I know; I know. I promised to be a better blogger, then I left you hanging...my bad.  Being a working mom is not for the faint of heart.  What can I say?  I've been busy. You know, working, running a house, trying to get skinny.  Then we traveled this weekend, and now Ellie is giving me a run for my money. I can't complain, really.  She's transitioning a bit.  She's eating more at every feeding, going longer between bottles, and trying to sleep through the night which puts her overnight feeding at 4:00 am.  It means more straight hours of sleep for me, but it also means a 4:00 wake up call since I don't have time to go sleep again. 4:00 really isn't that bad, except when you have an Eli who keeps you up later than you would like, and sometimes wakes you up in the middle of the night too.  Poor boy, sleeping just isn't his strong suit. Add a stupid head cold into the mix and you have an exhausted, grumpy momma who may or may not have been a total jerk to

Ya'll know I love to make a bucket list for each season.  It just keeps me from getting bored, and it gives us something to look forward to.  Plus, it holds me accountable for being intentional about making memories with our kids. Does that mean everything gets checked off the list? HECK NO!  My spring bucket list is about half complete, and I'm ok with that.  I did have a baby you in the middle of it all.  So, if only a few things get checked off this Summer list, that's ok too.  I define summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and here is what I have down: 1. Memorial Day In Marion 2. Open Our Pool 3. Swim 4. Play In Spinklers 5. Eat Snow Cone 6. Celebrate Father's Day 7. Celebrate My Birthday 8. Amy's Bridal Shower 9. July 4th Celebration 10. Nan's Birthday 11. Play In Downtown Fountains 12. Visit Alabama 13. Amy's Wedding 14. Hot Rod's Game 15. Beech Bend Park 16. Pick Strawberries 17. Eli's Monster Jame Part

From the moment I heard, "It's a girl."  I have dreamed of Texas size bows...you know... the ones that are bigger than a baby's head.   I think this obsession goes back to my childhood where my super adorable and blond sister wore cute bows every day.  Meanwhile, I was sentenced to "the bob" - that would be a short, single layered, chin length haircut parted right down the middle.  I guess if I'm being completely honest, I did have Texas size bangs. Ha!  Big bangs, and big bows are hardly the same thing!   The truth is I did wear bows, but not nearly as often nor as big as Amy's.  Call me jealous if you will.  Ha!  I promise, I'm not scarred for life over this.  I am, however, in love with big bows! I even tried my hand at making them, but seeing as I don't have a crafty bone in my body, that was an epic fail!   Lucky for me, one of my pageant sisters is talented in that area and has a small businesses making bows. Jossy Belle Bo

My heart breaks today for the people of Moore, Oklahoma whose lives have been forever changed.  No doubt they will carry with them throughout this earthly life the scar of this day. I have been to Oklahoma once.  That was in the spring of 2005, my sophomore year of college, and I fell in love with the people.   We nearly lost our lives in Tulsa which is way too light of a story to share with you under these circumstance, but one day I'll do just that. We stayed with my roommate's family in Enid and visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Faith, Family and Love would sum up my view of Oklahoma folk.  They are a good people who no doubt have a lot of healing in front of them.  Will you please join me in praying from those who lost homes, earthly possessions, loved ones, children or their mere innocence yesterday? "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." - Matthew 5:4

Ellie redeemed herself last night by sleeping EIGHT STRAIGHT HOURS!!  Ya'll, we are so blessed to have a good sleeper, and Eli is doing great too!  There are no word to express our gratitude. I try to get pictures on Sundays before church because it's pretty much the only day that we all look presentable, at least at the same time.  Some days I still have on work clothes and look ok, but the kids are in sweats from daycare, or they're looking super cute and I'm in gym clothes.  Please tell me you understand this! At church today, a friend's son gave Eli two brand new pair of baseball pants.  Brett plays ball for a local high school, and Eli thinks he hung the moon.  You can imagine how excited he was to sport his new pants.  As soon as we got home, Eli had change into them and a baseball shirt...love his heart! Eric let me take a little nap, and when I woke up we decided to let Eli swim in the kiddie pool since it's about a bazillion de

My mom and dad came down for a quick visit this weekend.  It's been awhile since they've seen the kids and even longer since they've been down for a visit.  Eric and I have cut out almost all traveling for now.  It's hard because our parents are busy people with busy lives too, and that makes visits more scarce.  However, we know that this is just for a season of our lives, and one day we won't have two small babies.  Until then, we make the most of every minute we can get with family.  My parents got here Friday evening.  They brought Eli a HUGE riding horse which I failed to get pictures of...oops!  Honestly, I wasn't too thrilled because I had finally de-cluttered most big toys.  Now I have a stupid horse in my family room.  Ha!  Oh  well, Eli loved it! We let Eli play for a few minutes then we headed to Smiths Grove to get milk shakes at Flavor Isle.  They were pretty amazing!  My mom had never had a treat from there, but I'm pretty sure

 I have followed so many bloggers who just stopped writing after the second baby.  I swore I wouldn't do that...famous last words, right?  Never say never! I actually haven't stopped writing completely, but I have slowed down...a lot!  I just can't find the time anymore.  For starters, I hardly ever pull out the camera...at least the real one.  My iphone is just always handy.  Plus, I can add pictures to Facebook or send them to family without having to physically sit down at a computer.   I tried to figure out the whole intagram thing, but I really stink at it. Anyway, I want to document my resolve to be a better blogger.  I really enjoy looking back on the memories we've made as a family.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I disagree.  Pictures capture a moment, but they can't express the heart.  That's why I love blogging.  Sometimes I look back at old posts and think, "Awe, that was such a fun day."  Then I start reading how hot

Do ya'll watch NBC's The Voice?  If not, you should! It's a great show with wonderful talent like that of Bowling Green's Justin Rivers.   He was voted off last week, but he took the time to talk with me today about his experience on the show.  I bet it was so exciting to meet Blake Shelton, Shikira, Usher, and Cheryl Crow.  While I he was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, I was excited to get to interview him. Last week it was Ben Jones from Dukes of Hazard and this week it's Justin Rivers...just another day on the job.  How lucky am I?!

As any of you with children know, life can get crazy.  There are games to play, books to read, forts to build and boo boos to kiss. There are also meals to make, laundry to wash, messes to clean and baths to give.  Life is made up of moments of chaos and tender, precious memories all wrapped into a 24 span of time we call a day.  Sometimes it's hard to be still and listen, but when I am, the Lord stirs in my heart a prayer for each of these babies - a prayer that can only come from a mother's heart.  It's in these moments that two verses play over and over in my mind like the melody of a favorite song.  It's these verses that have become very specific prayers for my children and the man and woman they will become. "Let you light shine before other, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16 Eli is like the blast of cold air you get when walking by an air conditioned building on a sultry summer day An unexp

Have I ever told you that Eli loves sports?  Ha!  I look back at him with baseballs and basketballs at 18 months old ,and it blows my mind that he's still so interested.   The thing is, he doesn't discriminate.  Baseball, basketball, football, soccer...you name it, we play it! Not only do we play sports all day, we also have to watch certain videos on Youtube.   We watch "Boys of Fall," while wearing a football helmet. We watch Alabama's "Cheap Seats,"  John Fogerty's"Centerfield," and Kenny Rogers,  "The Greatest" while holding a bat, carrying a ball, and wearing a batting helmet. And now, thanks to Space Jam, we have to listen to the movie sound track while shooting hoops!  That's a blast from the past! He hasn't found a song about soccer or golf...YET! And with all that playing, who has time to run inside for a potty break?  Not this boy! I never thought

Ya'll. I love party planning...I'm just not so good at party executing.  Let's face it, I have champagne taste and a beer budget.  Ha!  I'm not sure if pinterest is helping or hurting.  Either way, it has certainly given me a lot of ideas as I start planning my sister's wedding shower! That's right, Amy is walking down the isle in August, so I've been busy getting things together for a June shower.  Here are some of my favorite finds: If I had all the money in the world, I would totally order these little cakes.  The thing is, I'm on a budget...a tight budget...so I'm thinking something a little more traditional like a cake or some cupcakes would be a better fit.  I found this example of cupcakes, which I love!  However, with close to 60 guests and virtually NO artistic abilities, I just don't think this is possible.  The good new is, I have a some talented friends and a contingency plan! Let's move on to tablescapes, s

Today was Ellie's two month well visit.  That meant we had to get stupid shots. I hate shots even though I know they're important. Who wants to see their kid in pain, really?   Like Eli, she is small.  She weighs around eleven pounds and is twentieth percentile for weight and the thirtieth for weight.  What can I say, I have small babies! When we got there she was trying to poop but having trouble.  That all changed when they took her temperature rectally.  Ha!  It was so gross, ya'll!   One day she'll hate me for sharing that little tidbit of information. Ha! She did great with the shots too.  Although, I will say that she was a bit more dramatic about the whole ordeal than Eli ever was.  I guess that comes with being a girl.   Every time Eric walks into the room, she turns it on.  From all smiles to pouty lips.  See the above pictures for evidence!  I guess she needs some daddy snuggles.  Even Eli is being extra loving!

Yesterday I dedicated an entire post to a child who's major accomplishments are eating, sleeping, and pooping.  Even though we couldn't love her more if we tried, I didn't want to forget my first born and his "for real" achievements.  As  he has been since birth, Eli is busy!  He plays all day, every day.  His major obsession these days is dinosaurs.  He can name about 30 different specifies...thank you Dinosaur Train. I think it's safe to venture that we've checked out every dinosaur book at the library and almost every movie on the same topic.  In addition to recognizing and saying so many different dinosaurs, Eli can also sing the National Anthem.  I attribute this to his love of sports.  Although, trying to convince him that "play ball" are not the last two words has proved challenging.  Call this boy patriotic, he can also recite the entire Pledge Of Allegiance,  a feat for which I can take no credit.  That's all dayc

Ellie is two months old today, and I can't hardly believe it!  She has completed our family in a way I never imagined possible.  She is the sweetest, most cuddly baby in the world, and we all love her to pieces.  Size: She's in 0-3 month clothes, and I almost cried when I packed away the newborn stuff. Eating: She eats 3-4oz every 3-4 hours Sleep: AMAZING!  She goes to bed around 10:00 and gets up between 1:00-2:00 then again between 5:00-6:00.  I don't know about ya'll but I could get used to this kind of sleep! Activity:  Basically she eats, sleeps and poops. Ha! We're in love with our sweet Ellie Girl!

I don't know about ya'll, but this week has completely wiped me out!  I guess it's the combination of a few bad nights and the newness of our routine starting to wear off.  Regardless, we decided that it would be a good weekend to send Eli to visit Eric's family.  They've been wanting to see him, and we need the rest.  I picked Eric up at work, and we drove to Hopkinsville to meet Eric's mom and dad.  It actually worked out really well because we hadn't been able to watch Colby play ball all season.  They had a game tonight, so we killed two birds with one stone.   Eli just melts me heart watching a ballgame.  He is so serious, and you can tell he's just dreaming about his day on the field.  It won't be long.  Next year he can play t-ball...sigh...he's growing up so fast! The game ended just a few minutes before a big storm blew up.  We ate a quick dinner at Wendy's before heading back to Bowling Green.  As per usu