Tuesday, August 28, 2012

"American Wedding"

I was telling all the guys this weekend that I feel like I am staring in the movies American Wedding and American Reunion this week, and if this past weekend is any indication of how American Reunion is going to go, I can't wait.

View from our deck

One of my best guy pals from high school got married on Sunday, to a beautiful girl that makes him an even better man, I am thrilled for them.  Brad & I flew into Boston bright and early Saturday AM and one of my other close guy friends picked us up, he and his wife live just outside of Boston, it was great to spend some time with them prior to our trip to VT for the wedding.  I miss my "old friends" so very much and this weekend reminded me just how lucky I am to still have them in my life.

Groom & Mother of the Groom


The venue was just perfect, The Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vermont, just outside of Killington, VT - the accommodations were perfect for a weekend with a large group of old friends. We rented a 4 bedroom house and had an absolute blast. 

Kiely "shootin"

We all arrived mid-day on Saturday, spent the afternoon on the deck, relaxing, enjoying some spirits and laughing until our sides hurt. Sunday morning was a bit rough for most of us, late nights and far too many spirits can do that to you, but everyone had a great time.  Sunday the group decided they wanted to enjoy some of the resort activities, some went to the pool, and most of our group started the day with Skeet Shooting.  Kiely was a rookie but was a rock star - she was so pumped, I wouldn't be surprised if she has found herself a new hobby!!

The crew

The guys all got ready at our house - it was so cute seeing them all dressed up, I am used to seeing this crew in mesh shorts and t-shirts - they clean up well. Handsome gents.


Another huge plus - I got to meet this little man for the first time - Jaxon Harrington, Adam and Kearstin's little man - and by little, he isn't all that little, but man oh man, I would take those cheeks any day, that little man has a smile that could turn your darkest day around.  I couldn't get enough!! I can't wait to spend more time with him and his big brother later this week. The girls will eat him up!!!


It was so great to see the whole crew together again, they are all still so close, get to hang out all the time, and I live so far away, so it was nice to be welcomed back into the fold, and it felt like we were back in high school, didn't skip a beat.

Mr. & Mrs. Kristopher Kachelmeyer (or Kris & Jenn)

I didn't get a great shot of Brad and I, however rumor on the street is, the photographer has some comedic shots of me dancing while Brad camped out in a chair - the poor guy was drugged up on pain meds most of the weekend and could barely move.  So I ended up dancing around him for the majority of the evening, I was just excited I was getting in some cardio time, but apparently I doubled as entertainment for the photographer, can't wait to see those shots.

Brad & I, right after ceremony

At reception

It was great to have some slow dancing time with him though - he could handle that, but I was on my own when it came to really cutting a rug, good thing I was in great company, my pals can really shake it.  It was funny, their DJ was the same DJ we used for our wedding.


I shed a few tears during the Best Man speech - which also happened to be the Groom's Father - he is a basketball coach and so at the end of his speech he got down in his coaching stance and talked to them like they were his "team" and coached them - it was adorable and just perfect for the moment. 


We flew from Boston to Richmond late last night, Pat & Kiely dropped us in Harvard Square late afternoon and we grabbed some appetizers and drinks with Kristen, Kori and our long-lost friend Keith - it was great to have a few hours with them, even if it was a super quick visit. Our flight home was delayed and we didn't get home until after midnight!! Exhausted is a good way to describe how we are feeling today. But Olivia graduates tonight so we will put a smile on and put some pep in our steps to support the oldest beauty!

It is going to be a crazy next few days, once this week is over I will need a vacation, but its jammed packed with exciting events, so at least we are having a lot of fun!! 

Saturday, August 25, 2012

"The Talk" - Story of Adam

I came across this blog on Facebook and the message hit home - I can't wait to share Adam's Story with Olivia, and even Avery - the letter is a little long for a 3 and 5 year old, but if we read it every year, it will sink in...never too early to start teaching your kiddos to be kind.

That is probably the most common phrase out of my mouth...BE KIND. And sometimes I find myself yelling it at them, and that isn't very kind (Pot nice to meet you, I am kettle), but nonetheless, I really do just want them to be kind. And the timing is perfect with school starting....grab a tissue and get comfy, it is a good one.

Dear Olivia/Avery,


Tomorrow is a big day. Kindergarten and PreSchool – wow.

Olivia & Avery– When I was in third grade, there was a little boy in my class named Adam.

Adam looked a little different and he wore funny clothes and sometimes he even smelled a little bit. Adam didn’t smile. He hung his head low and he never looked at anyone at all. Adam never did his homework. I don’t think his parents reminded him like yours do. The other kids teased Adam a lot. Whenever they did, his head hung lower and lower and lower. I never teased him, but I never told the other kids to stop, either.

And I never talked to Adam, not once. I never invited him to sit next to me at lunch, or to play with me at recess. Instead, he sat and played by himself. He must have been very lonely.

I still think about Adam every day. I wonder if Adam remembers me? Probably not. I bet if I’d asked him to play, just once, he’d still remember me.

I think that God puts people in our lives as gifts to us. The children in your class this year, they are some of God’s gifts to you.
So please treat each one like a gift from God. Every single one.

Baby, if you see a child being left out, or hurt, or teased, a part of your heart will hurt a little. Your daddy and I want you to trust that heart- ache. Your whole life, we want you to notice and trust your heart-ache. That heart ache is called compassion, and it is God’s signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion – be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you, and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.

Sometimes the magic of compassion will make you step into the middle of a bad situation right away.

Compassion might lead you to tell a teaser to stop it and then ask the teased kid to play. You might invite a left-out kid to sit next to you at lunch. You might choose a kid for your team first who usually gets chosen last. These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things.

Sometimes you will feel compassion but you won’t step in right away. That’s okay, too. You might choose instead to tell your teacher and then tell us. We are on your team – we are on your whole class’s team. Asking for help for someone who is hurting is not tattling, it is doing the right thing. If someone in your class needs help, please tell me, baby. We will make a plan to help together.

When God speaks to you by making your heart hurt for another, by giving you compassion, just do something. Please do not ignore God whispering to you. I so wish I had not ignored God when He spoke to me about Adam. I remember Him trying, I remember feeling compassion, but I chose fear over compassion. I wish I hadn’t. Adam could have used a friend and I could have, too.

Chase – We do not care if you are the smartest or fastest or coolest or funniest. There will be lots of contests at school, and we don’t care if you win a single one of them. We don’t care if you get straight As. We don’t care if the girls think you’re cute or whether you’re picked first or last for kickball at recess. We don’t care if you are your teacher’s favorite or not. We don’t care if you have the best clothes or most Pokemon cards or coolest gadgets. We just don’t care.

We don’t send you to school to become the best at anything at all. We already love you as much as we possibly could. You do not have to earn our love or pride and you can’t lose it. That’s done.

We send you to school to practice being brave and kind.

Kind people are brave people. Brave is not a feeling that you should wait for. It is a decision. It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.

Trust me, baby, it is. It is more important. Don’t try to be the best this year, honey.

Just be grateful and kind and brave. That’s all you ever need to be.

Take care of those classmates of yours, and your teachers, too. You Belong to Each Other. You are  lucky girls . . . with all of these new gifts to unwrap this year.

I love you so much that my heart might explode.

Enjoy and cherish your gifts. And thank you for being my favorite gifts of all time.

Love, Mommy!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Five on Friday: Old Friends

We are getting ready to spend the next week or so with some of my bestest friends on the planet, and they are also some of my very oldest friends and I can't wait.  There is just something about being around old friends, they know you so well, yet they still love you...you can't beat that.  Some of these people I've called a friend since I was 3 or 4 years old - and some I didn't meet until 7th grade, but either way, they are near and dear to my heart and I am thrilled to be able to spend some quality time with them.  It is funny, not many of my "home" friends have families yet, but some do, and I just love seeing my friends as Parents, its an interesting dynamic to know someone for that long and now see them as a Parent.  It is also extra hard for me since I've been away so long, I haven't lived day-to-day with these guys and gals since 1997, if I could build a perfect island, they would all be on it - wouldn't that be grand?

My Five Favorite things about Old Friends:


1) They know the good, the bad and the ugly - and yet they still love you!

The boys...at our wedding.

2) They have a sense of loyalty that runs deep - and being that most of my old friends are guys, it makes me feel protected while I am around them - they wouldn't let anyone hurt me. But are usually the first to bust on me as well :)



3) Private Jokes - and by private, I don't mean that only one or two people know about them, its more of a Group Joke type of thing - either its funny sayings that used to frequent conversations, or funny movie lines that are used all the time, or quotes from Beavis & Butthead that just bring me back to high school and remind me of all the fun we had.

And they have beautiful families...that I can cherish as well.

4) Shared Favorite Things - whether its macaroni n' cheese and ginger ale for lunch, a trip to Taylors for Mixed Munch, or a Friendly's Run, I share a ton of favorite things with my oldest friends, meals that make me smile and remember good times, or going to the mall, or just doing things that we used to do together. I don't think that Bethy and I will be taking a trip to Walmart for Popcorn and an Icee, but heck, if the mood strikes us, I bet we could.

Can you believe this guy is getting married on Sunday? Can't wait!!!

5) Family - and you know their families and their families know you. I am blessed to know my college friends families and my two closest Richmond friends families as well, but not quite like I know my old friends families - they watched me grow, I was a part of their lives for many years, they are close with my family as well - its just one of those things that is hard to achieve after a certain age I guess.

PS: I have much love for all my "new" friends too :)

Thursday, August 23, 2012

10 Years Ago Today....


Our very first photo together...10 Years Ago...actually taken in Richmond.

Brad and I had our first date - I took a half day and made my way from Northern Virginia to Raleigh, where he was living when we met.  I met him at his apartment, I arrived just a few minutes before he did, I was hoping to freshen up and be relaxing on the couch when he got home, but of course that wouldn't be my luck, he found me in the bathroom - I had just walked in and needed to pee - how embarrassing huh?  We shared our first kiss in his kitchen/dinging room area and the rest is history...ha!  We had dinner with mutual friends that night at Cafe Luna and we've been back a few times since then to recreate our special first date moment, I sure hope its still there.  When I arrived at his apartment he had flowers waiting for me, and had gone to the store and picked up all of my favorite things, ranging from wine to strawberries to the specific brand of juice I had casually mentioned enjoying in the mornings - he was prepared and was ready to woo me.
The flowers he had waiting for me, and to this day Star Gazer Lillies are some of my favorites.

We had an amazing first weekend together and fell madly in love, a few months later Brad moved to DC and then the rest really is history.  We were engaged a few days shy of our 1 year anniversary and married 18 months after that, 7 years of marriage and 10 years of love. 

Richmond NASCAR Race - September 2002 (our second photo together)

Funny side note - Brad still has that shirt he is wearing and he loves it.  I tried to use it as a dust rag the other day, but I felt bad for him, he adores it.


The first few weeks of our relationship we did a ton of traveling back and forth between DC and Raleigh, but we managed to catch a Red Sox/Orioles game with a group of our friends - I love that we did so much early on.


We named our first pumpkin "Jack" and carved him while in Raleigh...this photo is on Brad's Downtown Balcony.

I dragged him to see the American Idol concert in DC with all of my girl friends - he was in town for the weekend and we maximized our time together, so he joined in the fun.


We met while working for the same company, and Brad left his position when he moved to DC, but he joined me for the Holiday Party in Early December 2002.  This photo was in my place in McLean.

(I still own and wear this shirt - ha)

We took a trip together very early in our relationship - we went on a Cruise, Spent a day at Disney and enjoyed a night or two in Ft. Lauderdale - this is us having brunch at "Sisters" on the Intercoastal Waterway.

Us on the Cruise - Destination: Bahamas


We are very lucky that we found each other, and as we face new challenges I think we both realize that more and more.  Happy 10 Years of Love Sweets!!

3.5 Years Old & Wise

Avery turns 3.5 Years Old tomorrow, but since the girls are on their way to Bina & PawPaw's house for a long weekend of Grandparent Love, we took cupcakes to school yesterday and I interviewed the littlest beauty ahead of schedule.

1. What is your favorite color? Pink & Purple

2. What is your favorite toy? "All kinds of toys"

3. What is your favorite fruit? "I don't know"

4. What is your favorite tv show? Tom & Jerry

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pizza

6. What is your favorite outfit? A dress, always a dress

7. What is your favorite game? Doctor Game aka Operation

8. What is your favorite snack? Brownies (FiberOne)

9. What is your favorite animal? Monkey

10. What is your favorite song? "I feel better so much better, thank you Doc for taking all the ouchies away" - Doc McStuffins

11. What is your favorite book? Dora

12. Who is your best friend? Zackie, Jules & Campbell

13. What is your favorite cereal? "The Bird Cereal" aka Fruit Loops

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in my Jeep

15. What is your favorite drink? "Lemolade" - aka Lemonade

16. What is your favorite holiday? My Birthday

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Monkey & Lambie

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Subs

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Mommy....  

Olivia just said "When I grow up, I am going to be a sock"...from a Doctor to a sock, good grief.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How am I?

I had lunch with one of my bestest friends yesterday at one of our favorite spots, you might have heard of it....Target.  They have delicious bread sticks and the Diet Coke is always cold. And Susan asked me how I was doing with Olivia starting school, everyone always asks how Olivia is handling it, and if she is ready? But my always thoughtful and kind friend Susan asked me how I was preparing and how I was handling it - and I had no intention of lying to her and in fact in the moment didn't really give it a second though, I was doing a-okay and the only things on my mind were the logistical things like how our schedule needs to adjust and what to pack her for lunch so she isn't starving (I should worry about Liv, packing lunch for Avery in a few years will be another story), and making sure our evenings are relaxing for her since I know from experience she will be a tired little beauty.

BUT, despite my intentions to be honest, after some additional thought, after scouring the Jacobs Road PTA Calendar (holla, I was beyond excited to stumble upon that, and you better believe I already wrote down all the events in my planner - it was like Christmas in late August) and joining the PTA Facebook page it started to become more real to me - that these conversations and events were now a part of my life.  I no longer had "toddlers and pre-schoolers", I now have a school-aged child - and for some reason I hadn't really thought about it that way.  It is amazing how much freedom you really have when your kids attendance at school isn't tracked, when you don't worry about a nasty gram from their teachers if you take a lot of vacation or you want to keep them home because you need extra snuggles or their grandparents can keep them for a few days, but all of that flexibility goes away now.  We are chained to the school calendar, and of course all the days off and holidays have been in my Planner for months, but its all becoming more real.

So how am I?

I am excited for Olivia - this is a big step, starting school, how could I not be excited for her?

I am nervous for Olivia - I am nervous the teacher won't be gentle and warm like Ms. Leslie, and Olivia is used to that, I am nervous that she won't get the best teacher, I am nervous she will be so shy, and won't ask for help when she needs it, I am nervous she will get in trouble for being a chatty Cathy (she gets that from me).

I am hopeful for Olivia - being away from Avery is going to be good for Olivia - they spent a ton of time together during the day and they need their own time, I am hopeful she is going to find her way on her own, make her own friends, love school, learn new skills, etc.

I am so proud of Olivia - she works so hard, she loves school and loves to learn, I am so proud of the way she approaches learning, how she dives right in, she gets that from Brad.

I am anxious for Olivia - will she get lost? Will someone be there to help her find the bathroom if she has to go? Will she make a new best friend? Will I like her group of friends?

I am a little sad for Olivia - not many of her pre-school friends are joining her at Jacob's Road, so in some ways she is not only starting a new phase of her life, she could be saying goodbye to her first real group of friends and may never see them again - that makes me sad for her.

I am worried, I am a bit sad and sometimes I just wish I could stop time and keep her 5 years old forever, and then of course she rolls her eyes at me, talks back or throws herself on the floor in a fit and I think, okay, time, keep on ticking. Now I still have all the logistical things swirling around in my head, how do we fit it all in, how do I figure out the routine when Brad is traveling? How does Brad handle the routing when I am traveling? How do we keep Avery busy while doing homework with Olivia and making them both feel loved when there is only one Parent home to help...those are the things I am worried about, but 2 weeks from today it all begins and we will figure it out the best way we know how, and you bet your bottom dollar we will be sending a few prayers up.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Balanced Weekend



We had a very balanced weekend, and let me tell you, balanced weekends are hard to come by these days in the Turner Household.  It seems as though we either have a ton of stuff on the calendar or nothing, its rare that we have a mix of fun stuff and domestic time, so I was in heaven.

Saturday:  Avery and I bounced off some yummy Thai food from Friday night at an Inflation Nation Birthday Party - I was impressed, we hadn't been to Inflation Nation before, but the set up is far more parent friendly than Pump It Up is, lots of space to lounge and sit, its brighter, which makes it a reasonable option for winter days, let the kids play, while I read or do work since they have WIFI there. Brad & Olivia ran some errands and then we all met at home around 2:30-3pm - hung out, had some down time before we all went to a Birthday Party for one of their classmates who was turning 5.

Side Bar: Olivia and Avery don't realize that they have their own friends, they spend so much time together at school, so often times its a battle when they don't both get an invite to a party, sometimes the parents include siblings and other times they don't, I am okay with it either way, frankly I like for them to have their own things to participate in, but its painful for them, lots of tears, lots of rubbing it in each others faces, and that breaks my heart, I hate seeing them be unkind to each other.  The good news is, I suspect some of this will get easier in the Fall when Olivia starts school, Avery won't know her classmates, so that will be easier to explain, but often times its Olivia having a hard time, not Avery.

Avery feeding Abe the cow some milk...

So back to Saturday - this evening Birthday Party for Jessica was impressive...they had a bounce house, pony rides, a petting zoo AND a clown who did magic, balloon animals (and bracelets) and face painting. Olivia wanted to go back yesterday and play at Jessica's house because she just assumed Jessica's house was always that much fun - ha!.

Avery's Balloon Bracelet

Olivia's Bling

The party really was a lot of fun, and its nice to spend some time with their friends parents since I often find that I know the kids, and don't get to know the parents at all. And bonus, it was RIGHT down the street from our house, so that was nice.

Avery's Cinderella Face

Our girls are challenged with seizing the day - they often let their fears talk them out of things, and then the second they realize they've lost their chance, or are about to lose their chance, they go ahead and freak out.  A good example this weekend would be face painting, they were both scared at first, and it wasn't until the clown said she was done, and couldn't do anymore did they both realize they wanted it, and freaked out.  I was able to get their faces painted, but it wasn't without tears and frustrated (tears by them, frustration by me).  I don't know how to help them through their fear earlier on so they don't miss out on stuff, do they have to experience disappointment (no face painting) in order to get their acts together and seize the moment?  I don't know, but good grief, its frustrating, I hate to see them upset, but really they are getting in their own way.  Another good example is, not being able to make a choice - getting to choose a "treasure" out of the treasure chest, but taking forever, me losing my patience and dragging them out of the Pigtails & Crewcuts without a treasure, and of course, lots of tears.


Our Crape Myrtle is beautiful right now so I thought I would take a snap of it - its growing and blooming like crazy.

Sunday: It rained almost all day, which helped secure the balance.  Avery slept until 7:30am, I went into Olivia's room at 9am, and we all woke Brad up around 9am as well, but Avery and I were still watching TV in our bed, so he wasn't really getting the quality sleep he was likely hoping for. We decided to go out to breakfast, we tried to go to Winston's Backyard Grill, which is new and in my Parents neighborhood, but it didn't open until 10am and my stomach was growling.  So we landed at Dunkin Donuts (I had gift cards!) and we let the girls wear their PJ's.  I hope they remember fun Breakfast in PJ's trips when they tell their kids how cool we were...what are the chances? 

The beauties downing 25 munchkins


I do not recommend the Frozen Coffee drinks at Dunkin if you are a huge fan of the Frappichino's from Starbucks, the icy texture really threw me off, I like them smooth. Flavor was okay though.  I am a big fan of their Wake Up Wrap, but I could have used at least 2 of them, I was still hungry.

Making Pizza

With the rain, once we had finished at Target - grabbing a few last minute things for Olivia's lunchbox, etc we stayed put at home, which allowed me to clean out the home office, go through all the drawers and a huge black trash bag went out when we were finished.  The girls were introduced to the shredder and had a blast!!


Notice the flour on their faces
I love being able to stay put for an entire day - it helps me dig in and make progress on the to-do list.  The girls rooms were cleaned, their bags were packed and our house was put back into order.  It was a glorious feeling when I threw myself on the bed last to read knowing that I didn't have a huge list I was ignoring.


I also managed to bang out the cupcakes for Avery's Half Birthday this week and I made the most delicious brownies I have ever introduced to my taste buds. Normal Triple Fudge brownies from a box, but with Reese's Pieces on top, and under cook them just a bit and they are melt in your mouth amazing.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Five on Friday: Nautical Phone Covers I Covet

Getting an iPhone should have been super exciting and it was, but the real bonus for me was getting to pick out a case/phone cover - I love all the stylish ones but I was worried the girls were going to break my phone, so I figured I needed to get a functional one to start...that didn't last long.  Since then, I have had 3 different covers and I am always on the hunt for my next one.  The one my MIL gave me for Christmas from PBTeen is a steal at $19.50, and I absolutely loved it, but the background was white and the material it was made out of got a bit dirty, but I really, really liked the style. And I have a Kate Spade cover that I love too, but its black and that makes it hard to see at the bottom of my purse, which is where my phone always ends up.  Turns out I am having the same issue with the new navy monogrammed case I have, but I do love it.

So now I am thinking I have to focus my search for a light-colored case, and I am a huge fan of the nautical theme, so today I am going to focus in that genre.  There are so many cute cases out there, some are a small fortune and others are reasonable, but for now, these are the ones I am loving...and you will notice, most are found on etsy.com - that site could bankrupt me, just sayin'.

1) Anchor Case from etsy.com  - at $44 this one is a bit pricey, and without being able to feel it, its tough to say whether its as hard as I would like it to be, but visually this one makes my heart swoon. And I actually really like both colors, but since I am on the hunt for a lighter color, I would likely go with the pink stripes.

2) Whale Case from etsy.com - yikes, $49 clams for this beauty, but I am a sucker for preppy whales, and this one is white too, I really badly want to stay in the white background camp being that my phone is white.

3) Seahorse Case from etsy.com - $44, but cute as can be - again a bit pricey, but I love the bright, fun colors. This etsy shop, ShorelyChic has a ton of cute nautical cases, I love the starfish one too...

 4) Anchor Stripped Case from etsy.com at $16.99 this one is a bargain, simple and preppy cute.

5) Vineyard Vines Logo Case and of course, last but not least, the Vineyard Vines logo case - which will set you back about 38 buck-a-roos.  It is simple, classy, I almost bought it when the Richmond store opened, but I passed, I was worried it would get dirty, but turns out after talking to one of the Product Development people who was in town for the Grand Opening, that it would wipe right off, so I may just end up with this case down the road, who knows.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

5 Years Later..

I had purchased a LivingSocial deal for Simplytoimpress.com and decided a cute way to use it would be to make cards to celebrate Olivia graduating from Pre School and her starting Kindergarten...we are so very proud of the little girl she is, and just looking at her baby photo brings tears to my eyes, I can clearly remember how she smelled, what her giggle sounded like and now I have a little girl, who reminds me everyday just how grown up she is, her vocabulary is impressive, she already rolls her eyes at me, and she is growing like a weed...it is true what they say...it goes quickly, so enjoy it.


Front



Oh The Places...



I found this cute idea on Pinterest - and I just thought it was perfect, I couldn't pass it up.  I bought two Oh The Places You Will Go (order them online, much cheaper than instore) books for the girls, and my plan is to have their teachers sign it and write a little note every single year, starting when they are 3 years old, and then I will give it to them as a High School Graduation gift - I hope that I am able to keep the secret for the next 13-15 years, because I think its will be a pretty special gift.

And then I get to enjoy reading what their teachers write, getting a glimpse into what they think of our little beauties and the impression they have left.  Their teachers spend a great deal of time with them, during the week they are with them more than we are, and I love having insight into what they observe and experience with our little girls.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mount Up

2012

She got on the horse this year - huge accomplishment considering this was Avery last year at this time:

2011 - this photo just makes me laugh


I happen to think her little braided pigtails are pinch your cheeks cute - I adore this little girl and her smile is music to my eyeballs (I get that makes no sense, but roll with it).

2011

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Randomness

The May Books have arrived - and they are as cute as can be - the only gripe I have is that they are much smaller than I thought they would be, to give you an idea, here is a photo of one with a normal sheet of paper folded in half, and its still sticking out.


I ended up ordering a Meal Planning one and a Graph Paper one, and I am thinking I might use the Graph Paper one to track my food intake - when school starts, I am back on the diet wagon like WOAH.

Avery loves to get mail, and my Mom happened to send her a postcard yesterday that needed to be colored, so she jumped on it as soon as I finished reading it to her and sat down at her table to color...too bad it was an underwater scene and is now orange...she was so proud of herself.


Olivia is getting braver - Brad took her out last night while Avery and I took Riley for a walk and they rode through the entire neighborhood.  The training wheels are still on and I plan for them to be on for quite some time, but at least she is more comfortable with turns and coming to a stop.  Swimming and learning to ride a bike are two things I am hell bent on both of the girls being able to do, sooner rather than later.


My dearest pal Adam sent me the flag we sponsored for the Jill E. Harrington Hanzalik Memorial Golf Tournament - I hate that we miss it every year, but I am a huge supporter of the Fund and in general of anything that Adam does, and I love that we have a collection of these flags hanging in our garage.  What Adam is doing in his sister's name is inspiring, I am proud of him and I just know Jill is smiling down on him, just in awe of all that he has done.