Weird Day....

Jeff had to work today so I figured I would take the kids to the park to play & ride bikes. We were up & out by 9am!! However, it was just a strange morning. Both of the kids were kinda cranky & whiney. We came home for lunch & Lance went down for his nap. After nap we tried to play at the playground, but again they just weren't feeling it. They really wanted to play with the others kids. Finally they came out & Lilly invited them over (totally on her own!!) & they played for about an hour with them. They seemed to perk them up!!

This was at the park....look at them go!!

Check out that hair!! LOL!!

I have no idea...just my crazy little Lilly!!

When Jeff got home he decided we should go to the Mardi Gras parade.  We ended up having a really good time. The kids got beads, toys & moon pies!! They floats were AMAZING!

They just flung beads & toys off these floats. It was CRAZY!! People were screaming & hollering. Lance got into it, but Lilly just stood there!! We had fun & even stopped for ice cream on the way home. That's when things got weird again....I spot something on Lilly's back. It looked like little zits/blisters, but there were several of them. She had two of the same things on the back of her leg this morning & I thought it was just a bug bite. However, now with them in a different spot I got worried.

Actually I got really worried. I don't know why but it made me nervous. I thought chicken pox( although shes been vaccinated), spider bite...I didn't know. So finally decided to take her to the ER to have it looked at, which is a little over the top for me but I just wasn't sure.

Turns out they are fire ant bites. She was rolling in the grass yesterday, I should have known, but it didn't dawn on me. The Dr. said unless they get worse just treat them with cream & they should be fine.

WHAT A DAY!!!

Reposting....apparently didn't work the first time!

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Daddy's Little Helpers

We have been w/out the truck for two weeks. Jeff & Dad fixed the problem last weekend, but of course something had to be replaced that had to be ordered. Due to Jeffs work schedule last night was the first chance he got to finish it. I am happy to say it is running again & he had two little helpers to take care of it!

Storytime & a playdate!

This morning we went to storytime at the library. They sang, read a couple books & made a handy Mardi Gras fan. Then we picked out some new books & headed to Chick-fil-a for lunch!! (Just a side note, Lilly was on a mission to get books she could read. Once I showed her what to look for she went crazy. I think I finally stopped her at 6).

After lunch & a nap for Lance we headed out for a playdate w/Jackson & Savannah. We actually met them when we came down in July, but have just recently spent some time getting to know them. Jackson had asked yesterdy if they could play. Jackson just turned 5, but Savannah is older (probably 12 or 13). However, they all play well together. They were both so excited all day. It rained this morning so they were worried they wouldn't be able to play with them, but it worked out fine. The funny thing is neither of them can say Jackson...it comes out Jackston! It started off a little rocky (both my kids were cranky) but once they could all agree on something to play it went much better.

Another beautfiul day!!

It was another nice day today so of course where were we??? Outside!! We actually went for a swim too...busy little bugs. They were worn out though & will hopefully sleep well tonight.

Tumbling was last night. It went VERY well. Lilly was up first & walk out in the gym with her class. They started running the mat & I don't think she knew what to do. Her coach had stepped away so she was a little lost & intimidated. I went out there & talked to her & her coach came over & asked her to be her helper. Well, that did it. She went right up there beside her & did the stretches with her. The rest is history. She did the beam, vault & bars last night. She did great & is excited to go back next week!!

Lance's class started about 30 mins. after Lilly's. He was SOO excited & kept asking if it was time for his class yet. So when time came he was all about it. He went right in & had no problems. He listened pretty well (although doesn't understand...FREEZE)! However, I was proud at well he participated & engaged with the other students.

All in all I think this is the best fit for them!! I didn't take pics because it was the first night, but I will get some soon!!

Strong girl!

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A boy in a tree!!

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Momma got a new pair of shoes!~

So the girls only day turned into just a me & mom day!!! Lilly decided this morning she would have more fun if she stayed home with daddy. She really wanted to play outside. Jeff said it was fine so although it made me a little sad I was so excited to have a free day w/my mom!!! We haven't done that in forever. We had a few things we wanted to accomplish (new tennis shoes & a hair cut for me) aside from that we had no plan or mission. We had lunch out & got both things accomplished plus more!! Stopped for a few grilling needs on the way home & came home to have Jeff grill out & then sit by the fire!! What a GREAT day!!!

Thanks Dad & Jeff for keeping the kids & working on the truck!!!

"My Lilly"

I almost forgot the conversation Lance had at the dentist office w/a little boy. The little boy was talking to him about something & Lance just looks at him and says, "Anyways, my 4-wheeler is broke & my Pappaw has to fix it". Totally random & precious!! Then the little boy asked his name he said, "Lance (then points to Lilly) & this is my Lilly". HOW SWEET IS THAT??? Such a gentlemen to introduce "his Lilly"!!!

I can't believe how big he is. He sounds like such a big boy when he talks now. He tells stories (often untrue....wonder where he gets that??) that are multi-step & answers questions when he is asked (by people he isn't familiar with). Just hard to believe that in 4 weeks he will be 3......

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Dentist!!

They both did GREAT!! Lilly went first & sat up there like a big girl with no problems. I was so proud of her. Lance went next. He did good too. He got nervous & was shaking a little. I held his hand & he calmed right down. He still has that cough so I think that made it hard for him to hold his mouth open very long. The dentist said their teeth looked GREAT!!! So happy!!

I took them to Mc D's for a treat for doing so well. (I didn't even bribe them...it was a surprise)! It is one that has an outdoor playland. Since was SO NICE today I wanted to treat them. When we got there I thought Lilly was going to explode. She has wanted to go for a long time!! She went on about what a good day it was!! Things changed quickly....as soon as we got outside to sit down & eat Lance fell & busted his lip. He calmed down pretty quick, but wasn't able to eat right away. They played for awhile & got HOT!! We headed to Mammaw/Pappaw's to work on some laudry (which Mom already had done :) and Lilly lost her balloon the dentist gave her :( she was so upset. I felt terrible for her.

Dance was a no go. She was tired, but still showed no interest. She just really wants to do tumbling. Turns out there is $50 in outfits, plus a $40 fee for the recital. So by the time you add that up it is only about $30 less than tumbling. Plus, the karate is only for bigger kids....so on the way home I stopped at the tumbling place (I had checked into several last week) & signed them up for a free class on Monday. As long as that goes well I am going to sign them both up. They can both go on the same day/time so that will be nice. I think they will both like it!!

Busy Week...

It's been a somewhat busy week. Yesterday I decided I wanted to go ahead & take Lance to the doctor because his cough was sounding bad. Of course it was just a cold. I can't win...I don't take Lilly & she ends up w/bronchitis...take him & he is fine...GEEZ. The good news is that I went to two different docs & like the second one better. Lance's 3 year check up will be next month. I think I will try one more before I make my decision.

Tomorrow the kids have their dental visit. This is Lance's first visit (I know...bad mom). Lilly has been once, but didn't get her teeth cleaned because she freaked. She is prepared for tomorrow & says she is going to be a big girl!! Fingers crossed!!!

Then tomorrow afternoon I am taking Lilly to observe/try a dance class. She really would prefer to do tumbling, but it's so expensive. We are trying to keep extras in check in order to get a house ASAP. So I found this class at the recreation center. It is one hour a week & they cover tap, ballet & jazz for $25!!!! Isn't that AWESOME!! A friend of hers from school goes so I hope that helps!!! I told her she doesn't have to participate tomorrow unless she wants, but I REALLY hope she will!!

I am looking into karate for Lance, but haven't gotten a hold of the guy yet. I am hoping that once he turns 3 he can participate in it!!

I failed to mention that we are a one vehicle family this week. The truck wouldn't start & by the time Jeff gets home of an evening it's dark & he is tried. So we are waiting until the weekend. Fingers crossed it's nothing big. Thankfully....Mom/Dad have come to the rescue (again). Mom chauffered us around Mon/Tue. I had a car today, but they are lending me one tomorrow since Dad is off.

I also failed to post that a couple of nights ago Lance started fussing (while sleeping). Jeff went up there & found him standing next to his bed with his pants around his ankles!!! He carried him to the bathroom & thankfully made it in time. I guess he was sleeping walking. I don't know, but it was pretty funny!!!

I have no new pics because my camera card is full & I haven't taken the time to clean it off.....I will do that ASAP...I promise!!

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope everyone had a good day!! We hung out w/Mammaw & then came home for nacho night!! Of course the kids got lots of goodies!! We got them new bike accessories...Lilly needed a new basket & I found Lance a seat bag.

Lilly can read..........

So last night Lilly couldn't sleep. I let her get up & look at the blog (her favorite past time). Then we looked at some books. She wants to read so badly. We went to the library this week & she picked a book "Just Like Me".  It has few words on a page & repeats "Just Like Me". I told her to get that one & we would work on it. I read it to her once the day before so she knew some of it. We started with the title & continued on. She did so good. She really can sound words out. I was amazed. She read the whole book with minimal help from me. She was so proud of herself!!! We read it again this morning with me & again this afternoon for Jeff & my parents. She is doing some of it from memory, but I am making her point to each word & read the word she sees (not what she thinks it says). She takes her time & corrects herself when she says the wrong word. CAN YOU BELIEVE I ALMOST HAVE A READER??????? 

So proud of my girl!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!

BE PREPARED....IT'S A LONG ONE!!
Jeff had to work today, but we had his present, cards & cake waiting for him when he got home. Lilly decided that we should hide & when he came in the door shout "SURPRISE!" So we did that & they thought it was great. Jeff liked it too!!! They wanted him to open his presents right away!!

Cards from Bobbie, Kevin, & Taylor; Mary Lee & Trish. Thanks!!!

I took the kids to Old Navy. I wanted them to get him a wallet, but Lilly didn't like that idea.

After 45 mins. in Old Navy we ended up w/a new pair of shorts & t-shirts, a new button up, two new pair of flip-flops &  pair of underwear. Lilly was adament about the underwear....I have no idea why, but she REALLY wanted to get him a pair!!

 

He liked everything. I hope it all fits!!! Mom & Dad also stopped by &

brought him a new golf outfit (polo & khaki shorts). Now if it will warm up & he can actually

have time to go!

After relaxing for bit & getting cleaned up we headed it out to dinner. However, I wanted to

snap a few photos!!

Lilly took this one.

So of course Lance had to take one too!!

You can't tell they belong to him can you???

We had to take a family self-portrait....I think it turned out pretty good!!

Jeff really wanted Chinese. I eat Chinese but it's not my favorite. However,

the kids have never had it & I thought it would be a good idea to introduce

them to it.

I had them both try the chop sticks. Both agreed it was very hard!!!

After dinner we headed home for cake & movie night!!

They sang beautifully!!

YUM!!

After the kids ate cake (we were both too stuffed to eat yet) we watched The Lion King. They have never seen it & I was a little concerned, but they both really liked it!!

Even though he had to work I think Jeff had a Happy Birthday!

Ahoy matey!!

I brought the kids these kaleidoscope today at Old Navy for .47 cents.....they had a blast with them!!!

They would say "Ahoy matey!"

Of course Daddy got turned into the pirate ship!!!

Chatty Boy!!

Lance talks so much. It's hard to believe I was ever worried that he would talk. He is also very clear & uses long sentences. He will tell stories that have multiple steps. The funny thing is he has reached that point where he is trying to use lots of new words & doesn't always know how to use them. Sometimes he does fine, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. These are a few tidbits from today.

"Shore" = sure....he does use this one correctly. Me, "Lance do you want a snack?" Lance, "Shore!"

Tonight while coloring he got upset because Lilly was coloring in his book. This some how lead to something along the lines of  "Then we have choices right mommy?"  I said, "Yes, buddy you have a choice which book you color out of". He continued rambling....choice came out two or three more times & then he said, "that's true". He went on for several minutes saying choice & true, none of it really made sense but he sure thought he was big stuff!!!! CRACKED ME UP!

Today we were sitting on the couch watching a cartoon & a moose came on. Lance says, "I love mooses". I said, "You do?" He said, "When I get bigger, I'm gonna ride a moose". I said, "You are?" He said, "You gonna come with me Mom?"  This is a regular conversation: when I get bigger I"m gonna (play football, basketball, drive a tractor, big truck, ride a camel, elephant etc.) We must have it at least 3 times a day. In fact on the way to get Lillly today he told me he was gonna play basketball. I said, "Not football". Too which he replied, "When I get done with basketball, then I'll play football"!!

Another favorite from both of them right now is, "You're not the mother (or parent)". They have picked this up from me. I will often have to remind Lilly that she isn't Lance's mother (she is going to be a great momma one day.......a LONG time from now).

This evening they got antsy & were having trouble listening. I had told them they could watch a movie before bed, but told them if they couldn't play nicely until then they wouldn't get one. Lilly was doing pretty good, but Lance couldn't do what I had asked for some reason. Lilly says to me, "Mom, can I have a little talk with Lance?" I was washing dishes thank goodness so my back was to her cause I about lost it. I said, "What?" She said, "Can I have a little talk with Lance for a minute?" I told her yes so she proceeded to ask him to come here then talked with him about how if he didn't do what I asked that they wouldn't get to watch a movie. SO FUNNY!!

They are entertaining that's for sure!!!

A (cold) day at the beach~

I had a dentist appt. this morning, which went well WHOHOO!! Then the kids, mom & I grabbed lunch (chik-fil-a of course) & headed down to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. The Hanaver/Carver clan are heading down & May & needed an idea of what there was to do.....sounds like a good reason to make a drive doesn't it?? It was very sunny today, but the air was cool though. Of course the kids were excited to see the ocean & beach....they were itching to get in the sand!!! No dice though....we just had to all look & dream of a few months from now!!! Here's a few photos!!

It was beautiful....just a little chilly!!!

After dinner we were playing dominoes & decided to make a town out of them. There was a school, house, bank, post office, gas station & library & side walks to each. I am sure you can see that all here.

What a great day!!!

A mom has to brag....

So I am sure you all know how smart Lilly is, but I just have to give you proof.

Here she had to circle the beginning sound of the word & then wrote the ending sound beside it. She told me they did this as a class, but still...pretty impressive. I asked what the "P" & "N" were up by the top & she said, "I was showing Isreal (a boy in her class) how to make them" What a good helper!!

Here she connected the dots & then colored it. Notice the "Very Nice" written by her teacher!!

And some art work too!!

Her sponge painted winter wonderland!

Her snowman....how precious??

I can't believe how big she is. She will be reading before I know it. I love that she loves school & wants to learn. I hope she continues to enjoy it!!

Date Night & Super Bowl Sunday

Friday night we got to skype w/most of my side of the family!! It was my Uncle Steve's 60th bday & my Aunt Kathy through him a surprise party!! They were at Beef O Brady's so the connections wasn't great, but it was still so good to see them all!!!

Well, thanks to my wonderful mom Jeff & I celebrated his birthday & Valentine's day a week early. She kept the kids from Saturday afternoon until about 4 o'clock this afternoon. 24+ hours w/out kids....WOW what a nice break!! We had a great time & I think Jeff got some much needed rest (he worked 60+ hours this week, including Saturday morning). THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM (Dad was at work, but thanks to you too!)

When she brought them home this evening they of course were happy to see us, but instantly tackled Jeff. It cracks me up how much they love to just climb & hang on him!! He is good about letting them go at him, but usually has to make them stop becaue they would do it all day!

Being Super Bowl Sunday Jeff wanted some wings. So we decided to order pizza & wings from Dominos. Let me just say that we haven't ordered pizza out since we moved here & $30 later I remember why. That was 2 large pizzas & 1 order of wings. THAT'S CRAZY!!

Anyway, the kids wanted to sit on the floor w/Jeff & "watch the game".

YUM!!

I will say that we are not parents that listens to kids music in the car so our kids are pretty well versed in music, this includes the Black Eyed Peas.

So of course we had to dance at half-time. I love this pic. you can see Lance singing (Woo Hoo). They were singing along...cracked me up!

Then they had to play with their new nerf guns. Lance can't quite do his on his own so Daddy was helping him (I am not sure who had more fun). Lilly was a pretty good shot!

Here's the target! One time Lilly got one right in the middle of the diamond!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Hair!!

The kids & I haven't had hair cuts since before we moved. Needless to say we are all in need. So tonight when I got Lance out of the bath I got a wild hair.....to trim Lance's. It was so long on his neck & covering his ears...it has been driving me crazy. Yes, it's adorable, but I like it to have a little shape....so.....

I did a little trimming. I just did his neck & around his ear & the bottom.

HOW ADORABLE IS HE???????

Not too bad for a moving target?? Don't worry...the curls are still there....it's just brushed.

Now, don't worry...I am not brave enough to tackle this hair....

Look how lonng it is!!

Last night & today the kids watched Monster's Inc. Today when they were watching it Lilly drew this....

She explained that it was a "Monster Machine", meaning it brings the doors to the monsters. (If you've seen the movie you'll understand). She also named the girl, Jewel. She explained to me how it worked, this moves here & so on & so on. Add that to the fact that she repeatedly tells me "I am a very good artist" & you see why I think she is the smartest little girl ever!!

Jeff didn't have to work late tonight so he actually got to spend some time with the kids. They were VERY happy to see him. At one point he had one kid on each leg & they were hanging on for dear life....they sure love their Daddy!!!