Visiting pop pop in the hospital...playing cars. Our visits are the highlight of his day!

Matthew McConaughey in Training!

For those of you who don't remember...Matthew McConaughey was arrested about ten years ago and was found playing the bongos NAKED in his house. Devin prefers to be naked or just in underwear these days. Go Diego came on tv and he started playing his bongos, with the help of some utensils from his play kitchen, in nothing but his underwear.

So cute! Check it out...

Now if he could just bring home a paycheck like Matthew McConaughey we'd be set! LOL

For the Sake of Fashion

Last Friday Lexi and her BF Miah Jane got their ears pierced at Merle Norman. (Highly recommend that place!) I really thought Lexi would take it like a champ. She doesn't even cry when she gets her shots. Well...I was wrong...so very wrong! It didn't help that our appt. ran a little late and right into nap time. So before she even sat in the chair, she was fussing and hard to console. Devin was not a very good bystander either; thank goodness they had crayons and paper for him.

Here are two pictures before the piercing began. As you will see...not happy!



Miah Jane couldn't understand what was wrong with Lexi; she doesn't usually fuss!

And here's a picture immediately following the first piercing...ouch!

I didn't know what to do to calm her down. She wasn't hurting as much as she was plain MAD at her mother. Next door to Merle Norman is a cute little ice cream shop. When I saw the OPEN sign in the window it was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. We rushed in and ordered a round of ice cream bowls. The crying stopped and everyone was happy; for the moment anyway.

Joanne, MJ, Me, Lexi, Grandma Debbie, and Devin

She seems much happier and look how cute her earrings are!

A close up of her cute ears.

I took Lexi's spoon away from her to attempt to get a picture of the two girls together; this made her so incredibly mad! Do you see a pattern here? She's always mad at me. LOL You would have never known Miah Jane just had her ears pierced. She was as happy as could be! (after her bottle)

You'll have to check out Joanne's blog entry for this same experience. Not only her is her recap written better than mine but her pictures are great too!

Here's her link:

http://mamaslittlebandaid.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-got-our-ears-pierced-today.html

Artists at Work

When it's too hot or raining outside I like to have something fun the kids can do inside. We watch enough tv in the evening when mommy, daddy and the kids are all wiped so the daytime I try my best to turn off the tv and get off the couch!! Our new favorite activity is painting. Both Devin and Lexi absolutely love it. Mommy loves it too because it's all washable and doesn't stain a thing.

I've learned so much about the kids by watching them paint. I guess it's not so much learning about them as it is reconfirming what I already know about their opposite personalities. Just look at the pictures and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Devin's very serious when he's 'creating'!

Notice how clean his smock and paint brush are?

Then there's Lexi Lynn...what a mess she makes!

This is what Devin's smock looked like after he was finished; barely a mark!

OMG, that look! That is her "I've done something bad" look. She was in heaven with all that paint on her.

This is Lexi's work of art!

At this point she was body painting!

As you can see we have fun when we can't play outside. We're not afraid of rainy and/or hot summer days...BRING IT! (that's for Joanne :) )

First Ponytail

I realize the last two posts have been on Lexi alone and saying how cute she is...but come on!! Look at her first ponytail; ADORABLE! She is beginning to blossom into a toddler and is shedding her baby skin. She is our little girl now. I promise to post pictures of Devin next...until then...look at our baby girl's first ponytail!

New Suit

Fafee's new bathingsuit...heading to waterpark!

Thanks to Jessica who told me about the Old Navy sale! $9 bathing suits; picked up two for Lexi. Couldn't resist and got her a new sun dress too. Old Navy rocks!

Field Trip with Daddy

Andy sent me these pictures from their field trip to the Vineyards Water Fountain Park this morning. As Andy bluntly put it in his text message to me: This is a great place to take the kids and not worry about them drowning! Andy met Brennan and his daddy Christian at the park. Devin requested a play date with Brennan this morning. Look how much fun they are having.

Lexi is in desperate need of a new bathing suit. This is a 6/9 month size! We'll have to hit Target soon for a new one. Does anyone know where to find cheap but cute bathing suits?

Devin has a new big boy bed now!! He finally has a full size mattress that he can sleep comfortably on. (Thank you Grandma & Grandpa O'Dean!!) Andy and I can't believe that a year ago he was in a crib and now he is a big boy in a big bed. He fell asleep in FIVE minutes last night. He also slept great last night and didn't get up at 5 a.m. I think he really needed a bigger bed. We have his crib mattress (Simmons Beautyrest) to donate. If anyone knows of anyone interested in a nice but used crib mattress please let me know. Otherwise I will donate it to Goodwill. It's still firm and it was always covered with a mattress pad and is very, very clean. It would be perfect for a 2nd crib like at Grandma's or at a sitter's house, etc. Or if anyone has a church with a nursery, please let me know. I would never donate it if it wasn't in good condition.

Tomorrow the kids, myself and Grandma Debbie are heading over to West Palm Beach for my cousin-in-law Heather's baby shower. She and B.J. are having a baby girl this summer. We are so excited for them. Just two days ago my other cousin Ryan and his wife Suzie had a big, healthy baby boy: Bryson Patrick Reddoch weighing 9 pounds and 12 ounces!! Congrats to them!! We can't wait to meet Bryson. :)

Wishing everyone a fun and safe weekend!

The Chef and his ABC's!

I think everyone is aware of my dinner-time struggles around here. Besides breakfast bars and macaroni and cheese I feel like nothing else is ever eaten. I gave up the pre-planning of meals because I felt defeated at the end of every night. I bought Chef Boyardee's ABC Mini-Bites because I had a coupon, of course. A few months ago I would have never fed my kids a canned dinner but like I mentioned before...I feel defeated and it's not fun. So after telling Devin that we are eating the alphabet he ran to his chair to sit to eat. This is NEVER done; usually I chase him down for dinner time. I fixed some Texas Toast to go with and to my delightful surprise dinner was a hit! (maybe not nutritious but I'll try better tomorrow night!) I LOVE CHEF BOYARDEE! Devin was so excited to eat his ABC's that he sang it too...with a mouthful of food. Sorry for that but he's too cute singing his version of the ABC song! i think the Chef and his ABC mini bites will be making a weekly trip to our house for awhile. :)

Goofball!

I was eating lunch at my mom's house on Sunday and looked over to find Lexi, not Gracie, sitting in the dog bed chewing on the Nylabone. She loved it when we all started laughing and snapping pictures. She really played it up! Poor Gracie wanted to know why this kid was in her bed chewing on her bone. LOL

Maybe I can save these pictures for blackmail purposes when she's older and defying her mother! Oh, that will never happen. Ha! :)

The Finished Products

We hope all the moms out there had a nice Mother's Day weekend. Here are the finished products of our art project on Saturday. The kids made the grandma's picture frames. They really did a nice job (for a 1 & 2 year old!) and had so much fun doing it. The only thing I did because I like things perfect and centered, was put the the word Grandma in the middle of the frame. Other than that, the kids (mostly Devin), decorated all themselves. Now I need to start planning a fun art project for Father's Day. If anyone has good ideas...please share!!

Have a great week! xoxo

Happy Birthday Grandma Diane!!

New Traditions

It dawned on me as I was up earlier than I wanted to be this morning, sipping on coffee and browsing the Naples Daily News online that today was The Great Dock Canoe Races. Andy and I used to go to the canoe races every year together for many years in a row and Andy has been more times than most. We used to get up at 7:00 after going to bed at 2 a.m., hit Publix for food and beer and head down to the dock Leroy kept his boat, the Noodle. We'd head out and usually crack open our first beer around 9 a.m. Wow, now I'm sipping on coffee and reading the paper at 9...and doing mother's day art projects for the grandmothers too. Things have really changed in just three years time and I couldn't be happier. We had so much fun this morning with our art project. (I don't want to say what it is so it's a surprise to the grandma's!!) We are starting a new tradition for the weekend of Mother's Day; no more Great Dock Canoe Races or being pelted by water balloons but instead staying home and sipping on coffee and doing art projects with the kids. Maybe I'll crack open a beer and throw on my bikini for old times sake! LOL Just kidding; I couldn't fit into my bikini if I tried. :)

Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying their art project!!

Bobby thought there was food involoved in this project. He was sure of it!

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Great Dock Canoe Race Day!!

Came home from work & the kids surprised me with mother's day cards. So cute! Thanks Elona :)

Slip and Slide Kind of Day

Daddy bought the kids a slip and slide today. Welcome SUMMER!!!

DANCIN' TO T-PAIN!

Week 2 - Saving $$$ Like Crazy!

I SAVED $71 THIS WEEK!!

Week one, I saved $50 and I thought that was great. But week two, I saved $71. I'm so excited, it's a little embarrassing. I spent $125 and again brought home more groceries than ever before. I usually go once a week and Andy goes once a week but because I've been getting more items we only go once now. So we're actually saving more than what's printed on this receipt. Check out the I Can Afford Naples blog if you're interested in learning how you can save $$$ too! It's one of the blogs I follow and should be on the right hand side of my blog. You can't afford to not read her blog.

What a Zoo!

One benefit of being a Collier County resident is you are granted free admission on the first Saturday of every month to the Naples Zoo, a.k.a. Jungle Larry's Caribbean Gardens. I thought I was on top of it, planning this day of fun for FREE. I even called my friend Kelly to see if she and her son Brennan wanted to come with. I packed grapes, water, of course breakfast bars for Devin, etc. so I wouldn't have to spend any money at all. Devin woke up extra early, like before six, ready to go to the zoo. He was so excited he couldn't even sleep (Lesson learned, NEVER tell a two year old exciting trip plans the night before!). My friend Jen dropped of her daughter Lindsey at our house so she could come with us and help mommy and spend time with the kids.



We were so excited and couldn't wait to get there only to pull up to the zoo and there wasn't even a parking space, not even in their overflow parking. There are zoo staff everywhere directing people to turn around and get out of the parking lot. There was a very long line to even get in the place...that's when I realized that I wasn't so smart or on top of things after all. EVERYONE in Naples goes on the free day and the smart people pay the admission and go when there's actually a parking spot available. It was really like Disney World or something; there were even police inside the zoo on crowd patrol. We didn't give up; we parked at Fleischman Park and hiked our way to the zoo!



This is how Lexi begun the trip...I thought we were done for immediately.

Looking at the Hyenas...they were a little gross if you ask me. They looked like they had mange.

Kelly, Brennan, Lindsey, Lexi, and Devin.









Then came Devin's favorite...The Lion (insert Devin's ROAR noises he makes!)

Devin and his buddy, Brennan.








Lindsey and Devin looking at the Florida Bears together. She was such a great helper and it was so nice to spend time with her again. THANK YOU LINDSEY!!! (wait 'til you see the picture of her AFTER the day at the zoo with my kids!)

The kids were over heated, hungry and exhausted. So I folded and bought them lunches at the delicious Wynn's Market. This totally refueled them and they were ready to play again. The zoo has a really fun play area for kids; and like I said before, it was PACKED. So the kids had lots of 'friends' to play with.

Lexi striking a pose in the tunnel!

Lindsey and Lexi, so cute!

As the day went on, Lindsey got tired...and rightfully so.

At this point she was thinking she should have been charging me!!! LOL

And some cute random pics of Lexi...she had a few hat changes while we were there.

This morning I ran a 5K downtown and since Andy worked at 7 a.m. I had to bring the kids with me. So, thanks to Devin once again, I was up at 5:50 and we got dressed and packed fruit salad and water and then woke up Lexi and got her ready. We were in the car and on our way to the race at 6:30 this morning. I couldn't believe I was doing this for a thirty minute race. We met Grandma Diane who was so gracious to push them in the stroller and walk it while I ran it. It was H-O-T and sunny AND humid this morning. It felt like summer already...I ran it in 29 minutes and 9 seconds...although my watch said 7 seconds. :-) I'm happy with my time but like most people, you think to yourself that you could have or should have done better. I wanted my time to be under 30 minutes and it was. Therefore, I am HAPPY! There is another race at the end of the month...my goal is for under 29 minutes.

Today we are going to Grandma and Grandpa O'Dean's to go swimming and have a bbq. It'll be a nice a Sunday and a great way to end the weekend.