Zoo playground!

Here are even more pics from the zoo!  The park was really nice and the girls really enjoyed it!  At first it was just me and the Lil Cupcake...

Then my Princess and my handsome Prince got there....

A fabulous time was had by the entire family.  Definately a trip we will make again!

Lions and Tigers and Bears....Oh my!

We finally were able to take the girls to the zoo this year.  Instead of the local zoo we went to Atlanta!  It was awesome!!!  Tons of great animals and lots of SHADY areas to cool off in.  =)  Also a great play area for the kiddos!  This post will have TONS of pics.  I am even saving the ones from the play area for a seperate post all together.  So get ready for pic overload! 
Some of the animals we saw:

(I had another shot of a panda facing us but the glare on the window was bad!)

Got pics of the girls with Mommy or Daddy enjoying the day:

(My view since I mainly had the camera, daddy held the girls up to see better)

I love the look on the Little Princess face....that smile, it's like a ray of sunshine to my heart.

Lollipop, Lollipop, oh Lolli-lollipop!

Kissing the souvenier

Hugs for the souvenier

Petting zoo with Daddy

Petting zoo with mommy

RAWR!!!!!  Her new thing!  LOVE IT! (yes, she literally was rawr-ing at some small monkeys with her panda, lol!)

End of the day (even after playing at the kids area!).  We are POOPED!

Do you have a zoo near where you live?  What do you love about it the most?  I think a big difference between this one and our local zoo was the shady areas.  I loved the fact that you could bring in your own food and also that there was a HUGE play area for kids.  I think the girls liked the petting zoo the most.  =)

First Time at IKEA!

Over the Holiday weekend we went to Atlanta.  The intent was to get out of town since it was our anniversary and take the girlies to the zoo since it had cooled down (I will post soon on it).  My other 'plan' was to finally make it to an IKEA.  =)  Sunday after we checked out of the hotel we drove to IKEA on the way home.  The Lil' Cupcake was quite fussy.  It was naptime for her and also lunch time (they are so close together!).  She did not let me have my tour of the store like I had hoped for.  HOWEVER, I was able to get what I had made the trip to find....JUNIOR CHAIRS.  My girls go NUTS at the dinner table.  It's a stressful time just to sit down to dinner some nights.  I thought that the booster seat highchairs might need to go soon.  The Princess was constantly asking to sit in a big girl chair.  When I was strolling through IKEA online store I found the "junior chair".  It is a small chair that is up high like a booster seat.  Why we aren't selling them by the millions everywhere I will never know!  LOL!  We grabbed up two of them.  When we got home I immediately put them together and the next day after dress up play this is how snack time went:

No screams or tears...just smiles.  Ah....nice! =)  Now, I admit the Lil' Princess still loves the chairs and so does the Lil' Cupcake, however Cupcake can't fully 'jump' out yet like Sissie does.  So there are still some after dinner screams for someone to get her down.  After all, if her Sissie is finished and has been excused, then so should she.  LOL!  =)

I decided to purchase the natural wood color with plans to paint them later.  The chair is adorable.  I put our dining room table on Craigs List today and after we get it sold I plan to use that money to buy a new kitchen table.  At that point then I will get on painting them to match.  =)

So did/do your kids have a junior chair?  Did they ever detest the highchair/booster like mine? 

PS.  The old layout/background I was using was a freebie that was apparantly removed.  My blog went nuts for a day or so and I ended up using a blogger freebie temporarily...Until I can find the time to get it updated, I am afraid I will just be a plain jane.  ;-)

Have a good night yall!

9-11 Never forget!

Never forget the heros.  Never forget the victims.  Never forget the invasion on our country!

I will NOT support a MUSLIM ANYTHING anywhere NEAR this act of terror.  Will you? 

New Routine

I've been a very inconsistent blogger lately.  I have a good reason.  I started this:

Exhibit A

I've been struggling with weight loss for a little while now.  Then I had my sinus surgery and I've been on a steriod which has only COMPOUNDED the weight issue for me. 

EXHIBIT B

i.am.sick.of.it!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I thought back to the time before babies when my body was at it's peak appearance. 

EXHIBIT C

What was I doing so differently?  I was excersizing 3-5 days a week.  Running/Jogging specifically.  Since I've had children I've consistently said I do not have time for this.  And I realized something.  Something very important.  I HAVE to make this a priority for myself.  I decided that my new priorities are family, work, and cardio, in that order.  All else falls the the waste side until I have time.  That's the only way I am going to be able to do this.  No crafting, no shopping, blogging.....nothing else coming before it.   

So I set a goal for myself.  My goal is to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes of cardio (checking my heart rate to be sure I'm in cardio the entire time) for 3-4 days a week.  This is my 3rd week in.  Am I losing weight?  I don't know.  I HATE to weigh.  I usually let my clothes tell the story.  And right now, they are not telling me I've lost any.  BUT, I'm still going to run.  I am going to stick with it because I feel better when I do it.  I feel better being able to even SAY that I am doing it.  I have HOPE that my body will begin to change soon and I CAN say I am losing like crazy!  ;-)  And I'm burning between 200 and 250 calories each day.  So that's an extra candy bar, right?!  Ha, ha!  Just kidding!  (Chocolate isn't my weakness, baking is.  Now that I'm running, no time to bake, so it's a double win!  LOL!!!)

All of this to say, I used to get my blog posts ready or prep pics, etc during my lunch break.  I also used to get craft supplies on my lunch break.  Now, I do not take a lunch break (other than to eat what I brought in that day).  This enables me to get to the gym in the afternoons and get my cardio in before it's time to go get my girlies from daycare.  

Stick with me.  I promise to try very hard to post once a week and more if possible! =)

Do any of you have any tips or tricks on losing weight or excersize success stories?  I'd love to hear about them!  

Happy Anniversary

Today is the wedding anniversary of this couple:

Don't we look so young? 

Here's probably one of my favorite pictures of us ever!

This one was taken on Veteran's day the year we started dating.  =) 

I have a wonderful, awesome, handsome, dependable, faithful, intelligent, and fabulous husband!  And tonight, we get to have dinner, just the two of us.  =) 

Ocean City Part III

Ok, ok...this will be the last of my vacation posts from Ocean City.  We took LOTS of pics!   Here is a peek at a few more. 

This is everyone except me (I took most all the pics) and my MIL's friend who had already left. 

This pic is from our Date Night.  We took the bus to a DELISH dinner and walked back.  Very nice and relaxing night!  Me and 'honest Abe' as his friend lovingly called him when he saw his facial hair.  LOL!  Don't worry, he's shaved it.  And very handsome =)

Dinner our first night in Ocean City.  It wasn't seafood but was nice enjoying dinner with family.  The Cupcake was glued to my MIL on the opposite side of the table. 

The two youngest BIL's with their two nieces who absolutely adore them! 

It was SO hot and HUMID in Ocean City I thought I was going to pop!  We played put put one night and the Princess enjoyed a spongebob popsicle.  You can tell by the pic how hot it was!  It was borderline miserable!  But being with family made that all better.  ;-)

Next are a few shots from the hotel on the way up and lunch stop on the long drive.  ;-)

The Lil Cupcake didn't want to swim much so here she is playing around on the furniture at the hotel pool area. 

The Princess was a little uneasy at first about swimming.  But by the end of the trip she didn't want anyone helping her.  After all, she is a big girl now!

Me and the baby hanging out pool side while the Princess and Daddy play. 

Anyone recognize this fabulous place we stopped at for lunch?  DELISH, no matter WHERE you are!

The girls enjoying a dry cereal breakfast the morning before we left for our second day of driving. 

And finally, a self portrait.  ;-)  Me, on the drive (as a passenger of course!).  I had to get myself in a few photos, even if they were alone.  Proof, I did vacation too!  ;-)

Our summer is coming to an end.  Can you believe it's already SEPTEMBER???!!!  Wow, time flies!  We are now planning a final trip to the zoo and gearing up for football season!!!!!!!