Elmo Sprinkler

A couple of weeks ago I bought this really cute Elmo sprinkler mat for the girls. Since they both love Elmo I assumed they would like it. Boy was I wrong!!!! They HATED it! They both screamed the entire time. I have attached proof below. Trey & I were laughing the whole time! Our neighbors probably thought we were torturing them in the backyard.

Lately

Here is what we have been up to lately:

Playing in the toy bucket

..and in the toy boxes

Daddy surprised the girls with a Disney Princess tent

They LOVE it! They play in there and sometimes they just lay down and watch tv!

Mallory really likes the mesh windows.

That about sums it up. We are in the process of ordering the girls a swing set for outside. I don't know what has gotten into Trey lately but he is all about buying this stuff. I wanted to get them a swing set on Alyssa's birthday but he didn't want to then. Oh well, they will have a few months to enjoy it! We leave 2 weeks from today for the beach! I am SO excited!!!! We are actually staying in Ruston this weekend and going to church! I am glad we can just stay put for a weekend because the next 3 weekends we will be traveling.

Peach Festival

Mallory watched part of the parade from Daddy's shoulders

So did Alyssa

The girls caught these cool glasses at the parade

Cody, Tonya & Kamryn watched the parade with us

Bryan & Christine came in for a wedding so they went to the festival with us

I thought I would share some pictures from the peach festival last weekend. We all really enjoyed it! Last Sunday was Trey's last time to play at Broadmoor. It was bittersweet. They presented us with some gifts, a really sweet farewell speech and the congregation prayed for us. While we are excited to see what God has in store for us in Ruston, it was sad to leave the church family we knew in Shreveport.

We had a wonderful time in Dallas. We shopped, golfed, and ate A LOT!!! We were able to visit with friends and spend time together. Our hotel was nice. They gave out warm chocolate chip cookies that were wonderful! Our only complaint was last night there was a high school volleyball team staying in the rooms next to us and were SO loud from 1-3 am. Trey called the front desk twice then finally had to go down there. It was not a good night for sleep but we got our room free! Texas De Brazil last night was AMAZING! My favorite was the salad bar and of course Trey's favorite was all of the meat. We were so full that we could not go and play putt-putt like we had planned.

So, I have been recording the TV show Baby Borrowers. I just had a chance to watch the first episode. Have any of you seen this show? All I can say is NO WAY MAN! There is no way I could watch these kids NOT take care of my children. I would be marching over there every few minutes. Anyway, I just had to share that.

Our 7th Anniversary

Today we have been married 7 years. Wow how time flies! Who are those people in the picture? We have definitely changed! We are going to Dallas this weekend while my mom keeps the girls. I can't wait to have a few days of no responsibility! Just shopping, golfing, and eating. I also just received a beautiful flower arrangement from Trey. So sweet! We went to the peach festival this weekend. I will post pictures in a few days.

The New Playroom

Kelly & I painted the girls playroom this week. Do not be fooled - Kelly is the artist! She drew everything out and I painted some of the flowers and she did everything else. I did paint one small patch of grass but that was WAY out of my comfort zone. Kelly is an amazing artist. She can paint anything! She lives in Indiana but could paint on a canvas and mail it. So, if you want something customized to match a nursery or certain room in your house let me know and I will get you in touch with her! I have more pictures of the details but this is all I could download. We had so much fun this week. Andy and Kelly came in last Thursday and we all headed for DeRidder on Friday for Father's Day weekend. We helped Mr. Bubba get his new house put together. We left Sunday morning to be in Shreveport for church and then Andy & Kelly came back to our house on Monday. We didn't really do much. We painted, went to the Beehive (I have to take anyone from out of town there), went to get a mani & pedi, and ate A LOT!!!! We got to meet Andy & Kelly's new dog, Sooki (not sure if I spelled that right). Mallory LOVED Sooki! Anytime she was in the living room or kitchen she would point to her and say DOG! It was precious! Her favorite thing to do was to put everything she could find in Sooki's cage. They left this morning. We were sad to see them go! Well, now it is time to get my house back in order and catch up from doing nothing the last few days!

Grandma's 80th Birthday

Last weekend was my Grandmother's 80th birthday party. Most of the Whitlow clan came in for it. My dad had a jumper for the kids. We had so much fun. Mallory slept through most of it -that is why there is no picture of her.

Mallory's obsession.......continued

I don't think that is going to fit!

Doesn't she look like such a big girl sitting in that chair???

One, Two

Three, Four

Now take them all off then back on again

Look Mommy - I have a purse!

I just thought I would share some of the pictures I have taken over the last few days proving my childs obsession with purses (or anything that will fit on her arm). Please excuse the red shirt with pink pajama bottoms - she spit up after breakfast so I had to change her shirt. And we don't leave the house with Alyssa's hair like that - it was just to keep it out of her face. We are headed to Shreveport this weekend. We are going to my Grandmother's 80th birthday party. The girls start summer MDO next week!! Who-hoo!!!

Hot Springs, Onion Rings & Silliness

We went to Hot Springs this past weekend. Our friends Dylan and Mary were in visiting his family so we decided to go and visit them. My Mom and Mike went with us to help with the girls. We found a great house to rent. It was wonderful. Trey got to play golf everyday and I got to have a spa day. So lately Mallory has this obsession with putting things on her arm like a purse. She will put anything with a handle on her arm and pile on as much as possible. Well, we were eating at a nice steak house and our steaks came with a onion ring on top. Mallory reached over and grabbed Trey's onion ring and put it on her arm. I took this picture with my phone so it is not the best quality.
To most of you this picture may look like a kid being silly. To us it is a major milestone. Alyssa has not been doing "appropriate play". Which means playing like a normal kid with toys. She usually just puts everything in her mouth. Well, today I walked in the playroom and she was putting this bucket on her head and spinning around laughing and acting silly. I was SO excited! This is the kind of stuff Mallory does - just acting silly! And when Mallory sees we think it is funny she just keeps doing it! Well, Alyssa saw I was laughing and she just kept doing it!

POOPED!

Mallory couldn't even finish lunch! She will NOT go to sleep in the morning anymore but can barely make it through lunch! She still has the bottle in her mouth and is sound asleep! I love that her feet are crossed too!

We have great news! We have leased our house in Shreveport. The people we bought it from actually called us last week and wanted to lease it from us. We are going to take it off of the market and hopefully we can wait until the market picks back up before we list it again!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

So we were in Monroe today at a Dr appointment and after we left Trey (in the new Tahoe) got CREAMED from behind!!!! We have not even had it a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trey was stopped at a light and the car was going full speed not even paying attention and also make Trey hit the car in front of him. Thankfully no one was hurt. Unfortunately the new Tahoe is probably going to be in the shop for a few weeks. The car that hit Trey was demolished!!! I can't believe she came out okay. Praise God the girls and I got stopped at a red light and were not behind Trey. So it looks like I will not be posting a picture of the new car anytime soon! All I can say is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!

Measles, Tubes, Pigtails, & Ponytails

They are all smiles until they see the camera!

This is her first ponytail! Mimi bought this HUGE bow and I thought it would be years before she wore it. I guess I was wrong!

Her first pigtails!

Mallory & Alyssa both have ear infections. Mallory woke up Friday morning with 103 fever. I took her to the doctor and she gave her an antibiotic for the ear infection. I just happened to ask her to look in Alyssa's ears to find she had an ear infection too! Mal's temp kept staying high. We just couldn't get it down. We ended up taking her to the ER Friday night and we were there from 11pm-2am. We came home just to fight the fever for the rest of the weekend. She finally broke it Monday. We went to the ENT for both girls Monday because this was Mal's 4th ear infection. The doctor said Mal had the Rosiolo Measles (spelling?). Basically it is a high fever for about 3 days then a rash all over the body. Alyssa had the same thing when she was about 8 months old. Luckily once you have had it you can't get it again. Anyway, the doctor also scheduled Mal to have tubes next week. We kinda figured she would say that. Trey finally got a new car. I will post pictures of that next. Anyway, we are pretty busy around here. I hope all of you Mom's have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!!

Luau

I had bunco at my house last week. I did a Luau theme. It was fun! I racked up on luau stuff from the dollar tree! Trey worked really hard on the flower beds all last week. I think everyone really enjoyed it.

Friday we headed to DeRidder for Trey's dad's surprise 60th birthday party. It was a weekend of many surprises. First, we went to eat dinner with him and while we were eating Andy & Kelly walked in the restaurant. Second, Bryan's girlfriend Christine surprised Mr. B by showing up. She didn't think she was going to make it but was able to at the last minute. Lastly, we threw him a surprise party at Ms. Melanie's house on Saturday night. He was TOTALLY surprised! There were about 20 people there. I left my camera in the van so I don't have any pictures. Chris took some so I will have to get her to e-mail them to me. The whole clan went to church with him on Sunday and Trey even played the piano for the offertory. We got to see Mr. Bubba's new house. It was great! He is doing some awesome things to it. I helped him pick out his appliances and floors. I can't wait to see it finished and all put together!

The girls are doing great. Mallory is walking all over the place. She has such a big personality. I really think she is going to be a good mix of me and Trey. Alyssa is really improving. She is making more eye contact and is talking (babbling) all of the time! She is also following some commands. She climbed up the slide and slid down it at school last week all by herself! That is MAJOR improvement! I am going to national scrapbook day tomorrow. I am SO excited. My goal is to finish Mallory's baby book. A whole day of scrapbooking with no interruptions - I can't wait!!!

Watching TV

I walked by the playroom this morning and this is what I saw. Mallory loves to either be next to or touching Alyssa. She wants to be as close to her as possible. Note: Please ignore Alyssa's hair in her face - she will not keep a bow in while she is playing! Not much has been going on here. We have been working in our yard since Saturday. I am having bunco here tomorrow night and I am doing a Luau theme. Since we will be outside I wanted to make sure the yard looked good. Mallory is walking more. She still won't walk every time we put her down but she is doing it more now. She is a speed crawler so of course she prefers crawling!

On another note I am aggravated with TLC. I keep the tv on all day while I am working so I really just listen to it. Anyway, every afternoon home improvement shows are normally on - moving up, property ladder, and flip that house. So I am already addicted to those shows. Well, this week they have been showing 10 years younger and what not to wear instead. The problem is now I am addicted to those shows! I love them! I am amazed to see how they can transform the homeliest (not sure that is a word) looking person and turn them into a stylish knockout! So TLC is my downfall right now!

A Wonderful Welcome

My bunco group presented me with this awesome house warming basket. I was TOTALLY surprised! It is wonderful. It has a wide variety of gifts. It made me feel so good to know that they thought about me! We are really settling into Ruston. Trey is still playing in Shreveport but hopefully that will stop soon. I am ready to find a church in Ruston!

We have been pretty busy around here. Trey worked in Shreveport last weekend so we packed up and spent the weekend there. Mom, me and the girls went shopping at the boardwalk Saturday. That was fun - we found some great deals! Our house still hasn't sold! It is showing a lot more but that is it!

The girls are just growing! Alyssa and talking more and more. No new words but a lot more babbling. Mallory never stops talking! She is our motor mouth. Mallory is taking 10-12 steps but once she realizes what she is doing just falls forward. It is pretty funny. I need to try to get it on video. It is like her legs just stop working. The doctor but her on some VERY expensive formula because she is having some digestive issues. Hopefully it is just for 2 weeks. I don't think she is allergic to milk! Anyway, we are going for a walk. I love my neighborhood!

New House Before and After

Here are the pictures as promised. I didn't take pictures of the play room or office because they are a mess. The office if the room off of the dining room. That was a big formal dining/living that we put a wall up to add the office. I couldn't find a picture of the actual master bath before but it was tiny. It had the tub, toilet and one small vanity. Anyway, I am glad it is all done. Now for the decorating.

Easter 2008

Easter Egg Hunt #1

Alyssa caught on really quick!

Mallory's teacher helped her while I helped Alyssa. She caught on too!

The girls had their first Easter egg hunt this morning at MDO. It was fun. It lasted about 10 minutes but it was fun. I had really cute Easter outfits for the girls to wear but it was 40 degrees when we woke up this morning so I changed my plan. The looked really cute in the dresses Uncle Bryan gave them for Christmas. That is the great thing about girls. A spring dress can be worn with sandals or tights and dress shoes. I just threw a sweater on them and they were ready to go. We have 2 more egg hunts this weekend. They should definitely get the hang of it by Sunday! Oh, and big news......

MALLORY IS FINALLY 20 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!! Now she can face forward instead of turning her head around the whole time we are driving!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week:

Monday - We were in Shreveport

Tuesday - Shrimp Gumbo Casserole (Paula Deen)

Wednesday - Grilled Tilapia w/ lemon butter sauce and baked rice

Thursday - BUNCO! Which means leftovers or cereal for Trey

Friday - No cooking

Saturday - We will be in Carthage

Sunday - I am sure we will be so stuffed from Easter lunch there will be no dinner.

You can check out other recipes at I'm am Organizing Junkie.

Alyssa is 2!

Let's eat some cake!

She had a Mickey Mouse theme party so it was only appropriate that she got a Mickey Mouse DVD from Mimi. She was so excited!

Papaw got her this cool fire truck!

We got Alyssa a big girl table. She ate breakfast on it this morning.

Mallory loves the fire truck too!

We had a great day! Alyssa had lots of friends and family come and play. Uncle Andy & Aunt Kelly even got to watch it on the computer! The only disappointment was the cake. Chris was out of own this weekend so we had to buy a cake from Super 1. It tasted okay but looked HORRIBLE! I was so embarassed! Oh well, it will soon be forgotten. We got to debut our new house. We were working on it up until last minute. I will post pictures sometime this week. My baby is 2! I can't believe it. She is getting soooo big! So that was our weekend. Today will be a day of rest and relaxation. This will be the first day we have been able to do that.

Menu Plan Monday

So my friend Elaine has started doing this Menu Plan Monday on her blog so I decided to give it a try. I actually have a full kitchen now so I can cook for the first time in weeks. I promise I will post pictures of the house soon. There are still boxes everywhere. I know I should be unpacking instead of blogging but I am doing it anyway! Here is my menu:

Monday - We ate Cane's because Trey didn't get a chance to hook up the cook top but he is doing it right now!

Tuesday - Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells (see below)

Wednesday - BBQ Chicken Packets (see below), Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Thursday - Fabulous Fajita Pizza (Pampered Chef)

Friday & Saturday- I don't cook on the weekends (that is a house rule!)

Sunday - Spaghetti w/meat sauce, Strawberry Spinach Salad & Garlic Bread

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

16 dried jumbo pasta shells, prepared according to package rinsed & drained

1 lb ground beef

1 16oz can refried beans

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 T taco seasoning

1 1/2 C salsa

Heat oven to 350. Cook beef & drain. Add beans, 3/4 C cheese & taco seasoning; mix well. Spread 1/4 C salsa over bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Fill pasta shells w/ beef mixture; place shells filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells. Cover baking dish w/ foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle w/ remaining cheese.

BBQ chicken packets

foil

chicken breasts

BBQ sauce

Tony's

Tear off a piece of foil big enough to wrap the chicken. Place raw (I use frozen) chicken breast on foil and sprinkle with Tony's then cover with BBQ sauce. Wrap chicken up in foil and place on baking sheet. Wrap as many pieces of chicken as you want. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until done.

To view additional MPM's go to I'm am Organizing Junkie.