♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Another Milestone...

I know every kid learns how to "pump" on the swings eventually, but I must admit, it's a little bittersweet when your baby learns how. Yep, Emmy can now swing all by herself...

They all wanted to match today.

swing, swing, swing, repeat...

First Softball Game of the Season...Win #1!

Last week was the first softball game of the season for the Rockstars. We squeaked by with an 11-10 win. I love this time of year!!

First base girl

Hey, batter batter!

SWING! Good for a single!

Leading off first...

SCORE!!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Macey's 1st 5K - Run for Mercy 2010

Several months ago, Macey told me that she wanted to run in a race with me. So, for the past month, I've been taking her out once a week for a little run. On the first run, she ran almost 3 miles without stopping! I couldn't believe it. So, we talked about the Run for Mercy. This run benefits children in South Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS. The founder of this charity lives here in Shawnee and also goes to our church. I explained to Macey what an orphan was and she said, "Wow, that must be hard for those kids to not have a mom and dad". I'm so proud of her for understanding the meaning of this race and for wanting to be a part of it. There were over 1,500 people running and walking for this great cause.

Race day was a little chilly, but once we got going, we warmed up quickly. I let Macey set the pace and ran right along side her. I kept encouraging her and asking her if she was OK. She never wanted to stop...except at mile 2 at the water station! We had decided to hold hands when we crossed the finish line, but while we were coming up the home stretch, someone yelled, "beat your mom!", so I told Macey, "go ahead, beat me!"...so she took off...and beat me! Her official chip time was 30 minutes and 3 seconds! She placed 3rd out of 47 in the Female 10-Under age group. Trophies were given out to the top 3 finishers of each age group, so Macey got a trophy!

Grady, Jolee and Emmy were at the finish line to greet us. Grady captured some fun finish line pictures. After the big race, Emmy and Jolee participated in a Fun Run where they each got medals, too. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Runner girl before the race

One sweet 9 yr old running for another...

Macey & I before the race

Coming up the home stretch...Macey beating her mom!

At the finish line...Macey won!

Enjoying a post-race donut...or two!

Emmy in the Fun Run

Jolee in the Fun Run

So proud of her medal!

Another proud medal winner!

Macey & I after the race

Macey's trophy

Miss Speed Racer showing off her trophy!

Great job, Macey! We are so proud of you! ♥

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Half Marathon #3

I ran in my 3rd half marathon on Saturday, April 10th. The weather was PERFECT for running (mid 50's), the sun was shining and I was in the company of friends...you just can't ask for a better race! I trained with my friend Tracy for 10 weeks. We ran the first 10 miles together. After that, I got a 2nd wind and ran the last 3 miles all in under 9 minutes each. When I got to the finish line, I was totally surprised to see Grady and the girls! It's amazing how seeing them there made all the pain in my body go away. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful race.

Tracy and I (there's a smile, it must be early!)

Beth, Cheryl, Tracy, Bridget, Mendy and I

We had a celebratory BBQ that evening. One of my friend's sons made this sign for us that was displayed on the front of their house. How sweet!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Happy 10th Anniversary!

April 6, 2010 marked our 10th wedding anniversary! Wow! Time has totally flown by! I woke up and was surprised by a bouquet of flowers. Grady knows I don't like for him to spend money on flowers, but I must admit, it IS nice to get them once in a while! :) Grady arranged for a babysitter that evening so he and I could go to dinner where it all started. We've been to this restaurant only two other times...our first date and the night he proposed to me. It was great to have a night out...just the two of us (that doesn't happen very often!). We had the babysitter until 9 o'clock, and we got done with dinner at 7:30, so how do we decide to spend the next hour and a half??? We shopped at Target. Yep, we still know how to be romantic! haha!

April 6, 2000

April 6, 2010

...and between the 2 of us, more than 60 lbs. lighter!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Easter was Eggstra Special

The girls were excited to find baskets full of goodies when they woke up. Then, they headed to the egg hunt in our subdivision. After the hunt, we loaded up and headed to Grandma's house. How did the Easter Bunny know to leave huge baskets there, too? Needless to say, the girls were spoiled once again! We spent the weekend with Grandma Judy and Grandpa Tom. The girls were very attentive in church, too...Grandma was very impressed. :) Thank you Jesus for the sacrifice you made for all of us!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Happy Birthday Grandma!

My mom came to visit this weekend to see the girls and celebrate her birthday. We took her shopping on Friday and then out to lunch (Hibachi style) on Saturday. I absolutely love having her here. I wish she lived closer.

♥ Happy Birthday Grandma! ♥

I ♥ this picture!

Our chef was hilarious!

Enjoying the show...

The onion "volcano" and our yummy veggies!

Jolee trying to catch a flying shrimp!

Grandma trying to catch the shrimp...just missed!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Animals go to the Zoo!

Today was the first beautiful, sunshiney day of Spring Break, so I decided to load up the monkeys and head to the zoo! We headed out in the morning and stayed all day. We had a picnic lunch on a big, flat rock and ate our sandwiches while watching kangaroos! The girls and I had so much fun. Good thing we all had on comfy shoes, because there was a LOT of walking. Emmy and Jolee took turns getting rides in the stroller. Here are a few shots of our day....

Mommy and her 3 favorite monkeys! ♥

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!