just an ordinary day...

This morning I found four June bugs belly-up on the windowsill in the kitchen.

It’s a long windowsill that sits below some of my favorite windows to look out. 

I had this silly thought that perhaps they were dying because June was almost over. 

Kind of sounds like something my 7-year old might come up with, doesn’t it?

I looked past the poor little bugs, out to the blooming crepe myrtles that have been there for many years, and said something in my head that my father has probably said a million times in his. “It’s gonna be another hot one.”

It was a pretty ordinary day of unloading and loading the dishwasher, washing sheets that were subject to a “pee-pee accident” and playing “Toy Story”.

And I was right about the hot part.  I started to sweat just going for the mail.

The dinner I made was kind of a fail but some times that happens.  And thankfully I have a loving husband who is okay with it and kids who love fruits and vegetables.

And even more thankfully, I had some of my MOST favorite spinach and artichoke dip from the Publix in Florida to make up for it.  Seriously the stuff they make in their deli is DA. BOMB. (does anyone still say that?)(guess I do) It’s better than I’ve had in any restaurant.  I heat it with Parmesan cheese on top and all is right with the world again.

I ate it with some red pepper strips.  

And as I sat and listened to my three blondies chatter around the dinner table I focused on Kay-Kay as she stuffed her little mouth with cantaloupe and steamed broccoli. I realized that tomorrow (or today when you probably read this) she is 21 months old.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to realize.

But on the other hand, I wouldn't change the stage she's in now for anything.  I do ADORE this age.  I ADORE her.

I feel so very blessed to have a daughter.  For 21 months and beyond... 

That's Alotta Watah!

So... we spent some time at the ocean during the last week.

It was just as awesome as it looks.

I wanna go back.  And stay.

p.s. sorry for SO many pics but I just couldn't resist!  I mean WATER, the same week we went to the beach! SCORE!

p.p.s. I coulda posted more...

p.p.s.s. taught myself how to use the self-timer on my camera for that last shot. :)

My Three- The Beach Edition

We got home from our trip at a decent time today.  We didn't feel too haggard and my lunch "on the road" at Panera Bread (which this town does not have. hmph.) was quite tasty.  Then we feasted on hot dogs (thank goodness we had SOMETHING in the fridge) and some of the sweetest corn that I've ever put my mouth on, from a farmer's market in Alabama.  I'm pretty sure we drove BY the corn field that they picked this stuff from.  And probably this morning.  That's how fresh it was.

I also bought some local peaches that are the juiciest, sweetest things EVAH.  Peach cobbler, melba or pie anyone?  Okay fine, all of the above...

(can you tell I'm eating carbs lately? yes, so can my waistline. ahem.)

Anyway, once we got settled back at home, I started looking at all the photographs I took (and Tim even took a few) and I got just a "leetle" overwhelmed (can you say seven-hundred and seventy??).

Oops.

But (there's always a "but", isn't there?) it's just so easy to take lots of pics while at the beach.  Especially of cute kids.  Like mine. :)

So... I had this idea to post some pics of just my three darlings from the trip, for now anyway.  We packed A LOT into 5.5 days.  Seriously.

So here goes, some shots of my sweeties.  And perhaps a few comments form the "peanut gallery" (a.k.a. ME)...

we had a LOVELY place for the kids to sleep, don't you think?  Awww, just kidding!  This is inside the U.S.S. Alabama, a battleship docked in Mobile Bay.

Busy at the beach.  I love that Tim is in this one too... :)

Outside of McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, FL.  If you are ever in this town you MUST go to this place.  It's quite the experience.

Can you see that in the last two pictures each child has a "stuffie"?  These are the new ones that we bought at the souvenir shop.  Obviously they like them... (taken outside of the Original Oyster House in Gulf Shores, AL - delish!)

Oh the beach at sunset.  The ONLY way to get K in the shot was to let her play in the sand.  So be it.  And doesn't Little G look just SOOOO happy?!?!  He's seriously showing you the shell he found on the beach, that's all...

On the way out to Johnson Beach which is located in a national park pretty close to where we stayed.  We were practically the only people there and the waves were amazing.

And now? I want to live in Florida.  Or Alabama.  On the beach.

I want to be a beach bum.

Wouldn't that be SO awesome?  For real?

I think so.


Linked up to Wordful Wednesday at PBD's place! 

Fresh Produce Clothing - Review

One of my favorite things to wear in the summer are casual sun dresses.  I have a few already that I wear every year but I'm always looking for new ones to add to my collection plus I like ones that are versatile and I can also wear to church and maybe even out to dinner.

That's part of the reason I was so excited when I was contacted by Fresh Produce to do a review for one of their dresses.  They have quite the selection and many colorful dresses that are affordable and pretty. The company was started by a mom who was interested in creating clothes with beach-inspired colors and that can be worn with ease.

I received the dress above (in black) and it is a wonderful everyday piece and is perfectly suitable for either my beach vacation OR church.  I chose to add a belt to it this Sunday as a matter of fact, just to dress it up a bit.  AND, it's in my suitcase for our trip to the beach this week!  I actually ended up wearing the dress all day too since it's truly SO comfortable!

Fresh Produce also has beach cover-ups, casual skirts and dresses for little girls (hmmmm... wonder who I could buy that for...) ;)

I'm definitely happy with my new summer dress from their most recent line.  Please go check out what Fresh Produce has to offer and support another mom in her endeavors.

*I was sent one dress from Fresh Produce in order to do a review for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Unplugged

I'm going here.  

See you on the flip side. :)


p.s.  check out my somewhat related guest post at 
Momma Make it Look Easy

And POOF! just like that, she's a full-on toddler!!

After I got this video up and running The B Man watched it and said, "Mommy! It's like Kay-Kay can read!!  Did you buy her 'Your Baby Can Read'?!  That's amazing!"

Oh son, we are SO cutting down on how much time you spend watching the cartoon channel. Sorry.

Anyway, here's a cute video of my used-to-be-a-baby-but-so-is-not-anymore sweet girl um.... "reading". :)




Linking up for WW at:

Let's Hear it for the Boys - i heart faces

Trains, "boy" hair cuts, a skinned knee and sweat socks.

I'd say it doesn't get much more boyish than this...

I just love the way my boys are working on the train track together in this picture.

I just love THEM.

The first time I unpacked a box...

I stand on the step facing the cavernous room full of boxes.  Looking down I admire my swollen belly and gently place my hand there as the infant inside moves within me.  I already know her name.  In my heart we are already mother and daughter.

My focus quickly shifts back to the towers of cardboard that seem to be calling my name.  I want to unpack at least one, to start making this place a home.  But I also want to pack up everything that has already been taken out and go back.  Back to the place I know so well, where everything or almost everyone I need is located.   I wonder if I can change my mind.

I feel the tears coming and my throat begins to tighten, thinking about what and who we have left behind and the adverse task of building a new life in this strange place.  A small wave of comfort flows through me as I glance over at my boys, playing so happily with the large train track their Dad built for them. I know they are adjusting too.  We all are.  But in this moment they are good and that means so much.

I’m brought out of my trance as someone knocks on the door, here to fix something in this new-to-us house.  I am so happy to see another person, to feel some normalcy.  It may sound silly, but it’s just good to know that other people live here too.  Never mind that it’s an older man whose name I can barely pronounce and whose accent is hard for me to understand.

Once he is gone I go to close the garage door behind him, still feeling out the exact position of the button.  My muscle memory is not familiar with its spot yet.  It is the same with the many light switches, several of them oddly placed.  There are just so many new things to get used to. 

But we are here now and here we shall stay.  It’s time to accept it and find the things that are mine.  The things I know will fill me with comfort.

I step down into the room and find a box on top to open.  I smile widely as I discover it contains my favorite books and photos.  The boys play in the background and my baby kicks inside as I whisper to her, "Welcome home sweet girl." 

This was written in response to this prompt:

It's a fill-in-the-blank-for-your-own-prompt Prompt:  

The first time I ________-ed after _________-ing.

I filled it in like this: "The first time I unpacked a box after moving"

Hair Accessories for Her & Me - Coco Penny

A few weeks ago I tweeted that I was looking for some new hair accessories for K to wear in her hair.  I had some cute ones from an Etsy shop but many of them have come unglued and I wasn't too happy with the quality.

Thankfully, Tracy was there for me.  She does have three impeccably dressed girls so I trust her all the way!  And I'm SO glad I did.

She sent me to the Coco Penny site and before I knew it I as clicking away and purchasing a set of 3 hair clips for K.  Just a few days later I received an email about the company (completely unrelated to my purchase as far as I can tell) asking if I'd like to feature them on my blog.

I jumped at the chance to let you all know that they have great accessories for girls and ladies alike.

I've already gotten many compliments and comments on these clips while out and about and I love the way they actually STAY in K's fine hair.  They are high quality products with extra felt reinforcement on the back and the different flower styles are all really cute.  And there are a slew of great colors. Win, win, WIN, if you ask me!

Plus they are totally stylin' while eating ice cream and even when trying to ride your brother's tricycle!

Another added bonus is that one of them (or more) might even look kinda fun in my hair. Don't ya think?

But the best news yet is that you can get 15% off any purchase on the Coco Penny site rite now with the code COCOBLOGS and sport some major cuteness just like me and K!

So head on over and see what's in their store for you or the little girls in your life. I pinky promise that you'll love them :)


*I was sent one sample hair clip from Coco Penny in order to review their products, after purchasing some on my own.  All opinions in this post are my own. 

Neck Ties & Flash Drives, Oh My! {Happy Father's Day}

The two little kids made Tim some neck tie art while at the nursery during church this morning.  I find it kind of funny since Tim rarely wears a neck tie these days.  And I'm guessing that he's not the only Dad that doesn't frequently sport one anymore.  Ties are just so... tight. I wouldn't wear one either if I didn't have to.

Also, Tim does not regularly fish or play golf so all of those types of gifts are RIGHT OUT.  He is, however, a computer geek guy so that's why I got him this:

Yes, that IS a Darth Vader flash drive! It doesn't get much more geeky than that, right?? ;P  I wish you coulda seen the look on his face when he saw it.  Golden. 

(thanks to Mommy Shorts' hubby for the suggestion)

The kids and I also picked out two new shirts (okay, yes, somewhat typical) and a new coffee mug.  

Tim is a great father and I know this because the kids cannot wait until he gets home every night from work and then they RUN to the door the same nanosecond his car pulls into the driveway.  And, I've seen him in action for over 7 years now, so I'm pretty sure I'm right.  I mean, he changed The B Man's very first diaper, after never before changing one in his entire life before.  That's fatherly love right there, people! 

And he may or may not be fully enamored with one little girl I know... 

But then who wouldn't be? 

Love you honey, thanks for being such a great Father to our three babies. xoxoxoxo

Also wishing my own father a wonderful Father's Day as well.  Here are a couple of recent posts about him and his love for me...

He's Home!

Shell Beach

And here we are together 30-something *ahem* years ago... 

Happy Father's Day dads!! 

Please Click over to Dumb Mom's place to see another reason I think Tim is a great Dad and why other's think their men are fabulous baby daddies too! 

Rockin' the Bump!

I happened upon this link up over at Shell's blog, Things I Can't Say, and just had to join in.

I really enjoyed being pregnant, except for maybe the last month or so with Baby K*

I had Tim take pics of me while about 30 weeks pregnant with The B Man and I kinda liked this one.

And then this is before we left for the hospital.

With Little G I took photos in the same shirt.  I loved that shirt.  I had a favorite shirt for each pregnancy actually.

About 32 weeks

2 weeks before delivery

And then, while pregnant with K I took SO many bump pictures it made it hard to choose but I like this one that I took of myself, reflected in our glass door at our house in Texas.  I was about 16 weeks.

And this one will always be one of my favorites, taken about 2.5 weeks before I had her, in our backyard in Louisiana.

I guess that's a little more than a "bump" huh?  But then most of these photos are. Oh well!


*the reason why the last month of pregnant with K was NOT very enjoyable....

My "Wall-E" feet/ankles, as we called them. Oy-vey.  I kinda can't even BELIEVE those things, looking back at them now...

But despite the swollen kankles, I totally rocked the bump, wouldn't you say?

Link up is up until Monday, so join in and go see all the other glorious bumps too!

Short & Sweet (both the post and the visit)

My friend Kirsten and her girls were here for about a day and half, passing through during their #insaneroadtrip across this great country of ours.

Kirsten and I originally met in April 2010 when I went to TX to meet up with a bunch of my blogging/tweeting/running friends...

Anyway, while here we fed her Cajun food (well, actually "the original Cajun" restaurant in our area fed her, but you know what I mean), took her and the girls to the zoo and gave her wine and cookies.  In other words, we treated her right. ;)

Unfortunately I was not feeling too well last night so I turned in WAY early and then she and the girls got up WAY early this morning to continue their travels (12-hour drive today!).  But, Tim made Kirsten coffee and sent our friends on their way.  He's awesome like that.

I'm bummed that we did not get a picture of our SIX kids together, it just didn't happen.  Thankfully I do have this photo taken with Tim's phone (I took NO pictures while she was here - how sad is that?!?!) of her and me the first night they were here.

By the way, her girls are SO well behaved and The B Man was quite sad to know they had to leave so soon. I believe Tim told Kirsten at least 3 times that they are welcome back ANY time.  The kids played well together and Kirsten's youngest LOVED the train track we had set up on the living room floor.

Anyway, much love to our friends on their continued travels and we are SO very glad we got to see you all!  Be safe...

I can sew & forage for my own food so we're good

I finally finished this dress for K Friday before last.  I had to call in help to get it done but at least I know my limitations, right? And, it has it's imperfections (which thankfully you cannot see in this picture from my phone). And I plan to still add some ribbon and perhaps some extra notions of sorts but at this point I'm just happy that it looks wearable. :)

This past Friday we went to pick our own blueberries with some friends and K and the boys had a great time picking "powder blues" as they now call them.  K "found" quite a few green and red ones but that's okay.  I didn't mind paying for them since she had a good time.  Plus, the pancakes at our house have been REALLY good lately.

Now if I could just make fire by scraping two sticks together I could possibly consider myself a real Girl Scout.  I do love me some Thin Mints.  Does that count?

linking up to WW here.

He's Home!

I sit Indian style on the green shag carpet in my bedroom, choosing a pair of shoes for my only brunette Barbie, Samantha.  She is secretly my favorite.  I even washed her hair the other night with my Mom’s Prell. I hear the familiar voice of Tom Brokaw cascading down the hallway but I cannot tell you what he is reporting. 

I can smell the fried chicken on the stove and hope there will be fluffy mashed potatoes and brown gravy to accompany it.  My tummy grumbles at the thought.  I can feel the saliva pooling in my mouth.

My brother comes out of the bathroom and my mother hollers at him, asking if he will be home to eat.  I look out my bedroom door and see the steam from the shower as it follows behind him, like a foggy cape.  He has a towel around his waist.  He crosses into his bedroom and hollers back at her and tells her that he will not be home. Not tonight.

I sigh, wishing he would be because it is so nice to have the four of us together at dinner.

Just then I hear the familiar rumble of my Daddy’s gold, Chevy truck as he kills the engine.  I spring to my feet and run down the hallway, so excited for his entrance.  He comes through the door that leads to the garage, just as he does every afternoon at this time.  It is quite possibly my favorite part of the day. 

I run to him and he scoops me into his arms and I feel the scruff of his sideburn as it graces my cheek.  I’m so happy to see him I could burst.  His smile and grasp tell me that he feels the same.  He puts me down and goes into the kitchen to my mother and gently kisses her on the cheek as she wipes her hands on her apron.  He asks about her day and she, his.

She pours him a glass of iced tea as he sits in his favorite chair to take off his shoes and says to me “Come here and give me some sugars.”  I climb into his lap, though my feet almost touch the floor once I’m there.  I hug him again and  tell him about school that day or what’s for dinner or something about one of my friends.

After a few minutes he’s off to change his clothes and I go back to my playing.  He tinkers out in the garage until Mom calls us for dinner. It’s so nice to know that he’s just right outside if I need him.  I’m so glad he’s home safe from work. 

I just might be my Daddy's girl. 

This week we would like you to write about how the show of affection has played a part in your memory.

Choose a time when either the abundance or lack of affection (either by you or someone else) stands out, and show us.  Bring us to that time.  Help us feel what you felt.

Oh Where, Oh Where Have My Little Babies Gone?

I was standing at the sink rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher yesterday, which is nothing out of the ordinary.

But in one moment, as I was loading the kids forks and spoons, I was suddenly struck with the realization that I do not have any babies anymore.  At least not technically.

Yes, K still sleeps in a crib and wears diapers but I don't really think of her as a baby, especially when she walks to the bathroom now and says, "bush teef?"

And she no longer sits in a high chair.  She uses a fork and a cup. Plus, I call her "the toddler" now. When did I start that?  I have no idea.

We went to the library today to get The B Man some books to read from The Magic Treehouse series.  He'd already read so many of them that we only came home with 3.  Of those anyway.  He checked out 8 books.  I imagine he'll have them read by early next week.

And Little G is saying names of dinosaurs that I've never even heard of and putting on his own clothes and filling his own bowl with cereal.

It's like they almost don't even need me anymore.

But they do.

Tonight K hit her head pretty hard on our tile floor. She stumbled over her shoe and landed on the back of her head.  She cried so hard and I worried so bad for a while because the welt on the back of her head got bigger and bigger.  And well, OUCH.

Little G has something going on with one of his thumbs and I'm probably going to have to take him to the pediatrician because it is red and swollen around his finger nail.  I'm not sure what happened and he doesn't complain of pain but it does NOT look good.

And The B Man has a terrible scrape on his knee from a mishap at dinner out the other night and I have to kiss it every night before bed and...

... yes, I did kind of feel like I was running an infirmary tonight, thankyouverymuch.

All this to say, I know they still need me and will forever be my "babies", but at the same time, they are growing so fast that it's hard to even comprehend sometimes.

So instead, I'll just post a picture from the past that makes my heart smile.
(I might also be reminiscing since I was working on K's baby scrapbook tonight... possibly... perhaps...)

(oh my gosh I want to squeeze them in this picture, thank God for cameras - ACK!)

Finding Flowers

I like to photograph flowers every chance I get and I find them in lots of places...

Such as my MIL's backyard.  

I loved this one is color too but only posting the b&w because well, I love it the most.

Also found in her backyard... I really like flowers that have lots of little flowers that make one big one.

This one was at the zoo.  It was very big.  I snapped the photo fast because I was a little afraid it might try to eat me. ;)

I found this one in my neighbors yard.  How HAPPY are those colors?!

And then there are the flowers that my sweet girl wears.  Love those too... 

the flower in K's hair is from Cocopenny.  Thanks to Tracy for suggesting the shop!