A Visit to Mae Mae's

Yesterday we went to Mae Mae's to visit. Blake was at band camp and Matt was at work, so Emma Klaire and I didn't get to see them. We went to a splash park. It was so much fun!!! Ella Kate stayed and spent the night with them. She had so much fun. Elijah loves Ella Kate ....she said he reached for her. Today Emma Klaire went to daycare and I worked very hard in my room.   Ready for my kiddos!!!!  I think...HA!

Mason and Elijah

I got several pictures like these. Ha!

I love this picture!

So until next time...I hope you find much JOY!

Our last week of summer

Yesterday was our last Monday of summer :( It has been an awesome summer!!! I love being home with my girls. Yesterday we slept late and swam. Then we went to Tupleo for much need haircuts (not Emma Klaire!). We stopped at the old mall and bought some Carmel corn. Delicious!!!! After our haircuts we ate supper at Danvers, and then went to see Gran Gran.

Gran Gran and the girls

New Haircut!

Today Katelyn and Abby came and played. Mandy and I got to talk for a bit. Then we just piddled. Tomorrow we are going to visit with Mae Mae and the boys!!!

So until next time.....may you find much JOY!

I pray for....

I pray for peace  and other things.....God knows!
 

This picture was taken by Pepaw.

Emma Klaire

Both girls! One of my favorites!

Ella Kate

Sweet Memories! (I think Emma Klaire is saying, "NO! Don't choke me!" Ha!

So until next time...I hope you find much JOY!

And So are the Days of Our Lives...

Thursday we just hung around the house. Nana came and brought pizza. She swam with us which is always fun. The girls played so well together! The had Krissa  (doll) a birthday party. It took them all morning to get it "ready" and then it was over in just a couple of minutes! HA!  Reminds me of playing dolls when I was little.

Picture taken by Ella Kate

Getting ready for Krissa's birthday party!

 

We do have our moments! Everything is not always "peachy"  HA!

Friday ... we played and swam. I found out I can't get into my school room until Thursday!   Ugh!!! Panic! I just have decided I can't worry about it. It will get done one way or another. Friday night Ella Kate went with Memaw and Pepaw to see a TCT production of a spin off of Pinocchio. She absolutely loved it!!! Emma Klaire and I went and visited Nana and then went to Wal-Mart.

Saturday we went to Haylee's birthday party (friend from church) at Hoptown. The girls had a blast. I had a few pictures, but the red-eye was so bad...I just couldn't get them to look right. We came home and got in the pool....it is so HOT!!!! I am worried Norman will get sick outside. He if fixing me a new flower bed with those really big rocks. It will look great when it is finished.

Ella Kate has been wanting steak which we don't eat very much. So I decided for us to run to Piggly Wiggly and get steak and the "fixin's". 

Menu for tonight

Steak

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1/2 Potatoes baked upside down

Rolls

Lemon Cake

YUM!!!

Ella Kate has been wanting to try a trick Nana told her about for ddecorating a cake. You use a plain paper towel with an imprint on it. Very gently you press the paper towel on the icing to make an imprint.  We couldn't get it to work for us, but the cake was good.

So until next time.....I hope you.find lots of JOY!

I Am Gonna Miss These Days!

I love my girls so much! I was so made to be a mommy! I heard the song on the radio the other day...I am gonna miss these days.......and I got kind of sad. I already miss the baby days...I am just trying to treasure each day. They love me so unconditionally right now, and I hope that never changes. They need me, and I need them to need me. ( I love my husband so much also...I will have to blog about him another day...I promise :) )  We have had so much fun this summer.

Yesterday we went to Wal-mart and bought Ella Kate's school supplies. Oh NO!! Summer Please Slow Down!!

Then I took the girls to Nana's to play. I came home and floated around the pool (yes I had many more things that needed to be done...but...). The girls swam late yesterday afternoon and then we decided to swim last night again. Anyway, Emma Klaire finally really swam with no floaties. She also jumped off the diving board (with floaties).  It is just such a priceless age. I have always said that I wish I could bottle up each stage of their lives. So that I could open it up and remeber the feel, sounds, etc of them.

Emma Klaire swimming step to step. This is how Ella Kate started also.

Today the girls and I went with Pepaw and Memaw to Tupelo. We went to VF and the mall. We had a yummy lunch at Finney's. In between lunch and the mall Ella Kate had an oral surgeron appointment about her teeth. They do not want to put her to sleep, so I think we are just going to go to a pediatric dentist. 

We also have a new pet. Ella Kate wanted a fish for pulling her tooth this weekend. (yes..the tooth fairy came also...this was a special tooth.) She bought a beta .....Her name is Rainbow.

Meet Rainbow!!!!!!

So until next time.....I hope you find lots of JOY!

Wow...That's Amazing!

Tonight we (Norman, me, and the girls) decided to swim. We went out about 8:30 and had so much fun. It was wonderful quality time.... just the four of us. Emma Klaire was swimming up a storm (with her floaties--face down) and jumping off of the diving board. We had all been observing the night sky...the stars were awesome...Emma Klaire was on the diving board looking at the stars when she said in her sweet little two year old voice, "Wow...that's amazing!  Oh the sweetness of a small child.


Today has been pretty much what I call a wonderful, lazy summer day! Just like I like them. Sleep late, get up and swim, nap, play, swim some more.



Yesterday we went to church and then ate lunch at Memaw's. I got to lay on the raft in the pool for almost two hours by myself. That was a treaat! Then we went to Memaw and Pepaw's church for their VBS commencement program. Ella Kate did great, and afterwards we ate supper there with homeade ice cream!

Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS Commencement Take 2  Pleasant Grove Church

So until next time....I hope you find much JOY!

Yes...I cleaned all day AGAIN!!

Now you can see the floor in my dining room! Yeah!!! However you still can't see the top of the table. Ha! Ha!  But by Monday you will! I have seriously thought about having and open house (Norman would object strongly! lol) just to prove that my house can really be clean. I have to learn and help my children learn that everything has a place, and we must place everything in its place......it would make my summers less "messy"  hahaha


The girls and Norman really did help bunches! Norman even painted my rocking chairs for our front porch! Yeah!

This is a picture from this morning of the girls enjoying the "Fruit" of our labor!  literally....ha! (We made blackberry jam last night. We had biscuits and jam this morning....Yummy!

This afternnon while I was trying to get Emma Klaire to take a nap she said, "O.k. Mama I mam happy now!"
(That is her way of thinking that she can get out of a nap because I am always telling her if she takes a nap she will feel better and be happy.)  I mam= I am   LOL

Also BIG news...Ella Kate pulled her loose tooth! You Go Girl!

So until next time...find JOY!

Our Yesterday and Today

I didn't ever get around to posting yesterday...we were busy. We went to have Ella Kate's teeth pulled, but we didn't get to go through with it. She went back there like a big girl, but when they started giving her shots to deaden the gums she got really upset. Anyway we are going to try and get it done while she is asleep. After the dentist we left and went to the mall and a few other stores. We ate at the mall, and over all had a good day.

Emma Klaire stayed at daycare yesterday without a hitch. She went in without crying, and when I picked her up she was having a ball! That was much relief for me!!!!!

After we picked up Emma Klaire we went on to Wal-mart and the home. We decided to swim because it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hot!!!! Emma Klaire decided she wanted to try it without her floaties. She swam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a very short distance, but so sweet!!! Ella Kate videoed it for me. I will have to learn how to put video on here.

This morning I got a call saying I could go work in my room at school. Thank goodness!!! I was getting nervous. I worked pretty much all day. I will have to go back one or two more times. I did stop long enough to go to Gran Gran's and eat lunch. Aunt Kathy was down and fixed us a wonderful lunch. After lunch, Ella Kate went to Nana's and Emma Klaire went to Pepaw's and Memaw's while I worked at school.

Ella Kate had lots of fun "cooking" at Nana's. They played Chopped....like the show on The Food Network.

After I got home, Ella Kate and I made blackberry jam. Pepaw had picked my berries several weeks ago. Memaw just froze them so I would have them when I got ready. Ella Kate was a big help.

                              This is a picture of the finished product. They ae upside down so they will
                                                seal and hopefully become jam like. Ha!


                             After the jam was made, the girls and I had a movie night with popcorn......fun, fun!

Our family is still going through much shock and heartache right now. I don't want to write details really, but I do think it is important that when we go back one day and read the blog....we know that there was hurt around. I have never had someone that I cared so much about.....just gone. I realize that God has a plan and we sure don't understand it right now, but it is part of our lives and we have to learn how to go on. I know very few people read this, but if you are checking in on us..... Please lift us up in your prayers today. THANK YOU!

So until next time....I  hope you find much joy!

Plum Tuckered Out!

We had another relaxing day at home. I love being at home with my girls. Today I needed to clean....but I didn't. I just played with the girls. We had Savannah (cousin) come swim and play with us. Afterwards, Emma Klaire fell alseep watching tv. That has never happened before, so I had to get my camera. Of course when she woke up, she was very unhappy for a little while. It was such a late nap.

While we were eating supper tonight, Emma Klaire said, "I had fun today with...Mama who did I have fun with?" I got so tickled!

I have forgotten to mention that Ella Kate has been going to VBS at Memaw's church. She has had so much fun! She has been riding with Connie and Savannah each night.

Tomorrow Ella Kate is going to have three teeth pulled! She is being a great sport about it, and we are going to have a fun day afterward.... just us! I am taking Emma Klaire to daycare tomorrow :( Not excited about that. It is for the best because both grandparent's are busy, and hopefully it will get her back in the groove. I may take her a day next week also. She loves it and her teachers. It is just hard after staying with me all summer. However, I can't stand to take her when I am at home. So she hasn't been since May 28th! Anyway.... I know she will cry, but I also know she will be ok. But will I ????? teeth being pulled and daycare

...NOT FUN!!!

Before Church Tonight....

So until next time.....may you find lots of JOY!

Thank you God for the rain......and Magic Erasers!

Thank you God for the rain.....Well we got a much needed rain today. It wasn't much, but it helped. We slept late, and we woke up to the sound of rain. I love that.

Thank you God for Magic Erasers....
As soon as I got up, I got to "deep" cleaning again. I got the kitchen, breakfast room, and laundry room cleaned. Magic Erasers are awesome! They clean walls, cabinets, etc so well. I had to get Norman to bring me some more at lunch so I could finish.  (Such a great, wonderful guy he is!) I put my "piles" in the dining room, so I still have that to do. But I love seeing progress. 

I moved my silverware drawer which is really confusing all of us. After 11 years of the silverware in the same place, it is going to take some getting use to look in another drawer. I can handle that kind of change.....other changes in life are unbearable at times.

The girls have a had a lazy summer day. Sleeping late, playing with play-dough, napping, going to Memaw's, and playing with Nana.  Nana came and played with the girls so I could clean.

Pictures from last summer:

Putting Up

This will be a really short post. Today was more cleaning! I did put up the highchair :(  I have a really hard time putting up baby things. Of course the hardest thing with both girls was putting up their pallets. I just love pallets!

I had a hard time finding a picture of our pallet....but if you look in front of the tv you can see it.  It makes me sad just looking at it.  I know I am way to sentimental.

 I also put up some squash, zucchini, and eggplant. Now don't go getting excited...it was only 5 small bags total, and of course no one will eat it but me! Ha!


Below are some sweet pictures I found while searching for a pallet picture...

Sisters Forever!

So until next time....I hope you find much Joy!

2010 VBS Commencement Saddle Ridge Ranch

Tonight we had a our Vacation Bible School Commencement Service

Our Theme was Saddle Ridge Ranch

Emma Klaire surprised me and sang with her class. It was so sweet! Ella Kate did a great job also. She knew every motion and all the words.

Emma Klaire says, "HOWDY!!!"

We have had a busy day! Rebecca and Barry came and swam after the VBS program. (Rebecca went to the program with us and was a big help while we cleaned up.) After they left, Norman and I decided to move everything out of our living room and shampoo the carpet...Why I asked? But I really am glad we did it. Now tomorrow I have to go through everything and put stuff back in its place. 

Until next time.....hope you find much joy!

A Visit with Family

Today was spent at Memaw's and Pepaw's with family. One of my favorite kind of days. We ate way too much and played hard. We swam a little and cried a little. I haven't gotten to spend near as much time with my nephew, Elijah, as I had thought I would have by now, but today we played. Mae Mae and I got to catch up (school talk of course). We are we planning a day trip to their house before school so the kids can play again. Blake is staying the week with Pepaw and Memaw, and Mason .......well Mason kept running from the camera!!!!!!

Emma Klaire and Elijah....19 months age difference

Emma Klaire really wanted to be able to hold Elijah.

Ella Kate and Elijah

Uncle Matt, Elijah,and Emma Klaire

SILLY FACES!  EMMA KLAIRE LOVES HER UNCLE MATT FOR SURE!

Taking a ride

I was really proud of Emma Klaire. She let Lie Lie (as she calls him) ride first with Ella Kate without fussing.

I wish I could have videoed this. They got so tickled with each other!   Precious Memories......................

My Ding Dong Cake was edible, but not very lookable (I know that isn't a word!) Mason said he would eat it, but he had to hide his eyes while I cut into it! HA!  I had a picture of the finished product to share, but I deleted it instead. I do have a picture of it once it was cut.

I used almost two things of frosting to cover up all the cracks. LOL!

But Emma Klaire sure enjoyed it!!!!

As I was getting Emma Klaire out of the bathtub tonight she was crying. I was wrapping her in her towel and she said, "I need a nap!"   My response was, "Amen, sister!"  HA!

So until next time........I hope you find much joy!