Life in Our Castle

Halloween 2011

2011-11-12T10:24:00.002-05:00

We had a great Halloween! We carved a friendly pumpkin. Olivia dressed up like Princess Tiana. Halloween evening, we went to a Sunday School cook out at our friend's house which was a blast! The kids had a great time trick or treating and riding on the hay ride!

Old McDonald's Farm

2011-10-22T09:10:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday we went to Old McDonald's Farm in Sale Creek. We had SO much fun!! We got to ride a hayride to the (real) pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. They also had slides from the hayloft down to the ground and a "ball-pit" type area full of corn. Olivia LOVED playing in the corn and going down the slide. The farm also had a petting zoo and tons of photo ops :) I highly recommend it to anyone!

Olivia in the patch

Daddy & O

Oh, this is heavy!

Mommy with her pumpkin

Olivia on the hayride

Wagon ride to put the pumpkins in the car

In the maze...

Which way do we go??

Playing in the corn bin

Sliding out of the hayloft

We are still here!

2011-10-20T17:49:00.005-04:00

and doing well :)

I've totally slacked on my blogging since last year because I was looking for a job and now have a job! I am working at Cigna. When I'm not working, I'm on Pinterest pretending to be creative or shopping at consignment sales to fill my princess' already too full closet & dresser.

Ben has just started a new job at WNA (American Plastics) as a Quality Assurance Engineer Technician. He is still in school for a Quality Assurance/Quality Control degree, but is pushing back classes a semester or so because he was dying to work! LOL He can't stand school. BUT I'm so proud of him for going back and sticking with it!

The Princess is well. She's ALMOST 5. Really? Where has time gone? Wasn't she a baby like 7.5 minutes ago?! She goes to pre-school at our church and LOVES it and LOVES her teachers :) I will be sad when she leaves them next year for the "real world". She is super into the Disney Princesses... I think it's a pre-requisite to be in our family tho so it's all good. O is just now getting into dress up again and loves to put all her princess dresses on. She is still fearless and strong-willed. and also allergic to pomegranate. Don't ask how we found out. She can recognize about half the letters in the alphabet and is starting to match up words with the letter they start with based on sounding them out. Such a smart cookie!

Our newest adventure is ballet with her bestie Mia. Olivia LOVES it! She stays focused and really likes to learn the new things :) ok ok and she likes to twirl.

Long Time.....

2011-08-28T16:49:00.002-04:00

No blog!

It has been too long! But stay tuned!! I am going to try to make more time for preserving memories very soon!

How 'bout them Auburn Tigers?!?!

2010-12-10T15:39:00.004-05:00

Alright so y'all know I'm a HUGE Auburn fan and y'all KNOW Auburn is heading to the National Championship! I'm SOOOOO PUMPED!! Excited doesn't even begin to describe my feelings!

It's been a great year of football and I'm so proud of the team how they have stuck together through the entire Cam ordeal and how he put on - in true leader form - a smile and a positive outlook for the team. So WAR EAGLE & Play on boys!! Good luck in Glendale!!!

Here's a picture of my little Auburn sweetie :) goofy smile, but she's always cute.

She says, "War Eagle!!" allllll the time. It's great.

Christmas Card 2010

2010-11-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

Good Blessings Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly

2010-11-23T08:26:00.002-05:00

I have used Shutterfly so many times! I have ordered almost all my pictures from there since my daughter was born almost four years ago. The quality is unbeatable and our pictures ALWAYS turn out wonderful! I have also ordered all of our Christmas cards from Shutterfly and have loved every one of them. Shutterfly books are also great! I've ordered several as gifts and also to have as keepsakes with pictures from our vacations in them. My daughter loves to look through them and see all her family members!

Links for Holiday cards: There are SO MANY cute ones!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Enjoy!

Boys of Fall

2010-09-02T18:41:00.003-04:00

So in honor of FOOTBALL SEASON, FALL, and OUR 4TH ANNIVERSARY TODAY, I am posting about the new Kenny Chesney song "Boys of Fall"

If you haven't heard it, look it up on youtube and LISTEN TO IT! It's really a great song, and the first time I heard it I just bawled. I know - crazy right!? Every time since, I at the least tear up when I hear it. Now I love me some football, but I love my husband a bazillion times more and he's what's behind this song for me.

We started dating the summer before our senior year of high school. Right after we started dating, football practice and season started. I will admit I was a little jealous of the sport at first because he spent every afternoon practicing, evenings working out, Thursday night dinners with the team, ALL DAY Fridays concentrating on the game, thinking about it, going to devotional, eating with the team, and then THE GAME.

BUT when I went to that first game (as a girlfriend) and watched him play, it was beyond amazing. I was SO DARN PROUD of him. I was so excited to be there. I didn't care about all the time we didn't spend together, because when it came down to Friday night, it was more than worth it. I saw him out on the field, being a leader, using his talents. The feelings that are described in this song I know he felt and I got to feel a lot of them through him. I got to see the adreneline pumping on Fridays, I got to experience the after-win high and the silence of the nights when they lost - sitting with him until midnight in the school parking lot while he reflected on the game and replayed every snap in his head (he played center). I felt those feelings through him, and they were amazing. Not to say at the same time, every play, I wasn't nervous. Every time he was hit hard, slow to get up, hurt, getting jabbed in the eyes (bad Ooltewah bully! Ben let him have it tho!), or especially when he played with pnumonia and was using an inhaler after every set of plays - I held my breath.

At the beginning of the video, a coach says the feelings that they feel on Friday nights will come few and far between after they leave school. True. Not many times do you get that pumped up for an event or you get that "high" of adreneline going. So I believe that is why this song means so much to me. It takes me back to that excitement and the adreneline I felt while watching him play. AND I think the reason I REALLY get emotional is the fact that I think about if WE ever have a Little Ben someday who plays. If I got so nervous about Ben out there playing hard and possibly getting hurt, how am I going to feel about my BABY?!

Of course it might be Olivia that is out there playing and then I'd know she'd take them all out :) Insanely rough & tough little gal.

4 years, Ben-O! I can't believe it's gone by so fast! Happy Anniversary & Happy Football Season. I love you :)

Summer

2010-08-14T13:55:00.005-04:00

Well I have not posted since May. HA :) It's been a busy summer. I am currently job hunting, which SUCKS!

We have done lots of playing this summer and while I have some other more specific posts to write, I thought I'd give you a glimpe of O and how much she's grown!! She looks so much older to me now than at the beginning of the summer! I think her hair is longer. Maybe that's why...

oh and the last picture.... she's about 13 there with that face!

Graduate!

2010-05-03T15:03:00.002-04:00

As of yesterday afternoon, I am officially a college graduate!

I decided not to attend graduation for several reasons and went shopping instead for graduation gifts to myself (& from Ben) :) It was much more fun than sitting for several hours in a auditorium with hundreds of people I don't know.

To celebrate my graduation, we are headed to Disney World tomorrow for some fun with Mickey! See you when we get back!!

Mr. & Mrs. Carnes

2010-04-30T09:55:00.008-04:00

Heather, my best friend from high school got married April 10, 2010

I love this picture of Heather & her dad :)

I missed most of the ceremony because Olivia wouldn't be quiet! We ended up having to stay outside!

Reception

All the tables were named after Disney characters

Love these althought I felt a little weird about eating their faces! LOL

They are precious together!

First dance :)

Heather's brother Ryan is in Iraq so they framed a picture of him... and here he is trying to catch the garter! It was too funny! He borrowed Heather's cousin's arms.

Mr. & Mrs. Carnes

Easter Fun

2010-04-14T18:56:00.012-04:00

Easter Egg Hunt at Burks UMC April 3, 2010

Olivia's pretty best friend Mia :)

Olivia & her friend Abigail checking out each others bag/basket

Ready to hunt some eggs!

Olivia and Mia after the egg hunt

Olivia and her friend Emma

There were so many kids there! Great turnout!

Olivia & Abigail

Dying Easter Eggs

All our pretty eggs

Annual WAR EAGLE egg!!

Easter dinner with the family

Big kid Easter egg hunt

Me & B got a LITTLE too competitive and started throwing elbows and stuff......

Olivia thought we were really fighting and had a breakdown, threw her basket across the yard and everything! Poor girl!

Checking out their eggs

Easter baskets at my parents house

Olivia & her GIANT chocolate bunny

Olivia's Easter Basket at our house. She got a Princess Tiana doll and a Leapster and of course candy!

Mid yawn. She was so tired.

Olivia in her Easter dress... and her Leapster. She didn't put it down hardly all day.

Olivia & Me

Family picture at church

praySING kids singing at church

Olivia singing loudly! and directing!
At the in-laws house

Olivia, Emily, and baby Bentley
Love this one! Sweet girls :) He will never lack older girls in his life.... 5 older girl cousins all within 5 years older than him. He's bound to get dressed up like a princess at some point!

O'Dell Easter egg hunt!

Olivia finding eggs

O & Em

With all their eggs!

Sweet Bentley! I love that expression!

He was so good for me while taking pictures! He smiled and laughed all the time!

All smiles!

Playing at the playground

Big Girl Bike

2010-04-03T21:49:00.002-04:00

I just happened to stop by Goodwill one day while I was in Hixson, and just as I walked in, they brought out several kids size bicycles to sell. I went over and found this little Disney Princess one that looked like it was in pretty good shape and Olivia just LOVED it. She wanted to get on and ride it all over the store! HA! So we ended up buying it of course. It was.... drumroll please!

........

.....

...

$4!!!

I had been planning on getting her one this summer and looked at some at Sears for $65 new! So I was VERY pumped about $4! I couldn't believe it! The tires had been pushed off the wheel a little, but my dad fixed it right up & she got on and rode just a little. She can't figure out the pedaling forward part because on her tricycle, she can pedal forward and backwards.

**Note: We do make her wear a helmet when she rides her scooter or bike, she wasn't really going anywhere in this picture, which is why she doesn't have it on**

Little Gardener

2010-03-29T16:02:00.004-04:00

I bought Olivia a little St. Patrick's Day clover grow kit off the dollar rack at Target and she had so much fun planting it. Here it is at Day One...and day 7.... she was so excited to water it every day and watch it grow!
She had so much fun planting it that I went and bought a greenhouse kit and more seeds to plant. We planted African Daisies, Cypress Vine, Tomatoes, Morning Glory, and more Clover.

Bailey loves to help!

The finished product :)

Yay for Spring Weather!

2010-03-09T14:32:00.003-05:00

The weather the past week has been so nice! After the long COLD winter we had and the snow, we are all more than ready for spring!!

Olivia has been begging all the time to be outside. She got a new scooter and helmet, but I haven't been able to get her picture on it yet. She goes really fast, which worries me just a little - ha! I'd rather her stick with more safe outside play like in her little car (below).

She still loves the golf set we got her two summers ago. Maybe this summer, she will actually get the hang of hitting the ball!

Saturday we stayed outside most of the day and helped with some yardwork. She also wanted me to get on my bike and ride around while she rode her scooter. I'm definitely a little rusty on a bike! I probably haven't been on one in 6 or 7 years.

Burnt Out

2010-02-26T08:06:00.002-05:00

I think several of the other mom's blogs I read have said they are a little burnt out from blogging lately. Well I think I've hit that point too. I'm hoping it's just the weather, because we haven't gotten out and done anything fun lately since it's been so cold.

I have also been very stressed out with school and this is the hardest sememster I think. I have had 3 bad headcolds since school started and just felt in a medicine daze during those times. Olivia has also been sick some too and my great uncle passed away this week. My professors have been fairly understanding of the situation so that's been nice, but it just feels like everything is going wrong this last semester of college. So bring on May 2! I cannot wait to escape the horrid UTC.

I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog either - I have decided to go ahead and start my Master's degree instead of trying to find a job in this economy. I will be attending Lee University in Cleveland and getting a Master's of the Art of Teaching degree which will allow me to teach Business Education 7-12 :) It is a 14 month program in which I will take about 8 classes in the summer of 2010, observe teachers from different schools and different grades in the fall, student teach in the spring, and then finish up with about another 8 classes in the summer of 2011. I will graduate in August of 2011. I am so very excited about it! I will be taking my MAT (grad school entry test) next Friday, so say a prayer for me about that!

So long for now bloggers! Hopefully I will have more to post about as we make our way into March and (hopefully) springtime!

The REAL Olivia

2010-02-16T10:42:00.005-05:00

A few videos - these are from November & December, but her personality has not changed! ha :)

Our New Nephew!

2010-02-13T14:38:00.002-05:00

(& O's cousin)

Bentley Conner O'Dell

born February 11, 2010

8:19 AM

6 lbs. 8 oz.

Beautiful baby boy!

The Great Blizzard of Twenty Ten

2010-01-31T15:15:00.003-05:00

So we weren't expecting hardly any snow at all. Ben and I had discussed going up to Knoxville for the weekend because they were "supposed" to get like 9 inches and we thought it would be fun to let O and her cousin play in it together, but then Ben decided we probably shouldn't in case we got stuck up there. I am glad we ended up staying home! We ended up with almost 5 inches at our house, which is a TON for Southeast Tennessee :)

Me and Olivia... Day 1

Sledding Day 2

She wasn't so sure about sledding.

We built a snowwoman :)

3 year Photo Shoot

2010-01-28T14:48:00.002-05:00

I took these the day of Olivia's birthday, luckily it was a gorgeous day and warm enough to go out and play! We played outside the whole afternoon :)

The 4 3rd Birthdays

2010-01-24T22:04:00.008-05:00

and NO - not 43rd birthday!

We didn't do a big 3rd birthday bash, but ended up having 4 small 3rd birthday parties!

Party #1 - Cupcakes at school with friends

January 14, 2010

Party #2 - My parents house with grandparents

January 15, 2010 (the actual birthday!)
My grandmother got her a rubbermaid container full of clothes for next year. As you can tell, she's a CLOTHES HORSE. She loves clothes!

She got a bunch of accessories for her Rose Petal Cottage. She named this little baby "Molly Kate" after her friend Jonah's baby sister

She got the 5 little monkies game! Can't wait to play that one with Rita!

Rose Petal Cottage stuff :)

She got a trunk full of Tinkerbell dress up stuff.... me and Tink!

Rosetta

Silvermist

The first birthday cake I have even baked her myself.

Mommy & Daddy

Party #3

Nana & Pops house

January 16, 2010

She got the Ariel cd player "just like Emmy's!!!" that she loves!

She requested a cookie cake specifically!

Party #4

with the Medlins, Becca, Laura, and some of my family at Mom & Dad's

This party just started out being for Olivia's friends Mia and Connor and they were just going to come over and eat lunch and decorate cupcakes, but then my sister decided to come into town and bring our cousin, so then my grandparents also came over too. It ended up being bigger than planned, but we had a blast and definitely - the more the merrier!!!

Cupcake table :) I used my great grandmothers ice cream sundae glasses for the toppings :)

She had so much fun decorating cupcakes

Olivia & her friend Mia

Connor (Mia's brother)

The whole gang

Becca, Laura, & Gramma

Olivia opening her gift from Mia & Connor... felt cupcakes (which I'm holding) and also some felt sugar cookies with icing that Amanda (Mom of M & C) made!! They were soooo adorable!

We had a wonderful 3rd birthday, and look forward the this next year with the Princess!

Snow Day!!

2010-01-10T21:38:00.002-05:00

Thursday we had a snow day! I went to class for my first day of the semester, attended one class, and then I had a break. I went to Panera downtown with some friends and it started snowing so Ben calls about 8 times saying I need to leave campus and come home... so about that time my sister texted me and said UTC is cancelled for the rest of the day! Yes!! So I headed home right then and enjoyed a nice day off :)
We made chili and watched it snow and then that night played out in the snow. Our sleds were up in the attic and the attic stairs are still broken so we used a trash bag to slide down the driveway. It worked pretty well and was fun!

I don't know why this picture is sideways but I'm not going to change it! ha :)

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2010-01-03T10:37:00.006-05:00

Annual reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas Santa brought Olivia lots of fun things!!

Having a tea party with her new Rose Petal Cottage Set

Showing off her medical kit!

Disney Christmas Trip 2009

2009-12-30T20:27:00.007-05:00

Things we enjoyed doing at Disney this year included.....

Playing with balloon flowers while trying to destroy the lobby at OKW

Eating at Olivia's restaurant... ya know she's the boss!

Seeing her "Emmy"
Riding Nemo

Taking a banana break with Emily and Morgan

Eating at Teppan Edo... AKA Japan!

Riding Spaceship Earth

Seeing IllumiNations at Epcot

Riding Small World

Riding Pooh

Riding Peter Pan

Playing with cousins

Eating Disney World lollipops (who knew they tasted so much better??) and wearing her Tinkiebell shirt.

Visiting Minnie & Mickey's houses

Riding the Safari at Animal Kingdom

Looking cute for dinner

Watching Holiday Wishes with Family

Fireworks

Seeing the castle iced over

Santa Claus (ok we didn't REALLY like him, but we did it)

Finding some characters that aren't real!

They are so much less scary.

Seeing the Osbourne lights at Hollywood Studios

We had a great trip!

Gingerbread House

2009-12-27T09:09:00.003-05:00

December 15, 2009

The Big 6-0!

2009-12-15T22:04:00.004-05:00

Sunday was my dad's 60th birthday so planned a big birthday lunch, which was kind of a surprise. It was funny because my mom was proctoring the ACT on Saturday morning and my dad sent her a text that said, "How is the test going?" Well she thought it was me texting her so she sends this list of things to do back such as bake a cake, get folding chairs, vacuum the first floor... etc. So he said he was not going to text her anymore during the ACT because she had replied with this big long list of to-do items! He didn't really question why all this needed to be done so when I walked in, he had the cake already baked and then I took over and finished the rest of the list. German Choc Cake

We did a "soup" kind of party with Potato, Taco, and Brunswick Stew :) along with various salad and sub sandwiches. It was soo yummy!

We had a great crowd and it ended up being such a fun day!!!!

He got some AWESOME shoes from Margaritaville... totally something Jimmy Buffett would wear! LOL I want some now!

Polar Express

2009-12-12T14:23:00.005-05:00

Thursday night, we took Olivia on the Polar Express trip to the North Pole. She had a great time, and the big kids did too! We left from the Chattanooga Railroad Museum and they had storytellers and everyone dressed up in character. A man in a baking chef's uniform handed out Gingerbread cookies, and a lady in a long "Santa" looking dress told the story of the Polar Express (by memory! word for word!) Then we arrived at the North Pole and Santa boarded the train and handed out jingle bells from his very own sleigh. We also sang several Christmas carols and drank "hot chocolate" (which was really a Yahoo drink). Olivia really liked it! (well, except seeing Santa!)

Our friend Amanda went with us!We've been friends since 7th grade & O loves her :)

Olivia and her gingerbread cookie.

Here's Santa!!

We are at the North Pole!

Olivia seeing Santa. She did not like him!

North Pole!

Gramma told Santa she wanted a Lexus!

When he came back by, he asked if she would talk to him now and she told him, "NO!"

Snow Day!!

2009-12-06T17:49:00.013-05:00

Saturday we woke up to a snow covered Chattanooga! It was wonderful! We bundled up immediately and went outside so O could experience the snow. She has never really played in it before. We walked up to my grandparents's house because we my sister and I were little & it snowed, we would always walk to their house and see them and write messages on their cars in the snow. My grandmother would always be wearing shorts when out in the snow, but I think she's finally figured out it's too cold! HAHA :) She is very hot natured.
Our Japanese Maple
She was a little unsure about the snow at first. & Bailey hates snow! ha!

& Ben of course is in shorts!

We eventually got too cold and wet & had to head indoors!

The snow was pretty much melted by 11 or so and Olivia's Nana came to pick her up for some "girl time". She took Olivia, Emily, & Aunt Lesleigh to Build A Bear, while Ben & I got to go on a lunch date.

After Ben & I ate at Biba's (YUM!!), we ran by Hobby Lobby to check out the 50% off Christmas stuff and found a cute little 3' tree that we thought would be perfect for O's room themed in pink and silver. We got the tree and all the ornaments and tree skirt for under $30! I thought it was a good deal!

When Nana brought Olivia back, she was asleep so I set up the tree and put it in her room so she would see it when she woke up. She was very surprised! I still have to get a star & I also want to find a big silver "bling" monogram ornament for the middle to kind of have a focus & put the feather ornaments around it.

After waking up for a minute, she showed me her Build a Bear which she named Sarah, and her pink outfits and hairbows. She picked the outfit because it looked like a Princess! Isn't that sweet?

Sarah Beara as O calls her.

What a wonderful snow day and I hope Olivia has many more like this to come!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2009-12-05T10:21:00.002-05:00

Big Green Tractor

2009-12-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

I took this video tonight of Olivia singing her favorite song "Big Green Tractor" by Jason Aldean.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T22:19:00.004-05:00

Better late than never right?

We went down to Gulf Shores to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Robinson side of the family and like usual had a blast! We played on the beach, ate tons of food, and just enjoyed each others company.

This is a picture of all of us Thanksgiving day. I think we had about 60 there for Thanksgiving lunch. I love my family!

Movin' on up....

2009-12-02T22:42:00.004-05:00

to the east side... to that DELUXE apartment in the skyyy!

Just wanted to show Y'ALL that we "backyardigans" (as my parents call us) are getting REAL high class over in our necka tha woods. We installed a column in our foyea.

drum roll puh-leeeez!

OK so for real. Our attic stairs broke while I was getting Christmas decor down, so now we have a 2x4 or 10x20 or whatever you call that piece of wood propping up our attic stairs! HA! You didn't REALLY think we were getting hoity toity high class didja??

Eh. Some people might care, but it just made me laugh :)

Wrapping Up this Semester

2009-11-18T22:10:00.004-05:00

I have really been a slacker blogger lately, but I just haven't had much to talk about! Olivia is just rolling along through life just as fast as it will take her, and I've been so busy with school and finishing this semester! Then I will be starting my LAST one! I can't believe I will be graduating in May! It's crazy!

I really haven't hardly gotten my camera out since Halloween because Olivia hasn't really been in the mood for pictures and I haven't been feeling very creative! We've had a rough couple weeks. I feel like everything is a battle. What to eat, what to wear, where we are going, getting in the carseat, peeling her off of me some days at school, especially bedtime and naptime... it's really wearing me down and my patience is almost gone! Some nights she gets so tired, she gets wound up and crazy so she won't fall asleep and then I can't get her to bed until after 10 (LIKE TONIGHT! She's unfortunately still up) and I am having a problem with getting her to sleep in her bed without a fight. We are heading to Gulf Shores for Thanksgiving and then Disney World the week before Christmas so I really hope those two vacations will give me a break to just relax! Hopefully Olivia will cooperate and have fun! I don't mean to complain on my blog, but that's just what I'm feeling right now - so if you see me in public and I'm a wreck, you know why!! haha :)

I do have just a few pictures from the last week or so... this little zebra shirt is ADORABLE!

So I cleaned out our kitchen cabinets last week and decided to name all our "tupperware" so we would know what lids went with what bottoms. Olivia helped me name them LOL

And this is what I found Monday when she took a nap. She fought it for nearly 2 hours, screaming and crying and finally piled stuff up on her bed so she couldn't lie in it to sleep, but she eventually got so tired, she just made herself a little spot.

Railroad Pictures 2009

2009-11-11T22:25:00.000-05:00

Halloween

2009-11-06T11:25:00.003-05:00

This was the first year Olivia was really old enough to go Trick-or-Treating so we invited two friends from church, Mia & Connor, and her cousin Emily over to go with her. They had a wonderful time, except that Olivia thought she had to be first to every door. If she wasn't, she would throw herself down in the driveway and scream. Luckily it only lasted about 6 houses and then I threatened to make her go trick-or-treating by herself.

This was at my grandparents house. Olivia just opened the door and went right in, so the others followed her! We were afraid she would do that at every house! LOL Luckily she didn't.

The whole gang, worn out and full of sugar.

Pumpkins Pumpkins

2009-10-30T22:05:00.002-04:00

Picking out the perfect pumpkin

She was excited that this one was little enough to pick up!!

Carving our pumpkins!

She thought the goup was a little yucky!

She called it "goof" It was so cute!!

Helping me carve.

Fall Festival at Burks

2009-10-30T21:57:00.003-04:00

Sunday the 25th was the fall festival at Burks and we had a great time!!

Olivia loved bouncing in the bounce house and we could hardly get her out!

Mia, Olivia, and Connor

Going through the obstacle course with Allie & Mollie AKA the big kids!

Olivia & Mia

Fall Break

2009-10-25T10:27:00.005-04:00

For my fall break we went to Pigeon Forge for a few days. My grandparents and parents were with us, and we had so much fun!We stayed in a cabin right behind Dollywood on the side of a mountain, and the views were AMAZING!!

Sunday we went into Gatlinburg and shopped and walked around.

and OF COURSE hit up the candy store!

Sunday night we got to go to the Dixie Stampede, which was a BLAST! I had never been before, but it was so fun! Olivia was mesmorized and didn't even touch her dinner!

Olivia outside the Dixie Stampede

We drank out of mason jars :)

Monday we went to Dollywood and Olivia rode her first roller coaster! You can barely see her little head poking out of the car. The height limit was 36" and she is 36"!

We also rode the flying elephants.

And she rode 2 rides all by herself!!!!

Tuesday we went to the outlet mall and shopped and then just hung around the cabin and relaxed, enjoying our last day of vacation. The cabin had a fireplace that was so nice to sit in front of and keep warm! It got down to 30 degrees one night, so we stayed a little chilly! We had a great time and would love to go back soon!

Back in the day...

2009-10-17T12:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterdays post about fun with Ben made me look for these......

Teen Board 2005... we had been dating about 2 weeks here!

Resurrection Jan - 06

Being silly :)

Engagement Pictures - September 2006

Another engagement shot September 2006

Our "honeymoon" 10 months after the wedding :)

Our one year anniversary - September 2, 2007

Favorite Fridays: Fun Times with Big Ben!

2009-10-16T12:40:00.004-04:00

These are just fun things that we've done the month of October :)

Ok well he did this toilet paper sculpture. He does weird things like this all the time! I just randomly find them around the house :) It does make me laugh.

Movie night last Sunday after Olivia went to bed!

CUTE MOVIE TOO!

Movie night again... just wanted to show off my Mickey Parts dishes from Disney World. Only 2 more place settings and I'll have a complete set of 8!

We went to the TN vs. AU game on October 3rd. It was very fun and I think he was pretending to punch me in the picture. This drunk girl sitting behind us kept rubbing Ben's shaved head because it felt good. Good thing he's used to random girls hitting on him. haha :)

Pointing out our differences...

Natural Beauty.

2009-10-13T20:19:00.001-04:00

yep. she is :)

Aiden Wright Oliver

2009-10-10T16:09:00.001-04:00

Our newest cousin :)

Isn't he so sweet!

Turtles and a Shiftdress

2009-10-07T16:25:00.003-04:00

We found this little guy (or girl... who knows?) outside today and Olivia was facinated. She watched and pet him for a long time - it was very sweet!

We played outside today for a long time and it felt so wonderful and was so pretty!!

Being a free spirit.

Don't you love the little dress?? I do!

Cheeseburger Cheese, Mac & CHEESE!

Uh-ohhhh... she found somebody who was hiding from her!

Favorite Fridays: A CLEAN House!!

2009-10-02T11:16:00.006-04:00

This week I actually did not have papers or projects due and only had one test, so I had a little time to clean! And for those of you who have never been to or seen our little house, now's your chance!

View from the front door.

The kitchen area - I deep cleaned in here - cleaned out most of the cabinets, inside & outside of microwave, stove & oven

Living room area... with our $10 recliner!!

Entertainment area, with my fall decor on top :)
Olivia's room! She has been bumping her head on the headboard lately so I got out one of her short crib bumber pads and tied it to the top. It fit perfectly and looks so cute!!!

Dresser and bows

Play area

View from the door

Our bedroom - I did the least work in here, so it's not quite as clean and organized as the rest.

& finally the bathroom!

I love having a clean and organized house! It makes things so much less stressful!

My Very Own Little Global Positioning System

2009-10-01T22:31:00.002-04:00

Her name is Olivia. This is what she looks like...

Yes, she is my new GPS.

Three short stories to prove it all happening yesterday and today.

We went to the county fair this weekend and parked at Middle Valley on Crabtree Rd.

So yesterday when we passed Crabtree, she pointed and goes, "Where did the chickens go?" (Asking about the ones from the fair) I was amazed that she remembered that is where we had gone to park!

Today on the way to school, we were about a half mile from the gas station and couldn't see it yet and she said, "The gas station is back there, in the back, behind that house (pharmacy)" Then we got closer and she looked at the pharmacy and said, "Ooopsies! That not a house!!" So she remembered where the gas station was without seeing it first AND she was able to tell the difference between a house and a business.

We got closer to her school (before she could see it) and she pointed at the light and said, "Turn here! My school that way!!" and pointed to the left.

She is becoming so good at directions and knowing where she is!

Also, anytime we go to Hixson, she says (to get home we have to...) "Go by my school, go by church, and go by the ice cream (Nana's)!!" And then she watches and points out every place and she knows about how much longer we have until we get home. What a smart girl!!

It's so fun watching her grow up and learn new things every day!

"Packpack, Packpack!"

2009-09-29T21:27:00.003-04:00

This smiley morning glory carried her OWN "PACK PACK" to school today!

TEAR. My baby is growing up sooo fast.

It was also 50 degrees when we woke up so we got to wear pants and jackets today! Very exciting :) Oh wait. Olivia didn't HAVE pants and a jacket in her dresser to wear, so I had to pull out her Fall wardrobe #1 (AKA stuff that I think will fit now/soon) so we got to pull out this bad boy and go through it.

AHEM.

Of course, we do that anyway almost every day. It's called the clothes game, and we ooohhh and aaahhh over every piece of O's wardrobe. She LOVES it. No lie. She actually sometimes ASKS to play that game - hehe - teaching her well...

County Fair Fun

2009-09-28T21:32:00.002-04:00

Sunday was a GORGEOUS day so we headed over to the county fair and had so much fun! Olivia loved looking at the animals - as you can see here - she's making friends with the bunny! She got a lemonade and downed it and wanted more! It was good stuff!!

She wore her CUTE e-i-e-i-o shirt & capris with the cows... so she was definitely dressed for the fair.

She loved seeing the cows & horses too!

Favorite Fridays: Playing Baby Dolls

2009-09-25T20:27:00.002-04:00

I love love love playing babies! I loved baby dolls when I was little and loved playing "mommy"! Now Olivia is really getting into baby dolls and it's sooo fun! She hasn't quite mastered the art of pretending yet... but we love to feed them and swaddle them and rock them to sleep. I just love having a girl!
This one below is her newest addition, "Get Well Soon" baby. We got her after a trip to the doctor today. My sister had one VERY similar when she was little and we have the CUTEST video of her opening it on Christmas morning and yelling, "IT'S DOCTOR BAAAA-BEEEE! Doctor Baby, Doctor Baby!!" (& just picture her little high pitched 4-yr-old voice with a southern accent...) So of course after I mentioned to Olivia that Becca had a doctor baby when she was little, O decided she had to call it DOCTOR BABY.
Oh and yes, she's hispanic. The blonde haired, blue eyed babies just don't cut it for me. This one is MUCH cuter. O must agree too, because she grabbed this one without even looking at the "white" one.

Favorite Fridays: Personalized Clothing

2009-09-18T12:30:00.006-04:00

I LOVE personalized clothing for Olivia! hehe :) They are sooo fun!

Ode to the Wonderful White Sandals

2009-09-17T08:48:00.003-04:00

Ode to the wonderful white sandals, you lasted us April thru September...

the best shoes any girl could ask for.

We love you and you will be missed.

The strap broke... and I do admit they were getting a little too small, but I was trying to make them last JUST until cooler weather set in.

Olivia wore these sandals probably 90% of the summer when she wasn't wearing her tennis shoes. If you saw us over the summer, she was MORE THAN LIKELY wearing these shoes. haha :) Below is proof.

NOW, I just need to find the EXACT same pair for next summer.

(They are Gap fisherman sandals for those wondering)

Monday Monday.... so good to me.

2009-09-14T18:36:00.014-04:00

Today, Olivia was on a roll.

This morning she was counting her Barbie dolls and told me there were "twentyteen" Barbies. Cute :)

Later I was trying to make the Daddy Barbie (you know - Ken) hold the baby and she said, "NO NO MOMMY! ONLY GIRLS CAN HOLD BABIES!"

What? She's stereotyping and she's two. Wait. That doesn't sound like it would fit right in my Managing Diversity in Organizations class. I did explain to her that lots of Daddies hold their babies, but she wanted none of it.

Then she took all their clothes off. Yes, all "twentyteen" of them. And expected me to redress them. NO. WAY.

Regarding getting dressed and her nightgown she remarked, "I not getting dressed. I wearing my nightgown ALL THE LONG DAY. I eating supper in my nightgown."

and that she did. I pick my battles and what she wears at home is NOT one of them.

She ate a pop tart for lunch and nothing else. Whatever. It's just one day - tomorrow she'll go to school and have a healthy balance lunch planned by a dietitian. oh and she did have a baked potato (with brown shu-ga on top - YUCK!) and green bean casserole for dinner.

She made a fun game out of leaping from the back of the couch and TRYING to land on the seat part. Key word: TRYING. Then she complained that it "hurt her booty".

She said several times, "Wake up my hair, Mommy!" I don't know what that means?

When we were looking in Becca's storage room for a few more big Barbies she found a Minnie Mouse umbrella from like 1995 and asked, "Is this mine?" I said no, that is was Becca's and she got this satisfied look on her face and said, "Oh ok. Becca shares with me." Hehe she thinks anything that is Becca's is ok to be hers too.

When she got into the bath tub, she looked at me and said in all seriousness, "Mommy I need to shave my legs."

Oh. my. goodness. I didn't say this to my mother until I was TEN. As in almost in middle school ten. Olivia's not even NEAR elementary yet! So I tried to tell her she didn't need to because little girls don't have hair on their legs and she could shave her legs when I felt it was time. She didn't like that answer.

Then after she got out of the tub, I was trying to get her dry and she was playing around and not listening. I told her to come here and started to count to three... I got to One...... Two...... then she whirled around and yelled, "THREE! COME SPANK ME!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh darling. Where has my sweet little toddler gone?

Favorite Fridays: Patriotism

2009-09-11T09:38:00.005-04:00

I love being patriotic.

So in honor of the 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001, I want YOU to know WHY I love being patriotic.

I love our country. I love our military. I love being free. I love worshiping my God and not being punished for it. I love the colors red, white, and blue. I love being able to get an education. I love saying the Pledge of Allegience. I love singing the star spangled banner. I love being in the middle of a giant city and admiring historical places. I love being way out in the country and running through fields of sunflowers. I love remembering people who fought or thinking of people who are fighting for our great nation. I love the mountains. I love the beautiful rolling hills. I love the beaches. I love Washington D.C. I love traveling outside the country and getting back thanking God I live on U.S. soil. I love my grandfather 16 generations back who brought my Dad's family from England to Tracey's Landing, Maryland. I love my Mom's side of the family, the farmers who worked the land, who loved the south. I love having grown up in America. I love giving my children the chance to grow up in America, land of the free. I LOVE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Times may be tough, but I thank my God I live here and wouldn't wish to be anywhere else.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Thank you to our Founding Fathers who had to courage to break away, to be something different, something more, something incredible.

My favorite patriotic songs... and don't tell me these don't bring a tear to your eye and make you swell with pride when you hear them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLILrC7Y5L4

"Only in America, Where we dream in red, white and blue, Only in America, Where we dream as big as we want to"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzV32-KBxyU

"I pledge allegiance to this flag, And if that bothers you, well, that's too bad, But if you got pride and you're proud you do, Hey, we could use some more like me and you"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw

"I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today, 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA"

This is about 9/11 in particular - I love it and it gives me chills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-x9kMPauc

End of August

2009-09-10T08:25:00.003-04:00

Snow White

2009-08-31T22:19:00.002-04:00

is Ben's FABE-BRIT Princess because according to Olivia, they look alike.

Blow up frameworthy

2009-08-26T13:19:00.004-04:00

These photos are DEFINITELY blow up frameworthy. I was sooo lucky to have caught Olivia in a "photo shoot" kind of mood! She let me pose her for the first one and then the others she posed herself! It was a totally original Olivia shoot :) and turned out perfect! (These are just a few)

Oh the Weekend of a Bargain Hunter!!

2009-08-23T17:13:00.005-04:00

This weekend was very productive and made me very yard sale happy!

THE DRESS. I saw one almost just like it last spring at a consignment sale for $8. I wanted to buy it for Olivia to wear last Easter, as her "afternoon" dress/Easter Egg hunt dress... you know. But I didn't buy it since it was $8 and I thought it was too much. So I kept thinking about the dress - for like 6 months. I really regretted not buying it for her. SO I go into Bethel Thrift Store (which I rarely go in) and THIS DRESS was hanging on the Toddler rack. I grabbed it and started searching for the size. It was a 3... it was fate. At this point I'm about to start jumping for joy thinking, "OMG! It's the dress!!! It's the dress!!! I don't care about the price, I'm buying it!" So I looked up at the sign above the rack and it says CHILDREN'S CLOTHES $1.00. I just about fainted. Seriously? a dollar. For a dress I'd been thinking about for 6 months. A dress I seriously regretted not buying. Oh happy day!!

THE CHAIR. We went out Friday looking for a recliner for our living room, nothing expensive since we will probably be buying a new living room set next year when we move. So we didn't find much on Friday, but Saturday morning, we went yard saling and found this big guy!! The couple was 65-70 years old and just so very sweet. The wife was sitting up on the porch trying to stay out of the action, while her husband (who reminded me of Ben) was pricing everything and taking care of the sales. I asked her how much she wanted for the recliner and she said $10, but I'd better ask her husband. I asked him and he said $25... I kinda laughed, just cause they were a cute couple - but I think he thought I was laughing because $25 was too much, so I told him his wife had said $10, and he goes "OK 10 it is then!!" So we got it for a whole ten dollars :)

THE PRINCESSES. Another yard sale we went to had 4 dress up dresses for $1 a piece so I grabbed them all! I got Tinkerbell, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and a Barbie one. GREAT DEAL, considering these are $20+ new in stores. They are a little big and have been worn but awesome for her to just play in and grow into!

Favorite Fridays: Storms

2009-08-21T20:25:00.001-04:00

I LOVE STORMS.

Like, so so much.

I am actually sitting here as I type this in a storm, listening to it, watching it, with the blinds open. My love affair with storms started when I was just a wee little thing probably just a few months old. When I would wake up during the night because of a storm, my dad would take me into the kitchen (with tons of windows) and pull up one blind so I could peep out and see the lightning and hear the thunder. I LOVED it. And I've NEVER been afraid of storms. They are facinating to me :) Now when we hear a storm brewing, we usually both go sit on the front porch and watch it roll in, only leaving when it gets to be sheet rain pelting us up on the porch.

In school, I used to play in the rain (ok storms too, dangerous I know). Jumping in puddles, running through the muddy yard, "swimming" in my neighbor's ditch (yuck!), and spinning in circles in the middle of the yard.

But there's just something about the sound of thunder, rain, and even lightning that is calming. Also, that smell that comes right before a storm is so refreshing... it just clears my mind. That smell would have to be classified as the "calm before the storm" smell.

Olivia told me tonight when she heard the thunder that it sounded "scary". I realized I have not instilled my love of storms in her... Ben has beaten me to it and instilled his FEAR of storms in her. HA. Yes, he is very scared of thunder and lightning but I didn't tell y'all that, ya hear?!?

Oh and BTW. I took the lightning pic last week while it was storming... cool huh??

O'Dell

2009-08-19T21:30:00.002-04:00

Family Reunion was a wonderful success!

We all (13 adults and 5 girlies) got together at Jeremy & Lesleigh's house for a Saturday full of fun. We got our pictures made first in black/white/khaki/and jeans and then got to put on our "frimsuits" as O would say!

We spent the afternoon in J & L's BEAUTIFUL pool :)

The 5 girls (maybe soon to be 6?? I'm not sure O'Dells can produce baby boys!)

Mary Beth, Addison, Morgan, Emily, and Olivia

We ate lots and lots of yummy food including...

a shrimp boil!

and these adorable flower cupcakes!

The girls later jumped on the trampoline all together (hilarious!)

Favorite Fridays!

2009-08-14T10:46:00.005-04:00

So I've decided to start a new blog on Fridays about all of my favorite things. Some might be about people, some places, some activities, some just things. All that will stay the same is that they are all absolute FAVORITES!

This week my favorite things are BACK TO SCHOOL GOODY BAGS & MY GRAMMA.

and they are both in this post because she gave me the back to school goody bag :)

She got a Wal-Mart reusable shopping bag...

and added all these goodies to it. Hot chocolate, tissue, every kind of M&M, oatmeal, peaches, mac & cheese, soup, a giant paperclip memo holder, new socks, and a change pocket full of quarters for the snack machines.

GREAT stuff to start off the school year!

My grandmother is always doing nice things for us like this and picking us up goodies when she sees something she thinks we would like. She is always thinking of others and volunteering her time and efforts into making others always feel special. So thank you Gramma for my fun goody bag and for being you! Love you :)

This is a picture of us with my grandparents on the 4th of July

The Beach

2009-08-12T09:55:00.003-04:00

Monday we went to Chester Frost Park to the "beach" and played for a little while. Olivia really enjoyed it! She loved the playground more than anything, but it was just so hot we only stayed for about 45 minutes.

& right after we got home, this was just so cute, I had to post it!

She my frenn.

2009-08-11T21:03:00.003-04:00

Today I stopped by Nana's (where I work, or should I say worked I guess - I'm a yoyo, I leave, come back, leave, come back... etc.) to get a paper from my boss/friend Monica. Monica has a little girl who O loves to play with named Krysalee. As I was getting the paper from Monica, she told me that Krysalee had a staff infection on her ear (no fun!!). It was also pouring down rain.

We both pulled out of the parking lot, us following them and this was mine and O's conversation...

O: "That girl right there... (Monica) Does she have my frenn in there (meaning her car)??"
Me: "Yes, I think Krysalee was with her, but she's sick, she doesn't feel well."
O: "Ohhh no.... does she have the hiccups??"
Me: (laughing hysterically) "Nooo she doesn't have the hiccups - her ear hurts."
At this time, Monica was pulling into her neighborhood
O: "Follow that girl!!! I want to go to her house!!"
Me: "Well Olivia, we can't because she is sick."
O: "Oh no!! She gonna get wet at her house????!!!"

Then I spent the rest of the trip home assuring her that Krysalee was going to be ok and that she could go play with her when she was feeling better. But it was so sweet that she was worried about her!
This is a picture of Krysalee and Olivia playing at Nana's last summer (JULY 08)

Totally Worth It

2009-08-08T22:17:00.002-04:00

I think the $1000+ I spent on my camera and 2 lenses was totally worth it for this...

and this was just a bonus.....

Look what we're wearing!!!

2009-08-07T21:35:00.002-04:00

Big girl panties!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohh yes! We've started potty training!!

We have a chart on the wall with 5 blank squares and a picture of a present at the end. For every time she pee pees she gets to put a sticker in the box. If she poo poos, she gets two :)

When she fills up the line, she gets a present! (AKA I raided the clearance aisle at Target and didn't pay more than $5 for anything.)

Today is our 3rd day at it and she peed 8 times and pooped once!! We had only ONE minor accident, but she realized it in time to run to the potty and finish!
WAY TO GO O!!

And by the way, I really mostly wrote this post mostly for my recollection later, as I'm SURE those of you without kids probably don't find it very interesting! HAHA :)

Me and The D

2009-08-06T12:30:00.004-04:00

as in D5000, ya know.

We are starting to get along much much better than when first brought home.

In fact, this is how much better...

I'll call it close to fabulous.

The Mickey Boat

2009-08-04T21:34:00.005-04:00

Otherwise known as the Disney Cruise!

Yes, we've been back since Saturday, but I've been dreading blogging about this because frankly, I just don't have the energy. SO I will post just a few good pics (I took almost 1000)

& Here's a brief synopsis of what all we did:

Key West: Walked to Margaritaville, down Duval St., met Ernest Hemingway's bust, walked down by the ocean, and sweated about a gallon a piece. The heat index was 109 degrees. yikes!

Grand Cayman: Went to see the 500 banks (ok, not really but we did explore the financial district a bit, since I AM a Finance major), walked up the street right along the ocean, and rode the tender which is how I got some AWESOME shots of the ship.

Cozumel: Got off the ship without O (wow!) and went ring shopping. If only it were for me.... haha. No, it was for Ben's mom's new wedding band which her and I picked out a whopper!! Diamonds and rubies galore :) It's gorgeous. We shopped for the rest of the day, much to Ben's dismay. <

Castaway Cay: Disney's Private Island - LOVE IT. Got off the ship with Olivia, it was her first time to swim in the ocean and she LOVED IT! We picked up sea shells, swam, didn't really want to touch the sand TOO much. Then we took her to the nursery and headed to the adult beach. ADULT BEACH = HEAVEN. AHHH. I could LIVE THERE.

On the ship: Went to many fun dinners, hung out a lot on Deck 9 around the pool after dark, went to a Playhouse Disney party, went to the character breakfast, Olivia got to go to the "kids club" (Oceaneer's Club) as well as Flounder's Reef Nursery and Ben and I got to visit the ADULT pool (Quiet Cove - I mean can you think of a better name??). VERY FUN.

We also ate at the adults only restaurant Palo which was GREAT. It's something like 7 courses and they give you lemon sorbet to "cleanse the palate". Hello. That's amazing. Definitely will be dining there again.

All in all, we had a GREAT, FUN trip and can't wait to do it again someday!! (AKA 2012 when the new ships come out!)

Oh and there are 200 pictures on facebook if you are dying to see more! :)

The Museum of Creative Discovering

2009-07-22T08:32:00.004-04:00

I think that sounds more fun than Creative Discovery Museum... but that's just me :)

Nikon D5000

2009-07-20T13:11:00.003-04:00

I have no clue how to use it, but just snapped these pics yesterday and today... pretty good for just pointing and shooting with no settings figured out yet!

Olivia-isms

2009-07-19T20:08:00.002-04:00

"Olivia, hold your raisins upright so they won't spill!"
"OK MOMMY!!!" as she lifts them up and holds them on top of her head.

After washing her hands:
"Did you dry your hands good?"
"Yep!! I died my hans and my yips too!" (lips)

"Wat's wrong Mommy?"
"Oh, I'm just feeling kind of sad." (I was just having one of those down days)
"Ohhh, you're sad cause Maw-Maw left today??" (To go out of town)
"Umm.. yeah Olivia, that's probably it."
"Aww Mommy. It be ok. Maw Maw will be back soon!"

And as I type this she's "talking" on her play princess phone to Bec-cah... asking when she's coming home.

Window

2009-07-19T11:10:00.001-04:00

Zoo

2009-07-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

I am really slacking in blog postings lately, but I have been lazy and enjoying summer!

Monday morning we took Olivia to the Chattanooga Zoo and she was so excited!! All the way down there she kept talking about elephants! I had to break it to her that our zoo does not have elephants... So she immediately started talking about how she was going to see snakes!!

Umm... ew.

But as you can see >>> she loved them!

She loved going in the choo choo train and looking at the cougar :)

Us with the snow leapord :) That was neat! All those are just big kitties, riiight??

Olivia with the chimps.

The red panda... by far my favorite. So cool. I just wanted to hug it - but I'm pretty sure it would've attacked.

We had a great time at the zoo and Olivia loved getting to run around and lead the way everywhere. I can't wait to take her back!!

A Pink Dress

2009-07-11T13:20:00.002-04:00

So do you know that the color pink just isn't in this year?? We (as in Ben's family) decided to do a pink themed night where we all wear pink and get our family pics done with a white background on our cruise. I have looked EVERYWHERE for a pink dress. Originally I thought we were all supposed to be in light pink so when I found an adorable hot pink dress on sale at Dillards, I turned it down and didn't get it. THEN I found out it was all shades of pink, but the dress was long gone when I went back to look. I looked all over Hamilton Place (at least 10 different stores) and went various other places around the mall. No luck.

So I went home and looked on Victoria's Secret where I found a semi-cute pink dress that was on sale for $49 but it was going to end up costing 70+ to rush ship it here. Thanks, but no thanks. It also looked more like something you'd wear to a BBQ or a beach party... not so much a cruise casual dinner.

SO I FINALLY thought to search Macy's online since we don't have one near here. AND I found a magenta pink dress that I personally think is just adorable. & it will be something I can wear again to weddings, etc.

You can see it here: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=364305&CategoryID=45781

I couldn't save the pic to upload it here, but it is very cute! & I think it will be good for the picture :) Finally. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

But ya know, doesn't that ALWAYS happen? They always have it when you don't need it. But when you need it, they don't have it.

4th of July 2009

2009-07-07T14:39:00.004-04:00

For the 4th, we went to Ben's parents house for lunch and grilled chicken, shrimp, and ribs with corn & potato salad. It was SO yummy and I was definitely stuffed afterwards!! After lunch we watched a movie while Olivia took a nap.

For dinner, we headed down to the annual 4th of July Lakesite picnic and saw lots of friends and neighbors we rarely see! Everyone was very surprised to see that O wasn't quite the baby she was last year! The BBQ and food was wonderful, as usual!

Olivia especially enjoyed this yummy cupcake!

After dinner, we went home and hung out before going back to the park for fireworks. We had a fun little photo shoot and then lit some sparklers.

Olivia held her first sparkler!! She was VERY serious about it and wouldn't even smile haha! She doesn't look like she's having very much fun but she kept asking for more and laughing in between lit ones!

This was her face when she saw the first couple big fireworks of the night at the Lakesite park... she liked them, but I don't think she liked all the noise they made.

Some of the great fireworks we saw!! Afterwards, we went home and set off some fireworks Ben had picked up in Rhea Co. O was VERY interested in what they were doing up on the road!! We did some more sparklers and headed to bed close to midnight!! It was a long but fun day!!

Trip to Knoxville

2009-07-05T09:32:00.002-04:00

Wednesday I made the trip to Knoxville with O, by myself! I was a little nervous since I've never driven that far just with her. She fell asleep just as we got on Hwy 27 and slept all the way to Rockwood so that was great, because we were just going to Harriman! So she woke up within 10 minutes of us being there.

We stopped in Harriman to see cousins Austin and Addison and to take their mom, Cindy some of Olivia's baby gear since they are having a baby boy in September. They had so much fun playing together and got along GREAT! Sometimes Olivia wants to follow Addison around and play with whatever she has and do exactly whatever she is doing, and I'm sure that annoys Addison! I know it would me LOL But they did great!! I was so glad :)
After we played in Harriman for awhile we headed to Farragut to Jeremy & Lesleigh's house. Wednesday night we went out to eat at a Mexican place that was VERY yummy!! And filling! I couldn't hardly eat half of what they brought me... luckily O and I were sharing a plate!

Thursday Lesleigh was off work, so we got to hang out and play and swim.

We went to McAllister's for lunch and then hit up Target's dollar aisle haha! The girls were VERY excited! And they were having a huge shoe sale so I got Olivia 2 pairs (1 for $4, the other for $5) and a pair of shorts for $1.50 and a skort for $2.80. So I did good!!

Thursday night we had pizza and hung out with the girls...

We asked them where they were going since they were all packed up & had their heels on and they go, "Disney World!! Bye! See ya!" Oh of course! Where else would I expect from O'Dell children???

Friday morning I had both girls cause Jeremy & Lesleigh both had to be at work, so we played outside a lot, and then watched a movie and played babies until Aunt Allie and Bethany got there to hang with Emily and swim... we headed home then and Olivia slept from Farragut to South Dayton!! So I think it was a successful trip!

Mia's 2nd Birthday

2009-06-30T10:08:00.002-04:00

Saturday we went to Mia's 2nd birthday party! Olivia and Mia are best buddies so O was sooo excited we were going! They played outside, jumped in the inflatable bouncer, and loved just hanging out together.

And it was Dora themed so of course O was in Dora heaven! LOL

Good Night Moon

2009-06-25T22:40:00.003-04:00

and if you think I'm talking about the book, you OBVIOUSLY don't know my child very well. That is not a book she would find interesting.
So tonight I checked my facebook and saw that Amanda & Steve (The Medlin Family) were taking Connor & Mia out to go stargazing. So I thought it would be fun to let O go out and see the moon and stars and stuff...

This was our conversation:

Olivia noticing that the sprinkler was turned on: "OH NO!!! THE WATERFALL COMING OUT! The moo(n) will get WET!!!"

Me laughing, of course: "No Olivia the moon is VERY far away. It won't get wet. You have to get on a spaceship to go to the moon."

O with huge eyes and an amazed look on her face: "IIIII wan to go to tha moo... (then yelling in one breath) MO-MEE GO TO THA MOO. DA-YEE GO TO THA MOO. GANNA GO TO THA MOO. BEH-BA GO TO THA MOO. DA GO TO THA MOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I am laughing so hard I am crying at this point, but then she freezes, throws her hands up in the air and yells, "WAAAAAIIIIITTTT!!!! I GOTTA GET MAW-MAW & PAW-PAW TO GO THA MOO!!!!!!"

So then I explained that maybe someday we could go to the moon... which of course, she thought meant right now. So we get on the porch swing for "take-off". Then O grabs the chain holding the swing up and starts clanging it yelling, "CHOOOOO CHOOOOO! BYE BYE! I go-ing to tha moooo!!!"

By this time I am like rolling on the floor laughing so hard I'm crying. I didn't have the heart to tell her you don't ride a train to the moon. So after she decides that it's not working the way she wanted she hops off and heads inside yelling, "BYE MOOO - GOOD NIGH MOOOO!"

Now isn't that just way more fun than reading a book about a moon?

Camp 2009

2009-06-25T16:59:00.005-04:00

From Saturday to Wednesday, Olivia and I headed down to the North Georgia Mtns. for our annual family camping trip... otherwise known as just "Camp". We stay at Mountain Lakes which is about 15 minutes outside of Helen, GA.

http://www.mountainlakesresort.us/

Saturday we arrived about 4 PM and headed over to Mary's condo to see everyone and eat dinner. Olivia had a great time with Thomas, playing with his cars and swinging on the back porch overlooking the lake. After dinner, we headed back to the camper to unpack and play for the rest of the evening.

Sunday we were very lazy and hung around camp and played and then took Olivia to the pool. After the pool, it was our night to cook so I made our favorite Oriental Crunch Salad and helped Mom with the BBQ & baked potatoes.

Monday morning we went to the train museum in Blairsville, GA which Olivia thought was pretty neat. She didn't like that she couldn't touch and play with the trains, but it was an awesome place! After that, we went and got some lunch and then went back to camp where we hit the pool again and swam! She didn't understand why we would want to sit in the hot tub tho... haha It was hot!! Monday night we ate Taco Soup yum! and a storm blew over right before dinner... so we were ready for soup since most of us were soaking wet! Afterwards, we squeezed into Laura's cabin to watch Jon & Kate... :( very sad. and then discussed it.

Tuesday we went into Helen to eat lunch at Hofer's (the German bakery and cafe) and it was delicious! I had a Grilled Ham & Swiss on French bread with Honey Mustard.... I LOVE hot sandwiches! I also got an eclair and a Linzer cookie from the bakery that were to die for :)

Here is Anna Lauson, Me & Becca at the bakery.

After lunch, we met up with my dad and walked around and shopped for a little while before heading back to camp to rescue "Maw Maw" who kept Olivia while we were gone.

Becca & I in Helen.

Tuesday night we went to Mary's condo to eat again & then I ended up with a migraine so I was stuck in bed after about 8:30 in serious pain.... ugh!!

Wednesday morning we got up and had pancakes and then took Olivia to Helen to have her old time picture made... it turned out pretty cute!! She looks mischevious.

Then we made a SHORT trip to the Cabbage Patch hospital to see some babies!! Olivia had a great time and I can't wait to take her to the new one when it opens later this year!!

http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/

And here is the grumpy bear on the way home when we stopped at the Appy Trail crossing...

& yes, there are not very many pictures but I took about 120 - they are all on my facebook if you're interested!

Blooming

2009-06-15T22:16:00.002-04:00

in our yard...

& still loving my camera a year and a half later.

My 21st birthday!

2009-06-12T22:07:00.003-04:00

Today was my 21st birthday!!

To start off the day, Ben went and got me McDonald's hot cakes, which I absolutely LOVE!! After pancakes, we just hung out around the house for the morning. Then my mom and Becca took Olivia and Ben and I went to the dreaded DMV where we waited for almost an hour to renew my license. The guy taking the pictures sang a line of Happy Birthday to me in front of everyone waiting, which of course, I loved.

Afterwards, we went and walked around the mall and looked at/studied different cameras. We are almost 100% sure we want the Nikon D90, but need to save up a little more money because it is one VERY expensive camera!

After looking at cameras, we went and met my family at Olive Garden for dinner (yummy yum!) and I got a Strawberry Mango Margarita (as pictured below.) and it was good! I don't usually like the taste of alcohol, so I was surprised I liked it :) I also got what I always get, Cheese Ravioli with alfredo sauce!! I LOVE that stuff :
After dinner, we ran by Nana's Frozen Custard b/c they had put Happy 21st Birthday Natalie on the flashing sign, so I had to see it!! It was so fun to see my name up there! :)

When we got home, I opened presents which is always fun! My sister got me the cutest card that you can record on... so she wrote a little poem and recorded it and then it played a song. She also got me a cute Old Navy shirt and 2 pairs of Old Navy flip flops, which I really needed! This picture is of me opening a cd that my mom wrapped in a Little Debbie box. She always wraps stuff in food boxes to trick us! haha :)

I got a few small things from my parents and some money for my camera. One thing my parents gave me was these neat water bottles! I had seen them in a catalog (Lakeside Collection) and thought they were so cute! I always like to take a bottle of water with me to class but hate buying tons of bottled water so these are plastic (BPA free) that you can fill up and stick in the fridge and they will last me all week!I also got a really neat custom "birdhouse" from my grandparents. She had found a license plate from 1988 (year I was born) so she had her friend make and hand paint this birdhouse! It is so neat! The front says Natalie's Nest, Lakesite Tennessee. One side says Olivia's Room with pink curtains and the back has odds and ends like UTC, Ben with a heart, Auburn, SDHS, etc. painted on it... things from my life :) It is such a fun gift!

After presents we did cake! There is a new place called The Cake Factory in Dallas Bay so I decided to try it! I got a red velvet cake with cream cheese. It was a little pricey I thought, $25 for a 1/4 sheet, but it was very yummy!!

The lighter wouldn't work so it was a group effort to light 21 candles with a few matches!! ha!

After cake, we played ladderball outside and played with the new kittens that are Grampa's "garden cats". It ended up being a really fun birthday!!

Me? Creative!? Unbelievable!

2009-06-07T17:55:00.006-04:00

From the title you MIGHT can tell I don't think of myself as being very creative. I wish I was, but I am the analytical, logistical, person.

BUT we inherited about 100 new hairbows (woohoo!!) (adding the the 100+ we already had), so there was a need for more hairbow holders. I had purchased one last fall on ebay that is ADORABLE so I went back and tried to find the same lady again, and couldn't so I just decided to make my own. They do not match the original, but they match each other and I think it turned out really cute!

I started by going to Hobby Lobby and purchasing a paintbrush, two unfinished wood circles (99 cents each), 2 colors of paint ($1.27 each), 2 flower accents that were already painted (59 cents each), and ribbon.

I took the two wood circles and painted them. The picture was after the 2nd coat, but I added a third because I wasn't quite happy with just two.

After 3 coats, I added the accents with Beacon Multi-Grip glue.

Using the same glue, I added a long ribbon. I originally cut it about 60 inches, but it ended up being shorter...

Because I glued the ribbons too close together... as you can see in the photo below. This would have only held very small bows and clips.

So I tweaked it, by folding the ribbon back over so they were farther apart, making the ribbons shorter, so then her MBHs (Massively Big Hairbows, of course!) wouldn't fit.

& no, that's not all the hairbows either LOL, all Gymboree curlies, Holiday themed, and doubles are in a drawer. I think I have an addiction! :)

So I used some left over ribbon to make just a long ribbon and nailed it to her closet trim. These are the huge bows (like 4" or bigger), and there are probably 20 or them or so on the ribbon.

Odds & Ends

2009-06-07T13:00:00.010-04:00

This blog is a hodgepodge of events from the past few days...

Friday

My sister got O this little "sailors" outfit a couple weeks ago at a consignment sale and I thought it was sooo cute! However, after I got it on, I thought she really looked like a little flight attendant!!

She's a born fisherwoman.

Saturday

Saturday morning, we went over to Hunter Trace to a couple yard sales and really scored big!

At the first sale, I got Olivia a pair of pajamas, a My Little Pony beach playset (with 2 ponies & accessories), and 3 Disney Princess dolls.

GRAND TOTAL=$9!!

At the second sale, I got 4 pairs of shoes for $1! And a sack full of clothes including: 1 pair pj's, Old Navy khakis, Circo jeans (looked brand new!), A Tinkerbelle shirt, a play skort, a Gymboree jacket, a pink coverup, and two pairs of Circo shorts (khaki & pink).

GRAND TOTAL=$3.50!!

She lined up her new yard sale Disney Princesses before she went to bed.

She actually told me that Snow White was Ben's favorite because they look alike. HAHAHA

My new color of nail polish! It's actually brighter than in the picture - it's so fun!

I also got a sweater dress when I bought the nail polish... for $1!! CRAZY!

This was Saturday night... I'll huff & puff and blow you down!!

Sunday

Sweet sleeping serene Olivia.

& yes, her toenails are hot pink & lime green! She asked for it!

Now I'm off to work on Olivia's hairbow holders... hint hint! That will be my next post! Stay tuned!

25 You DON'T Know!

2009-06-04T22:04:00.003-04:00

I filled this out on Facebook several months ago (in February), and saw it again tonight and thought I'd share with the "blog world" in case you aren't on Facebook or didn't read it. It pretty much describes who I am, I think! :)

1. I am a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl. And sweatpants. I love me some sweats. I’m totally not into what’s popular. I like my style just fine thanks.

2. Sara Evans song “Low” makes me want to throw my hands up and praise Jesus! It’s my new favorite.

3. I found a church I really like and would like to attend, but Ben says they are too “free-spirited” for his traditional Southern Baptist self.

4. I am a hermit. I love curling up in my bed ALONE and reading a good romance novel. I would rather do that than just about anything in the world.

5. I am addicted to Disney! Those darn O’Dell people….

6. Music lives in my soul. I feel music like no one’s business. It makes me feel amazing.

7. I love those strawberry candies with the goop in the middle. I eat like handfuls every day.

8. I can’t do hair. My hair has been the same since like 4th grade, just different lengths. I seriously can’t do anything with it. Not even curl it. It just falls out. BLAH.

9. I want to adopt kids sooo bad! Originally, I didn’t want to birth any children, just adopt. But God had other plans. So now that I know I am mentally able to birth kids, I think I’ll birth two more and adopt two. EDIT AS OF JUNE09: I am unsure about having more children.

10. I take things really personally. Example: I usually cry if Ben hits my teddy bear or says mean things about him. Crazy right? EDIT AS OF JUNE09: I saw a tent revival tonight with a man preaching to only one person in the audience. I teared up. I felt bad for the preacher. I am sooo sensitive!

11. I love to travel, but hate flying.

12. When I was in 8th grade, I went on a double date with Ben BUT we weren’t together. He was with another girl and I was with another guy. Isn’t that weird?

13. Speaking of that movie, I got my favorite girl name of all time from it – Cadence. Which if we have another little girl, we will be naming her that. I wanted to name Olivia that, but Ben thought it was too weird. Now he kinda likes it?? He’s difficult. I think the other names I liked were even weirder and that’s the most normal he can get. HA EDIT AS OF JUNE09: Don't you dare steal my name! If you do, I will hunt you down and yell obscene things in your face while you are in pain in the midst of birthing the darn child. NOT KIDDING.

14. A lot of people don’t know that Olivia was born with a heart murmur, an extra valve in her heart, and an enlarged pump chamber. The valve grew into another one so it isn’t there anymore, but her pump chamber is still enlarged. We say that’s the reason she has so much energy!!

15. I used to be totally addicted to the Sims computer game. I think it’s because I love running other people’s lives. Ben totally agrees!

16. I love the new open hearts collection from Kay Jewelers. I am trying to convince Ben to buy me the necklace and the ring! They are so pretty and I just love the design.

17. I would love to buy a house with a lot of land, so I can have a garden and lots of room for animals. EDIT AS OF JUNE09: I was born to be a cat lady. That is all.

18. I really want to learn how to sew and also to cook good southern food. I really just want to be a homemaker!

19. I love scrapbooking even though it’s very expensive and I usually don’t have time for it. I have made 5 scrapbooks so far, and it’s been so fun!

20. The bravest and coolest person I know in the entire world is my cousin Hannah Kate. She had a brain tumor at the age of 7 and then started a huge organization called Army Angels that distributes school supplies to children in Middle Eastern countries where American Troops are stationed. She is amazing & basically a celebrity now in Knoxville!

21. I love decorating for seasons. Every holiday and season has decorations at our house! Ben is very nice about it too and just smiles and says, “That looks nice.”

22. I am allergic to a lot of make-up. It makes my face itch so bad!

23. I love Gulf Shores. We go every Thanksgiving and always go to the same places. DeSoto’s, the Oyster House, and Shake’s Frozen Custard. I also love it because a lot of my family is down there and I hardly ever get to see them.

24. I want to go to all 50 states before I die. I have been to 22 now. EDIT AS OF JUNE09: I want to visit all continents also.

25. I LOVE the Bachelor!! I watch it religiously. EDIT AS OF JUNE09: I am addicted. I need a 12 step program. Step One: Admit the problem... CHECK!

"I WANT PANCAKES!"

2009-05-31T18:17:00.004-04:00

So I have zero pictures from today but we had a very fun day! Ben had to work all day, so it was just me and O. We got up about 9 (being lazy!) and I asked her if she wanted to go get pancakes from McDonald's for breakfast. We are both pretty much obsessed! As soon as the golden arches came in sight she started yelling,

"I see it!!! THERE IT ISSSS!!! OH NO! It's far away!!!!! GO FAST GO FAST GO FAST!!!!"

We were at a red light, but I was laughing so hard, I couldn't explain to her that when the stop light is RED you cannot GO. Then when we pulled up to order she starts yelling from the backseat, "I WANT PANCAKES!!" over and over... haha :) Luckily our friends at Micky D's were super fast this morning so she didn't have to wait long. On the way home she started telling me a story about how we were going to sit at the table together and eat our pancakes when we got home. It was so sweet.

As soon as we finished our breakfast (about 10 AM) she decided it was time to hit the pool. So we filled up her little pool in the driveway and she played for awhile but the water was FREEZING!

Other events of the day included going to see Grandad for some Strawberry-Banana bread, Bailey cornering a snake on the patio behind the swing (AHHH!), Olivia napping and Natalie getting to lay out in her pool for about an hour!!, and O eating and getting covered in a "red flavored" popsicle. (That's what she calls Strawberry)

Oh yeah, and I also hired my mom to do my dishes for $20. Hehehe :) Dirty dishes make me gag. Yuck.

Easton is 1!

2009-05-27T09:31:00.003-04:00

Easton turned one & we went to his birthday party Sunday afternoon! It seems like yesterday he was born! He was adorable and loved his cake :)

We had another party to go to afterwards, but Olivia got too crazy and attacked herself with a permanant marker, so we decided she better take a nap instead, but Happy 4th Birthday Connor & we will set up a playdate and bring you your gift!

Curls

2009-05-27T09:28:00.003-04:00

O's curls have gotten curlier! :) Her hair has really gotten curly lately and it's adorable!!

She definitely doesn't get it from me!!

Outdoor "Bubble Bath"

2009-05-24T16:00:00.003-04:00

Friday afternoon Becca decided she wanted to put her swimsuit on & her and Olivia "swim" in bubble bath in my parents MASSIVE jaccuzzi tub in their bathroom. Seriously it's like the biggest one I've seen in my entire life! LOL So I decided it might be easier and have our bubble bath outside.

Her little bikini is sooo cute! Don't ask why I ALWAY stick my nose in the air like a snob. I've been doing it since middle school. I just do it. LOL

When I put her bikini on, she tried to pull it down over her belly!! HAHA Will she turn out to be modest like Ben... or not so modest, like me & Becca!?

She loved playing with the bubbles.

She asked, "Beh-ba you keen??" (clean). Becca said, "Yep, Olivia, I'm clean." Then O got this sad look on her face because she was hoping Becca was dirty so she could wash her legs!! LOL So she just did it anyway! It was soooo cute!

&& this picture has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post, but she fell asleep like this on the couch and I thought it was precious. Just ignore the ugly red couch. I picked it out while I was preggo and apparently was attracted to RED. Ugh. I can't wait to get rid of it!

Bonfire

2009-05-23T21:12:00.003-04:00

Thursday night, we grilled hot dogs & lit up the fire pit to roast marshmallows! Olivia did very well with the fire and listened when we told her not to go near it. At one point Ben said, "It's VERY important for her to know about fire safety!!" While saying this, he was waving his finger through a lit tiki torch. Well we know who WON'T be teaching her this lesson!!

Hopefully we can grill out and make s'mores more this summer, Olivia really had fun and so did I!

However, my camera was being TOTALLY dumb & would not take a single decent picture. This same thing happened at Disney World last year, and the camera ended up fixing itself after a few hours. It has something to do with the ISO settings.

This was cute of Beh-ba & O

We saw a rainbow!
My s'more! :) yum!

I thought this was cool of my g'pa. He's kind of a fire expert.

This is the ONLY really good one. I took it on Sport Shooting with no flash. It turned out cool! :)

Bachelorette Post 1

2009-05-19T09:43:00.006-04:00

I labeled this post one, because I'm sure I will post more about it!! I was soo sooo soo excited about it last night - even after last season when I claimed I would NEVER watch it again!! haha - I think it would take a 12 step program to keep me away from this show! Isn't that terrible!?

I picked the 3 guys I like best - Brian, he's from Alabama & I love his Southern Accent!! :)

Jake - he's a pilot... and looks GOOD in his uniform!! (Also Southern)

& Wes - he's from Texas & a country music singer... when I heard him sing, my insides just turned to mush!!

They are all super sweet too!! Southern gentlemen of course!!

Atlanta/Athens Weekend

2009-05-18T09:17:00.004-04:00

We spent the weekend down in Georgia in Atlanta at my Aunt & Uncles and also in Athens at my grandmother's house.

Olivia loves her Beh-ba!

My dad & O playing with Lobo, Mamalee's cat. He's 19!!!

Family picture... mid 1950's (My dad's the one in the back)

Wedding day... early 1940's

My grandmother & my dad

My dad early 1950's

The group now!!

Back at Aunt Bobbie's & Uncle Ron's... blue mouth!!

Walking with Aunt Bobbie in her neighborhood... I love that neighborhood!

Bubbles

2009-05-18T09:10:00.004-04:00

We had so much fun Friday morning playing outside and blowing bubbles!! :) It was a beautiful morning!

Please ignore my stick legs! Why didn't anyone tell me my legs were so skinny!!??

Don't you love her Daddy's Beach Beauty shirt!? :)

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-13T09:07:00.004-04:00

We had a pretty calm, relaxing Mother's Day weekend :) Ben started a new job last week, so he had to work 12 hour shifts Saturday & Sunday. SO Friday night, we went to his parents house tho I didn't take any pictures! Why not!? We had dinner & dessert and just hung out for a while.

Saturday we went to Hamilton Place to pick up the Honeybaked Ham and then TRIED to go to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in the mall to get a huge candy apple, but they were closed!! I was so sad! :( We then let Olivia play on the playground but I just don't think the Hamilton Place is anywhere near as fun as the Northgate one! Saturday night Becca came home so O was SUPER excited about that and couldn't wait to play with her!

Sunday we had Mother's Day lunch with my family and played outside since it was such a pretty day! We blew bubbles and took O's dolls for a walk.

Someone was not in the mood for pictures!

I made this lemon-strawberry cake for dessert! It's a Southern Living reipe and turned out very yummy!!

My Mother's Day presents from Ben & Olivia.

Nana's present

Granna's present

Maw Maw's present

Ok, Mo-mee. Nack tie!

2009-05-08T09:18:00.003-04:00

The title says, "Ok Mommy, Snack Time!" This is what Olivia said to me last night while playing with her play kitchen. She brought me a pot with french fries in it and a pitcher of something. (She was probably pretending it was Kool-Aid!) and she got herself a plate of green peas and a bottled water. Hmm. Do I have a future health nut on my hands?? And has she realized I am a junk food junkie?? Wow. I should probably work on that. haha.

The funniest part was that when she got her plate of peas, she goes, "YUMMY!! Geen peas!"

She is a serious veggie & fruit lover!

Tuesday, Tuesday, so good to me...

2009-05-08T09:11:00.003-04:00

Get it? You know, like the song...?!

Ok - well anyway, we had a BEAUTIFUL Tuesday afternoon. If you live near where we live, you know we've had storms, after storms, after storms, and rain, rain, and more rain the past week and a half or so. Currently, it is storming outside. So why am I on the computer?! Oh who knows. I'm crazy! :)

I snapped these pictures while we were outside on Tues. Don't you LOVE her precious shirt from Gap... it's on sale ladies!

Ok in the next pictures, she was riding her Step2 roller coaster car down the yard. She thought it was hilarious until she flipped it over on top of herself. Then she thought it was a riot!! She laughed so hard, she couldn't stand up!

Olivia, Friend of Diego: Animal Rescuer!

2009-05-04T20:15:00.005-04:00

We rescued another turtle. Although, I'm not sure I told you about the first one... haha :) It was a week or two ago. We found this little guy (or girl?) tonight so we walked down to the lake to let him (her??) go.

Olivia was VERY excited!

If you can't tell. ha.

On the way down to the lake, I told Olivia that we were being like Diego, animal rescuers!! I was hoping she would connect the two and realize what we were doing and what the show is about. I don't know if she did, but was VERY excited that we were being like Diego. Cause you know he's the coolest kid that ever walked the planet - other than his cousin, of course, Dora the Exploradora.

And we said good-bye. So long turtle, have a nice life!

Leaving the "tur-whey"

This has NOTHING to do with turtles, but Becca came home & surprised us this weekend and I got this sweet picture of them reading a book together.

Cinderelly, Cinderelly...

2009-05-04T20:11:00.003-04:00

Olivia loves to be Cinderelly!

Although she told me yesterday her favorite princess is Ariel.

Thanks cousins August Lee & Josie for the Cinderella costume & shoes!

Olivia has really gotten into playing dress up this past week! She looks adorable too!! :)

I love this one... where she's pulling her dress up to walk.

Water/Sand Table Fun

2009-04-30T13:40:00.003-04:00

Last night, after eating at church, we went by Wal-Mart to pick up Olivia's sand and water table. This was her birthday present from Granna & Grandad, but they didn't want to get it in January when it was still cold out.

And of course, she scooped all the sand and dumped it into the water part of the table. AHH! I was the kid that NEVER combined colors of playdough or sand and water. I was the kid with little imagination and had to play with things the way they came & how you were supposed to. HOWEVER, my sister was the kid that combined the playdough (which made me so upset) and she also combined sand and water, wanted to make up new ways to play games and was creative. So watching Olivia do this just about drove me UP THE WALL, but it also made me laugh a little because she was acting just like Aunt Beh-ba. Lord help us ;)

Paygoun Picnic

2009-04-30T13:34:00.003-04:00

Tuesday night we went to the park in our neighborhood to play on the "pay-goun" and have a picnic.

She loves chicken salad... haha

She was screaming: OUT OUT!

Swinging

This pavilion is so nice!

Zakk

2009-04-29T22:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a VERY rough day for our family. We found out my sister's cat Zakk had a tumor in his foot and there was no hope of saving him other than amputation (And they weren't sure he'd even live thru it). Now Zakk was almost 12 years old and had arthritis in many bones and also had a skin disease along with allergies & obsessive compulsive with bathing, so he was in rough condition. So in the end, we had to put him to sleep yesterday morning.

He has been like a part of our family since 1997 when we got him (& his brother Bailey, my cat) so despite what some say about pets being less important than people, this is NOT the case. It really does feel like a piece of my heart is missing, like it's broken. I have walked up onto "his" porch several times today and still expected him to be sitting there. And I remember he's not. He's now in cat heaven, and I have to just keep remembering he's no longer in pain and no longer suffering.

This beautiful picture was taken Monday morning - I saw him sitting under our Japanese Maple and was just compelled to grab the camera even tho I was furiously studying for my Finance exam. I am so glad I did and got to snap some last pictures.

He is a gem & we love him very much.

Saturday of BLiSS

2009-04-26T11:29:00.004-04:00

So yesterday I had a "me" day! It was wonderful :) Ben went to Knoxville to go out on the lake with his brother and his parents kept Olivia all day. SOO I lounged in bed until 10 watching Law & Order reruns (hehe). I then went shopping, and got some cute cute stuff on sale! Then I came home and cleaned up a little and relaxed. Then I met up with Amanda at Katie's house to take prom pics of Katie & Annalyce (& friends) which was super fun. It took me back a few years to when I was doing to "prom thing"! I miss getting all dressed up and stuff, but not having to put the effort into planning the whole event.

Annalyce & Me

Katie & me

Annalyce - she's gorgeous!

Annalyce & her bf Cris

The whole group...

After prom pics, I headed up to Emerald Bay to meet Ben, Jeremy, Lesleigh, & Emily at Jim & Beverly's for dinner. It was so fun to watch Olivia and Emily play and talk to each other... some of the snippets we heard:

Olivia sitting on the potty

E (to me): "Olivia's sitting on the potty. She has to sit there and pee-pee cause I said so!!"

Lesleigh & I were in the back bedroom looking at D.C. excursions online when the girls came running in.

O: "Konk Tooey!! Konk Tooey!!!! Konk Tooey!!!"

We could not for the life of us figure out what they were saying... until Jeremy came in and informed us they wanted Conch Coolers which is a Disney Special alcoholic beverage. I laughed so hard I almost cried.

O had on Lesleigh's flip flops. E had on mine.

Beverly: "Where are you girls going?"

E: "Mart Mart. Be back later. See ya!" (walmart)

They walked out of the room & then came back

Beverly: "Are you already back from Wal-Mart?"

E: "Yep. We went to mart mart."

At one point during the evening Emily also told Ben that if he pee peed in the potty, he could go to Disney World with her.

They were hilarious! I just wish I'd gotten pictures or a video of it.

Laid Back Fun Spring Weekend

2009-04-19T22:07:00.004-04:00

We actually did a whole lot this weekend, but it felt pretty relaxing for the most part!! It was so fun and I even got a night out!!

Friday morning we played outside, since it was soo pretty! We ate lunch outside, with Zakk, haha - He loves to keep up company. Then Maw-Maw came over and played for a little while

I don't know why, but she wanted to lie down right beside him! haha

After lunch and playing outside, we met Heather & Miranda at the mall for pedicures and Heather's mom (Kathy) & her friend (Jennifer) watched Olivia in the play area. She had a blast!! I think she might have worn them out tho! haha :) I'll have to post pictures when I get them from Kathy.

Saturday morning my mom and I got up really early and checked out the neighborhood yard sale. We went thru Lakesite, Chimney Hill, and North Fork... I saw a friend, Katherine, who I hadn't seen in so long and got to meet her little girl who is about 9 months younger than Olivia. She is also having another little one - a boy - and is due this week! So as soon as things get settled, we are hoping to set up a play date! At a yard sale in North Fork, I picked up this neat chair for only $5! And I have already spent time sitting in it!

It's perfect for tanning in this summer while Olivia plays in her pool!

We then went to the Open House at Olivia's school and took Nana & Pops and Granna to check out the place and so they could really see what she does all day. It was adorable - she showed them her favorite books, her seat at her table, her cubby, and her playground. These pictures are of her playing on the "big kid" playground. Miss Seneca is not going to be happy on Tues when Olivia is begging to go play on this playground instead of the 2 yr old one!

After the open house, we headed home and O just had to go "fwimming" so we put on our swimsuits and went for a dip. The boat that she's in is actually my sister's (haha) that she used to lay out in when we were in high school. Olivia thought it was pretty cool to play with Beh-ba's boat.

After the pool, my mom and I met up with Amanda and ate dinner at Burger King before heading over to Junior Miss which was a blast!!! It really made us realize how old we are getting LOL but it was so fun :) And Miss Katelyn Burdine won the title of Jr. Miss 2010, which is the sister of one of the groomsmen in our wedding (Chris). Chris & Ben have been good friends for... ever. haha and Ben enjoys picking on poor Katelyn. She was amazing during the "paegant" and I loved watching her!

I didn't get home until 11 so we ended up sleeping in this morning and then celebrated my grandfather's birthday for lunch with a meal at my parents (& a yummy Bruster's Ice Cream cake!). Sadly I didn't get any pictures, but we had a good time! Olivia enjoyed opening his birthday presents and thought it was so fun that someone other than her has a birthday. haha :) She thinks everyday is her birthday. At least several times a week, I catch her singing "Happy Birthday" to herself or saying outloud, "My birthday! My birthday!" Does that mean she's spoiled?? ha!

Tomorrow I am back to reality though finishing up my last homework assignment, last class, and a paper for a final all before Tuesday morning! Wow! haha :) Then I start finals Wednesday so say a quick prayer! :)