Circus

As soon as Daddy was back from deployment I was nagging asking him to get us tickets to the circus. I LOVE to go to the circus and I figured it'd be a great family adventure! The first time I went as an adult there was a really memorable main character. For the life of me I can't remember what the show was, but I did go on their website and it's not a 'current' show. Last year was Zing,Zang, Zoom and this year was Funundrum. So last year we took Caydence bug to the show and she enjoyed it. She was either almost two or had just turned two. This year all four of us went!

The girls did fairly well for their ages. Caydence is at the end of potty training so other than asking me to go potty 5 times during the show, she did great. During one of our 'potty breaks' I got her a souvenir cup with a rainbow snowcone type deal inside. She LOVED it! In fact, I don't know if I got a picture of her without that cup! The circus started about the time we arrived so the only time I got pics of the four of us was during intermission...and she already had that drink.

Bella boo did very well too! Keep in mind at this time she's only been out of the hospital less than a week and is still on meds for those ears and pnuemonia. She loves music so she danced some but mostly sat in our laps and looked in awe of all the exciting things around! She did end up giving out towards the end of the shows so we cut out a few minutes early.

But we were all growing tired at this time so beating the traffic wasn't a bad idea! You can tell from the collage below the girls had fun! YES, that is a ginormous lemonade Caydence is drinking...and YES I realize that I contributed to the potty breaks. THREE were BEFORE intermission though. So that is only TWO after the drinks. ;-) I figure if we're going anyway, might as well help her be a success!


Here are a few more shots from intermission:

Keep in mind I didn't have my good flash or lense. BUT, here are a few shots from our seats:

Well, I hope to have a post about our valentine's day adventure soon. Caydence and I are making cupcakes tonight for the school party tomorrow and cookies for the teachers. I will be getting the goodie bags together for Bella's room...stay tuned for what to put in a baby's goody bag...LOL! As always I will take pics along the way =) Till then, have a blessed evening!!!

Night-night time

Night-night time at our house can be quite consuming. It really depends on the girls that particular day. On our recent visit to Connecticut my MIL routinely got the Little Missy Princess to bed. She would sing her Puff the Magic Dragon. Caydence LOVED it! Since we've been home Daddy or I will try to sing it to her but he will occasionally pull up the video on you tube for Caydence to watch. Check out my handsome hubby and how entranced Caydence is below:

Lots of times when the girls are full of energy but really tired at the same time the hubby or I will take them to one of their rooms and shut the door so they can play. Below are some pics:

The girls playing with a simple dora string...


I just loved the little look on Bella's face in this one...

Caydence bug showing off her ballerina pj's that Aunt MaryAnn gave her...

The Little Missy Princess posing...

My girlie girls...

This is the aftermath when Caydence wants to hug Bella. Bella just isn't as fond of those bear hugs as her sister and Caydence just doesn't understand why:

They both like to peek a boo out the door in the doll house but I caught Bella doing it last night...

The Boo with her sisters Ariel doll. They really do share well!

My smiling girl! I ♥ that lil' face AND the way her sister looks sneaky in the background!

Hope you enjoyed it! For the most part...we do =)

Things that make my ♥ smile

I saw this post at Kelly's Corner on Simple Pleasures. I thought it was a wonderful idea for a post. I am all for things that we can be greatful for in life...and simple pleasures, the things that make your heart smile... they are just the best! So here they are in no particular order:

Hearing my Caydence bug singing one of our made up lullaby songs....especially when it's to her sister.

Seeing my little Bella boo dancing away and singing "dddddoa" for dora.

The smell of fresh cut grass...I am sure it goes back to childhood, but I LOVE it.


*Pedicures*!


The smile on Bella's face when she runs to greet me or the squeal from Caydence "MOMMY!" when I pick them up from daycare. (Although I would trade it to stay at home any day!)

Dunkin donuts coffee with sugar free Hazelnut creamer...when I am not rushing to drink it.



A small diet mountain dew that has frozen ever so slightly from being in the refrigerator just the right amount of time.


Snuggling under the winnie the pooh blanket (made by my step-dad's sister) with the girls or the hubby or all of us!

Listening to music and singing along loudly

Watching my husband interact with our girls...he's a wonderful daddy!

I will stop at ten! I am certain I could come up with many more =) What are some of your simple pleasures?

i ♥ personalization

I ♥ personalization. Check out what I found on a friend's blog! I HAD to have one too! And they are free...just click on mine and it will open up the window where you can create your own! =)

Bella's Hospital Stay

Friday night Bella had a very rough time sleeping. She would be asleep for about 10 minutes and wake up screaming in pain. We could not for the life of us figure out what was ailing her. We tried gas drops, ear drops, tylenol...nothing. It was about 3am and Caydence bug was fast alseep so Daddy took her to the ER. He called on the way and she was sound asleep. We decided to bring her back home with no real 'visit'. Back home she started the same cycle of waking and crying. Off to the ER Daddy went again. This time she she saw a doctor that said 'ear infection, right ear'. Sent Daddy home with meds. When Daddy got home we decided after her fever spiked 2 degrees in 15 minutes, she was gonna have to go back. We talked to her pediatrician and he agreed. This time, she was going to stay a while. They poked and prodded her in every way possible. They said DOUBLE ear infection...so in the course of 2-3 hours her left ear had gotten infected. And I mean they were running...first clear, like water, then blood. =( I dropped Caydence bug off to Gman's birthday party and headed up to see my baby. The doctors decided it was either RSV or pneumonia with the double ear infection. She had a high fever and low oxygen so she got admitted. After a long day she was finally able to rest and I grabbed a camera to document this trip. Here are the first pics:
(If the picture isn't big enough then if you click on it a new window will open with the pic bigger or full size)

She loves her daddy and they were both beyond EXHAUSTED. See the little oxygen mask? It was awful. I literally hate those things. I realize a necessary evil, but they are itchy and annoying. Then that poor little arm. She had to get an IV for fluids and antibiotics. They had to tape and tape and tape again because she is SO strong. The most fight I saw her give at any time was over the breathing treatments. She did NOT like them.

I decided to take pics of the room. Cute area for a kid. Caydence loved the butterflies on the ceilings. They are all over the place. I told her they were trailing down the hall into our room. =) She remembered them from her visit to the ER last year for the flu/strep.

Gigi kept Caydence for us the first night but then she had to go back to work. Not to worry, we had entertainment:

The night Gigi and Gman brought Caydence to the hospital we were all utterly exhausted. Gman, thoughtful as ever, had Caydence help him make us cookies. We were so hungry we gobbled them right up! I didn't even get the camera out while they were there. I was uber tired folks. The next day Bella was feeling good enough to get up a while so we let the girls play in the baby bed. It looked more like a cage or a 'prison' as Daddy called it.

Check out the hammer in these pics. I got this toy from the hospital play room. It came with a hammer to hit a toy that made noise. I picked this little gem up because Bella was so frustrated she was wanting to hit. Jacked me right in the nose with a book...still have a bruise! She did enjoy a little game of patty cake too!

At the hospital there are these SWEET volunteers who give out handmade items to the kiddos. The first day they came around and gave Bella a bear. It was cute but the same as all the bears we got when the girls got tubes. They were out of the smiley face pillows so they came back on day 2 to deliver one to Bella. It was a different volunteer who thought Caydence was the patient. When Caydence realized the pillow was for Bella...well, she wasn't happy. See below:
Not to worry...I asked to purchase an extra before we left and they gave Caydence a 'green' smiley pillow. It matches Mr. Green Bear (her xtra from the flu/strep ER visit) so she's happy.

So Monday, Gigi has meetings in Huntsville and stopped by to see us. I was SO glad to see her. She brought Caydence some 'bug juice' and zebra cakes, and me a dmd (diet mountain dew). I thought Bella was gonna flip her lid when she saw her!

Not to be out done, everyone knows Caydence LOVES my momma...

Our last night Aunt Nancy came to visit. Caydence and I had run home for a while. Caydence fell asleep so we were later than I had anticipated getting back. My girls sure do love their Aunt Nancy! And I do too!!! By this time Bella was feeling much better. Nancy even got to see her dance to D-d-d-d-d-dora!
While Caydence and I were out of the hospital I called the daycare to let them know about Bella and why the girls weren't at school. Then when Caydence and I got back to the hospital I saw these:
Ms. Amanda from daycare sent them to Bella. Bella adores her. And it was very sweet of her to send these.
I took one last picture of the girls eating dinner together. You can tell that Bella is much better now. She was dirty and had no bow so I improvised folks!
I can't say enough good things about all the staff at Huntsville Hospital for Children...ER included. They are top notch! Nobody wants to have to be there and be sick, but they are there to help you and it was very nice under the circumstances. We are now home (as of this morning). Bella is still sounding less than normal when breathing but her oxygen was up to 95 and she was fever free for 24 hours. We are all SO happy to be home. And SO thankful that God placed the right people in our lives at a time of need.

Enhancing the blog style...bear with me!

This week I've spent alot of time reading lots of blogs. I have a LONG way to go in getting this thing decent! I am going to promise to do a better job of adding pictures! I always feel like we get up and rush rush to work and school and then when we get home we are cooking, cleaning, getting the girls ready for bed and then doing it all over again the next day. I hardly have the time to get a camera out! But, I decided to MAKE myself. So this week I tried. =) Here we go....
I am wanting a new lense for my camera. I have a friend at work with the lense I am looking into and she let me borrow it! Great friend! Here is my first picture with it. The girls were in bed and I put a doll (Savanna) in front of a pile of toys. I am still loving my new flash I got for Christmas. But what do you think of the lense?

So Thursday night Tim had to work out of town and my mother came over to help me out. I didn't get the camera out before The Boo went to bed. She conks out about an hour and half after we get home. Here is a look at what I got of The Litttle Missy Princess and Gigi.

Girl Talk...

Sweet Kisses...

Say Cheese...

In the spirit of Vday coming up I bought these:
Cropped pic to cut out an oven covered in fingerprints LOL...

And the best for last. I have an old pink boa that I had bought thinking I'd eventually use it in a craft somehow and it's ended up as a toy for the girls. Caydence grabbed it and ran into the hall with the dog. She said "look mommy he looks like a lamb." All of this was in the middle of me trying to do hang and fold laundry. Ofcourse he ran for it before I could grab the camera...BUT below are the after shots when we had a redo!
Take One...the happy dog:

Take Two...He's getting love:

Well, that's it for now. I know it was a LONG post. Lots going on. Stay tuned. I am getting SO inspired from reading DIY blogs and I am starting some projects that I hope to post soon!

How great is our GOD

The last couple of weeks have had me thinking about my life and how marvelous our God is. Tim and I have been cleaning up the house and decluttering. In the process we found lots of old cd’s with photos from my past. The bulk majority were of my stepson. I hated to throw them out as I loved him dearly. But my life had changed and those memories no longer belonged with me. I decided to contact his mother to see if she might be interested in having them. She and I never had a good relationship which goes beyond reasons that would be obvious. (that would have to be a whole other post). Since we didn’t have ongoing contact and the last time we communicated was negative I wasn’t quite sure how she’d respond. But being a mom I had to try to give them to her. I felt like those memories of his life belonged with her for safe keeping. She was very polite in her reply and she did want the pictures. She also sent me a friend request. I contemplated accepting it for a while. I’ve never contemplated accepting any friend request before. But this one had me remembering things in my past that were painful. And that got me thinking...
How great is our GOD! From all my pain and misery in my first marriage God has truly blessed me. I have a husband who has marvelous qualities. He is faithful, handsome, hard working, very intelligent, devoted to family, and he loves me with all that is in him. We have been blessed with two daughters. And there was that time in my life that was void of these three wonderful people that God has placed in my life…two of which HE has trusted me to help guide in life. Life is never perfect. But we each should choose to celebrate the day for the goodness that God has placed in our lives. I am so thankful for what God has done for me. I am so thankful that God’s plan was so much greater than the one I had in mind!

One of my favorite songs inspired the title to this post.

Here's the handsome hubby:


The Little Missy Princess

The Beautiful Boo

Photographer Pet Peave

So on facebook this week some of my favorite photographers joined a new group. "Just because you have a nice camera doesn't make you a photographer" Something along those lines. Well, that really got under my skin. Just because they are good at their chosen profession doesn't mean that they should belitte anyone trying. I mean, come on folks, have some humility about you! I personally think that it was a bad move on their part business wise. I mean who likes it when someone says "I'm better than you are"....not me. I for one think you can be blessed with a God given talent, be very good at editing, both, or be a product of hard work. But why bash the person just starting out? I don't get it. Didn't you, professional photographer, have to start somewhere????

Mall Trip

Yesterday Tim and I took the girls to the mall. Tim wanted to spend his gift card he'd gotten for Christmas to American Eagle. Since we were not planning to go and we didn't have the stroller with us I thought the girls and I would just hang out in the play area until he was finished shopping. When we got there we found some friends that we already knew playing. Caydence and Bella immediately started to play and I sat down with the other mommy and Tim was on his way. Before I knew it Bella had toddled out of the play area. When I noticed I jumped up and went to get her...at that point she was almost two tables into the cafeteria! After that heart pounding episode she decided she wanted to hang close to mommy (thank goodness). Tim was back just in time to see Caydence, in the middle of the play area in a little 'boat' with two boys who looked to be her age. She had both little boys attention and was chatting away. I pointed it out to Tim and he wasn't too thrilled about her making friends with two boys. LOL! Next thing I see all three of them are getting out of the boat and are holding hands. Within seconds I hear Caydence crying. About that time I ran over to her and the little boys mommy is running over. When I got there her had was turning red he'd been holding it so tight. He looked like, 'what did I do?' After consoling Caydence she was ready to go home. It was all fun and games until he held on a little too tight for her comfort. He was only trying to play and have fun with his new friend. It was sweet seeing the interaction.

Ralph...RIP

The hubster, Tim, had a pet from his younger days...the cat named Ralph. Tim claimed him as his own. It has been an ongoing discussion as to just whose cat Ralph has been all his life. Apparantly his original name was Shadow and Tim found that too unoriginal so he renamed him....King Ralph. And it has stuck. Ralph was not just any cat. He was a cat with a dog's personality (in my opinion, that is the BEST!). So all the brothers loved this cat, grew up with this cat, neighborhood kids and friends loved this cat. He could speak his own name, he hated homework, and he loved lunch meat. Ralph was getting older but our girls were able to get the opportunity to meet him just before he passed. They were instantly in love with Ralph. All I heard for the few days that he was around them was "where's ralph" , "can I pet ralph", "i want to snuggle with ralph" and my favorite of all "is ralph a cat"...ofcourse she knew the answer to that one. ;-) At first I was suspicious of him because after all he is an animal and the girls are only 2.5 years and 1 year old. I quickly determined he loved them loving on him just as much as they loved doing it. Ralph had some health issues that were ailing him in the end of his days. He was in lots of pain and was unable to eat...his favorite thing to do. Even though he was having a tough go he was so good and gentle with the girls. He certainly made an impression on our girls. We were driving back to Mimi's one day and Caydence busted out with "There was a farmer had a cat and Ralph was his namo...R-A-L-P-H" I had only sang that to her one time. Good memory that girl! And she loves to sing! The Missy Princess and the Boo both enjoyed the few days they spent with him and it is certain he will be missed by our family.

December Pictures

Got an opportunity to load photoshop on the laptop over the weekend after our desktop died. FINALLY got around to editing 'some' of the 800 photographs we took through December. Yes, I love pictures. Photoshop will automatically take out the redeye for you. I haven't had issues with this previously, however, this go round the red eye remover placed 'blue eye' on many of our pics. I was SO dissappointed. So family members, if you do not see many pictures of yourself and you know I took them, you probably got the blue eye. ;-) Don't worry. I am trying to figure something out but for now only the 'easy to edit' photos made the blog. By no means are our memories complete without you!

Bella's First Birthday

MimiVisit 11\15\2009 (29 photos), by Robin Hanlon

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Halloween Slideshow