Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Take Me Out To The Ball Game......

If we were playing "Family Feud" and my question was: "What are the top 5 all American family activities?".......I would venture to say "going to a baseball game" would be right in one of those 5 slots!
So Saturday night found the 4 of us doing just that! Jon's company has purchased 4 box seats for the season and we FINALLY {cause we've been meaning to go all summer} grabbed those tickets for a 6:15 game!
Walking into the stadium, nacho's, ballpark lights, ice cream, mascot {looie-who sooooo graciously signed the girls' BRAND NEW North Face hats! :) happy daddy post signature! [do you sense my sarcasm??] }! Every part of the evening {ok minus the hats and permanent marker incident!} was all smiles for all 4 of us!
AND a fun little bonus was they were playing the Jacksonville Suns which is where my BF lives.....I begged her to hop on their bus and visit us for the night but they didn't have an extra seat......
AND THE ICING.....the Lookouts WON!!! {Sorry Heath...I know you're a HUGE fan and all!}
Don't ask my girls who won though because running up and down stadium steps is SOOOOO much better than a real live game!
Let's play that "Family Feud" game again......also pretty certain watching fireworks would fit in one of those slots too! And cause Chattanooga is JUST THAT COOL they let you sit, run, lay, crawl, cartwheel, somersault, wallow in baseball grass {which is pretty cushy if you've never experienced it} all the while a firework show is going off!
We left smiling wondering WHY in the world we hadn't gone sooner and thinking this was pretty much one of our top "best nights ever"!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

AUGUST 23, 2010

Time Line of Our Birthday
6:30: Awakened by the alarm and "Happy Birthday Babe" from my husband
6:35: Waking sleeping girls followed by "Happy Birthday Mommy" in those sweet morning voices
6:40: Found a card that was snuck onto the kitchen counter by my husband
7:25: Picked up by my twin to drop off the 2 oldest to school.....on the drive serenading each other with "Happy Birthday" songs
8:05: Dropped of the 2 youngest girls to the sitter for a couple hours
8:30: Met mom and younger sister for a 5 mile run
9:45: Sitting in the park visiting, enjoying the early morning sun/coolish weather while sipping on Starbucks from mom
10:10: 2 youngest girls picked up from sitter
10:50: Home for a quick shower before meeting for lunch
10:55: Found a made bed compliments of the husband {love the small things :) }
12:15: Text from my father {whom I NEVER get to talk to} wishing me a "Happy Birthday"....thanks to my sister!
12:45: Free lunch compliments of Blue Water.....yummy Pecan Encrusted Goat Cheese Spinach Salad
1:45: Ticket on my car because I put change in the wrong meter which negated my free meal....BLEK!
2:00: Specific instructions from my bestie Heather R. to go into Francesca's {cute boutique} and ask for Besty who would give us instructions to shop for something of our choice!!
3:00: Picked up Kayden from school
3:45: Dance class for Kayden and Emery
6:00: Free dinner {compliments of mom} at Taco Mamacita with FAMILY
{sisters! or so we get told OFTEN!!}
7:00: Talking, laughing, and smiling while stuffing our faces
{birthday guests!}
7:15: Singing {and getting sung to!} "Happy Birthday"
*Homemade strawberry cake from mom for me
*Homemade cherry cheesecake for the twin
7:45: Opening up gifts which included a waffle maker, the CUTEST APRON EVER, and a gift card to a bird store so that I can begin building my bird feeding castle!
8:00: Saying good-bye's after a fun day
LOVE THIS GIRL AND FEEL COMPLETELY PROUD AND BLESSED TO CALL HER MY SISTER AND BEST FRIEND!
8:45: One last Birthday squeeze before bedtime
9:30: Laying on the couch relishing in a perfect {in my eyes} day spent with those people I love and feeling very happy with where I am in my life today.......room for growth? Absolutely but that's what life's about right?! Learning. Changing. Growing. Having fun along the way! Cheers to another wonderful year!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

35....yep you heard it right

I share a birthday with a girl....and not just any girl but my best friend who just happens to be my sister! AND our birthday weekend started yesterday.....every girl likes to have a FULL weekend to celebrate and be celebrated right?!
I invited her family, our mom, and my brother-in-law's family over for dinner to get the weekend started and celebrate this girl whom I ADORE!!
(seeing as we are turning 35 I decided it was time to be an adult and buy a table cloth.....that's a 35ish kinda thing to do huh?)
On the menu: Italian is her favorite
Giada's {who doesn't love that girl?} Lasagna Rolls with Bechamel Sauce..mmmmn
Zucchini and Squash with Thyme, Balsamic Vinegar, and Feta
Cheese Ciabatta
Rosemary and Peach Lemonade {a new and will stay around drink}
For desert my mom made Fruit Kuchen which is German and something we grew up eating. It really works for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, desert, or just cause you're in the mood to eat kinda cake!
It was a good night......my girls were a little rowdy and while I wanted them sometimes to be quieter I was reminded through the chaos of all the kids playing that we are blessed. Blessed with a new phase in our lives where birthdays involve kids running around screaming and laughing while adults are yelling just to hold on conversation. I'm happy! Here's to a weekend of celebrations!!

Friday, August 20, 2010

1st Day of 1st Grade

Yesterday was our (yep it's a family affair {!}) 1st day of 1st grade. I survived...errr I mean she survived! Did I get anything accomplished? No sir/ma'am. But I didn't cry! There is just something extremely exciting about that 1st day of school.....new shoes, freshly cut hair, new backpack stuffed with new school supplies, new lunch box with choice of favorite lunch stuffed inside, meeting new friends and teachers, and a fresh attitude for a fun year of learning!


{GASP....it was humid in TN and my camera was extremely foggy with the outside pics}
Emery cannot wait to be at Spalding with her big sister.....so she too had to stuff her backpack with "stuff" and brought it along!
Mr Fogg, the principal, who talks to the kids in a Donald Duck voice and the kids ADORE him.....so we stopped for a quick picture before she started trucking down the hall with her family barely keeping up!
Her teacher is Mrs Smith and she was quite proud of herself for having learned how to spell her name by memory! This kid has her own style, she has loved wearing ties for about a year now and when she spotted these high tops she stated "now these are my fashion"!! I love her own little style she adds to her uniform.....gotta spice it up somehow right?!!
extremely proud daddy who, in the nicest way, was pushing his "hovering" wife out of the classroom.....I had every right to stay in until the last bell rang right??
1st Day of 1st Grade! She wasted NO time in getting started on a worksheet that was on her desk.....I feel very fortunate that she is VERY excited to learn, may that energy stick with her for life!
ANNNDDDDD just one more squeeze for her momma
The girl was passed out asleep in the car before 8pm! She had a GREAT DAY! So although we are a bit sad to say good bye to the fun fun summer {note: I have some blogging catch up! Watch out!} we are excited to say HELLO to learning lots of new things in the coming school year and getting back into a ROUTINE!! That "R" word just gives me warm fuzzy feelings!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Celebratory DInner

I decided that we needed to celebrate the returning of school.....not cause I'm excited about my little chicks being away from me for 8 hours a day.....cause lets be clear I'M NOT! But more......well lets be honest I needed to make it seem like I was SOOOO happy {cause inside I'm sad at the thought [GASP] of them being old enough to be away from me} for them that they GET to go back to school! Cause they are pretty excited or at least the eldest!! That little one of mine could stay with me for a lifetime....does she give me problems going to school? NOPE. Does she mind having overnight visits with her Aumie or Gran and Papa or Auntie? NOPE. BUT would she LOVE to stay with me and by me always? YES! AND while I swoon over that thought.....I must promote learning and let her use her wings!

So our celebratory dinner involved some fried zucchini spears {maybe mom and and dad ate too many cause they were that yummy!}
Singing "Happy 1st day of School" {to the tune of Happy Birthday}
then diving in to our favorite cupcakes....GIGI'S
and pretty much spent the ENTIRE day playing together quite well on this last of summer days
which will be OH SO VERY MISSED.....mostly by their mother :(
Showers done, backpacks chuck full of school supplies, lunch bag ready to be filled, new Converse high tops {who would have thought these would be making a come back?} laced & ready for feet in the morning, and clothes neatly laid out on the bed ready for a warm body! SCHOOL HERE WE COME!

I do have to say that while school is in session we seem to have a good routine of reading books in bed nightly and going to bed on time both of which are.....well not so routine during our summers! So it felt a little "happy place" for me to be "back on track"! We'll ALL miss you summer but look forward to seeing you next year!!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Nature Bag

For Mother's Day this year my sweet sister purchased a new book for me which fits my current sewing needs perfectly....it's a pattern free book. PERFECT cause I'm not quite at the point of wanting to follow directions....I just want to "wing it"! It gives you ideas and you just customize the item to fit your need!
SOOO we are headed out early tomorrow for a fun filled camping weekend in Michigan. There isn't much to pack as far as entertainment for the kids because they have the outside to explore for days on end! BUT I wanted make a little bag for them to put ALL their "nature treasures" in. Yesterday (not really sure I should have made something I've never made before 2 days before leaving....AND 5 of them to beat!!....so please don't zoom in as they're NOT perfect!) 5 little bags where sewn up for 5 little girls to fill to their hearts content of nature treasures!!
Tucked neatly inside: An "A,B,C's of Nature" sheet and a colored marker to fill in each line when they find the nature treasure that coincides with that letter!