Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Disney Here We Come

We have started packing today and we are all getting very excited. We also heard today that Cheryl's surgery will not be until the Friday after we get back, so that is good news! Marc will be able to enjoy our vacation now! Tomorrow we will finish packing, after I spend the day in a meeting for school.

Speaking of school, that beings a little stress and anxiety into my life. We are moving into a new building this year and I do not know when my room will be ready for me to move into. I like to be ready on the first day of pre-planning. But, I do not know if that is going to be possible this year. I guess I just need to keep reminding myself that you can only do what you can do!!

Today has definitely been not a good day for children in our house! It seemed like every time I turned around someone was getting hurt. We kept sweet Jameson today while his mommy had to go to school for a few hours and what does he do, get hurt. That is not supposed to happen on my watch. He was pushing Ella's baby stroller and he pushed the handles to the floor and fell down and then hit the handle with his eye! As I was worrying about how his eye was, Ella stumped her toe and almost tore the whole nail off! What a day!!

Well, here is a preview of some of my favorite things we got for our trip.......


Braden and Ella's Autograph books



Ella's Shirt for Animal Kingdom

The kids' waterbottles.

My Bag!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Our Little Ninja

On Saturday, Braden took his Karate promotion test. He was testing for a green stripe belt. I finally got to go and see him test. I usually have to stay home with Ella since no child under 5 is supposed to be there during the testing since it causes a distraction. Braden did really well during his test, besides talking a bit, but how can you blame a 6 year old who has to be still and quiet for an hour and a half. Braden really enjoys Karate and he loves his instructor, Mr. Ray. Braden is always ready to go to class and knows exactly which color stripe they will be working on for the week- each week there is a different focus for the class like self-control, balance, team work, etc. I have been really impressed with all the things that he is learning in the class. It is not just karate kicks and punches, but also respect, the korean language, and self-discipline amoung many other things. Hopefully Braden will stick with karate and eventually become a black belt- I believe he has the capability!


We are on the Disney World count down! We are supposed to be leaving on Thursday and we are so excited! We are keeping our fingers crossed that Daddy will also be able to go with us! We learned last week that my mother-in-law is in need of surgery that will most likely be this week or next. We are anxiously waiting to see when it will be so we can see how the week will go!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Fashionable Friday

Here is what happens when you let a 3 year old dress herself for the pool. Ella chose to wear a mix-match bathing suit, Easter socks, and tennis shoes to the pool. I do not like my child to leave the house not matching, but some days, I have to pick my battles.






On Kelly's Korner this week it is show us your wedding dress, so I thought I would join in. I remember that my mom and I found this great bridal shop in Richmond Hill, Georgia. I cannot remember the name of it though and I think it is now closed. I did not want a strapless dress, but when I tried on this one, I loved it. I also found my bridesmaides dresses there and the lady who owned the store also made my tiara. My mom had found one of my grandmother's old necklaces and she made the tiara with part of my grandma's necklace in there. I absolutely loved my tiara and that made it extra special.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wonderful Wednesday






We have been very busy the past few days. Missi and Madeline came up and we had a wonderful visit. Braden, Madeline, and Ella played together wonderfully. Ella would actually hold still for Madeline to brush her hair, too bad she will not do that for me! We went to the pool, the lake, and Missi and I were able to catch up. It was lots of fun! Madeline would be a great big sister some day. She is such as sweet and thoughtful little girl!


Yesterday the kids had a dentist appointment in Athens. Afterwards we went and got some things for our trip to Disney next week. We are counting down the days!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Braden and Madeline Through the Years

Braden and Madeline (7 months and 20 months)







Braden was 11 months and Madeline was 2.



Braden's 3rd Birthday (Madeline was 4)





Today, Missi and Madeline are coming for a visit. I am so excited. Missi and I were roomates in college and she introduced Marc and I. Madeline is a little older than Braden and I know they are going to have a blast playing. We do not get to see each other as much as we used to or would like to, so I am thankful for the time we will get to spend together. As I was looking through some pictures the other day, I found some of Madeline and Braden when they were little. How time does fly!!! I cannot wait for them to see each other again! I will definitely have more pictures to post soon!








Living at the Lake





I really love living here at Lake Oconee. Now that the kids are getting older we can really enjoy the lake. They love going for boat rides and Braden has just become brave enough to swim in the lake. Ella still says "Ewwww" when we ask her if she wants to swim in the lake. I cannot say I blame her. We are looking for a tube to buy for the kids, especially Braden, to ride on. They do not have the same kind of tubes we had when we were little. They have ones that you just basically just sit on. The kids cannot fall through the holes in the middle! I have seen really small children riding on these in the lake. I do not think I am ready for Ella to ride, but Braden will have a blast.


As a family, we really enjoy just riding on the boat for the afternoon and stopping to eat lunch in a cove. It is a lot of fun. We are so fortunate to live this close to the lake. Growing up, we went out on the Mississippi River all weekend and grilled out and skied. Lots of great memories! I hope we can create just as many fun memories of playing on the lake for Braden and Ella!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Birthday Parties

On Kelly's Korner this week is Children's Birthday parties, so I thought I would share Ella's Third Birthday. This year, I decided to do a pink and green polka dot party. Ella had a small and great 3rd birthday! I love planning my kiddos birthday parties! They are so much fun.....


I ordered this dress for Ella from Polka Dot Market! (Along with her matching plates and napkins)




The cupcake toppers came from TomKatStudio on Etsy! She was great. I told her what I wanted and she made them prefect!




Her cake!

This outfit was also made by Polka Dot Market!




Banner from polka Dot Market!

Her invitation designed by Little Divas Designs!


Thursday, July 16, 2009

My Ella












My sweet Ella was born on May 7, 2006. I made it through this pregnancy without any problems, except that she was almost born on the side of the road on the way to the hospital, as the doctor put it. When I first saw her, I thought she was the prettiest baby girl I have ever seen! She had a perfect complexion and cute, black hair. Then they told us that she had a distended belly and that they wanted to look into it. So, after a 6 day stay in the NICU and many tests, they determined she just had a big, fat tummy, and we got to bring Ella home. Both of my kids had big tummies! But let me tell you, that was a very tough 6 days!



Ella was a very good baby and still is a sweet, dramatic little girl! We still are not the best sleepers in the world (which my kids are not known for) but she is very caring and motherly. She always has to make sure everyone is taken care of, especially her Papa! She has to make sure he has everything he needs to eat his breakfast or lunch. During the school year, they eat breakfast and lunch together on most days, unless Papa is playing golf. Whenever she gets on the phone with Maka, her first question is always, "Where's Papa?". To which she says, "Go get him!". Man does she love her Papa, and I just love to see her light up when she sees him! Does a heart good! :)


She is also very much into her dolls and real babies. She is very fascinated with babies. Whenever we go anywhere, she has to pack her baby bag with everything she needs: bottles, wipes, bib, change of clothes, camera, and cell phone. She goes through her list and counts them on her fingers just like I do to make sure I have everything I need. So, we have to take a baby stroller or a shopping cart with us to the grocery store. She is definitely a girl! We have so much fun with her!


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

My Braden- A Trip Down Memory Lane































Well, Braden is my first born and will always be a special kid. It was very difficult getting him here but we did, safe and healthy. I was put on bed rest at 20 weeks for the duration of my pregnancy. I am very thankful to my doctor. I truly believe that she is the reason he was a healthy, full-term baby. Braden was born on Halloween, he is our little spook for sure!! He was such a good baby. It was not until he was about 2 that he forgot how to sleep, but now he is a great sleeper. I cannot believe that he is about to turn 7 and go into the first grade. I was just yesterday that he was born!


Braden has always been very interested in how things work. He will sit and listen to books, mostly non-fiction, and ask many questions. We were not surprised when he asked for his own garden this year, yes, a garden. He loves it! I am sure he will grow up to do something with plants. He knows the name of more plants than I do.....he will read a gardening book forever. He is our little bookworm who cannot get enough of school (thank goodness)!!

When Braden was around 1 year old, he developed eczema. This is supposed to be hereditary, but we are not sure where it came from. He still has severe allergies and eczema. I can tell immediately in the morning if I forgot to give his is allergy medicine the night before. We have been through the allergy testing and the whole works. The only thing he was found to be allergic to was pecan trees! But, his eczema has him itching all the time. I feel really bad for him. We do all the soaps they suggest, the laundry detergent, the medicines, etc., but he still is always itching. I feel really bad for him, he cannot even ride his bike around the block without having to stop many times to itch. Playing outside makes it worse because when he sweats, it makes it flare up more. The point to my story is that we are researching a program called NAET which is an non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to eliminate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine. A friend of ours took her child, who also has eczema, and she no longer has to even take any medicines or use the lotions. What a joy that would be! So, I am researching this still, and working on reading the book and hopefully in the near future, we will begin Braden in this program. I just want my child to stop itching! We will keep you updated on how it goes.