Our Vacation in Pictures

Here are some pictures from out wonderful vacation to Jellystone Park in Cave City, Kentucky.

These are my three favorites:
My Rockstars:

Josie, Jolie & Gigi:

Josie, Jolie & Grammy:


Mother~Daughter Moments:
Lollie:

Josie:


Other Great Shots:












Thank you so much to Mom, Bet, Gigi, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Debbie, Tommy, Cameron, Joe, Josie & Lol for making that week so special and so much fun. I love you all!

Our Vacation

We are back from vacation and have so much to report. The Saturday before we left for Kentucky we had our finale for VBS. We went to Wetumpka High School where you could climb up a pole, walk across a pole, and then zipline down. Josie got suited up to go. The pegs were too far apart for her to climb up the pole but she tried. Then Alicia pulled her across the pole so she got to "fly like Tinkerbell." She loved it. I was so proud of how brave she was and how hard she tried. I also did it and screamed horribly when I did the zipline, but it was pretty awsome.





That afternoon we went to MeMaw and Paw-Paw's for dinner.


Monday morning we left around 5:00 a.m. to head to Kentucky. We had to stop every hour for Josie to potty, but she did great and had no accidents on the way up there. We got there and our cabins were not what we were expecting, but they were still beautiful. (I don't have any pictures yet, so I will post them in another blog.) The rest of the family got there a little later that afternoon. Once everyone was there we went shopping for food for the week. Tuesday some of us went to go to Mammoth Cave. As we were getting out of our vehicles they were announcing over the loud speaker for everyone to get inside because a tornado had touched down ten miles from there. They stuffed us all in this little room. The girls did surprisingly well saying we were in there 20-30 minutes. After the weather was a little better we reserved tickets for the next day and went back to our cabins. Wednesday we had a surprise birthday party for my mom, and then some of us went to the wax museum, then some of us did Mammoth Cave, and then Joe and I took the girls to Dino World. Thursday Joe and I took the girls and Cameron to another cave and did a little shopping. That afternoon after naps Joe and I took Josie to this place called Alpine Village. They had bumper cars (which we did), go carts (which Joe and Josie did), bumper boats, and this chair lift that took you up the mountain and then you slide down the mountain on this sled thing. All three of us would ride up the mountain in the chair lift then one of us would get off to slide while the other rode with Josie back down the mountain in the chair lift. She had a ball. There was also some putt-putting and swimming squeezed into the vacation. Friday after loading up the cars, brunch with everyone one last time, we headed home. My Mom and Babette and us drove in two cars but stayed close together going up there and coming home. Everytime Josie had to potty I would call Mom and tell her that we needed to take a potty break. Well at one point Josie had to potty and Josie told me I needed to call the potty because she had to go. It was so cute. We all had a blast. It was so great to spend time with my family I haven't seen in forever and I was sad to leave them. I was so impressed with Joe. Joe has only met my Grandmother and Aunts one time before (when we got married) and had never met my cousins Tom and Cameron. You would have thought he had known them all his whole life. He helped take care of my grandmother and kept her supplied with coffee and was comfortable and joking with everyone.

Friday we got home and there was water on our kitchen floor. We cleaned it up and didn't think too much about it. The next morning it was there again. Our air conditioner was/is leaking. The flooring was coming up and I didn't want it to mold so I started pulling up the pieces. So then we had to buy a new floor. We ended up getting the laminate (fake wood) floor. Last night progress was finally made and half the room is done. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Saturday morning the girls got up and played and then my Mom and Bet loaded them up and took them to PC for the week. The weekend was so crazy with the flooring issue and my brother being in the hospital to have his appendix removed that I didn't think about them being gone that much. Well until Sunday night when I cried. I had finally settled down and it hit me. Monday the girls went swimming and played on the playground. Yesterday Grammy and Emmie took them swimming and to Pump-It-Up. Today they are taking them to the Junior Museum. It is a hands on place for kids. They have imagination rooms where the kids can play. The woman mom spoke with only gave the example of a shopping room. It is set up like a grocery store and the kids get buggies and they push it around and pick stuff off the shelves and put it in their buggies. I can't wait to talk to them to see what other rooms the girls played in. I'm sure they will go swimming again this afternoon as well. They will come home Friday. We have a baby shower for Ben and Tiffany on Saturday so they will come up Friday to help with that.

We have a party for Joe's boss we have been invited to (he is getting married) and so we are trying to decide if we are going to that. The girls will have just gotten back the day before so I don't know what we'll do. Then Wednesday SOS is at my house. Then there is the 4th of July and we'll go up to the Lake with Other Mama's sie of the family. Hopefully after that life will slow down. Who knows.

VBS Pictures

These are pictures of the girls in the main area of VBS:

Josie Posing in a tent #1:


Josie Posing in a tent #2:


Some Campers, aka Jolie & Josie:


These are pictures of the awsome room Mary Kelley and I put together for our "campers" as mentioned in a previous blog:
The Fire Pit:


Tent #1:


Tent #2:


The Swimming Pool, aka Swimming Hole:


The Mountain:


The Picnic Area:


The Waterfall:

Summer Fun:

What a weekend . . .

We somehow managed to pack a lot into a weekend, and I look back wondering how it all happened in such a short time. Friday afternoon we went to Joe and Josie's favorite place-- Bass Pro Shop. We love it because it is free entertainment for the kids.

Saturday morning we went to a friend's house to swim. At one point Josie managed to fall into the pool while both Joe and I were other occupied. Someone else who was there jumped in to get her. Needless to say it scared all of us adults beyond measure. It only shook Josie up a little bit. She never cried and kept telling me that she had fallen in. We had taken off our floaties because we were about to eat lunch. Everything is right there around the pool, the grill, the table, and the kiddie pool the kids were playing in while we got lunch ready. I was setting up the table for the four little girls to eat and Joe and Lol. She was reaching for a float to put into the kiddie pool and feel in. So of course I spent the rest of the day feeling like a horrible mom. After that we went home and took naps. That evening we went out to dinner with Uncle Ben, Aunt Tiffany, and William. Josie had to ride in Uncle Ben's car from Countrys to Wal-Mart and then from Wal-Mart back to our house. It was cute.

Then that evening when we laid Jolie down for bed she was not quite happy about doing it without her paci. She jumped/fell out of her crib. I'm not sure which and I'm not sure how she landed. We heard her cry change and Joe rushed in to get her. She busted her lip in the process. He got her cleaned up and he snuggled with her in his chair. She was asleep within a minute, no lie. So of course this scared me because I didn't think she should have fallen alseep that fast. So then I was worried that she had a concusion. WE purposely woke her up so that I would feel better.

Sunday we went to church then Mary Kelley and I stayed to decorate our room for VBS this week. Joe took the girls home. Mary Kelley and I worked on our room from 1:45 to 7:00 p.m., but seeing the kids faces last night as they walked into the room was worth it. We are teaching k-6th grade and our theme is camping. Mary Kelley and I made a waterfall coming out of the wall with butcher paper and material, we have a picnic area with a small picnic table and toy grill, we had two tents with sleeping bags, we made a mountain with a bear, deer, and bobcat, and a swimming pool with a gruard stand. Our room is awsome. I'm so proud of how it turned out and like I said the kids loved it when they walked in last night. We are teaching each night this week so that will help this week go by faster for our vacation next week.

Yesterday was also a big day for each girl. Josie went the entire day in big girl panties. She is only going to be wearing the pull-ups at bedtime. And Jolie slept in a cot yesterday at school instead of the playpen. Erica said she loved it. I guess it makes her feel more like a big girl like Josie.

I'll end with a hiliarious thing Josie said last night. When we got home I gave them baths, brushed their teeth, laid Jolie down, and laid Josie down with her Dora movie. After a while Josie came out and asked for some more milk. So I went to the kitchen to get her some more milk. In the meantime she went to the living room where Joe was watching TV and she told him she was wet (she was in a pullup for bedtime). And he said, "Josie, you know you are supposed to use the potty." And she looks at him and says, "Well it's too late now." The child cracks me up and she is so smart.

I don't know if I'll have time to write again this week and next week I won't be anywhere near a computer but I'll update as soon as I can.

Paci Detox and Panama City

Pacifiers are a hot button issue these days. People of the older generations strongly believe in them and the parents of today's time are encouraged not to use them, or at least that is what the books say. Some babies make it easy and won't take one. For those of us who start out trying not to use the pacifier most of us break down and give our child one, just anything to make the crying stop. With Josie I had it easy, she sucked her fingers, not her thumb, but her fingers. Everyone told me that this was worse that the paci because you can not take fingers away. However around the time that Josie turned one, she stopped sucking her fingers. Joe and I had no hand in the process. So when Jolie came around and took to the paci I was a little worried about the day when we would have to start weaning. Jolie has learned to smile and say some words while still having the paci in her mouth. I know that this bugs some people, but in my mind my child was happy and it was not hurting anyone. At Jolie's 18 month appointment in March I asked her pediatrcian at what age should I have her weaned by. She told me 2 was a good age. I was happy with this, this meant I did not have to take it away from her yet. Well this week she started tearing it apart with her teeth. After she tore apart one and took it to Erica because it was broke (it would go flat when she tried to suck it) Erica and I made the decision it was time to stop cold turkey. Jolie has now been paci free since sometime during the day Wednesday. Wednesday night she only cried a few minutes more than normal before going to sleep. Last night, bless her heart, was a little harder on her. She cried for a good bit longer, but eventually fell aslseep and did not wake up until this morning. I must admit it is very nice seeing her smile and hearing her talk and sing so much more now. I know this is a good thing, paci free, one less thing to have to worry about finding, but at the same time it is just more proof that I don't have a baby anymore. I have a 3 1/2 year old and an almost 2 year old. Time is flying and they change more and more every day. They are both so smart and I love watching them as they change and grow. I am so blessed that God is letting me be a part of this.

Changing subjects, the girls are starting a tradition this year-- a full week at Grammy and Emmie's house in PC, Florida, parent free. Grammy and Emmie are going with us to Kentucky to vacation wtih my aunts and grandmother at Jellystone Park. When we come home that Friday, mom and Bet will take the girls with them to PC and then bring them back up the next Friday for Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Ben's baby tea. This will be the first time that Jolie has been away from me for this long and only the second time that Josie has been away from me this long. I know it is good for all of us, but still as a mom it is hard. However, I'm so excited about the possibilities that this new yearly tradition holds in store for the girls and the memories that will be made. Now Joe and I trying to decide whether to go down to PC the weekend we get back so that we can take Jolie to the beach for the first time or tell Grammy & Emmie not to take the girls to the beach. I know, I know, staying in PC for a week without going to the beach. Decisions, decisions.

Summer Time Fun

Summer has begun and with it comes all the planning for VBS, trips to the beach, vacations, and just some good ole play time. This planning and getting ready has me stretched a little thin this year, but I'm so looking forward to every activity.

Next week starts VBS at our church. We always do it at night so that everyone can attend. We eat dinner together and then have a class for all ages (even adults) with stories and crafts, and then we'll close with singing. The past two years I headed up VBS but this year I am just teaching. I am teaching with a great friend I have made and am so looking forward to working with the age group we have. Our theme is camping so I hope to have our room all decked out so that the children will be excited to be there. We will put up our tent, put out the sleeping bags, bag chairs, kid's picnic table, the girls' play bbq grill, Joe is going to make us a fire pit, and other things are still in the planning.

Then in the early morning of Monday, June 15th (around 2-4) we will load up and head to Kentucky for our family vacation. This vacation has been in the works for over a year now and I am so excited that it is so close. We have also taught Josie how to say Kentucky and she says it really well. I've been slowly packing stuff we will need for the past couple of months and am trying to get my house in order for my dad who will be house and dog sitting. We will be heading back home on Friday June 19th.

Then on Saturday June 27th we are having a baby tea for my sister-in-law who is due in August. I bought the plates, napkins, forks, and invitations this past weekend. Now I need to type up the invitations and get them sent out. Other plans are in the works for this as well.

In the back of my mind I've also been trying to figure out how we were going to plan three other trips we need to make, but Joe informed me last night that his boss is going to need to back surgery and if that is the case Joe will be working every single day until his boss returns, so that might mean no more trips after June for us. We shall see. Everything is in the air right now.

What opened my eyes though to everything was my sweet precious Josie. Other Mama bought her a bathing suit and gave it to her Friday. As soon as she got home she wanted to put her suit on. Then she wanted to sleep in it. She was so excited about her suit and the possibilities that came with that suit: playing outside, swimming, slip and slides, etc. Summer is meant to be a season of fun. So no matter how stressed or planned packed our summer becomes, I'm going to stop and enjoy all the opportunities that summer brings.