Vacationing with my parents

This past weekend, we went to Tennessee and spent some time with my family in a cabin. It was a lot of fun! The kids traveled very well. Peyton didn't have an accident the entire 8 hour trip there or back home! She is doing SUCH a good job! We did have to pull off to the side of the road and use her potty chair one time, we were in the middle of nowhere! (I don't think I will post that picture)

When we got there Thursday, James took Josh and Peyton bowling while the rest of us girls went shopping! Every time I get together with my mom, we tend to go shopping. It makes me feel great to get clothes that are somewhat trendy yet, still look good on my "New Mom" body! This time we got 6 new shirts, an adorable pair of black shoes and 2 necklaces for $60! JC Penney's and Maurices were having a kick butt sale! Mom had also given me 2 new necklaces for my birthday, so I should be set, at least for a little while!

On Friday, my dad rented a boat and we spent the morning on the lake. We all went tubing, even Peyton! Gavin really hated having to wear the life jacket, but he finally calmed down and actually fell asleep sitting upright in my lap! Very precious! Peyton's favorite part was actually just riding on the boat. She kept saying, "I go on the BIG boat with Papa!" The water was perfect temperature and smooth. It was a beautiful day! Two of Hannah's friends were also spending time with her in TN while we were there.

For a little bit of a break, we pulled into this cove that had a pretty waterfall. The water had been shallow there for a while, so we didn't jump from it like some other morons did! hahaha The kids and James did swing from the robe swing though. Some were more graceful than others! ;)

On Saturday, we went to the Shiloh Civil War Museum and the Tennessee River Museum. I always have such a good time with my mom and dad and the kids are really starting to get attached to them! Gavin sure was a "Papa's boy" this trip! Peyton just adores Joshua and he treats her the same.

Baby O's 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday Baby O!!!!! (A.K.A. Olivia)

Today is my friend Brandy's daughter's 1st birthday. Brandy lives in Texas now but happens to be in Indiana this week to celebrate with her friends and family here. So, we all celebrated together at her party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun! It was a princess party and Brandy even got the boys "man crowns"! Enjoy the pictures.

Jonathon, Princess Olivia and Brandy

She did such a great job with her cake! Her cheeks were even stained pink for the night after her bath!

Princess Peyton and Mommy!

Gavin in his "man crown".

Works for Me Wednesday

Okay, I am stealing this from my friend Kristen's blog. This is What Works for me Wednesday! Last week Gavin was having a really rough day. He would not let me put him down at all! He was tired, cranky and just wanted to be held. He didn't care who held him, but I was the only one home. Unfortunately, I needed to do the dishes as well. Finally, I decided to just put him in the sink beside me and let him "help" with the dishes. HE LOVED IT!!!!! Of course, all of sharp objects were removed from his reach. It made it so much easier to get things done! Too bad it doesn't work that way for laundry! Hahaha

Potty Training

Well, we just took our first trip while in the potty training phase and I have to say that Peyton did amazingly well! It was about a 5 hour trip to Ohio and she did not have one accident while traveling. In fact, the only accident that she had the entire weekend was very small and it was at the reunion before anything really got started. I am so proud of her! She is growing up so fast! We still wear a diaper at night time, but this is more for my sake than hers! I don't want to wash sheets everyday. She rarely wears a diaper for naps and that was a huge step! It amazes me sometimes how easy things have been with her.

Okay, this is incredibly new for me. Although I keep up on messaging my friends either on myspace or facebook like a dork, I am not great at sharing stories about my own family, my daily activities, or deep thoughts. So bear with me in what will most likely be a painful beginning! Hopefully I will get better at this!