Parker Family

Can't believe she's 3!!!!

2009-12-14T14:01:00.006-05:00

We want to thank everyone who came and celebrated this day with us! Ava had such a great time at her party! :) Thank you to my mom and grandpa as well! They sent Ava fun presents and money to pick out another baby doll! haha!

Ava making her silly face! :)

Her Dora backpack cake!

A Day At The Park

2009-12-05T09:20:00.007-05:00

It's Christmas Time!

2009-11-30T13:08:00.007-05:00

I thought these pictures would be fitting to share given the holiday we're approaching. :) These are definitely a few years old but just as funny every time we see them! I hope you all enjoy!

We are thankful....

2009-11-24T12:03:00.010-05:00

...for these 2 sweet girls. :)

I am trying to picture....

2009-10-27T13:05:00.003-04:00

...this sweet little face when the terrible two's strike! Lord help us! :)

If only words could describe

2009-09-14T09:10:00.003-04:00

A few months ago my sister and bro-in-law introduced us to this funny video... We watched it again a couple of weeks ago and the girls love it!!!! Ellie will ask us to bite her finger just so she can say it! Ava, however has taken it to the next level... Anytime she is tickled she brakes out with "Owww Charlie" and laughs and laughs! :)
I hope you enjoy the video :)

Princess Cuteness

2009-09-14T08:44:00.007-04:00

Ellie's princess cake

Her beautiful dress that my mom MADE for her!!!
She loves this thing!!

Ellie and Aunt Carmie. :)

Ellie dancing with 'MA'

and dancing with her Uncle Robbie :)

I didn't get as many pictures from the party as I wanted. I had hoped to get pictures of Ellie with all of our families but it just didn't happen. :( We were still able to get some cute ones later though. :)

GO DAWGS!!!

2009-09-12T13:29:00.005-04:00

4 going on 20!!!

2009-09-08T17:00:00.007-04:00

It's hard to believe that our sweet Ellie is 4 years old today!!
We had her princess party on Saturday (I'll post pictures later) and she had a blast! Both of our families were able to make it down and celebrate so that made it so special. :)

I want to thank everyone who gave her a gift! She really loves all of them and has been having to fight Ava for them!!!

Thank you Southern Living!!!

2009-09-02T16:17:00.004-04:00

This is by far one of the best desserts we have EVER had! I was a little nervous about making it... afraid it would look nothing like the picture... but it was amazing and looked just like the picture! :) It's definitely worth trying... at least once. Thad has requested it for his birthday cake for the rest of his life! Hahaha!
I'd love to hear if you make it and how you liked it!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb.)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.

2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.

3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).

Update on Pictures. :)

2009-08-17T10:18:00.009-04:00

Here are some pictures from the past month. Some are from our visit to Raleigh and some are just from around here.

Thad found this baby rabbit in our yard when he was cutting the grass! He was so cute and tiny!!

'O How He Loves Us'

2009-07-27T09:19:00.011-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post... We've been on the go all summer long! Last week we went to Daytona Beach for a youth camp called BIGSTUF. We had such a good time and were truly blessed by the speakers!
We were able to get in some beach time which the girls loved!
Ellie would've played in the sand and water all day if we let her! Ava liked it for about 30 minutes and that's when she started getting sand in her bathing suit... As soon as she felt the sand she would start stripping down!

All in all we had a great time but are happy to be back home. :)

These little cuties

2009-06-22T17:30:00.005-04:00

...were hatched sometime over the weekend. I was a little scared that the mama would see me and attack so the picture isn't the greatest. Hopefully I will be able to get some more pictures as they grow. :)

As soon as I moved the branches back their mouths popped wide open! They looked so cute it almost made me want to find some worms to give them.

Looks can be deceiving.

2009-06-08T16:37:00.004-04:00

I came across these sometime last week and thought I'd share a picture. For a few days I had been seeing a bird fly in and out of one of the bushes in our front flower bed. I finally decided to look in and I saw this little nest. They look very similar to Robins eggs but they're Mockingbird eggs!
We're keeping an eye out for them to see when they hatch.

Can't believe it's already June!

2009-06-08T16:19:00.007-04:00

For weeks we have been talking about taking the girls up the road to go feed the geese. There is a pond about 2 miles away that always has lots of geese hanging around. We finally went yesterday and didn't even feed the geese. As we were walking up there were a couple of ducks that greeted us so they were the ones we fed. Not to mention they're much nicer than geese. :) We had 2 bags of bread and saw that there were about 50 geese and knew that it would pretty dangerous to try and feed all of them with only 2 bags of bread.

Ava was a little weary of the ducks but she would throw some bread and then point to it and tell the ducks to go get it. However, Ellie was trying to feed them from her hand!

After the geese realized what was going on they started coming across the pond to try and get in on the fun... Needless to say we started running back to the car. :) Hopefully we'll make it out there again b/c the girls had a blast!

Raleigh Times

2009-06-02T09:33:00.012-04:00

As always we had a great time visiting with my family! This trip wasn't as long as others but still good. The girls had such a good time and are still asking to see everyone. :) We're hoping to get back up there sometime this summer for a longer visit.
Here are just a few pictures from our time. Enjoy!

Love It!!!!

2009-05-09T09:19:00.003-04:00

The best face that Ava makes!!!

Forked!

2009-04-28T18:42:00.006-04:00

On my birthday I woke up to find my car completely decorated and filled with balloons, dozens of forks all over the yard, and streamers on the light post and mailbox.
Ginger and Brooke had come over the night before and decorated everything!! They really made my day! Everyone that drove by our house that day drove very slowly and stared with a lot of confusion...

Finally done!

2009-04-28T18:30:00.005-04:00

I have slowly been working on the girls room since we moved in. It's finally done and I am pretty pleased with the outcome. :) I think it's fun and something that will grow with them. Sometime this summer we will be getting some bunk beds from my parents that used to be mine when I was little. My grandpa made them and I am so happy that I will be able to put them to use.
I would love to hear what you think!

A little late on the eggs...

2009-04-21T10:31:00.009-04:00

Here a some pics from when we went to Eastman. We went down to meet Ginger's family. We had such a good time fishing, hunting easter eggs, and frying fish! We all caught some fish but Ava caught one of the biggest ones! and with a Barbie fishing pole! :)
Brooke is also in some of the pictures with the girls. She has become a dear friend to me and the girls absolutely adore her and Ginger.

Strawberry Picking

2009-04-21T09:22:00.009-04:00

On Saturday we took a trip out to Lane Packing to have lunch with Thad's mom and her sister. We ended up picking strawberries while we were there and of course had ice cream. :) The girls had a really good time picking strawberries! Ellie had a bucket and Ava picked. Ellie kept telling us that we "were doing a good job". It's always to funny to hear a 3 year old tell you how you're doing! :)

They played on the playground and were all over the place! Ellie jumped on every bouncy toy and then bounced off and said 'it wasn't fast enough'. Ava LOVED the big slide! She went down at least a dozen times.
I'm sure we will go back several more times before the summer is over. :)

Future Plumber??

2009-04-07T12:25:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday we had our first yard sale. It was definitely a fun experience for all of us. :) We started at 7 and thought that the girls would sleep in at least until 8 but Ellie got up about 7:15 ready to meet all her new "friends".
She came up to me several times that morning telling me that her "pants weren't working"! They kept sliding down and we kept pulling them back up. :) So the majority of the morning we kept getting glimpses of her crack. After a couple of hours she went and changed her pants. :)

St. Patty's Day Rugby

2009-03-18T10:56:00.008-04:00

Every year around St. Patrick's Day, Savannah holds an all weekend Rugby tournament. We always have such a good time but this year was by far the best! Brooke, a great friend, came with us and saw her first rugby match. The weather was pretty nice and my friend, Laura came down from Raleigh to hang out for a while.
Thad managed to leave with minor injuries. :)

Ellie warmed up to everyone very quickly and had a great time making new friends.

Ava and Brooke twirled for what seemed like hours and never got tired of it. :)

We look forward to doing it all over again next year!

Never Surprised...

2009-03-01T16:02:00.008-05:00

... by the weather in Georgia! :) Yesterday we were in short sleeve shirts and playing outside and today it's freezing and snowing! We were able to go outside for a few minutes this afternoon and play in the snow. Ava was taking a nap so she missed out on the fun but maybe she'll wake in time to go out later. ;)
Ellie loved it! She chased Maggie (our dog) around the yard, caught snow flakes on her tongue and threw snow balls at Thad. We're going to make a pot of chili and watch the snow from our warm house. :)

Yummy snack for the kiddos.

2009-02-25T11:12:00.003-05:00

I was looking through a few old magazines the other day and found this recipe that the girls love! I made it a while back but forgot about it. I made it again on Monday and the girls were so excited. :)
It only takes about 5 minutes to make and it's pretty good.

All you need is...
anywhere from 4-16 Nilla Wafer cookies
Peanut Butter
CandyQuick chocolate

- Make a Peanut Butter sandwich with 2 cookies and dip about 1/4 of it in the chocolate.
- Let it harden for about 3-5 minutes then enjoy. :)

Pretty in Blue

2009-02-17T10:00:00.006-05:00

Last week I took these pictures of Ava and thought I'd share... She's just so cute.
I've been realizing that we really don't take as many pictures of her as we did Ellie so I'm trying to play catch up. She's so animated and is always going! The one at the bottom is of her telling me
that I need to come up the driveway and play with her... She uses lots of hand motions, facial expressions, and sometimes flares her nostrils! It's hilarious to watch one these "fits".

A Little Bit of Heaven!

2009-02-13T20:36:00.001-05:00

Many of you may not know but I love to bake! I enjoy trying out new recipes and making them my own. :) I found this website on a blog that I read and found some great ideas on there! These red velvet cookies are one of her creations. I gave it a whirl tonight and they turned out perfect! They are so rich you can only eat one at a time.

Try out the recipe and let me know what you think! :)

I love my hubby!

2009-01-22T10:28:00.004-05:00

Here are some beautiful flowers that Thad got me a couple of weeks ago... I thought they were too pretty not to share.
(He took the pictures. ;))

Snow Bunnies!

2009-01-22T09:56:00.010-05:00

This past weekend we took our youth group up to Winterplace Ski Resort in West Virginia. The girls got to play in snow for the first time and loved it! Ava did not like her gloves though... Whenever we put them on she would shake them and say, " It's hot, it's hot!" It was pretty funny. :) Ellie would pick up any big ball of snow (or ice) that she could find and throw it at the closest person and then laugh hysterically. Ginger would let them eat snow off of the windows and every time Ava got it she would raise her eyebrows, make a circle with her lips and say, "It's coold, it's coold!" She's such a funny kid.
We can't wait to go back next year and bundle them up again!

Can't believe she's 2!

2008-12-16T09:31:00.002-05:00

We took Ava today to get her 2 year checkup and everything went great! She got her finger pricked and didn't cry! She weighed in at 25 lbs. 7 oz. just under 50% percentile... and just over 50 % for height.

We had cake and ice cream on Saturday and we're planning on having her actual party once we get to Raleigh.

She's doing great on her speech and fine motor skills. She LOVES to sing! "Happy Birthday" is actually her favorite and next is making up songs. ;)

Something New...

2008-11-25T16:59:00.007-05:00

About a month ago Thad's mom, Lynn, introduced me to something new: Pillowcase dresses. She has bought a few for the girls off of E-bay, but I thought I'd give my hand a try at it... For the first time, they turned out pretty good. :) I made matching ones for the girls for Thanksgiving. I didn't want them to have something they could only wear once so I made them more versatile. It's so easy you don't even need a pattern! I think now that I have the hang of it I will probably make a few more. :) The girls actually stood still for me to take a couple of pictures of them which is rare!

She's growing too fast!

2008-09-30T16:01:00.004-04:00

If you had asked me a month ago if Ellie was going to preschool this year I would have said "No". I really had the dream of keeping her at home and doing activities with her here but it's a little more difficult with a 22 month old wanting to do all of the same things. We really don't have too many friends that have kids Ellie's age so she doesn't have much 3 year old time. :) So, we took the plunge and enrolled her in the preschool program at our church. It's 4 days a week from 9-12.

We're starting off with 2 days and then next week we'll see about the full 4. It really works out well for us for several reasons... She gets to ride to work with Thad (which she loves) and then come home with him for lunch. She will make some new friends and she's able to do lots of fun crafts and field trips! Today they went to the Musuem of Aviation and she had a blast! Who knew there was life past babydolls, purses, and Lightening McQueen! So far she's really enjoyed it! Hopefully tomorrow will go as well as today. :)

2008-09-08T16:45:00.001-04:00

Life lately...

2008-09-08T16:23:00.003-04:00

Well, the past month has been a whirlwind! We bought our first home, moved, had Ellie's 3rd birthday party and kept up with our regular routine. We love our new house! It's perfect for us. It has 3 beds and 2 baths an extra room that we use for the play/computer room and a HUGE back yard! If you're ever in town and need a place to stay we would love to have you! :)
Here is a slideshow of the past week.
Oh! Ellie's cake... It was my first cake, from scratch, and it was too moist for the icing to stay on! We all had a good laugh about it and I'm sure that plenty of people got pictures of it. Haha! Maybe the next one will go a little better. :)

Meet our Beauty Queens!

2008-08-20T11:38:00.003-04:00

All of this can happen in a span of 1.5 minutes! This morning I was on the phone getting some last minute things done for our house and this is what happened. I was on the phone no more than 2 minutes and as soon as I got done this is what I found! I wish you all could have seen their faces when I found them! Ellie was so proud that she had put on some "pretty eyes" and that she got Ava too. She did a pretty good job getting one of her eyes but she didn't even come close with Ava. Both of them still have a little bit of mascara in their hair which we'll get out at bath time. It just cracks me up the things they get in to and how quickly they get into it!

No Title can Explain...

2008-08-14T10:49:00.004-04:00

What do you do when you find yourself standing outside of your home with the door locked and your 2 year old standing on the other side of the door laughing at you? I had the "wonderful" opportunity of pondering this question while I was standing outside this morning!
I had walked out to put a trash bag outside and as soon as I walked out Ellie shut the door and locked it! I looked inside and she was standing there laughing hysterically. She thought it was the funniest thing that her mama couldn't come inside and get her. She then ran to another room where I couldn't see her but could still hear her laughing! After about 5 minutes of knocking, Ava finally came over and started knocking back. She tried to open the door for me but she's not tall enough. :( Ellie finally came back over, still laughing, laid on the floor and covered her eyes... Like I couldn't see her or something. She got up and opened the door then ran to her room. The whole time I'm trying to be tough and not laugh but it was nearly impossible. While I was standing there thinking "I need to get back in", I'm also thinking, "I can't believe my child just locked me out and is laughing about it!"
The best part is... I was on the phone with my dad at the time all of this was happening and all he could do was laugh! I called Thad to tell him about it and I got the same response from him! So I figured if they found it so funny you all would as well. Sorry there are no pictures but I'm sure you can imagine little bouncy Ellie doing this.

Still Going...

2008-08-04T10:58:00.005-04:00

I can hardly stand how cute these pups are! They opened their eyes about a week ago and couldn't be cuter! We moved them to our front porch so that we can watch them better and because it's a little cooler next to the house. The girls love being able to watch them from the front door and go out and play with them every now and then. Ellie has to pick each one up tell it "hey", give it a kiss on the head then put it back with the others. Ava just giggles, pats them on the head and then procedes to have a conversation with it! We are really enjoying having them around.

The Cuteness Continues!

2008-07-23T13:45:00.003-04:00

I'm sad to report that we only have 10 puppies now. It happens when you have that many but it's still sad. We were able to get a count yesterday and they're all boys! Here's a funny bit of info for you all... They have not opened their eyes yet so they crawl around hunting for their mama with their mouths open. Sometimes they are unsuccessful at finding Dixie so they latch onto each others "little winkies"! When we saw it we couldn't help but laugh! They should be opening their eyes within the next couple of days and won't have this problem anymore. :)

Both girls are absolutely tickled whenever they see the pups but Ava has been beyond excited. She giggles and dances and starts babbling we can't understand a word she says. The picture only shows about 1/10 of her excitement. It's a little blurry and she looks like her right arm is missing but you get the idea.

Baby Puppies

2008-07-17T13:10:00.006-04:00

As of yesterday afternoon we have somewhere around 13 puppies!! Dixie was in labor for nearly 20 hours and the end result a bunch of cute puppies! We aren't positive how many there are but we're pretty sure it's either 12 or 13. All but 2 are black and the other 2 are tan. Ellie is absolutely beside herself about the "Baby Puppies" as she calls them. Ava likes to see them but doesn't want to hold them yet. Dixie has let us a hold a couple of them which has been fun. :) We will update pictures as they get bigger.

Ava's Stuck!

2008-07-10T08:25:00.001-04:00

About 3 weeks ago my dad gave us our new entertainment center, which we love! He built it himself and it looks amazing! One of the things I love about it is how much storage space there is in the bottom. Oddly enough Ava loves it too. She can crawl in and look around for the movie she wants but she gets stuck getting out... She tries to go out sitting up and she just doesn't understand why it doesn't work. :0 Yesterday I was in the shower when Ellie came running back saying, "Mama! Ava's stuck. Come look! Ava's stuck!" This is what I came out to...

She fusses like it's the end of the world but as soon as we get her out she's like a new person and couldn't be happier.

Fun Weekend.

2008-07-01T09:46:00.012-04:00

This past weekend we took a last minute trip up to Raleigh to visit my family and see my brother off before his next training. We were only there for 3 days but we had a lot of fun and got a lot done! I think we went swimming every day we were there and the girls loved that! ;) Ava finally found some water she didn't whine about getting in!! Hallelujah! Ellie got a hold of the water hose and sprayed everyone in the pool... Ava and Grandaddy picked flowers for me and Thad and of course they chased the cat around the house every chance they got. We always hate to leave my family but at least we get some good and funny pictures to remember the trip by.

Daytona Beach

2008-06-23T09:33:00.004-04:00

This past week we took some kids from our youth group to Daytona Beach, Florida to do some disaster relief from hurricane damage. The girls and I tagged along to help out with the cooking and we had a great time! On Tuesday we were able to have some free time so we went to the beach. It was Ellie's 2nd time going and Ava's 1st time. Ellie, of course, loved it but Ava did not care for it in the least. The cooking team went that morning, which was me and 2 other ladies and then everyone went that night. Ellie could not get enough of the beach! She had the time of her life! Hopefully Ava will warm up to it next time we go. ;)

My brother is a MARINE!!!

2008-06-22T09:36:00.004-04:00

Well, I am honored to tell you all that Ben made it and we couldn't be more proud! He graduated on June 20th and I was so happy to be there for his moment! Thursday was family day so me and the girls left for Parris Island early that morning and were able to spend a few hours with Ben and my parents. He showed us around the island and it was beautiful. It was surrounded by beaches but was anything but a day at the beach. ;)

The graduation ceremony was Friday morning and it was great! The band was amazing and it was so awesome to see all of those men and women in perfect unison with every move!

I am so proud of you, Ben! Congratulations on finishing and pushing through to the end! We love you and are so honored to call you our brother! OOH-RAH!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

2008-06-09T10:37:00.006-04:00

... Or it can leave you speechless, make you cramp up from laughing so hard, or just make you seriously afraid for the children! Haha! Last night we decided that it was time for Thad to have his hair cut and who doesn't want to experiment when you're in charge? We decided it would be funny just to see what he would look like with a mohawk and sure enough it was hilarious. Ava just stared in complete confusion and was almost a little afraid! Sadly, I didn't get pictures of their faces but you can imagine. So, like I said before... A picture is worth a thousand words, laughs, or thoughts!

Too Cute!

2008-06-04T17:31:00.003-04:00

The girls have always loved putting on hats and Monday we finally got a picture of them! Ellie put hats on herself and Ava and said, "Mama, take a picture!" It was really cute. So here they are with their daddy's hats on. Ava took hers off very quickly and wanted to play with the camera.

Never A Dull Moment

2008-06-04T17:20:00.005-04:00

For some strange reason the girls are attracted to the plastic utensils in our pantry. Almost like bugs to a light. Usually I catch them before they make a mess of things, but not today. When I walked up the only thing I saw was forks all over the floor! They were both hiding in the pantry with little devious grins on their faces! They may not share everything but they share the responsibility of dispersing the forks... They take turns at unloading the forks. I'm sure you're thinking "How funny!" -Not so much. I suppose after the 3rd or 4th time the cuteness fails to show itself. Well, here are a couple of pictures for your laughing pleasure.

Crazy Hair

2008-05-28T22:19:00.006-04:00

Tonight at bathtime we made Crazy Hair! Ellie kept saying "Look, crazy hair!" They both had fun with it but didn't keep it that way for long. They had to see what it was all about and play with it! At least we got a few pictures out of it. :)

Last of the pictures.

2008-05-08T11:25:00.007-04:00

More from our trip...

2008-05-08T10:53:00.011-04:00

Here are a few more pictures that were taken by Laura. The family pic is one of my favorites! Simply b/c none of us were looking in the same direction.

We did so much while we visited my family! We went to Pullen Park and rode the train and the carousel. We were able to see a lot more friends this time around and just relax!

Photo Shoot

2008-05-04T10:44:00.008-04:00

We just got home from spending 10 days in Raleigh! We had a great time and enjoyed seeing lots of family and friends. While we were there my good friend, Laura went with us to the park and took a lot of pictures of our family. She did a phenominal job! Here are just a couple for now. I will upload the rest to a slideshow and the ones we took as well. I have some more stories to share as well.

This is the last one... For now. :)

2008-04-16T21:54:00.003-04:00

I think this is my last project for a few days... I had some left over material from the messenger bag that I made so I put it to good use. I made Ellie an apron. As soon as I put it on her she said, "I making supper". She's too funny! When she discovered there was a pocket she was thrilled! This girl loves pockets. She loves to be able to walk around with her hands covered.

When I take her picture now I tell her we're sending a picture to "Ma" and "Granddaddy" my parents so she waves and tells them hello. It's really cute! So this picture is of her telling them hello.

Ava has been making a new funny face which I have been trying to get a picture of. When I do I'll put it up... Hopefully sometime tomorrow. :)

Funny Face!

2008-04-16T00:02:00.004-04:00

This is by far the best face that Ava has ever made! Over the past few weeks her personality has really started coming out. And it is hilarious! She will randomly make this face. Most of the time there is no reason she's just being silly. It looks like she's laughing but she's not. She just opens her mouth and crinkles her nose. She then laughs at us for laughing at her. I finally got a picture after many attempts! I wish you could all hear the giggle that comes after the face. :)

At it again!

2008-04-15T22:52:00.003-04:00

So, the first bag was a little bigger than I wanted so I decided to give it another go. I found the material at Hobby Lobby on Clearance and used some ribbon that I already had. As my sister-in-law says "If it's on clearance they're practically paying you to buy it!" Instead of a button closure I used the ribbon and I really like the touch it gives to it. I'm so excited about having the time and the ability to do this!

Crafty...

2008-04-14T23:34:00.005-04:00

The past few days I have been in a crafty mood. Here are the 2 things that I did today. I did the plate first and will definitely be making more. I got the idea from a girl I know who actually sells them. This one is not ready to be sold but isn't too bad for my first one. Then I made the bag. I don't know what I'm going to use it for yet but it'll be nice to have it when I do need it! :) I watched my mom make a little pouch for my camera and I pretty much did the same thing. Even though I'm not near her, I love being able to learn things from her! Let me know what you think about them!

Slideshow

2008-04-09T14:47:00.001-04:00

Beautiful day to play!

2008-04-09T13:58:00.006-04:00

The past couple of days we have had some beautiful weather! We have been taking advantage of it every chance we get. Today we just walked around and played and I was able to get a few photos as well. I love this time of year! I had to add a slideshow b/c there are too many pictures to put up. Enjoy!

A good weekend

2008-04-07T12:27:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we were able to get away for a couple of days and go to Atlanta, Loganville, and Athens. Friday we went up and stayed with Marla & David and had a great time! We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner where the girls got the best toys ever... Balloons! They played with those things for hours! We played "Scene It" and "Trivial Pursuit" and got spanked both times. I see a re-match in our future! ;)

On Saturday we went to Loganville to visit Thad's Granny. We had a nice time with her and the girls enjoyed playing with her stuffed animals. Then we headed to Athens for Thad's rugby game only to find out it had been cancelled. It was actually a nice thing b/c we didn't have to sit in the rain or in the car and we got home at a decent hour. We had an eventful but good weekend!

I'm a little late...

2008-03-27T18:27:00.008-04:00

Here are some pictures from Easter. It was nearly impossible to get the girls to cooperate for even a minute to take a picture. It was pretty comical at times but we managed anyways. Haha! A lady at church also got a couple of Ellie while her class was having an egg hunt. They said that once she got a few she just sat down to check out her goodies!!! She's so funny!

I am filled with Joy...

2008-03-27T13:46:00.005-04:00

because I have the best husband ever and I got to see a picture of my brother today! First, I went to workout while Thad was home for lunch and when I came home so much had been done! The dishwasher was unloaded the kitchen was clean, there was a load of laundry on and the girls had clean diapers!!! I was amazed and so happy! Thad is such a big help to me especially days like today!

Then my mom e-mailed me a picture of my brother! I have missed him so much and we have been praying for him constantly! Hopefully he will be done sometime in May so we'll get to see him. I can't wait!

Here is a picture of both of them... Benjamin is the one in the middle. He has changed so much.

Busy Day...

2008-03-20T17:06:00.006-04:00

Today was one of those days when Ellie goes non-stop all day and then crashes in the funniest place. We went on a ride in the wagon to get the mail and within 5 minutes of being home she fell asleep in front the door! Her and Ava were looking out the glass door watching the dogs and the next thing I hear is her snoring! She's so funny! I got a couple of pictures... Even though you can't see her face.

Ava loves the "How Big" game. We probably play it at least 20 times a day! And of course she gets tickled under the arms every time but she just laughs and asks to do it again.

I love these sweet girls!

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2008-03-14T17:00:00.006-04:00

Today we had a great day! Thad has Fridays off so today we decided to pack a picnic lunch and head up to Central City Park in Macon. It's a beautiful park and there's always lots to do. We climbed trees and just ran around. On our way back home Thad had the great idea of getting a kite! It was the perfect day for it! We went to Target found a kite and went up to the church and flew the kite. Ellie had a ball! She flew that kite like she was a pro and Ava played in the dirt. :) Ellie would try and give the kite to Ava and she would just let go... That was the funny part... Thad would take off running after it and wasn't always succesfull on his first attempt. That happened about 4 times. We asked Ellie if she was ready to go home and she simply replied with "No, I fly da kite!"

They are both finally taking a nap here at 5 p.m. I'm sure we will pay for it later tonight but it was worth it.

Bunny Ears and Phones

2008-03-13T10:01:00.006-04:00

The girls have been unusually funny the past few days! Ellie's new thing is that she loves to talk on the phone. The first time she did this was with my sister... She took the phone from me and said "I talk to Carmen". Well it's been nonstop ever since! The best part about it is that she does exactly what I do! She walks around multi tasking! Except she's finding things to do. She's so funny!

Then there's Ava who is happy with just about anything! We pulled out their Easter bunny ears the other day and she loves them! She wants them put on her head and when they fall off she gets upset about it... Then she tries to put them on her baby dolls and Ellie! I don't know what I would do without these 2!

Growing Girls!

2008-03-09T15:46:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls from the past week. It seems like they are changing every day and I just can't seem to keep up! Everyone is happy and healthy!

So similar!

2008-03-02T21:01:00.008-05:00

Tonight I was looking at some old pictures and realized how similar Ellie and Ava look! They are both so cute! The 2 of Ellie are from when she was 10 months old and the 2 of Ava are from when she was 12 months. What do you think?

2008-02-13T13:16:00.003-05:00

Last week my mom came down to visit us for a few days and we all had a blast! It amazes me what kind of fun toys that grandmas can fit into their suit cases. :) We did everything from coloring and playing outside to fishing things out of the toilet that Ava had put in there! My mom taught me how to make bread which I now love doing. :) Her visit was a nice break from the every day routine. We had a great time and can't wait to see her again.

These girls sure are quick...

2008-02-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

Last night I was on the phone with an old friend just chatting and catching up on life. Thad had just left to run an errand and the girls were playing in their room. Every few minutes I would walk in and check on the girls and make sure they weren't up to no good. They were playing with diapers and laughing so I left them be. There was about 5 minutes in between my last 2 "check ups" and in that 5 min. they managed to destroy their room! They had emptied every drawer in their dresser and freed all of the nicely folded clothes. So there were diapers and clothes EVERYWHERE! And when I say they I mostly mean Ellie... She is the ring leader for any kind of happening like this. Since they had already done their damage I let them play and I finished my phone call. When Thad got home (about 15 minutes later) he had a look of complete shock and amazement! We put the clothes away and Ellie got her first lesson in folding clothes! :)

Springtime in February

2008-02-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

This afternoon we spent a good bit of time outside playing and enjoying the spring-like weather. Thad and Ellie played golf and Ava ran around and played in the sand. The girls have had colds the past couple of days so they really enjoyed just being outside and playing. I will upload a lot more pictures on a slideshow sometime today or tomorrow.

2008-02-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

Lyra tagged me to play along, so here goes. I’m supposed to tell 5 random things about myself and 5 places I would like to see or see again. Thanks for tagging me, Lyra!

1. A big pet peeve of mine is when people smack their food.

2. I love the beach but am afraid of getting in the water b/c I can't see what's on the bottom.

3. My birthmark is a jet black streak of hair. (Everyone that sees it says- "Did you know you have some black hair?!" it's really funny)

4. I am deathly afraid of heights but Thad didn't know it was that bad until he took me up on a Ferris Wheel. We got to the top and I closed my eyes and started shaking and telling him to make the people let us off. We got off and he said "I'm sorry I didn't believe you" Haha!

5. When I was in high school I had more accidents with a curling iron then I can remember. One morning I dropped the iron it rolled down and burnt my eyeball. I had to go to the doctor and wear a patch for about 4 days to let it heal. (My hair looked good though :)) Haha!

Places to see...
1. New York- I've been there twice but I can't wait to go back!

2. Anywhere that has clear water beaches so I can finally go swimming without worry. :)

3. Italy b/c it's such a beautiful place.

4. Panama- I went in high school on a missions trip and I would love to go back.

5. California- I've never been but my sister has and gave me the itch to go.

Now I'm going to tag Carmen, Mom, Sarah Livingston, Lynn

Say a Prayer....

2008-01-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

We have decided to take on the challenging task of potty training!!! I can't begin to tell you all how nervous I am about this. We got Ellie some panties and an Elmo toilet seat last night so we'll see how it goes. Any advice from those of you with experience in this department would be greatly appreciated. :)

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

2008-01-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Lately Ava has been climbing on everything! Tonight she reached new levels... My mom and dad gave the girls a kitchen for Christmas and they love it! Right next to the kitchen is another toy that is too complicated to explain but it's the perfect height for Ava to climb on. She was trying to reach the top of the kitchen and couldn't so she was determined to find a way and she did. She climbed up the toy and then onto the kitchen. She was so pleased with herself and of course Ellie had to follow suit. Now we are never safe because nothing will stop this child...

Don't judge a book by its cover

2008-01-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I thought it would be great to take the girls somewhere, besides our front yard, and play. Just by looking outside it looked like a perfect day to go out... I was wrong! It was about 40 degrees and the wind was aweful. We ended up leaving after about 10 minutes. Right as we were about to leave Ava fell and hit her head on the stone ground. I'm telling you that she can't catch a break when it comes to having bumps and bruises on her face! Luckily we were very close to a good friends house and just ran by there and put an ice pack on and she was fine. :) We managed to get a few pictures though.

World's Youngest Chef

2008-01-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

I'm sure none of you knew that Ellie is a chef. This morning I walked in on her "makin' suppa" with her cereal. She had finished her first bowl and said she was still hungry so I gave her some more. I was tending to Ava and when I came back in the room there she was. She said "Mama! I makin' suppa!" It was so cute I couldn't be upset that she had made a HUGE mess.

Playtime in the funniest places..

2008-01-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

A couple of months ago Ellie started helping me do the laundry. As soon I start unloading clothes from the washer to the dryer she says "I help, I help". So I hand her the clothes and she puts them in. Well the other night she was asking to get in the dryer. Of course she said this to Thad and he helped her in. She was happy as could be... She drank her milk and sat there. Ava, wanting to do everything her sister does, wanted to get in. She LOVED it! She giggled the whole time she was in there. Like a lot of things the fun wore off quickly and they wanted to get out.

BUBBLES!!!!

2008-01-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

Just about every day the girls and I take a trip and go get the mail. It's always fun b/c we never know what we're going to get. Today we got a package from my mom. In this package was a bubble blower!!! Instead of wearing ourselves out blowing bubbles now we just dip the bubble blower in the dish and pull the trigger. Let me tell you that the girls were beside themselves!!!

Ellie was running around screaming and giggling and Ava was just going in circles laughing and trying to catch them but wasn't very successful. :( They had a great time and are still asking for bubbles...

Second Wind...

2008-01-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Ellie was all but refusing to take a nap. She ran on her second wind for about 4 hours!!! Usually after church she's ready to take a nap but that wasn't the case yesterday. She ran around playing for a good part of the afternoon and evening. Finally about 6:30 she zonked out. I sat her down to eat dinner and about 5 minutes later I heard her snoring! She finally got some rest and got enough energy to give it another go a couple of hours later...

Already a year!

2008-01-14T16:07:00.000-05:00

Ava had her 12 month check up today and did great! It's a month late b/c the holiday season was crazy... She weighed 22.8 pounds and is 29.75 inches long! She's growing so fast! She's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. She did great at the doctor. Though he did say that there is nothing we can do about her mean streak... Haha!

Peek-A-Boo!

2007-12-18T20:54:00.000-05:00

So far Ava's favorite game is Peek-A-Boo. She will play with anything... A towel, blanket, clothes, her hands... Whatever is close when she's in the mood. It's so funny hearing her say "Boo" and then cackling about it. Here are a few pictures of her playing the other night.

Baby it's cold outside!

2007-12-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today Ellie really wanted to go outside and swing. It's been pretty cold outside the past few days but I couldn't say "no" b/c she's just so cute. :) So we all bundled up and went outside to swing. Ava was tired when we went out and ended up falling asleep. They managed to stay warm and ended up swinging for about 30 minutes... Here are a few pics of them all wrapped up.

Happy Birthday Ava!!!!

2007-12-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at how fast this past year has gone by! It's hard to believe that a year ago we brought her home from the hospital! It has been so much fun watching Ava grow and develop such a personality. We had her party on Saturday night and had a great time! She got more toys then she knows what to do with and before she ran around shirtless she had some cake. :) She finally said her first word this past week which is "Boo!" She LOVES to play peek a boo with everyone! We're looking forward to what the next year has in store...

Brush your teeth

2007-12-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

On occasion Ellie likes to brush her teeth by herself and last night was one of those times. She had left the bathroom with her toothbrush and was walking around brushing her teeth. I had sat down on the couch and had put Ava up there with me. Next thing I know Ellie is putting the brush in Ava's mouth and Ava is letting her!! Ava then took the toothbrush from Ellie and started brushing her own teeth. After the cuteness of it wore off we then realized that it is a toothbrush and kind of gross to be sharing it... So we sadly had to ruin their fun... :( Before we did though we took a few pics...

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

2007-12-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

We got our tree up and the girls are loving it!! Every morning Ellie asks "Mama! tree? lights? lights?" It's so cute. They have actually done really well with not touching it too. :) Here are a few pictures of the girls in front of the tree. Notice the bottom doesn't have any ornaments b/c Ava will pull them off. Haha!

Pictures and an Update

2007-11-29T10:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything... We have had a busy but good past couple of weeks.
Yesterday we started decorating for Christmas. Ellie is just beside herself about the decorations! She loves the tree and all of the ornaments on it. We let her help and she would grab an ornament toss in the tree and go grab another!!
Ava is trying to get over a cold but she's still happy as always.
I will be putting some more pictures up over the next few days.

2007-11-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

Attack of the Lady Bugs!!!

2007-11-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Over the past 2 years I have learned that in Central Georgia there is a time of year when there is an invasion of Lady bugs. I don't know how many homes they invade but ours is definitely on the top 10 list. They literally cover our front porch and somehow get into our front living room. Last year wasn't that big of a deal having them get in. However this year is a different story. Ellie does NOT like bugs in the least and she makes certain that we know this... Today a Lady bug landed on her and from the sound of her screams I thought she had been attacked by something awful... I look over and her eyes are big as bowling balls and she is screaming "BUG!" "BUG!". I flicked it off of her leg and she ran to another room crying!
Later on she figured she'd get her revenge on this evil bug that had wronged her. She saw one on the floor ran and got one of my shoes and came back whacking at it. When she discovered it was no longer moving she looked at me, smiled, and said "No bug".
Hopefully the cold weather will come back soon and we can be free of these little red bugs.

Swingin'

2007-11-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year my dad gave us a swing that my grandpa made for me, my sister, and brothers when we were younger. It's a great swing and it quickly became Ellie's favorite swing. She will lay her head back, close her eyes and just relax. Ava had her first swing in it the other day and seems to have the same feelings that Ellie does. :) As I was pushing them I remembered how much fun me and my sister had swinging in this swing. My Grandpa would push us for what seemed like hours until we either fell asleep or had to go inside. Now I know how he felt... Every time I ask Ellie if she wants to get down or go inside she politely shakes her head and ever so quietly says "No".

I got my sister fix!!!

2007-11-04T19:37:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was finally able to get my sister fix! Carmen and Robbie came down and we were able to spend a lot of time just relaxing and doing girl stuff. The girls loved having them here... Ellie was always playing with "Cahkey" and "Wobbie". When they weren't around for 2 minutes she was asking where they were. We had a camp fire Sat. night and made smores. Mmmmm!!!We had a blast with them and can't wait to see them again soon!

I wasn't able to get many pictures b/c my camera broke but we got a few before they left.

Fall Festival

2007-10-28T19:46:00.000-04:00

This evening we went to the fall festival at our church. We had a great time and had a good turn out of around 200 people! Ellie and Ava had a blast! Ellie was a fairy and Ava was a lady bug until she was too unhappy to keep her in it. Ellie played on the moon bounce and went down the big slide over and over and over... There was a little pool of balls that Ava would live in if we let her. :)

Those of you who know Thad know that he has a weakness for doughnuts... There is a lady in the church that makes powder sugar covered doughnuts. She made those tonight and let's just say Thad will be fasting for the next 3 days!!!

Day trip to Athens!

2007-10-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we spent the day in Athens. Thad had his annual alumni rugby game but we were able to do some other things while were there. We went to the UGA campus walked around and took a few pictures of the girls. My dad was able to come visit with us and play with the girls for the afternoon. Ellie loved having someone to chase around after her for a couple of hours! After the game we ate dinner and did a little shopping and called it a day. The girls slept pretty much the whole way home so we had a nice and relaxing ride home. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing my dad!