The Granger Family

Beach

2012-02-10T06:06:00.001-08:00

We planned to go to the Beach with G-Kat and Papa while Vaughn was in Chicago for work. I told Callie about it a few days in advance so she could have something to look forward to. That night, when I went to check on her, I found her sleeping in her bathing suit. Excited much?!

We got down there Friday night and had a bite to eat then off to bed. I was woken up EARLY that next morning by a very sick Callie. Poor thing was so excited to play in the sand and now she was sick for the beach! She only got sick a couple of times that morning and by mid afternoon she was feeling more like herself. While Callie rested, Chloe and I got some time together on the front porch- silly girl loves seeing herself in the phone :)

We did finally make it down to the beach. The weather was perfect, a little chilly with the breeze, but not a cloud in sight.

They got to work right away on building their sand castle. Callie got down to her bathing suit and cover up- you weren’t about to convince her otherwise.

Not long after this they decided to put their toes in the water. It was all fun and games until Chloe fell in the water. So we bundled her up and headed back to the house to get ready for dinner. YUM, Robertos!

Sunday the girls played and had some more fun while I was sick, yeap I caught a version of what Callie had and it was no fun. We headed home late afternoon, sad I was sick, but so happy we got to see some beach! Already wish we could go back, Callie is already talking about what she’s going to pack for next time and what she’s going to build in the sand, love it!

New York, New York!

2012-02-09T12:50:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while I’m lucky enough to tag along with Vaughn on a trip to NYC for the MRKet Show. I was very lucky to go in January and thankful that my parents agreed to watch the girls! As we were finishing packing Friday afternoon, Callie wanted to make sure Vaughn and I both had our ‘just in case’ band-aids- just in case we got a boo-boo and needed it! Love it!

Excited waiting in the airport- I don’t get out much! ha

We arrived in NYC, dropped our luggage off at the hotel, then headed out to Lombardi’s for some pie. It was seriously the best pizza ever. We ate all but one slice of the pizza!

We then headed down to the Empire State Building. It was late at night, 10:30ish, and I’ve heard that this was the time to go, and it was! There was not a single line, I think we were two out of 30 people there?

It was SO high up! I’m terrified of heights and would only get about five feet from the edge, my hands are sweating thinking about it, ha!

It was well worth it though. I mean, look at this view! One thing we noticed was how quiet it was all the way up there; ah can I go back now?!

We had heard it was going to snow the next day. I had planned (me plan, crazy I know!) for us to go to the Today Show, but said if it was snowing in the A.M. we’d pass. So we opened our windows in the morning to see snow! I was bummed about not going, but I always love snow.

We walked across the street from the hotel to our favorite breakfast spot, the Astro. A warm hot chocolate for me and a coffee for Vaughn and we were good to go to work- yes we did have to work some while we were there.

Saturday was set up day at MRKET and since we had a booth there, we needed to set up!

I felt like I was in a sea of mannequins with no end in sight. It was very hard to dress these guys and set up when there was so much to do and see out in NYC!

So we hustled through and made the most of it and had a great time making everything look nice…

which made a late lunch drink even better!

We then hit the streets for some shopping. Nike Town, FAO Schwartz, H&M to name a few

That night we had a great dinner at a Chinese restaurant, cannot remember the name now. So yummy and I know we’ll go back. I had wanted to go see Grand Central Station and Vaughn wanted some oysters at The Oyster Bar at Grand Central.

Sadly we got there after the kitchen had closed so no oysters, but good drinks and- great atmosphere!

We were exhausted at this point and headed back to rest. Vaughn had to work the show the next day and Kelsey and I were flying home. Sunday Kelsey and I had a few hours to spend in the city before we had to be at the airport and we made the most of those hours. We headed to the 9/11 Memorial. There wasn’t much to see, you needed to get tickets and go when they were open for visitors. But it was still neat to walk around and take it all in. Last time I was there it was December after 9/11, so yes, very different.

We then headed to Times Square to take a peak. I’m always amazed how bright it is with all the billboards! We couldn’t stay long cause we had a plane to catch. So we said goodbye to NYC until next time, which I hope is sooner than later!

After a crazy trip home, delayed and unpressurized planes, I got to see these to sweet ones. They loved their treats from FAO, I seriously could have bought the whole store for them!

Girls Weekend

2012-02-09T12:14:00.001-08:00

Back in January Mom and I took a trip down to Atlanta, GA to check out AmericasMart. We had no idea what to expect, but we were going for fun so it didn’t matter! We drove down Saturday night and enjoyed a few drinks and dinner.

We woke Sunday to a bright, windy, cold Atlanta day with a great view of Centennial Park. We got a bite of breakfast then headed off to the market. It was a GREAT thing we ate that breakfast too, once we got to market we didn’t stop from 10:00-4:30! There was SO much to see and even more to buy. I think we made it through maybe a 1/4 of what was there and I know we missed a ton of great booths.

I’ve already started thinking about our next trip and the fact we need two days to see it all, or at least more of it.

It was nice to have a night off of “mommy duty,” but I always love coming home to these goobers!

Krispy Kreme

2012-02-08T18:53:00.001-08:00

While renovations were going on we took many opportunities to get out of the house. One such trip was a treat to Krispy Kreme. Us Granger girls loves some donuts!

Renovations Update

2012-02-08T18:48:00.001-08:00

Wow! January was a bit crazy around the Granger House with all the renovations going on, but I’m happy to say, we couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out!

The carpet in the den and linoleum in the kitchen was removed. We were disgusted at how gross these both were, so thankful they are gone.

As crazy as it all was, I got to have some fun- picking out paint colors* and floors!

At one point, we had the alarm guy, painter, and contractor here working on stuff during lunch

but, it was worth it because it meant progress!

The girls broke the new floors in with a dance party, felt like the best way to do that :)

And this is what it looks like, and still looks like now. Our rug is in, however, still waiting on our furniture that’s being made (please hurry, were ready to enjoy our room!).

All in all it was a pretty painless renovation. I love the way it all turned out, but it makes all the things we couldn’t do this round stand out to me (kitchen appliances and cabinets). Maybe next year we'll be doing another renovation?! :)

Renovations

2012-01-10T07:55:00.001-08:00

We’ve been talking about renovating our house for a while now, really ever since we moved into the house 4 years ago. Lately, however, the talk got more serious and we figured in the next 6 months we’d have enough money saved up to start phase one. We’ll to my surprise, we were a lot closer than 6 months and Vaughn surprised me for Christmas with the contract to get us started in the new year! This phase includes removing the wall that separates the kitchen from the den, new paint, hardwood floors in both rooms, and new couch. We started the Tuesday after New Years, but with a bumpy start. Callie had gotten a nasty stomach bug Monday (almost had to take her to the hospital it was so bad) so I couldn’t get the rooms cleaned out like I needed to. Thanks to Vaughn, JJ and my mom for coming in that night to save the day! The rooms got cleared out so they could begin the next morning.

The first piece of wood was removed, and so it began!

A dust wall went up, thank goodness, while they finished up the removal of the wall. It was kinda freaky, reminded me of those killer movies…. anyway….

Bye Bye wall! (From the den looking into the kitchen)

So far, very happy! Hard to believe this is really happening, but so glad it is!

SC State Museum

2012-01-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

This particular Sunday we decided to head to the SC State Museum to see Body Worlds and check out the rest of the museum. I’m not much into what Body Worlds has to offer, however, figured I’d give one for the team and check it out. No pictures were allowed in the Body Worlds, and fine by me, not something I’d personally like to look at again- but I’m sure someone else would find it very fascinating! :) After that exhibit, we headed out to explore the rest of the museum. Chloe loved being able to run around and “look” at everything

Callie also enjoyed the areas where it was hands on

Even though the Body Worlds exhibit wasn’t for me, I love any activity we can all do together!

Sweet Baby G!

2012-01-08T14:37:00.001-08:00

The Granger family is growing by 1 again, and it’s not us this time!! DR and Kelsey are pregnant! We are so excited to be adding another baby to the family! DR and Kelsey decided to find out what Sweet Baby G is going to be, so we all went to dinner one night for them to share the big news. We went around the table and shared what we thought Baby G would be. Callie has been saying Girl the entire time, so I went with that. Everyone else went with Boy. Sparkling grape juice was served and we were sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to hear the news…

It’s a….

BOY! I’m so excited for a little boy in the family and everything that comes with it! I’ve already bought him several outfits, how can you resist?! At this dinner they hadn’t come up with a name, but right before Christmas they did, and I love it.

Levi Miles Granger

Little Levi is due in May so were just waiting and praying for a healthy happy baby boy and a healthy pregnancy for his mommy!

Follow Kelsey and DR’s journey to parenthood and beyond on their blog!

From the phone

2012-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

Chloe LOVES getting her photo taken, especially with my phone when she can see herself. Sometimes I can even catch her cross eyed- hilarious!

Callie wasn’t about to be left out either!

Sleepy Girls

2012-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

New Years

2012-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that it was already time to celebrate New Years! But as usual, it snuck up on us way to fast but we were going to celebrate and make the best of it! The Grangers offered to watch the girls that night for us and we happily accepted their offer. I dropped them off right before lunch and they were so excited to be with their Nana and Big V they didn’t look back to say goodbye. Vaughn and I then met up for lunch and a drink at Pawleys Front Porch before heading to JJ and Jills for the night. Yes, I’m drinking ‘beer’ now and I like it!

After a yummy burger, we headed home, packed up the wagon and walked down to JJ & Jill’s, it’s nice having great friends that live only a couple houses down!

Jill and I spent the day drinking champagne while rocking on her back porch while the boy did what boys do (drink beer, grill and play corn hole). Later that evening Vaughn cooked us all wings, and they were AMAZING!

We enjoyed everyone else’s fireworks. Seeing that it’s known not to be a safe thing for our group to do, this was less stressful and more enjoyable!

Girl shot, missing Jill

Celebrated these two! Excited for their wedding this year! To be Hollis’

The Helfers

Shellenbergs

Grangers

Lynyrd

and Waller!

Lots of fun had by all at the Shellenbergs. Looking forward to a great 2012!

Zoo with Cousins

2011-12-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

While my cousin and her two little ones were still in town for Christmas, we took the opportunity to see them one more time and headed to the Zoo! It happen to be really cold that day, rare for around here right now, so we bundled the kiddos up and headed out for some zoo fun.

William and Callie didn’t stop running then entire time we were there, which equaled to great naps that afternoon!

She sat for a quick second, but was back at it in no time!

Our favorite spot was of course the giraffes, we LOVE feeding them!

This one particular giraffe was being very friendly so we took the opportunity to get our picture with it. I love the progression on the photos, so fun!

We weren’t quite ready to leave so climbing on the lions at the exit extended our visit/play time!

When we get the chance to play like this with them it makes me sad that we don’t live in the same city. Were hoping they’ll move here soon, but until then it gives me a great excuse to head to Clemson!

Making our Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do with the girls during Christmas time is making our ornaments at the Mad Platter. These are special treats for our house and the grandparents, and any excuse to paint something Callie loves.

We let them pick out two colors (versions of red and green) to paint, however, Callie stuck with the red and made sure all her pieces were covered

I’m loving that our tree is filling up with all their sweet creations from each year!

Their first savings account

2011-12-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

Right before Christmas I took the girls down to the bank to set up their very own savings account, with their very own money. Callie was very excited about this, and I guess Chloe was too- just excited to be going somewhere!

Our banker, Mikey, got us all set up

Callie brought her piggy bank so she could count her change in the coin machine. One rule in our house is that you save 10% (savings account), give 10% (church), then you are allowed to spend the rest on what you’d like. In this case, Callie wanted to buy daddy’s Christmas present, a pair of brown shoes and a watch. Its amazing what $20 bucks can get you when you own a clothing store ;)

I was glad both girls enjoyed the experience of putting money in the bank and saving, just hope this will continue for a long time to come!

For Stevie

2011-12-18T16:25:00.001-08:00

Sunday night we lit a candle in memory of Stevie. My cousin Andrea emailed all of us (The Rowlands) earlier in the week and shared with us a group called The Compasionate Friends. It's a national self-help support organization for families grieving the death of a child. In response to the need for grieving families to have one special day during the difficult holidays to remember, honor and reflect on the lives of children who have passed away at any age from any cause, 15 years ago they created the Worldwide Candle Lighting. It is usually held the second Sunday of each December, but since we just learned of this after the fact, she chose the third Sunday. At 7pm we all lit a candle to honor Stevie. We all still think of him daily, still ake for his parents, still know that he's better where he is now even though it's hard. So, for Stevie we remember and well never forget.

Our Tree

2011-12-17T03:57:00.001-08:00

I love that our tree is filling up with all the girls' handmade decorations!

Santa

2011-12-17T03:46:00.001-08:00

Last Friday we headed out to the Lights At the Zoo. I love going with the girls, seeing their faces with all the decorations is priceless. While we were there we came across Santa! I didn't know he would be there and since we didn't get to see him at PJ's this was perfect. Callie was so excited to finally get a meeting with St. Nick. We discussed what she would say- "Two Teddy bears, one for me and one for my sister." This is what she has wanted now for a while from him and I really have no idea why. So, it was our turn to see him, Chloe starts screaming (which I knew she would) and Callie walks up, gets in his lap, and puts her hands up to her face because she is so shy! I could see where they talked for a bit but no idea what was actually said. After her time was up she ran to us all excited and said she did tell Santa about the Teddy bears. Santa has it easy this year with our crowd, not sure about in the future, but I think he'll take it for now. :)

Happy Birthday Jesus

2011-12-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

The last day of school before Christmas break, Callie’s class through Jesus a birthday party! Everyone was in the birthday spirit and happily wore their hats (even Callie!).

We then sang Happy Birthday to Jesus…

and dug right into cake and goldfish!

The sugar rush didn’t take long to hit everyone and before you know it giggles and icing were on everyone's faces!

I love being able to come in and see their faces everyday and especially during these fun times! Can’t wait until our next party

Happy 3rd Birthday Callie!

2011-12-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

(Yes, this is two months behind, but I couldn’t not post this!)

We officially have a three year old in the house, our Big Sister turned three! If she could, Mac would like to really be 4, that’s all she talks about “When I turn four I get gum!” So turning three for Callie just meant that she was that much closer to four and gum. For me, sentimental mom, it meant one year older, one year further from the day she was born.

First Day

Callie is very into reading, singing, dancing, and playing puzzles. She would also probably watch TV all day every day if I let her, I’m assuming this is a normal three year old thing though- right?!

One

Callie LOVES her sister, and for that I am so thankful for. Now that Chloe is starting to walk, she and Callie play very well together. I don’t think they are far away from sharing a room, Mac is constantly asking for “Kowey” to sleep in her room or vice versa. She does, however, love the moments when it’s just all about her. I love it too. Whenever I can have a moment with just one of my girls, to give her that one on one attention, it’s awesome. Two

She is really loving school. When I drop her off in the morning she gets really embarrassed if I stay longer than just dropping her book bag off. She has only sat in time out once, for taking a toy, but usually comes home with a happy face on her daily report card.

Mac also really loves dance class and all her little friends in it. It’s also great when I have a friend in the lobby to converse with while we wait on our little ballerinas!

She’s a daddy’s girl through and through. He has hung the moon in her eyes, and I never want that to go away. She’s his little helper, making sure his belts on correctly before he leaves for work, a sous chef when he’s grilling, and makes sure he eats a good dinner at night. Callie also listens to her daddy better than anyone else. She knows he means business, I wish it worked that well with me!

Callie loves “mommy’s and daddy’s” schools, not knowing that most of the world must like one or the other. We’ve worked hard for that, hoping that you’ll grow up to appreciate that USC and Clemson are two great schools- not bitter terrible rivals.

We’re working on her sense of style, we’ll maybe I should say letting her express herself every once in a while with her clothing. She’d love to wear every color at once, and not exactly in a good way if you know what I mean. This momma has a hard time some days doing this. She’s also over wearing bows most days, which breaks my heart because I think they are so cute on her. Callie does love headbands which is an okay compromise, just trying to keep those curls out of the face!

Unlike Chloe, Callie is not stingy with the hugs and kisses with us. She is very shy though with strangers and new situations. We’ve learned to talk about what we are about to do and see way in advance with her and then she does great.

When I think back to all that' we’ve done over the last three years, I feel so blessed at how wonderful it’s been to have this sweet amazing girl on this journey with us. I can only imagine what the next three years are going to look like and I cannot wait to see this little girl turn into a real big girl!

Happy Birthday Callie Mac- We Love You!

Three!

Chloe

2011-12-08T18:17:00.001-08:00

Our sweet little ball of fire! She's keeping us busy from sun-up to sun-down

Haircut

2011-12-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

It was way past time to get Macs hair cut. However, after the WWE smackdown episode that was her last hair cut, I wasn't looking forward to it. This time I thought we would go with someone that had been a couple times (James) and to Hair Doodles- a kid friendly haircutter. We also decided to get fro-yo before hand to put everyone in a happy mood! All that said it was a success and Mac got a cute cut with no tears!! She's already asking when we can go back, thank goodness. Thanks for the recommendation Helfers! :)

Christmas Pictures!

2011-12-02T07:15:00.001-08:00

Last week we had the girls pictures taken by Stacey Quattlebaum with Natural Wonders Photography. It started out for Callie’s 3 year portraits, then I thought, why not get Christmas pictures done at the same time!? I’m so glad I did that, because they turned out great and I didn’t have to get frustrated with the girls because they weren’t doing it “just right.” Here are my favorites, but you can see all of them on her website!

So excited that it’s time to celebrate Christmas with these two!

Our Elf Jack!

2011-11-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

Usually the Sunday after Thanksgiving our elf, Jack, comes to our house! He typically brings the girls goodies to get us ready for Christmas, and this year he didn’t disappoint.

They came down that Sunday morning ready to bake our typical Sunday breakfast, biscuits, to see Jack and the goodies he brought!

Pajamas, books, and a Christmas tree coupon!

Chloe was less than amused and really wanted to eat… cheerios had to tide us over until biscuits were made

We spent to the rest of that morning cleaning out the den getting it ready for all the decorations and tree. Then after naps we headed to the tree lot to pick out the perfect tree. We managed to get a family shot, although it took a couple tries. But I love them!

We are loving having Jack in our house and all the mischief he brings! Hoping he keeps the fun mild, last year he got a little out of control and I had to have a little talk with him :)

Train Ride with Santa

2011-11-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

We started off Christmas time with Nana treating us on a special train ride! We were all excited about going since Callie really loves trains, and plus it was a great new adventure for all of us to go on. It started out great, the girls loved looking out the window.

We then started to move and Callie was just so excited. It’s funny how excited she got for us only going at most 10mph

Then, a few minutes into the ride, Santa came!

He stopped by our table, however Callie was less than excited to get that close that soon with the jolly old man…

Chloe was cautiously accepting of him

But hugs and kisses from Nana brought Callie back to enjoying it again!

The ride was great up until this point, then Chloe hit total. meltdown. mode. I mean, screaming crying, nothing was going to solve it. Thankfully I was able to walk to another cabin so we wouldn’t ruin the ride for everyone else. But we weren’t even halfway through the ride and there was no getting off. After about 45 minutes we pulled back into the station and could exit. You wouldn’t believe it, she stopped immediately as we walked off the train, acting like nothing was the matter. Chloe was happy as can be in the car ride back and even while we ate lunch. No clue what caused it, but lets just say we won’t be riding any trains with her anytime soon. While it was a great idea in theory, and enjoyable for a little while, it probably was the last time we did that excursion!

A School Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

Callie’s class celebrated Thanksgiving on their last day before the break. I was asked to come help again, and of course I said yes! They had all done a pilgrim, and Callie’s was perfect- I’m speculating because I have no idea how it actually is supposed to look, it’s perfect in my eyes anyway

The kids were coming in off the play ground when I was helping set up their “feast.” Callie was immediately upset that I was there. She was pouting and not following directions. This was very frustrating to me, as much as I love helping out, I hate being the cause of any behavior issues within the classroom! I tried talking with her, but she wasn’t having it. Here’s all her classmates eating with their hats on, Mac is the only one not wearing hers…

She wouldn’t even look at me, nonetheless smile for a picture. I went over to her teacher and said I would leave since it was causing problems and just come back when it was time for pick up.

I still don’t know why she was so upset about me being there, she didn’t mind me last time. Just hoping I can come again and she’ll be okay with it! Or maybe it’s time for mommy to stop coming to class…. not sure I’m ready for that yet!

Travis and Emily

2011-11-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

While we were at the beach celebrating Vaughn’s birthday I got the privilege to take Travis and Emily’s engagement pictures! I was flattered when asked, and then was terrified of pulling it off! Since my subjects are usually the girls, I did some research with Emily on what she was looking for. Here’s a few of my favorites, and as always, picture overload! :

P.S. I love this last one! Totally Travis’ idea and totally captures their fun personalities!

Stevie

2011-11-16T06:38:00.001-08:00

I wish everything I write on this blog could be about happy, joyful, fun times we share as a family, but that just isn’t everyday life, and this blog is about our journey through life. This post is about one of those moments in life that you pray you never have to experience and ache that anyone has to go through.

Sunday, November 13, my cousin’s youngest son, Stevie, earned his angel wings. He was only three. While his time here was way to short, the love he shared will live on forever in all of us.

Steven’s smile and laughter filled everyone’s heart with joy. He was “all boy,” one of my favorite memories of him was throwing sand on the beach, he just couldn’t help himself no matter how many times you tried to get him to do otherwise. He loved his brother and sister, and was up for anything from playing on the DS to taking care of baby dolls.

We know Stevie will be taken care of in heaven, he has his two grandfathers up there to look after him. (Steven John Rowland)

Our family is in shock and totally numb right now. We’re not sure why he was taken from this Earth so early, we’re just trusting that God’s plan is right. I remember a phrase from the funeral of a friend and old intern, “He accomplished everything God sent him here to do, and it was time for him to go back home.” This has stayed with me and has given me some comfort with Stevie’s death, I hope it can give others the same. We are headed down to Georgia Friday to give him the homecoming service this sweet boy so deserves. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers, they are heard and felt.

Steven “Stevie” Walter Rowland

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Luke 18:16

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Luschek’s in South Carolina- Part 2

2011-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday we headed up to Clemson with Lucia and Jerry- Lucia hadn’t been in over 5 years! We were so excited to reminisce and get a look at the campus together. First stop was our old apartment, lots of fun memories here :)

After a bite to eat downtown and some shopping we hit campus ready to walk

These two goobers were great troupers!

Callie had brought her camera along and “took” pictures of everything, so getting a picture of us…

took a couple of tries

Jerry had fun in the carrier and woke up for a minute to check everything out himself! (Seriously, there isn’t an easier kid than this little guy)Cheese!

Picture of us in front of the stadium!

Side note, Callie picked out her outfit this day, as if you couldn’t tell. She is definitely developing her own sense of style, and it’s very interesting

We headed back to the car and then headed home! The girls were EXHAUSTED and it wasn’t too long on the highway when they passed out

The next day we took it easy at the house, since they were leaving the following day, just being with each other was great! Chloe really started loving having Jerry around… however I don’t know if he was so excited to be pocked and “loved” on!

We are missing them SO much and hate that we live so far away from each other! We are making plans for a January trip out to see them. It makes it much easier to know when we are going next when we leave each other!

Vaughn’s Birthday

2011-11-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Vaughn! V turned the big 2-9 this year and we had a wonderful time celebrating it with him! We started out his birthday weekend with a dinner with the family at Bonefish. Callie colored him a beautiful picture. I wrote on it for her, then I asked her to “sign” it, where she proceeded to write the letter T. I asked her what that was about, her answer “I did it! I made that same letter you did up dere mommy!” haha, yes, yes you did sweet girl

Bonefish is also very aware of how antsy little ones can get and had these glow sticks ready to go when we sat down. This kept our crew entertained for a very long time, aka 5 min.

The food was great, but us Granger girls are always looking forward to some cake!

This picture cracks me up. I was trying to get a picture of her eating cake and needed the flash. It obviously startled her

but then was photo ready when she knew what to expect!

Callie and her aunt Kelsey!

Me and V! This was after several attempts, I’m laughing at how frustrated V is getting at the whole process :)

Then Friday we packed up the car with luggage and friends and headed up to Sunset Beach, NC for the weekend!

The weather was perfect and us girls went on LONG walks Saturday and Sunday

While the boys had their TV’s set up for football, all day everyday.

Can’t have a birthday party with out some cake…. in the face!

Saturday night was spent playing card games, and a very heated game of spoons ha!

Also, while we were there I got to take Emily and Travis’ engagement pictures! So fun!

I love spending time with our family and friends, especially when we are celebrating someone’s birthday!!

Do they look alike?

2011-11-10T13:11:00.001-08:00

Taken of Chloe and Callie at 1 year, both at pumpkin patch

Hmmm…. what do you think?!

Luschek’s in South Carolina!

2011-11-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Baby Jerry and Lucia that is! We were so excited to have them come to town and spend five days with us. The last time we saw each other I was early pregnant with Chloe, so yeah, it’s been a while. Since we had put all the baby gear up we had a blast pulling it all back out! The girls LOVED having the extra car seat in the back, so did I. :)

We headed to the airport to pick them up. Chloe kept an eye out for our friends, all of us were excited to see them!!

We then headed home and talked and talked and talked! Vaughn was a trouper and even headed to the other TV and let us be, bless him :) The next morning we headed to the zoo! The girls love the zoo so it was a great way to distract them while we could still catch up!

Before heading to the penguins, we practiced our penguin walk!

Chloe wasn’t having the stroller and wanted to stretch her legs. She had the BEST time running around the penguin/bird house

Peek-A-Boo!

This girl is a wild one, but this smile melts my heart and makes me laugh every.single.time.

And this big girl, has become a big girl what seriously feels overnight

We headed outside to run around some more, and of course had to climb on the gorilla and all the statues…

and Lucia!

Baby Jerry, or Berry as Callie says, was such a trouper and behaved so well!

We took a quick snack and beverage break and then headed to the reptile center. Callie loves a good Sprite, and apparently this croc wanted in on the action! Can we say future Sprite Commercial?! haha

It was pushing lunch and nap time and was time to head home. That night we had our first drink together in about 5 years! One of us the last few times we’ve seen each other has been pregnant, so this was a very nice treat!

As many of you know, I’m not a night owl and tend to fall asleep on everyone’s coach at some point. This night was no exception, but can you blame me?! I had this sweet baby snuggling with me and he put me right to sleep. I got my fix and loved every second of it!

We were headed to Clemson the next day and weren’t excited to see campus together again!

Picnic at the Park

2011-11-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

It might be November, but in Columbia the weather is perfect for us to be outside all the time, and that’s what we’ve been doing! We packed up our cooler and walked down to the park near our house for a picnic lunch and then some play time.

The girls weren’t the only ones that enjoyed our lunch, this little squirrel enjoyed a few tasty crumbs every once in a while

After we ate we headed to play, Chloe and Callie always hit the swings first and then once they have enough of that, they head on to the rest of the park.

Little Goobers!

Hoping this weather stays for just a little bit longer, loving our fun filled fall days!

Leapin Lizards

2011-11-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

We love going to Leapin Lizards, an indoor playground, especially when the weather isn’t all that great. I particularly like it because it usually means we go with another mom and kid and I get some adult time while they wear each other out! However, with Callie, we sometimes don’t do a lot of active playing, it usually consists of reading books. This kid LOVES to read, no matter what she’s “supposed” to be doing :)

Chloe’s first “pony tail”

2011-11-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

I had the sudden urge to put Chloe’s hair in a pony tail, our own little Pebbles!

Silly Girls

2011-11-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Love my little Chloe Bug!

and Callie wasn’t about to be left out of a photo shoot!

Walks

2011-11-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

The weather has been amazing so we are taking full advantage of it. We love going on walks together, and especially to walk down and see our little black ball of fur, JJ!

Walks

2011-11-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

The weather has been amazing so we are taking full advantage of it. We love going on walks together, and especially to walk down and see our little black ball of fur, JJ!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Callie was SO excited that Halloween had finally come and that she could go trick or treating!! We were so excited that Vaughn got off work early which meant we could get started earlier too! Of course I had to try and get a few quick pictures of the girls, but that never seems to work out. Chloe was ALL over the place looking at the decorations

and Callie wanted a quick snack before hand. I was just thankful it was a healthy one!

seriously, she touches e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

I also keep attempting a bow in her hair, but she ALWAYS pulls it out. I love bows and I SO want one of my girls to wear them… oh well…

Daddy pic! This was the best out of all of them, they were too wiggly!

see!

Then it was time. We got our buckets and headed out!

Callie knew what to do and went right to work at the neighbors house

After going to a couple houses across the street, we walked down to the Shellenberg’s house! I love having friends live so close!

Of course they got spoiled and got to choose whichever candy they wanted!

We headed back home to eat, but Callie was SO excited about the other trick or treaters she didn’t stay seated long. She was a great door watcher and was VERY generous handing out candy (fine by me because I don’t want any left over!)

Chloe had a great time taking the candy out of her bucket and then putting it back in. I seem to remember Callie liking to do the same thing at this age, cute!

Love spending the holiday’s with these two and seeing the excitement through their eyes is just priceless! This just gets me really excited about the Christmas season that’s right around the corner!

Halloween- From my phone

2011-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Callie at dance- she got her fingers painted with glow in the dark polish!

After dance we had to make a quick run to Publix. Did you know that you could trick or treat with them too?! It was an AWESOME surprise for us. We went trick or treating in the bakery, dairy, vegetable, and meat aisles! So fun

Chloe got a few pieces of candy as well, but mean mommy wouldn’t let her partake in the eating part. I don’t think she minded, she like counting her loot just fine!

Pink Glove- Follow Up

2011-10-29T13:04:00.001-07:00

They won!! I’m so excited to share that Lexington Hospital won the first every Medline Pink Glove Dance Competition! 61,504 people on facebook voted them to the top where they won $10,000 to be donated to the Vera Bradley Foundation. Another cool part? Mom was on TV! Fox and Friends did a spot on them Friday morning and mom was visible in the background dancing with all the Lexington Medical employees. Callie thought it was so neat to see G-Kat on the TV, and to dance with the music! Check her out on the link below!

Fox and Friends Pink Glove Dance Clip

Callie’s School Halloween Party

2011-10-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Callie continued continued celebrating Halloween by having a party in her class! I really wanted to check out all the fun so Mrs. Dawne let me stay and take pictures. I’m so glad I was able to, being a “fly” on the wall in that classroom was great! I got there a little early, while they were still in music class, to help set up. Callie typically doesn’t like when I linger in her classroom to talk to the teacher, but when she saw that I was there for the party, she was actually happy about it- yay! They dug right into their cupcakes and barely ate their cantaloupe and cheese, can’t say I blame them!

While they washed up and got into their stations (we had to wait a couple of minutes because they were going on a trick or treat walk) I walked around the class and admired all the decorations!

Callie happened to be flag holder this particular day- cute!

Dinosaur station- ROAR!

It was time to go on our walk! They all stood in line and waited patiently while they got their trick or treat bag…

and their “scary” monster masks!

Then it was time to walk!

I’m so glad I was able to be there and see this cuteness in action! The other kids in the class even got used to me and started not being so shy around me. I took WAY more pictures than this because I’m going to send all the pictures to the other parents. I remember when I had to work and miss these types of things and just wished I could see what went on, hope they’ll get some enjoyment out of it!

Dr Visits

2011-10-28T10:24:00.001-07:00

We've had our fair share this month. Chloe has been three times and Callie once (one each for well check up). Poor Chloe had been battling some bug and is now on round two of antibiotics with a double ear infection. Even though everyone keeps their spirits around here even when they're sick, ready to have my heathy girl back!

Chloe at Drs office

Two Little Pumpkins

2011-10-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

Well we FINALLY made it to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkin! Better late than never, right?! We were meeting Vaughn after work to pick it out and of course I wanted to take pictures of our little outing. However, one thing I’ve learned after 6 years of marriage, if you want pictures of something, do it before Vaughn gets there. So that’s what we did, we arrived a few minutes before Vaughn so I could get a couple of pumpkin shots with the girls! When we got there, the girls stayed close together, scoping out the the pumpkins and other kids running around

Once they realized they could run around and play, game on!

We took a look at several pumpkins to see which ones were finalists to show daddy. It had to pass a couple of tests…

Weight limit

Huggability

and of course everyone had to agree on it

This little pumpkin was just right to take home, so we did :)

When we couldn’t decided on the PERFECRT big pumpkin, we took a look at the smaller ones

Chloe easily found hers, and wasn’t about to let it go

We were close to breaking down when Vaughn showed up, yay!

We were surprisingly able to quickly settle on one once daddy arrived (amazing how that happens) and happily showed it off!

Love any excuse to go to the pumpkin patch, especially since we got to take some home this time. Anyone up for a lunch one last time before it closes?!

Clemson Visit

2011-10-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

We finally had a “free” weekend so I decided to fill it up by taking the girls to Clemson! Apparently I don’t know how to take it easy on a weekend, I have to be doing something, and going to Clemson this past weekend was perfect. The girls went to Clemson earlier this year with me, but this was Chloe’s first game and Callie’s second. Vaughn wasn’t able to come with us since he had to work on Saturday, so my parents were a HUGE help and made the trip possible for us. We got to Clemson late Friday night after Boo @ the Zoo. I had hoped they would sleep the entire way, but Callie wanted to play 21 questions the. entire. way. so that didn’t exactly turn our like I had hoped. We woke up the next morning in good spirits and ready to cheer on the Tigers! The game started at 12:00 so we tried to get to tailgate a little early, snacks kept our little crew going strong.

We headed in and lasted at our seats for the first quarter. These two are used to watching “daddy” football from the living room where they can run and play- not so easy to do when you have lots of neighbors seating close..

Chloe was over it, the sun was in her face and it was lunch time…

I decided that we would walk around a bit and settled on some "lemonade ice cream.” They loved this and kept them busy for a while longer

I then texted mom for assistance, we were about to meltdown- needing food, drinks and naps.

Callie on the other hand met Alex, a family friend of ours son and she was immediately smitten with him. Seriously. Obsessed. She was even too shy and goofy to take a picture with Alex for me. This girl has a thing for older boys, it’s cute for now, but makes me REALLY nervous if this continues….

I took Callie back in for the third quarter, but as soon as we got to our seats she was asking to go see Alex and G-Kat. So to keep her seated for at least a quarter we played find the Tiger, cheerleaders, flags, anything to keep her occupied. After all those attempts wore off, we headed out for Callie to play at the tailgate. Mom was so great and let me go back in and sit with dad. It’s not too often I get to go to a game, so I took advantage of her offer! After the game, I took Callie to see some other friends of ours at their tailgate. While we were there we ran into the Godfrey’s! Brady and Tyler have two cute boys around the girl’s ages. Preston and Callie hit it off and had a great time playing with each other.Seriously adorable…After quick goodbye hugs we headed back to check on Chloe

We passed by the tiger and HAD to get a picture of Mac beside it. On her first trip to Clemson I took a picture of her sitting beside it, and wanted to re-create it, she’s gotten so big!

When we got back Chloe was going strong playing but we knew we didn’t have too much longer before they would need dinner and then an early bedtime. We stayed for a few more minutes, few more pictures then headed back to the apartment for much needed baths and quiet time!

We had a GREAT time spending our weekend in Clemson and with my parents. I probably won’t take the girls back into a game for a few more years. That’s fine with me, just being there at a game to see friends, family and be in a sea of orange is a perfectly good time for us!

Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to go to Boo at the Zoo this year. The last time we went Callie was Chloe’s age. We didn’t go last year because Chloe was making her grand entrance into this world. :) To make this trip even better the Helfer’s and Dupree’s were joining us! We arrived and Callie got out of the car SUPER excited so see everyone and go trick or treating at the Zoo

and to see her best buddy ~~James~~ Bob the Builder! James on the other hand gets a little overwhelmed with Callie’s excitement :)

Chloe the bumblebee had to get her costume on when we got there. She also did a GREAT job being dressed up, was worried she wouldn’t go with it, thankfully she did!

We went on in and had a dance party while we waited for Vaughn and the Dupree’s

The superhero Dupree’s showed up

and we were off!

I loved the fact that they didn’t hand out just candy at the trick or treat spots! I mean who doesn’t love a Zebra Peacock?!

Our peacock however, loved getting candy

Family Pic! This makes me laugh, will we ever get a decent picture of all of us?!

We walked all around and made it back to the front, but the kids weren’t done playing. So we let them climb on all the animal statues for a bit before we headed out.

I had such a great time- great time, weather and company! This got us in the Halloween spirit and looking forward to more trick or treating at school and in the neighborhood!

Chloe 1 Year Dr. Appointment

2011-10-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Turning 1 equals 1 year Doctor appointment and dreaded shots. Chloe was great during the part of the appointment when nobody but us were in the room. She hated being measured, didn’t like being looked over by the Dr. and especially didn’t like getting shots. However, all that being said, she’s a happy healthy “baby” girl!

Height: 32.5inches (99.9%)

Weight: 26lbs (98.5%)

Head Circ.: 48cm (98.8%

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T18:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Chloe!

2011-10-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our “little” Chloe turned 1! My how this year has flown by, but I guess they say time fly's when you’re having fun! We started her birthday, after a quick bath, with a pancake breakfast! This time she got syrup on her pancakes- she LOVED it!YAY pancakes!After school we met up with the Helfer’s for a birthday lunch at the pumpkin patch!These kids ruled the patch and took full advantage of the space running all around it. I wasn’t going to pass up a picture of the little ones, but trying to get them to look at the same time proved to be difficult… Goobers :)After running and barley eating, we headed back home for naps. That night we had planned for a dinner in Blythewood with all the families, but Big V had to go into the hospital for back problems (he had surgery the next day on it and is on his way to getting better- YAY!). So we settled on San Joses with those family members that could make it! I would love to say everyone had the best time, but that would be too “perfect.” Callie was having tummy troubles, Chloe’s cold hadn’t really gone away and was bothering her, and DR wasn’t feeling the best. But we made do to celebrate the birthday girl and in the end we had fun!

It’s still so hard to believe that this little one is already a whole year old, but were loving having these two big girls in the house!

Sleepy Peacock

2011-10-17T17:42:00.001-07:00

The Happy Caterpillar Birthday Party!

2011-10-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had SO much fun celebrating the girls birthdays with our closest friends and family! I decided that this year we would combine their parties, being only 12 days apart in the month we can easily get away with this for a bit. I had been searching online for party ideas when I came across a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed birthday. At first glance I thought it was to “boyish” but after some convincing from friends I went with it, and I’m so glad I did. With some girly tweaks, putting a bow on the caterpillar and doing some butterflies, the party was great and a teeny girly!

The proud grandmammas with one of the birthday girls!

Vaughn, Justin and Chollet

Max and Aiden

The food! We kept with the Hungry Caterpillar theme and had most of the foods that he ate through in the book our for everyone to enjoy too.

The big caterpillar birthday smash cake and cupcakes!

When it was time to sing “Happy Birthday” Callie wasn’t really feeling it. She got really shy and thank goodness for Nana helping her get through the song. :) P.S. Please look at Chloe in the bottom left picture- this cracks me up!

Then it was time to sing to the other birthday girl!

She dug right in to her smash cake!

She was more interested in tasting the icing than the cake, so she really didn’t get '”into” the cake cause I took it away after a couple handfuls of icing.

Seems that everyone else enjoyed the cupcakes though!

After a quick bath,

we headed back to the party!

It seemed that everyone had a great time!

There were antennas so everyone could find their inner butterfly/caterpillar

I was so happy that my grandmother was able to come and celebrate with us! Couldn’t pass on a four generation picture!

Then more party fun!

We thanked everyone for coming and parting with us!

The girls had a great time with their friends and it was a great way to celebrate them turning 3 and 1! As usual I couldn’t have done it with my mom, Debo, and Chollet- thanks girls for the wonderful help to make this party extra special for the girls! After Chloe took a quick nap we apparently didn’t have enough fun for the day because we headed out to the fair with Nana (blog post to come) and then cooking out with friends! It was one of my favorites days, and I think for the girls as well :)

The SC State Fair

2011-10-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

After our Caterpillar Party and a quick nap for Chloe, us girls and Nana headed out to the SC State Fair! I LOVE the fair, well most of it. I don’t like the big kid rides anymore, they totally freak me out. However, the animals, food, and people watching are great in my opinion. Anyway, I was so excited for a chance to take the girls to the fair and see their faces having fun! Callie was still decked out in birthday attire and even brought her new Clemson doll along for the fun

We went straight for the animals, Chloe pointed all of them out for us, in case we missed them…

This picture makes me laugh, both of them pointing in all kinds of directions

One of the barns had Clemson students and their calves. We got to pet all of them, and Callie did just that!

Chloe got in on the action too :)

We then visited the petting zoo, some of the animals were very excited to see us…

probably cause they knew people = food

Then it was time for some rides! Callie had never been on a ride before. I wasn't sure how she was going to like it so she and I went together. We went on the tiny dragon roller coaster and let me tell you, this girl LOVED every second of it and wanted more!

This one waited patiently in her stroller and was such a trouper!

More rides!

After a few rides it was time to head home, Chloe was over it- can’t blame her after the LONG day. We couldn’t leave without a treat so we settled on an ice cream cone with sprinkles- yum!

I had all intentions on taking them back to the fair, however, poor weather and sick kiddos didn’t allow it to happen. So were looking forward to next year when Chloe can join in on the fun with her big sister!

Pink Glove

2011-10-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

As some of you already know my mom is a breast cancer survivor. In honor of Breast Cancer awareness month the hospital she works at, Lexington Medical, participated in Medline’s Pink Glove Dance video competition. Two years ago, when Medline produced the original Pink Glove Dance video to raise breast cancer awareness, since then it has taken on a life of its own. The video has since generated more 13 million views on YouTube and inspired countless pink glove dance videos and events around the world.

This year, with continued large interest in the videos, Medline decided to host an online nationwide competition to find the best Pink Glove Dance video. Hospitals, nursing homes, schools and anyone in the U.S. and Canada who wanted to organize a group of people, could produce and submit their own Pink Glove Dance video, and that’s exactly what Lexington Hospital did! The winner of the video competition will receive $10,000 to donate to their charity of choice, Lexington’s being Vera Bradley Foundation. Lexington is currently in second place and needs all of our votes! Please click on the link below to view their video and “Like” theirs so we can reach first place!

Vote Here!

Callie’s 3rd Birthday- The Day!

2011-10-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

I don’t know who was more excited about Callie’s birthday, me or her! I was so excited to celebrate her big day especially since she is now old enough to realize that that day is all about her. We started out the morning with her walking into the kitchen to see her birthday present- a basketball goal!

Callie is ALWAYS trying to play on daddy’s big goal and Mrs. Dawne has been saying how much she enjoys playing at school. She was SO excited to see the basketball goal and immediately wanted to put it by “daddy’s goal.”

They went out to shoot some hoops, pj’s and all, and she loved it!

Sweet girl is so tall she can already dunk on her goal… maybe Santa will bring the next stage up, ops!

Her birthday fell on a school day, so after a pancake breakfast we headed to school with cupcakes to celebrate with our friends! After school, we had lunch with daddy, and then came home to rest. She doesn’t nap much now, so she got to watch a movie, something she LOVES to do.

A tradition in our house/neighborhood is to put a sign on the road for your birthday! Here’s Callie and her 3rd birthday sign :)

We then had the families over for a cookout to celebrate the big girl! Uncle Alex read Mac some of her new books- this girl LOVES some books

G-Kat and Uncle D

Opening presents, her favorite part of the night

Callie has been telling everyone that she want’s to be a peacock for Halloween. I have been fretting about this because I wasn’t quit sure how I was going to make this! Thankfully Callie opened up a really cute peacock costume for Halloween- yay!

We had such a fun day with our birthday girl and sad that it went so quickly. We get to continue the celebration at Callie and Chloe’s joint birthday party coming soon- October is just one big Birthday celebration for our family and I love that!

Three Years

2011-10-04T14:33:00.001-07:00

Three Years ago today we knew that in two LONG days we’d get to meet our 1st born! I can’t remember what that Saturday was like looking back, mommy brain to blame? But as I write this, my almost 3 year old and almost 1 year old are playing together like best buddies. It absolutely amazes me how much our lives have changed in these past three years. I would have never imagined my life would have played out this way, but I can’t imagine it not being this exact way now!

T-Minus Two Days!

From the Phone

2011-10-04T09:30:00.001-07:00

So I ~~cracked~~ totally destroyed my phone last week and needed to get a replacement. This did give me, however, an excuse to finally go through the 500 photos/movies I had on it- yes, you read that right 500 (who needs 500 pictures?! Apparently I do) Yet, somehow I couldn’t bare to part with the majority of them. They aren’t high quality, nor are they posed, but I. Love. Them. I also thought that you, my loyal blog reader, would love them as well (insert sarcasm). :) Here’s my attempt of documenting some of the 500 pictures, enjoy!

The first picture ever taken on my phone was of this cute little one!

Dr.’s Appointment waiting room fun

I love this silly girl!

You get sleep whenever you can around here… This is also a recurring theme with my pictures, I love taking pictures of them sleeping!

Clemson baseball game

Date night- Prince Concert

Sugar high from her first Krispy Kreme doughnut!

Target run- we love target!

Wearing the pink hat her daddy got her

Sad face, got sunscreen in her eyes :(

Caught them holding hands in the car- love!

Doc

Another recurring theme with my pictures- messy eaters!

Her futures so bright she has to wear shades… hehe

Our trouble maker, seriously shes going to keep us busy for many years to come

One of Callie’s favorite parts of her day, beeping Daddy’s horn when he gets home

Charlotte show, Callie’s first purchasing trip!

Doc love

Can we say “Daddy’s Little Girls?!”

CHEESE!

Again, messy eater

Part of our Vegas Trip- Hoover Dam- oh yeah, I went to Vegas this year- need to blog that! ha

play

Sleep

Arts and Crafts!

Go Tigers!!! (Win over FSU)

Yes, you see that correctly, my man in a purple and orange T-Shirt :)

Ice cream treat

and the last picture taken

So there we have it! A snapshot of all the snapshots from the old phone :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Triffle

2011-09-26T15:27:00.001-07:00

If you love desserts, and chocolate, and peanut butter, then you MUST try this! It’s from Betty Crocker’s App for i-Pad (which by the way has so amazing recipes in there and a must to download). I’ve been wanting to make this for a while and finally got the excuse to make it when supper club needed someone to make a dessert. One thing I did different from the recipe is make separate chocolate and peanut butter cookies, they call for the mix with both in there, but I couldn’t find it, plus it didn’t seem to effect the taste. Seriously, I cannot wait to make this again, yum!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Trifle
Who wouldn't love cookies and cream layered in a giant serving bowl?
Ingredients
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate peanut butter chip cookie mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons chopped chocolate-covered peanuts
Directions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Make cookies as directed on pouch, using oil, water and egg. Bake and cool as directed. Cut each cookie into fourths.

Melt butter and brown sugar in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Beat whipping cream in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft. Fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture.

Place half of the cookie pieces in bottom of 2-quart glass bowl. Spoon half of peanut butter mixture over cookies. Top with remaining cookies and peanut butter mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 12 hours. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Ballet!

2011-09-23T07:23:00.001-07:00

Callie is so excited that ballet has started! She really missed it over the summer and couldn’t wait for it to start back up again.

She’s in a much bigger class this year and I think that threw her off a bit in the start. It takes her a moment to warm up to new situations, especially with lots of people, but I know she’ll be fine by a couple of classes.

It also helps to have a familiar face leading our class, Mrs. Amy! After the first class Mac stated that Mrs. Amy was a good and fun teacher. :)

Also, while I was waiting on her class to get out I looked at the recital picture board, and guess who made it on there?! Um, so, stinking, cute.

Callie asks me every other day if she goes to dance class that day, so I’m thinking she likes it, and I think it’ll stay that way too- yay!

Callie’s Birthday Countdown

2011-09-23T07:07:00.001-07:00

The countdown has begun for Callie’s Birthday! Turning the big 3! She has been talking about her birthday for months now, I’m sure feeling like it’ll never come. So now that it’s less than two weeks away, we made her a birthday countdown so she can see how close her birthday is now. She loves pulling off a ring each morning, look at that face!

Mac is SUPER excited about her upcoming birthday, and the fact that she’ll be one year way from having gum. :)

Sleep

2011-09-12T19:10:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

JJ the Dog

2011-09-12T19:05:00.001-07:00

Some good friends of ours have a dog named JJ and occasionally we'll dog sit for them when they go out of town. We love JJ the dog around here, he let's the girls play on him all day, never takes their food, rarely barks, and will stand guard to protect them. The other weekend we kept him and the girls were so excited!

They literally were whining about who could play with him. On Callie's turn, she decided to show him flash cards, JJ happily sat and listened and watched.

Chloe decided she wanted to sit with JJ and watch the cars go by the front door

If you didn't know JJ and walked up and saw him, ya might be a bit scared- the dog is huge and can put on a good show. But to know him you'll realize that he's just a sweet lovable dog that just loves to get loved on!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Callie School Update

2011-09-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

Now that we are getting into the rhythm of school twice a week, Callie has been great about going! She really loves her teacher, Ms. Dawne, and just about everything else they do during class. She brings home a new art piece it seems everyday, she's learning to catch the ball (she loves playing basketball!), can now say the pledge of allegiance, and sing about 20+ new songs I've never heard of!

Recently they took pictures of the kids for the new bulletin bored outside the classroom, Callie was so excited to show me her picture. She also loved telling me who everyone else was

:)

As we passed another classroom, Callie got really excited when she noticed one of her best buddies picture- Baby James! Yes, I know he's not a "baby" but Callie will NOT call him just James. She loves James and that's fine with me, we really like his parents, oh and him too :)

The other day was bring your "Best Stuffed Friend Day!" After telling this to Callie, she asked if she could bring Chloe, how sweet! I then had to explain stuffed and she settled on bringing Buddy Boy. This is her "lovey" that she got on her first Christmas. When she was a baby, Buddy Boy and a paci were key to keeping her peaceful, so thankful for that! Anyway, she was so excited to bring him to school and to see everyone else's friend!

In short, Mac is LOVING school so far and were looking forward to a great rest of the school year!

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Chloe and the Dog Bowl

2011-09-08T17:51:00.001-07:00

Chloe early on found Doc’s dog bowl and since that day, she’s had a fascination with it. We’ve moved it around trying to “hide” it from her, the thought “out of sight out of mind” hasn’t worked though. A couple of times a day I’m pulling her away, sometimes even taking dog food out of her mouth- gross I know.

But it doesn’t matter if there’s food or not, she’s all about itand pretty proud of herself too..

I know she’ll learn to leave it alone, but until then, we’ll keep finding her at the dog’s watering hole…

slow down

2011-08-26T18:32:00.001-07:00

I laid in bed last night not being able to sleep full of thoughts of our girls. I was overcome by how lucky we are to have such amazing kids, God knew exactly what he was doing when he put these girls in our lives. But I couldn’t help but pray for it all to slow down, or pause just the way it is for a brief second. Not to completely stop because I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, but just to hold on a bit, it’s moving a little too fast. I wanted so bad to rewind and squeeze Callie’s little baby self one more time. To rock Chloe in her glider as a new born again, I loved the way she felt in my arms and even how she smelled. How are my babies almost 3 and 1?! I also know it won’t be the last time I ever think or yearn for those moments again, doesn’t every mom? While I thought about that, I thought of my own mother. Does she now ever wish to take a peak back to when my brother and I were little and squeeze us? I feel sure she does, even if she hasn’t said so. I pray that the girls will understand this sentimental side of me as they get older and let me hug and kiss them often. Callie already knows how I feel about this, I ask her often to slow down growing up, her response “Nope, I gotta grow up momma!” I then tell her she can as long as she still gives me hugs and kisses, she says “Okay! Muah!” Love it. I know life isn’t always fair, and I guess this is one of those things. It’s just not fair that we get these amazing kids and it flys by while they are with us. So even though time will keep moving whether I want it to or not, I know I’m blessed with these two girls and any moment I have with them is precious and ones I’m thankful for.

Vegas Baby!

2011-08-21T11:36:00.001-07:00

Were in Vegas! Were here for the MRKET mens clothing show but finding ways to mix business with pleasure. Enjoying some adult time but missing our girls, have already picked out stuff to bring them home-ha!

Travis is here with Vaughn and I and I'm so thankful. It's me and V's first time here Travis' third so he's been showing us around.

It's a wild place, nothing like I've seen before, especially loving the people watching :)

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Minted

2011-08-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

One of the blogs that I love & follow, Blue Eyed Bride, posted today about free* “mommy” cards! I jumped at the opportunity to get some, who could pass that up?! All you need to do is click on the Minted link below and you’ll see what you need to do on the front page. The one I chose to do is below, but there are over 100 different designs you can choose from. So what are you waiting for, go get your “mommy” cards!!

*just pay shipping

Callie’s 1st Day of School

2011-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

We couldn’t believe that the day had finally come, Callie’s 1st Day of School! We had talked about this day for a while now with Callie and she seemed excited about it too. Mac even told me at one point “Don’t cry momma, it’ll be okay.” Yeah, okay, I’ll try. She’s in the Two’s group at Eastminster; she’s one of the oldest in the class because of where her birthday falls only going two days a week. Well, you know when you envision a day, how it would go, what you’d wear, etc and get all exited about that “envision” then it turns out NOTHING like you wanted it too?! That was this particular morning. I saw it with us waking us, having pancakes, smiles all around while we got ready in our pretty dress, a cute picture on the front steps and we’d head off to school with our book bag ready to go! Yeah, right… here’s how it really went down…

Callie woke up in a whinny mood, this happens on occasion and we try to just go with it, not giving it attention cause that usually fuels it. Just one look at this face and you can see what I’m talking about…She only perked up when Vaughn came down, this girl LOVES her daddyWe sat down to have our pancakes, only to realize that there was no more syrup in the pantry, so we went with honey instead, I don’t think she minded, but still… I tried to get a picture of her eating, had to get the hair just rightAfter both girls got dressed, which included screaming because I wasn’t doing this or that right, we headed downstairs to get a quick picture on the front steps. Before I could even get to my camera, we had meltdowns… she pulled out her bow and ponytail because it wasn’t “like daddy likes it.” This was my view, both the girls crying on my leg…

I wasn’t going to be defeated by the tears! I fixed her hair the way “daddy likes it.” This is just a simple ponytail, but the only way I can get her hair out of her face. To the front steps where she refused to take a picture, these are what I got…

Chloe wanted to see what was going on, she LOVES standing here, and I LOVE those legs! :)

I have learned with Mac that if you run around she eeks out a little smile, so that’s what I did and we got these two cute ones. Not what I had in mind of a first day of school picture, but hey, I’ll Take it!

We loaded up in the car with everyone in a little bit of a funk, but we couldn’t be late to our first day of school! We got to school where Daddy showed up to go with us and that perked her up BIG time. By now, the early morning whining and crying is gone and our happy silly Mac is back! Thank. Goodness. She was now so excited to go to her classroom she ran down the hall to get there.

We waited outside the classroom to go inside. Found our name on the board..

silly with DaddyQuick family pic!

Right after this, we took her in where she acted like she’d done it many times before. We left, I didn’t cry (surprise), and didn’t get a phone call to pick her up. When I cam back to pick her up, they were all sitting at their table reading a book, something she loves to do! She was so happy, not to necessarily to see me, but to tell me what she did that day. She told me all about her playing basketball, painting a picture, reading books, and going potty on the tiny potty! I was so happy that she perked up when we got there, and that her first day of school went great! Not the morning that I had imagined, but what it was meant to be. Callie is already excited to go back on Thursday, she goes Tuesdays and Thursday, and loves the fact they have little potties- who knew?! Hoping that Thursday morning will go a little smoother than Tuesdays, I think once our routine gets going, it’ll all get easier.

So here’s to a great 1st Year of School Callie Mac, we love you!

Banana Sundae

2011-08-09T19:10:00.001-07:00

Not your typical ice cream sundae, but still very yummy! This breakfast is also so easy its not funny. Both girls loved it and has quickly become a favorite breakfast in our house.

Ingredients:
1 Banana
2-3 Strawberries
6-7 Blueberries
Several spoonfuls of yogurt, we've done strawberry and vanilla
The original recipe calls for granola, wasn't sure if Mac would go for that so I skipped that part

Cut the banana in half long ways, and lay it flat. Top with yogurt and fruit, then serve! See how easy!?!

Not only do the girls love it, but it's healthy, yay! We're loving our new go to's now, makes our meals fun again!

Enjoy!

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Weekend Fun

2011-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those weekends where going into it you don’t have much planned, if anything, and just say to yourself, well this is just going to be one of those uneventful weekends. That’s how this weekend started for us, except something went right with the heaven above and it ended up being a blast!

We started out Friday with meeting our teacher at school. Mac was super excited that there was a kitchen she could play with. We also got to meet some of the other kids that will be in her class, it’s safe to say that Callie is taller than all of them.

Saturday we woke up and headed to Blythewood. Mom and Dad joined us for an estate sale I saw on Twitter. I had never been to one before and I was totally interested in seeing what that’s all about. I’ve never seen anything like it,everything in the house was for sale- lights, fixtures, windows, plates, frames, beds, even the brick the house was made out of was being sold! It wasn’t really might taste in things, but I did find a neat iron piece that I’m going to hang on our fence. I’ll defiantly try another one to see what “treasure” I can find!

Then on Sunday we headed up to Charlotte, NC with Vaughn for some work and play! Vaughn was headed up there for a selling/buying trip for the store and we decided we’d tag along. Vaughn had to be there before much in Charlotte was open on a Sunday so we stuck around to see him purchase some ties and shirts. Callie was super excited to help him out, and even got to pick out a swatch!

Sitting with Daddy picking out swatches

After a little while we headed out to Discovery Place. I had only been there once when I was around 10 so it was neat to see it again (it looks nothing like I remember it, I guess they’ve done some updating, good for them). Half of Discover Place was a little old for the girls, but the other was right up our alley. She liked this iguana, she wasn’t afraid to touch- crazy!

sensing a theme here… By the way, I love the reflection of her face in this picture, love that face

Mac is very into “RAARRR”ing latley, so we came to these guys, that’s exactly what she did

Yes, Chloe came too! We finally found an activity that she could participate in, a water table! Thought this was awesome, she could sit right in the table. She thought it was awesome as well, but you wouldn’t know by her face :)

After this we headed back to pick Vaughn up and head on home. The girls were exhausted and thankfully napped the whole way home and even a little when we got there. It was a great escape from our day to day here in Columbia and I think we’ll even make it a tradition! I loved that the weekend turned out so fun for us without being planned. Hope we have many more like them!

Couponing

2011-08-08T12:08:00.001-07:00

I am now an avid couponer, yes the wife of the” ultimate consumer” cuts coupons! A little over a year ago I took a class about couponing with Southern Savers, that’s right there are classes on such a thing. I learned A LOT in that class, but only started using a few of her tricks when shopping, Lately though I’ve decided to really use the techniques and see what happens. I’m now obsessed and I can’t believe it took me this long to do it! I don’t do exactly what Southern Savers teaches you to do, I’ve come up with my own system that works great for me, but the savings are the same. Only giving it 30 minutes a week, I have saved $250 over the last two months. Not sure about you, but that’s a lot with only one income coming in! Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn into those crazy Extreme Couponer, well at least not anytime soon. I will, however, continue to cut and use coupons whenever I can!

Chloe Cooking

2011-08-08T11:47:00.001-07:00

Chloe was “cooking” in the kitchen with me when I realized something… I’ve seen this happen before. We’ve been so lucky that Chloe fits into all of Callie’s clothes and this particular day I realized that not only was she wearing the same outfit, but doing the same thing, around the same age.

It’s Cooler in the Cooler

2011-08-03T17:52:00.001-07:00

When it’s as hot as it is outside, and your kid is begging to go outside, and you don’t have a pool, you resort to playing with the water hose and a cooler. Maybe the smallest pool ever, but it’s a lot cheaper than the real thing, and she had just as much fun as we do at the pool. Of course playing in the water had to be sans clothing…Chloe is a huge fan of the water as well, and had a great time playing with her big sister

Doc stopped by for a visit but didn’t stay long. He, unlike his sisters, does not like the water hose since it usually means a bath for himSilly girls!

They had so much fun playing together and it’s great to be able to be outside without being SO hot. Enjoying the last few days of “summer” before Callie starts school!

Giggle Jiggle Parfaits

2011-08-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

So we've been in a rut around here in the terms of food. We've been eating the same breakfast, lunch, snacks for WAY to long and I, and and the girls, needed a change. A while ago my mom gave me a kids themed cookbook- Fix It Quick, Cooking For Kids. I pulled it out the other day and we've been trying a few new recipes everyday!

So today we tried a new snack- Giggle Jiggle Parfaits. They were SO yummy!

We didn't have a parfait glass, but a wine glass (don't judge) worked just as well.

My taste tested approved!

Giggle Jiggle Parfait- I revised the original recipe, made it a little simpler
1 envelope worth of Jello, tropical flavor, cooked by the directions
1 container worth or Orange Cream flavored Yoplait yogurt
Two Strawberries cut up and several blueberries

After Jello has set, start assembling your parfait! Start with a layer of yogurt, then jello, some fruit. Repeat. Serve. Enjoy!

I've got some more recipes we've tried that I'll share soon. Here's to new good eats!

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Trouble

2011-08-03T13:12:00.001-07:00

Can't you just see these two in a couple years causing all kinds of mischief...

Cause I can

Thank goodness, for their sake, they're cute!

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Callie Try's Makeup

2011-08-01T18:32:00.001-07:00

Callie has always been interested in my makeup, and always asking if I can put some on her face. I usually dust some beige color over her eyes to make her happy. However, this particular day she didn't care for the way I put it "on" her and decided she would give it a go...

Apparently eye shadow goes on the eyebrows. Maybe trying to get mommy's thick, dark, needs to be plucked eyebrows?

And this is apparently smiling at the camera

She was very proud of her makeover, I was happy it wiped off. Thankfully she's not old enough to wear it out of the house just yet, I pray that day is still a ways away. Until then I'll let her continue practicing... once in a while...

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Perfectly Not Perfect

2011-07-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

Rarely are my kids, and myself for that matter, completely put together. Someones hair is usually in their face or needs a good brushing, that said face usually has leftovers waiting to be wiped off, and our outfits have a nice stain or two on them.

But I love the stories that come with all of that. Were usually running so fast that who has time to fix their hair, or were enjoying our food and might as well wait till it's over to wipe the face and stains come with us living our life without regret.

We might not be perfect in someone else's eyes, but my family is perfectly not perfect in mine.

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Grady

2011-07-29T14:03:00.001-07:00

I’m an Aunt!! Well, sorta. Kelsey and DR are the proud new owners of the cutest puppy- Grady! We were so excited to meet the newest Granger, and so was Callie. It took a little while for her to warm up to him, but then she wasn’t about to let the little guy go! She escpecially loved the fact that he fit in her lap- she is STILL talking about it

Doc was also interested to meet his new cousin, and excited to know that he was not staying with us- he got a little jealous of all the attention he got!

The “Sleeper”

Grady escaped to his Daddy for a minute, it’s a little overwhelming with our crazy crowd!

Grady is so stinking cute, and you know the best part?! We get to love on a cute little puppy, but we don’t have to worry about training or anything!! ha Welcome to the family Grady Granger!

Callie 2 3/4 Pictures

2011-07-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

While taking Chloe’s 9 month pictures, Callie tagged along! I had given her the option of going to Mother’s Morning Out, or going with me to take Chloe’s pictures, she chose to go with us- YAY! She was so sweet and I of course loved getting some shots of her. Happy 2 3/4th’s Birthday Mac!

Baby Jerry

2011-07-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Baby Jerry, we’re so glad you’re here!! Your mom says that your big sister Lucia loves being a big sister already and that you’re a perfect fit for their family. I can’t wait to meet your sweet face! We love you little Tiger!

Gerald (Jerry) John Luschek
July 26, 2011
7 lbs 6 ozs ~ 20 inches

Grocery Trip

2011-07-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

I usually ~~hate~~ very much dislike using the big racecar grocery cart since it is just SO massive. Some days though, I need an easy quick trip through the store so I’ll grab it. (Callie likes to dilly dally with just about everything, not a hurried bone in that girls body, and shopping tends to take a minute longer with her in tow.) This particular day the girls were being extra sweet to each other and I wanted to remember these two sweet faces like this forever.

Chloe’s Nine Month Appointment

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Chloe had a GREAT 9 month Dr.s appointment. I tend to have mixed feeling about going for a few reasons: cements them getting bigger/older, shots, and usually a couple of things I’m not doing/need to start doing. This visit was no different. It confirmed that baby girl is 9 months, but is the size of a 12 month old. (at least). She got one shot, HepB, but cried very little- thank goodness because I hate seeing that face so sad! I also found out that sweet ~~little~~ big one was taking too much formula. Yes, apparently I missed the memo to slow it down a bit when I added food- OPS- I don’t think she minded, but were cutting back (our bank account will appreciate it too). I was also informed that I need to stop being lazy, I’ve been giving her bottle to her in her bed to let her fall asleep. Yes, the ease of her holding the bottle was just too easy and got the better of me. The downside is that she’s now having trouble getting settled for naps, since this was her “paci.” Were working on the transition, I guess its payback for me trying to take the short cut! Overall though she got a great report and if all goes well, we won’t be back until her 12 month, 12 MONTH!!!!!, appointment.

Height: 30” ~ Weight: 23.6lbs ~ HC: 47.5

The Dr.s office always gives us a sheet of information when we leave of what to expect in the next couple of months, things we need to start doing/avoiding, etc. One was safety: safety plugs in electrical sockets, lock cabinets; fence stairways at top and bottom if child has access to either end. I felt that we were WAY beyond this since she loves electrical sockets, cabinets and stairways- all of those “safety” items have been checked off our list for a while!

Lemon Face

2011-07-23T07:33:00.001-07:00

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Pancakes for Dinner

2011-07-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things for dinner is, breakfast food. A little backwards, but I love it! I was in the mood for some OHOP and decided why not go for dinner!

We got a treat this trip, chocolate chip pancakes, heaven. Callie loved them too, didn't even touch her eggs or bacon- ha!

Chloe enjoyed her breakfast dinner too, having bacon for the first time. I later panicked over if she was allowed bacon yet... She was fine so I'm guess yes...?

Yummmmmmyyyy!

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The Front Door

2011-07-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved into our house the front door has been a gathering place for all our little ones, dog included. Since it’s very busy with walkers, walkers with dogs, runners and cars, there’s never a dull moment at the front door.(Doc on move in day)

Chloe especially is obsessed with the front door. I usually can find her standing there looking out. Side note, I need to Windex the door now, it’s terribly messy with all the little hands and noses that have pushed up against it!

Vaughn was on his way to work and I attempted to get a picture of these two, none really turned out, but I love this one. They are ALWAYS doing something similar at the exact same time….

Beiber

2011-07-21T04:42:00.001-07:00

At Ulta...

This is getting out of control...

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