Thankful

It's almost Thanksgiving and we've been very thankful around here!  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays - you get to eat, see family, and it's not about the decorations and gifts.  (Although, to be fair, I am obsessed with Christmas decorations...)  Here are some things that we've been up to lately!


Although we aren't spending Thanksgiving at our house, we have had a fun time decorating for the season.  We have lots of pumpkins and turkeys around here!

At the beginning of the month, we made a "Thankful Tree."  There were no rules - if C was thankful for 10 things one day and then we skipped a couple of days that was okay.  The first few days were hard for her understand.  She kept saying she was thankful for the wall...  She finally got that we are thankful for family and friends and things that we love.  There are still some random things on here, but she did a pretty good job!

The final list of what we are thankful for are: (in no particular order)
outside, Daisy, Raughley and Liam, sandwiches, Cohen, juice boxes, Rosemary, Trey, Caroline, Sydney and Brooklyn and Ms. Sarah, movies and popcorn, Mimi and Papa, Ann Parker, Grammy, Mommy and Daddy, Chambers, my house, Jack and Sam, veterans, Kiki, dance, flowers, windows, Charlotte, storytime, blankets, gates, AP, Caroline M., Ms. Lillian, Ms. Debbie and Ms. Shay

Last Friday, the girls had their Thanksgiving programs at school.  Ann Parker had her Thanksgiving Snack and she looked like a little doll.  They made these cute little aprons to wear and they were adorable.

She spotted her bestie, Brooklyn, across the room so she had to have a hug!  (Her face in the above picture is her seeing B)

After the snack, AP and I headed to Caroline's Thanksgiving Feast.  What a feast it was!!!  Each grade brought different foods - turkey, dressing, vegetables, fruit, salad, bread, dessert.

We tried to take a family picture (minus Adam who was away at trial) but it didn't go so well...

Oh well, still so incredibly thankful for these two precious blessings.  I still cannot believe that I get to be their mommy!!

Check out the giveaway post to see who won!!

Disney on Ice, Elf Party, and Veteran's Day

We have been busy, busy, busy this week!  After a very long week of Adam getting ready for trial (which he leaves for this week) we decided to have a lazy Friday night.  I took it seriously and fell asleep by 8:30.  It was glorious.  We woke up on Saturday and told the girls that we had a big surprise for them...breakfast at Chick-fil-a!!!!!  They got to play in the play place in the morning!  Woo hoo!!  After the "big surprise", we took them to Disney on Ice (the actual surprise)!  We got to our seats just as the show was starting.  Both girls were completely amazed by the show.  Caroline loved Mickey and Minnie and Tinkerbell.  Ann Parker loved Tinkerbell and Goofy.  Since this show was the "Princesses and Heros" show, I brought along some new princess toys so that I could avoid buying the million dollar light up toys they sold at the BJCC.  The girls LOVED their new wands and magic mirrors...until they saw the light up things.  Next year I will splurge!

I thought the Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid scenes were the best.

Checking out her new wand.

After the show, Daddy went to Tuscaloosa to watch the Bama game while the girls hung out here.  Everyone had a fun time :)

Monday was Veteran's Day so the girls didn't have school.  We went to an Elf party!  The kids got to see Santa and a couple of elves!  They wrote letters to Santa asking for their elves to come back.  There were several games and fun things to do.  If you live in the Birmingham area, I suggest you check out the Elf Magic party at Blue Willow next year.  They did a great job!

Writing letters to Santa asking for their elves and for a few gifts.

Mailing the letters.

Two of the elves.

I snapped a couple of Santa pics while she was up there.  AP isn't in any pictures, but she was there dressed just like C and was equally adorable.  She was clinging on to me for dear life.  Apparently Santa and the elves were creeping her out...

Caroline asked for Sofia toys, princess toys, Doc McStuffins toys, and surprises.

After a quick nap and outfit change (which was necessary after AP pour a cup of cold coffee all over herself), we headed to the Veteran's Day Parade downtown.  It was huge!!  There were ROTC troops, boy scouts, pageant queens (because what parade doesn't have some random Miss Outstanding Teen/Miss Rural City that I have never heard of???), and lots of military members.

Not going to lie - I got teary eyed at the parade.  There was a huge turnout and everyone went wild for the soldiers.  It was amazing and brought me to tears.  I tried my best to explain to my sweet three year old why we were cheering and told her that they were very brave men and women who worked hard to protect us and sometimes that means they don't see their families and friends.  I didn't have to say anything else and she was clapping and waving and yelling "thank you" as they walked by.  I was so proud.

Thank you doesn't seem like enough to say to the people that protect this country.  I feel like I could have studied harder or stuck with things longer and maybe I could have gone to dental school, medical school, law school, etc. (not saying those are easy things at all - I certainly lack the intellectual gifts that are very needed for those fields) but it's more than just intellect that keeps me from being in the military.  They are so brave and so selfless and give up time with their own families so that I can have time with mine.  I was reading stories yesterday about men who missed their child's births and others who were stationed over seas for months at a time, and I just wanted to hug every single person who has sacrificed for this county.  Freedom is not free and yesterday was a wonderful reminder that we need to thank people for what they do.

Christmas Cards AND a giveaway!!

*****This giveaway is closed!  Congratulations to Jenna Bailey!!!  Tiny Prints will email you directly.  Thank you to everyone who entered!*****


It's November...time to start thinking about the upcoming holiday season!  And that, of course, means Christmas cards!  We picked out the perfect outfits, had a session with the perfect photographer, and now it's time to find the perfect card to send out.  I will be heading to tiny prints to find that perfect card!!  In addition to the cutest holiday cards, they have quick turn around time and the BEST customer service.  I know that I will have my order on time and that they will look exactly as I want them to.  We have used tiny prints for Christmas cards, birthday invitations, Valentine's Day cards, and birth announcements and have always been highly impressed!

Here are some of my favorite this year:


Glamorous Ampersand
I am in love with the colors!!

The Naughty List
I can totally see my two silly girls on this card...and so appropriate

Golden Holiday
I think I love the "Merry and bright" since I am drawn to a lot of these.  Check out one of the new trim options - bracket.  There are several new options this year including square, rounded, bracket, ticket, and scallop!

Dusted Pinecones
Again, I love the colors and how it's simple yet still Christmas-y.

Glitzy Greeting
Possibly my favorite and the one I keep coming back to.  I love the gold!!

In addition to the new trim options, there are tons of other options for 2013!  There are CLEAR cards this year!!  You can also pick matching address labels and envelope liners to create the perfect holiday mail!  There are many new design options this year - those were only 5 of my favorite but there are many to choose from - contemporary, classic, vintage, full bleed photos, All That Glitters, Bold Expressions, Simply Chic, Woodland Wonder, and The New Tradition.  Start looking now because there are lots that you will have to choose between!!  Check out the cards here and check out some of the photo gifts here - great ideas for grandparent gifts!

Join the Twitter Party on November 14th at 2 PM ET!  Follow @ResourcefulMom and use the hashtag #TinyPrintsCheer  You will be able to see what other pinners and tweeters are interested in this year!  Just tweet during the time using the hashtag - easy as can be!!

And now for the best part...

Tiny prints is offering one of my readers $50 off their order PLUS free shipping!!  How great is that?  All you need to do is comment on this blog post with the name of YOUR favorite holiday card.  The giveaway will close on November 25 and I use a random number generator to select the winner.  Visit here to see the holiday cards!  I would love to know what your favorites are!  Also, please include your email address.

Tiny prints is compensating me for this blog post, but all opinions are my own!

Eighteen Months Old!!

Eighteen Months Old - October 20, 2013

Our little girl turned 1 1/2 a couple of weeks ago and of course I am just getting around to posting about it!  Second child...  ha!  Her vocabulary continues to grow at a very fast rate.  She says new words everyday.  She is such a well mannered little lady.  She virtually always says please, thank you, excuse me, and bless you in the correct context.  She says good morning to everyone (even when it's not morning) and hands out hugs and kisses to her favorite people.  We have been working on colors and numbers and ABC's lately and she is doing a great job.  She'll be a pro in no time!

I finally moved her up to a size 4 diaper, but they are a little big.  Size wise, she is the same as last month with the exception of the new diaper size.  Her sleeping has been better from last month, but it's still not back to where it was.  She goes to bed easily around 8:00-8:30, but still wakes up around midnight.  If I bring her to my bed, she will fall right to sleep.  If I try to rock her and then put her back in her crib, she wakes up around 3:00.  Not sure what is going on, but we went through the same thing with Caroline around the same age.  We eventually moved C to a big girl bed a few months later.  It's hard to imagine moving tiny AP to a big girl bed but I know it's coming soon!!

She is so sweet and such a joy to be around.  She laughs easily and often, which is what we hoped for our kids - just to find joy in life.  She finds daddy hysterical and loves to snuggle with mommy.  She calls Caroline "sissy" and just adores her.

She can throw one heck of a tantrum...  She sure does like to get her way.  Her new thing is that when you say no or take something away (if we are at home) is start crying and screaming and running behind the kitchen table.  She will lay on the ground back there and throw her fit.  She doesn't do it often though, so it's not a bad as it could be :)

Happy 18 months sweet girl!  We love you more and more every single second that you are with us.

BSC Homecoming 2013

This Saturday, we went to BSC to go to the Homecoming football game and the young alumni after party.  BSC didn't have a football team when I went to school there, so it's always a little strange to celebrate homecoming by going to a football game.  It was a beautiful day and we brought the girls.  We got to see several people that we went to school with - fraternity brothers, sorority sisters, and lots of other friends.  It was fun to catch up and bring the girls back to our alma mater :)  Maybe it will be theirs too one day!



We had our engagement pictures taken at BSC.  One of my favorites was taken on this path under these trees.  It's so neat to see them on this same path all these years later.

BSC won the game against Rhodes!

BSC is simply beautiful...although the basement of the Sigma Chi is not.

Sporting our black and gold!

We had a great time!  If you are a BSC young alumni - make plans to attend next year!!  Adam is the president elect for the Young Alumni Council so go ahead and commit now or else he will be calling you to make you come...

Last soccer game of the season

This past Saturday, the Blazers had their last soccer game!  Caroline kicked the ball a few more times than usual and did a really great job.  They got medals at the end of the game, which made C the happiest girl in the world!  I think it was a great experience for her and I know that she liked it.  I don't think she loved it, so I think we will take a break in the spring.

It turned out to be much colder than I thought...oops.  I tried to keep her warm by giving her my vest.  She was not a fan.

Getting her medal

Syd getting her medal

Although the sun was in their eyes, they are still super excited about the medals!!

Good season, Blazers!!!