THE LATHAM FAMILY

21

2012-01-08T23:02:00.000-06:00

Before today, twenty-one days didn't seem like a long time. When it hit me that our church's annual twenty-one day fast starts today, suddenly '21' felt like forever. What a skewed thought process to think that giving up something for twenty-one days to draw closer to my Savior is a long time and that maybe I would just skip this year. Uh-uh. After some serious consideration, I am giving up social media for the next three weeks. My prayer is that I will use the time I would normally be looking at blogs or Facebook and dedicate it to bible reading, talking to God, and devoting more time to my home and family. See you soon!!

Lots & Lots

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

Of grandkids. My dad and stepmom are up to FIVE!! And we ALL spent Christmas at their house.

What a treat to celebrate Christmas Eve at church together, then come home and open family presents.

Sprinkling reindeer food with Robbie...

Making cookies...

Reading a new Christmas story with Nana...

Then waking up Christmas morning to more new fun...

Don't worry, we didn't forget about Robert!

And once Papa recovered from Christmas Day,

he ~~invited~~ let all of us come eat lunch with him at work! (He works at a country club.)

Fittingly, we ate at the Halfway House. I'm thinking the sweet girl at the counter wanted to be committed by the time we all left!

And the last group shot...poor Robert had his blanket over his face. Thinking he may have had the right idea! :)

Nana and Papa...YOU ARE LOVED X 5!!

MC & Me

2012-01-06T11:21:00.002-06:00

I DO think that maybe, just maybe, Mary Claire looks like me. Here I am (with my Papa) when I was four...

And here's MC with Papa...

Better Late Than Never?!

2012-01-04T12:10:00.000-06:00

While listening to sweet Robert complain in his crib, I am trying to sort through the pictures from the last month of life. Normally that wouldn't be too difficult, but seeing that the last month was DECEMBER...

Maybe posting a picture will get me back into blogging mode! Here are my precious chicklets with Santa (red eyes and all!):

Okay, Robert wins. Blog loses. Off to the nursery...

Happiness in a Cup

2011-12-09T09:52:00.001-06:00

Two Christmases ago, my mom sent me a red Keurig.

She was tired of me calling her every time I had company to walk me through brewing a pot of coffee. I thought she was crazy, spending $100 on a coffee contraption that I may drink hot chocolate out of once a month. Turns out she was pretty smart.

My morning beverage of choice is a non-fat caramel mocha. From McDonald's, please.

Unfortunately, one of these babies costs $2.50. A discount from Starbuck's, I know, but I don't work anymore. :) So, after a quick Google search, I found the recipe for this yumminess.

+ +

Super Simple:

Combine a 14-ounce can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk with a 12-ounce container of caramel topping and a half-cup chocolate syrup in a heavy pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about eight minutes. Add two tablespoons to a mug of strongly-brewed coffee. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP...

But, use the sugar-free version. I ~~hate~~ (MC always reminds me not to use that word!) cannot stand sugar-free foods. However, you will not get that awful after-taste when using just a dollop of cream on the top of your beverage.

Once I make this divine concoction, I store it in a container in the fridge. That way I can get my fix when I need it!

Outdoors

2011-11-28T15:54:00.001-06:00

I'm not big on going outside. Never have been. Of course, my kids would live outside if you let them. They are changing me, little by little!
So, when my cousin Jim said he and his family were going to be in town from Atlanta and wanted us to come over to his in-laws to ride horses, I knew I had to say yes. Oh but they didn't stop at horses...there was a pig and a rabbit, too. Don't worry, we only rode the horses!

MC went first...

Then Ellie...

And Robbie...

This pig, Wilbur, cracked me up. If someone picks him up, he squeals and yells like nothing I've ever heard before. I felt like I was at an Arkansas football game!

The girls with the bunny...

Thanks, Jim, for giving us such a fun afternoon! I have to mention, though, that now Ellie would like a horse for Christmas. A big one, please. We just have to give someone a thousand dollar bill and we can have a horse, according to El. I was struggling with what to give her for Christmas, so thank goodness this is resolved! :)

**Grandparent Disclaimer: Robert's hand IS NOT near or in the horse's mouth in the picture at the top of this post.**

Fall Family Frenzy

2011-11-27T10:11:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned it before, but I have a lot of family. A lot. See if you can stay with me...my parents divorced, then remarried other people. The new families each had two boys. That's a total of four brothers. My mom is one of twelve brothers and sisters. I have thirty-five first cousins on her side alone.
The kids and I flew to Philadelphia Friday before Thanksgiving to visit with my Mom and her family.

(No, I did not forget my makeup. I don't know why I look like death.)

The boys in the picture...those are my brothers, Nick (yellow shirt) and Greg. Jingjing is on the bottom right. She is engaged to Greg. Jingjing is holding my cat-niece, Cotton.

We were in PA for six days, so I'm not even sure where to start with pictures. Oh, and by the way, there's more family that lives within forty-five minutes of my mom and stepdad. My cousin Stephanie and her family live five minutes away. My girls loved playing with her boys, who are right around the same age.

One adventurous day we took the kids to Peddler's Village, an outdoor Christmas wonderland.

The best part was an indoor playplace with this huge ball contraption thing that I really can't describe. They loved it.

MC and Robert opted to stay in the little kids' area with a water table and fire station playplace.

This same day my Aunt Mary and her family came to visit.

My cousin Ellen (Mary's daughter) is studying to be a pediatrician, so she got a little bit of practice with Robert.

Besides spending time with family, the girls did their usual activities with Grandmother, like walking Cypress.

And visiting Grandmother's first grade classroom. She teaches in an all-girls Catholic school. My girls fit right in (well, except for the whole uniform thing).

Oh, we also dressed Robert in this Christmas bubble that Robbie has given a big thumbs-down to. Enjoy this picture, because it's probably the only one of him you'll see in this precious outfit!

We had such a fun time in PA. We flew back into Birmingham EARLY Thursday morning to spend Thanksgiving with Robbie's family. I don't have a single picture from Thanksgiving day. I was whipped from flying with the three kids by myself. It was a great Thanksgiving, though. Robbie's mom totally outdid herself with all of the yummy food she made. It was a low-key gathering with just us, Robbie's parents, Robbie's uncle, Robbie's cousin, and Robbie's cousin's girlfriend. Quite a change from MY family!!

The day after Thanksgiving? MORE of my family...and horses!

Open House

2011-11-12T14:32:00.001-06:00

The best part of MC's open house this year? Her teacher told me to go look in the hallway because there was a picture of MC that looked like ME!! Not Robbie, not Mary, but ME!

Don't worry, we enjoyed all of the other fun parts of Open House, too! Like seeing all of Mary Claire's work, her cubby...

and taking her picture with Ms. Janey.

Mary Claire LOVES school! Every month she comes home knowing a new Bible verse. She also gets really excited when one month ends and another begins. That's Mary Claire...Miss Details! Oh how I love this precious girl!!

Turkey in Disguise

2011-11-10T20:40:00.001-06:00

Poor Tom Turkey. Every year he has to come up with a new disguise so he won't get eaten. This year, our family helped him out by dressing him up as an angel. But shhhh, don't tell anyone!

Ellie brought home this turkey with the instruction to disguise it...as a family. After several days of pondering what the turkey would be, Ellie came up with the angel idea. Robbie was in charge of the cotton balls, robe, and pretty much designing the whole thing. Ellie and Mary Claire helped with glitter, and I did the glue. I can't wait to see what Ellie's teacher does with all of the turkeys, and what fun disguises the class came up with!

For Real

2011-11-09T11:04:00.000-06:00

A picture can paint a thousand words, right? Well, this picture is a snippet into my life with three little ones.

Warning: I'm going to get real!

Let's start by looking behind my stepmom (Nana). There is junk all over the stairs ready to be taken upstairs. This was Sunday. It's Wednesday, and that stuff is still there.
Now move your gaze to the left of me. That's more stuff on the couch that doesn't belong there, and I couldn't crop it out of this picture.
Check out my legs. Those are the legs of someone who gained lots of weight with her third pregnancy, and should be downstairs doing an exercise DVD instead of blogging.
Take a look at Ellie's hair. She needs a haircut. She has needed a haircut for a good two months. Is it really that hard to pick up the phone and make her an appointment? Actually, yes, it is. I would then have to decide when exactly I feel like taking all three children to the hair salon and which day I can take a shower and put on makeup.
Whew. I feel better.
As you can tell, my parents from Atlanta came to visit us over the weekend. Oh, so we had some special event? No. I had so much laundry that sweet Mama came to help. And precious Papa played (and PLAYED!) with the girls. Of course they loved on Robert, too.
I cannot forget my inlaws. Even though I am not working, they graciously take at least one of my kids every week to their house to play.

Life is full. Full of chaos. Full of laundry. Full of undone tasks. But my heart is full, too. Full of an awesome husband. Full of three children that I adore. Full of Christ's love that covers ALL aspects of my life...even my laundry!

Fall Fun

2011-11-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

For Halloween this year, we went to a Fall Festival at the church where Mary Claire goes to Mother's Day Out. I love going to festivals, because we don't have to worry with anything scary or evil. (And if anyone knows Ellie, you know that this would be awful!!)
The girls and boy were super-cute in their costumes. There's just something about a little chickie in a costume that is precious!

Instead of being OCD Mom this year, I let the girls choose what they wanted to be. Usually I like to have some sort of theme with their costumes, but having a third baby makes thoughts of going all-out with costumes disappear! And guess what?! They were still cute!!

Mary Claire was Super Girl (or 'guhl,' as she says!)

Ellie was Madeline

Robbie was Super Daddy for pulling the kids in the wagon

Me? I was a Happy Mama because I didn't stress over my kids' costumes! :)

The day of Halloween, I went to Ellie's school to do stations with the kids. I LOVE going to Ellie's classroom. Her teacher is wonderfully sweet, the kids are so polite, and I miss teaching this year! Here's what we did:

Made skeleton hands with popcorn, candy corn, and food service gloves. We fancied them up with spider rings!

Decorated cauldrons that I got from The Dollar Tree and put their names on. The kids needed something fun to put their goodies in!

Made witches' hats with Fudge Stripe cookies, Hershey's Kisses, and frosting. (Not sure why, but I don't have pictures of these!)

Then we enjoyed a witchy snack...

Ellie's Sweet Class

So, that's what we've been up to to celebrate fall. We never got around to decorating pumpkins, but thankfully the girls never asked! I'm enjoying the leaves changing and the cooler weather. Robbie is enjoying football season and not melting during the games! And Robert loves the fall because he loves anytime of year when it's cool enough to snuggle (i.e. be held constantly!).

Little Chickies

2011-11-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know this costume is really a duck, but I love to say it's a chickie! Here are my precious chickies...

Ellie {4 months}

Mary Claire {2 months}

Robert {2 months}

Wishes

2011-10-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Every morning when I wake up Ellie at 6:30, I am extra-quiet so that I don't wake up Mary Claire. Every morning I secretly wish that she will stay asleep so that I only have to worry about Ellie until I get home from carpool. And every morning sweet Mary Claire comes downstairs ready for her day and ready for her breakfast. Only, she never finishes her breakfast. Instead she sneaks a ziplock baggie and puts it in there to take in the car with her. Did I mention I also wish that some days I could do morning drop-off alone?! Nope. Mary Claire and her big baggie of breakfast is along for the ride every. single. morning.

On a totally different note, yesterday Ellie brought home her wish list from the school's book fair. Apparently the teachers have gotten smart and they take the kids to the book fair armed with a piece of paper and pencil. The kids show the teachers which books they 'wish' for, and the teacher writes them down then sends it home. I got tickled when I pulled Ellie's out of her folder...

The Justin Bieber book was not a huge shocker. The Auburn book, however, was. We have been planning on buying Coach Chizik's book, so now that it benefits El's school, 'All In' will be all ours! And no, Ellie will not be bringing home a $20 princess book. That's great that it comes with a necklace, but The Dollar Tree sells some mighty nice necklaces, too!! :)

Latham's Latest {Revised}

2011-10-24T16:59:00.002-05:00

*Last night Robbie reminded me of a couple of things...such as: he's really 33 and he's lost close to 19 pounds, not 12. Oops!!*
After looking through a bajillion pictures, I know now why I used to blog right after every momentous occasion.
Here's what we've been up to (by family member!):
ROBBIE
• turned 32 on October 12th

• has been working out hard-core and has lost at least 12 pounds! (SO PROUD!!)
• tripped in the attic a few weeks ago...

• accepted a new position at work that he's pretty pumped about
• is loving football season (did I really need to write that?!)

JENN

• loves my three chickies more and more everyday

• cannot get caught up on laundry to save my life

• got to go to an Auburn game with just Robbie!!

• went to Halloween Bunco as a 'Blessing in Disguise' (And yes, that's Robbie's mom as the ghost. Remember the majorette last year?! And why do I look like a Michael Jackson wannabe?!)

ELLIE

• loves first grade, loves her teacher

• went on a field trip to Children's Theater to see Cinderella (I got to chaperone!)

• discovered who Justin Bieber is (thanks, school friends!)

• dressed up as Gretel for her school's fairytale ball

• brought home the class 'pet,' Lucky, for a weekend

• got glasses today!

MARY CLAIRE

• seems so grown-up lately!

• continues to make us laugh, and I mean belly laugh, so many times each day!

• is adjusting to life pretty well as a big sister

• loves Justin Bieber, too!

• loves going to 'school' three days a week

ROBERT

• L-O-V-E-S to be held (hence, piles of laundry!)

• doesn't mind letting you know he's unhappy

• is still a stoic little thing

• had to have an ultrasound on his lower back to rule out spinabifida and one on his heart because of a slight heart murmur, both of which were totally fine (translation: scared me to death twice in two weeks!!)

• smiles, coos, and melts his mommy's heart!

Whew! I'm going to run and change my spit-up soaked shirt. I'm also going to have a little talk with Robert who is trying to nurse through my shirt, even though he finished eating about thirty minutes ago. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, some clothes will get folded

Big Girl Panties = Hiking?!

2011-08-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

Yes, Mary Claire started school AND turned three. No, I haven't blogged about it. I had to share this sweet picture, though, of MC and Granddaddy on her birthday. Bob has always promised her that once she was potty trained, he would take her hiking and fishing just like Ellie. That time has come, so for her birthday, Bob gave Mary Claire a hiking stick that he made just like Ellie's! LOVE it!

Don't Forget Me!

2011-08-26T22:13:00.000-05:00

Sweet Robert has been here for three weeks. His biggest sister loves him to pieces...

and his second big sister thinks he's just okay.

I am totally enamored with my little boy.

Robbie can't talk to him enough about the fun things they are going to do as daddy and son.

My mom just left after being here for twelve days,

and I have to say I think Robert is going through some withdrawals. As in, every time I put him down, he ~~cries~~ screams.

My number one blog fan (my dad!) emailed me today with the perfect explanation for why Robert has been so distraught. I have not yet added his name to the blog description. Thanks, Papa! I'll get on that...
Seriously, though, Robert is such a precious boy. He LOVES to nurse. I'm pretty sure he wishes we lived in a country where I could walk around nursing him all day long. Keep wishing, buddy! (Okay...secretly I do love it that ~~sometimes~~ every two hours I just have to hold him and that he depends on me so much.)
Don't worry, sweet boy, we have not forgotten about you!! We are just too busy loving on you and your sisters to update a silly blog! :)

Robbie's first post

2011-08-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

My beautiful wife Jennifer does a wonderful job updating this blog with our family updates. Tonight, I felt it was on my heart to make my first post.

I feel so much more mortal now that I just lost my last living grandparent (my mom's mother) last week.

C.S. Lewis said it best when he said, "You do not have a soul, you ARE a soul." The Bible tells us that unfortunately, we are born into a fallen creation. As such, eventually, the body that houses our soul will deteriorate and fail us, and we will pass away.

About 22 years ago, I was in Ashland, Alabama at the Clay County Hospital the night that my grandfather died. We called him Grandpapa. I was too young back then to understand what it all really meant. I just knew that my Grandpapa would be gone forever. Shortly afterward, we took Grandmother back to her house.

We walked through this door:

I remember feeling intimidated by the weight of the emotion in Grandmother's den. It was quiet, but you could feel it. Not knowing what else to do, I approached Grandmother and asked her what I could do to help. I was unprepared for her response as she harshly told me, "Just leave me alone!" as she stormed down the hallway.

I know now that what I saw that night was not anger or hostility. It was hurt and pain. It was true heartbreak. That moment has served as the benchmark for deep emotional pain that I have measured all other painful events in my life and those that I have witnessed in the lives of others next to.

I'm going to miss the beautiful Clay County courthouse just one block from Grandmother's house.

I'm going to miss the visits to Ashland where I would play in Grandpapa and Grandmother's yard and sheds, the empty maid's home, and the swing attached to a large tree in the backyard.

The last tangible thing remaining from my childhood relationship with my Grandpapa is the hanging remnant of the rope that once held the tree swing.

The small piece of joy that I found in my Grandmother's funeral this week was the fact that she was now reunited with my Grandpapa. The pain that I witnessed so many years ago (and has stayed with me for all these years) had come full circle. I can't imagine the broken heart that Grandmother lived through for the rest of her life, but now I rejoice that it is over and she can be with him again!

Ashland, Alabama is a two hour drive from home, so naturally and regrettably I did not see my Grandmother as much as my grandparents that lived just three houses away from me.

Because of this, I don't know if Grandmother ever knew that I had become a Believer, but in April 1998 I did. I can't explain it other than it was a moment while away at college when I was chosen by God, and I opened my heart right then for Jesus to enter. The unbelievable, supernatural feeling I experienced has to be just a hint of what Heaven is. I knew that it was real BECAUSE I was old enough to know when something was real. After that day, you could say that there was a concrete floor built beneath my feet that would never allow me to spiritually return to where I was before I was chosen. Every day of my life since then has had a peace and a purpose, and the greatest joy of all is to build a family with that Peace of God as the foundation.

I know that my Grandmother felt a thousand times greater than the taste of Heaven I received in 1998 as she entered Heaven this week and saw Jesus himself and Grandpapa finally again.

People often say that my daughters look like me, or more specifically, my mom. What they don't know is that the girls really look like my Grandmother (as does my mom). I see it at least once every day when they smile or make a specific facial expression. Maybe in that way, Grandmother's legacy can live on.

I wish that Grandmother had known that every night when I read my Bible, I am using a bookmark that she gave me many years ago. It is a small, laminated bookmark, depicting Jesus. I will be using that bookmark in my Bible for the rest of my life.

Like C.S. Lewis would agree, when we die, we take nothing with us but our soul. But the memories and experiences and love with all my grandparents, their homes, the small town of Ashland, and the true meaning of family ARE a part of my soul. And all these things WILL be coming to Heaven with me when it's my turn.

To all of my grandparents: I LOVE YOU and I can't wait to see you again!

In loving memory in the order that they left this world:

Willis Woodall Rodgers (Grandpapa)

Alva Ernest "Buster" Latham, Jr. (Grandaddy)

Minnie Paffe Latham (Grandmother)

She would hate this picture, but it's all I have on my computer. Sorry Grandmother!

Ruby Doris Rodgers

Don't live your life without meaning. There is love, meaning, and peace through Jesus and those He puts into your life. Or in my case, those to whom He trusted with my life when I came into this world.

Firsts

2011-08-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

Today Ellie started first grade. In a public school. With about a million times more students than the school that she's been in since she was two. I didn't cry. Ellie didn't cry. She was nervous, but she put on quite a brave little face as we dropped her off at car pool.

Her backpack weighed as much as she does!

We are SO proud of this precious girl and can't wait to see her grow in faith, friends, and knowledge in this coming school year!

2011-08-13T17:44:00.000-05:00

Life with three kids is busy. Fun and rewarding, but busy! I have taken lots of pictures over the past week, and just looking through them made me tired! Here are a few of my favorites!

Our precious boy is over a week old! He loves to nurse, sleep, and look at everything around him.

Ellie starts first grade next week. I'm sure there will be tears from Mama that first day... Even Meet the Teacher was a little bit hard for me!

And Miss Mary Claire turns three next Friday. Cannot believe it!

All for now! Ellie is holding the baby downstairs...by herself!

2011-08-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Children are gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. ~Psalm 127:3~

Our sweet baby boy is here...and he is BIG! Robert Ernest Latham III was born at 11:47 this morning weighing in at a whopping 9lb 6ou and 21 inches long!! Even the doctor was in shock at how big he is! We are all doing well. Mary Claire and Ellie are totally in love, and Robbie is way-excited to have a boy (and a big one at that!). Love you all and can't wait to post more pictures!!

Stolen Treasure

2011-07-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

When I'm pregnant, I'm thirsty. Like, I could totally drink my weight in water. And Icees. But you have to go to the store to get Icees, and I ~~hate~~ don't like dragging two chickies in and out of the car at the gas station for an Icee. So while I was ~~stalking~~ looking at other people's blogs (my friend Shelli's sister-in-law's blog...so random, I know!!), I found this recipe for Cranberry Limeade. Oh. My. Goodness. I wish you could come over right now and join me for one!

Here's what you need:
1 bottle cranberry juice (I used Publix brand cranberry/strawberry juice cocktail)
1 container frozen limeade
1 bottle Fresca
1 lime
crushed ice
• In a pitcher, mix frozen limeade with 4 and 1/3 container (use the limeade container) cranberry juice (you'll use the juice instead of water, like the container calls for)
• Fill your favorite glass with crushed ice
• Fill the glass half-way full with cranberry/limeade mix
• Fill the glass the rest of the way with Fresca
• Squeeze a little bit of the lime into the glass, then just let it float

I made this a couple of days ago, and I love that I can go to the fridge when I need my fix! YUM!!

Summer Showoffs!

2011-07-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

For the past week, Ellie has been going to a singing/dancing/show-choir-like camp every afternoon. When I first heard about Summer Showoffs, I really didn't think El would be into it. Every child has a solo during the end-of-the-week performance. Oh, and 150 kids participate. So multiply that by two (parents, siblings, etc.), and that's a lot of people to sing in front of!!
But, she loved it! The counselors were phenomenol...they were super-encouraging and just fun! Sweet Sophie was there, too, which made going everyday easier!

Robbie and I were so proud of Ellie as she got up to sing her solo. Being pregnant, I had to laugh to keep from crying because she did such a good job. She also had a little speaking part as an intro to another song, and did great on that, too.

Considering the kids had to learn five songs along with moves in five days, the whole thing was pretty impressive! And, now Ellie knows how to talk/sing into a microphone without being scared!!

Loved & Blessed by the Best!

2011-07-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday my closest friends threw me a super-fun diapers and wipes shower. Baby Boy's closet is now overflowing with these essentials (and a few other fun things!). Instead of having a tea at someone's house, I wanted to go to dinner at a restaurant with just girls. Eating chips and salsa and talking to my sweet friends almost made me want to have a baby every year so I could have this time! Here are some pictures from our night...

Not quite everyone, but close!

The hostesses (4 out of 6!)

Mary, Me, & 'Aunt' Mary Margaret

He's ready for fall...just like his daddy!

The gifts were wonderful, the food was so yummy, but having a fun night with my friends was THE BEST!! Thanks, everyone! :)

Super Grandmother!

2011-07-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

In Pennsylvania, where my Mom lives and teaches, they do not get out of school until the middle of June. Can you imagine?! Normally I hate it because half of our summer is gone by the time she is done with school! This year, though, it coordinated perfectly with us coming home from the beach.

Like I said before, Mom can be a cleaning wild woman. And believe me, my house was a haven for someone who loves to clean and purge. Robbie took who knows how many bags to the Foundry, and both of our dumpsters were packed with trash. If I'm in the mood, I can be quite the purger, too! Oh, and we put shelves in the girls' armoire in their room. Funny how two little shelves can make such a huge difference!

But let's be real. We all know that she really came to see the girls. They had the best time playing store, reading books, and 'baking' in the playroom kitchen.

We also took Mom to Alabama Adventure one afternoon.

On most visits, I get pretty sad when Mom leaves because I can't just jump in the car and go see her. But, she already has her ticket booked for twelve days in August when Baby Boy comes! Don't worry, I will not have twelve days of cleaning for her to do...just carpooling and laundry! ;)

Funny side story...MC insisted on carrying the Bible she got when she was dedicated everywhere with her the whole time Mom was here. This is Mary Claire at Mellow Mushroom with her Bible!

The Beach

2011-07-06T17:04:00.000-05:00

This year we got to go back to tradition since there wasn't any oil in the Gulf. (Not that we couldn't have gone last year...) Anyway, Robbie has stayed in Orange Beach every single year of his life since he was born for at least a week every summer. It's been hard, but I have embraced this tradition whole-heartedly. :)
The highlight of this year's trip is that we got to stay for ten days! I will not go through each of our days detail by detail. Instead I'll try to show you how much fun we had in pictures.

All the girls wanted to do the entire time was swim in the pool...

...and ask for snacks.

A sweet friend of a friend came and took beautiful pictures of the girls on the beach.

Thank goodness for Photoshop, because one of the two girls (not mentioning names...) sat on a shell about five minutes into picture-taking and wasn't the same again!

We also played miniature golf. Robbie's family calls it 'carpet golf.' I've never heard it called that before!

After dinner that night, we watched "Tangled" on one of the pool decks. Lots of fun!

A morning and afternoon ritual for Mary Claire was to yell, 'AHOY!' from the condo's balcony at this pirate ship.

I knew after about the fifth morning of hearing MC get so excited, we had to get on this boat! So the last full day we were on vacation, Robbie and I took the girls to Hudson Marina on what turned out to be a super-fun pirate boat ride!

As soon as we got on board, Ellie got her face painted. (MC said uh-uh.)

Then both girls got what MC calls 'shooter guns.' It was a reality check for me because neither of my girls has ever even seen a toy gun! They LOVED going to each side of the boat and shooting at other boats to 'put holes in them.' Of course, MC's souvenir from the pirate ship was a 'shooter gun' of her own that now resides in their baby doll's stroller. How sweet.

They did the limbo, bought drinks with gold doubloons they found, and steered the boat.

Since Grandmama and Granddaddy didn't go on the ride with us, Granddaddy stood on one of the docks of our condo and waved to us!

Oh, the condo. Sometimes at night I could hear it telling me, "Buy me. Please buy me! It's not that long of a drive from Birmingham, and your kids don't really need college."

The pirate boat ride was awesome and we would totally do it again!

Another beach tradition is to ride the ferris wheel at the Wharf. This year I got to opt out since I'm pregnant. I don't love the ferris wheel, so I was totally fine to watch! (Especially when the operator turned it on, then walked away!!) Ellie was a bit apprehensive at first, and it was funny to watch her little sister coax her onto the ride!

Of course we ate and ate and ate. I don't have many pictures from restaurants because I was so busy indulging my lovely and large pregnant self in yummy food!

I love going back and looking through these pictures because we had such a nice, relaxing trip. It was back to the grind when we got home, though. Did y'all know we have a baby coming soon?! Praise the Lord my mom flew in from Philadelphia the morning after we came home from the beach! And let me tell you, she was in organizing/purging/rearranging mode. (It sounds like I'm saying this is a negative thing, but I really have been praying for a kick in the buns to get these things done, so her trip was a blessing!) Her trip will get a blog post soon!

AS ALWAYS, a tremendous thanks to Bob and Mary for taking on vacation each year! Y'all are the best!!

FREE Boy's Clothes!

2011-07-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

Know anyone who is having a boy or has recently had a boy? I have two huge bags of boy's clothing that a sweet friend gave to me. The sizes range from newborn to 2t. If I were having triplets, I could definitely use all of them, but there is no way one little Latham boy could wear all of these clothes!!

Please, please, please let me know if you or someone you know is interested!!

Birthday Bliss

2011-06-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

I really think Ellie had the perfect sixth birthday.

Breakfast in bed, complete with a present (which she thought was her only present and was perfectly content!)

Swimming at Sophie's, a dress in the mail from Aunt Stacey, then a haircut, then off to her favorite restaurant...PF Chang's!

And surprise...the whole Smith crew joined us, too!! (SUCH a precious family! We pray that our girls will be as wonderful as these four girls!)

MORE presents!

An American Girl doll that she picked out and was totally excited when she opened her! (It's hard to get Ellie excited about presents...she's not ungrateful, just doesn't get overly thrilled. We got her this time, though!)

More yummy food, more pictures, more fun with our friends!

And did I mention Grandmama and Granddaddy were there, too?!

Opening the new doll with Daddy (and MC, of course!)...

Comparing shoes...

And putting on matching pjs...(can you tell she is pooped?!)

Told you it was a perfect day!!

How appropriate for such a precious girl! I say lightly all of the time how God has blessed us with these two incredible children, but I really mean that. Parenting can only go so far. Praying over our children and putting their lives in the hands of our Heavenly Father is what really makes our girls so special. Thank-you, Jesus, for days like birthdays to make me realize what miracles you have given us!

Beachy Birthday

2011-06-13T16:41:00.000-05:00

To celebrate sweet Ellie turning six this Wednesday, we had a beach party for her in Bob and Mary's backyard!

As a surprise, we borrowed this awesome water slide from our friends, the Kings. (Talk about generous!!)

We also had a slip-n-slide and two pools set up to be sure that no one ~~died of heatstroke~~ got too hot. The littlest pool's water got pretty warm, so the kids dubbed it the 'hot tub.' Several times I saw at least five kids just lounging around in the 'hot tub' like they were at some fancy resort!

The plan for the party was to let the kids play from one until two, then round everyone up for cake and presents. That way they could still have time to play afterwards. At exactly 2:00 p.m., all of the adults perked up when we heard thunder. Bob immediately checked the radar and determined that we had enough time to sing and blow out candles outside, but then we had to head up to the deck.

Rain never came, but the thunder would not stop, so the kids did not get to go back to the water fun. I think it was perfect, though! The weather was not as oppressively hot as it has been because it was overcast, plus the kids had plenty of time to play!

Robbie was relieved that the party ended a little early, too! He was a complete rock star on Saturday...lifting and watching kids and putting up and taking down a massive water slide and just doing things I can't do being seven months pregnant!

Another birthday party surprise? Nana and Papa brought Charlotte!! These cousins love each other!!

The only down part of the whole day was that Mary Claire was sick and could not come to the party. Yes, that would be the reason she has on a t-shirt, diaper, and stickers all over. Nana was wonderful and stayed home with her while the rest of us went to the 'beach.'

Today MC is much better and we are still talking about Ellie's fun party! Playing with all of Ellie's new toys has been fun, too! Now we are looking forward to Wednesday, El's real birthday!

Have I Mentioned...

2011-06-06T00:27:00.001-05:00

...I LOVE mail. And packages? Be still my heart! I've actually received two this week! One of which was this:

My sweet brother Greg is loaning me his camera for an indefinite amount of time. He said I could have it, but I am not letting myself get that excited! I have wanted a better camera for a long, long time. (Just ask Robbie, my mom, Greg, my in-laws, really anyone who has come into contact with me in the last two years!) Hopefully I can figure out how to use it! :)

The other package had a couple of baskets that I ordered from World Market with my $10 'birthday gift' that they gave me for being a member in the World Market Club. Not quite as much fun as the camera, but still a package!

...I really am pregnant. As in seven months, but look and feel eleven months pregnant. My weight is climbing and it is really starting to bother me, but as you can see in the picture below, all I do is keep eating...

...My five-year-old will be six in a week. Today at church she went to the 'bigger kids' church where it goes all the way up to fifth grade. Robbie and I had a moment. She, of course, loved it!

...My two-year-old is a mess! Just her expressions alone keep us on our toes! Anytime I tell her I am going to take her picture, she does this 'gangsta-rap-peace-out' pose. Her daddy must have taught her this when they were alone. Robbie did have a thing for Dre and Snoop when he was in high school...

...The girls are doing well sleeping in the same room. It's the sweetest thing to hear Ellie reading to Mary Claire in the mornings! Now if we could just get rid of paci...

...Life is good! Despite the fat factor, we are excited about Baby Boy! And don't think we're keeping what we're going to call him a secret. Trust me, we wish we knew! I like Beau or Robert, Robbie likes Trey. Suggestions welcomed!

Hair Color Concerns...at 5!

2011-06-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

When Ellie gets an idea in her head, it sticks. Like a piece of stubborn gum on the sole of your shoe. Not sure where she gets this trait from! (wink, wink!)
Her newest thing is that Ellie is convinced that her hair is turning brown. Every morning she shows me a piece that looks brown to her. Maybe I'm colorblind or the lighting is off, but I have yet to see the 'brown pieces.'
As I was walking by the refrigerator last night I got so tickled when I saw this picture:

Up at the top is a nice self-portrait of ~~Ellie~~ Ellis with brown 'highlights' in her hair.

I'm actually kind of envious of her 'do because I've been wanting some highlights and lowlights for quite some time but I'm too cheap to get them! Maybe I should have her draw a picture of me with shades of brown in my hair to see if it's worth the money!

An Extended 'Break'

2011-06-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today I turned in my school keys. Not for the summer, but for good.

With Little Latham #3 on the way, I am going to be a full-time SAHM. It's bittersweet. I LOVED my job. Two days a week teaching computer at a small private school was bliss. All of the kids loved coming to computer, because who doesn't like playing on the computer?! Staying home with sick children was never a problem. My weekends were longer than my work week. I put on makeup AND ironed clothing two days a week. I will miss it.

BUT, now I get to stay home with my new little chickie and spend all of the time I want to in the girls' classrooms. I also don't have to lug a pump with me to school twice a week and worry about milk stains on my shirt.

Making sure the girls' clothes, hairbows, socks, and shoes are ready to go to Grandmama and Granddaddy's in the mornings won't be an issue anymore, either.

Don't get me wrong, though...I wasn't cheering when I left this afternoon. Tossing old bulletin boards and signs that I worked really hard on was difficult. Leaving a great ~~group~~ family of coworkers and kids after seven years was sad. A great perk of being a teacher (besides summers!) is that I can always go back. I'm not sure I'll ever find a place I'll love as much as I've loved St. Aloysius, though!

I is for imagination...

2011-05-22T14:12:00.000-05:00

El's kindergarten graduation was this past Thursday, and I could not have been more proud of her! The microphone was a ~~little~~ lot over her head, but she made that voice boom where we could all hear her loud and clear! Not only did she recite part of a poem (above), but she also said TWO Bible verses into the microphone!

This time last year, Robbie and I were really having a hard time deciding where to send Ellie to kindergarten. We had several people telling us to put her in public school, and several saying to leave her where she was for just one more year. As always, God answered our prayers for discernment by telling us to leave her where she was. Then, He gave us Ms. DeFranco as her precious, patient, tender-hearted teacher.

Since Ellie and MC's current school stops at kindergarten, Ellie will most definitely be in public school for first grade! Now our prayers are focused on asking God to prepare Ellie's first grade teacher's heart for her, and Ellie's heart for her new teacher! Thank-You, God, for giving us the comfort that you know our children's futures!

Graduation Gift Idea

2011-05-18T10:00:00.003-05:00

I don't always talk about it, but I do have a real j-o-b (besides mom, wife, etc.). I teach computer at a Catholic school two days a week to grades 4k through eighth. At our school, the eighth graders go to high school for ninth grade, so we do a little graduation for them. Last year their teacher bought them each a beach towel for their graduation gifts, and I embroidered them. With fifteen kids in her class this year, that would have been a pricey gift! I googled 'diy graduation gift' and found this super-cute idea that I tweaked a little bit.

All you do is get a piggy bank and fill it with ten pennies. As you do, pray a prayer on each penny for the bank's recipient. The website says to wish on each penny, but I like prayers better! :) I added tissue paper and a little name card, then printed a card saying what the piggy bank means. These banks will be sitting at the table for the eighth graders' graduation breakfast. Obviously, you can use this idea for any type of graduation, and it isn't too expensive! (These piggy banks were about $2.00 each at Michael's.)

PLUS

EQUALS

A thoughtful, inexpensive graduation gift!

Mini Me and a Name Update (sort of...)

2011-05-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

When I was little, my favorite thing to do was pose for the camera. Looks like I have two girls who love to do the same thing!!

(Truth be told, Mary Claire was pulling Ellie down from behind in this one!)

MC is saying, "Hi Mom!"

As for Baby Three, we still don't know what we will call him. The dilemma? Robbie thinks it would be weird for him to be 'Robbie' and his little boy to be the more formal 'Robert.' My vote personally is for Robert. I think it's a nice, strong name. Robbie would like to call him Trey, Tripp, or something of that nature. The girls still just call him 'Baby Robert,' and they love talking to him all of the time! Let me know your opinion!!

The Many Faces of Mary Claire

2011-05-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Friends and family ask me quite often how similar our two girls' personalities are. Two words: nothing alike! They're both super-sweet with kind hearts, but everything else about Mary Claire and Ellie couldn't be more different.

As I was going through Easter pictures, I couldn't help but notice that Mary Claire never has the same expression in two pictures. I think that best describes her personality...it is written all over her face! She has expressions that make Robbie and I have to leave the room because they are so hilarious. I think you'll see what I mean...

She ALWAYS wants to play on my phone! 'Concentrating intently' face

'Smug' face. Take my picture if you must...

'Tickled' face. Granddaddy always makes me laugh!

'Get my sister off of me or I am taking drastic measures!' face

'I hate taking pictures' face

'I'm past done smiling for the camera' face

'I'm pretty sneaky' face

'I've been rolling my eyes since I was a year old' face

'I know I'm holding Miss Elisa's hand, but I'm a little bit skeptical about hunting eggs with thirty kids' face

Those of you that know sweet Ellie know that she always has a content smile or far-off look on her face! I LOVE that my girls are so different! It just proves that God gives us all unique personalities to make our world a more interesting place!

A {Royal} Happy

2011-05-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure if I called my mom who lives in Pennsylvania and told her I was sending her a 'happy,' she might put her hand over mouth and blush. I didn't know what a 'happy' was until about two years ago, and now I am much obliged to receive one! In the South, a 'happy' is a fun, unexpected little gift meant to brighten a person's day.

A ROYAL happy was in our mailbox yesterday! Our sweet, dear friends Robert and Liz who live in London mailed us a flag from the recent royal wedding.

Seeing as I was at the beach with one of my best friends the week of the wedding, we watched the coverage and analyzed the entire ceremony for a good two days. Our husbands were over it in oh, about five minutes! I have to say that even Robbie chuckled when he saw the flag with beautiful Kate and a dapper Wills on it.

Robert and Liz are the sweetest, most thoughtful friends with the best adventures. They are expecting Baby Girl Stillwell at the beginning of June, and we CANNOT WAIT to see her! I tell them all of the time what incredible stories they will have for their precious baby!

Thank-You, Robert and Liz, for a royal taste of the wedding! We love you!!

Crystal Clear

2011-05-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

Ellie: Mom, what does 'clarity' mean?
Me: It means that something is confusing, but then when you understand it, you have clarity.
Ellie: Oh. So, like right now I don't know anything about Heaven, but once I get there, I'll have clarity.
Me: {Dumbfounded} Yep. Exactly!

No Worries

2011-05-03T19:31:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday as the nasty tornadoes were blowing into town, Robbie and I were trying our best to get out. Some of our favorite people, Allen and Stephanie Drew, invited Robbie to play in a golf tournament, and me to just come hang out at the beach for a couple of days. Nevermind that Robbie had his appendix removed ten days before (and NOT laproscopically!). His team actually ended up winning the tournament, and Robbie feels a little bit better after stretching his muscles on the golf course.
Anyhow, when we got to the beach Wednesday night, I had an e-mail waiting on me called 'Tornado Preparedness' from Robbie's dad. See, as we were leaving, sirens were blaring and people were being told to get to a safe place. (Not where Robbie and I were...we were headed in the opposite direction of the storm.) Since the girls were with Robbie's parents, their safe place is in their basement, and bicycle helmets were a must! Grandmama and Granddaddy donned hard hats to make the girls feel better!

No Stopping Us!

2011-04-20T21:43:00.003-05:00

To say the Latham Family has had a busy week would be a total understatement. The 'fun' started off Friday morning when Robbie went to the ER because he had a pain in his stomach that wouldn't subside (no, that pain was not me!). Turns out his appendix looked really bad and needed to be removed that afternoon. While all of this was happening, I was at home waiting for Easter lilies to be delivered to my house. (Every Easter I wrap and put bows on lilies for local churches.) I was also fretting about Ellie's dress rehearsal for her ballet performance on Saturday, and how I was going to go to the hospital between lily delivery and dress rehearsal. In-laws to the rescue! My father-in-law was at the hospital with Robbie, and my mother-in-law came to take care of the girls.

Surgery went well, and I was in the room when Robbie was brought back from recovery. Because they did not give him a pain pump, I spent the night at the hospital, too. After talking to the surgeon, I found out that Robbie had informed everyone and anyone who would listen that: he was going to be a daddy for the third time to a BOY, Robbie was going to buy a van in the morning, and he was also going to Ellie's performance no matter what. Apparently the doctor on call the next morning took this to heart and did his rounds at 5:30a.m. By 8:00a.m., we were leaving the hospital! And sure enough, we got a van and Robbie went to Ellie's performance (workout pants, t-shirt, walker and all!). What a trooper!!

Sunday was a day of rest for all of us, Monday I stayed home with my patient, and Tuesday as I was headed out the door to work, I looked at Mary Claire and realized she had pink eye. One trip to the doctor later, and she had a double ear infection, too. Pretty sure my sick days are all gone!! It will be a miracle if I even get a paycheck this month! :)
I'm waiting on pictures from Robbie's sister of Ellie's ballet recital because somehow the camera got left in the car. Speaking of Robbie's sister, she and her little chickie were in town for our fun weekend, too. Only she came to go to an MBA advisory board meeting in Auburn with Robbie and his dad, but obviously they never made it there. So, we got to have more time with Stacey and sweet Sévrine!

I am posting this whole saga for myself to remember this crazy time, and to put pictures up for the grandparents. They tend to get a little cranky when I go a few days with no new pictures (ahem, PAPA!). :)

No Stopping for Us!

2011-04-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

Mary Claire Makes Me Laugh

2011-04-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

Last night instead of a bedtime story, we asked the girls a few questions to help us write our family mission statement.

Robbie: Mary Claire, if you could spend the whole day with your family, what would you do?

MC: Go to school.

Robbie: And take all of us with you?

MC: No, just me and Ellie.
After further questioning and explaining, what MC would really want to do is have a big party with cake with princesses.

***

I know all of your children have sweet, affectionate names for their mommies. Mary Claire's name for me is 'Mommy Latham.' Not too sweet, not too affectionate, but definitely original! Every morning when she wakes up, she sits in her crib (not for long...gotta make room for this baby!) and says, "Mommy Latham! Come get me!"

Stalking, Er, Browsing Pays Off!

2011-04-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

So one day last week I was ~~stalking~~ browsing other people's blogs. I saw that someone (couldn't for the life of me tell you whose blog it was) had a post called 'New Favorite App.' Not being the most up-to-date iPhone user, I thought the link was worth clicking. And it was!! The app is called Instagram. It lets you take a picture, then apply all kinds of fun settings to it. I'm sure the app is capable of much more, but again, right now I'm just basic! Oh, and it's FREE!!
I really only use the camera on my phone to say, take a picture of a case of beer at Publix because it has 'Ellie' AND 'Avery' in the name of the beer. (Avery is one of Ellie's sweet friends.) Don't really need a fancy app for that.
Now I can start using my camera more AND an app!!

Carpool Cutie

2011-04-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

Mary Claire insisted on wearing her pjs and this lovely baseball hat to drop off Ellie this morning. I love this girl...she keeps me on my toes!! :)

Living It Up

2011-03-23T18:07:00.000-05:00

Over Spring Break, the girls and I headed to Atlanta to visit Nana and Papa. Bonus: the 13th was James' second birthday party! We drove straight to the Mall of Georgia from Birmingham Sunday morning. After being at a 'mall party' where all you do is bring some chicken fingers and pay for the kids to ride the carousel, I'm questioning why I've ever had a party at our house. I mean seriously, the party's finished, and all you have to do is pick up the plastic table cloth and throw everything away!!

Anyway, besides me being envious of the party, the girls had a fabulous time with their cousins. They spent their time riding the carousel with Papa (I think he's going to have to work an extra five years to pay for the rides!), and being silly girls. I could seriously watch the three girls play all day long. It's even more interesting now that Mary Claire is in the mix.

And, not remembering that I was eighteen weeks pregnant, I decided to jump on this thing with three kids. Not smart. I was the whimp that actually had to tell them to STOP SPINNING! I was not invited again.

Cousin Love!

The next day we ventured to IKEA, which was too much fun. I love that place! When MC is potty trained, I will totally be taking advantage of the free one-hour child care. I had the camera with me, but I was so busy eating yummy food and looking at ~~cheap~~ reasonably-priced furniture, I didn't even get it out.

I did, however, whip out the camera the next day Chick-fil-a. No visit with Nana is complete without going here. (And I may have had a little say because I ~~needed~~ wanted a banana pudding milkshake.)

Not sure why her outfit looks like it doesn't match. Know what, though, it doesn't matter because she added this to her ensemble and wore it the entire time we were there...

And sweet Mary Claire, she loved sliding. Everytime she would start to climb, she would say, "I'm going to slide one more time." That happened about twenty times.

Even though it's blurry, MC's look also captures how much fun both girls had the whole visit. From Papa sneaking snacks to Nana letting Ellie talk her ear off while I napped, we definitely lived it up!!

Oh Boy!

2011-03-14T20:58:00.002-05:00

Much to our surprise, we will be welcoming a sweet baby BOY in August!! His name will be

Robert Ernest Latham, III

but we're not sure what we'll call him. Suggestions welcome! :)

He was very cooperative during the ultrasound, as were his big sisters. (I'll have to upload pictures of them during the appointment...they were really funny!) They are both over-the-moon excited that I am having a boy. Mary Claire calls him 'Bobert.' (No, that's not a nickname option!)
Everything looks great on our baby boy. We are very thankful, and of course amazed, that God is giving us another one of his children!

My Turn!

2011-02-28T20:41:00.000-06:00

Ellie had her date night with Daddy a couple of weeks ago, so of course, Mary Claire had to have one, too! Robbie let Mary Claire choose where she wanted to eat. No surprise...Chick-fil-a! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall...Robbie said they sat on the same side of the booth sharing fries and sweet conversation. Imagine how precious that was!
Thank-you, Robbie, for being such a great Daddy!!

Miss Thang

2011-02-24T12:30:00.000-06:00

Recently Mary Claire has discovered pouting. As in, stick out your lower lip, cross your arms vehemently, and let out a big 'hmph.' I guess she's practicing for her teenage years! Here she is the other day when I told her it was time to leave the park. (Sorry for the bad photo quality...I had to use my phone to take the picture.)

Surprise Visit

2011-02-23T15:17:00.000-06:00

When my mom told me she was flying down last weekend to escape the weather, I did a little quick math in my head and realized it had been just over a month since she was here last. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE when my mom (or anyone!) comes to visit. I did think it was a little bit quick, though!

She also kept telling the girls that she had a 'little surprise' for them. Grandmother always comes with at least one surprise, so I didn't think anything of it. As soon as she jumped in the car at the airport, she said, "Are you ready for your little surprise?" Of course, both girls were more than ready! (In my head, I'm thinking, 'Did she bring something really good?!') Then she told me to slow down. Huh? Then she told me to stop the car. What? Man, this must be good!! I then looked out of the passenger side's window and saw my Aunt Teresa standing on the curb! (Teresa is sibling #12 of 12, my mom is #6...hence, the 'little' surprise...she's my mom's 'little' sister.) I screamed I was so excited!!

We had a totally non-productive weekend, but it was fantastic! In the three nights Teresa and Mom were here, we ate at home a total of one time. My favorite night was when we went to Brio at Brookwood Mall, then to YOLO, a new dessert place.
Despite incredibly slow service (but still yummy food!), the girls were fabulous at dinner. Mary Claire had a Magna-Doodle, and Ellie had a new Barbie and Ken. We know we looked pretty ghetto with a huge Magna-Doodle, but we just pretended like it was an iPad!

And Ellie entertained herself with not only Barbie and Ken, but some pizza dough, too! She made necklaces, bandages, bracelets, you name it! Seeing Barbie with pizza dough bracelet, or Ken with a cast really was funny!

As for YOLO, the dessert bar, I could go there every. single. day. I'm in love!

The last day Teresa and Mom were here, we spent a nice afternoon at the park. Mary Claire decided to show off her mad climbing skills, and of course Grandmother had to be right beside her the whole time!

The morning our sweet company left, I tried to snap some pictures of them with the girls. Unfortunately, my camera battery died after one picture. At least it's a good one of Mom! :)

What a treat to spend an entire weekend with the girls I love! Thanks, Mom and Teresa!!

Bear Hugs

2011-02-14T12:43:00.001-06:00

While I was waiting in the doctor's office one day, I found this super-cute idea for Valentine's Day here. Okay, I'll be honest...I really liked it because it was super-easy more than super-cute! It's simple: Teddy Grahams mixed with M&Ms in a clear bag with a label that says, 'Bear Hugs From...' (Another confession...I just realized yesterday that the M&Ms are shaped like 'o's, which is where the hugs come from. Wish I could blame that one on pregnancy brain, but my family would tell you otherwise!)

I made the labels in Word, then in a moment of insanity let Ellie color all ten of them. Ellie likes to take her time on everything. I really think it took a good two hours over a span of two days for her to color these! BUT, they are colorful and each one is different!!

My only recommendation? Don't buy the M&Ms too far in advance if you're pregnant...

One of a Kind

2011-02-13T12:43:00.000-06:00

Mary Claire is definitely two. She is talking more, and exerting her fun personality more, too! Thursday when the 'big snow' came through Birmingham, I took the girls outside to play and make snow angels. First, Mary Claire came to show me that she was all ready to go...in red bloomers with a lollypop in her hand. Yeah, might get a little cold in that.
I took her to her room, and while I was pulling out a pair of pj pants to wear under her snowsuit, she was pulling out a pair of pink bloomies and a white onesie. Perfect for under a snowsuit!

Except that she promptly told me she was not wearing a 'bathing suit!' I promptly responded that there was no making snow angels except in snow suits. Crisis averted. (Do you like the eye roll?!)

Upon suiting her up, I noticed that MC looks like the big purple bear from "Toy Story 3" from behind. (I tried to find a picture of Lots-o-huggin Bear from behind, but I couldn't.) See what you think...

Oh we love our Mary Claire!!

Hey Sole Sister!

2011-02-09T18:30:00.000-06:00

I don't do everything exactly the same for Ellie and Mary Claire, but if an idea works, I keep using it! So last week I broke out the paint and cardstock, then went to town painting Mary Claire's sweet little feet. Now she is ready for her Valentine's Day class party tomorrow, just like Ellie was this time three years ago!

MC's Cards

Ellie's Cards

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2011-02-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

One year ago, Ellie and Robbie went to their first Father/Daughter banquet. It's fun to look at the picture from last year and compare it to this one. Ellie doesn't look too terribly different, but her little personality sure has grown a lot in a year!

Last year Ellie wore a sweet bishop dress on her date with daddy. She later informed me that all of the other girls had on beautiful princess dresses. So, at Kids Market this past fall, I made sure to find her a more suitable dress for the dance. To make the plain ivory dress a little bit more exciting, I made a hot pink sash to go with it. And yes, Ellie chose the color of the sash. I had a light pink in mind, but she requested HOT pink! She made a good choice!
We also had World War III over her hair this year. No more bows. She only wants braids. I told her that braids are not for fancy occasions. (I know, bad mommy.) We compromised by putting a pearl bobby pin on one side of her hair.
Taking her picture was a lot harder this year, too. She is a little turkey when I want just a normal picture. Either her eyes are closed, or she has a goofy look on her face. Girls! :)

Don't worry, though, just like last year, Robbie was on cloud nine getting to take his Ellie on a date. Next up...a date requested by Mary Claire to Chick-fil-a!

Sisters?

2011-02-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

I think so!

Of Course We Were There!

2011-01-23T12:30:00.000-06:00

When we heard that Auburn was going to have a National Championship celebration, we knew we had to go!

We, along with hoards of other Auburn fans, got into the stadium around an hour-and-a-half before the ceremony's scheduled start. We got the best stadium dogs I've ever had (think I'm pregnant?!), and settled in for the celebration.

Unfortunately, once the food was gone, Mary Claire was ready to go, too. In her defense, she has a right ear infection and it was cold outside. So the two of us trekked back to the car, and I said a big 'Praise Jesus!' because we had the DVD player in the car.

Robbie and Ellie stayed and celebrated for us!

I'm thankful for the respite between now and when football season (no...in our house spring training) begins! But wow, it's been FUN!!

Grateful for Grandparents

2011-01-11T22:09:00.000-06:00

I started this post a couple of days ago, and it was a quick recap of our Christmas. The more I thought about it, though, it's the middle of January! Instead, I decided to tell you all about what wonderful grandparents Ellie (ahem, 'Ellis') and Mary Claire have. (And yes, there will be some Christmas pix thrown in!)
The day after Christmas we had a fun visit from my parents (Nana and Papa) in Atlanta. They were on their way to Louisiana and wanted to exchange gifts with us. They actually ASKED if they could come! Are you kidding??!! :)

BONUS: My two brothers, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew were with them, too!!

It was a fun, one-hour whirlwind of wrapping paper flying, girl cousins playing, and the rest of us laughing at James and MC!

My mom (Grandmother) was scheduled to fly in later that same day. After an unsuccessful trip to the airport and several days of waiting, she didn't make it to Birmingham until the Thursday after Christmas. No worries, though. She extended her trip to make up for the delay.

Most importantly, we accomplished the one goal Mom had on her trip: find a good, Pennsylvania-worthy winter coat! (No, Ellie has not been drugged in this picture. If you have kids, you know what a joy it is to capture 'good' expressions!)

Today we just got home from spending two nights with Robbie's parents (Grandmama and Granddaddy). They only live fifteen minutes from us and we see them at least twice a week, but spending the night with them was fun and out-of-the-ordinary! They were our shelter for the winter weather that came through Birmingham. Robbie was leaving for Auburn's BCS game (WAR EAGLE!! He doesn't know it, but he'll be posting about his trip with pictures soon!), and I don't have the first clue how to work our generator in case of a power outage. Sweet Mary and Bob have a generator, too, and they have a great yard for sledding!

Grandmama got in on the sledding, too!

The best part about spending so much time with grandparents has been all of the help they've given me. I am nine weeks pregnant with Little Latham #3, and have honestly felt pretty crappy. (How's that for a formal announcement?!)

So, thank-you precious grandparents for feeding, entertaining, and LOVING our girls!!

Tis the Season!

2010-12-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

Christmas is the time for...

a trip to Children's Theater!

Ellie's Christmas program at school! She was a caroler, and it was precious!

Apparently, it's also a time when Ellie has decided she wants to be:

Yes, her teacher made her all new name tags for the classroom AND all of her classmates call her 'Ellis.' Oy! (Okay, back to the original theme of this post! :))

Christmas is the time for...

painting ornaments,

and making cookies with sweet friends.

It's the time to see 'The Nutcracker.' And even better, seeing the ballet with the Smith Girls! (I'm pretty sure both of my children would go live with this family and never think twice about Robbie and me!)

And Christmas is about attempting that really awesome picture of my angel girls...

Don't hold your breath for a Christmas card from us this year!! :)

Thankfully, at our house, Christmas is the time to celebrate a very important baby...Jesus, our savior!

Thankful For {Almost} Everything!

2010-12-01T16:06:00.000-06:00

This past week, there was lots to be thankful for...

Time with cousins

Playtime with Papa

Hugs from Uncle Jesse

Making gingerbread houses with Nana (she MADE four of them from scratch using molds!!)

Seeing Michael and Jenny (our California friends)

And a yummy feast at school with our two little Indians

But there's one thing MC is not so thankful for...

31 Prayers

2010-11-21T09:50:00.000-06:00

This fall, I have been attending a Mom's Mentoring Group every Wednesday morning. I can't even begin to describe how incredible this group is. Well, actually, I can. For those of you that really know me, I am ON TIME every single week!! :)
Each week a seasoned mom from our church shares her heart with us. I've learned how to be a better wife, how to mother in a more Godly way, and ultimately how much my Heavenly Father loves me. Before I can be a good wife, mom, or friend, I have to realize that Jesus loves ME, then share that love with everyone around me.
A tool that I found several years ago in another small group is a 'Praying for our children' calendar. Sometimes I'm not exactly sure what to pray over the girls each morning. (Other days it's blatantly clear...Ellie coming in our room every night because she's scared...I digress!) This calendar has an attribute for every day of the month, along with a short little prayer. It also tells where in the Bible to find what you're praying about.
I read this morning on Facebook that if we pray for our children everyday, by the time they reach adulthood, we will have prayed for them over 6,000 times!! Not that it matters how much we pray, but wow!!
I also use this calendar to pray these attributes over myself and over Robbie. It never hurts!!
Print this, stick it on your fridge, and glance at it as you're going to fix breakfast each morning. Let the prayer soak in through the day, and I promise by the third month, you won't even have to read the prayers...you'll know them by heart! You can also find the calendar here.

Chicken Pot Pie: A Ridiculously Long Tutorial

2010-11-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

If you've ever had a baby and I've brought you food, chances are, it's been chicken pot pie. This is one of those recipes that I wrote down on the back of a Heartstring's receipt (I sure miss Auburn!) when Robbie and I first moved to Birmingham and I had a real kitchen to cook in.

This recipe is not hard, but it does require some serious prepping. So, I usually make two pot pies: one to give away, and one to stick in the freezer.

Here's what you need:

See what's on the right? Yep, Crock-Pot chicken. I'm telling you, I use it ALL OF THE TIME!

This particular day I was making a pot pie for a precious family who was watching our girls while we were in Auburn. I thought I would make two, but changed my mind and only made one. {I already have one in the freezer, but it says 'Nana + Papa Rock,' (my parents came from Atlanta to keep the girls while we were at yet another AU game, and didn't eat it. It was in my nice Gail Pittman pie plate, so I froze it and let them take the one in the aluminum pie pan back to Atlanta. I know you all were just dying to know this! :) ) and I thought that might confuse the Smith Family!}

Okay, now that I've told you way too much information about a silly pot pie, I'll tell you how to make it. (At the end of this post, I'll put the actual recipe. You know, in case you really want to make this and don't have a computer in your kitchen. :) )

Ready to prep? Fill a big pot 3/4 of the way full with water. (If you are using Crock-Pot chicken, you can strain the chicken and use the broth to boil your veggies in. Not sure if this adds any flavor, but I can't bear to toss the broth!)

While you're waiting for the pot to boil, cut one potato into small chunks. Toss them in the boiling water, turn the heat to medium-high, and cover.

The potato will take about twenty minutes to cook. Use that twenty minutes to get everything else ready.

Cut up a handful of fresh green beans, and a handful of fresh baby carrots (peeled). Set them aside...you will add them to the potatoes in about fifteen minutes.

Get out your 1/3 c. measuring cup. (You'll be using it a lot for this recipe!) Also get out your favorite skillet with high sides...pretty sure that is not a culinary term.

Chop 1/3 cup of onion. I have this really nifty onion chopper that was on sale at Williams Sonoma abuot five years ago. This would probably work, too.

Melt 1/3 cup butter over medium-high-ish heat. (1/3 c. of butter is 5 tablespoons, plus a little extra)

As the butter starts to melt, throw the onions in.

Once the butter has melted, let the onions cook for two minutes. Now, add 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Don't get scared, but you're going to make a roux. Turn the heat up a little bit, and using a wooden spoon, STIR, STIR, STIR for one minute! The mixture will be thick and pasty.

Add 1-1/2 cups chicken broth and 2/3 cup milk.

You will start to freak out and think you've ruined your roux, but you haven't.

Crank that heat up until it's almost on high, and keep stirring. Eventually, the mixture will bubble and thicken enough to where you can run your spoon through it, it separates, then comes back together. (It's a little tricky taking a picture of this, but you get the idea!)

Remember the green beans and carrots? Throw those into the pot with the potato.

But don't forget to keep stirring your roux! It will be nice and thick by now.

Remove the roux from heat, and drain your veggies.

Now for the fun part! Take out the pie crusts from the packaging. Line the bottom of your pie plate, making sure the crust reaches up to the edges (I used a square throw-away dish since I was taking this to the Smiths) with one of the crusts.

Cut out shapes, letters, or whatever you want to on the top pie crust.

I have these letter-shaped cookie cutters left over from Ellie's fourth birthday party. I love them!

Add the chicken and veggies to the roux.

Pour this mixture into the pie pan, and top with your beautiful :) crust.

Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes. Cover the outside of the crust with foil to prevent it from burning. ENJOY!

If you're still with me, here's the recipe to print (click on the recipe to enlarge it, then clik 'print' in your browser):

This is to-date the LONGEST post on our blog...and it's not even about the girls! If you have any questions about this recipe, e-mail me! chineezckr@aol.com

Scratch & Sniff

2010-11-14T10:15:00.000-06:00

Oh, Mary Claire. When will I learn to never, ever let you play in Ellie's room alone? Your favorite thing to do is find Ellie's lotion no matter where I have ~~hidden~~ put it away. This morning you ventured into El's room while Ellie, Daddy, and I were lying in bed talking about Saturday's football game. The next thing we know, here you come saying, "Lotion! Lotion!" First we catch a whiff of baby lotion, then we see you...

I had tears running down my face I was laughing so hard. Not only did you smell like a little old lady who loves her perfume, but you looked like an old man who loves to use hair potion and part his hair straight down the middle.

Thank-you, sweet Mae-Mae, for keeping me on my toes!

Flowers, Football, & Fall Fun

2010-11-07T17:49:00.002-06:00

A sweet lady who I've delivered flowers to before, called me last week requesting a spray for her husband's monument. I'll be honest, it kind of freaked me out. I've never done a spray before, and I've never really worked with 'faux' flowers. But, I love Mrs. Morton, so I agreed.

Not only did I do the spray, but I went with her to the cemetery to place it on the monument.

I also got to deliver her birthday flowers. Mrs. Morton is a huge Auburn fan (I mean, for 87, she could put Robbie to shame!), so I did an Auburn arrangement for her.

I usually do a fall arrangement with something blue interspersed, but this year I decided to do shades of orange with a fun blue bow.

After a busy Friday with flowers, we went to Auburn with the girls AND the Warren Family. Mary Claire has been dying to wear her 'Auburn cheerleading clothes,' and Ellie was just excited to see Sophie! The homecoming game was surprisingly crowded, and I was really starting to fret that I would have to entertain Ellie the entire game, because the Warrens could not find tickets. Thankfully, Trey, Abby, and their girls made their way into the game, and sat with us. It was pretty funny...our four seats with the adults in the seats, and each of us with a girl in our lap!

It was nice to sleep an extra hour this morning after a long day yesterday. But don't worry, we kept ourselves busy. My school had its annual Fall Festival (or feast, as El kept calling it!). Both girls had lots of fun. They love the attention from the kids that I teach, and it was such a beautiful day!

This game was hysterical...I just hope that I don't find MC chunking entire rolls of toilet paper into our toilets!

Thinking maybe she would at least consider using the potty sometime in her life!

Look closely...Ellie and Robbie are in that ball!

Now we're off to dinner with our fun friends, the Shackelfords...they have girl twins!! Can't wait to see them!

The Sweetest Treats

2010-10-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

Orange You Glad?

2010-10-29T23:21:00.000-05:00

We hear a lot of jokes at our house lately. Of course, one of the most popular always ends with, "Orange you glad...?!"
Thursday was Orange Day in Mary Claire's MDO class. Believe it or not, the only orange thing the chickie has in her closet is an Auburn cheerleading outfit. Don't worry...it didn't take much prodding to get her to wear it to school! :) I stuck an orange headband in El's hair right before school so she wouldn't feel left out!!

And you will really be glad when you see this...

Mary and I went to our second annual Halloween bunco. SO much fun!!

I love these girls!! I'm super-lucky that I get to spend one evening a month with these sweet ladies!

I am SO hoping for Ellie and MC that the 'good legs' gene will be passed right onto them. I mean really, look at Mary's leg...impressive! :) (Hope Robbie's not reading...I can hear him now, "GROSS!")

Thanks, Kids Market, for our costumes! :) (And thanks, Picasa, for not letting me fix the red-eye in this picture. Don't you just love it when you try to 'manually' do it, and it just puts big grey splotches on your eyes?!)

2010-10-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

Our week has been an interesting one. Robbie woke up in the middle of the night last Sunday with shooting pains in his back. We dropped the kids off at Mary and Bob's (have I mentioned I'm pretty thankful for them?!), then headed to the emergency room. Five hours and a CT scan later, it's another kidney stone. Yippee.
And it hasn't passed. And it's a week later. And Robbie is going back to the urologist Wednesday. And if it hasn't passed, he will have surgery Thursday. And be off of work for another week. And be on pain meds for another week. We are believing that this silly stone will either pass, or it will drop into his bladder (TMI, I know) so he won't be in excruciating pain anymore.
Tuesday Ellie and I left Robbie to ~~die~~ recover at home, and headed to the pumpkin patch with her class.

We listened to pumpkin facts,

went on a really long hayride (and I mean long...!),

looked at some farm animals (Ellie and I decided we were going to tell MC that this is Olivia the pig's cousin!)

and of course, picked a pumpkin!

We also roasted hot dogs and marshmallows by a campfire and listened to a story in a teepee. (I was too busy listening to a mom who is pregnant with baby #3, even though her husband had a vasectomy A YEAR AGO to take pictures of the teepee story!) Fun field trip!

The field trip was Tuesday...Wednesday was my awesome Mentoring Moms small group, then Thursday was the girls' open house at school. Every other year of open house, I have put Ellie in some cutsie smocked outfit, but this year I was so worn out by Thursday, the girls just wore what they wore to school that day. Oh well!

Mary Claire and Mrs. Susan (Mees Ooo-san)

Standing by her artwork...so serious!!

Ellie and Ms. DeFranco

Wonderful, wonderful school! (Remember how much we prayed about this?! God is awesome!)

Taking care of a husband on Percocet AND caring for my children left me looking like this...

Yes, those are nasty bags under my eyes, and yes, I did run errands in those clothes. (For the record, I walked that day, too! I needed it!!) And yes, my mom is going to absolutely die when she sees that I put this picture on the blog!! :) (Ellie was playing with my camera. I DID NOT randomly take a picture of myself!)

Thank goodness, Nana and Papa came to the rescue! They watched the girls while Robbie and I went to the Auburn/LSU game. WAR EAGLE!!

Can you tell how sad the girls are that we left them for a whole day with Nana and Papa?!

That was our week. I promise my next post will be shorter and not filled with a bajillion parentheses!! If you think about it, pray for Robbie! He's not in pain (THANKS, Percocet! Urg...the parentheses again!!), but he is nervous that he may have to have surgery.

Okay, I am off to comfort a crying two-year-old who is crying in her crib because she wants her mommy to read Babybug at 9:00 p.m. at night... Love you all!

32

2010-10-15T10:55:00.000-05:00

Robbie's thirty-second birthday was Tuesday. To celebrate him, we went to eat with Mary and Bob and the girls. (Steak, of course!)

Thirty-two reasons why I love Robbie (in no particular order):
1.) he loves the Lord.
2.) his humor.
3.) he makes fun of me, and it makes me laugh.
4.) he loves our girls unconditionally.

5.) he loves me unconditionally.

6.) he has wonderful parents. (I know he didn't choose them, but they definitely make having Robbie as my husband that much sweeter!!)

7.) Robbie never just likes something. He has a passion for everything. Our kids, our friends, our friends' kids, our church, his life. I'm serious.

8.) Case in point...AUBURN!!

9.) he is the leader of our family.

10.) I can trust him to make decisions on my behalf.

11.) he collects Coke points. (A 15-inch HD tv is en route to us from Coke! Did I mention he's passionate about things?!)

12.) he does ALL of our money. We're talking, he looks at every single receipt, puts it in the computer, and knows exactly how much money we have at all times. (Except, of course, when I lose receipts...)

13.) he is frugal.

14.) he could care less what kind of car he drives or house he lives in, as long as he's happy.

15.) he appreciates what he has.

16.) he likes to talk things over.

17.) he WILL NOT go to bed angry. (Not my favorite trait when we are hashing it out at midnight, but the next day I love not being angry!!)

18.) his smile is infectious (and so CUTE!).

19.) he takes our girls on dates.

20.) he takes me on dates.

21.) he will not take tags off of clothes or anything new. I always have to do it, or he won't wear it. This shows how much he appreciates what is given to him! (Well, and I love taking tags off of things...it's therapeutic!)

22.) he's predictable.

23.) Case in point...he could eat a two cheeseburger meal, plain, large-sized with a Coke (in a styrofoam cup, of course) every day of his life and be perfectly content.

24.) I don't have to cook fancy meals to make him happy.

25.) our house does not have to be spotless when he comes home.

26.) he doesn't mind fishing the pants he wore yesterday out of the dirty clothes because I forgot to wash them and wearing them two days in a row.

27.) he does not expect me to be a super-mom or super-wife, which makes me want to be those things for him. (Does that make sense?)

28.) he talks about the sermon we just heard when driving to lunch on Sundays.

29.) he will not use profanity at work, which sets an incredible example to those around him.

30.) our children respect him.

31.) he is still very close to his core group of guy friends from high school. (BONUS: they all have awesome wives!)

32.) he is still just as much fun as he was ten years ago!

I LOVE YOU, ROBBIE!

Another Fishin' Mission

2010-10-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

Ellie and her granddaddy went fishing again. Bob always sends pictures when they get home, along with a little blurb about what they did. I love it! It's so funny to me how Ellie acts exactly like I do, except that she this outdoor streak about her. I never, ever even asked to go outside when I was little, much less go fishing!! Thanks, Bob, for making our girl so diverse!! Ellie and Mary Claire are so lucky to have you for their Granddaddy!!

From Bob: The first photo shows Ellie with a worm in each hand. The next photo shows the "huge" fish she caught today. Ellie also steered the boat across the lake back to the boat launch.

Last Day

2010-09-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

I tried to come up with a cute, clever title for this post, but couldn't. So, I will be sure to explain this last day with lots of detail to make up for the not-so-catchy title. :) Kidding!

The girls woke up with prizes, just like every other day of our vacation...

For our last day, we ventured to the Magic Kingdom. Robbie and I knew that it would be a perfect day for taking pictures in front of Cinderella's castle. Too bad there was a crane there! (They were putting up lights for Christmas.)

The crane was gone by the end of the day, but so was our girls' patience for taking pictures!

So much for Christmas cards with a precious family picture in the Magic Kingdom! Oh well.

After our (failed) photo session, we went to lunch at the Crystal Palace. It is a buffet with all of the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Since we are so good with our predictions, Robbie and I were excited to watch Mary Claire with some of her favorite characters. Wrong. Do you see a trend?!

I was already tired by this time, and it was only lunch. I was also convinced that I was going to get to go back to the hotel with the MC for a little rest. She didn't seem like she could make it through the rest of the day.

Lunch started off pretty rocky. Mary Claire shook and cried when the characters came anywhere near her, and Ellie didn't look too thrilled, either.

By the end of lunch, though, they both were smiling and happy. Their good moods were contagious, and I got out of my funk, too. (Robbie admits he was surprised that it took me to the end of the vacation to get in one of my 'moods!')

A couple of days earlier at the Magic Kingdom, I noticed Ariel and Jasmine had 'character spots' where you could get your picture taken with them. Ellie and Mary Claire had met every other princess except Jasmine, so we headed that way after lunch.

Added bonus: the princess' princes were with them, too! Ellie cracked me up. You can see in both pictures that she was really excited, but also really shy around the princes! Mary Claire was just hot and didn't care either way.

See how red their sweet faces are? We waited in line for at least thirty minutes to see Jasmine and Aladdin.

In the midst of waiting in one of these lines, MC decided to lay on the floor. She wasn't throwing a fit or being disobedient, she just needed a little rest!

Thank goodness we have pictures with all of the princesses...now we can go home! :)

But no, the torture must continue. Robbie's dad and Ellie have a special bond with the movie "Song of the South," so we had to get a picture of El and MC in the laughing place. These pictures were actually fun to take, because there was a playground in the shade, and MC got to be free as a little bird!

Okay, great! The girls are happy, let's go try to take some more castle pictures!

Um, or maybe we need to remember this special day in our minds!

We decided it was time to eat a quick dinner, head to Main Street to pick out souvenirs, and be done. Good decision!

Mary Claire chose Mickey and Minnie dolls, and Ellie chose a Piglet doll and a Minnie Mouse t-shirt. They both knew they could have anything from the row of shops on Main Street, but these toys are what they chose. I had visions of elaborate (expensive) costumes and ridiculously big stuffed toys coming home with us. As usual, I was wrong! Both girls are still enjoying their souvenirs!

I was a little (okay, super) stressed about getting everything packed to go home once we got back to the hotel. The girls must of sensed this, because they were extra-good that night! After seven days at Disney, they were finally pooped!

We were actually kind of sad to leave the next day. Seven days seems like such a long time to be gone, but we really could have stayed longer! Because the staff is so friendly, your kids are happy, the food is good, and everything is so over-the-top, everyone is in a good mood. Who wants to leave a place like that?!

We are already talking about our next Disney trip... :)

Animal Kingdom

2010-09-25T17:45:00.003-05:00

Everyone has a favorite park at Disney. Ours was not Animal Kingdom. It was fun seeing animals,

but there aren't any rides for toddlers, and it was extremely hot. It's not a bad park, just not great for a two-year-old and a five-year-old.

The highlights of Animal Kingdom were the Nemo show, Expedition Everest (an awesome roller coaster!), and the 'It's a Bug's Life' 3D movie.

Number one highlight: the girls' outfits for the day!

Abby and I spent lots of time making clothes for the girls to wear on our trip. Both of our husbands thought we were out of our minds! I think even Robbie and Trey smiled, though, when people would comment on how cute the girls' zebra print skirts and shirts were. No, they may never wear them again (except to school!!), but it was totally worth the effort! (And much cheaper than buying them already made!)

When you put all four girls together, their shirts spelled...

MESS!!

Which was very appropriate for dinner that night! We ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Robbie and I took our girls back to swim, plus we absolutely had to have showers. It was that hot outside. Thinking we had lots of time to get to dinner (whose heard that before from the Lathams?!), we got on the bus to the Magic Kingdom, then boarded the ferry for the Wilderness Lodge. Turns out that boat takes a good thirty minutes to get to the Lodge. The boat ride was not at all relaxing, and our meal was pretty crazy, too.

But, just like all Disney restaurants, this one kept the kids entertained. They had a race around the restaurant on little wooden horses. Fun! The food is yummy, too!

AND...

we got to celebrate sweet Sophie's birthday!!

The boat ride back to the resort was so much better. And faster, of course! No, seriously, it only took ten minutes to get back to the Magic Kingdom!!

Overall, it was a great day. Truthfully, every day of our trip was incredible. I told you, we totally drank the Disney kool-aid!

The Wall

2010-09-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

In my family, you can't go to Disney and not get ears. I prefer the traditional black ears with red script on the back (that's what I have!), but I know how much my girls love pink. So I caved. Can you tell how much they love their hats?! This was another moment where I was really excited to see them choose a hat, then get their names embroidered on the back. By this morning, they had hit a wall. Thankfully lunch brought them back to cheerful little chickies, but it was not an easy morning!!

You can even see the attitude in this picture...

Like I said, the day got better! Ellie's number one priority that day was to see Minnie all by herself. She was dying to take a picture with her to show her cousin Charlotte. So we went to Toontown, waited in line, and had a great meet-and-greet with Mr. & Miss Mouse. (They're not married. We asked.)

Another funny character picture with the MC...

That night we went to what is now our favorite restaurant in all of Disney World. If you have a trip planned, make a reservation at this restaurant! It's a family-style meal with all kinds of sides and meats constantly being brought to the table. The bonus: a Hawaiian hula dancer leads the kids in a coconut broom race and hula dancing. All parents know what that means...eating in peace!

Tomorrow: Animal Kingdom

The Magic Continues...

2010-09-23T16:58:00.001-05:00

Monday was our first day at the Magic Kingdom. Epcot and Hollywood Studios were awesome, but we just couldn't wait to see the girls' faces when they saw Cinderella's castle. Robbie and I were so prepared. He went ahead of us with the camera so he could take pictures of what we knew were going to be priceless expressions. We should have known better...

Me: Girls! What do you see?

MC & El: Uh, Disney?

Me: No, I mean straight ahead!

MC & El: Stores? Daisy Duck?

Me: Cinderella's castle!! (expecting an epiphany from the girls)

MC & El: Yep. Sure is. Can we go get Daisy's autograph?

So we did. And neither girl was scared. That made up for the lack of enthusiasm! :)

After meeting Daisy, we headed straight to Fantasyland.

We didn't get to ride many rides, though, because we had somewhere important to be!

Not wanting to be outdone by Belle, Cinderella invited us to dinner at her castle. Of course, the girls chose to dress up as Cinderella. And I may or may not have intentionally worn blue and 'asked' Robbie to wear blue. :)

After our royal dinner, we went to watch the light parade down main street, then the fireworks. Ellie was way-excited when she saw Sophie was going to be there, too!

Then even MORE excited when Kaylee and Davis came to say hello!! (They're another family that we just love from Birmingham. Kaylee is five and Davis is two. Perfect!)

I think Robbie had more fun than anyone at Disney! Can you tell?!

Tomorrow...more Magic Kingdom!

Day 3 & Disney Disclaimer

2010-09-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

Disney Disclaimer: The large amount of text and almost-obnoxious number of pictures on each of these Disney posts is solely for the memory of the blogger (and of course the grandparents!).
Day three started off disgustingly-hot. Here's the proof:

waiting in line for the shuttle to the park. My camera lens fogs up the second I take it out!

How can a trip to Disney for seven days get any better? FRIENDS! The sweet, sweet Warren family just happened to be at Disney World while we were! :) How convenient that our girls are the same ages...

We saw them the first two days of our trip, but the third day we spent the whole day with them at Hollywood Studios. Thank goodness they were there. Without being too dramatic, I'll just say that Abby and Sophie saved my life! :) For lunch, we went to Hollywood and Vine, where you eat with the characters from Playhouse Disney. DISASTER!! Ellie cried and hid under the table anytime a character was even in site.

Abby saw how frustrated I was with Ellie, so she took over! The rest of the day, I ignored the whole character phobia and let Abby deal with it! At one point, Sophie even talked to Ellie about not being scared. It worked because the rest of the trip Ellie was a lot less hesitant of the characters, and that same day wanted her picture taken by herself with Mickey!!

Oh, and we did ride rides, too! The Toy Story ride was our favorite!

The Fantasmic Light Show was awesome. All four girls sat in awe (silently!!) for the entire show!

Side note: The picture above is why I want a new camera for Christmas. A Canon SLR, please. I'm sure it can be found on Craigslist or eBay. You know, in case anyone is wondering. :)
Just because they're too funny, here are Selah and Mary Claire at Hollywood Studios.

They have a love-hate relationship. They're always really excited to see each other, but they also know exactly what pushes the other one's buttons!
Perfect example: they insist on sitting in the same stroller...

...then they fight over the water bottle with the fan!

The best picture of the day would have been one where Selah and MC were crammed in the front of our stroller, and Sophie and Ellie were huddled in the back because there was a nasty storm. Scary lightning, torrential downpour, booming thunder; all while waiting in line (uncovered!) for the shuttle back to the hotel.
I was thinking the post about Hollywood Studios would be short because we didn't do as much. HA! I better put aside an entire afternoon for the rest of our trip...

We Get It!

2010-09-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

After spending seven days in Walt Disney World, we finally understand. All the hype, all the craziness, all those Mickey Mouse t-shirts...yep, it's all true. Disney is the most magical vacation ever!

The customer service is unbelievable. For someone like me who runs ninety-to-nothing all of the time wanting to do everything I possibly can and not taking reality into account, and someone like Robbie who is just the opposite, we were both happy and calm for seven straight days! Oh, and throw in a five-year-old and a two-year-old little girl. Again, nothing but happy for seven days! (Well, except for the occasional run-in with characters!)

I've just spent the last hour cropping and unredeying (like my new word?!) all bazillion of our pictures. I'll try to show my favorites!

We flew into Orlando on Friday, boarded the Magical Express bus, checked into the Pop Century, and headed straight for Epcot. What's funny is that I don't have any pictures of the girls in Epcot, just ones of Ellie and MC trying out MC's harness. (Side note: I used to think harnesses were grounds for calling DHR. Now I think they are straight from Heaven! MC thought she was hot stuff getting to walk around, not having to spend her entire vacation in a stroller.)

Saturday we went back to Epcot. Robbie had it in his head that Epcot was his favorite park. While we were walking around, he kept asking me where this ride or that show was, and I had to break it to him that they were all in the Magic Kingdom, not Epcot. In his defense, the last time he was in Disney he was twelve. He'll be thirty-two next month...

I was way-excited about our day in Epcot because we took the girls to lunch at Belle's house. Belle is quite the hostess. Her dining room was spotless, the food was good, and she even invited four of her princess friends to join us! My precious princesses wanted to dress up as Ariel, because they knew they would see her.

Look at Robbie's face. I haven't seen him this excited since football season started! :)

After lunch we wandered around the rest of Epcot. Our favorite ride was Soarin'. We also ventured into a little place I like to affectionately call 'Character Hell.'

Since Ellie can now actually touch the Chick-Fil-A cow, we thought for sure she was ready for Disney. Nope. She shook. She cried. Mary Claire shook. Mary Claire cried. It was miserable. But we endured. And by day seven, Ellie wanted to have her picture with Minnie alone. That's the end of the trip. Maybe one day I'll actually get to that point on our blog! :)

Lunch is calling, laundry is calling (screaming, really!!), so I will post later with more of our fun trip!

Close...

2010-09-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't mentioned it on our blog, but our family is going to Disney very soon. Ellie has been counting how many hands and how many toes until we go. I have (frantically!) been trying to get everything ready to be packed into suitcases, so that we have everything we need. We won't have a car. That should explain the need for packing our whole house into three suitcases!
Of course, the little chickies needed something Disney to wear on our trip. You'll be seeing these clothes again, but next time they will be ON the chickies IN Disney! (Don't feel sorry for MC, she has her own set of matching outfits!)

Diffuser & Dora Cupcakes

2010-09-02T21:26:00.001-05:00

This post is as random as its title. Just warning you!
Normally bath time is at night at our house. Two nights ago, though, we went to the Barons' baseball game with my school and got home pretty late. So, Ellie took a shower with me the next morning because we were in a hurry. (Surprise, surprise!) I thought I would try drying her hair with the diffuser on my hair dryer. It looked super-cute, but she hated it. As in, she tried to pull the curls out of her hair and make it straight! (Good thing I have lots of experience straightening curly hair!!) I convinced her to leave it alone by not making her wear a bow.

Super-Cute!

Onto more of the randomness... Tonight I decided that we needed to do something as a family. Ellie came up with the idea to make Dora cupcakes like she has seen on Nick Jr. I looked up the recipe, saw that we had almost everything it called for, and told Robbie we were having family baking night. I wish I had a picture of how excited he was! :)

As I am sure you can all guess, our cupcakes weren't quite as cute as Nick Jr.'s. They weren't as recognizably-Dora, either! They still taste good, though, and Robbie had a great time piping Dora's hair onto wax paper with melted chocolate!!

THEIRS

OURS

No phone calls, please! We are not currently taking special orders! :)