Marriage...

For those interested - Bryan and Erin will be "tying the knot" on May 10th!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

DISNEY BOUND!!

I just booked our first family trip (minus Sarah) to Disney!! I am just GIDDY!! We go Jan. 25-29! We are flying, too, which is another happy! This trip has been in the planning stages for a year or more, so I'm so excited to actually have REAL DATES to go! We aren't telling Beth until a few days before we leave!! YIPPEE! I'm planning to book a time at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique for Beth to be get all dolled up (and maybe me, too!) and that will be the same day she gets to go to Epcot to the Princess luncheon! Think she'll dig that??

Torticollis

I was diagnosed with VIRAL TORTICOLLIS a week ago, after dealing with HORRIBLE neck and upper back pain for a few days in Lexington (I literally couldn't turn my head and any movement at all hurt like the dickens!) I'm taking some hefty Motrin and muscle relaxers now (only at night), but, I'm really not getting a lot better. They even tested me for menongitis (eek -scary!), but it was negative, thankfully! So, I'm stuck with a sore, stiff neck for now. Its really a pain in the a$$! The doc wants me to cut my muscle relaxers in half and take them during the day, too, to see if that helps! I hate taking "those" kind of prescriptions - the ones that make me feel so "out of it." I even hate some allergy medications for the same reason. I just don't like feeling so out of control of my own body.

What is torticollis?
Torticollis, also known as wryneck, is a twisting of the neck that causes the head to rotate and tilt at an odd angle.

Torticollis is caused by irritation to cervical nerves, which results in spasm of the neck muscles. In addition to vigorous movement or injury, torticollis may be caused by the following:
sleeping in an awkward position
anxiety
neck muscle injury at birth
burn injury
any injury that causes heavy scarring and skin shrinkage
neck muscle spasm
herniated disc
viral or bacterial infection

What are the symptoms of torticollis?
The following are the most common symptoms of torticollis. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
neck muscle pain or pain down the spine
inability to turn the head, usually holding it twisted to one side
spasm of the neck muscles
awkward position of the chin

The Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch!

We FINALLY made it to the Apple Orchard today...and what a let down. I don't think we'll go back. Only AFTER purchasing apples I ASSUMED were grown there, I learned that they were bought in from somewhere else because the April freeze killed most of their apple blossoms. I could have gone to Walmart and bought the exact same apples. Geez. So anyway, we let the girls play in the corn pit and that was interesting. It had some foul odor that was just awful, so we scooped them out of there and went to pet the farm animals. Okay - so they had two goats, 4 piglets a calf and an older calf and two gineau pigs (at a petting zoo?) and three ducks...none of which looked healthy, but they entertained the girls for a few moments. After about 45 minutes, we were outa there....overall, it wasn't a great experience. SOOO, we decided to stop at the pumpkin patch, the same one that Beth's nursery school class goes to, on the way home. It was SO much better....cleaner and the animals looked nice and healthy and there was more to do. But, as luck would have it, I ran out of "space" on my digital camera and didn't get many great shots at the Pumpkin Patch. Oh well. We were there for about 1 1/2 hours and then went to eat dinner at DQ (of all places!) . Both girls were in bed by 7:00! Day well done!

Beth at the Orchard:

Sarah at the Pumpkin Patch:
Sarah feeding the nice fat cow at the Pumpkin Patch:
Beth and Sarah going through the hay maze at the Pumpkin Patch:

Sarah ...18 months old.

Sarah is 18 months old now.....so we went today for her 18 month check-up and guess what - she's still little! Big surprise, I know! She's 21 1/2 lbs and 31 1/2 inches tall. That is how big Beth was at her 12 month check-up. Everyone always asks why Sarah looks so much younger than Beth did at this age...well the answer is she is just SMALLER! Plain and simple! The doctor says she will catch up - no worries! I don't think he ever met my grandmother Honey, though! She was a TINY woman....maybe Sarah is taking after her?? That would be a good thing! Sarah is doing everything she is supposed to be doing at 18 months and saying MANY more words than the "norm" at this age. I'd say I can understand between 30-40 words if I actually wrote them all down. Now, I'm not sure ANYONE else would understand all those words, but I sure do! She's still spunky, fiesty and energetic! There's no slowing her down!

Ky Horse Park - Then and Now

In 2004 when we took Beth to her first UK game in Lexington, we also made a stop at the Kentucky Horse Park that Sunday morning before heading home. She loved the statues and running free and getting her "horsey" (little stuffed horse she STILL sleeps with), but HATED the real horses and was terrified of them. This time around - 3 years later and with a little sister in tow - she LOVED them and even rode a pony! That's BIG, believe me! Of course, just like everything else that is different between the two siblings, Sarah LOVED the horses an she was just fascinated. It was like de ja vu - we did a quick tour of the park and then played on the playground and JUST LIKE IN 2004 - it was MELT DOWN time when we left the playground to go eat. Beth had the meltdown..not Sarah! MAJOR MELTDOWN! Sarah had a few tears, but she was just plain hungry!

So - take a trip down memory lane with me - Beth at the Horsepark 2004 vs. 2007....

And Beth vs. Sarah at Horse Park - each were exactly 18 months old when they went:

BETH:

SARAH:

Do you see a theme here? The PLAYGROUND? It was perhaps the highlight of the day! I wish both girls had been in a better mood to capture some GOOD pictures. We DID manage to get a FEW....

So, exactly how many HANDS tall are my girls? It appears that Beth is just a tad over 11 hands tall and Sarah...well....Sarah barely made the chart at 7 hands tall!

HEY LOOK - EVERYONE is SMILING!!!! (even the horse!)
I LOVE THIS PICTURE:
There are LOTS of other pictures I could post, but I'd bore you to death with pictures of beautiful horse and horse country and my beautiful daughters in the middle of the beautiful horse country! Okay....just one picture of pretty Kentucky horse country...

The rolling hills...the spralling white fences...totally Kentucky! Love it!

Lessons learned from having TWO children...and other observations from a weekend in Lexington....

I have a LOT to say & lots of pictures, to hang in there with me for a while.

We got back from Lexington late yesterday afternoon and we are all WORN out. I haven't witnessed the girls as cranky as they were yesterday in a LONG time. I can't entirely say I had a FUN weekend, because that is just not the word I would use....I had a HAIRY weekend is more like it! So, this is what I learned this weekend:

1) Tailgating with one child is a piece of cake, no matter her age. Tailgating with two is CRAZY! And add 35 fraternity boys on top of that, plus about 8-10 additional adults and you get it. It was insane. Also - note to self - NEVER EVER EVER start tailgating at 10:00 a.m. for a 3:30 game - NO MATTER WHAT!

2) Taking a small child INTO a football game isn't easy, but it isn't hard. At least ONE person gets to watch the game, while the other one entertains. Taking TWO into a football game is a "whole new ballgame" in itself. Add a serious case of the "tireds," plus the heat of the scorching afternoon sun and you've got TWO miserable children. That would equal two miserable adults. I don't think I watched two consectutive plays the entire time we were there.

3) Two tired children + one stroller = problems.

4) Leaving at halftime and watching the rest of the ballgame in the hotel room = the best idea we'd had all day!

5) They'd much rather go to the Kentucky Horsepark!!
6) Getting a picture with all four of us is next to impossible. IMPOSSIBLE.
7) No matter how big of deal you make, a 4 year old will never understand "engagement." Oh yeah...did I mention my brother is engaged?!?!?! YIPPEE!!! Information to follow in the next few days/weeks.....


Okay - so let me recap the things that Beth LOVED about the weekend:
1) getting to throw peanut shells on the floor at Logans. WOW!

2) getting to go swimming in the COLD hotel pool.

3) throwing ALL the bed pillows on the floor and jumping into them over and over again.

4) eating a chocolate "muffin" for breakfast.

5) eating a cinnamon roll for breakfast.

6) running up and down the hotel hall.

7) visiting all the horses at the Ky Horsepark (i.e. pony ride!) and the playground.

and finally...

8) getting a new coloring book!

Geez.........

Later this week....Ky Horse Park 2004 vs. 2007........ and "How many 'Hands' Tall are Sarah & Beth?"

GOOD DEAL ON KIDS' SHOES!! ACT FAST!

www.darlingshoes.com

Use promo code CITY85 for 85% off your purchase. Not valid on sale or clearance shoes. BUT - EIGHT-FIVE PERCENT OFF EVERYTHING ELSE!!! I got two pairs of shoes for Sarah for this winter in the next size up for under $9. (plus shipping, which was $7.50). So -total was a tad under $16 for 2 pairs of nice shoes - I can't even do that at Target! HURRY - I have no clue when the code expires and the inventory seemed to be drindling.....

Some random thoughts...

1) My cousin David is engaged! YEAH!! He is going to marry an adorable girl that the whole family just adores...Sherry. No details yet on a wedding date...but nothing big is expected. We saw "the ring" last night at his big dinner party and WOW! You did good, Dave! Wonder who in the family will be next? Hum.......

2) UK beat LSU! HOLY COW!! The Bluegrass was rocking Saturday night! Its a BIG DEAL to beat the No. 1 team in the country and not because it was "luck" or a "fluke," but because we are REALLY THAT GOOD this year! Bring on Florida! We are GOING to that game...with both girls in tow, so that should be a real experience...but should also produce some excellent Kodak moments! Does anyone have any good ideas on how to keep an 18 month old "contained" at the tailgate party???

3) We went to Murray State Homecoming on Saturday. I'm not entirely sure why we keep going. Everytime one or both of us come home mad. The fraternity just ISN'T the same anymore and its not going to change just for a Homecoming event. A few other things were very apparent to us this year, too....no need to divulge details at this time...or anytime. Hence, I don't think either of us would be "sad" to miss any more MSU Homecomings. I'd rather go to the Ham Festival, apple orchard or the pumpkin patch....or something else to make fun fall memories with my kids. While I do want my girls to know I graduated from MSU and I'm proud of the education I got there, I'm just not sure attending a Homecoming parade and Tent City for 30 minutes is the way to let them know about their parents' college background. With as much as we do AT UK in Lexington and the games on TV, etc....I think they think we went to UK. We hardly ever talk about MSU...we don't watch their sports games (IF there are even on TV). Given a UK event or a MSU event, we're going to chose the UK event, hands down, each time, because, well...its much more fun! Kinda sad, huh? I don't know why our loyalties never remained true to The Racers? Don't get me wrong, I'm PROUD to be a Racer alumni, but when it comes to school spirt, its all about THE WILDCATS! I guess its because in this state, its all about the BIG BLUE from the moment you are born, regardless of where you eventually end up for college. (and how crazy is this...sometimes I tend to show my "2nd" loyatly to Alabama, even though I only went there for a year and it was a BAD experience...strange how that works out.)

4) Nothing new to report on Beth or Sarah - both are good and healthy....although a tad cranky. Sarah is cutting her "canine" or "eye" teeth. Beth is just tired, I think. I'm going to spend the week trying to get everyone in bed early or ON TIME at least, so we'll all be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the big upcoming weekend in Lexington!

GO CATS!

Its FINALLY Fall!!

Low of 45 last night - high of 65 today! WOO HOOO!!!! Long sleeves and pants- finally!!

So, Monday, I took a Halloween picture of Beth in her short sleeves and shorts (90 degrees) and today I took one of Sarah in her Halloween outfit (or one of them!). QUITE a difference in weather and Sarah wasn't quite as cooperative as Beth, but nonetheless....cute!

Beth's Trip to Florida with Grammy & Dandaddy

As I have made reference to these last several weeks, Beth got to go on her own little vacation with her Grammy & Dandaddy! This is the 2nd time I've let her go by herself and both times have gone very smoothly. I'm not sure she even missed us! She was gone a total of 8 days, too! Here are some of the pictures my mom took....

This is Beth proudly holding the hermit crab she caught....it sadly didn't survive the week.


One of her favorite things to do in Destin is to feed the seagulls popcorn. You can see from this picture that those dang birds follow her around like puppies when she is holding the popcorn bag!


The below picture was taken the Thursday night of the UK v. South Carolina game (we lost - bummer), but notice the brown boots! I had asked mom to take her to the Stride Rite outlet to get her feet sized and she came out with these boots and mom said she INSISTED on wearing them to dinner that night....whatever, right? Nothing cuter than a pink shirt, pink shorts and brown suede boots! Hehehehe - reminds me of that McDonalds' commercial where the little girl wears boots, a big hat and a feather boa to McD's.....


The last day they were there, I think Beth was "done" with the beach & sand, so they took her to the Gulfarium in Ft. Walton. Here she is petting starfish.
It all makes me a little jealous since I love it down in Destin! BUT, I know she is building great memories by herself!

Next on our October agenda: MSU Homecoming and cousin David's family dinner! :-)

Is it Seriously October??

I have lots to say today! (Leia - see post below)! We had a nice calm weekend....partly because we all just needed some down time, partly because Beth was too exhausted to get off the couch after her 8-day escapade in Florida and partly because Sarah came down with the 24-hour "Bug" on Saturday night.

Like most of the midwest and southeast, we are wondering "is this really October?" It was 90 degrees this weekend and again today....and HUMID, too. It feels much more like August. In fact - I don't think I've EVER been able to take a picture like this in October:

That was Sarah on Saturday (before the bug hit). She played in the water for about 30 minutes, then tootled around the yard for a while before it got just TOO hot to be out anymore.

And I'm glad I ran into a short sleeve Halloween shirt for Beth...might be all she gets to wear this year!

It felt very strange putting up fall/Halloween decorations this weekend when it was 90 degrees...something about that just isn't right! BUT, the good news is that by next weekend, we'll be in the low '70's again! YEAH! Maybe we WILL get a fall, afterall!

*I'll put up a few pictures of Beth in Florida later this week!

So what exactly ARE Gymbucks, you ask?

Good question! I love the store Gymboree...not only because of the coordinating lines of adorable clothing (most of the time), but really because their clothes hold up GREAT! The stuff that Sarah is just now outgrowing that has been worn by Beth and Sarah still looks great!! It doesn't fade and I've NEVER had an issue with holes, rips, etc....its just basically all around great clothing. That being said, I REFUSE to and I have NEVER paid full price for anything Gymboree. Ever. I wait for the lines to go at least 40% off before I buy anything...or if I get a coupon in the mail or whatever. The last round that I bought, I had a 20% off coupon, ON TOP OF THE ONLINE SALE they had going on, which was an extra 20% off everything on sale. I got a ton of spring/summer things for Beth and a few fall things for both girls. I think I got a total of 12-15 items all together and paid around $62.

Okay - so Gymbucks.....a few times a year, they offer Gymbucks. So, for ever $50 you spend at the store or online during that time (its usually a 3-4 week period), you earn $25 in Gymbucks towards a $50 purchase. So - if you buy $62 in clothing like I did, you earn $25 in Gymbucks. Spend $100, get $50 in Gymbucks; spend $150 and get $75 in Gymbucks....and so on and so on. Then a few weeks later, they have Gymbucks Redemption time, which TYPICALLY coincides with a release of a big line (like Christmas or their first Summer line). You only have about a week to redeem the Gymbucks, so inventory usually goes FAST during this time. Its their own little inventory reduction sale. To redeem the Gymbucks, you have to spend twice the amount of the Gymbuck (before tax). Its BASICALLY just like getting 50% off anything in the store. So...I hit the 40% off Sale stuff and used my Gymbucks for that. I spent RIGHT at $55 or so dollars....so after redeeming my $25 in Gymbucks, I only paid $30 for 2 complete outfits that would have normally cost well over $100 at full price. Make sense?

Home Sweet Home

We're back from Indy. It was a nice vacation and it was fun to see our old stomping ground and old friends. The town is growing and our old "subburb" is REALLY booming with lots of new retail and restaurants. I shopped for 4 days while Bob went to his seminar. I tried to get most of my Christmas shopping done for the girls...and I think I just about did. I'm going to wait to finish up Beth's shopping after she gives me her "list," but I think Sarah is DONE with the exception of a few items - probably books. There is a new Gymboree store in Greenwood, so I was able to redeem my Gymbucks at the store instead of online, which was a GOOD thing! I think I was in the store for at least 45 minutes! Oops! But I got Beth 2 cute outfits for the fall/winter!

We picked up Sarah last night, but Beth is still in Florida until Saturday or Sunday...not sure what day they are coming home, yet. I'd forgotten how EASY it is with just one kid around the house! Its so weird....and quiet!!

This weekend is going to be relatively low-key I think. Bob is going fishing and I may or may not take Sarah to the apple orchard. Its supposed to be HOT, so I'm not sure that is the best idea. Next weekend is MSU Homecoming and the weekend after that we go see UK play Florida in Lexington! It will be Sarah's first BIG BLUE experience! We're trying to get her pumped up and even taught her the Wildcat growl! Hehehehe!