joyous event. I believe they make a wonderful couple and will have many many beautiful babies {hint, hint Whitney & Zayne}. They went to the beach for their honeymoon. I know they'll have a great time and can't wait to see the pictures of their trip.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I was so nervous and worried about how well Katie would behave. Surprisingly, she did really good. She put the flowers down just right and stayed where she was suppose to. After the wedding, Leslie told me that Katie kept asking her when they could go sit down. At one time, she told her that her mommy needed her. People did chuckle at Katie making faces during the wedding. Then, her and Nia began waving at people in the audience. It was cute.





These are my favorite photos


Us goofing around during the rehearsal dinner

Congratulations to Whitney on her new job
I would like to congratulate Whitney on her new job as a nurse at St. Vincents Hospital. Maryann told me while she was having her makeup put on before pictures were taken. I haven't had the chance to talk with Whitney about it. So, I don't know if she will be able to work with the babies, like I know she wants to do. I'm just so happy she was able to get a job during this bad economy. I know it was a huge rock lifted off of her and Zayne's shoulders.

Katie's Ballet Birthday Party

I think Katie had a very special birthday party and there were so many people to make it possible. Thank You! I had Katie all dressed up in her ballet recital costume with her hair up in a bun. She looked so cute, but before the guests arrived she insisted on changing her outfit. She wanted to wear her pink ballet leotards with her Fancy Nancy Tutu. I asked Emma if she thought she could wear the recital costume. Her eyes lite up and went running to ask her Dad and Sarah, if she could wear it. I think those two hit it off right away. They were joined at the hip the short time they were here. It was so funny, watching the little girls jumping inside the trampoline.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I think the girls had a blast because there were lots to do. We did a craft. I had the girls create a photo album with lots of ballet stickers to decorate with. I helped Lilly make her photo album. I just hate it that I wasn't able to print out photos to be placed inside. I'll mail them as soon as I possibly can. They got to shoot off Party Poppers and beat up on a pinata. Ha! Let me explain. I purchased a ballerina slipper pinata that was suppose to be a pull string type. Well, when the girls pulled the strings, nothing happened. So, we got out the plastic bat and the girls began beat up on it. Finally, we had to bring in the muscle. Doug grabbed the bat and began wacking at it trying to break it in to. Still nothing! This went on and on to where us adults were laughing at the whole event. Michael thought I made the pinata myself and asked if I made it with cement or thing like that. Of course, everyone began asking me where I bought it. When it finally broke in to, Randy took a good look at how well it was made. Of course, the girls were in and out of the trampoline. While, the girls were running around having a good time, the adults played horseshoes. We set up horseshoe pits across the street from our house. Everyone seemed to have had a good time.

As you probably know, Katie is one of a kind. I always thought kids liked opening up or digging into presents, especially if they are for them. Well, not Kaitlyn. She would prefer someone else opening up her gifts and let her see what she received. She would decide from there if she wants to look it over a little more before going on to the next one. Ugh! She has been this way her whole life. She's this way during Christmas as well. After a few gifts were slowly opened by Katie, I finally asked Emma if she wanted to open the gifts for Katie. Emma asked Katie if it was okay and she had no problem with it. She just sat back and watched. It was so sweet, Emma went around to people thanking them for the nice gifts they gave Katie for her birthday. Ha Ha! All Katie wanted to do was play with Emma on the trampoline.

Once everyone left and things began to calm down for the night, Katie looked over her gifts again. This time, she would ask whom it came from. She told me that she liked all of her birthday presents. Everyone hit it right on the head. She received lots of dress ups (dresses, jewelry, makeup, shoes, fake nails, lip gloss), movies, stuffed animals, Groovy Girl dolls and accessories, duffle bag, back packs, money, princess sheets, clothes, and sleeping bag. We let her stay up until midnight. Before I finished the second book, she was OUT like a light.

Enjoying visit from out of town family members
It was so good to see Kacy, Ryan, Lissa, Randy, Sandy, Wade, Allan, Sarah, Emma and Lilly. It's too bad, we didn't have enough days to spend more time with each other.

Randy and Lissa had to get back home in order to visit with their son, Abe, before he had to fly back to Florida. Abe was in New Mexico on a business trip, while they were here for the wedding. Abe lives and works in Florida.

I was so glad that Kacy & Ryan got to stay an extra day before they had to get back to Durham, NC for work. They are such a cute couple and make great photo opts. Ha Ha! I think I have more pictures of these two together than I do of Doug and myself. {sad~Ugh}

Roger and Sherry left for Allen, TX Monday morning. They've been travelling for a couple of months, so I know they are ready to go home.


Allan, Sarah, Emma and Lilly had to fly back to Casper, WY today. It was so good to have them here. The last time I saw Allan was at his wedding to Sarah, a few of years ago in Kentucky. I guess Emma was about 3 or 4 years old and Katie was 2 years old. Where does time go? Now, Emma is 6 years old and will be in the first grade. Lilly is such a sweetheart. It took a little while, but she warmed up to me.


Sandy and Wade will be here for a few more days. It's good to have them home for a while. I got to meet their new puppy, Toby. He is half Havanese and Shih Tzu. She jokes around, saying that she has a Havashiht. HA HA! I couldn't get over how soft his fur is. Such a sweet sweet dog. I guess it's something to keep in mind when it's time to get Katie and Colton a puppy (in the future~far far into the future). I believe they will go out to Sue & Tim's for a few days. I'm sure we'll be getting together a few more times before they leave for WY.

Katie At Story Telling Time
Katie is bad about interrupting during storytime. This is the very reason why I never took her to many storytimes at our local Library. Well, I've tried different methods trying to get her to shut up and listen because I expect receiving notes from the teacher about her talking. The most recent method is zipping her mouth and locking the key {all pretend}. Well, this gets her to giggling. She will even talk with her mouth closed. Last night while I was reading a story about Jesus, she would wait until I turned the page and then she would ask {silently} if she could talk or ask a question.

She began asking me questions about God, Jesus and Satan. She asked if Jesus was good. Then, she asked about the "bad witch". She said, "the bad witch, she is bad." I kept asking who this "bad witch" was. Finally, I understood. She was referring to Satan. She kept referring him as the "bad witch." I guess it's a way for her to understand good vs. evil. Then she asked me if I was going down there. After talking with her, I understood her to refer Hell as "down there." I told her no that I will be going to Heaven with Jesus and God. I asked her if she wanted to go to Heaven with Jesus, God and myself. "No," she said. "I want to stay here with my Daddy." HA HA! Now, we know where her loyalties lie.

Catching up
Today, I've been catching up on editing photos, updating Facebook & Blog. I hope I can get all done before tonight. I'm trying my best though. I hope you enjoy the photos and there are lots more on our photosite.