Birthday Party and Two Year Check Up

Checking out all my gifts


Jumping with my friends (and their parents)



Daddy and me

We had a great time at Anna's 2nd Birthday Party! Thanks to all our friends that came over to celebrate with us. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed the princess castle moon bounce (I think Chad enjoyed it more than the kids). They delivered it on Friday night, so Chad, Anna and I got a little family jumping time in early. I wish we had one of our own, because it was a great workout! Anna received some very nice gifts and has been enjoying hours of fun since. It was great to get together with friends and family and celebrate my baby girl's special day. Everyone keeps telling me that she isn't a baby anymore, but she will always be my baby. She has brought so much joy to our lives that words can not express.

I took Anna this past Friday for her two year check up. The doctor informed me that she is perfect :) Just kidding, she is right on track for her age. She weighed 26.6 lbs and is 34 inches tall. That is the 50% for height and weight. We stopped using the pappy (pacifier) about two weeks ago and it has been a challenge. She still asks for it on occasion and I just try and change the subject. Our next challenge is potty training. I am bribing her with stickers and M&M's. Some days are better than others, but we are trying.

A week of deals

I hope I am not about to jinx myself, but I LOVE saving money. It's almost like a game to me. This has been a good week. I go on these streaks sometimes were I seem to rack up everywhere I turn. Here is a list of deals I have gotten in the last week:

Banana Republic online: $68.oo shirt for $10.00 plus free shipping

Publix: I paid $26.12 and saved $26.12. Exactly half off my bill!

Target: $56.00 worth of clothes for Anna for $17.50

TJ Maxx: $176.00 worth of items for $97.00. It includes 3 dresses, 1 pair of pants, 3 baby gifts, outfit for Anna and Crocs (the real ones) for Anna.

I have also gotten $50.95 worth of pull ups for $32.95.

I love coupons! I always get excited and tell Chad how much I saved. He always says "We probably didn't need it in the first place, so you didn't save me anything." He is such a party pooper.

4th of July

Last year

This year

My baby girl is getting so big!!! Last year, she couldn't even walk and now she is cutting the grass :) We had a classic, redneck 4th of July complete with lawnmower races and a hayride. We went to Chad's grandmother's house in the country, so we had to fit in. I am happy to report that I did not participate in the lawnmower races. We had a great, but hot day and things were going well until "the devil" showed up. "The devil" is what we call the good ole stomach virus in our house. "The devil" has visited me about 7 times since Anna was 6 months old. If it wasn't bad enough for him to interupt my vacation a few weeks ago, now he is ruining my holidays.

Vacation Pics

Even with all the mishaps and sickness, our vacation was still wonderful! I love spending time with my family.

Vacation Day 4

All I can say is stomach virus!!! I woke up at 6 a.m. sick as a dog and stayed in bed all day, while everyone else went to the pool, shopping and dinner. Now I have to go to the beach, take lots of pictures and go shopping all in one day. It stinks to be sick on vacation :(

Vacation Day 3

Today was a great day! We took my parent's car to the shop this morning and they were able to fix it quickly. We spent most of the day at the pool. Anna loved it! She finally got tired and decided to take a nap. Chad was wonderful and took her upstairs so I could have some adult time. I just laid there and slept in my lounge car, got in the pool and then floated down the lazy river. I love it when the pool isn't crowded.

We then decided to go to dinner at Planet Hollywood. Anna had dessert and by the time it was over she even had chocolate in her hair. I had to change her clothes before we went to Ripley's Aquarium. Anna loved all the fish and sharks. She picked out a pink turtle to take home. We then headed over to an amusement park. Anna decided that the rides just weren't for her, but Chad and I rode the swings. This is my personal favorite! Chad didn't like it very much. He then decided to ride the pirate ship, which I hate. Anna thanked her Uncle Jordan for winning her a Elmo stuffed animal. We had to leave, because the place was about to close, but will go back tomorrow. It was a great place with hundreds of shops, restaurants and entertainment called Broadway at the Beach.

I also received some good news today from back home at work. My boss called me this afternoon to inform me that my department will not be affected by layoffs. This is such good news that makes our vacation that much nicer.

Vacation Day 1 & 2

Well, day 2 is almost over and we haven't accomplished much so far. Day 1 (Sunday) was just meant as a travel day and that was o.k. We wanted to stop and eat at the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, GA. My mom and I are a big fan of their cookbook. Just some good Southern food. We got there at 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon for a early supper. I guess everyone else was thinking the same thing, because the wait was at least an hour. That wasn't possible with Anna! Who, by the way, has had explosive diapers the entire trip. We decide to go to our hotel in Columbia, SC and just eat when we arrive. It was late, so we settle for Captain D's and Pizza Hut.

We are thirty miles from Myrtle Beach today and my parent's car started to experience problems. It is something with the rear end. We looked for a repair shop, but no one can look at it until tomorrow morning. Since we now have 7 people and only one car, we are now limited to what we can do. My mother and I went to Walmart and picked up some groceries and dinner. Tomorrow will be a new day :)