Wordless Wednesday

She's Showing Me Up

On Saturday a group of us got together for (hopefully the first of many) Mom's Day Out (MDO). But before I proceed, would someone please inform when I became old enough to attend such things?! It's like I blinked and "Bam!" I'm now saving dates on my calendar and getting excited for events that involve going to Target for half a day and slurpin' down a BK Mocha Joe on the way home just because we were feeling rebellious. Ahh, I have arrived.

We planned a day of shopping and lunch. We ended up going by a local Goodwill and I have to say that I was very pleased with my completely unexpected purchase.

Now granted, it's no Big Daddy D, but she loves it just the same.

$2.99 and a couple of sanitizing wipes later (actually about five...I was trying to sound 'laid back') and she's good as new!

We had a fun day and although we initially envisioned ourselves buying several new outfits, purses, and jewelry, we all ended up having to buy things like diapers, wipes, and milk...

The vacuum brought out the domestic side of Kate. And when I finally decided that today was the day to clean out my car (the popcorn from last weekend's Disney On Ice had seen better days), she helped with that too. She even joined in when M to the Izz-A gave the outside a nice scrub down.

These photos beg the question: If she is in fact enjoying it, is it child labor??

And it's not even Thanksgiving

• I'm thankful for the girlfriends God has blessed me with. I learn from them and laugh with them. They undoubtedly make me a better person. I love the time we spend together, even if it is chasing youngin's around the yard.
• I'm thankful for the bag of Ore-Ida Steam and Mash potatoes that helped me get my dinner in the oven on time tonight, when I arrived home later than expected just procrastinated and got started late. Peelin' taters just wasn't happening.
• I'm thankful for Kate telling on me when I take a bite before saying the blessing.
• I'm thankful for different genres of music. My 'favorite song of all time' changes with my mood. I guess I'm somewhat of a flake when it comes to music. From Dr. Dre to Carrie Underwood and Sammy Kershaw, Casting Crowns and Aaron Shust to CCR (Cross Canadian Ragweed) and Pat Green, OAR (Of a Revolution) to Dashboard Confessional, and Smokey Robinson to Chicago... I love it all!
• I'm thankful that none of you can see exactly how high my laundry pile really is.
• I'm thankful for having reasons to be thankful.

Enough Pictures to Make Your Computer Freeze

Friday evening after everyone got home from work, we took pictures of Kate and Cousin Kennedy in their Easter dresses.

They had fun running in the field while we chased them like mad women with cameras hanging from our necks.

I love this picture because it is sooooo Kate!

After our little photo shoot we had Kennedy over to dye Easter eggs. It was a pretty quick process as I only bought the dye kit that involved color tablets and stickers. The girls loved it! Kate's eggs were almost dry when she decided to dip them all again, and not in the same colors that they were originally colored. My inner OCD almost got the best of me, but I decided to just relax and let her do her thing. They turned out great and we've since taken them in and out of the fridge about 27 times for her to reposition all of the stickers.

On Saturday we went to our church's Easter egg hunt, which was held at one of our member's family farm. They had a petting zoo, a hayride, and of course the egg hunt. Did I mention they had llamas?

Not. even. kidding.

Here's a picture of Kate with one of her most favorite nursery gals, Miss Halee.

Kate managed to lose her shoe midway through the hayride. We had to yell up to the driver and get him to stop so they we could search for her shoe, which happened to fall off right in the middle of a hayfield....covered in cow piles. Luckily we found her shoe (minus animal droppings) and the hayride continued. If a shoe was going to get lost, it was going to be Kate's. She's also the only one who insisted on standing the entire time.

Here she is, doing her thing.

Giving cousin Sara Gale some love

To pick up or not to pick up, that is the question.

Later that afternoon M to the Izz-A and I took Kate to see Disney In Spandex On Ice. I wasn't sure how long she would sit and watch it or if she would even enjoy it, but I had high hopes. She ended up loving it. Mickey was her favorite and she thought it was the coolest thing when he waved at her.

Did she love it or did she love it?!

The J-Lo's and Kim Kardashian's of the animal world. Can you say junk in the trizzunk?!

After the show we went to have dinner at Ben and Kristin's, along with our friends Jobeth, Clay, Reese.

On the ride home Kate's dress got a bit wet (Will they ever make a truly leak-proof diaper??) and we had to borrow some clothes from Kristin. Kate took it upon herself to borrow more than just an outfit. She wore the helmet most of the night, even when she went inside to eat.

The girl has a fashion sense like no other.



And today after church we managed to get a family Easter picture.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

by: Charles Wesley

Christ, the Lord, is risen today; Alleluia! Sons of men and Angels sing Alleluia! Raise Your Joys and Triumphs High Alleluia! Sing ye Heavens and Earth reply Alleluia!
Lives again our Glorious King Alleluia! Where O death is now thy sting Alleluia! Once He died our souls to save Alleluia! Where's the victory boasting grave Alleluia!
Love's redeeming work is done Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won Alleluia! Death in vain forbids Him rise Alleluia! Christ hath opened Paradise Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ has led Alleluia! Following our exalted Head Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise Alleluia! Ours the Cross, the grave the skies Alleluia!

Palm Sunday

Last week for Palm Sunday our church's nursery started our worship service by waving palm branches.

I don't know who was sportin' the bigger 'proud face', her or me.

I love that girl.

It was then that I started my labor breathing

Let it be known that one should never take on a full flight of wooden stairs in fluffy socks.


Last night as I headed downstairs to 'shut the house down' if you will, I managed to make it three-fourths of the way down before I lost complete control of my feet-to-stair traction and fell the rest of the way. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was ticked to notice that there were dishes still in the sink and everything to do with the fact that my purple fluffy bedsocks (a real word in my household) got the best of me. (The ones that say 'Hottie' on the side of them because my mom bought them for me by mistake thinking that they said 'Hollie'.)


My tailbone and forearms took the brunt of the fall. The only thing I remember is falling and then feeling the pain of the impact. After that, I got nothing.


M to the Izz-A said that I immediately started what could only be described as 'labor breathing'. Whooo whoo heeee, whooo whooo heeee!

All of this is from Matt, since I do not remember any of it past the fall itself. He carried me to the recliner and said that I told him that I felt like I was going to pass out. Cue me some Boston's "More than a Feeling" here, because that's exactly what it was, more than a feeling. I passed out. TKO'd. Basically, the stairs and I battled it out head to head and the stairs won.


Fortunately he said is was only for a few seconds. I'm fine though, just a sore tailbone and bruised forearms. Never underestimate the power of a couple of stairs. Let's just say that those two wooden slats showed me who was boss.

The pain factor on a scale of 1-10: an easy 9
The hilarity of it all: off the charts



Bottom line - 1)Just because you wear Hottie socks and pretend that they say Hollie doesn't make you graceful. 2)Labor breathing comes in handy in a plethora of situations.

Wordless Wednesday