We've Been Elfed. . .

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Carded. . .

Tonight, Brandon, Addie, and I went to the mall to pick somethings up. Addie fell asleep right before we got there so she was sleeping in her stroller. Brandon was pushing Addie and we were talking as we entered the mall when the mall security guard stopped us.

She asked me if I was 18! 18, I sorta laughed and said NO I am 25. She then asked Brandon if he was 18! He told her he was 24. We then had to show her our IDs to prove it to her.

I know we both look young...but younger than 18? I just don't know about that. It was pretty funny!

As we were leaving, the same lady was stopping a group of teenagers of which I am SURE were under 18! At least I know the mall actually does enforce the curfew.

Happy Turkey Day. . .

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I also hope that everyone has safe travels to where ever this day leads you.

We are headed to my in-laws for lunch. I have to actually make a dish this year...green beans. I know, it's not hard, but I wanted to bring something like this so that I couldn't mess it up. There will be close to 30 people there so that's alot of green beans.

After we leave there, we are going to visit my parents. My mom isn't cooking this year because of everything that has happened with my dad recently. I will probably take them a plate from the in-laws.

At some point I am going to try to take a nap but who knows if that will ever happen! I am going shopping tonight with some great friends. This is one of my favorite things to do each year! I absolutely LOVE it! Hopefully by tomorrow morning my Christmas shopping will be complete and I will have gotten the items I am going for!!

New Accessories. . .

It is getting pretty cold outside over the past week, but the kids are still going out to play at school. I was at my favorite store the other day and decided I should get Brynn some gloves and a scarf.

She loves her new gloves and "scerf" as she calls it.

I have tried and tried to get her to say it correctly but she insists it is a scerf!

I Can't Believe It. . .

Since I was up to all hours working on my blog because I couldn't go to sleep, I was awake when this event took place.

*This may not seem like a big deal to some but to us it is a tremendous accomplishment!*

I finally made myself go to bed around 3:30 am. I was just laying there when I heard Brynn coming through the house. My 1st thought was that she was coming to get in our bed. She doesn't do this often but when she does, we let her stay.

I was wrong. She never came in. I turned to look out our bedroom door to find the bathroom light on. She was going to the potty in the middle of the night!!!

I truly thought this day would NEVER come. She has been potty trained during the day since she was 2 and 1/2 but the night thing is a whole other story. Sometimes she would go weeks without wetting her pull-up. Other times, she would wake up wet for several days straight.

We did try 1 time, after she had gone 3 weeks being dry every night, to let her wear her underwear to bed...BIG MISTAKE!!! She wet the bed 3 nights in a row. That was the end of that. It was too much trouble changing sheets everyday.

You see, I thought this day would never come because she takes after Brandon....and me too....we both love our sleep and are very sound sleepers. I thought she would never be able to feel the sensation while she was asleep! But....SHE CAN!!!!

So maybe just maybe you can understand my excitement. I thought she would be wearing pull-ups until she was 10 (not really, but you know what I mean) but now I know that there is a light at the end of the potty training tunnel!!

In Honor of Stacy. . .

and to stay up to date on my posting now that I am ALL caught up!!! I can hardly believe it.

Back to the matter at hand...

Thank you for my blogging award Stacy:)

"This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So now I am awarding this wonderful award to...

1. Ali's Thoughts
2. My Life as a Zookeeper
3. it's all small stuff!
4. Kelly's Krazy Kids
5. A Contentment Journey
6. Life Beyond the Pink
7. That's how we roll!
8. A Dearybury Day

I could have added more because I love all the blogs I read but some were already used and I tried to follow the rules and pick only 8.

Funny Pictures. . .

The other day the girls were playing with Brynn's tutu in a nontraditional way. The results was hilarious.

Addie kept walking around shaking her head from side to side. She reminded me of someone with a pink afro.


Brynn wanted hers down in her face so she could look like she was getting married. I honestly don't know where she comes up with all this wedding stuff.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving. . .

Brynn came home from school the other day with a craft.

She had to tell something that she was thankful for.

* The picture is a little blurry *

I about peed my pants when I read this. Of all the things to be thankful for my daughter chooses Poptarts!

I think her class must have been making this the morning we were running late and she was finishing her breakfast walking into to her classroom. I am bad mom I know.

Fun at the Grahams. . .

This past Saturday, we went to visit our very good friends the Grahams. We haven't seen them in awhile so it was great to catch up.

Brynn was the most excited to be going to visit because they have animals (cat and dog). Brynn LOVES animals! She wanted to play with their cat so bad but it is a tiny bit antisocial or just terrified of a 4 year old that is constantly coming right for her. Lexy did let Brynn pet her a few times which seemed to satisfy her.

We went to a park that is near Patrick and Ali's house to let the girls play. They had so much fun. I wish we had a nice park like that 1 near us.

Brynn with elephant ears

Going down the slide with some help

Addie going down the slide like a big girl

Brynn having fun

We had a great time catching up with Ali and Patrick and hope to see them a little sooner from now on :)

Mircacle Round. . .

or better known as a merry go round!

Brandon's mom has a new Christmas merry go round and Brynn loves it. She puts her happy meal Barbies in it to go for a ride. She loves the music that it plays. She stands there for what seems like hours watching it go round and round. The entire time she keeps telling everyone to come look at her new miracle round.

We have all tried and tired to tell her that it is called a MERRY GO round but she is very insistent that it is called a MIRACLE round. So from now until she decides to call it the correct word, we will all have to call it the miracle round.

Baby Ava. . .

My friend that I have known since kindergarten, Tasha, had her 1st baby on November 4th. Her name is Ava Blythe. She is so cute. Ava weighed 6 lbs 13 ozs and was 20 1/2 ins. They are all doing great. I am so happy for Tasha and Ryan!!

A Funny. . .

Setting- our house, a Disney commercial is on featuring none other than Cinderella's castle.

Brynn: (speaking as if she is about to burst out of her skin) Mom, did you call it in?

Me: (confused) Did I call what in?

Brynn: Did you call in my pump it up party for when I am this many (holds up her 5 fingers).

Me: No...I haven't done that yet. (If you remember, she just had her party 2 months ago...I guess she is a planner like me.)

Brynn: (even more excited than before) GREAT!!!! I don't want to have my party there. I want to have my party at.....DISNEY WORLD!!!!! and have all my friends come.

Me: Well...umm...we'll have to see about that.

Girl's Night. . .

Brynn and I had a girl's night a few Fridays ago. We went to the movies. I have never taken her to the movies. It is something Brandon and her usually do together.

We went to see Madagascar 2. We loved the 1st 1 and by loved I mean we have seen it close to 1000 times...not kidding. It was 1 of the 1st movies Brynn ever watched all the way through. So I figured we should go see the 2nd.

She still had some money left from her birthday and I thought this was something she could use it for. We got our tickets and went to the concession stand. We both got our favorites...Brynn - sour watermelon gummies, me - nachos and cheese (I know disgusting, but I love it). I haven't been to the movies in a while and I guess I had forgotten how expensive it can be. This is when the MasterCard commercial starts running through my head...

Movie Tickets:$15.75

Refreshments:$9.50

Seeing that smile: Priceless

We picked out just the right sit and waited for the movie to start.

I thought it was a little long. Brynn wanted to leave when the movie had about 20 minutes left but we stayed. It had some parts that I thought were not very appropriate. I have to say we love Madagascar way more than Madagascar 2.

All in all we had fun spending time together by ourselves!!

Trunk or Treat. . .

True Romance Between a Bat & a Poodle...Only on Halloween

On Halloween, we went to Trunk or Treat at our church. It is amazing our early people start getting in line for this event. It starts around 6 or 6:30 and people probably start the line about 45 minutes prior to that.

We got there about 30 minutes before it started but somehow did not leave until it was over. Propably my fault since I stopped at SM car and helped hand out candy. Brandon finished taking Brynn around to the rest of the cars and they came back to help too.

I was suprised and shocked at how many teenagers came around (NOT dressed up) to get candy. This didn't bother me as much as the adults that were coming around without ANY children.

Addie loved passing out candy to people.
She would scream if we didn't let her do it!

First North Fall Festival. . .

Another local church had a fall festival at night. They have more rides than our church and some are alot bigger. We went with a group...large group mind you...of our friends. This is a picture of just the kids.

Funny how all the boys are on 1 side and the girls are on the other side!

It was fun. They have a lot more rides than our church. Addie went on her 1st ride by herself! Well, without a parent. She rode with Brynn and Zachary and LOVED it...so much that she screamed and cried when it was time to get off.

It was really cold, the lines were long(on the bigger rides), it was getting late (for some), and 1 family hadn't had dinner (my fault...still feel bad about that Stacy) so our numbers began to dwindled.

A few of us braved it out (in our cars) to see the firework show. It was a good show. Brynn and Addie both enjoyed it.

Boo In The Zoo. . .

This is another 1 of our yearly traditions. This year we went with our friends the Waddell's. It was the same as last year. The line was long but moved fast. It is neat to see all the different costumes. Some are traditional, some are a popular character, but some are really creative. I saw this guy that was dressed up like a pirate and was carrying his son who was a parrot on his shoulder. We did go through the reptile house year and I remembered once we were in there why we skipped it. It is very loud and very crowded!

What are Daddy's for?Annual Photo

Some of our friends went to Riverbank Zoo for their Boo In The Zoo and had a great time. I think we are going to try that next year... to change it up a bit!

Field Trip. . .

Brynn had her 1st field trip of the year to Niven's Apple Farm. This is where we went to pick a pumpkin. We have never picked apples there before so this was new to us.We started by going on a hayride. Let me just tell I don't think I have ever been that close to people (other than my family) before. I think we had 4 classes (which included teachers, children in the class, parents, and some siblings) all piled on to 1 trailer. We were on top of each other, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

At the end of the hayride, we were drop off to pick a bag of apples. I couldn't believe how many there were. Brynn loved it!! She filled her bag in no time and went to filling my hands and her hands.

Those little bags are busting at the sems!

They had a snack after that which did not go over well. You see not all classes had the same snack. The problem: Brynn's friend is in a different class and had a different snack. Not to worry...Ella Kate saved the day by sharing her snack!!!

Notice the red face and teary eyes! At least Ella is all smiles.

The girls went to play on the tires and see the animals last.

AMRBC Fall Festival. . .

Our church has had it's annual fall festival. It is free to the community and is usually held the same weekend that our county fair is in town. We went to both last year but chose to only go to our fall festival this year. It's is less crowded, clean, and a lot safer!

We had a great time and the weather was beautiful. We stayed pretty much the entire time it went on.

Brynn riding the train with Ella and Mr. Micheal

Addie with Karson and Lizzie Grace

This was a pretty funny sight. If you look closely to the far left and right of the photo you will see 2 grown men racing up the gigantic inflatable obstacle course. I am sad to say that one is my husband, the other belongs to this poor soul.

Brynn and Ella on the swings.

And yes I assure you, my child DID wear shoes to this outdoor event, but it was too much of a hassle to put them on and off every time she got into one of those inflatables.

Addie always seems to fall asleep when we go places. She slept in her stroller under a table while we had lunch.

The 2 love birds

The main reason we stayed as long as we did was for 2 reasons: 1. My dear friend talked me into running the cotton candy machine for an hour with another friend. This was a sight to see! I kinda got the hang of it after a few trys, but it was pretty windy that day so I still had it all over me! Sorry no picture to share. 2. Brandon had to help with something towards the end.

Can't wait until next year...well...I maybe I can...Cotton candy is still fresh in my mind :)

Sleeping. . .

I had to share this picture. I laughed so hard when I saw Addie sleeping with no clothes on and only 1 shoe.


She LOVES shoes! She must have only found 1 and put it on. She had been walking around our house for a while with that shoe before she finally feel asleep.

The Blogging Marathon Continues. . .

I didn't get finished the other day but today is the day!!

Promise!!!

If there is a record for number of post in 1 day I think I am going to break it!! Hope you can keep up :)

The New Band. . .

well sort of...

if you can have a band with 3 guitar players ONLY...

with 1 member playing only Backyardigan songs...

with 1 member making lots of noise (NOT music)...

and only 1 member that can actually play guitar...Maybe the 1 member who actually plays guitar can teach the other 2 members to play and they can call themselves a band ...


Until that happens, it will be interesting to hear the "music" coming from our house!

Pumpkin Pickin'. . .

Each fall we go to our local apple farm to pick a pumpkin. We started this traditon before we were married. I love going to this farm because it is so cute. Plus I think it is good to help local people with their business.This year was fun because Addie got to pick her 1st pumpkin. Last year she was only a few months old. We walked through the pumpkin patch and each picked a pumpkin. Addie was so cute trying to carry her pumpkin. You can tell in the picture she is using all her might.
After we found the pumpkins, the girls played on the activites that are there. Brynn loves going through the tunnels. She taught Addie how to bounce on the tire rings.

Brynn is oinking

It was a great Sunday afternoon :)

Brynn's Many Talents. . .

Brynn is becoming a Jack or shoud I say a Jill of all trades. I am not sure whose profession she is going to take up, mine or Brandon's, but she seems to enjoy both at the moment.

This is her as Hallie the hairdresser. I have no idea where she came up with that name, but when she is doing your hair you better call her Hallie!

Don't you think Brandon's hair looks so much better when it is flat ironed?

Hard at work in Papa's shop building a cabinet

All good workers punch a time clock, right.

Isn't there some kind of law against child labor? Not in this case. Everyone starts working at the ripe ol age of 4!

I have to say, I hope she decides to do something a little different when she grows up but I am sure between now and then she will change her mind about a million times!

Brynn's Birthday Extravaganza. . .

This year Brynn's actual birthday was on a Wednesday. She woke up to a cupcake and happy birthday. It is only once a year that she gets a cupcake for breakfast! I took cupcakes to school for her class. I don't think she knew what to think having 2 cupcakes in less than 2 hours! After school, we went to lunch at the mall with some of her friends. I sort of had ulterior motives in asking them to lunch. Brynn really wanted her ears pierced as her gift from me and Brandon and after several discussions we decided to get it done. She didn't want to wait until the weekend when both ears could be done at the same time. She wanted it done 1 at a time. Strange, I know.

Brandon was working and wanted pictures and video hence the reason for my friends. I had no idea if she was going to scream, freak out, or what. I surely couldn't hold her down (if needed) and take pictures and video the whole event. So my dear friends came to lunch with their kids and stayed to watch the whole ordeal.

3 boys and 1 girl, who already has her ears pierced, watched eagerly to see what was going to happen. Brynn had assured them and me several times that she was NOT going to cry. We picked out a pair of earrings. The lady, who I am sure must have thought we were crazy having all of 8 people watching this little girl get her ears pierced, explained each step to Brynn. 1st she cleaned her ears. 2nd dotted her ears with a purple marker exactly where the earring was to go. 3rd she pierced the left ear. No screaming !! 4th the right ear. Again, no screaming...not even a tear... not even a single flinch. The child was remarkable. I couldn't believe it. She hopped right out of the chair, looked up at me and said " See Mom, I told you I wouldn't cry!" and walked proudly over to her friends to show off her new accessories.We had her party on Saturday at a horse farm in Cowpens. My friends brought Brynn to her party so that I could get some things done before the party. On the way to the party, Brynn realized that she was missing an earring!!! This was not good. My friend called to tell me and by the time they got to the party (10 minutes mind you) the hole was closed. At the time I had no idea when the earring came out. We calmed her down and assured her we would get it fixed after the party.

The farm was so nice. The kids had a great time. For the 1st hour everyone took turns riding 2 horses around a pasture. Each ride lasted several minutes and each kid rode more than once. They were captivated by the horses.

Brynn and Zachary Ella and KarsonBrycenAndrew and JakeMe and Addie Karson and TracySummerElla and RhondaMy Aunt Judy,who has never riden a horseBrynn and MimiLivi wanted no part of the horses. We tried and tried, but she wasn't having it.

After that, we went on the longest hay ride I have ever been on. It was really fun and the kids enjoyed it.

We had cake next.

Finally, we opened gifts. This would have to be my favorite birthday party so far.If you ever want a horse party let me know!

Back to the earring problem...

After the party, my friend called the ear piercing place to find out if we could come and have it redone and if it was going to cost. The place said we would have to wait 2...2 weeks before it could be done again and we would have to pay!!! I couldn't believe it.

That night during bath time, I asked Brynn if she knew how she lost her earring and she said "the seatbelt clipped it out". I asked her if she saw the earring and she said yes she had it in her hand and threw it on the floor. I asked her why did she do that and she said "I didn't want to get a whoopin' ". 1st I have to say I don't know where she got the word "whoopin' ". 2nd I think she though this because I told her she would be in BIG trouble if she pulled her earrings out. The next day, my friend looked in her car and low and behold the earring was still in her car. Amazing...I know!

We waited 10 days and I decided to call the place back and talk to the manager who informed me that you only have to wait 48 hours and I would not have to pay to have it redone. We went later that afternoon to have the left her repierced. Once again, Brynn was a little trooper. Not a single flinch!

**********UPDATE**********

About a month after the repiercing of the left ear, the right earring fell out. Luckily, this time it had been more than 2 days and I was there when it came out and put my earring in. I think the set of earrings must have been faulty. Now Brynn refuses to let me change the earrings so that they match. At the moment she is wearing 1 hoop and 1 diamond. We get asked all the time if I know she is wearing 2 different earrings.