Sick visit

Being sick right before Christmas is no fun.  Chloe was on antibiotics already for an ear infection, however I didn’t think it was working.  Callie was having a nasty cough also, so before Christmas got here I took both the girls in to get a check up.  Apparently everyone else in Columbia had the same idea, cause they were all there too.  We made the most of our hour long visit…

we read lots of books

lots of silly faces

and checked our eye sight

after the girls were finally seen, we headed to the pharmacy to pick up BOTH of their new prescriptions.  Gotta love a bug that over stays their welcome…

Our Christmas Card

This year I had a vision of what I wanted our card to look like and it about drove me crazy trying to make it happen!  The first day we went to take pictures it was FREEZING, so the girls were complaining the whole time and I didn’t love any of the pictures.

Then the second trip to try and take them they were putting up the Christmas tree at the State House and I was afraid I’d get those huge white trucks in the picture, which in the end you wouldn’t have been able to see.  So, the third and final trip we got one that would work, out of a bunch of out-takes!

We even had a few onlookers, maybe making sure I didn’t let my kids run out into Main St….

I love the way it turned out and that it shows the girls personalities off!

Potty Training, or not

Chloe has decided that she no longer wears diapers.  She literally woke up and now refuses to wear a diaper.  We totally skipped the potty training part of the whole process.  I have no idea if that is even normal, but it’s working!  She tells me when she needs to go potty and has only had a couple of accidents since her decision.  When she sets her mind to something, world you better watch out because she means to see if through!  We are now a house that doesn’t have any diapers (except at night) and that feels odd to be honest.  Four years of changing a little one’s diaper every day to not has been a nice change of pace.

Way to go Chloe, you make this momma proud!

First day diaper free

Levi’s little….

When Levi was just over 3 months old, Kelsey and DR found out that they were going to have another baby!  It was finally time to find out what they were having and Kelsey asked if I could watch Levi for them while they went to the Dr. to find out.  The day before though we took a poll to see what everyone thought they would have, Callie and I guessed girl, Chloe and Vaughn guessed boy.

So that morning came and Levi went with us to school while they went to the Dr.  Callie loved having him ‘take’ her to school!

A little later Kelsey came buy to pick Levi up and told me what they were having…

a BOY!

How fun!!  Even though I guessed girl, a boy couldn’t be more perfect!

A little while later they settled on his name, Jude August Granger.  He’ll be affectionately called JAG by his Aunt Erin :)  Cannot wait to meet sweet JAG in early May!

November from my phone

The girls have really enjoyed sharing a room, however getting them to be sleeping angels take a little longer than it used to

I tried a new recipe from Pinterest, and it was YUMMY- Lasagna Soup

love our morning snuggles!

squeaky clean

Callie got her school pictures back 1. It’s my favorite so far 2. She’s just beautiful 3. She looks so much older that my heart hurts a little every time I look at it, in a good way

I broke down and we listened to our first Christmas song, Mariah Carey Christmas gets me every time!

no nap in bed = late afternoon cat nap on the couch

Hers and Hers rain boots

color blocking at it’s finest

Welcome to Moe’s!  Gotta love a kids eat free lunch date with this lady

only to follow up with a “I’m not going to nap so I’m going to throw my self on the floor and cry for two hours” nap time

Right before Thanksgiving we had some of our friends from Nashville come into, love catching up with them!

Thanksgiving laziness at it’s finest with the Granger boys

House Divided!  (Go Tigers!)

Before the game started, we were still friends

He made up for my loss, his victory, by treating us girls to OHOP

getting our tree!

my favorite pictures: Me, Callie, and Chloe with my dad when we were all 1 reading Forbes magazine

Christmas decorations exploded in our house

I ordered/bought Callie a pair of pants for the first time in probably a year.  She said she liked them, now if she’ll wear them….

Levi got to come with us to school one morning while his mommy and daddy went to find out if he was having a brother or sister!

Happy Birthday Vaughn!

Vaughn turned the big 30 this year!  That’s a BIG deal in my eyes, especially since we’ve known each other since we were FOURTEEN!  Since I had never thrown the birthday boy a birthday party I thought a big bash for his thirtieth would be perfect.  But not just any party, a surprise one!  I signed up to host supper club a couple days after his birthday so he wouldn’t be too suspicious about me getting the house ready and all the extra food in the house.  So on his actual birthday we went to OHOP (Original House of Pancakes) with some friends and family, very low key, and it would have bothered me had we not had the party already planned.  He got some tequila and cigars from me which were going to be perfect for his Mexican Fiesta that Friday! 

Taking a silly picture at OHOP on his 30th

So Friday came and there was NOTHING put together because I had no where to hide anything.  So thanks to a friend who came to help, it all slowly and surely all came together.

The plan was to stall him as long as possible to get home.  A few friends were in on the whole thing which helped a TON.  At exactly 7:00 Vaughn pulled into the driveway along with the Taco Truck.   SURPRISE!  He was very excited and I was relieved that the party could start and I didn’t have to worry any more about ruining the secret!  It was SO much fun to celebrate him with all of our friends and family.  I wish we didn’t it every year now! 

The Taco Truck idea came from my dad.  Juan is a customer of dad’s and serves authentic Mexican cuisine.  His food is amazing and there was always a line for more tacos and burritos!

Even  the littlest party goer got into the Mexican theme with his own little mustache! haha

me and the silly birthday boy!

We went well into the night by the fire.  Love these people!

Only regret I have is I didn’t take a single picture from my camera- dang!  I wish I had thought about that ahead of time for the fact I’d be running around playing host and not playing photographer.  Oh well, it was a blast and SO happy I got to surprise him once with a big party!  He makes turning 30 look fun!

Callie 4 Year, Chloe 2 Year Stats

We finally made it to the Dr.s office for the girls annual visit.  I realized at the last minute that I hadn’t set them up and then it took a month for us to get in at the same time, lesson learned!  The girls were both healthy and are growing fast.  They both got shots, poor Callie got three, and their fingers pricked.  By the way, and a heads up for you other moms, the four year visit is a tough one!  Three shots, fingers pricked, pee in a cup, vision and hearing test, and blood pressure taken- a lot for even a brave girl!  Callie doesn’t have to go back for another year, Chloe in six months- a nice change in pace from going all the time when they’re little :)

Chloe:  Height: 37” (99.3%)  Weight: 36lbs (99.3%)

Callie: Height: 43.8” (98.2%) Weight: 42lbs (87.9%)

Guardian Angel

Our guardian angel has had their hands full with us this week. You know when things happen to you, around you, and you say to yourself 'how lucky are we that it happened like xyz!?' This started Friday night. No details, but it did. Then Saturday I was pulling up to the Grangers house when my tire light came on. Got out of my car to hear and see my tire go flat. Had it happened just a mile away I'd have been stranded. Then yesterday the girls were headed upstairs after lunch to get ready for resting time. I had put the last dish in the dishwasher, and as I was turning the corner to walk up myself I heard it. Chloe falling down all 13 steps. Screaming between every bump as she tumbled down. I thought I saw her become disabled, brain dead, with a broken bone or even dead. There should have been no way she walked away unharmed but that's exactly what happened. I scooped her up and yelled to Callie to grab my phone feeling for sure I was calling 911. Chloe cried for a minute while I checked her over then was upset that her juice was at the top of the stairs and not in her hand. Thankfully my child is made of rubber. Then today after school I needed to go to the bank. I was taking the girls because they love to do the change counter machine and that's what I needed to do. At the last minute I chose to go the bank not near our house and so thankful I did. About the time we were at the bank, the other bank near our house was held up by gunpoint. I cannot imagine how horrifying that must be. Our angel has been so good to us, and they have put in some over time this week. Hope you're angel is treating you as good as ours!
This picture is of Chloe the afternoon after her fall, clearly her sweet silly self :)




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Our family has had their fair share of bumps in the road you could say. Some of these will take a while to overcome while others are easier. As a Christian I believe that God has a purpose for every bump, even if we can't see it at that moment. A few years ago Vaughn and I went through a tough time with a family member being an alcoholic. It was the hardest thing we ever went through to get them on the path of sobriety, but it paid off. This family member put in the hard work it took to get sober and has been ever since- so amazing! The knowledge we gained from that life moment has proven invaluable in this past week. Another one of our family members is now on their road to sobriety, and I couldn't be more relieved. It's been a long journey for this person and I'm praying that the time is right and that they are ready to accept the help they will receive over the next couple of weeks. Vaughn and I know the hard part is still to come, but they took the most important first step to start. As we go over this bump as a family I'm hopeful of the outcome. I linked below information on substance and alcohol abuse. If you think someone you know may be abusing, please don't wait to help them.

Alcohol Abuse Information
Drug Abuse Information



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Voting- with a 2 year old

Four years ago Callie was just a tiny little baby when I went and voted for who our next President would be.  It was a long wait with her, but thankfully she slept the entire time.  Fast forward four years to this Presidential election, Chloe was the lucky one to accompany me in this civic duty.  Chloe’s MMO was closed that day (very frustrating) so she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.  We dropped Callie off at school earlier than usual and then headed to our local recreation center to vote.  We walked up to a line that way already out the door (and this place is a gym with lines wrapped all along the inside.) Great…

I brought the stroller with me so Chloe could hang out, eat snacks, read books, play on my phone, etc.  Thank goodness I did.  The first hour in she was in good spirits and hadn’t asked once to get out

The second hour ended with a very grumpy two year old and mom

at one point I let Chloe hold my phone, she took some pictures of our trip, good times

After a little over two hours, with several of the voting machines down/broken, I got to vote.  Very frustrated about the time it took to do so, and so is the rest of Columbia, SC, but that’s another day.  The fact is, I did it and I’m proud to show my girl it’s worth the wait to do something so many other women around this world don’t have the privilege to do.

Chloe was worn out by the whole process by the time we got Callie picked up and back home

I’m thankful for the break in political ads and that this election season is over.  Crazy to think I’ll have an eight and six year old the next time we vote for our president…