Banana-hana-bo-banna!

Maddie and I made some banana muffins, and pretty much did everything by herself. Her favorite part was "mashin' up the nana's." she got pretty into it, and for once i just let her. I am however STILL cleaning banana's off every surface in the kitchen. 

She's getting to be a big girl; today was her preschool orientation and she loved every minute of it. As soon as we left (which she was only persuaded to do by the chocolate dipped Oreo lolly-pops they were giving out at the door) she asked when she could go back. That's my girl!

PS. the pic of her making the "mad face" is her scolding me for allowing her to get so close to a hot oven... "duh mom."

OUTER BANKS...HERE WE COME!!!

Oh my gosh, I've waited all summer for vacation and it's finally here (almost). We're leaving this Friday for 10 glorious days  in the Outer Banks. We're staying on Ocracoke island this year, which is at the southern tip of the OBX and only reached by a 40 minute ferry ride. It will be our first time staying here, AND our first time taking a family vaca with just the four of us. We usually go with my whole family, but with everyone living so far it's likely going to be an every other year trip from now on:(  Anyway, Brent and i love the Outer Banks.  Between the two of us, him having lived in Vanuatu and me in Hawaii, we've been to some gorgeous beaches and i have to say that these rival the best.  We chose the end of the summer for the lower prices and less traffic and although it's taken for ever to get here i'm glad we've waited...it's a perfect way to end the summer. 

I included pics of the cottage we rented.

Good book?

Hey everyone i'm looking for a good book (or two) to read at the beach  and was wondering if anyone's read anything good lately...if so let me know. i'm dying to get lost in one all night on the screened porch...ahhhhh. 

Happy Birthday Justin

My brother Justin:  

1. has the fattest sausage-link-fingers of anyone i know ("i hear they're good for cheese packing though ey jus?").

2. has the constant need to be networking or he would cease to breath (IM Justin).

3. drinks IBC root beer cause he thinks it cool (and likes to drive my mom crazy)

4. is serious daredevil.. and has the scars, burns, broken bones and helicopter bills to prove it!

  

5. still stands with his legs crossed like he did when he was 4.

6. is brutally honest (emphasis on "brutally") 

7. SHUP SHAUNA!!!!  (need i say more)

8. usually has on a t-shirt that says something dumb (sorry...didn't have a pic of my personal favorite, "haven't I turned you down before?"

9. is a country boy through and through. 

10. can get engrossed in the TV...practically to point of catatonia.

okay, okay on a more serious note...Justin, you're totally my favorite brother;) and I think your absolutely the best! Oh, AND I'm really glad you were born on this day 24 years ago (hmmmm...except that if you weren't, I'd probably be more like to inherit to boat, guns, and farm land) hee hee hee.

 

I love you DAAAAUUUSSSIIINNNN !

Big Girl Bed

Well, after 4 nights i feel pretty safe posting that...Maddie finally got her very own big girl bed!!!!  I've held off  just in case we had another disaster. We tried a toddler bed about 6 months ago and she just would NOT stay in it. It was a nightmare (literally)...I would put her in it like 6 billion times initially, and then when she finally did fall aleep (which usually resorted to brent or I laying down with her an squishing our huge selves into a bed no bigger than a crib) she would  end up coming over to our room in the middle of night, and I would wake up to her standing over me, breathing in my face with her wild woman hair and stinky breath...it was like a scene strait out of the excorsist. anyway, I tried all the super nanny techniques, but being 7 months pregnant I just couldn't take and had to put her back in the crib.  well now that i'm semi-sane again i thought we'd try a big girl bed and...IT'S WORKING. She's staying in it and is doing great. Again, it was just another lesson to me that kids do things at their own pace, and when they're ready it all just works out. Everything that i've pushed has only ended up with Maddie being resistant and unhappy, and me feeling like i've set her up for failure, when she just wasn't ready to begin with. I'm proud of my little monkey so i wanted to post a couple pics of her showing off her new bed.

B-Man!

Just some recent pics of the B-man. He had his four month appointment at the beginning of this month, and weighed in at 16.9 pounds.  Some lady in the grocery store the other day ask me if he was 10 months- ummm....seriously?  Anyway, we just really adore this little guy, his temperament is so sweet that you just can't help but wanna love and hold him all day long. Although he's smiling in the pics where he's sitting in the Bumbo, he's really not much  of a fan. To be honest it actually looks painful for him; the top of his legs barely fit in the leg holes...he looks like a porker stuffed in a sausage. Maddie on the other hand loves it and fits great; it's become her favorite new spot to watch "Tom and Jerry." 

Fun weekend!

Brent and I took the kids on there very fist camp out this weekend. My grandparents have a camping area on there land which is really nice, and my sweet parents added tons of cute touches to make us feel welcomed (seriously, have you ever seen such a cute camping area.) We camped  with my mom and dad, and my sister-in-law's family. We absolutely had a blast... I had forgotten how much i enjoy camping. Of course it's a bit different these days from when Brent and used to go... now we sleep in different sleeping bags with kids stuffed under our arms AND we ended up taking like the entire house, and used practically nothing. Anyway, it was a great time; the boys shot clay birds while the women chatted around the fire and the kids played in the woods. I looked around several times thinking how thankful I am for beautiful place that I call home. 

On Saturday my dad took us all boating at Raystown Lake. It was the nicest weather and just a perfect day. Maddie rode on the tube, fed fish, and even did some skinny dipping. I on the other hand did lots of relaxing. i wish that i could say the day ended well for brent, but he got motion sickness and ended up throwing up over all over the side of my dad's boat a few times...poor brent.  (forgive all the pics, i just couldn't help myself)