Abby's "Pretty" Bed!

This morning I asked Abby and Reese to go clean their rooms and make their bed and this is what I found when Abby was done! She calls it her "pretty" bed--notice the crown on the pillow...nice touch huh? (she worked FOREVER on this--she shows attention to detail:)

Slave Driver:)

Well in our house you gotta pull your own weight...meaning if you make a mess you are gonna clean it up! So here in the picture you can see the kids cleaning the bathroom mirror---from time to time they spit toothpaste all over the mirror --they spit- they clean:) Actually I joke about "making" them but really they get excited about helping me--it's kinda weird really:)
We have recently started Dave Ramsey Jr.--it's a great money program to teach your kids the proper view and use of their money. Our kids have really taken to it--Abby has saved over 40$ and Reese isn't far behind! It's really fun to take them to the toy store and watch them pick out a toy and actually buy it themselves--I have noticed them feeling get pride and showing more respect and excitement for the toy they bought--I highly recommend it! -- watching your kids grow in character and start healthy money habits now is priceless!

Poor Hank!

Yesterday the kids and I were playing in Abby's room and the kids figured out that the Mickey ears fit Hank---you can imagine what followed.....Abby and Reese attacking the poor dog over and over again laughing their heads off! Hank was not so amused...but we got a good picture before he figured out how to get them off:)

Memorial Day

Chilling with the cousins...

Saying the pledge--honoring the flag

Burning the flag--no this was not a protest:)...the flag was old and faded so Maw Maw and Poppa thought it would be cool for the kids to see how to properly honor the flag when you have to throw it away. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Flag_Code

Annie and I trying to stand up on the silly tube--it's harder than it looks!

Unsuccessful.....

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day and got to relax with family! We had great fun and I even got a little nap--yippee!
Around lunch time we headed over to Greg's parents house for some brisket and swimming! Greg was very happy to get some red meat ( I don't cook much-- we eat mostly chicken) and I was happy to get some sun--oh and of course the kiddos were thrilled to play in the pool for oh about 5 hours--wow--everyone was happy:) The kids were like energizer bunnies--they just kept jumping and playing! During lunch we talked about reasons we were thankful to be an American --Reese said he was thankful he could go to Disney World and Abby was thankful we could travel and go to church--so sweet! -I think Americans forget how blessed we really are and how wonderful America is--there is no other place like it!
Recently Greg and I watched The Patriot and I was reminded of how many fathers, sons, brothers etc. died for our freedom---let us never forget their sacrifice!
Anyways---It was a great day of just talking and hanging out--and Aunt Annie and I even got a little creative ourselves! Annie was convinced we could both stand up together on the big green inner tube--so of course I agreed--cause really how hard could it be right? Well as you can see we failed big time...as soon as we both were kinda standing we ate it! We decided we were just a bit bigger now than when we were oh... eleven...so that's why we couldn't make it happen;) We tried --everyone loves a good challenge even if you fail!

So after our long day of relaxing and playing only one came home with a burn---ME....I guess I was just so busy putting sunblock on the kids I forget myself!
*Note to self--- next time put sunscreen on your legs;)

Date Night!

Well it's been a few days since my last entry!
This past week has been full but we were able to get a date night in with both of the kids! This time I spent some time with Reese and Daddy with Abby.

I decided I would take Reese to play at Mountasia--(it's like Putt-Putt)--because he loves to play the games there! We had a great time and in the picture you can see he loved the basketball game! We tried to get enough tickets to pick a prize but didn't come up with much so the nice girl at the counter let him get a few things above his ticket allowance:) --he was thrilled!
Anyways after that we headed to Sonic for a slushy--a Ranger Red slushy of course;)
We talked a bit and he was so funny --whenever I tried to move closer to him to chat he would move to the next table...playing like he didn't like me--then whenever I acted sad he would rush over and give me a big kiss! He's such a jokester--but he sure knows when mommy can't take it anymore:)
Now Greg and Abby also had a great night--Greg took Abby mountain biking at a local park near our house. She has been riding without training wheels for quite awhile now so he felt she was ready for a challenge---and she was! He said she did great and didn't fall once. She started out a bit cautious but after awhile she was taking small jumps! They were both so sweaty when they got home and she also had a slushy in hand:) -kinda a staple date night treat!
Greg got a video of her riding and I made it into a little movie. We got a Flip camera for Christmas and this is my first time to try the movie option--see what you think....not too bad for my first time:) Enjoy!

Working out with Mommy!

So for some reason the kids love to do my workout videos with me and this time Greg got it on camera! We were doing Cardio Kick-boxing and they are so funny trying to do all the moves--I put together some of the video we got and it's pretty funny--they are really serious about working out even goofy burned a few calories!

Target Drama!

Reese showing us his boo-boo!

hiding from mean mommy or was it the band-aid? *notice the tears in his eyes...so sad!


Today we were at Target and Reese fell down and cut open an old scab (yuck) and was dripping with blood! I couldn't believe how bad he was bleeding and neither could he--he was SCREAMING---really, really loud for about..oh 10 minutes! I was trying to wipe up the blood, clean his cut, and clam him down while everyone was looking at me like I was a terrible parent or something! When we were leaving the lady from the checkout stand says, "Is he the one that was screaming?" I said, "uhh yeah he was pretty loud huh?" (she was all the way across the store)
Anyways on the way home I was telling Reese we were gonna have to clean his arm and put a band-aid on and you would have thought I had told him I was gonna cut his arm off! He was not happy about this idea--so as soon as we got home he went and hid under the coffee table! Abby was cracking up and well Reese he was still screaming saying, "Mommy my arm is all better see it's not bleeding!" --as blood dripped down his arm!
Well even though he was not thrilled we got that band-aid on (cause I'm the mom-I said so:) and go figure--he says, "Mommy it feels better!" ...oh what we mom's go through!

The Most Precious Picture!

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Daddy and Abby in front of the castle at Magic Kingdom-need I say more?
This is going in a frame...

It's Summertime!

One very happy girl--she got a tube!

My sweet girl!

Look how happy and dry I am...

OH my goodness I thought I was gonna die---no I am not being dramatic- it was so cold;)


Hooray! Swimming time! The kids and I love summertime and we all have been itching to get wet!
Yesterday Abby and I had a date and we went to NRH2O (local water park) the water was still a little chilly but was bearable--any cooler and she would have been swimming alone:)
It was fun to just go with her because we were able to ride all the water slides and she could go deep in the wave pool--she's a fish!
Daddy went to the Rangers game with Reese--they didn't have a camera and they lost so not much to report there--they had fun though:) -Reese wasn't even sad he didn't get to go swimming!
Anyway today was in the 90's so we decided it was a good day to go swimming at Maw Maw and Poppa's. We ended up having a big party-Charlie, Landry, Aunt Annie, Grandma and of course Maw Maw and Poppa were there. Maw Maw got out the inner-tube, which the kids LOVE, and Annie and I took turns riding with the kids! Well I was not so lucky during my ride-- the kids got crazy and we all fell into the pool--did I mention it was FREEZING --kinda like a bunch of ice cubes! So in the picture above you can see the shock as I got wet---hopefully the water will warm up very soon because I am a serious wimp when it comes to cold water!

Scaredy Cat!

It's Fast..It's a blast..It's from the past..too funny-- who made up that line? (it's on the top of the picture)

Me in my mom's lap! Greg thought it would be better if he circled it...isn't he nice!

Ok- so you know when you get off a ride and you can view pictures they have taken of you during the ride?--well this is what we found when we got off this REALLY scary ride at Animal Kingdom! Do you see me? I'm the one in my mom's lap....pathetic! --but thank you mom for saving me from that really scary dinosaur even if he wasn't real --he looked very real and he was really close! -notice the little kid in front of me....she doesn't even seem phased:)


Ok so here's the story-
We went on the ride for Reese--he really wanted to go and we ALL thought it would be a silly little ride like "It's a Small World" or something like that! Well we were WRONG! Luckily the kids chickened out right as we were getting on the ride and PaPa was the lucky one that didn't have to go! I am soooo glad they didn't because you see where Greg's sitting? --that's right where Abby was and man she would have freaked out when that dinosaur jumped out-- we would have had to get her counseling......my first session was today! --only kidding

Graduation Already?

Abby are her terrific teachers Ms. Leah and Mrs. Becca

Reese liked the hat...oh how different boys are from girls:)

Abby graduated from preschool today --we are proud and all, but Greg and I were both very surprised by what a BIG event it ended up to be! I'm talking gowns, hats, balloons, refreshments and some parents even brought flowers for their kids! Gosh, I guess Greg and I both just thought it would be this simple event and that would be that but oh were we wrong! If we are not careful by the time they really graduate from something big we're gonna have already out done ourselves!
See our philosophy is start small then you can always build up, but if you throw a huge shindig the first time you will always have to beat it! -- Seems to be working for us so far:)
Anyways don't get me wrong we are so very proud of anything she does and as you can see she was very thrilled we made it for the event!
So way to go Abby--you are Kindergarten bound!

It's a Ranger's Party!

Abby and her best buds--(Hailey, Abby, Emmarie and Peighton)

Reese and his best buds-(Reese, Charlie and Landry)

This past Tuesday the kids invited some friends to the Rangers game and they had a blast! Abby invited some friends from school and her and Reese wanted their cousins Charlie and Landry to come too! Greg thought it would be a good idea to invite at least one parent to come along too--just in case we needed a little help:) We didn't watch much baseball but the kids didn't seem to care! Most of the time the kids ate things like-- cotton candy, nachos, hot dogs, popcorn and lemon chills! When they weren't eating they were running around in the rain laughing and having a blast! --yes it rained a little but I know it didn't bug the kids a bit actually it was an added bonus in their minds:) ...oh to be a kid again --all I think about when it rains is how terrible my hair is gonna look! (oh come on ladies you know you think the same thing:)

Look PaPa you made a picture!

Hey Dad you made a picture:) I really wanted everyone to see that my mom and DAD went on the trip...my poor dad is so selfless to stay behind the camera and catch the magic...thank you dad the pictures turned out beautiful.....1000 is a bit much but hey at least we caught every moment:)

Too Cute

Right when we got to Disney World Granny and PaPa got the kids Mickey Mouse hats and this is what Reese picked---too funny! Every time Greg looked at Reese when he was wearing this hat he just cracked up laughing!
I just had to share-- I just love it!

Disney Trip- Highlight #2

With Granny in front of Mount Everest--that was Abby's favorite ride at Animal Kingdom

Right outside the Buzz Lightyear ride--Reese actually went up to Buzz--he was kinda scared of some of the characters--I don't blame him...they are kinda creepy sometimes:)

Spinning with Daddy in the Tea Cups! (Granny, PaPa and I were in the tea cup next to them not spinning:) --that way mommy didn't throw-up which = a happy mommy. Reese especially loved the teacups and rode them 3 times.

Goofy rollercoaster with Daddy

Peter Pan ride--flying in a ship! "I can fly, I can fly...I can fly:)"
THE RIDES!!!
The kids favorite thing by far was riding all the rides---it's crazy they are big enough already to ride rollercoasters but they were all about them! They loved the teacups too --they had to ride with Daddy though because Mommy gets a little motion sickness from time to time:) The Goofy roller coaster was great--one Reese and Abby could both ride together! Abby rode a big roller coaster with Greg, Granny and I called Mount Everest at Animal Kingdom-it was pretty scary with the huge Yeddi jumping out at you but Abby said she just closed her eyes for that part :)
Reese was a HUGE fan of the Buzz Lightyear ride because you got to spin in circles and shoot stuff (if you have boys or husbands this is a must;)
Another ride that the kids were looking forward to was the Peter Pan ride--it was fun yet Reese sadly thought it was too dark---he liked flying in the boat though and got to see NaNa the dog so all in all it was a hit!
I would definitely recommend Magic Kingdom---it really encompasses all that is Disney World (in my opinion--look at me acting like a Disney World connoisseur:) No but really we ended up going back to Magic Kingdom (kids request) because it was so great!
Man--writing about this sure makes me want to go back---I loved Disney World!

We're Home!

Well late last night we got back from Disney World--whew...crazy fun super tiring week:)
We were all sad to leave Granny and Papa but happy to be home sleeping in our own beds!
I have been debating on how I will blog about this past week and be able to actually do it justice. I think I have decided to do a "blog series" --yes folks this is what the "real" bloggers do (says Greg:) Anyways I have about a billion pictures to sift through and it will take days so as I come upon a "highlight" I will post a quick blog about it----sound good? Well I hope so and if not I guess you might want to stop reading my blog for awhile because this series might take awhile--we had a ton of FUN!

Now for my first highlight (in no specific order or rank:)

Abigail at Bibbity Bobbity Boutique!

As we were walking through Magic Kingdom Granny noticed a boutique that did princess makeovers. Now Abby was really wanting to do it but they were booked for months (you have to book your makeover before you even come to Disney World--wow...that would mean you would have to be super prepared...impressive :)
Anyways we of course knew nothing about the place so we were not "prepared in advance" but we were told they might have cancellations and to call and check--so we did and we got her in...yeah! (rule of thumb--always try you just never know and most of the time they can always "make room" for you...and your money;)

So Abby was so excited and Granny and PaPa were thrilled to do this for her (thanks guys she had me put the hair back in today:) --it was so fun to see her be so girlie (just recently she has gotten into girlie stuff) Well I got some great pictures--notice the hair extension--she thought that was sooooo cool *she has been growing her hair out and says she wants to keep growing until it gets to her toes....we'll see about that:) Enjoy the pictures!


The "before" picture!

Getting all dolled up!

This is the girl that did her hair--good job huh?:)

Our little princess diva!

Abby and Granny

Minnie Marathon 2008

So when we were checking out all the stuff we wanted to do in Disney World Greg came upon a race that was going on while we were in Orlando! Well being the crazy addicted runner that I am now I decided it would be super fun to run a race in Disney World! It was a "Minnie" Marathon meaning it was only a 15K which is about 10 miles--it started in Animal Kingdom and ended at Epcot. For about 5 miles we just ran on the highway which really stunk but finally we ran into Disney Hollywood Studios and then into Epcot---probably the most scenic run I have ever done---it was fun!

Anyways after the race I got to get some pictures with some Disney characters--it was so crazy...there were no lines and everyone could take as many pictures as they wanted! I was pretty bummed that the kids were still in bed because it would have been a perfect way for them to see a ton of their "best buddies"--as Reese calls them!

Well I was happy to get the race over with the first day and I took one for the team because we got 4 tickets to Animal Kingdom for only $35 for running the race---a huge discount:) Yeah!

We are in Disney World!

Where Dreams really do come true :)

Abby was thrilled to see Sleeping Beauty up close and personal!

This is Reese's expression when he first saw Peter Pan in real life--adorable:)

Us riding the Goofy Roller Coaster- we're in the first two cars

Abby and Granny--nothing like watching a Mickey 3-D movie at 1:15 in the morning--crazy!

**thanks Dad for all the picture taking---don't worry we'll get you in some:)
Well I am not even sure how to begin this because we have only been here 2 days and we have over 300 pictures off ONE of our cameras---no I'm not kidding:) I do promise not to post everyone of those but do plan to share a few throughout the week!

My parents brought us this week on a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. We got here on Saturday and hit Magic Kingdom on Sunday! --now this was a LOOONNNGG day---My dad and I started off the day at 4:45am for me to run in the Minnie Marathon--the race started at 6:15am....it started when it was still dark---good times :) (I'll blog about this later:)
Anyway we got back and headed off to Magic Kingdom with the whole family--got there about 10am and tried to cram a ton of fun into a few hours :) We left about 4pm to go back and sleep a little (I was dragging :) )
After a few hour nap we headed back to experience Magic Kingdom at night---and I mean ALL night---see, we had these passes to stay after hours until 2am....now I wasn't thinking there would be any way the kids could make it that long but we thought we would give it a try and see how long they could last :) Well they did make it and we put our kids to bed at 2:45 in the morning---we are terrible parents---fun and totally awesome parents but very terrible :) The kids had so much fun they couldn't believe they were up with all the BIG kids! They had a full day--they saw every Disney character and even got some autographs from Pluto, Goofy, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty (Abby's fav.), Belle, Cinderella, Chip n Dale, Donald....etc:) --oh and we saw PETER PAN--the highlight of Reese's day--he carries a Peter Pan sword with him everywhere he goes--he's serious about his Peter Pan:)
I can't believe we have already done so much and it's only the second day---it's gonna be a long week. :) The kids have also surprised us with not being scared to go on all the rides--seriously- they rode every ride they are tall enough for--and we purposely waited to come until Reese was above 42 inches....meaning you can ride almost everything:) Way to go guys!
We all rode Thunder Mountain at 1:30 am last night--it was great! Abby was able to ride Space Mountain--she had a blast...mommy was the one kinda scared...go figure:)

Today we went to Sea World --it was great and the kids got to get wet (their life's goal :) ) but sadly because of their crazy parents and grandparents they were POOPED:)
Tomorrow we plan to hang around the resort and REST because we have alot more to see :)
Stay tuned because I plan to keep you guys updated as much as possible!

Visiting the Nursing Home

Walking through the halls handing out homemade cards--everyone was thrilled to see them!


Today Reese and I went to the nursing home with his cousins. I was so glad to hear that Anglea was going because I have always wanted to take the kids but I am kinda fearful at the same time! I think it all stems from the days when my dad would take me along with him to visit our grandmother. Every week this old man would call me Johnny (my sister cut my hair one thanksgiving super short--thanks Chris:) and how about the time I was talking with my Grandma Martha and she says, "darling I can't see very well but I think you've gotten fatter!" Well pretty much you can see I don't have very many good memories there but I truly hope to make better ones in the future! :)
I was super proud of Reese because he was very polite and talkative--he just stuck his hand out there and said, "Nice to meet ya, I'm Reese"---what a super kid! After today I was reminded of two things:
1. Kids are so non-judgmental and accepting of everyone!
2. And while talking to an 85 year old woman this is what she said: "Now that I am older I realize that memories are all I really have--my favorite memories are so simple--just sitting around the table and everyone is together all talking at the same time."
....so sweet yet very true.
I hope to cherish everyday and not let "life" get in the way because someday I'll be sitting in her very place and I don't want to regret a minute!

I think we'll continue to visit our new friends .... we can learn a lot from them!