I'm Happy to Report

that my baby girl is feeling so much better. Not that it ever really got her down to begin with, but she is done with her antibiotics and 100% again! :-)

I am also on the mend. I haven't finished my own antibiotics, but for the most part would declare myself well! Very thankful that Aaron & Michael didn't get down with either what Emma or I had. It wouldn't have been good to take down the entire household!!

Aaron is about to venture into the wonderful world of Potty Training himself! He is to the point now that every time he wets his diaper it comes off...he's done it once with a dirty diaper, too. Eeewww! (I'm just glad that one happened at the sitter's! Ha ha!) He will sit on the potty, but it's too late by then b/c he's already wet his diaper & removed it.

I let him run around sans diaper for a bit Sunday and Emma put his Cars undies on him (he liked that) - I gave him a talk about not teetee'ing on Lightening McQueen, too! We left to go get snow cones, though and when Michael went to put a diaper back on Lightening McQueen was wet! LOL!

He'll get there eventually, but I'm not pushing...yet! Like Emma he does things on his own time!

This week and next week are short work weeks for me (happy dance)! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Bubbles...Really Big Bubbles

Yesterday afternoon we went out back to play bubbles! I had to wait until "school" was over b/c Emma had Aaron down for nap time! LOL - before that she was busting in my bedroom b/c that was where their class was! She cracks me up!

So, I guess it was recess b/c they finally were ready for bubbles...jeez, I'd only been asking to play bubbles for 30 minutes!!

I bought a new bubble wand for the kids to use at my parents' house when we went on our cruise and wanted to see how well it made big bubbles!

They were awesome - though, now I am on the search for a strong bubble recipe b/c the bubbles we buy these days aren't that great! The bubbles did look awesome, though!

 Aaron liked popping them more than anything! And it was cute b/c every time he did he would say, "Pop Pop" in that adorable little voice of his!

He did try very hard to make his own big bubbles, though!

Emma did a really good job - she made one big one that made it over into the garden!

 

We had a good time and played out there up until it was time to go to bed, which makes for an easy bedtime and a good night's sleep. Though, they were still up bright and early at 6:30 this morning, when I could have easily slept a little longer!!

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!!!

Lots of Sniffing & Coughing Going on Here!!

So, since we came home from our trip on the 7th I've been sick. It was just a cold, but it is still with me. I am super congested - my ears hurt so bad - my eyes are all watery - I have a terrible hacking cough - it's awful! I've gone through a pack of steroids, Mucinex D, & Afrin, but so far nothing has helped. I finally went to the Take Care Clinic at Walgreens yesterday & they put me on antibiotics for a sinus infection. Praying I feel the improvement soon!

And on top of that Emma got sick, too.

She spiked a fever Saturday night of 104.7 - I put her in an ice bath and put cold water on her neck and wrists -we were headed out the door to the ER, but then it started dropping. We kept her fever at bay the next 24 hours by alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen every four hours and thought all was good b/c  her temp was normal all day, but then would come up again during the night.

After a couple days of yo-yo'ing like this we went to the doctor and found out she has strep! Okay, my little girl's pain tolerance is up there - strep is painful, but she never mentioned her throat hurting. Makes me feel like a weenie for complaining about these earaches!! So, she has been staying home this week - getting spoiled by my parents - mostly my daddy, Ha Ha!!! You wouldn't even know she is sick either - she is running around playing like any other day!

I am so thankful that Aaron hasn't got any of this stuff. He did have a runny nose a couple days last week, but that's it and it's cleared up! Needless to say we've been staying close to home. We didn't even make it to church Sunday for Mother's Day. I did get some beautiful flowers, though!

We Went Cruisin'

and we had a blast! We were so, so busy the entire time...relaxing!!!!


We went for 4 nights & made one stop in Cozumel. I got a nice shade of brown...with a little red, too! Hey, I did use sunscreen!! We took a catamaran in Cozumel to an island where we swam, relaxed in the sun, played games, had open bar & buffet, shops, etc. It was exactly what we needed for our little getaway!

Here are a few pics of our time away - there are more on my flickr set. I honestly didn't take that many pictures this trip. All the relaxing just took it out of my I guess! Ha ha!

We laid around on the beach - Michael acted silly - enjoyed the breathtaking views...

And we sipped cold drinks with little umbrellas...there was a drink mixing contest and I have to say the winner was amazing! I don't remember what all was in it, but it had melon and it was truly the most refreshing drink I've ever had. It's the bright one below!

Like I said, it was just what we needed - relaxation!!!

It was very hard to be away from the kids for 4 nights (that's why we chose this short trip)...once we were actually gone it wasn't too bad, but the last night was really hard. I was very anxious to get off the ship the next day. They came to pick us up with my parents & since they got there before we debarked, they parked across from the ship and we were able to wave at the from the deck - that was the longest hour ever! My babies were right there & I couldn't get down to them. They thought it was pretty cool to see the ship, though!

I woke up with a cold the morning we pulled in to dock & I haven't been able to shake it. I finally went to the doc today for something stronger - I'll pick it up on my way home & hopefully it'll knock it out quickly! 

We are ready to go back now, though - already talking about a Disney Cruise for next year with the kids!

Last sunrise! We will dock soon! It's been a great trip!!

My Growing Kiddos

I look at pictures of my babies and it's so hard to believe how much they've grown!

Emma is going to be in Kindergarten in the Fall and I just fathom it's already that time! I swear I feel like it was just yesterday she started at the Day Care. She is over the top excited - I am too, but also know it's going to be hard that day. I've already told my boss I wouldn't be at work that day - I know the waterworks will be in full effect! She is such a sweetie these days, too - always my big helper and has tons of kisses and I Love You's for her mommy!!

Aaron has really developed a huge vocabulary, too. He says everything these days! And he is ever so slightly thinking about using the potty! He sits on it, but nothing has happened so far. He tells me every time his diaper needs changing, though! Maybe by the end of the summer, though I'm not rushing it. All kids come to things in their own time. My babies were quick to crawl, walk, & talk, but potty training took a while with Emma and looks like it may with Aaron, too. I just don't advocate forcing it until THEY are ready, whether or not I am ready!

He is still obsessed with Trains - he loves Dinosaur Train - he carries around Tiny, Shiny, Buddy, King, & The Conductor everywhere as well as the train itself. He's gotten pretty good & balancing them all at the same time...and of course, his blankie is always in tow as well! He may take that thing to Kindergarten! He is all boy, too and thinks he can just from the highest objects - no fear, this one!

I love to just sit back and watch them play and interact with one another - fighting, playing, loving one another - it all just warms my heart. Well, the fighting isn't too heart-warming, but it's a package deal!!! They say I Love You all the time and I'm so thankful they don't have a problem expressing emotions like that - I want them to grow up to be open and engaging young adults - even though I would keep them this age forever if I could!

Tee-Ball and Crashing Cars

We have had a great weekend...it started Friday night with a girls' night for me, which was an awesome way to end the week and start the weekend for me! Saturday we rose bright and early and were out the door in record time for a Saturday to watch this cute little guy run the bases!!

Our nephew had his first ever tee-ball game Saturday morning and I think he had the biggest fan base there! They were all so cute and you could really see the determination on his face while he was playing! 

Michael is so anxious to be out there with Aaron, too - another year or two, though maybe!!

That evening after a fun day of tee-ball and hotdogs we drove out to watch the Demolition Derby. My brother and sister, my niece and her three kids, and another great-niece met us out there. I have a faint memory of going to one of these when I was very little, but don't really remember much about it! Two things to note - it's loud and like SeaWorld, the first few rows are in a splash zone so to speak!! Yeah - I got dirt thrown on me!! LOL! It was a lot of fun, though and the kids really liked it! 

All the pictures unfortunately are through a fence, but it was safer that way for sure! Dirt was flying everywhere, bumpers were falling off, it would have been bad if something else came flying out into the crowd! I have to say, I think to be a driver in this kind of event you have to be just a little bit crazy, too!!! Ha ha!

So, tomorrow it is back to the grind, but it's a very short week for us!! I hope you've had a wonderful weekend as well!

Family Fotos For Friday

Last weekend when we went up to Broaddus for Aunt Vertie's funeral I snapped a couple quick pics of my babies with Grannie. Aaron isn't one for posing these days (as I've stated many times here), so I take whatever I can get with him! One of these days he'll start to understand how a bribe works and then it's on!!! He's gonna have to Smile & say Cheeesssee for the camera to get something from me! LOL! Hey - I'm not above bribing my kids for grins!

We already have a full weekend planned out, so hopefully I'll have a good recap next week!!

Have a Great Weekend!

Lookie what I made!

Homemade Granola Bars!!! Yep - and they were super yummy! And super easy!

Found via Pinterest, of course, but verified that they were yummy from a coworker that made them - she said they didn't last any time at her house - so I finally decided to give them a try last night! And as you can see, this is what the pan looked like after dinner...by bedtime there were even fewer!!

 I WILL be making these more often - and there are so many ways you can make these based on what you like in a granola bar! 

Here is the recipe I used - let me know if you try it out & how you liked it!!

Dinner on the Patio & Snowcones

The weather here has been so beautiful lately - I love it! I love being able to play outside and not have feel like I'm suffocating...and b/c my migraines are so bad, the typical Houston heat tends to make them worse if I'm out in it all day. But...for now I'm not complaining about the Houston weather, b/c it's been spectacular and we're taking full advantage! Yesterday we had dinner outside on the patio - which the kids loved, but I'm here to tell you that it's hard to keep a toddler at the table and eating when the weather is beautiful out & there is a play set and ball & bat very near by and he isn't strapped into a high chair! LOL!! I kept calling him back to the table to finish eating, to which he just replied, "No Thank You!!" - I wasn't offering you something buddy - I was TELLING you to come eat!! He's so cute, though even in defiance, it's hard to get too mad!

Emma was teaching him how to say Cheers!

Eventually he did eat enough that I thought dessert was in order, so we headed off to our favorite Snow Cone Man - Mista Mack - for a frozen treat!

I had Ice Cream flavor, daddy got Watermelon, and the kids both got Rainbow! 

(Mine was the best!!!)

Last year I always got Wedding Cake for Aaron b/c it was yummy, but was white - so no stains! When you have toddlers you think about these things! I didn't remember the flavor, though and after we had ordered and sat down to enjoy Emma said, "Mommy - you have to get Wedding Cake for Aaron b/c it's white!" I swear the girl has the memory of an elephant! Thanks for the reminder Emma - so, next time that's what we'll get! I did change his shirt before we left so at least it wasn't a good shirt that got the color all over it this time!

 I hope this beautiful weather hangs around for a while so we can have more days like this. Tonight Michael is grilling some yummy steaks so we'll be out enjoying it again - hmm...wonder if I can talk him into another trip to see Mista Mack, too!!

Happy Hump Day!