Truly Organic!

We have been getting organic produce for a while now from a wonderful coop, and I just love, love, love it!!! One night, I took some fresh broccoli out of the frig, cut, rinsed and steamed it. I was so looking forward to it. Then I opened the pot and found this!

I should have been able to just pick it out and eat the rest of the yummy looking broccoli, but I just couldn't. None of us could. And it took a couple of weeks before I could look at broccoli again.

Our 18th Wedding Anniversary

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Baylee's AMTC photoshoot

In April, Baylee had a photoshoot for AMTC. It was a lot of fun for her and the final pictures came out great!!!

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King Tut!!!

In March we went on a field trip to the King Tut exhibit in Atlanta with our friends Lonne and Peighton. We had studied Egypt earlier in the year, and it was so neat to get to see real artifacts up close. Baylee and Cody really liked the ancient toilet seat. Afterward we went to lunch at the Hard Rock. We had a great day!

At the gift shop, Cody found a pyramid that had a hidden treasure in it. We went home and he scraped and scraped at it until he found it!!

Twilight Release Party

In March, the Twilight movie was due to be released on DVD and there was a midnight party at Barnes and Noble. Soooooooo late for me. I am usually no good to anybody after 9:00. But Baylee really wanted to go and actually, I did too. I had been reading the books and although, they scared me a lot--nightmares for weeks, I was also fascinated by them.

So Baylee and her friend Madelyn and I went. We got there early, drank some hot chocolate and settled in for the fun. There was a trivia contest in which we each answered a question and won vampire teeth. We drank vampire drinks, and Baylee and Madelyn participated in the costume contest.

It was really fun!! And we went home with a copy of the movie which the girls watched before going to sleep (well, part of it anyway).

The hostess in period costume

Jessica (Madelyn) and Bella (Baylee)

Butts Mill Farm

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In the Spring we took a field trip to Butts Mill Farm. It was a bit chilly when we first arrived, but became a beautiful day later on. There was so much to do! Horseback riding, feeding the goats, bull riding, cow milking, bike riding, swinging, playing in the indoor play area, minigolf, and tree forts. It was so nice to be outside and in the country. The property was tranquil and relaxing. We're hoping to go back again in September. Yeeha!!

Cody lost his first teeth!!!

Cody's bottom teeth started getting loose in February. He was wiggling them a lot, but didn't want anybody else to touch them. After a while it was becoming difficult for him to eat, but he still wouldn't have anything to do with us trying to pull them out--or at least Will or Baylee trying to pull them out. I couldn't even try, and will be forever grateful that Baylee pulled most of her own teeth.

We finally noticed one day that his permanent teeth were coming in behind his baby teeth and made an appointment with the dentist. It was hard to hear my sweet baby moaning in the back of the dentist's office, but he came out missing his two front bottom teeth. The dentist assured us his new teeth would push forward, and they have!!

Ooohhhh...I've missed you.

I'm back!!! It's been a while since I've written and I have missed you terribly, my blog. My computer was gone for a long time after it started smoking and HP wouldn't cover it under the warranty, but somehow they changed their minds and after sending it back again, it's working! Yippppeeee!!!

So much has happened since the last time I wrote to you and I will have to catch up over the next few weeks. You have a new layout and it just feels more like the current me.

I can't wait to do some more blogging.

Will's Surprise

A couple of weeks ago, Will flew to kansas City, and flew a helicopter back to Atlanta, flew here for a day and then flew back to Kansas City, and then flew home.


One day he surprised us by flying over the house. It was so good to see him, even if it was from 2000 feet below.

Mmmmmm....Bread

I've been wanting to make our own sourdough bread for a very long time, but have been afraid to try. And for a while I was avoiding wheat, and was really not ready to make wheat-free sourdough bread, so I didn't. Finally I was back with wheat and ready to try it. I met a new friend who offered to give me some of her starter and in 4 days, we had bread!!!! It is soooooo good. And I am very happy to be able to make sandwiches again.

I think I've always been a pioneer girl at heart (except that I love my washing machine, computer and television), and making our own bread gives me such a feeling of doing things the old-fashioned way, the way they've done it since Biblical times. I am loving it!!!

The Starter

The Dough Rising

The Loaves Rising


Finished!!!

Snow in March

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Cousins

Recently we had family in town and went to see my niece Lizzy's dance competition in Atlanta. Here are some pictures of the cousins, Baylee, Lizzy, Cody and Ben. It was such a great weekend. We saw my sister Jenai and her husband Keith, their kids, my dad and my mom. Lizzy and her team were amazing and they won 1st place!!! And my mom stayed with us a couple of extra days. It was sooooo good to see them all.

Baylee's 13th Birthday, February 10th, 2009

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A couple of weeks ago, Will had a really bad day. I can't remember what happened, but it was the kind of day where it seems like everything is going wrong and nothing will make it better. I couldn't think of what to do for him and then I got an idea. I was going to make a "Jennifer" cake. Jennifer is a friend of ours from Alabama whom we met through church and Amy. For a while, she was selling her wonderful cakes and we had them for a few birthdays, and also at the coffee shop and they are just amazing! I looked up a recipe online for strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting, set out to the grocery store and came home. Baylee was at gymnastics, so Cody and I made it. It was a bundt cake. The frosting was a little drippy. It didn't have the complete magic of Jennifer's cakes, but it was soooooooo goood. And it really made Will feel all better.

I seem to almost always forget to take a picture until after we have devoured good food, but here's is some of it.

Happy fruit

We are all trying to eat more healthy after really enjoying lots of goodies over the holidays and at the same time I am desperately trying to become more fun. I'm not the most creative person and it's a challenge for me to step out of my boringness and do something different. So in order to make eating fruit more fun, I have been making "Happy Fruit" for the kids. Okay, it's pretty simple for most people, but not for me. As far as getting them to eat fruit, it makes a big difference. Baylee loves it and Cody still says "Do I have to eat kiwi?", but he tries it. It's a little step toward me becoming more fun!

Painting, painting, painting

We are very fortunate to be renting from a family who doesn't mind us painting and we started first with Baylee's room, followed by the master bedroom, Cody's room and the school/playroom. It wasn't so bad, because there was only a flat coat of paint on the walls already, and the green frog tape is something we couldn't live without. Now the house feels more like home.

Baylee's room

The master bedroom

Cody's Room

...and the School/Play Room