Swimming Lessons - Day 2

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I actually made it back in plenty of time to make a few pictures before the next children came in for their lessons. Ruth Anne was praising Katie about her swimming skills today. She put flippers on her feet and taught her how to use them. Katie liked swimming around with her flippers and board. I wished you could have seen her, she was swimming all over that pool. Ruth Anne said Katie was holding her breath better as she goes under water. She continued to have a good time learning how to swim, but she gets so tired. She begins whining, while we are in the changing room. I finally told her that if she continues to whine after swimming, then I can't allow her to take lessons. She starts begging to come back. I told her, she can't act like a little baby that she has to be a big girl. At home after we have all rested, Katie asked me if she could go to swimming class tomorrow. I told her she could as long as she didn't act like a crazy baby. Well, she loved that. "What's a crazy baby?" she asked giggling. I began mocking her actions from earlier this morning. She began laughing and promised she wouldn't act like a crazy baby.

Katie's Kitchen
Katie helped me with supper again last night. We made Grands Biscuit Pizzas. I had planned on putting hamburger in the pizzas, but Maryann was having a crises with Whitney's wedding. I didn't mind helping her out at all and we just didn't put hamburger meat on our pizzas. You know, they still tasted just as good without it.

Check out the mound of cheese

Grands Biscuit Pizzas Recipe
Press each biscuit to 6" round and place on greased cookie sheets.
Top with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni.
Bake in 375 degree oven, 10-15 minutes.
Makes: 8 pizzas

Note: Don't feel bad if you can't get each biscuit slice to 6", I couldn't get them that big either. I think they ended up being 3" instead of 6". Also, I think they would taste good with hamburger, sausage and olives. My first 4 biscuits, I cooked for 14 minutes and they turned a dark golden brown (not burnt). My next 4 biscuits, I cooked for 12 minutes and they looked prettier. I guess it depends on your oven.

Katie's New Hairbows
I want to thank my new friend, Shannon, for the beautiful hair bows. I knew Laura had bought a hair bow from Shannon a while back and she highly recommended her. I wanted one for Katie's birthday party. Shannon was so sweet to work with me, despite her busy schedule (according to Laura). She was so helpful and created three beautiful bows. Yes, she ended up sending me 2 extra bows with my order. Katie absolutely loves them. If you need a hair bow for your little girl, I highly recommend Shannon. You'll have to check out her blog, click here. Here are a few pictures of the hair bows:

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Shannon - Katie wanted me to tell you "thank you" and she "loves them very much." Thank you so much. You did a great job & I will be coming back.

Swimming Lessons

Well, it's that time of year again. Katie was so excited last night when I informed her that she would begin swimming lessons this morning. I had the hardest time getting her to stay in bed last night. I guess she finally fell asleep around 10:00 PM. She snuck into our bed twice last night with the same excuss, "I can't sleep." As soon as I told her that she had to go to bed or no swimming lessons, she went running back into her bed.

I was surprised to see Katie come waddling out of her room around 5:30 this morning with her arms full of stuffed animals. She hit the couch for a little while, watching "Tigger & Pooh." To get a head start, I grabbed her swimming suit, flip flops, swimsuit cover & ponytail holder and layed them out on the couch. After I got out of the shower, she came in the bathroom so proud because she put on her swimsuit by herself. Every few minutes, she kept asking me if it was time to go. We didn't have to be there until 8:00 AM. Colton & I dropped Katie off at the gym. She was excited to see Mrs. Knight and told me "goodbye." Thirty minutes later, Colton & I went back to find that she was finished with lessons. I was sad because I wanted to get a picture of her swimming. Unfortunately, we were running a little late and the next two kids were there waiting to start their lessons. Ruth Anne said she did great. In the truck, I asked Katie a bunch of questions. She told me, "mom, Mrs. Knight said I could jump into the pool." I ask if she did jump? "Yeah," she responded. "I forgot to close my mouth." "Uh, oh!" I reacted. I asked her if she got choked. "Uh,huh!" Then, she began to act out by coughing with her tongue stuck out. All I could do was giggle. When I got myself under control, I reminded her thats why we keep our mouth closed. "Uh, huh!" she responded. She absolutely, hated leaving the pool. She kept asking me if we were coming back.

Birthday Party
Well, the birthday party is coming along. I recieved confirmation last night that the party supplies have been shipped. Doug and I couldn't come up with anything big for Katie's gift. We debated on getting her a bike, but the cons out weighed the pros. Maybe next year or so.

As I was going through the toys at Target online, I noticed the Groovy Girls. I remember last year, Katie asked to get one. I thought they looked too growney for a 2 1/2-3 year old little girl. Now, I've come to realize that Katie's a little girl and not a baby anymore. I showed her pictures of the dolls. She fell in love with the mermaid, "Macy". I've purchased a couple of the dolls, including "Macy" along with a pony and couch. I think she'll like it.

I tried working with the ballet slipper candies, but came to a hault. Well, I was trying to be smart. The only color candy melts Walmart & Hobby Lobby had was white. I needed pink for the slippers. I thought I could add food coloring to the white candy. Nope! It didn't work. All it did was make the candy clump. I'm planning on calling my baker tomorrow to see if they have the pink candies in stock. I would have called today, but they were closed. :P If they don't have them, I just order them from Wilton.

Katie's Custom Pool
Doug and Katie were out washing the car this past Saturday. Next thing I knew, Doug came inside the house looking for the camera. He had me come out and see Katie playing inside her new pool. I had to laugh seeing her all folded up in the cooler. But you know, she was having a blast. Here are a few pictures:

Bring On The Cake!

After my hair appointment this afternoon, I headed over to Hobby Lobby. First of all, I've been doing quite a bit of reading and watching YouTube regarding cake decorating. I've decided to look into decorating a cake using fondant. I might regret it on down the line, but I've never been all that great with regular piping. I know the presentation of a fondant cake looks so much better & creative verses your basic piping cake. After a few days of viewing tutorials from YouTube & tips off of Food Network.com, I think I'm ready to try it. Today, I put in a little bit of an investment (rolling fondant, pattern cutter, cutting mat, texture triangle, flourish embossing, rose pink food coloring, medium spatula, small spatula, writing icing tubes, decorator's icing, piping bags, & tips). I'm sure I've left out something, but overall that's just for making cake. Let's not forget the ballet slipper candy molds. I went ahead and purchased the vanilla candy melts & bottles. They didn't have any pink candy melts available, but I'm going to try adding a little rose pink food coloring to the vanilla melts. I'm sure that will be just as good. I think this weekend will be a good time to practice making the ballet slipper candies. I'd like to get into kneading that fondant & experiment with it. Of course, I'll be watching a lot of "Ace of Cake" & "Food Network Cake Challenge" shows in order to get some ideas. Oh and by the way, I have a recipe for fondant, but I thought it would be easier for me to first try the already prepared rolled fondant. Maybe the next time, I'll make the fondant from scratch.

You're probably wondering what I'm doing with fondant when I've decided to make cupcakes for Katie's party. Well, I got to thinking and felt Katie needed a cake of her own. Besides have you ever tried placing 4 candles on a little cupcake? Even if I placed a numbered candle (4) on top of a cupcake, it would over take it. I've been going over and over in my head. What simple design am I going to use for Katie's little cake (6")? I know I want a white cake with a pink bow. I kind of want to tie in the slippers, but I thought pink polka-dots would look really good. I'm going to test embossing the fondant with a flourish design. I think that would look really cool. If it works. It's all going to be trial and error for the next few weeks until Katie's party.

Something like the above example, but I'll be using white w/pink bow & polk-a-dots

Hobby Lobby was having a fantastic sale. Almost all Home Accents were 66% off, furniture 40% off & lots of other miscellaneous stuff was 50% off. I did a little Christmas shopping. Doug needed a short, long basket to put all of his stuff (spare change, wallet, beeper, keys, ipod, zune, washers, screws, nails, & cell phone). What is it with men and their screws & washers? I know my brother-in-law, Pat, keeps a few washers and screws in his pants pocket every day. He said, they help him think better. What? Anyway, I found some really good deals on a few things. The only thing I really wanted, but couldn't find was a ballet accent of some kind to decorate with for the party. Ugh! I love a good challenge!

If you work with fondant and cake decorating a lot, I sure do appreciate any and all the advice I can get. Thanks!

Can you believe Hobby Lobby had their Christmas, Fall and Thanksgiving items already out on display? I couldn't believe it! You know I thought the stores bringing out their Christmas, Halloween & Thanksgiving items in the month of July & August was awfully early. Now, we are bringing them out in the month of June. What's up with that?

Cool Gadgets
I found the neatest thing from Hobby Lobby. I don't know about you, but eating popsicles & ice cream cones around here is a very messing event with Katie.
How cool is this? Hopefully, these neat gadgets will make my life a little easier. It's suppose to cut down on melted ice cream & popsicles from dripping all over the house. One side, you can place an ice cream cone (cycliner or cone shapes can be used) and it's suppose to catch the liquid. On the opposite side, you can place a popsicle stick through this slit and again it's suppose to catch the liquids. Bonus, it's easy for the kids to hold their Summer time treat without the mess all over their hands. That's the biggest trouble around here because Katie hates having messy hands. She spends more time cleaning her hands than eating her dessert.

Katie Makes Dinner

I'm still having to make simple things for supper because Colton takes up most of my time. I've made a few things including grilling out, but was beginning to run out of ideas. I had the hardest time remembering simple 30 minute or less meals. Last night, I pulled out the recipe books. I came across a couple of recipes that I haven't made in a long time, "Pig's In A Blanket" and I haven't made individual biscuit pizzas since high school. I thought it would be a good way to include Katie as well.

This evening, she was so excited about making supper for daddy that she was beginning to drive me crazy. I kept having to explain to her that as soon as Colton was asleep, we would make supper. Finally, I got everything out in preparation. You know Katie, she's always so impatient. "What do we do mom? What do we do?" she repeats over and over. I got so befuddled that I forgot the cheese until it was too late. Oh well, we'll have to put in the cheese the next time. Katie had so much fun making these. I just had to show her once how to do it. When she finished, she wanted to do more. Ha! Anxious, she asked "what do we do next?" I let her help me make sweet tea. She loved counting the tea bags to put in the pyrex cup and later counting the scoops of sugar to put into the pitcher. I thought it was a good learning moment. Below are some pictures I took of our cooking lesson:

Our finished meal. I served the hot dogs with chips and Bush's Grillin' Beans Southern Pit Barbeque. Katie did a great job. They were delicious! I'm going to have to have Katie cook for us more often because she cleaned her plate and ate part of a second dog.

Pig's In A Blanket/Crescent Dogs Recipe
Slit 8 hot dogs (we prefer Bryan's Juicy Jumbos). Insert strips of American cheese into each.
Wrap 1 Crescent triangle around each hot dog.
Bake in 375 degrees oven, 12-15 minutes.

Some people like my sweet tea. I'm a typical Southern Belle. I love fried chicken, eating watermelon on a hot Summer's day and drink good ol' sweet tea religiously. I'll even let you in on a little secret, I also like a cup of hot tea when my nervous are rattled or on a cold Winter's day. I've been making sweet tea for as long as I can remember. I would help my mother in the kitchen and I made sure that we kept sweet tea in the refrigerator. Most people like to boil their tea bags from the stove. To me, this method takes up too much time. Here's what I do:

Good Ol' Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Put 2 family size tea bags in a Pyrex measure cup, filled with 2 cups of warm tap water.
Place in a microwave for 3 minutes on high.
Take the cup out of the microwave and place on the counter for several minutes. I've found out that this method makes a rich flavored tea.
Pour nearly a cup of sugar or less (based on taste) into a 2 quart pitcher
Pour the tea into the pitcher and fill it up to the 2 quart mark.
Place it into the refrigerator to cool or until time to serve.

Here's a few pictures of the kids. I had to have a picture of Colton with his bucket hat. Too cute! He did so good taking pictures as long as Katie didn't have her face right in his face.

This picture would have been really good, if Katie hadn't grabbed my neck at the time. Ugh!

He was watching his sissy when I took this photo

Colton was talking to me

I don't know why it is, but when I hear or see a bucket hat, all I think about is Spaulding from Caddyshack. Do you remember the spoiled brat, Spaulding. He was so ugly! Thank goodness Colton is much more handsome than Spaulding. HA!

There's my smile!

I have more photos on my photosite.

Doug and I had a nice, low-key anniversary. Again, that's why we celebrated this past weekend. We didn't plan anything during the week because we knew it would be this way, busy. I got a nice outfit with jewelry to match and a nice silver heart necklace. Doug got a pressure washer, Garmin and his favorite candy (Chocolate Turtles, Snickers & Dove Milk Chocolate).

Happy Anniversary!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!

It's hard to imagine at times that we've been married for 14 years. It's be a great ride and I'm ready for more.

Love you Doug!

Fired Up For Ballet Party!

A friend of mine, noticed on my Facebook that I was planning a Ballerina themed birthday party for Katie. She called me up and suggested that I make her a tutu for her to wear during the party. I explained that I figured Katie would wear either her practice leotards or her recital costume. Cassandra told me, I had to make the tutu because it was so simple and she thought Katie would really like it. She emailed me a picture of the ones she has made from elastic and tulle. The only thing I have a problem with the elastic waist, you have to put it around a tin can (equivalent to a child's waist)of some kind in order to tie on the tulle. I found a video on YouTube "How To Make A No Sew Tutu". This video sounds even more simple than Cassandra's version. The lady uses ribbon instead of elastic. You'll have watch it & find out how it's made. The end result is so adorable. I may not be able to make it for Katie's party, but I will have to make her one or two.


I was able to get the ballet slipper candy molds the other day. Now, I've got to practice painting the trim (white laces) on pink shoes. I've been checking out a lot of blogs that specialize in cupcakes in order to get some ideas. Wow! Some of these cupcakes that I've seen pictures of are so beautiful. It will be interesting to find out what these cupcakes are going to look like.

Colton's Doctor Appointment (2 month old check up)
I guess I'm going to have to measure and weight Colton myself. I say this because Dr. Lunsford's office called yesterday to reschedule Colton's 2 month appointment for the second time. The child will be 3 months old before we are able to get his 2 month old check up. Ha! When the receptionist told me that we needed to reschedule, I just started laughing. She seemed puzzled when she could hear me laughing. I explained that this was the second time, they've called to cancel and reschedule. I told her to tell Dr. Lunsford to hurry up, get over his vacation and get back to work. He's not really on vacation, but I like picking on him.

Mom & Katie Getting Cabin Fever
At least Doug got me out of the house this past weekend, but poor Katie wants to get out so bad. She asked me this morning if we were going any where today. I told her "probably not". She thought for a minute and said, but mom I just want to go some where. You could tell an idea struck a brain cell. As she looks at me as the thought entered her mind, she asked "can we go to Walmart?" When I told her that I would have to think about it, she said "I just want to go to Walmart". What can you say after that and knowing she's been cooped up in the house. I had so many plans for her and I this Summer, but I'm still so nervous with Colton because of his meltdowns.

Happy Birthday Millard!

I would like to wish Millard a very . . .

Happy Birthday!

Anniversary Date

Saturday, Doug and I dropped the kids off at Peggy and Millard's, so we could go pick up Millard's birthday gift. We thought we would take this opportunity to celebrate our 14th Wedding Anniversary. I can't hardly believe that we've been married for 14 years. Time does fly.

We had such a good time, just me and him. It's been a long time since we've had a nice date. We decided to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Cantina Laredo at Bridge Street. Doug had their Steak Tacos and I had their Enchilada Veracruz with their famous Top Shelf Guacamole. Oh, everything was so good. I tasted Doug's Steak Tacos and it was so good. You can dip it in a cheddar cheese sauce. Yummy! It tasted just like a steak sandwich. Here are a few pictures:

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After lunch, we got to shop around Bridge Street. Yay! I got to visit two of my favorite clothing stores, J. Jill and Coldwater Creek. J. Jill was having a pretty good sale, but Coldwater Creek wasn't. Ugh! For my anniversary present from Doug, I bought myself a nice pair of pants & top from J. Jill. NY & Company had their jewelry on sale, buy one, get one for free. I love it when I see signs like that. I found a necklace and pair of earrings that would go perfect with my new outfit from J. Jill. Yes! They also had their purses on sale for 60% off, but they had been picked through. :( I made my way over to Gymborees and Strasburg. I picked up an outfit and lots of hair accessories for Katie. I found a baseball polo one piece for Colton that was 60% off ($2.79). I also found Katie a cute sweat shirt material jacket with faux fur in the hoodie. I thought it would be perfect for those cool mornings next fall. I love finding good deals. Last but not least, we stopped by Barnes & Noble before leaving Bridge Street. Doug hung out in the magazine section, while I went searching for my next Shopaholic book. As you may know, I'm currently reading "Shopaholic takes Manhattan". I love this series from Sophie Kinsella. I've read twelve chapters out of seventeen and soon I'll be ready for the next book in the series, "Shopaholic Ties The Knot". I was so thrilled to see that Barnes & Noble had every one of the books available in the series. I went ahead and got the next book "Shopaholic Ties The Knot". I'm hoping by the time I need the next novel, I'll get to go back to Bridge Street. Ha! What a good excuse to go back!

We picked up a pressure washer for Millard's birthday present from Sam's Club. While Doug was off looking for him and Millard's new toy, I went getting ideas for Katie's birthday party. I always have fun looking at all the neat stuff at Sam's Club, just like I have fun going through all the neat stuff at Walmart. By the time we left Sam's Club, it was time to eat supper. We wanted to go to the new Mellow Mushroom Restaurant in Madison, but their were tons of people piled outside the door, waiting for a table to open. I was so disappointed, but at least we have one a little closer now. We decided to go by Beauregards Restaurant instead. I had their Carribean Chicken Sandwich and Doug had their famous Fried Bologna Sandwich. The next time, I would like to try their Buffalo Style Wings. I saw one lady at the bar going after it. She ordered a dozen wings, it looked like. It must be good when someone is licking their fingers the way she did.

We went ahead and gave Millard his pressure washer last night. Him and Doug have been wanting to go in on a good pressure washer for quite some time. He seemed to really like it.

After church, we headed on over to Peggy and Millard's for his birthday dinner. We had steak, potatoes, salad, barbeque bread, baked beans and turtle pie for dessert. Yummy! Afterwards, the guys (Doug, Millard & Henry) went outside to try out the new toy. Their sidewalk looked really nice and white after they finished washing it off. We're planning on using it for our driveway and back porch before Katie's birthday party. We had a very good visit and I think Millard had a good day.

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Colton Sleeps

Would you believe that Colton slept all night last night? Granted, we didn't go to bed until midnight, but still. I woke up so rested this morning at 6:00 AM. Then, it hit me that Colton didn't wake up any during the night. It didn't scare me too much because I knew what had happened. Let's just hope that it will continue. It's weird, I'm not so grumpy and cranky when I actually get more than 4 hours of sleep.

I think Colton might be going through another growth spurt because he slept a lot yesterday and slept most of the day away today. I had to wake him up this evening so he wouldn't miss his 6:30 PM feeding. He's still eating 4 ounces at a time. It's rare, he eats less than 3 ounces now. I don't think it will be much longer before he begins to turn over. He'll take both of his feet and push down on the bed or couch with them, causing his bottom to lift. From there, he'll rock from side to side.

Blog Sites You've Got To Check Out

Allison, I thought of you when I saw "Bama Balloons" newest display for "Barkit Market" at Ross Bridge. They had a booth for "Creative Dog Training", which used "Bama Balloons" to design their display. Really cute!

Do you like lasagna? I love it! The only problem is a casserole dish makes so much that you'll end up with left-overs for a week. Linda found a recipe years ago for "Lasagna Roll-Ups". What a great idea? If you like lasagna, but don't want all the left-overs, you need to check out her recipe for "Lasagna Roll-Ups".

New Upcoming Movies
Do you like the "Ghostbusters" movies? I loved them. This past week, AMC showed both movies over and over. AMC announced, "Ghostbusters" will be reuniting in order to make a "Ghostbusters III" movie. They are currently working on it and will be released 2012. Apparently all the original team will be in the movie. I hope it will be as funny as the past two.

I'm so excited! "Confessions of a Shopaholic" will be out on DVD June 12th (I think). I knew it would be some time in June, so I kept my eyes open. Finally, I got an exact date as to when it will be released on DVD. I really hope it will be just as good as the books.

The Mason Bunch: Birthday Fever!

The Mason Bunch: Birthday Fever!

Birthday Fever!

Birthday planning is well on it's way. As you know, Katie has decided that she would like a ballerina birthday party. I've been busy looking for different ways to make Katie a ballet birthday cake and finding party supplies. The only supplier that is carrying a ballerina theme right now, that I can find, is Celebrate Express. It's simple, but Katie likes it. If you are or will be planning a party any time soon, Celebrate Express is shipping orders, starting at $75, for free. If you're interested, CLICK HERE.

Napkins

Dinner Plate

I've decided that making cupcakes might be the easiest route for me. I like the idea of placing ballet slipper candies in the middle of each cupcake. I've been searching for the ballet slipper candy mold. I've found several places online that sold the mold, but I had a bad vibe about purchasing them online because I wasn't familiar with the stores. Today, I spent a few hours on the phone with local bakeries trying to find the mold. I found a bakery that sold the ballet slipper. Yes! The lady I spoke to said there are several in stock. Lord willing, I'm planning on stopping by there either tomorrow or the next day to pick up a couple sheets. The next thing is experimenting on the cupcakes. I've never brushed painted on candy molds, so we'll see how easy or hard it will be. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have to brush on the white candy in the molds in order to have white laces and trim. After it's set (chill in freezer), then I will pour the pink candy for the shoes. I'm also thinking about piping chocolate pudding inside the cupcakes. Wouldn't that be good? I've never done it before, so I have a question for you big time bakin' mommas. If I decide to insert pudding inside the cupcakes, does that mean I will have to keep them refrigerated? If so, I may have to rethink it because I don't have the refrigerator space available.

I haven't seen the mold from Bake & Decorate, but this is the mold sold online. I'm sure it will be similar.

Of course, I will be making the ballet slipper cookies from "Melissa" that started this whole idea.

I just hope my cookies turn out half as pretty as these. I just love them!

Colton Teething
Doug was so sweet as to stop by Walmart and pick up a couple of teething rings for me. The one teething ring is the basic that you keep in the freezer. The other one, which is my favorite, doesn't require being frozen. The teether vibrates as soon as the baby bites down on it. I loved using it for Katie because she started teething at a very young age as well and she didn't like the cold teething ring. The vibrating teether wasn't cold and it felt good on her gums. I tried the vibrating teether on Colton tonight and oh man, he liked it. I had to press down on the button to start the vibration. It didn't take long before he began chomping down on it.

New Photographer Ready For Business
A friend of mine, Allison, has finally accomplished her dream to open up her very own photography business. She specializes in photographing pets, but not limited to just animals. She will take "Fiddo's" whole family portrait, which I think is pretty special. I had a poodle growing up, Peanut. He loved having his picture made. He would even pose for the camera. I'll have to find a family portrait with Peanut in it, just so you can see for yourself. If your "Peanut" is just as special to you, you'll have to check out Allison's website here. On a side note, she supports the Cullman County Animal Shelter, which I think is pretty awesome. I checked out the cats and dogs available and they are so cute. If you are in search of a new family member, you'll have to check out these precious animals that need a home.

Speaking of Animal Shelters, I saw on our local news where Calhoun County's Animal Shelter is losing money and will be forced to close, if money doesn't come in. All funds received will go towards the care (electricity & water) and food for the animals. If they are forced to close, all the animals that are currently in the shelter will have to be put down. If your interested in donating or adopting a pet from this shelter, CLICK HERE for more information.

Photos supplied by Allison Almand, "Almand Photography"

To Do List
I've kept a very long "To Do List" for some time and I'm finally beginning to see it get smaller. Finally! As you know, last year Doug and Millard built Katie a swing set for her birthday. We were adviced to spread 6" of mulch around the set. Well, we never got around to it and I don't want to push our luck. So I've been on the phone most of the morning with numerous nurseries and lumber companies getting quotes. Peggy gave me the numbers to a few lumber companies that sold mulch by the scoop/bucket. I think we've found a company with the most reasonable price for truck loads. Now, how many truck loads will we need to spread around the swing set? I guess we'll see when we actually go and get the mulch.

The next big project is replacing all the cocking in our bathroom. Mom informed me that it will be hard work ripping out all the old cocking. Ugh! I'm not too excited about this project, but it needs to be done. I don't think any cocking throughout our house has been replaced since it's been built (1970's). It will look so much better when it's complete. Hopefully when we finish the bathroom, maybe we can do some cocking in the kitchen and around all the windows throughout the house. I have to remember to do one thing at a time. Right?

Of course, I will probably regret getting the doorbell project accomplished. Yeah, we really haven't had a doorbell since we moved into this house. Doug won't say that because we did, but it always sounded sick (to me). Then, it finally died after a big lightning storm. I've been checking into wireless doorbells. I think I found one from Home Depot that I like. It has 8 chimes for the front door and a completely different tone for the back door. Pretty cool! I'm still looking around online. I don't know anything about wireless doorbells, so I need all the advice I can about this product. Please feel free to comment about it.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Is Colton Teething Already?

Doug doesn't believe me, but I think Colton is showing signs of teething. For instance, he's a little cranky; he wants he's pacie all the time now; He's hungry, but as soon as he bites down on the nipple, he begins to cry. Bless his heart, he'll cry off and on when he first starts to eat. He's spitting up a little more than normal. He doesn't stay asleep long. When he realizes that he's in bed and I'm not holding him, he'll start crying until I pick him up. Trust me, I let him cry for awhile. He's drooling a little bit and you can feel his teeth under the skin.

Swimming Lessons
Talk about cutting it close, but RuthAnne was able to fit Katie into this year's swimming lessons. It was my fault. I just wanted to get over ballet first, before getting ourselves into something else right away. She starts her classes June 15th and it be every morning for the whole week. I haven't talked to her about it because she will drive me crazy until then.

Katie's Birthday Party
Guess what? Katie liked the idea of having a Ballerina themed birthday party. I asked her over and over, if she was sure that she wanted a Ballerina party. She assured me that she did. I've been working hard as to find party supplies and a place to make the ballet cake. We decided to have Katie's party the day after Whitney & Zayne's wedding, which is Sunday, July 19th @ 5:00 PM. We're not having anything big, since this will be her 4th birthday. We'll just have family over, which will be big enough. LOL! I had no problem finding the party supplies. Celebrate Express has the ballerina theme, which works out great and she liked it. I did find a local cake decorator, "Creative Cakes", that makes ballet cupcakes, but she's already booked the week of Katie's party. Yuck! She had a picture of cupcakes with ballet slippers piped in the middle of each one displayed on her site. Here's the picture: Really cute. So, I think I'm going to try it again. If I can find a ballet slipper candy mold, I believe I can make the cupcakes and just place one of the candies in the middle of each one. I would try to pipe the slipper on them, but it would be very time consuming and I'll be a nervous wreck. I've found the mold online, but they are from stores I've never heard of. So, I'm kind of concerned about it. I think I'm going to call one of my local decorators and see if they may have one I could buy or find out where I could buy one. Wilton had a great mold online, but it's discontinued. GREAT! They also had a ballet slipper cake pan mold that I could decorate. As a last resort, I guess I could purchase it and just do a lot of practicing. If you know of a specific place, you trust, that I could purchase the ballet slipper candy mold, please let me know. I'm not giving up, I will succeed.

Child Dedication
It's that time of year again. Our church will be having a Parent/Child Dedication on June 21st at 9:15 AM. I've got Colton's registration form all filled out and ready to mail back to church. Honestly, I didn't think we were having another one so soon because we just had one in the month of January. We have had a lot of babies born within the past few months. I guess that's the reason for June's dedication.

Wedding
As you may know, Katie will be one of two flower girls at Whitney and Zayne's wedding. I've been slowly getting her ready for the big day. The only thing I have left to get is a pearl necklace. I've been pricing them here and there, but no such luck. That is until Peggy told me about Doug Doggett Jewelers. I called them up and they gave me a very reasonable price for a child's pearl necklace. The lady said that if I didn't see anything in the display case, I could order one to be strung up. Alright! Now, we are talking.

I'm suppose to schedule a hair appointment the week before the wedding. I was thinking about having Katie's hair fixed by a hair dresser instead of me doing it. Now, I don't know. I've decided to put Katie's hair up and pin a halo on top of her head, instead of using the silk headband. I'd like to play some more with her hair to see if I want to fool with it the day of the wedding. I know I'm going to have to buy some pink nail polish because Katie will want her nails painted. Already, she thinks I'm going to paint her nails this bright pink. I don't think so. One day, I'll have to do a practice run, take a few pictures and let you see for your opinion.

Belk had some great sales this past weekend. I bought a dress for the wedding and I think you'll be surprised because it doesn't even look like me. I like it pretty good. I'm trying to get use to today's fashion. The clothes are made from this material that likes to cling to you, no matter what size you try on; therefore, you can see every nook and cranny. Before it's said and done, I may have to take the dress back. Let's just hope, I loose more weight before July.

Whitney's Wedding Shower

The Woman of the Hour

Sweet Girls ~ Nia & Katie

(L-R) Mom, Maryann, Whitney, Robin's Mom, & Mrs. Smith

More pictures are on our photosite.

Giselle Ballet Recital 2009

Last night was the BIG ballet recital at Wallace's Auditorium. We are so proud of our little ballerina! So many practices and rehearsals have paid off for our Katie. She did great! Of course, she along with her little ballerina buddies (3-5 year olds) were the entertainment for the night.

Katie in Dressing Room before the recital

While we were getting ready for the recital, I explained to Katie about this being the big night and a lot of her family would be there to watch her dance. She went through her list of who all would be there. "Is Whitney going to be there? Is Leslie going to be there? Let's see, who else will be there?" she asked.

I wondered what Anna would do to keep the girls occupied until their number because they had to stay in the dressing room until then. She said, she brought movies to watch and coloring books to color. Katie was so excited, especially when she saw her friend, Zoe. I wanted to make sure Anna knew she was there before I left the room. Katie was getting frustrated at me because she didn't want to go see Mrs. Anna, she wanted to go over to Zoe and wanted me to leave. Ugh! I have a feeling she won't miss me when she starts school next fall. In a way, that's a good thing.

Katie posing for pictures

Pink flower arrangement came from Doug & I

(BTW, I don't know where she got the lipstick from)

Maryann gave her this arrangement

Our family nearly filled up a whole row with an exception of maybe 5 chairs. I want to send a special "Thank You" out to those who did come and share this moment with us: Millard, Peggy, Mom, Dad, Maryann, Whitney, June & KimAnn.

THANK YOU!

It wasn't far into the recital before Doug began asking me, "when does Katie come? Is it time for her to come out yet?" Bless his heart, I don't think he enjoys ballet recitals. I have to say, this was my very first ballet and I really enjoyed it. Sure, you have to pay attention to figure out what's going on. What helped was on the program, Elaine typed out the full story. If you read the story before the performance began, you could easily understand what's going on. I think my dad even enjoyed the ballet, especially when he read the story before hand. When Katie and her two little ballerina friends were wheeled out onto the stage, there was a room full of "Awwww! " It was so sweet. At first, everyone on our row began asking which one was Katie until she began waving to everyone in the crowd. Her waving to everyone caused a room full of giggles and more "Awwww!" and "look at that". Again, she did so good and almost did everything she was suppose to do. But hey, she's only 3. Right? I wished you could have seen them.

I was so impressed with all the older ballerinas, during their performance. I think a lot of people in our group were impressed as well. I have to say, it was beautiful and I was very touched at times. I was glad that I could pick Katie up from the dressing room during intermission, so she could watch Act II. She seemed to really enjoy watching the big girls and boys dance. The only problem is she began dancing where she was sitting; therefore, bumping into a sleeping Colton. Doug made her sit by us, so she wouldn't wake him up. She didn't like that too good because that meant leaving her grandparents. Uh, oh!

After the recital was over, I took her to Dairy Queen to get us some supper and treat her to a vanilla ice cream (her favorite). Peggy, Millard and Doug met us back at home with their supper. Katie was so happy to get flowers at the recital. She and Peggy arranged them in vases. She loves flowers! She was really excited when we agreed that she could go home with Grandma Peggy and Paw-Paw Millard.

Colton Update

Would you believe not only did Colton make it through the entire recital without fussing, but I fed him at 11:30 PM and he didn't wake up hungry until 4:00 AM. Yes! I can handle this feeding time. I fed him at 4:00 AM, put him to bed around 4:45 AM and he woke up again around 7:30 AM. What a difference? I told Doug that I actually got some sleep. Am I finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

It's hard to imagine Colton is 2 months old. He doesn't miss a thing. He loves to sit up and look around, especially at anything that's bright (lights or bright colors). He's beginning to talk to you, if you give him some attention. I think it's so sweet to hear him say, "a lah". I've stopped rocking and holding him so much during nap time. I think I was getting into the same routine that I did with Katie as far as rocking until he fell into a deep sleep and then put him to bed. He would wake up suddenly and began crying again. Now, I try to place him in his pack & play (fully awake) and let him fall asleep on his own. At night, I rock him a little and then put him to bed. He wakes back up, but at least he's not in a deep sleep. So far, he seems to be okay with it because I'll give him his pacifier and turn on the musical aquarium. As soon as I see that he's not going to start crying, I leave the room. Most of the time, he falls asleep on his own. He's on formula now, full time. He got to where he didn't want me, so I would have to pump. Of course, who has time to pump when you have a 3 year old running around. Right? It just got to be difficult and I kept forgetting to sit down and drink lots of water and pump. Susan warned me that it would get this way and to not feel bad, if I didn't make it to my goal (3 months). Even though I'm pretty much dried up, I still have some milk in the freezer for Colton to drink. Besides, I think he gets along with the Enfamil Lipil for fussy & gassy babies much better. I don't want to say it too loud, but I think the colic is much better. Sure, he has his off days where he doesn't feel good and I end up bouncing or holding him. Doug and I also have come to a conclusion that he doesn't like his car seat or he doesn't like to ride in the car. I think the riding causes him to build up a lot of gas, which makes him cranky.