The Kitchin Sink

And the award goes to.....

2010-09-19T20:43:00.008-06:00

Collin Kitchin!!!! We are so very proud of our little man. He received the "Pride Time" award for respect this past Friday at his school. He was recognized at the morning assembly. Each teacher awarded students from the class this award, and Mrs. Walker chose Collin and his new little buddy, Foster. What a great way to start off the year! Collin was beaming, he was so excited and we were too! What a wonderful honor and really makes me so proud that he is showing respect to his teacher, peers and new school.

Speaking of school, Annie Frances started back a little over a week ago. She is loving her new class as well. She has the same teacher Collin had for 3 year old Pre-K and we are so happy!

Things are going great here at the Kitchin Sink! I've settled back into teaching again and loving my new little class. This year I'm also teaching the 3 year old Pre-K class and really enjoying it. So much more to do and communicate with the kids and they seem to be having a great time so far!!!! I look back now and can't believe I didn't choose education as my major in college. I love this so much!!!

Matthew's work is going well...busy, but well. He's loving coaching again and is definitely settling into his new role in the morning carpool line. Boy, do we have to all get up early! Slowly but surely, we are adjusting to this new bedtime hour and especially waking up when the rooster crows!

We got back into the soccer groove over the weekend. Now you all know how much I love watching Collin play and Matthew coach. Fall is just my favorite time of the year and soccer is one of the main reasons. We won our first game and it was so much fun!!!! Looking forward to a great season for the Wolves.

Here is a picture from Collin's very first season, which now seems many moons ago!

And here he is now, with two of his best little buddies. They've now played on the same team together for a few years. How time flies when you're having fun!

Happy Birthday Sweet Collin!

2010-08-25T06:30:00.003-06:00

Whew! Already been a great morning! I love birthdays, especially my children's birthdays. Yes, we've already had cookie cake for breakfast!!! Yummy! My precious little man turned 6 today. It is so hard to believe how fast the time has gone. Six years ago today I received one of the most precious gifts in my life and that was my firstborn child. I never dreamed how rewarding and wonderful motherhood would be until he arrived and what a privilege it is to be his mother.

Collin is the sweetest, most loving child and truly has a heart of gold. The love he has for others is truly amazing and precious. Most importantly, I am in awe and overjoyed for his love of Jesus Christ, even at the age of 6. What a wonderful praise!!!

He is active in his sports....soccer, baseball and basketball and loves to watch football and hockey. He enjoys Wii games, computer games and his Nintendo DS. He enjoys spending time with his friends and going to school.

Happy Birthday my precious little boy. I enjoy each day watching you grow and learn and develop into the great little person you are. I love you so very much!

Ballerina Girl

2010-08-22T15:39:00.005-06:00

AF started back to dance lessons this past week. We will be dancing at a new studio this year. We loved her old dance studio, but they will not have a recital this year and she loved that part the very best. I can't imagine practicing all year and not being in a recital at the end of the year. Kind of like going to soccer practice each week and never having a game. So, new studio, new teacher and lots of moving and shaking! AF couldn't be happier!

Also had to share a few cute pics I caught after church this morning of my little angels. Can't ever pass up a little phot opp!

Also wanted to send a very special Happy 60th Birthday to my sweet Daddy this weekend! We are celebrating big next weekend and taking him to Atlanta with my brother and SIL. Heading to the Braves game and lots of fun! Happy Birthday Daddy!

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Mr. Kindergartner

2010-08-22T15:03:00.004-06:00

K is for Kindergarten!!!! We are so excited for Collin as he starts his new school this year. He had a great 1st week and seems to love it! I just know he's going to have a great year. We absolutely love his teacher and truly couldn't have asked for a better one.

Little sister is missing him terribly during the day and is always ready to pick him up in the afternoon. Collin, on the other hand has been a little envious of AF and I being home together and thinks he's missing out on some great fun...can you count grocery shopping, errands, and cleaning house great fun? I've assured him he's not missing out on anything, and we start back to school this week, so I hope that will help him feel better about it.

He's already made a few new little friends, which I am so grateful! The first day he came home with big tears in his eyes and scared because he didn't know anyone in his class. Can I just tell you this truly ripped my heart out! I hated seeing my precious angel upset and nervous. Collin is shy and it takes him a little time to open up and get comfortable around new people. Once he does, everything's great and he has the greatest little personality. Fortunately, by end of the week he was doing much better and found a few boys that love Star Wars and Wii, so I think we're doing pretty good! I'm also lined up to be a co-room mother with 3 other ladies, so I am looking so forward to getting involved and spending lots of time volunteering at his school. Oh and let me just tell you, I can't wait for field trips and class parties. Okay, so I'm just a bit excited for him, but that's how it should be, isn't it?

Now, I'm not the only one excited for him. Matthew is just as thrilled and involved. This week, the boys spent the evenings while I cooked dinner, hitting the neighborhood selling cookies for the school fundraiser! What great fun they had together. Matthew will be joining Collin this week on Wednesday to have lunch with him at school for his birthday and to take cupcakes to his class. We all love Kindergarten!!!!!

Collin's 6th Birthday Party

2010-08-22T14:42:00.004-06:00

Splish Splash!!!! And that's just what we did. Collin wanted a "Super Soaker" birthday party this year with a waterslide, slip 'n slide, water balloons, water guns and basically anything that involved getting wet. So, I did my best to accommodate his request and had an absolute ball as well! I also want to add we had a little bit of a shark theme going on with the invitations, the cake, and Collin had a cute shark swimsuit with an appliqued shark t-shirt my mama made for him.

The waterslide arrived that morning around 7am and my children started playing shortly after it was blown up and didn't stop until 3pm when the man came to take it away. Collin was so upset as he thought this was his actual present from Matthew and I and couldn't understand why they would take it away. I guess we'll have to rent another one for next summer! A good time was definitely had by all. After the party was over, both kids, Matthew, his brother John, SIL, Carrie and myself decided to give it a try as well! I'll save you from the horror of those pictures, as I've already begged my mom to delete off the camera. What on earth was I thinking getting into a bathing suit in front of the whole neighborhood? And believe me, by the next morning after playing on the slip 'n slide and going down the water slide, FAST, I was in quite a bit of pain! All in all, it was lots of fun!

Looking forward to celebrating his actual day this Wednesday! Can't believe he will be 6 and is in Kindergarten! Happy Birthday sweet boy!!!!

Twinkle Toes

2010-08-11T14:29:00.006-06:00

This was probably the biggest event so far in Annie Frances' little life. In June, she performed in her very first dance recital. Let me just tell you what a hightlight this was for our entire family. It was bittersweet to watch my little angel up on that stage dancing away, just like I did so many years ago. She loved the makeup, curling her hair, being on stage, she loved it all! Most of all, she really did so well, knowing the steps and learning the little routine. Dance has definitely become a wonderful, fun part of her little life. She's little Miss Twinkle Toes and dances wherever she goes. She can shake it, shuffle step, twirl around, and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's definitely looking forward to getting back to dance lessons this fall and especially performing again next summer!

Farewell Sweet Summer

2010-08-11T13:55:00.008-06:00

Oh, it has been so long since I have blogged. I have so much to tell and so many pictures to upload that it will surely take me several posts to recount it all! For starters, we have had a wonderful summer doing as much as we can before my sweet little boy starts kindergarten. Yes, for those of you who have followed this blog and my sweet family over the past few years, a new chapter is beginning for precious Collin. He is starting Kindergarten full time next week. We've had a few "phase in days" over the past two weeks, but next week it's full time..sniff sniff. More on this later...

We have had some really great days over the past few months playing harder than I think I've ever played. We've spent time at the swimming pool, time on the ball field, dancing our feet away at AF's 1st dance recital, watching some of the most amazing fireworks, enjoying a new yogurt treat place on warm nights (weekly, yes weekly!), spending time with family, attending summer camps, VBS, birthday, my list could just keep going and going, but I think you probably get the picture. Isn't this what it's all about? Soaking up every minute to the fullest with your kids? I sure believe it is and I have loved and cherished every moment with them, my husband, my parents and great friends.

Here's just a little look see of the Kitchins lately...

Springtime fun

2010-03-28T07:01:00.007-06:00

Despite feeling a bit poorly throughout the past week, we all managed to have a little fun here and there. Matthew and the kids have all battled with another stomach bug/cough/constipation/dehydration (I think that covers it, and probably a lot more than you wanted to know). I've been back and forth to the doctor several times as well as the Vandy ER with Annie Frances yesterday morning. Let me just say that we paid a very high price for 5 popsicles to nurse her back to health. Whatever it takes to get the baby girl back to her usual self. Collin is finally feeling top notch again as well after not going to the bathroom for 5 days and Matthew and I trying something we have never done...giving an enema...can't say I want to do that again (Okay, I know that's more than you wanted to know)! All's well that ends well! So with all that being said, we are all back on the right road and what's most important, is I haven't gotten any of it!!! Can I ask for your prayers so I may steer clear of this yuck?

Back to our springtime fun...last Saturday we had our first soccer game of the season, and I am so proud of my little champ for scoring 4 goals in his game! Go Sharks!!!

We then decided it would be a great day to visit Phillip's Toy Mart to see the bunnies! If you live in the Nashville area, or are visiting, this is one great toy store and they bring in bunnies every spring for you to pet. The kids loved it, especially Annie Frances.

We also managed to fit in a picnic and a trip to the park with Nana midweek. At that point everyone seemed to be feeling good and needing a little fresh air. The kids loved playing at the park and always love a picnic! It was a beautiful day here in Nashville on Wednesday and we took full advantage of it.

Spring is definitely here and it's time to do yard work. What's that Kenny Chesney song, "She thinks my tractor's sexy?"

There you go...hubby on his new toy!

So that's been our week. I am looking forward to a much better week ahead. I hope you all have a very blessed Holy week and may each of you experience the precious love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!

Let's go fly a kite....

2010-03-20T06:25:00.009-06:00

I spent the day yesterday with my precious angel babies outside enjoying the most beautiful weather. Nashville was full of sunshine and warmth and a great way to end our spring break. Matthew was feeling a bit under the weather unfortunately and stayed tucked away inside. He definitely needs some good rest!

So anyway, the kiddos and I decided we needed to have a picnic in the front yard. Since there was nothing in the house foodwise (need a little grocery trip this weekend), we picked up Sonic after a quick trip to the drug store for some meds for Matthew. As we were cruising the aisles of Walgreens, we came away with two new Spiderman and Hello Kitty kites as well as a giant blue bubble wand. Perfect treats for our outdoor adventure today. My kids always say that...we're always on little adventures! I love it more than anything!!!

So home we came with all our treasures and off to our blanket in the front yard! After eating lunch, it was time to fly the kites and my babies had a ball!!! Here are some fun pics I was able to catch of them.

We played half the day and had such a wonderful time together. Collin and I played catch with the football. Annie Frances made some beautiful drawings in our garage with her "chonk" as she calls it. The blue bubbles were fantastic!!! The Easter bunny will definitely have to bring more since we used them all up! And then we received a sweet little surprise in the mail, the book, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy. What a precious little book to read and so we did. This was a great little story about compromise between friends and how to learn to play together! How perfect did that turn out for my two little munchkins! Finally after a story and lots of outside time, I had this on my hands....

and this....

One sleepy and one still going strong. The sleepy one won, because I was tired too and so we all headed inside for a little nap! What a wonderful day we had! Happy Spring to you all!

Father and Grandfather

2010-03-20T06:02:00.004-06:00

This past week has been mine and the kids Spring Break at school. My sweet little angels got to spend lots of time at their Nana and Grandy's house visiting with them. They had so much fun and I am so grateful to my parents for taking care of them.

Unfortunately, Matthew and I spent our time in Virginia. His father passed away last Saturday. His father has been battling alzheimers for many years now. I think it's very sweet how my children view this. They keep asking where is Grandaddy Lou, and I tell them he now lives in Heaven. Their first response to this is, "Did Jesus heal him?" I love the precious innocence of little minds. Yes, he is healed and knows us all and feels wonderful!!! Praise our sweet Lord!!!!

My father in law did many great things throughout his life. He worked in politics and was Reagan's campaign manager for the southeast. I used to love hearing all of the stories he would tell about being in the White House, and my husband even had dinner there when he was young with George Bush, Sr. And may I add, he ordered a cheeseburger!

He was also very involved in my husband's life especially as he was growing up...coached most of his sports, attended sporting events with him and his brothers, took them all on wonderful trips, especially deep sea fishing trips and more than I can even mention. I remember how he would visit us when we were in college at Auburn and go to band parties and absolutely dance the night away with us! We had some really fun times!

My husband brought home some really precious mementos this past week that will really be awesome to share with our children as they get older. Here is a sweet little pic I took last year when we were visiting of Collin and his Grandaddy.

Louis Leonard Kitchin
1935 - 2010

ZZZZZZZZZZ

2010-03-06T06:23:00.002-06:00

Girls, I am one tired sister after this week. And would you believe it is Saturday morning around 6:30 a.m. and I have been awake since 5? Thanks to precious baby girl who came in dreaming about eating pizza with her brother's friends. Now, what exactly should I be most concerned about...waking up at 5 a.m. or that my daughter, who is much too young is already dreaming about boys? Hopefully I will be able to catch a little catnap at some point today.

This week has been one busy week, but I must say very rewarding. As many of you know I work at my children's school as a preschool teacher and teach 1 and 2 year olds. I LOVE IT!!!!! Just about as much as I love being a mother to my precious angel babies. I never dreamed how much I would love working with children and watching their little minds grow and take in all this big, big world has to offer. They can make you laugh as well as make you cry! This week we focused on the beginning of Spring and made lions and kites and talked about colors and how God gave us eyes to see all of these wonderful things. We were even blessed here in Nashville with some warmer weather, which I quickly took advantage of and had a picnic with my little class outside on the playground. Normally I work 3 days a week, and I'm working 4 for the next couple of weeks, so by late Thursday afternoon, I'm worn out (hopefully this explains my lack of posts this week)!

No worries, though, next Thursday I get to have a little "me time" and get my hair did while Mama keeps the kids. I love going to see Kayce, who keeps me livin' the lie of being blonde every couple of months. I swear I feel like I step back a few years and I'm sitting right in "Truvy's salon" from Steele Magnolias. Nothing better than a bunch of women sitting around gossiping and laughing and cuttin' up. It's just a little old house with lots of estrogen inside and some of the best laughter I've ever experienced. Definitely good for my soul, as well as works on the abs and keeps me from working out (I think I live by that motto too much and just pray for more laughter so I won't have to exercise).

Speaking of pampering, AF is all into makeup and hair and beauty (I'm already scouting out beauty shcools for her, just kidding!). Well, last night we ran to the movie store for family movie night, which is most Friday nights at the Kitchinsink, and next door to the movie place is a nail salon. She went nutso wanting to go in and sit in the big chairs...Hallelujah! I feel a mother/daughter mani/pedi in the near future!!! We may even invite our Nana, who just the other day said she wanted to go get one. I'm definitely going to take AF soon to this cute little place here where she gets her hair cut (it's finally starting to grow in people!) and they have little chairs for little girls to get mani/pedis...she'll be so excited. That child loves to get her fingernails and "toesnails" as she calls them painted, and always pink and sparkly! Would you have guessed any other color? I need to be thankful that is the only color she wants, I mean it could be so much worse, she could want to paint them blue or green or even black?

Okay, I can see that I am completely rambling and it is quite obvious that this brain really does need sleep! Have a great weekend folks!

He Shoots, He Scores!

2010-02-24T07:02:00.004-06:00

Matthew and I had the best time last night at Collin's basketball game. He was so much fun to watch. I have never seen him play a sport so hard as he did last night. He was rebounding and taking the ball away from the other team. Being a little smaller definitely has its advantages. The kid is "darty" and he would just move in and get the ball and take off with it. Well, at one point, he did this and dribbled it all the way back down the court and made a perfect shot!!!!!! We were thrilled!!! This is the first time he's scored in a game. Way to go Collin!!! He loves sports so much, and I'm talking almost everything. He plays soccer, t-ball, basketball, and then loves to watch hockey and football. When he's here at home he's either shooting baskets or playing with his football with Matthew. After the game, we let him pick the dinner spot....none other than our usual Chick-fil-a on Tuesday nights. And boy, did he have an appetite after that game. He ate 2 packs of nuggets, waffle fries, 2 lemonades and ice cream! I think getting those tonsils out have helped the little man quite a bit!!!

And we certainly can't forget Princess Annie Frances. She wasn't happy until we got to Chick-fil-a.

Her Favorite Attire

2010-02-21T08:38:00.004-06:00

I truly believe AF thinks she is a princess, ballerina and something pink and sparkly all wrapped up into one. These are her all time favorite things and she must refer to one of these things at least 30 times throughout the day. This child would much prefer to wear a leotard and tutu, or a princess dress at all times instead of regular clothes...we're talking from the time she wakes to the time she goes to bed. Oh and I can't forget her "pink sparkly" slippers that she even tries to sleep in. Matthew goes in each night after she goes to sleep to pry them off her little feet! She's a princess alright! I made the mistake of letting her watch Toddlers and Tiaras the other night, which she absolutely loved, loved, loved!!!! Let me first say that I am not a pageant mom and never will be a pageant mom. Sorry sister, you will have to parade around at home in your tutus and tiaras! As I digress, she loved watching it and seeing the little girls all dolled up, literally, and then calls my mother (who is also watching it) and tells her, "Oh, Nana, I want to play this game! They are pink sparkly princesses!" She then goes on to tell Matthew(who is now watching it with us)and I to clapp for each of the girls as they go across the stage!!!! This is a sign to never watch again!!!

Friday we had such a fun day! Collin is finally feeling back to his good ole self again after his surgery and was very ready to see some of his friends. We went by school to drop something off and have a little visit to his class. His little buddies were equally excited to see him and all gave hugs and asked all about the surgery. Several of them had drawn get well pictures for him and it was such a sweet little moment to see. We then went to McD's for lunch with his buddies Cannon and Anna Kate. Lunch dates are the best and the kids had such a "loud" good time together. AF was especially happy to spend time with her BFF Georgia, and I had a great time chatting with my friend Brooke. We then headed to Target and took Anna Kate with us, where we headed straight to the toy aisle for some "Force" time!

They love some Star Wars, all the while AF was begging and pleading to hit the princess aisle!

We also stopped by Matthew's office that day...my kids just love getting to go to their daddy's office. Don't most kids? It was a beautiful day in Nashville and has been all weekend! Praise the Lord for this wonderful sunshine...my body has definitely been needing some vitamin D!

Dancin in the Kitchin

2010-02-17T06:47:00.005-06:00

We have always danced around in the kitchen with each other and our children since they were babies. Last night was one of those fun times. I will admit, we even go so far as to take out big kitchen spoons and sing and dance. My kids just go crazy happy and love this family fun time. Last night was one of those times. We cranked up the ipod and started moving. Matthew and I were doing everything in our power to bring some happiness to Collin. Yesterday was a very rough day in this recovery from having his tonsils taken out. We were warned that by day 6 and 7 it may be the worst and yesterday was #6! So we danced!!! It did lighten the mood and we had so much fun!!! Their favorite songs are "I Like to Move It" from Madagascar, "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas and then a new favorite of AF's, "Cinderella", by Stephen Curtis Chapman (get a tissue for this one if you have a little girl!)

Now many of you know that Annie Frances is our little dancer and she dances wherever she goes. I'm talking constantly twirling or curtsying and now she's learned to plie and pique. Now you know this just melts my heart after taking dance through highschool and then teaching in college. And let me just tell you, the girl loves a tutu! Mama and I spent the afternoon making a new one for her yesterday...the bigger and poofier the better!

This is AF at her dance class on Wednesday mornings. And.....

That would be me at a much younger age on the far left about to perform at an event in Huntsville, AL...seems like many moons ago, now. Like mother, like daughter.

Birthdays are the best!!!

2010-02-15T11:07:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday sweet husband!!!

Today is a big celebration day at our house...it's Matthew's birthday. I just love celebrating birthdays and the person who's having it. What a great occasion to be able to celebrate that special person and their life. My husband is definitely worth celebrating, all 33 years of him today!!!! My children and I are so excited today and can't wait for Matthew to get home tonight for a special dinner with our good friends, Ned and Mimi and their little boy. We have lots to do today to prepare for our little party tonight!!!

On a complete side note, I don't mean to be so rude, but I wanted to talk about a little "poop". I am truly having a time with Annie Frances these days saying potty words. She thinks it's so fun and tries to get a good laugh by all when she says these words. Now she isn't saying curse words or anything like that, but I've noticed her pick up certain things here and there and think it sounds bad. She's actually trying to make up dirty words!!! Now, I can somewhat understand if a little boy might try this, but certainly not a little girl and Matthew and I are just completely frustrated about it. So, I decided last night it was time to clean the potty mouth and that's just what I did.

Would you believe I had to put soap in her mouth two times last night? I plan to keep doing this until this talk stops for good. Oh she carried on last night and cried, which then made Collin cry (sweet little heart he has!)

So enough of that, I'm off to the store to get my things for tonight and I'm taking my potty mouthed child and sweet boy with me!

Will you be my Valentine?

2010-02-12T11:21:00.004-06:00

I just love vintage valentine cards. They are so sweet and really beautiful little pieces of artwork. The right Valentine card can truly make your heart melt when given by that special someone. Flowers will eventually wither away and die, chocolate will add extra to places you don't want or need it, but a simple little note can last forever and leave such a powerful imprint on your heart. I have such a sweet collection from my sweetie from over the years and I love going back and reading through them. It's really neat to see how our relationship has changed over the past 13 years. Wow! 13 years is a long time!!!! I love Matthew more today and am so thankful for our friendship and our life together. I laugh each year and tell him not to spend lots of money on a bouquet of flowers, I like the grocery store flowers and they cost a lot less!

I'm posting a few pics of me and my sweetie today and encourage all of you readers to post pics of you and yours during this Valentine weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful "lovey" day!

I also read this today from a friend of mine and it really made me think about my role as a wife to Matthew. I would like to live each day to be my husband's mate, love, helper, friend, confidant and support.
" A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." Proverbs 12:4

SUCCESS!

2010-02-10T11:39:00.002-06:00

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all the many prayers and sweet thoughts. Collin's surgery was a great success this morning and we are actually home recovering and it's before Noon here in Nashville! I honestly feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders now that my precious punkin is out of surgery and doing so well. He is drinking lots of fluids, and talking (sounds like he's got a few marbles rolling around in his mouth),very alert and ready to try something to eat like a grilled cheese (amazing!) Almost too good to be true! Yes, he does have some pain and discomfort, but Matthew to the rescue has already made a quick trip to Publix for the necessities, lots of ice cream, chocolate pudding, mac n cheese, apple sauce and popsicles in bulk! Oh and of course his medicine. I really can't explain how pleased I am of the outcome. I'm sure we'll have a few tough days ahead, but I am truly shocked at how smoothly this has all gone. Thanks be to God Almighty for taking care of my sweet boy. I am so very blessed and grateful.

Surgery Day Tomorrow

2010-02-09T07:53:00.002-06:00

This sweet little face will have his tonsils taken out tomorrow. He is definitely starting to get a little nervous, and I am getting ALOT nervous, although completely keeping that under wraps so he will not notice. The other night, he came to my room and didn't want to go to bed in fear of having a bad dream. I began to press to find out the real issue, which was the surgery. I told him when he was scared just start to pray and ask Jesus to take away his fears and know He is with him at all times. He still slept in the bed with me that night, and I held and cuddled with him to ease those little fears. Don't you just hate it when your child is scared? You can only hope that you can provide the comfort they need to make them feel better. Collin's teacher told me this week he has definitely not been himself the past couple of weeks and seemed like there was something in the back of his little mind. I will certainly be glad when tomorrow is over and we will be starting a new time for him that is hopefully strep throat free! I ask you all to please keep him in your prayers over the next few days, that the surgery will go smoothly and his healing process will go just as smoothly. I also ask for prayers for Matthew and myself, as we send our precious little one off to the hands of the doctors and nurses tomorrow morning, and just a complete peace of mind. I'll keep you posted on how it all goes. Love to all!

Got It!

2010-02-01T09:54:00.002-06:00

It made it's final attack on me overnight, and now I'm the last to deal with the sickness. You have no idea how hard I tried not to catch it. I have truly been a disinfecting fool over the past week. I guess there's just nothing you can do when the rest of the family's got it, it's just a matter of time. Oh well, enough about all that.

Today the great "thaw" begins and the sunshine is beautiful. I have absolutely loved looking at the frozen trees with sunshine hitting them and making them sparkle. It absolutely looks like God took a paintbrush and painted each branch and limb ever so slightly with silver paint. Magnificent! I just love thinking about the beautiful canvas of God and His creation. Most of all, how fortunate we are to be able to see with our eyes the beauty all around us.

Hello Happy Face

2010-01-31T17:05:00.005-06:00

That is one happy little girl.

This little face wasn't quite as happy due to the sunshine being in his eyes. Although, he quickly cheered up and got in some good sledding time again today!

Looks like we'll be homebound again tomorrow and hopefully we'll get a big thaw over the next few days and be able to emerge from our hibernation. Can't complain though, we never get snow and it has been so much fun this year. My kids have absolutely loved it and we've gotten some pretty fun pics out of the deal as well. I am especially happy that Matthew has been home to enjoy all of this with us. Even Millie, our dog, and Cleo, our cat have had some fun in the snow too!

Blizzard 2010

2010-01-30T18:09:00.004-06:00

We have had so much fun sledding and enjoying this winter weather! This has definitely been a great ending to a not so fun week of everyone being sick. Turns out, Matthew, Collin and AF all had the stomach bug. Fortunately, I have not gotten it and pray I don't. Poor little Collin suffered from strep and stomach bug all in one week. And by the way, we made a decision to take his tonsils out and surgery is scheduled for Feb. 10th...please keep us in your prayers.

So, back to our winter bliss. Matthew and I have had more fun than the kids slippin and slidin and sledding throughout our neighborhood today. It was really funny, there were so many adults out sledding and all the kids were tucked away in their homes watching movies and such, our kids included. I guess we're all just kids at heart! Matthew is definitely sore tonight after going down the hill numerous times...let's just call him Clark Griswold! So here's a few pics from our fun day. Can't wait to get back at it again tomorrow!

I'm Alive

2010-01-27T13:18:00.003-06:00

Yes, I am alive, just been away from blogland for awhile. We have been hit by illness (strep throat) for a little over the past month now and well, frankly, I have had no time for anything except trying to disinfect and just live through this yuck. We have all been attacked by it, and hopefully today will be the beginning of wellness in the Kitchin family. In about an hour I will take Collin for an appointment with the ENT to talk about removing his tonsils. We hit this bump in the road about 2 years ago and Matthew and I chickened out and to be perfectly honest got really scared about putting our little boy through surgery and especially the anesthesia at such a young age. Well, now 2 years later as he still suffers from strep throat anywhere from 6-8 times a year, we know it is what's best for him. I pray he will feel better, eat better, grow and enjoy being a healthy, happy 5 year old! So I will keep you posted on the outcome and hopefully will find more time to post once we are on the mend!

Oh and the title of this post, "I'm Alive"...let me just say, check out the song by Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews, it's the best!

And here's a little bit of sweetness that does feel good and happy as always!

Happy Birthday Sweet Princess

2009-12-06T07:26:00.008-06:00

We have truly had a royal birthday celebration week for Annie Frances. It all started on Tuesday, which was her actual birthday. My sweet baby girl turned 3 and was so excited. We had our usual tradition of waking up to birthday cake!!!! My kids love this and look so forward to their birthday morning filled with a sweet treat and presents and the house decorated. Then it was off to school to celebrate with her friends. Mama met us that afternoon after school with more presents, as well as a little treat of Star Wars figurines for precious boy! That evening we had a fun birthday dinner celebration at Chick-fil-a where we met a balloon artist, lots of fun, and Ice Cream! What a special day for our sweet girl.

But, believe me, the celebrating did not end there. We had a royal celebration here yesterday with 8 little princesses, and as Annie Frances put it, "2 Real Ones". All our little princesses arrived and we had so much fun. They decorated little mirrors so they could all admire their beauty, we played kiss the frog prince, tried on the beautiful magic slipper, and met Snow White and Cinderella who gave each little girl some beautiful pink lips and glittery cheeks.

The little girls enjoyed sweet treats of chocolate pretzel wands, crown and slipper cookies, castle cake and ice cream, and pink lemonade....what a royal fare, wouldn't you say?

It truly was such a fun day and Annie Frances was thrilled to no end. Happy Birthday sweet baby girl. You are our precious little princess and we love you so very much!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-25T12:11:00.003-06:00

My little punkins are ready for Turkey day tomorrow. How about you? I think Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the fact that it's all about being with family and friends and truly reflecting on the blessings you have in your life. We start out our day by having breafast and watching the Macy's Day parade on tv. Then, time to cleanup and get ready for family time, and some delicious food.

I am looking so forward to tomorrow as my whole family will be spending Thanksgiving at my house this year. Fortunately, I'm not really doing a lot of cooking, and a good portion of it is being brought to me! Hallelujah! So with all that taken care of, we can just eat and enjoy each other's company.

Now, one of my favorite things to do on Thanksgiving is watch the movie Home for the Holidays, with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey, Jr. One of my all time favorite movies, and one I would definitely recommend to all for a great laugh. That's a little breakdown of our Thanksgiving...Hope you all have a very blessed and wonderful day of thanks.

Wedding Bells

2009-11-23T06:55:00.004-06:00

I just love a good wedding, and sweet husband and I attended one on Saturday night. It was beautiful, colorful, modern, traditional all in one. We really had a wonderful time with good friends from our supper club, as well as the couple getting married. The kiddos headed up the interstate to Nana and Grandy's house and Matthew and I had a little date night (Much Needed!)

Speaking of weddings, I get to celebrate my anniversary next week...this will be nine years for sweet Matthew and I. I am so grateful for the past nine years of my life. It's amazing how fast time flies, especially when you're having fun! And we're having lots of fun with life in general, and the kiddos also make it pretty enjoyable as well! More to come next week on my sappiness!

Do you ever want to just be lazy?

2009-11-15T07:19:00.004-06:00

It's okay to be lazy sometimes and just soak in the joys around you like your babies, isn't it? That's what I'm doing this weekend. I can't say that we've been completely lazy...we've definitely been up to several things so far. Mama and I went to Christmas Village on Friday afternoon and had the very best time together. I just can't explain to you all how much I have enjoyed having my mama live here in Nashville. There comes a time in your life where moments with your mama mean the world to you, and I am definitely enjoying these times together. I am so grateful for our friendship, and just the special bond we have that also carries through to my children. All that to say, we had a fabulous time and saw lots of pretties that really got us both in the mood to decorate for Christmas. I have been ready for about a month now, but feel like I at least need to wait until Thanksgiving to put up the tree. Now I can't put up all my holiday decor until after December 5th, due to a little "princess soiree" we will be having here to celebrate AF's 3rd birthday. My gosh, where does the time go. This goes back to my question at the beginning...I feel like it's okay to let things go slow and enjoy and savor every moment you have with friends and family. I have made a promise to myself and my family this year, that we are going to enjoy this holiday season to the very fullest, and I mean every single day through until 2010. I am going to bake, sing Christmas Carols, watch movies, A Christmas Carol (dying to see it!), and the usual ones, like A Christmas Story , and Home for the Holidays , just to name a few...holiday parties, enjoy reading Christmas cards, open the advent calendar with my children each day, wrap gifts, my list could seriously go on and on and on. Most importantly, I want to really focus on the true meaning of Christmas, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that we are able to worship freely and love our Lord each and every day, and most of all Christmas Day. I want to read the real Christmas story to my children over this wonderful holiday season. I guess doing all of these things over the next month doesn't sound like laziness, but all well worth doing and enjoying! Oh, and by the way, I also have an anniversary (9 years!) to throw in there on December 1st as well! Boy, I may be a bit busy!

Well, my weekend has been a little lazy. Matthew did have to work at his office for awhile yesterday morning, but we joined him for breakfast at a really fun place here in Nashville, the Pfunky Griddle, where we sit at a table and get to make our own pancakes with lots of fun toppings!

I highly recommend if you're ever in the Nashville area! We also had dinner with our good friends last night and watched Auburn play pretty poorly...oh well, it's just a game isn't it? Now try and tell my husband that!

Crunch!

2009-11-04T21:01:00.005-06:00

Let me start this post out by saying today was not the day for me to win "Mother of the Year" award. I have cried, laughed(thanks to my mother's light heartedness at the ER) and just felt downright rotten after shutting my precious baby's fingers in the car door today. I was trying to get AF in the car although, she had other intentions (getting the bottle of purel), which ultimately landed her sweet little fingers caught in between the driver's door and back passenger door of my car. Have you ever been caught in a moment when everything seemed to go in slow motion and there is no noise? Well, that is exactly what it was like. My mother quickly began screaming, "open the door, open the door!" and once we did, the real screaming began, as well as the swelling and me thinking I have just broken all the fingers on my baby's hand! Then a true whirlwind of events took place as we scooped her up and headed to the ER, me dialing numbers to talk with the Pedi to get a call ahead to the hospital, next call to sweet hubby to pick up our little man from school, and all the while sobbing while driving, no doubt. Fortunately, by the time we got to the ER, she was laughing and moving her little fingers just like normal. We still went in for an X-ray to make sure there were no hairline fractures (and thank goodness there were not!) M&M's and a pink popsicle can do wonders for a little girl, and the popsicle served 2 purposes...reduce swelling as well as sweet treat!

Tonight we are good as new! She's already in bed sleeping soundly. Thank goodness little ones heal quickly and are very forgiving to their mommies as well!

Here are a few pics from our weekend of happy little kiddos...

On a complete side note, I saw this post today on FB, which made me laugh as well as put my phone down...wanted to share..."Honk if you love Jesus, Text while driving if you wanna see him in person." Very true!

Little Excursion

2009-10-21T20:05:00.007-06:00

Now you all know I just love little excursions, especially with my kiddos and my Mama, of course. I know I've told you before, but this is exactly how I remember growing up as a child, just jumping up in my Nana's big blue van with my Mama, brother and Nana and heading out to see what all we could see. So seems pretty typical that we would just follow in toe with my precious angel babies as well, and thank goodness they seem just as happy as I was to head out on these fun little excursions, like the one we had today!

By the way, it was absolutely beautiful in Franklin, TN today, and the most perfect day to be outside. So, the kiddos and I started out by taking a walk in the neighborhood until Mama could get to our house and then we were off! We decided to visit Carnton Plantation here in Franklin first and then head down toward Columbia, TN (known for the home of President James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States). History lesson for us all once again...I'm really into it right now, and especially teaching my children all about it. Collin was most intrigued by the civil war cemetery at Carnton today, and just whose side were we on, what color were their uniforms and would those people come out of those stones? So, maybe a little much for a 5 year old, but he had a great time as did Annie Frances as she wanted to sit on the little markers for the soldiers. We quickly let her know that was disrespectful to our fallen soldiers and she found a little bench to fancy upon!

So, here are a few more pics from our little trip today...

I just love looking back in time and letting my mind wander to what life was like during that time. I am definitely happy to have all the wonderful things we have today such as modern medicine, cars, and many more amenities, but do you ever wonder what it would've been like to live in a different era?

On our way home, Mama and I spotted a precious little antique shop to visit, and what a perfect little name it had to go along with our day...Reminisce.

If you're ever heading north on I-65 to Nashville,at the Columbia exit #46, be sure to stop by and pay a little visit...you won't regret it!

Spooky Cookies

2009-10-21T10:12:00.005-06:00

Yesterday the kids and I had a little baking day and made spooky Halloween cookies. We had so much fun together! This fall break has been a great little time for us and we can't wait for Friday when Matthew is able to join us and take the day off of work. He did join in on our little fun last night and helped the kiddos ice the cookies. They had such a fun time and especially tasting their spooky little treats!

To make these cookies we used Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough and rolled it out with flour and simply used our favorite Halloween cookie cutters to create these spooky little treats. I then used Pillsbury frosting (white) and then tinted it with food coloring to make orange and gray(which had a purplish tint to it) and also used black icing as well. Yummy to our tummies!

The Great Pumpkin....Roll

2009-10-21T09:09:00.003-06:00

Doesn't fall just make you want to cook and eat the most delicious treats? Pumpkin treats! Thank goodness I have a day job and Fall break isn't every week, or I would be as big as a barn! Mama and I were talking about baking and making up delicious little treats and goodies the other day and these are some that we've made already...Pumpkin Spice Muffins with orange cream chesse frosting(would post a photo, but they've already been gobbled up by the family!) and Halloween iced cookies (so much fun). Which now brings me to the Great Pumpkin Roll, Charlie Brown. As my little punkins say, "This is Delicious, Mama!"

So I wanted to share this little bit of goodness with you to enjoy during this fall season! This would be perfect for a brunch or ladies get-together luncheon and especially delightful with a cup of hot tea or coffee!

How to make it...This is a Libby's Pumpkin recipe.

Ingredients:

CAKE

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions:

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Hope you and your punkins enjoy! Happy Fall Ya'll!

Bump in the Night

2009-10-14T21:28:00.006-06:00

Tonight Matthew and I had a little date night. We had dinner with our supper club and then went on the ghost tour, "Haunted Franklin". It was so much fun and great time to spend with our friends. The most interesting part of the evening was hearing the history of downtown Franklin and the stories dating back to the Civil War. I am such a sucker for that stuff and completely intrigued by the civil war. I love reenactments, hoop skirts, confederate flags, a sweet southern drawl telling stories and most of all the true graciousness of the south. So, if you're ever in Franklin, TN, I highly recommend checking out the walking tour, Franklin On Foot, along with the fantastic shopping and restaurants up and down Main Street. It is truly worth seeing and hearing the history of our little town. Check out Historic Franklin and see what all we have going on throughout the year. Bye Ya'll!

BOO!

2009-10-12T14:59:00.003-06:00

As promised, here are my little tricksters wearing their new Halloween tshirts my mom made for them! They were so excited to wear them today and scare anyone they saw...who knows what they will be like on Halloween!

Best Friends

2009-10-11T20:38:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't written in awhile, well, almost 2 months now, but tonight I'm back to typing away. We have had a wonderful weekend with lots of family time. My father came to visit and spent the night with us last night. We spent the day hanging out, going to Collin's soccer game, watching football and ending the day at Mellow Mushroom for dinner. So much fun! Today, Matthew and the kids and I headed up to Mama and Andy's for the afternoon and had lots of fun. The boys headed down the street to the fishing hole, while us girls went to the grocery and did "girl things". Mama has made Collin and AF the cutest Halloween t-shirts and I can't wait for them to wear them to school this week. I'll make sure to post some pics!

Tonight as I write, my heart goes out to my best friend who lives in Roanoke, VA. She had her second baby yesterday. They are doing well, except her baby is having some difficulty breathing and has been moved to the NICU at another hospital. I know this precious little angel is in the very best care and will be just fine. I have sent out a little prayer chain to all my local friends and fam, and ask all my fellow blogger friends to please pray for my sweet friend and her precious baby. I just wish I could snap my fingers and be there to give her a hug tonight.

That's about all that's going on at the Kitchin Sink right now....absolutely loving this fall weather and really enjoying each day to the fullest!

God's Fireworks

2009-08-05T19:30:00.003-06:00

Last night we had a terrible storm here in middle Tennessee. It went from the top to the bottom of the state and really caused some havoc in my neighborhood. The Bradford Pear trees didn't stand a chance and suffered greatly all up and down my street. Now I just love a good storm and being able to curl up and listen to the thunder and the rain come down. Great sleeping weather! My kids on the other hand are terribly frightened when a thunderboomer comes rolling in. Last night they both ended up in the bed together with the flashlight and Matthew in there with them.

A month or so ago, we had another storm rolling in one evening when Mama was here visiting. The lightening show was absolutely incredible. It stretched all across the sky and created a wonderful show to watch, which is exactly what we did until it got too close and the rain started to come down. Mama and I decided this would be a good little learning experience for the kiddos, and we explained that lightening was simply God making fireworks in Heaven and the sound of thunder was the drums in the big band parade. We had a fabulous time that night watching God's spectacular celebration in the Heavens.

Another good way to explain thunder to a child is tell them it's just God moving his furniture around up there and let them think about which piece he's moving. My kids and I have lots of fun guessing that from time to time.

Welcome Back to our World

2009-08-04T20:53:00.010-06:00

We have had such a busy summer and now it is winding down to the end. That is so hard to believe. It is also hard to believe that I have not written a single thing or shared our lives in two whole months. Well, my last post was about me starting back to work and I have spent the past two months playing with 10 precious, loving, active 2 year olds on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You may ask what I did with the other days of the week? SLEEP...no, just kidding, I ran this Kitchin Sink and played with my precious, loving and active 4 and 2 year old. We have really had an amazing summer and I am so blessed and grateful for each and every day.

So many things have happened besides starting my new job...for starters, a huge prayer was answered this summer and that was my Mama finally moved here after a year. Our family has truly been praying this prayer for several years and now it has finally come to pass. She has just been living here for one week, and I have already enjoyed it so much! It has been a really long time since my Mama and I have lived in the same city and I never realized how much I missed her until now. I love the fact that I can just run up the road, well, the interstate to her house for the afternoon, we can go to church together each Sunday, spend time just running around like we love to do, and so much more. My kids are absolutely ecstatic to have their grandparents living in the same city with them! I already have great plans for fun things to do together this fall and holiday season. Mama and Andy bought a great house that is a couple of blocks from the lake and it is just perfect for them. We are all looking forward to some good times fishing and hanging by the water...the kids already have their poles ready to go! Matthew's got his pole ready as well, and if I'm not careful, he'll end up at Mama's after work for a good home cooked meal and some time at the water instead of home to me and the kiddos!

Speaking of Matthew, he has just successfully completed his first season coaching T-ball. What a fun season it was! We had unseasonably cool weather which made it even nicer for a summer at the ballpark. I do have to say that Annie Frances grew tired of attending practices and would often beg to leave and have a little "girls" trip to the local Hobby Lobby. Girl after my own heart...and most times she would get her way and off we'd go to later meet our boys at our fave Mexican restaurant next door. All in all, we had a great time and met some precious families.

We also had a fun trip to the zoo this summer. Let me just give a little advice if I may to those of you who have children and planning on going to the zoo in the near future...don't let your babies watch Madagascar 2 right before you go. My children were zoned in on finding "Melman", the giraffe and that was all they wanted to do the entire time. Now, at the Nashville Zoo, the giraffes are at the very end, so we heard the entire visit, "where's Melman?", and when we finally found him, their excitement was short lived due to the carousel being down the hill and that drew an even bigger attraction.

My most exciting news of the summer was my awesome birthday surprise from my sweet husband. He took me on a hot air balloon ride!!!!! I have always wanted to go and we watch them fly over our house almost every single weekend. So he woke me up early the day before my birthday and up up up and away we went!

Had a laid back 4th of July, which was very nice. We headed into downtown Franklin for the festival and then a little "almost cookout" here at home, (ran out of propane) and then some indoor firework watching due to the rain.

We still have a few weeks left to finish off our summer with a bang. On Saturday, we will fly to Virginia Beach to visit Matthew's family for a few days. In a few weeks, we will celebrate Collin's 5th birthday. Gosh, it's hard to say that, and even harder to believe my little boy will be 5 years old. I am planning a pirate party as hard and fast as I possibly can right now! I love birthdays and love to plan huge parties for my precious babies! And to finish the summer off we will end it with another trip to the beach with Matthew's brother and his family. So, with all that said...much more to come from us, after a long summer of no posts! Please forgive me, ya'll!

Two little worlds collide

2009-06-08T19:35:00.007-06:00

This makes the second time in 2 years that my two children have had head on collisions with each other, and by the grace of GOD we have come out of them okay. The first time, Annie Frances was a little over a year old and they were running a circle through the house and met at the steps running right into each other. AF went down and was knocked out completely. Matthew and I got to her and when she came to, she was so mad, I'm talking fightin' mad and she went after her brother again. I believe I even blogged about it under the title TKO several years back.

So once again, we had a little collision, and this time she got him. The kids were riding home with Matthew in his truck as they love to do. We let them out of their seats and they both ran around the front of the truck and smack right into each other. She is just at the height to hit his face with her head and boy, did she ever! He had a nice little shiner for about a week! All part of growing up and probably won't be his last.

Back to Work

2009-06-08T07:07:00.007-06:00

You read it just right...I am going back to work. Well, now would you call playing with children all day, doing art projects, teaching bible stories, singing songs, and yes changing diapers, work? I guess it could classify as work, but I am so excited and looking forward to teaching preschool this summer and I start tomorrow. The kiddos are superexcited that I will be teaching at their school. I am helping out with the summer mother's morning out program and then will sub in during the fall. There's a part of me that has always wanted to teach and I look back now wondering why I didn't get an education degree instead of public relations. Oh well, I guess if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. My mom taught preschool while we were kids, so I guess I am just following in her footsteps in a way. So wish me luck for tomorrow!

The kids and I just got back from a little mini vacation to Huntsville last week to see the fam and sweet friends. We had a wonderful time down there...we went to a concert in the park, celebrated my brother's birthday, dinner with my dad, played at the park, went swimming with friends...you could almost say we needed a vacation from our vacation. Made me miss living in my hometown...I forgot just how good it was, and a great place to visit.

We returned home on Thursday afternoon for Collin to start his first T-ball practice which he loved loved loved. And I think his daddy loved it even more! Yes, Matthew is now coaching the T-ball team and loving every minute of it. Can I just brag on him for a minute? He is really a great coach and so patient with the kids on his team. He really loves working with all the kids and has so much fun. His dad always coached his teams and I guess he's kind of following in his footsteps so to speak. Interesting how we do that...me with my mom and Matthew with his dad. Well, Collin loves having his daddy as the coach, and I'm really looking forward to some games...starting this Saturday!

On Friday, Matthew took the day off and we had a family day. This family went out for a little fishing experience. We traveled about 30 minutes outside of Nashville to a little lake. This was the first time for Collin and Annie Frances and boy was it a fun time! Just take a little peek...

AF got tired pretty quickly and was more interested in other things...it was also a first for her to wear pigtails!

Unfortunately my little fishermen didn't catch anything that day...

So Matthew took Collin back out to a local park on Saturday to make up for it and he caught a wopping 7! Made his Mama proud and his daddy too!

Beauty School Here I Come!

2009-05-28T08:25:00.003-06:00

She's already got her career path in place. This child loves makeup more than anything as I have written about before, but now she's broadening her horizons with hair. I guess so now that she finally has a little! I take the kids to get their haircut about once a month and we go to this fun little place called Sweet & Sassy here in Franklin. My husband is certainly not thrilled that I take Collin there, but they get the job done and my kids love it because they get to watch movies, eat lollipops and usually sucker me into buying toys on our way out. Seriously though, they have a sweet little deal running there and it really is a great little place for kids.

So, really there was a point here, anyway...we went in to get the kids hair cut the other day and Annie Frances sat in my lap waiting while Collin had his turn. Collin always goes first because he has tons of hair, and well, AF just needs a little trim to make hers not look so "mullet like". So as we're sitting there, AF watched this other little girl sitting in the chair next to Collin. The little girl got her hair shampood, trimmed and then sparkle hairspray and a glittery star painted on her cheek. Well, this was just the biggest deal in the world to my daughter and fortunately, Miss Honey(our hairdresser) was sweet enough to give AF some "sparklies" and "gitter star" as she called them too! It's the little things that truly make your day even at 2 years old.

I can see this will be a big thing to my sweet girl over the years and yes, we will most definitely have a birthday spa party with the pink limo and all the works one day. That is one day when we have some real hair!

Orzo salad recipe

2009-05-26T13:24:00.003-06:00

This is one of my all time favorite salads and I got the recipe from one of my best friends in Atlanta, thank you Nancy! It is the best for summertime and a perfect picnic salad. Hope you enjoy!

Orzo Salad

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 1/2 cups red, yellow, green peppers
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.
Toss the orzo with the peppers, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T11:13:00.006-06:00

So I just wanted to post some pictures from the weekend of the kiddos. We had a great weekend...lots of cooking out (Thank you Matthew, it was all delicious!), playing at the park, tons of outside time (Thank you Lord for the beautiful weather!) and a wonderful weekend with family.

Mama and I took a little trip to Nolensville on Friday afternoon to do some antiquing and exploring with the kiddos. We had a great time together as usual and the children had lots of fun too! This one of our favorite things to do, and I especially can't wait for Mama to move up here and we can take these little adventures more often. I think I've probably written about this before, but these are the type of memories I have with my Nana and I want the same for Collin and Annie Frances.

There is this great little park close to our house and a walking path that we like to visit and take walks. The kids like to ride their bicycles and I enjoy the exercise. We spent one afternoon this weekend cruising around the little lake searching for turtles and ducks. Unfortunately, Collin was crusing too fast on his bike or running with his Grandy and we couldn't catch a quick pic of him!

However, I was able to catch him playing basketball with Grandy and sister girl playing at the sand table. Oh the joys of summer! I have a feeling we will have lots of outside time this summer and I can't wait!

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day too!

In Memory of Scarlet

2009-05-26T08:43:00.007-06:00

I know I have not been the best at blogging lately, and maybe I was just putting off writing this blog. Matthew and I lost our sweet dog Scarlet of 11 years, a week ago. She had really started to get sick and was suffering from arthritis throughout her whole body as well as cancer, and had stopped eating and could hardly even get up to walk anymore. Our vet told us there was nothing else he could do, so we had to make the sad decision to put her to sleep. I know it was for the best her and she had been so miserable for the past few months, but selfishly, I wanted her to be around forever. Now I do know that is truly not possible, but she was part of the family. She was mine and Matthew's first baby and we got her while we were still in college. I was sitting at the bank one afternoon in Auburn, AL and the radio announcer told a story about a truck driver who had a 6 mos. old Dalmatian puppy and was unable to care for her due to his occupation. Well, at that point, I couldn't dial the numbers fast enough. By that evening, Matthew and I were on our way to Wetumpka, AL,(just a few minutes north of Montgomery) to pick up our sweet girl. As we were driving, we passed an 18 wheeler "Rhett Butler Trucking Company", and being from the south and all, we picked our girl's name...Scarlet. By the time we arrived to get her, the man had told me she would be tied up in the back and if we wanted her untie and take her. We took her in a heartbeat...she didn't look like most dalmatians at first...brown with black dots, but after a bath and a few good chew toys and some puppy chow she was just fine. Now there are so many stories I could go into about that dog, but I won't. Let me just say the first few years were interesting, but lots of fun. She liked to eat things...Have you ever seen the movie "Marley and Me"? Maybe not quite as bad, but ran a close race. As time went on, she calmed down considerably and was great with both our children. She just laid there while they played with her, pulled on her ears, bounced on top of her and never once growled or snarled or anything. She just loved them as she did us all. She was a great dog and we miss her very much.

So, after Matthew and I spent the day crying and the house feeling incredibly empty, and the next few days of me crying, we set out to find our new dog. We traveled to several shelters looking and nothing really jumped out at us, so Matthew and I decided to make a drive back to Alabama to pick up our new girl, Millie. We loaded the kids up and drove to Cullman, AL to pick up a 7 week old Golden Retriever. She has definitely brought some joy back into this Kitchin Sink. The kids just love her, Annie Frances especially. Collin picked her out from the litter and gave her a name. They play chase and throw the ball with her, and also get an occassional nip or chew here and there, AF mostly because she's not quick enough to get out of her reach. We just love her and look forward to many wonderful years with this puppy as we had with sweet Scarlet.

It's truly amazing what pets bring to your life, joy and happiness, as well as pain. They truly become members of your family and such an important part of our lives.

A Walk in the Park

2009-05-10T15:50:00.005-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you precious mamas out there! Hope your day/weekend has been as wonderful as mine. Last night my family treated me like I was the Queen of the world, seriously, the Kitchin Sink. They gave me some precious gifts, beautiful bouquet of bright colored tulips and took me out to dinner at Bonefish Grill for a delicious little treat. Believe me, this was an amazing treat because my children were on the best behavior. I swear, they behaved better than they have ever when we have gone out to dinner. Now, part of the reason was they were starving, but they were so good and we had the best time. The best part was, as you would know it...dessert! Chocolate brownie with ice cream and then Key Lime pie for me! Delicious! What a wonderful evening...and to top it all off, we came home and the kiddos went straight to bed without a battle! Can you believe it? Now, the fun didn't all stop there (get your minds out of the gutters)...we still had today to celebrate as well. Plan A was to go to church this morning, but just wasn't in the cards. At 5:30 CST, Collin entered our room wanting to get in the bed with us, so sweet husband and I sleepily rolled over and made room for the little man. Within a matter of seconds, he sat straight up and exclaimed, "I need to throw up!" Here we go again, I thought to myself and sure enough he did. Now fortunately, we had the trusty old red bucket beside the bed. It's kind of become a fixture with all the sickness over the past few weeks. Don't worry, it's been cleaned, scalded, disinfected, you name it to get the germs away, so I really have no problem with it being beside the bed, well underneath it. Definitely comes in handy at a time like this. I digress, so we had the little episode, cleaned up the bucket and Collin and doused the room with the first of many Lysol sprays for the day. At that point, the prayers, excuse me, pleading began...Please God, don't let this virus be back in this house! Collin and Matthew headed back to Collin's room to go back to sleep and I dozed for another hour 1/2 until sweet girl woke up. She was kind enough to watch cartoons and let me lay in the bed until 8 am and then we were up for the day. Matthew and Collin came down a little later and felt just fine. He has been fine the rest of the day! Prayers answered, Thank you sweet Lord! Really, I think his allergies are bothering him now and making him sick to his stomach.

By this afternoon, we hit the park for a picnic and some awesome playtime and many photo opportunities! This has truly been the most perfect Mother's Day I have ever had. Let me share some of our fun...

Slow Down

2009-05-01T10:54:00.006-06:00

Thank you so much to all who have sent me get well wishes! I truly believe they worked, along with sweet husband nursing me back to health. Can I just tell you how wonderful it has been in the past two days to hold my little ones and spend time with them. Today, we are all curling up on the couch having a movie day. It's raining cats and dogs outside and nothing better than taking it easy. Best part is my kiddos don't seem to mind at all! I know my kids have watched a lot of tv over the past week, but it's not like we do that all the time. I can't say that we are only watching tv today...we've played puzzles, used our fabulous ColorWonder markers (totally mess free), played computer games, had a tea party and created quite the mess in our playroom this morning, as well as watched the raindrops and had a conversation about making up mud pies and jumpin in puddles.

Do those of you who have precious little ones ever feel like raising kids today is all too fast paced and you're always on the go? I remember things seeming much slower growing up (now my Mama would probably tell you much differently, considering I was a very busy child and always into things). Seriously though, I don't remember always having a long listed schedule and a constant on the go agenda. I know we had lots of engagements and activities that we were involved in, but not near as many as kids are involved in today. I remember as a child playing with neighborhood kids outside, playing "spotlight" until 10 o'clock at night in the summertime, riding bikes, having teaparties with my baby dolls, playing dressup. Yes, we did have a nintendo when we were in middle school, but time playing with it was limited, and watching movies was a special treat on the weekends. Gosh, I remember on Friday evenings going to Video Town, there in Huntsville and picking out the newest movie we wanted to see. What a treat it was and you always ran into friends and people you knew there. For my children, we basically have our own redbox right here in our own home from our large dvd collection.

Back to my point, I have thought so much over the past few days as my time has basically come to a halt, that we need to slow down and that is just my plan for the summer. I want to enjoy it to the fullest with Collin and Annie Frances. I want to make popsicles, have a lemonade stand, make paper dolls, catch fireflies(and put the yellow dot on our foreheads and pretend we are gypsies), splash in the baby pool, plant flowers....here goes my list. But do you see what I'm getting at? I want to go back to doing things that I remember as a child that were fun and memorable and did not seem so fast paced. I want my kids to have such wonderful memories as I do of childhood. They don't always need a movie or a Wii game to keep them occupied.

So enough of my little soap box today, we're back to watching Scooby Doo,curling up on the couch takin it easy and listening to the wonderful sound of the rain pouring down. Hope you all have a very blessed and wonderful weekend!

BTW, I had to share what Annie Frances accomplished this morning.

She learned how to open her gate at her door and exlaimed, "It works!" Well, she'll be up running around the house all hours of the night now.

Precious Husband

2009-04-29T10:58:00.003-06:00

Let me just say, "Thank the good Lord Almighty" for my sweet husband this week. Today makes the 3rd day in a row that he has taken off work to nurse my sick old bones and take care of our little angels. And let me say, for the most part they have been little angels over the past week 1/2. I guess they sense how sick their Mama is and need to be on best behavior. Can I just tell you how much I miss holding them both and playing with their hair like I always do. I am really missing big hugs from Matthew. This sickness has just got to end soon.

So, back to precious husband....he has really done it all and I am so grateful. He has handled baths, playing dressup, attending school presentations, painting AF's pink toenails and fingernails (if only I had been able to take pics), looking up recipes to make cinnamon toast and made it, the kids ate it and said it tasted even better than Mommy's. Fine by me, my children are happy, eating meals and carrying on with their daily routine, while I am quarrantined up in my bedroom. And did I mention, he is also waiting on me hand and foot 24 hours a day! This man deserves an award, because I certainly don't have to tackle all of these things in a normal week! So, with all that said, I want to thank you so much Matthew for being the wonderful loving man you are and being the best husband and daddy to our family!

SUPERBUG

2009-04-28T12:47:00.002-06:00

We've got it! It all started a week ago Sunday night when Collin got sick in our doorway and the germs began a spreadin! I thought for sure AF was too fast for it to catch up with her, but be as it may, it did by Wednesday and she got sick in the middle of the night. So as you can imagine, I'm in the middle of all the sickness cleaning like a mad lady and bought 3 cans of lysol, clorox wipes, Fantastic spray and every other cleaner you can imagine last week to disinfect our happy little home. I am probably the biggest germaphobe you've ever met, but absolutely do not care in the least little bit. I can't stand a stomach virus and I want it out of my house as quick as it latches on to us. Well, I wasn't quick enough to get it out as it has now spread throughout the entire family and finally ending with me! I don't need any sympathy, but I honestly feel awful. I swear it has hit me harder than the rest of my precious family. Kids are resilient...they can handle it and hang with the best, but not me. I am down for the count. I think I've really scared my sweet husband half to death. Bless his heart, the man has taken off work for the past two days to nurse the sickly and trying to keep up with everything that goes on here in the Kitchin Sink. He's worn out! My mama was even here all of last week and I just pray she doesn't get this too, but I'll say she has been a hand washin' fool over the past few days! I pray nobody else in the family is graced by this horrible demon, because that's exactly what it is...a true demon that deserves an exorcism! So with all that said, I am ready for another Phenergan pill and back off to dreamland. ZZZzzzzz...

Time flies...

2009-04-21T09:26:00.004-06:00

I have definitely let you down again and my blog has taken a back seat for the past few weeks. I can honestly say we have had so much going on with a very successful garage sale at the beginning of the month, my uncle visiting from Florida, Easter and a fabulous visit to Atlanta to visit Matthew's family, a short visit to sweet home Alabama to visit my kinfolk, beginning of Collin and Matthew's soccer season and just the everyday goings of a busy 4 year old and 2 year old. What a mouthful or should I say handful to write about! Seriously, things have been really busy, but absolutely great! My precious husband started sending me little love notes each day back around the beginning of the year. Each day I get an email or a note at some point throughout that day that says "I Love You", and lately, I've noticed he occassionally writes along with it, "Life is good!" It sure is. I have also watched over the past few months, God's amazing work in our family. I am completely grateful and in awe of his precious work and will for us.

Today I am home with Collin as he recovers from a little stomach bug over the past day. Thank goodness AF did not come down with it! She's been going full force over the past few days. I don't think illness was quick enough to catch up with her! Thank goodness Collin is feeling much better today, so I am very happy for him. It is truly heartbreaking to watch your child when they are sick. Collin felt so rotten yesterday with fever and getting sick to his stomach. I can't even imagine how it feels to watch a child that has a serious illness. I have only experienced the most minute case with both my children being in the hospital when they were both very young and it was the worst thing I've ever gone through. I have so much respect and admiration for parents who watch their children day after day in a hospital bed. I am presently praying for a precious family in Boston right now and today especially...Baby Stellan. Please take time today to pray for this precious little angel as he undergoes heart surgery. The power of prayer is amazing and I ask anyone who reads my blog to click on Stellan's button on the left side and take time to pray for him and his entire family.

I also want to wish my sweet Mama a very happy birthday today. She is driving up this afternoon from Huntsville to spend the rest of the week with us. The kiddos can't wait to celebrate with her this evening. AF is really looking forward to "cake time" and especially blowing out the candles with her Nana. Here's a little pic from Mama's birthday celebration last year...

So much fun! Can't wait to take lots of pics tonight and post.

Better run...Collin and I are headed out to do a little birthday prep work before Mama gets here this afternoon!

Spring has Sprung

2009-03-28T07:15:00.009-06:00

Spring is finally here and I am so excited! I took a little break over the past two weeks, one being spring break with the kiddos and the other just being so busy I didn't have time to spare for myself. So now I must catch up and catch all of you up on what we've been doing.

Trees are budding...I absolutely love Bradford Pear trees in the springtime...they are beautiful! I couldn't resist getting a little pic of the kids one morning before school.

Birds are chirping...And bunnies are hopping...I finally was able to get all of my springtime decor in place for the season!

And frogs are hopping! Annie Frances insisted her daddy put on this lovely frog cap when he got home from work one afternoon last week!

The kiddos have been especially sweet lately, so I've been pretty camera happy snapping away.

Thank goodness warm weather has finally arrived (well, that is until today). The kids have been so excited to FINALLY be able to play outside and we have spent many afternoons in the driveway riding bikes, taking walks or in the backyard. Matthew spent almost all of last Saturday in the yard with the kids swinging, working and just having good fun together!

I on the other hand, spent last weekend inside and finished my big project...painting our family room. I am almost finished getting everything done and will post pics later this week of our new and improved room! I read so many of your blogs daily and get the greatest inspirations for decorating, so I have decided to go ahead and work room by room to get my house in order. Matthew and I made a decision when we bought our home 3 years ago that we would get things fixed up every 3 years as if we were going to sell the house. We're certainly not selling our house, but it is nice to have things all fixed up and repaired and then be able to enjoy living there. When we sold our last house and had everything all dolled up, we were kind of sad we hadn't worked on it sooner and enjoyed it while living there. So here we are coming up on 3 years in June and I am going to finish getting curtains up, painting what I need to get painted and possibly a little wallpaper here and there! Wish me luck!

Busy as a Bee

2009-03-13T15:40:00.008-06:00

This week has absolutely flown by and been incredibly busy for me. Have you ever had one of those weeks where you open up your planner or momAgenda, as I have and totally love, love, love, and every single day is filled up?

Well, that's how our week has been and let me just tell you I'm ready for a slow weekend of doing nothing but being lazy. So we started out with Collin's 1st big trip to the dentist office. He was such a good boy and we are so happy to report no cavities!

We then had a big playdate with some of our best little friends, the Hills. The weather was wonderful and in the 70's that day (now in the 40's).

So by now, have you noticed a toy cow in all the pictures with Collin? Well, that is Connie the Cow from his class and she spent all of last weekend with us and went everywhere we went, out to dinner, church, dentist, playdate, as well as helped with household duties such as feeding the fish!

Connie returned back to school and Miss Carol's class on Tuesday just in time for Collin's 1/2 Birthday party. They celebrate 1/2 birthdays for all the children that have summer birthdays. So this kept me busy as well, getting party favors together, Cars theme plates and napkins and a giant cookie cake (that fortunately did not make it back home!)
Check out these fun paddle ball party favors. Thanks to Darby's tutorial, a fellow blogger, I made fun little labels for the bags and then stuffed them with a bright colored paddle ball and 2 lollipops.

By hump day, I was starting to drag and had several meetings that day. Thursday came around with a little burst of energy and Mama and I went shopping for some plants. I am so ready for Spring and especially some "spring fluffing" as instructed by sweet blogging friend, Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. I can't wait to decorate for Easter and spring time. It's just so hard to do when the weather is so cold and crummy. But I know I have to get busy so I'll be ready for the Spring Fluffing Party.

Today is Friday and we have been at the doctor for Annie Frances to make sure the ear infections are all gone, and very happy to report they are! So I'm ready for the weekend. How about you? Hope you have a great one!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

2009-03-13T08:30:00.011-06:00

I just wanted to thank Peppermint Bee so much for giving me an award. You are so sweet to think of me and I am tickled pink!
So here's off to making someone else's day!

The award rules are as follows:
List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love!
Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ!

So for the 7 things most dear to me...(my husband, babies and good Lord, come first)
1. Smell of clean babies
2. Shopping with my Mama
3. Hearing my children laugh and sing
4. Long chats on the phone with your BFF
5. Warm sunshine on my face
6. Sweet tea with lemon
7. Stargazer lilies

Now for 7 bloggers...
1. The Italian Mix
2. The Pink Clutch
3. Fly Through My Window
4. Tickled Pink Talk
5. A Little Loveliness
6. Downtown Southern
7. Preppy Pink Crocodile

All Aboard!

2009-03-07T11:50:00.007-06:00

I thought about it the other day after I posted pictures of AF's room and showed off her beautiful little nursery, that I had never posted the cute pics of Collin's big boy room. Mama and I had a wonderful time decorating his room in an antique transportation theme and truthfully started planning it before the child was even born. We visited the decorator's showhouse here in Nashville that year that I was pregnant with him and found some fabulous ideas for his "big boy" room one day. He absolutely loves his room.

Let me tell you just how lucky I was during both of my pregnancies. I didn't have to paint either child's room. During my pregnancy with Collin, I was on bed rest, so I laid on the sofa and watched Matthew and my mother paint a masterpiece of a nursery for our precious baby boy. Bring on Barnum and Bailey! She made a grid of the wall and painted it with beautiful bright circus balls. She also designed and made all of his bedding and curtains in a yellow circus toile fabric.

So by the time baby #2 was on the way, we were out of room at our house and promptly moved. At this point, Matthew and Mama went to work again to decorate two rooms this time! Mama designed and sketched out a locomotive that she then transferred to the wall and then painted (see pics above). We used a fun transportation fabric by Micheal Miller and made the window valance and a patchwork duvet cover for his bedding. Matthew put up crown molding around the ceiling and we then affixed red stars to it for an extra little touch. It was really alot of fun to design and decorate and the children have some beautiful rooms that they enjoy each day. I am so very greatful to them both!

Got Milk?

2009-03-06T16:57:00.005-06:00

This looks like an innocent little face...right? Well let me assure you that it is not!

Today I walked into my kitchen and found AF in the middle of the floor doing this!

When the child wants milk, she is determined to take care of it. Fortunately, she put it back in the refrigerator when she was finished.

Now people, I've got a serious problem here in my home. I told one of my very best friends today that my daughter is like a little rat that is a scavenger and roots around to find whatever she wants or needs. I'm going to have to put a lock on my refrigerator door or she will weigh 300 lbs by the time she's 10! I promise you that I am feeding this child well balanced meals each day as well as little snacks in between too. It's always and adventure with AF!

Welcome Sunshine

2009-03-04T13:22:00.009-06:00

I am so ready for sunshine and spring. Today the weather is changing from these dreary 30 degree temps we've had for the past week to a nice 50 degrees. Now it is supposed to rain throughout the weekend, but at least the temperatures shoot up into the 70s. I just love living in the south. My heart goes out to you fellow bloggers who live a little north of me and still dealing with cold weather. I'd like to send a little sunshine, warmth and love your way!

I am so ready for some cute springtime clothes and lots of color, too. I was reading on a fellow blogger's site just the other day and saw the cutest Lilly Dress. I love Lilly Pulitzer. My SIL called me just last week from Atlanta and said she had found little girls Lilly dresses on sale at COSTCO and she was buying up what she could in a size 2T for Annie Frances. Can't wait to see them!!!

Here's my little rays of sunshine today. These pics were actually taken on Monday at the lunch table. The babies were just enjoying time together and having the sweetest little conversations. I had the best time just listening to them. They are the greatest little friends and I am so greatful for that. I wonder just how tight they'll be in oh, maybe 5 years or so?

Party Punch

2009-03-04T12:55:00.008-06:00

This is just the most perfect little refreshing taste and sooooooooo easy to make. I usually keep a pitcher full in my refrigerator at all times. It is such a great recipe to make up for a shower...just add an ice ring decorated with flowers and Voila! you have party punch.

This is just so easy Ya'll. Just mix a carton of the Dole Pineapple Orange Juice (make sure it is not Pineapple Orange Banana...they make that too) and a bottle of ginger ale (whatever kind you prefer).

Enjoy!

Baby Becomes Big Girl

2009-03-02T23:18:00.004-06:00

We had a major milestone occur this past weekend. Annie Frances graduated to a "big girl bed" or as she puts it, her "fancy Annie Frances" bed. Last week Matthew and I noticed her starting to climb in and out of her crib. So at that point my mom and I decided to go on the hunt for an antique iron bed for her room. Sure enough we found a beautiful antique french iron twin bed that fit the bill for fanciness. I was a little sad putting up the baby bed knowing that she would be the last little baby to use it. Yes, my friends, we are done having babies. As I tell my children, "Mommy's lap is big enough for the two of you!" and they are quite content with that answer.

I would like to share some pictures of AF's beautiful nursery my mom designed. We really enjoyed planning and decorating this little room for her. We used silk dupioni for her bedskirt that we then monogrammed. We also used the silk to make the drapes and then edged them with ivory tulle (I just can't get enough of tulle, and yes I once was a ballerina!). Her bedding was made of pink angel blush toile and edged with a beige gingham ruffle. I could go on and on about her little room. It was truly a wonderful work of art by my mother and I have loved it so much!

Now, here is a pic of her new "fancy annie frances" bed with her in it snoozing. This has been quite the ordeal getting her to sleep in it by herself! She also insists on setting up little places for her babies to sleep as well. She's such a little mother!

Mother and I plan to paint the bed white in the next couple of weeks and begin the process of making all new bedding. We still plan to use the same materials, just maybe adding a few new touches here and there!

Ya'll Want a Real Sweet Treat?

2009-02-27T10:20:00.007-06:00

Okay ya'll, this is just about one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. But let me caution you...they are very dangerous, because you can't just eat one. Paula Dean loves them too...that's where I got this recipe and I have made it on several occassions. I was watching her show one afternoon and just about jumped out of my seat to write down her recipe. Can you tell how much I love cheesecake, and mini ones are even better. Now I'm sure you could also experiment and make mini chocolate cheesecakes (Yummy!), by just adding the cocoa when mixing up the cream cheese mixture. Let me know how that works out for ya! So here you go for the recipe.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 12 vanilla wafers
• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling or blueberry pie filling (or whatever else suits your fancy)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup (12 total) of muffin pan. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Place a vanilla wafer FLAT side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers filling each to about 1/4 inch from top of paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely before filling. When you remove the tarts from the oven, they will be puffed up, but as they cool, the center will sink, creating the perfect well to fill with a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite filling. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Enjoy Ya’ll!

Dancing Little Stars

2009-02-25T10:15:00.004-06:00

I forgot to post these little pics of the kiddos last week. We have this thing about cranking up the ipod in the kitchen and dancing. It's a favorite time in our family and I was able to catch some cute shots of them. I'm thinking I won't have to send them to charm school if they keep this up. We don't have to watch the premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" next week...I'd say we have our own little show here at home!

After our little dance party, it was time to chill and have a few crackers, too!

Home Again Home Again

2009-02-23T08:31:00.006-06:00

Matthew and I made it home late Sunday night after a great trip to VA to visit with our friends the Giovanettis. I am just now trying to get back into the swing of things. It was so much fun getting to spend time with Kathy and catch up. Don't get me wrong, we talk several times a day, but it's always fun to get together and do some of the things we always do, like trips to Target, Micheals, Walmart...just to name a few. We had a great day of shopping, eating, talking, most of all laughing and crafting! I truly believe crafting is a prerequisite to being a mother. By no means am I saying I'm good at it, but I'd like to think I'm good at making an attempt to do fun stuff with my babies and that's what really matters. It's all about spending time together and hopefully they will remember the fun times we had together. Now, let's talk about whose crafty...that's my mother. While we were away on our little trip, Collin and AF had a fabulous time with their grandparents. They made fun "pirate hats" out of newspaper that mama had them color and then put together.

Annie Frances had a fabulous time as always doing makeup with Nana. She was particularly excited to paint her fingernails and toenails this weekend. Collin was pretty happy trying on Nana's glasses.

Matthew and I had a great time as we traveled over the weekend. It was great to spend some time together to talk and laugh. One of the big highlights for Matthew was seeing the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Matthew loves Nascar, so this was definitely a hit for him!

Pearl Event

2009-02-20T11:00:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to share an event coming up...I have started reading this blog and it is truly such an inspiration each day and what a wonderful testament of faith she has for God and her precious family. . Check out her blog at http://PearlsandGrace.blogspot.com for more info.

Free Admission

Email Pearlsandgrace@yahoo.com for seating reservations

On my way to Roanoke

2009-02-20T09:49:00.002-06:00

Well, Matthew and I set out this morning around 8:45 a.m. on our trip to Roanoke, VA. I'm actually making a little stop in Roanoke to visit my best friend, Kathy for the weekend as he continues on to Philly to finish up some work for his company. What a blessing God has given us to be able to take this trip together and spend time just talking and having some much needed "couple time". I was definitely sad this morning leaving my precious little angels, but also realize this is a good thing for me to have some time with Matthew and for myself. I am so excited about seeing Kathy and her family and some good old fashioned girl talk!

Matthew and I had to laugh as we were completely with it getting everything together, packed and out the door as scheduled. I couldn't understand how it was so easy and then he quickly reminded me that our sweet babies were not with us. They were very excited to be spending the weekend with Nana and Grandy and getting lots of attention. Annie Frances did cry as we were leaving and kept saying "no go bye bye Daddy". I know that just warmed his heart!

So we're cruising along toward Knoxville and I'm about to kick back and enjoy the scenery. More to come later!

Self Sufficient

2009-02-18T12:42:00.006-06:00

So you probably read in my earlier posts about Annie Frances learning to use the potty, get her own meals together and now as of this morning, just since I blogged a few hours ago, she has learned how to wash her own hair!

All of a sudden I heard Collin yelling, "Mommy, she's washing her hair!" For those of you that know him, I'm sure you can imagine hearing his long drawn out little southern voice, "hair". So off we went to the bathtub.

She thinks she's as big as Collin and can do all things for herself! By the way, I'm letting her handle dinner this evening. I believe she said she's making pot roast!

Rain Rain Go Away

2009-02-18T09:31:00.003-06:00

It's a dreary day here in Franklin, which usually means jammie day! We've been up since the roosters this morning and going strong. AF is my early riser and ready to go sometimes at 5 a.m. It's almost brutal some mornings, especially to Matthew. Today was one of those days, and of all days when the weather is just perfect for sleeping. She at least stayed in her bed until 6:30 and then she'd had enough. She has recently started going downstairs to prepare her own breakfast as well as anything else when she is hungry. Resourceful I say! I frequently find her scavaging through the refrigerator for a piece of cheese and if she's really famished a piece of ham to go along with it. She then heads to the pantry and gets a firm grip on the box of wheat thins and VOILA! it's lunch. I can see that she will be one to just take care of things in life which is a good thing. Nothing gets that girl down!

So anyway, I think today we will spend cleaning the house, playing games and maybe if the weather clears a trip to the grocery this afternoon. I have a lot to accomplish before Matthew and I head out of town on Friday. I am traveling with him as he goes on a business trip to Philly. We're making a drop off of me at my best friend's house in Roanoke as he travels on another 7 hours to take care of business. He will return to pick me up on Sunday and we'll stop off somewhere along the way back for the night. I am so looking forward to our little trip together. Long car rides are just the best in my opinion. Good company, good music and beautiful scenery. And best of all, my kids will be safely taken care of here at home by the grandparents!

So enough said, gotta get things going.

Will you be my Valentine?

2009-02-14T14:08:00.007-06:00

Can you refuse these two little faces? I can promise they will fill your heart with lots of love. We are having a great Valentine's Day and just relaxing which is very nice! We started our day with lots of love and sweet gifts. Matthew was so very sweet to give me chocolate covered strawberries and one of my all time favorite movies....The Devil Wears Prada (watching it tonight!). The kiddos gave me a heart tin filled with "smoochie kisses" as they call them. I have truly been showered with lots of love today by my precious Valentines.

And the celebrating continues throughout the whole weekend. We gave Matthew a new travel coffee mug and chocolate covered coffee beans...he loved it! Kind of boring, but melted the man's heart, so I was happy. He was most excited about his giant heart cookie cake for VDay and BDay! We all can't wait to sample that as well.

The children have definitely been on a major sugar high as they both went through and sampled all of their chocolates in their Whitman's Sampler first thing this morning. Oh you can't say you didn't do it as a child, too. Don't you just remember biting into a piece with an orange or strawberry filling? Yuck! That's what they said too. They've had a great morning with all their new treats and now down for naps as well as Daddy.

I'm off to run errands and continue preparing for our birthday celebration tomorrow. The festivities continue and lots of fun along with it!

The Vaca has ended

2009-02-13T13:41:00.002-06:00

Well, I can't really say that I have been on a vacation...far from it, but definitely a sabbatical for the past 3 months. It has been a time of uncertainty, growth, healing and most of all love. That's about all I have to say about it and plan to move forward each day and truly soak up everything it has to offer (good or bad).

Things have changed tremendously over the past 3 months, especially with the children. Growth is the best word to describe them. Annie Frances turned 2 at the beginning of December which was a most joyous occassion for us all. We had the prettiest pink princess dress up party and she loved every minute of it. Collin was just happy that his two best guy buddies were in attendance and his little girlfriend Abbey.

Annie Frances is also learning so much these days. She is truly a little sponge as she watches her brother and all around her. She is learning her ABC's and numbers and is talking so well(well, much better, we still have a few words that are a little difficult to decipher). The biggest accomplishment she has made is learning to use the potty. We even had a "potty party" for her and sang, ate cake, had candles, pink M's...the works! It was a huge celebration and she is definitely using the potty each day and so proud of herself. Celebrations...that's just the way it should be. I am learning to celebrate something about each day, because there's always something, just a matter of looking for it.

Collin is growing so much too! We just bought new tennis shoes for him last weekend and he refers to them as his "Super Shoes"...anyone ever seen the Incredibles? We're big fans obviously, because now he is definitely as fast as Dash and exclaimed that in the store as we were purchasing them. I think he believes he's a true Super Hero. I know he believes Matthew and I have super powers. All parents acquire them the minute a baby comes into their life, you know like eyes in the back of your head. So I guess you could say we're just a family of supers...totally kidding. Back to the shoes, I was shocked that he now wears a size 10 1/2. Where does the time go?

I met with his teacher last week for conferences to determine his placement for school next year and he will begin a kindergarten program. I was so proud of him when I came out of that conference and just seeing all that he has been working on and learning this year. He is learning to read, write, spell, rhyme and solve puzzles and problems. He has tons of questions each day, some that I can and can't always answer, but I make a good stab at it! This is one of the best parts of having children in my opinion. I absolutely love watching their little minds work and grow. He loves to learn and that is awesome to me!

Speaking of growing! Matthew has a birthday on Sunday, so the kiddos and I are very excited to celebrate with him as he turns 32! He still gives me grief about the fact that I am older(only by 8 months), but I guess I could qualify as a couger going after the younger man! Ha! Big celebratory weekend with Valentine's Day and birthday. The kids are very excited and so am I.

As for other big news, things are going well with Mama and Andy. They are living here in Franklin with us until their house sells in Huntsville. Basketball season has just ended with Andy's new school and it has been an exciting season. The kids have absolutely loved being able to go to the games and truly enjoyed getting to know the team, watch the cheerleaders and most of all eat popcorn and drink sprite! Mama and I are starting to get back on track with our business and she's beginning to take on christening gown orders again after a little r&r time. All and all it has been a great help having them here with us and us helping them. Most of all the children have enjoyed spending time with them more than words can express. FAMILY...there's another thing to celebrate every day. I am so blessed and greatful to live each day and be surrounded by those I love the most and just enjoy each minute with them.

Latest and Greatest

2008-11-04T23:52:00.004-06:00

Tonight I am up late listening to the election results and history has been made in this great United States. I have very mixed emotions about the next four years for this country, but I am not going to get on a political soapbox in this blog. I am praying for Senator Obama in his efforts to run our country and pray that God will have his sovereign hand over his presidency and administration. I did however take my children with me to vote today which was such a powerful experience. It's never to early to teach your children about this wonderful country and the freedom we are given each and every day. I remember going to vote with my parents as a child. My children behaved perfectly and I do belive they understood to some degree what we were doing. As Collin put it...we are voting for the next "line leader" of our country. Don't you just love looking at things through a child's perspective. It will really make you stop and think, which is something we all need to do every once and awhile.

We are having a slow week so far which is wonderful. Last week is now a complete blur to me as I was running around each day so much with lists of things to accomplish and feeling so poorly. Fortunately, I am feeling so much better this week and Matthew and the kids are too. We're keeping things simple this week and look forward to a very low key weekend, too!

I do have some fun pictures to post from our fabulous Halloween. The children had a wonderful time. We swung by our sweet friend Missy's house to start our trick or treating late afternoon and then the kids were all about it and not really wanting to stop the door to door festivities into well into the evening. My mom came down to spend the night and enjoy the sweetness of the children as they trick or treated. This is the first year she has been able to be with us on this fun holiday and we had a ball. The children definitely came home with lots of loot. Matthew and I have snagged a few of our favorite treats this week from the candy dish and I have since bagged it all up and sent to Matthew's office. My gym activity is doing me no good if I come home and sneak a snickers here and there, so temptation be gone! Here are a few pics from our little cowboy and indian.

Finally a good friend of mine tagged me on her blog the other day. The object is to go to my pictures and find the 6th folder and then the 6th picture and post it and tell about it....well, here it is...Miss Annie Frances enjoying her very first sucker!

What a fun day that was and she loved her sucker, even though she didn't always eat the right end, and boy was she ever a sticky little mess! All part of the fun of it!
So now I am tagging two of my other favorite blogs:
Horne Family Blog
The Italian Mix Blog

TTFN

Little Punkins

2008-10-29T20:53:00.003-06:00

We have had such a good time tonight carving our little punkins with our sweet little punkins, Collin and Annie Frances. They had such a great time and so did Matthew and I. This time of year is the best! I absolutely love it! Collin and AF are having so much fun these days gearing up for the big trick or treat this week. We have so much going on right now with Halloween, our Trunk or Treat festival at church this weekend, last soccer game of the season on Saturday. We are going at full pace these days and Matthew and I are truly feeling it with a lovely cold we've caught from the kiddos. Still going strong, though.

Yesterday the kids and I were in a commercial for the upcoming Santa Snaps event in November for Junior League. This is the annual marketplace that the Junior League of Nashville puts on and my second year to co-chair the photo event. We had such a great time and the kids really behaved. Collin sat in Santa's lap the whole time and Annie Frances just walked in circles around Santa's chair. My good friend and co-chair, Jess was with us with her sweet little girl Megan. A great time was had by all and we can't wait to see the commercial in a few weeks!

Some other exciting news is that Nana is finally here in Tennnessee and it is awesome! The kids are so happy and I think finally understanding that Nana and Grandy live here for good. My mom had dinner with us the other night and we had such a good time all together (Grandy had his first basketball practice and we missed seeing him). Matthew was very happy to have Mama here and especially her good cooking! We had a great time and look forward to many, many evenings together.

We're also so excited that my dad is coming to visit this weekend. He's coming up for Collin and Matthew's soccer game and to spend the day with us. The kids will be on cloud nine having all their peeps around them. As I said earlier, we've got a very busy week and weekend going on. I'm thinking by Sunday night we will all CRASH which is okay by me! And finally, we'd like to wish Grandy a very happy birthday tomorrow!!!

Annie Get Your Gun!

2008-10-13T21:59:00.005-06:00

Annie get your gun! Or your milk!

We've had a great weekend despite the fact that Matthew was out of town. We had Nana and Grandy stay with us all weekend and boy did we have some fun! It's that time of year to get Halloween costumes together and we finally have made a decision for this year...Collin's a cowboy and Annie Frances is an Indian Princess. Well, that's the costume I bought for her, but she would really rather be a cowgirl along side her brother. Now most times I would give in and go along with it, but I just couldn't pass up a $7 Indian Princess costume and it's very cute! She has many years ahead to be a cowgirl and I don't have time to pull another costume together. However, I did get her a bright pink cowgirl hat today at Micheals and she quickly donned it along with her fantastic hot pink diamond play heels tonight and walked up and down the hall. She just thinks she's on Dallas is all, possibly playing the character of Sue Ellen or Pamela or best of all Lucy! Ya'll remember that? Great show! I just loved Friday nights at my grandparents house when I was little. I remember getting all situated in front of their tv watching the line up of Mash, Dallas and finally a little bit of Falcon Crest. Those were the days! Collin is most excited about his new guns...Put 'em up or I'll shoot!

We had a nice long relaxing weekend and had lots of fun playtime! My kids had a fabulous time and it was so much fun. Grandparents just make a little one's world amazing. I remember that about my grandparents and I am so happy my children have the same relationship with theirs as I did with mine. We're off for another fun filled weekend and I am so excited. We're all heading to Huntsville on Friday and I'm off to B'ham with my good friends Leslie and Jammie on Saturday for shopping and eating and drinking and just some fabulous girl time!!!! Matthew and the kids are hanging in Huntsville and going to the pumpkin patch with my parents. Should have lots of great pics to post next week!

Pow Wow

2008-10-06T06:24:00.004-06:00

We are coming off of a great weekend. It was a weekend to be outside in this beautiful Tennessee weather we're having. Friday we took the kids out to dinner and it was really enjoyable this time. I know that might sound bad, but sometimes we struggle a little going out to dinner. Maccaroni Grill is the place to go. They can color on the table which was a big highlight and Collin was especially happy because they had his favorite...meat and pasta. He is really obsessed these days and will eat like crazy. As for AF, not big on eating as much as stuffing crayons down the hole where the straw went. I ended up pulling 5 crayons out. Her milk was a lovely rainbow shade at that point. Finally, "Bring on the Ice Cream", and they were ecstatic! So all in all a really fun Friday night.

We got up early on Saturday morning for our soccer game and pictures. Collin scored another goal at the game...Woo Hoo! Alright, I know...I'm a soccer mom and I'm loving every minute of it! After soccer we headed home and the kiddos went down for naps while Matthew and I cleaned up the house. By early afternoon we loaded up and headed toward downtown to take Matthew and Uncle Ned to the Vandy/Auburn game. We just don't need to say much more about that game. I quickly headed back to Franklin, got myself ready and the kiddos with a babysitter and Missy and I went out to meet the boys for dinner. We had a great time as always.

So as for the title of the blog....

Yes, we went for a little drive yesterday to Leiper's Fork, TN and came upon the Natchez Trace Indian Pow Wow. We were so excited to be able to go and see this and had such a great time. The kids were most impressed with the Cherokee Indian we talked to and got our picture made with. They also loved their little treats...Annie Frances took home a lovely raccoon tail and Collin was very happy with his leather arm bands of bells. It really was a neat little experience seeing all the Indians dance and sing and make arrowheads. Just a little part of history that I am so glad to teach my children. My mother was most excited that we attended such an event since we supposedly have Indian blood running through our veins. She's right...my great grandmother was a full blooded Choctaw from Mississippi and then Cherokee on my grandfather's side in Alabama.

We ended our day last night with community group at a park with all our friends. The kids had a great time playing and having a picnic and it was just a great night of fellowship and fun. I can definitely say we all were in bed early and got a great night's sleep last night. The kiddos are actually sleeping in this morning...I guess they were pretty worn out. So we're ready to start a new week and looking forward to seeing my mom this week. It has been so long, almost a month and we're just so ready for Thursday and getting to see her and Grandy.

Little Punkins

2008-09-28T21:11:00.005-06:00

We have had a good weekend, but somewhat low key. The kiddos have been sick with a horrible cough, fevers and just some awful crud. As of yesterday morning, Collin woke up with bright red cheeks, which I suspected was a fever, but he didn't have one. When they didn't seem to go away, I called the doctor and in we went for a little look see. She said he could have something called Fifths Disease which sometimes goes along with a cold or virus in children and is very contatgious. Great! We're stuck in the house for another whole week. If he breaks out into a rash all over his body, then it is safe to assume he has it...otherwise maybe just a little allergic reaction to something. I am truly praying for the latter. As for Annie Frances, just your typical cold and cough, as well as her right tube has moved out of place in her ear. Hopefully we will not get any ear infections this fall or winter, or back we go to have it replaced! Needless to say, we just got lots of fantastic news at the pedi yesterday morning which made my 2nd trip this week.

So with all that said, the kids were losing it being inside the house for the past couple of days and we decided to go for a little drive out in the country yesterday afternoon. We just happened to come across a little pumpkin patch that we stopped at and the kids had a grand ole time. They played in a hay bale maze, painted pumpkins, dug in corn and grain, got their pictures made and picked out some beautiful pumpkins for this year. Mine and Matthew's thoughts were we were outside and germs were surely to just fly away in the air...Right? We really had a wonderful time and it gave the kids some fun playtime that they desperately needed! We headed back home late afternoon, thinking all along they would both take naps, but neither one of them even dared to close their eyes. The rest of the day we decorated the front porch and inside for Halloween and finally they got tuckered out and slept for a little while. Matthew and I cheered on Auburn during their game and then spent the evening watching more football (AL and GA...what a game!)

It's really been an easy laid back weekend which was just what we needed!

Dance Dance Dance

2008-09-26T14:12:00.006-06:00

Today is a wonderful day here in Nashville...the sun is shining, it feels great outside, birds are singing and my kiddos have the crud. Even though they aren't feeling all that great, we have still had a fun day together. We spent part of our morning at the park since it feels so good outside. Then we ran by Target for me to pick up a few long sleeve shirts for them since it is really starting to cool down (Halleluia!)and finally made a quick stop by the Sonic for some lunch. We then came home and ate lunch and had a little "Dance" party. Everything is a party lately to Annie Frances. Over the past few weeks we've had an ice cream party, a chex mix party and a yogurt party. She always says it with such enthusiasm and it totally cracks us up. Life's truly a party to that little girl and that is wonderful!

I was able to catch some fun pictures today during our little Dance party here in the kitchen. I must say that the kiddos do have some moves and possibly a little rhythm to go along with it!

And then we broke out a little breakdancing or maybe that's just AF's version of it...

This all led to acting silly which is always lots of fun...I love when they make silly faces. These are such fun times and I cherish every moment with them. Now they are both down for naps and taking it easy...same goes for me!

Playdates

2008-09-17T21:03:00.002-06:00

Today we spent the morning at the Little's house playing and having a little homeschool learning activity. Several of us moms decided to get together each Wednesday and have a play date and work on some things the kids are learning in school each week. We will alternate homes each week and have lots of fun playing and learning. This also is a good thing for the little ones as they paid attention today to the story time and hopefully will learn their alphabet as well! It was a beautiful day and we spent alot of time outside and the kids had a great time. After lunch we headed home with a quick errand for me on the way. I have spent my afternoon trying to clean house and get ready for the weekend. Uncle John and Aunt Carrie are coming to visit this weekend and we are so excited. In the meantime, I have lots to get done. We also have our community group coming for dinner this Sunday night and look so forward to all getting back together to kick off this year. Matthew and I are leading the group this year and look so forward to it. We have a big weekend planned with another soccer game, a 1st birthday party for our sweet little friend Megan, family visiting and lots going on with our church group. What a way to start the fall! On a side note, my best friend that I have known all my life is having her first baby tonight and I am so excited for her. I am just waiting for the phone call that her precious baby boy is here. They live in Auburn, AL and I can't wait to go for a little visit to see her and her husband and their precious little angel. My prayers go out to her and her sweet family.

Have you missed us?

2008-09-17T02:59:00.011-06:00

I first must apologize that I have not written in over a month. We have been very busy lately, which I know is really no excuse, but I would love to take some time to catch you all up on the latest and greatest going on at the Kitchin Sink.

First of all, Collin had a birthday and turned 4. We had several little celebrations for him starting back on August 25th which is his actual birthday and then a fun party in the park last week with some of his best little buddies. It is so hard to believe he is 4 years old now...my how time flies and we're having lots of fun!

Collin and Annie Frances started school back at the beginning of the month. They are both loving every minute of it and having so much fun. I knew Collin would be so excited to get back into the swing of things and I was thrilled to see how well AF adjusted and she just loves her teachers. Her favorite part is getting to wear her backpack which she is most proud of. Collin is in the same class with his two best buds, Cannon and Abby and so happy about that. I know they will both have a really good year and I'm so thankful for that!

We've also started our fall season of soccer. Collin is loving every minute of it, and the best part is Matthew is coaching. They are both having a great time together and AF and I love watching from the sidelines. They have had two games already and Collin scored one goal at the first game and two goals last week. AF is just itching to play and carries her own little soccer ball out to the fields each week. Fortunately her little buddy Sazzy is also there so they can play together.

Grandy has been living here with us since the beginning of school and my mom will go ahead and move up here in the next couple of weeks. We are so excited to have them here and so close. As for me, just keeping very busy gearing up for the Junior League marketplace in November. I am co-chairing the Breakfast with Santa event again and Mama and I have a booth again, too. I'm looking so forward to this event as we had such a good time last year. I also started a bible study this week at Collin and AF's school that I am so excited about. It's all about being a mom and learing from older moms how to juggle and take care of your family. Some days I need all the advice I can get and Godly advice is the best kind. All in all we are having a great start to our fall season. We have a very busy one ahead of us and lots of fun planned as well! We'll keep you posted...I promise!

The Car says Crunch!

2008-08-06T21:47:00.002-06:00

Yep, you guessed it. We had a wreck this week. Fortunately, it was not my fault...I was hit from behind, and hit pretty hard. And fortunately, we were all fine, just scared the you know what out of us. Literally, scared it out of Collin the rest of the day! Poor kid, he was sick to his stomach the rest of the afternoon and he kept asking my mom and I "when the police man gets here will he have to talk to me?...Will he take me to jail?" Okay, now I promise I have not tried any kind of scare tactics of going to jail with my child. I just might have told him about it once or twice when we get off the interstate in Huntsville. We pass right by it and Collin refers to it each time as "the cage". Speaking of police, it took them 3 1/2 hours to get there to write up a report. I am not kidding! We were all in shock that it would take this long to get the police to an accident. I was so glad to get home that day and really haven't driven much since! Hopefully my car will go in to get fixed next week and things will be good as new.

Been kind of nice being home and been very busy working. Mama went back home yesterday and will be back tomorrow to deliver a christening gown. We just started a Royal Southern Baby blog this week that will feature new designs and items each week. We are especially excited to feature our new holiday items. Be sure to check back with us soon!

Seeing Santa in the summertime

2008-07-24T20:12:00.006-06:00

Today was a big treat for Annie Frances and our sweet little friend Megan. They got to visit with Santa at our house this morning. My friend Jess and I are once again co-chairing the Santa Snaps event for the Junior League Marketplace in November. Today was our kickoff meeting with Santa and he came to my house for a little summertime visit. Now both my children were completely ecstatic at the thought of Santa coming to their house and couldn't wait for him to get here. Well, only one was ready and willing to come face to face with him when he arrived. She was so enamored by him that she shared her crackers, played teaparty, read books and even gave him a hug and kiss good bye. As for Collin, he stayed upstairs coming up with every excuse in the book as to why he was not able to make it down for a little visit. Thursdays are Matthew's day to work from home and he was upstairs trying to coax the little man down. The good news is that we will have many little meetings with Santa over the next few months, one of which is coming up next Wednesday with the photographer as well. We'll see how it goes. Megan was also pretty awe struck with the jolly old man as well. We had such a good time with the girls and look so forward to picture time in November.

We have been pretty busy over the past week and just having some good fun! The kids and I have gone to story time, the pool, spent time with cousins and friends and been pretty busy. One night last week we watched hot air balloons (or "boons" as Annie Frances calls them) move across our back yard. That was really awesome and the kids enjoyed it so much!

We also had a good lazy day and just enjoyed eating lollipops. AF loved it although she seemed to hold it in her hands and make the most unbelievable sticky mess you've ever seen. Collin loves lollipops and this was a real treat for him. I love these kind of days. Even though there is a little mess involved, there is such a sweet joy to see your kids so happy.

All in all we are enjoying summer so much. The kids are having a great time and we're having some really fun days together. They are definitely being "nice" and Santa know's it too!

Off to the ER

2008-07-15T21:55:00.002-06:00

So you could say we've had a pretty exciting day today. The children and I headed to the gym this morning. I took Annie Frances to the nursery and Collin to the kids gym while I headed to the fitness center for a quick 30 minute workout. I returned to pick Collin up in the kids gym to find him sitting in a worker's lap crying. I rushed right to him only to find out that he had fallen and hurt his back. Unfortunately, neither of the workers had seen him fall, but kind of motioned to the area he had been playing in. Come to find out that he had jumped off the top of a slide onto a round plush ottoman like thing on the ground...following along with all the other kids. At this point he was starting to scream and gripping his back. Each time I tried to get him to stand he shrieked with pain. At this point I was really getting worried and couldn't seem to get any kind of answers or reaction from the two workers. I quickly picked him up (which in hindsight was the worst thing I could've done, possibly causing more injury) and headed across the way to find AF. The sweet ladies in the nursery noticed my little dilemma and started trying to help. They quickly escorted me to a manager and she started asking questions in the kids gym. We still didn't seem to get anywhere except now I had two kids screaming at the top of their lungs, one in pain and the other wanting to be held. I knew I needed to get Collin to the doctor to get him checked out. I told the manager of the gym and she helped me out. So off we went and I couldn't dial the numbers fast enough to my pediatrician and was then directed to head straight for the Vanderbilt ER. To make a long story short, Matthew met me there, all the while Collin is still crying the whole car ride there. I knew my precious baby was in pain and at this point really scared that he may not be able to walk. The nurses and doctors were unbelievably sweet and caring for little Collin and he was so brave. They immediately put him in a neck brace and hooked him up to check his blood pressure and heart rate. He was happy when they turned the TV on and he was able to watch Tom and Jerry (favorite cartoon these days!). They got him checked out and after a bit the pain seem to subside and he was able to move around and seemed to be doing much better by the time the doctor came in to check him out. She released him and he did much better over the course of the afternoon. Tonight he's made a few comments here and there about his back hurting, but nothing like this morning. What a relief, that he is okay. The gym manager did call me this afternoon for a check in, but I can't say that I'm exactly thrilled with the way things were handled.

As for Annie Frances...she was so concerned about her big brother and really behaved while we were in the ER. Well, up until the very end and she was so tired and ready for some lunch. Her little snack of Teddy Grahams didn't seem to fill her up and she needed some Chick-fil-A. That's always a little cureall for my two precious babies. Everyone is asleep now and we are looking forward to a much better and low key day tomorrow!

Tee Tee in the Potty

2008-07-13T19:50:00.004-06:00

Well, it may be that time again to start potty training. Tonight we got home from Huntsville and Annie Frances was running around in just her diaper. She started pulling on it and saying "potty". So we immediately took this as an opportunity to sit on her little potty in the bathroom. Within the past week she has really become fascinated with all potties, especially at my mom's house over the weekend. We are thrilled that she has an interest and may want to start going in the potty. There is only one small little problem...she prefers to stand and try just like brother. Maybe this is a sign she is a fast learner and will be much easier to train than Collin was. I worked with her for a while tonight and we got a book and I showed her that little girls sit down to go potty and she was content with that. We shall see how this all plays out!

Had a good weekend in Huntsville starting the packing process. Matthew helped spruce up a few things at Mama's house (new kitchen chandelier and ceiling fan) and and I scored a beautiful chandelier for my kitchen. Matthew's just chomping at the bit to put it up! Ha Ha! The kids had a great time as always visiting at Nana and Grandy's house and we also spent some good time at Pappy's house too! Thursday night we had dinner with my mom, dad and Drew and Lindsey and had a great time all together. Andy was up here in Nashville with Matthew preparing to meet his new basketball team. Things are looking really good for Coach Grandy and we are all still on top of the world about them moving up here. I still don't think the kids have completely grasped all of this, butit may not make sense to them until they are here.

It's time for some sleep...Matthew's already snoring away and both kids are off in dreamland as well.

Lots to Talk About

2008-07-09T20:44:00.004-06:00

Okay...so I have lots to talk about since I haven't posted since last week. We had a fantastic 4th of July. We spent the afternoon at my aunt and uncle's house celebrating our country's birthday as well as my aunt's. Collin and Annie Frances got to see their cousins and had a great afternoon. We then came home and spent the entire evening on our back deck watching the fireworks. I know I mentioned this last year, but I truly believe we have the best view of fireworks in all of Franklin. Our house sits up a little on a hill and we can see for miles and they go off in a circle all around our house. It's truly a beautiful show. We finally made it in the house around 10:30 that night, well, Collin and I did, and AF was in the bed much earlier.

Saturday we got up and made breakfast and got ready for my mom to arrive. This was the beginning of the big house hunt in Hendersonville. We are all so excited about them moving up here and spent part of that evening touring around and saw Grandy's new school and then again on Sunday. It is wonderful and I know Mama and Andy are very excited. Now it's a matter of getting their house sold. Lots to do, lots to do, but we're all pitching in to help out any way we can.

We've had a great week so far and played alot and got to spend time again yesterday with our cousins. We had lunch and then they came over for the afternoon to make beaded necklaces and then some cool down time in the sprinkler and kiddie pool. Collin had so much fun and just loved having them over to play.

Today, I've had a big day. I joined Facebook and can I just tell you that I'm truly addicted to it. I thought I loved blogging, but this just puts me in a whole different world. I even got Matthew to join onto it and that's saying something. It is the neatest thing and I just love being able to catch up with people that I haven't talked to in years. So much fun! Anyway, I've really got to put the computer away for the night and get some rest. The kids and I are heading to Huntsville tomorrow to help mom.

Movin on Up...to Tennessee!

2008-07-03T06:01:00.003-06:00

Yep! That's right, Nana and Grandy are moving to Hendersonville, TN (which is just a suburb north of Nashville). We are so excited for them. This week has truly been a whirlwind adventure for them and all of us. I went to Huntsville on Monday morning to work with my mom and Andy headed to Montgomery, AL for a recruiting trip. For those of you who don't know, my stepdad is a basketball coach and has been the assistant coach at UAH in Huntsville. Well, unfortunately, but fortunately, the camp was canceled down there, so he drove all the way back (don't even talk about gas!) So when he got to his office he had an email from a school in Hendersonville asking for his resume and if he would be available to interview the next day (Tuesday). Of course he would! He then made a trip to Nashville on Tuesday and just nailed the interview. By midmorning on Wednesday, he accepted the position and will be here mid July. Now talk about things moving fast! My mom is now in a state of panic trying to sell her house, find a house here and still keep her business going strong.

As for me, Matthew and the kids...we are ecstatic! It's still almost hard to believe, just by the fact that we have been hoping for something like this for such a long time and now it's come true! We can't wait to have them up here for much more than just little weekend visits. We tried to explain to the kiddos yesterday, but it didn't really take yet. I don't think they will fully understand until they are here and settled. Last night as I was putting Collin to bed he told me how much he missed his Nana and Grandy...well miss them no more buddy boy...they are moving on up to live right here.

Playtime with the Hills

2008-06-28T21:27:00.004-06:00

Tonight was so much fun. We had our good friends the Hills over for dinner and some major playtime for our kiddos. The kids were able to play and swim in our little pool. We all had a big picnic outside with fabulous burgers from Matthew and then topped off the evening with ice cream of course! The kids just loved it and were swimming in chocolate by this point. Molly and I decided it was best for everyone to just put all four babes in the tub together for a quick bath, which they just loved. The kiddos had a great time together and all of us adults did too!

Our friendship with Molly and Alex goes all the way back to when Matthew and I first moved to Nashville. We have had so much fun together over the past 7 years. They had just moved here as well and we both bought our first houses around the same time and would meet in the middle between the two at Sonic and Las Palmas for dinner. We had our first babies close together. We all then moved to Franklin and then had 2nd babies close together. Collin and Smith played on the same soccer team this spring. We have this wonderful friendship and I am so greatful for it and especially that our kids will grow up together. Molly and Alex are expecting their third baby next week and we are so excited to meet new little Hampton! We can't wait to shower him with lots of love.

Great Birthday

2008-06-25T21:10:00.006-06:00

I have had a great day and celebrated so much. Really, we're celebrating all week with friends visiting from out of town and having lunch and dinners with good friends and family. My friend Kathy came in town earlier in the week from Roanoke, VA with her little girl Maria and the kiddos all had a great time playing together. On Friday, my good friend Aidan that I have grown up with all my life is coming up to visit and spend the day with us. This has really been a great week and I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and precious friends in my life.

We started the day off with cake for breakfast. That's right...we have a little tradition of starting the day off with cake on your birthday in our family and it can really get your day going. Collin and AF were thrilled to no end. After our little jolt of sweetness this morning we got ready and headed to Fayetteville and met my mom for the day. We shopped and had lunch and just a great time together.

Late afternoon we headed back home to spend the evening with Matthew and went out to dinner and then came home to more cake and lots of fun. Matthew went all out with streamers and party hats, balloons, flowers, presents and cake. The kids and I both just loved it. It was so much fun and very much appreciated. Now we are in bed and definitely ready to close eyes for this day. Celebrating can wear you out!

32

2008-06-24T21:21:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow is a big day. It is my birthday and I will be 32. Not a big one, just another year. The best thing about birthdays now are celebrating them with my kids. My children just love birthdays...anybody's birthday. Collin gets especially excited about the cake and candles and we certainly can't forget ice cream which is AF's favorite part. We are going to drive to Fayettville, TN which is just about 1/2 way between here and Huntsville and meet my mom for lunch and a little visit to Sir's Fabrics (can't wait!!!) Since I moved to Nashville, which was 7 years ago, I have spent each birthday with my mother and that is very special to me. She brought me into this world and it's kind of a celebration for both of us. I wouldn't want it any other way. I look so forward to a great day tomorrow with my family...isn't that what life is all about?

Spaghetti Sprinkler

2008-06-23T20:26:00.007-06:00

Today the kids and I ran errands, one of which was to Target. We were cruising the dollar section and came across a fun sprinkler contraption. Of course we bought it and couldn't wait to get home for some real fun. I did manage to get both kids to take a nap and then have a quick "awful" dinner. My cooking is unbelievably bad these days and it had everyone leaving the table looking for something better. Collin ended up with a ham sandwich, AF munched on brownies and Matthew finished off the wild rice which was the only thing on the menu that wasn't botched! Now, who wants to be invited to dinner at the Kitchin home?

So we were ready for some outside time this evening and my children were thrilled! Matthew set up the sprinkler and I stripped them down to diapers and underpants...wrapped up the broken arm and off they went. This was one of those things that once the water starts running through it, the tubes go all over the place and water goes everywhere. They had a ball and the neighborhood seemed to enjoy them running and screaming too.

Matthew and I sat on both sides of the yard watching, ready to catch either one if they started to run toward the street or any other way. We watched and laughed and just enjoyed our kids to no end. Well, then came some serious coaxing on Collin's part with his Daddy. And more coaxing and then.....he was in!

By this time, AF had had enough and needed a little rest break. She was ready for some warm water from the bath tub. She decided to retreat to the front porch out of reach of the whipping water tubes.

Not Collin, though. He was in it until the fat lady sang...and then I sang. It was bath time and then off to bed for both of them. This was a great way to end the evening and we're all worn out. Well, we still hear the pitter patter of Collin's little feet and have to give him a shout to get back in bed, but for the most part our day is done and it's been a lot of fun!

Slow Down!

2008-06-21T15:48:00.003-06:00

These two words seem to ring through my mind and ears every day. I am constantly telling the kids to "slow down" and not run through the house, now more than ever. If you read back I wrote about TKO several months ago, when Collin knocked Annie Frances out cold and now a broken bone just affirms it more than ever. All that aside, we just need to slow down with all we do in our lives and I am realizing that more and more. I think I am just feeling it lately how everything just seems to go so fast and time just passes you by...maybe it's because I have birthday coming up on Wednesday and that has a tendency to be a great reminder of time marching on. Speaking of time marching, I'm starting to watch it march all over my face and now I understand why the people who invented Botox are loaded. I'm not saying I would go that far, considering those of you who know me know I am not a fan of needles (especially going into my face!) Now I'll go through a jar of Oil of Olay, but can't really see that helping much lately...it's time to move on to something a little more powerful I think...some true age defiance!

Enough rambling, I spend each day with these precious babies and enjoy it so much. This past week mama came up to stay with us a few days and we stayed here at the house for the most part and it was so nice to not go anywhere or feel like we were in a time crunch (with the exception of the photoshoot we did in AF's nursery...story for another day). All in all, it was very nice to spend time here and not feel pressure to be on the go and running. My children are growing up so fast before my eyes and I want to cherish every single second of it. So I made a decision and that is just what we are doing this weekend and throughout the rest of the summer. Yes, we will still have things to do and engagements to make, but for the most part we are going to SLOW DOWN and just enjoy each day to the fullest. Time gets away from us before we know it and then it's gone...Enjoy every single moment.

(What better way to enjoy the day than watching Curious George, eating oatmeal cream pies and juice in Mama's bed!)

Breakables

2008-06-16T19:52:00.006-06:00

So by the title of the blog, you might be thinking the kids got into my china or something of that sort. Well, that would've been much better. Instead I'm talking about Collin. We have spent the afternoon at the orthopaedic doctor's office getting a bright blue cast put on his arm.

Our day started out rather simple as we decided to take a trip to Barnes and Noble for story time. We were all excited and ready to go. As usual, we were heading down the stairs at our house...Collin in front (the lineleader as he always insists) and me carrying Annie Frances behind. We made it to the landing area of our stairway and after that, Collin began doing somersaults the rest of the way down to the bottom. I immediately panicked as I saw him lay at the bottom of the steps wondering just where he was hurt. He was holding his wrist and at this point I am so thankful. Thankful? You are asking. Yes, very thankful it was only a wrist instead of a broken neck or leg. I don't know if it was mother's intuition or what, but I just knew his wrist was broken. He cried and then immediately tried to play it off that it didn't hurt and let's go on with our plan to head to story time. That wasn't in the cards at this point and off we headed to Dr. Hain's office. She felt pretty sure it was broken as well and sent us for x-rays this afternoon and we ended up with a bright blue swimmer's cast. This means he can still swim! And the greatest news of all is that he only has to wear it for 2 1/2 weeks. Now to him this seems like a lifetime, but to me, I am thanking the good Lord above. The only things he's having trouble with was eating dinner tonight and playing Wii. Devastated that he can't bowl his usual 260 score tonight. Although he did pretty well with his left hand. I'm sure he'll get used to it within a couple of days and life will be back to normal. I'm also very sure this is probably the first of many breaks in this family...as his daddy told him when he got home, "I broke my wrist 5 times...no big deal!" Well, it's a big deal to me, and I certainly don't want to see him tumbling again any time soon.

And this would be our little breakable in training! She was most impressed when her brother came through the door with his new cast on. She just waltzed right up to him and hit it! She's a fearless little girl, and that scares me to no end.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T15:19:00.007-06:00

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there and especially to Matthew, our sweet Daddy. We are having a big day celebrating and having plain old fun together. We went to church this morning, ate lunch at Dalts, went for a little drive in the country (we did ask ourselves why, considering the cost of gas these days) and home to swim in the new and improved "water slide pool". We've all enjoyed ice cream sandwiches and popsicles this afternoon and now the kiddos are off in dreamland. I'm blogging and Matthew's at the gym. So as you can see we've packed it in and had a great day so far. Hope all of you have done the same and enjoyed such a beautiful day! We want to wish a special Happy Father's Day to Pappy, Grandy, and Grandaddy Lou too! Wish we could be there with you to celebrate.

We all scream for ice cream

2008-06-13T13:52:00.007-06:00

And yes they did scream! My children love ice cream more than anything. Ice Cream and summertime just seem to go hand and hand. We seem to have ice cream or popsicles or ice cream cones pretty regularly. Okay, honestly I've been trying to steer clear of the ice cream lately and keep any extra from adding to the old hips. But as for the children, they enjoy it immensely these days. AF says ice cream in the cutest little way and you can see just the absolute delight rising up in her little body when she knows it's coming. I believe ice cream sandwiches take the cake in being their favorite these days...as you can see! Word to the wise...don't ever mess with my girl and her cream. Believe me, she'll fight you for it.

Rainy Day

2008-06-13T12:56:00.008-06:00

Today we have not left the house and it has been so nice just taking it easy. Right now is the perfect opportunity for me to write and catch up. It is raining outside which is wonderful and the kids are both asleep so gives me time to catch you all up on what we've been up to. Over the past few weeks I have been working and sewing like crazy for the business trying to help prepare for the trunk show we did in Atlanta last weekend. We spent a good part of the week in Huntsville before we packed up the cars and headed to Hotlanta! My good friend Nancy graciously opened her home and we had a wonderful time visiting with her and seeing her precious baby Robert. We had a successful show and came back worn out. All worth it and now time to make all the orders! We spent the weekend at Matthew's brother's house. He and my sister-in-law just bought a new house that has a train track that runs pretty close to it...okay, very close to it. Collin was in absolute heaven. He was so very fortunate to even be able to get up in a locomotive and sit in the conductor's seat. Dream come true! Really, just a few minutes after we arrived, a train stopped right by their house and Collin, Matthew and John went up on the train with the conductors and hung out. The rest of the weekend was well spent racing to the windows or grabbing one of us to watch from the driveway each and every train that went by. By the end of the weekend, AF was even yelling "choo choo" and racing to the windows. This has truly been the highlight for their year and they are already asking when we can go back to Uncle John and Aunt Carrie's house. We got some fun pics of the kiddos at the train...AF was happy hanging back with Nana instead of getting up close and personal with it.

We got back to Franklin earlier this week and now trying to get back to our normal routine. This week we have started going to the pool and the kids have had so much fun. I can see we will be spending a good part of our summer splashing and playing in the water. What fun! It's a good way to spend the day. We go to the gym and I have an opportunity to work out while AF goes to the nursery and Collin plays in the kids gym and then we all suit up for a couple of hours in the water. After that we head home for lunch and then I have two exhausted sleeping babes for the afternoon. This gives me great opportunity to catch up on work and things around the house. I am loving my summer so far! We also have several plans for a few day trips here and there like going to Chattanooga to the aquarium, taking a tour of Purity Dairy farm and eating ice cream, going to Joe Wheeler park with Mama and going fishing, playing with friends and going to some story times. Lots of plans and lots of fun that we are definitely looking forward to. So I promise I am done with my blogging hiatus and plan to get back to it every day or every other with full attention. Here are some pictures of the babies that my mom's cousin took last week when she visited from Augusta, GA. She is a professional photographer and I just love the pictures she caught of the kids.

S = Stong Will

2008-05-27T21:06:00.003-06:00

I don't have too much to report tonight other than the fact that I am absolutely exhausted. Some days it just hits you a little harder than others and your bones truly feel it by the time you hit the bed. I am looking forward to some good rest tonight. No particular reason why I am so tired...just tired. The kids have been a little bit harder to deal with today...a little more whiny and fussy and a lot of strong wills today. It's days like these that I feel like I've done nothing but reprimand and say "no" 1,000 times over the course of the day. AF has even started telling me "noooooooooo" when I tell her to do something. How great is that? My 18 month old talks back. All part of it and I realize I'm going to hear that talking back from now on so I better get used to it. Even though this day has given me a little more than usual to work with, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Each day is precious and I couldn't imagine it any other way. Here's some sweet faces to send me off to dreamland.

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words

2008-05-26T20:55:00.005-06:00

We have started out this summer season having a ball already and lots of big plans ahead. Here's just a little update on pictures from us over the past few weeks. We have had many things going on such as Circus Day at Collin's school, AF moving into a big girl seat from the high chair, Collin's last day of school, swimming, lots of playtime, and much much more that we wanted to share....

Happy Memorial Day!

2008-05-26T20:07:00.004-06:00

Today is Memorial Day and we have had a great weekend. Hope you all have had a fun one too! We have really enjoyed having family time this weekend. We started out with plans to go to the lake with Ned and Mimi, but I ended up in the doctor's office on Sat. morning with the yuck in my chest and coughing and head. After a good breathing treatment and some meds I was good to go. However, I did take it easy on Saturday and through the rest of the weekend. Didn't let it get me down, though...we spent plenty of time outside working in the yard and the kids donned their swimsuits and had their first of many days in the splish splash pool! Matthew planted two trees in our yard this weekend...a southern magnolia and a dogwood. They will be beautiful and we are so proud to say we did something "green" this weekend. I was particularly happy to fancy up my front porch with some new red geraniums, beautiful red impatiens and hostas in our front beds. After much yard work and then a big cool off with the thunderstorms today, we grilled out hamburgers for dinner. The best part is the ending to this long wonderful weekend and we are all in bed before 10:00! Happy Memorial Day to all!

Weekend Update

2008-05-18T21:26:00.002-06:00

We're closing in on the end of a jam packed weekend and Matthew and I are exhausted. We started it off with the special olympics celebration on Friday night. Woohoo! I am done with all my meetings for Junior League this year (well, we're already working on Tis the Season meetings). Saturday was a big day starting out with soccer. Matthew helped out with coaching again and LOVED it! He's definitely decided he wants to look into coaching either in the fall or next spring. Collin did great this weekend and really loves playing. He asked me the other day if he could play soccer from now on. After the game we ran over to my cousin Ellen's girls game on another field to see them. Her oldest daughter was playing in the championship game. We were able to say a quick "hi" and then we headed home. Matthew had to cut the grass and I got the rest of us ready to go to Jackson for the afternoon. We were going down to see Kathy and celebrate Maria's 2nd birthday. We had such a great time and it was so good to see all of them. The kids all had a great time playing and celebrating the big birthday. Matthew and I had fun chasing them all over and visiting with Kathy and her family. We headed back last night after making a quick stop to Walmart to pick up some new jammies and diapers for the kids. They loved the fact that they were wearing their pjs to ride home. Annie Frances wasn't in the greatest mood and cried for a little bit because she is teething and cutting her molers right now. She finally settled in to Nemo and then off to dreamland. We were definitely happy to get back home and in bed last night. This morning we slept in and everyone has kind of felt crummy. Allergies are getting the best of Matthew and Collin and AF is still chewing on everything and pretty cranky. Today we just had a low key day and I got some grocery shopping done and that's been about it. All in all it's been a great weekend.

Fun Friday

2008-05-16T21:03:00.002-06:00

We have had a big day! It all started this morning when we joined our good friends the Littles at Jump Zone for a big playtime together. The kids all had a wonderful time together jumping like crazy. Collin has done this before, but AF was new to it all. She went out of her mind. She ran all over the place and climbed, bounced and squealed and carried on like I had never seen before. We then had lunch where she was obviously still in a bouncy mood and bounced right off the bench at Sonic onto her head. She is okay, but has a lovely strawberry on her forehead now. That child never ceases to amaze me. Nap time was wonderful today. I could definitely make a habit of Fridays becoming bouncy days for our family (with the exception of a little head bonk).

The kids and I ran to get a few errands done before we came home and the day was just a lot of fun. I am swamped right now with work for Royal Southern Baby. Mama and I are working like crazy to get all of our new holiday collection completed and ready for our upcoming trunk shows this summer. We are kicking it off with a show in Atlanta and I am looking so forward to it, especially getting to see all my friends from there. The invites go out tomorrow and then I have to continue working on all the embroidery pieces we have for holiday clothes. All of this is work, but I am loving every minute of it. I always dreamed of being able to work with my mama, and my dreams have become a reality...I pray that our business will grow and one day Annie Frances and I will have the same friendship and partnership as well. This is so special to me and I am completely greatful!

Matthew and the kids and I attended the opening ceremonies for the special olympics at David Lipscomb tonight. I had to go for my last community outreach project for Junior League and we had a good time. We met up with Missy (Mimi as the kids call her) and had a fun time all together. The kids got a little tired and Matthew spent a good portion of the time making laps around the outside of the arena while we cheered on the athletes. We are all exhausted and in the bed now here at home. We have had a big day and now preparing for another big day tomorrow. Starts with Collin's soccer game early and then off to Jackson to visit with my best friend Kathy. She is in town for her little girl's birthday and we are heading down there for the afternoon. Can't wait!!!!! I'll be sure to post pics tomorrow night of the kiddos playing.
Good night to all.

Quick Recap

2008-05-14T20:18:00.004-06:00

We have had a busy week and I am just now able to sit down and write (especially after lots of coaxing from a certain crew in Huntsville). For starters, we ended up back in the ENT's office end of last week this time with Collin to discuss getting his tonsils taken out. We're going to go through with it, just still trying to work out the time, location, doctor etc. I really want the surgery to be done at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, and even though our ENT is a Vandy physician, he practices at a hospital here in Williamson County. So with all that said, he is referring us to a new physician downtown and we'll basically start the process all over. Just pray Collin doesn't catch strep throat a 5th time before we meet this new physician.

On Friday, my dad came up to visit with us and we had a wonderful time with him. Matthew got home from work and his back had gone out and he was feeling terrible. Thank goodness Daddy was here to help me out with the kiddos. We had a great time playing Wii and reading Dr. Seuss books. Collin and his Pappy absolutely love Dr. Seuss and read books over and over and laugh hysterically. I love that child's laugh so much! On Saturday morning, we all got up and went to Collin's soccer game and had a great time. I think my dad loved it and also enjoyed chasing AF all over the field.

After the soccer game we all headed south to Huntsville for a quick visit for Mother's Day. My brother and Lindsey came over on Saturday night and we grilled out and just had a great time hanging out on my mom's deck and spending time together. Wouldn't you know we all had to get a few quick games in on the Wii. We've become quite the competitive family lately. Huge storms came through Alabama late that night that kept us up...all of us slept through the weather sirens except for Matthew. On Sunday, we were all pretty exhausted and just spent the day relaxing and having a great time together. It was a perfect Mother's Day. My mom and I had a wonderful time together and I am so greatful to be able to spend as much time as possible with her. We played in the swing, rode in the Cozy Coupe, dug in the dirt and planted veges with Nana, played Hopscotch, colored with sidewalk chalk and enjoyed the day completely. Here are some pics from us playing on Sunday.

Life is good! I am so thankful each day to be the mother of my two precious children and they make my life so happy. Happy Mother's Day to all.

Bubble gun fun

2008-05-05T20:18:00.004-06:00

Today we had a big playdate with Daddy. Matthew got in late last night from Phoenix and took the day off today. We had a great day and Collin and Annie Frances were thrilled to have their daddy home all to themselves. I was also able to get a quick walk in this morning which was much needed for the exercise and the time to myself. We then headed out to lunch (Chickfila, of course) and then ran a few errands. After we came back home it was time for some real fun...Bubble fun!

The kids had so much fun chasing bubbles and running all over playing with Matthew. I think Matthew had a good time as well. We are so fortunate that Matthew does not have to travel all that much, but when he does, we miss him terribly. It makes days like today so special and fun.

Tonight Matthew made dinner for us...grilled pork chops and the kids just loved it. We finished up the night with ice cream cones again. AF has learned how to say ice cream and screams it over and over until she has a cone in her little bear paw. We've had a wonderful day and I am so greatful for this special time with my family.