Prayer

Prayer.

Pray before bed

(I said this every night before bed as a child)

 Pray before dinner

 Pray when someone is sick

Pray when someone is healed

 Pray for safety

 Pray for peace

Pray for Guidance

 Pray that I don't loose my cool

 Pray that I find the closest gas station when my gas light comes on.

Pray.

When all else fails Pray.

When you don't know what to do Pray.

Pray without ceasing.

"If you're going to Pray don't worry, If your going to worry don't Pray"- Dave Washington

Isn't is awesome that all we have to do is PRAY....(and believe and have faith)

"casting all your cares on Him; for he cares for you ": 1 Peter 5:7

No, I'm not about to jump off a bridge, no I'm not leaving my husband, just thought I share what's on my mind lately.

Hannah's mini Birthday Party

My parents talked me into having H's 2nd birthday party in STL...again. I swore we were doing it in LR, but I felt guilty that my side of the family hardly sees her so with that I said yes. We will drive 6 hours to have a party. BUT we look so forward to seeing everyone.

With that being said, I couldn't ignore the fact that TODAY was her birthday.And because we were completely exhausted from our vacation it was 105 degree's today. We had no other option but to take our birthday girl swimming. Which she loves. Then we finished our night with a little cake and ice cream and presents. We kept saying "Happy Birthday Hannah" and she'd say "Happy Birthday Mama"

Ice cream cake....because she's too young to care. She wasn't a fan of the ice cream cake...

Waiting for presents.

Butterfly wings...

She caught daddy...

Orange Beach 2012

We're home!!! I will miss waking up to the sounds of the ocean, but it sure is nice to be home.

Mike kept saying how much fun he had but it was sad that Hannah won't remember this trip.  What a buzz kill :) So I figured if I take 603 pictures...which I totally did..and keep this blog she could look back and reminisce about our fun family vacation.

I was super pumped for this vacation. Not only were we going to the beach but Devin got to go with us. And let's face it he's 16 and lives six hours away ..so when we get time with the D'MAN( we totally don't call him that..to his face) we love it.

I tried to keep up with the blog on vacation but let's face...It was vacation and I drank every day. So there were plenty of things that were toss to the side for the ocean.

So from here on down this post is going to be pretty random..

I did manage to go on a run twice. The first time I ran with Samantha. We didn't run far or very fast. I was totally unfocused, running and chit chatting, and puked. I don't know if it was too many frozen already had alcohol in it/amazing/you should try it daiquiri drinks or the raunchy pancake smell but I lost it. It was gross.

The second time I went running I was alone and on a mission. I ran back on the beach. Which was beautiful but SO PAINFUL.

Wednesday -Friday was a blur on vacation. I know there was a lot of beach/pool time.

We stayed at this Beach House. It was amazing. I loved that we walk right down to the beach and get thrown around in the waves get in the ocean and when that got old we could walk our happy butts up to the pool. The private pool. The kids loved it.

We went on vacation with the Lindsey's

And the Coalter's



So, I realize we were in "Sea Food Heaven" but being a girl that wasn't into seafood..I was in "Sea Food Hell" for reals...

We ate at Live Bait. This place looked fun. It even had a place outside where you could feed turtles. The kids loved it. The food...we'll let's just say my food was a little "Hairy" I can hardly type this without gagging. I was sick the entire night. So I'll just move along...to the next restaurant

Cotton's. This place was AMAZEBALLS. The food was excellent and Hannah slept through the entire dinner. 

 Actually, now that I think about it. This was the "Girls shopping day" we went the Tanger Outlet Mall and on the way back we stopped at chick-fil-a and I don't know if I was starved from the previous night or if I was just so excited to walk into a restaurant and not have the seafood aroma suffocating me but this chicken sand which was mouth watering. Let's just say I made a happy plate.

So, at cotton's I drank the famous "Bushwhacker" (or what I called a TalleyWhacker...because I'm 5 years old) and nibbled off of every one's plate.

One day we went to Bubba's Seafood House for lunch. Mike and Devin both enjoyed their food. I of course passed.
The best place by far was The Hangout. This place was so cool. They had a huge sand mound for the kids to play on. They also had a bubble machine and a band. Hannah danced and danced.

Boy...after re-reading this it looks like all we did was eat. Guess that's how I gained six pounds on vacation.
Mike and Devin got to go Ocean Fishing at Zeke's Landing.
We also went to the The PIER. Which was really cool. We saw a ton of sting rays. Someone even caught a shark. It was pretty cool.

All in all vacation was a great time. Minus the first few day that Mike self diagnosed himself with death. Poor guy had a cold.  It was never a dull moment. Hannah managed to lock herself in a room...alone. Thanks to Stacey who talked her into unlocking the lock all by herself. (while I was running around like a mad women trying to find a screw driver.)

I'm already planning next year's trip.

Vacation Part 2

Monday, we hit the beach. I'm pretty proud that all of us are getting a great tan. Our beach house also has a pool. Which comes in handy after one too many crashes by the waves.

After a morning of water we decided to hit up some souvenir shops. You know the one's where you can find, clothes, flip flops, jars of sharks blah blah blah.

Then we went to LU LU's . It was a cool place. BUT really super hot.

After lunch we skipped naps. (which we paid for later) and went back to the beach. I absolutely love hearing the ocean, being in the ocean, running in the ocean...and all of the above.

Then we went to Mikee's. This place was interesting. It's had some serious Ivan damage. It was pretty neat to see the pictures.

After MIKEE's we called it a night...which we can do..because we are on VACATION!!

Hannah Le'Anne

It seriously breaks my heart that my little baby girl is two!! TWO YEARS OLD!!! Really? Where does the time go? The time between 0-1yrs was pretty fast but 1-2 years just FLEW by. It really is a joy watching Hannah grow and learn new things but a part of me wants her to stay my sweet little girl.

So here is the skinny of Hannah at two years old:

 She hits the scale at a whopping 25 pounds

She is   inches tall

She's a pretty good eater. Her favorite foods are: Pancakes, Fruit, Bacon, and of course cookies

She's still only gets milk (vitamin D) and water. Although this summer I've been pretty lenient on the apple juice and lemonade

She LOVES swimming. She has no fear of anything

FEARLESS. She will try anything

She's taking gymnastics

She's taking dance

She is no longer taking naps...for me that is...Linda somehow gets her to take one during the day.

Her favorite shows are: Diego, Dora, Fresh Beat Band.

She's really a movie girl: Smurfs, Toy Story, Shrek, Gnome & Juliet, "Puppy Tales" aka Dolphin Tales, and of course RIO

She's talking.. a lot...in full sentences

She LOVES shoes. She puts them on...then takes them off...then repeats

She's into baby dolls. I often catch her rocking her baby..It's the sweetest thing

She stays home with Grandma Lassen. They both love it. We are very blessed.

She's definitely a girlie girl. Loves her dresses. Not so much the bows.

We are at the beginning stages of potty training. She's ready...I am not. lol..BUT when we get a few days off in a row, we are hitting the potty training with full force.

She loves animals. When we read our books she forces prefers that I point every object out on the page and tell her what it is

She's riding her tricycle pretty well. I think she gets bored with it. She would prefer to run around like a crazy person instead.

She LOVES to dance..to any types music. BUT let's just say she "feels the beat" when MIMI plays her music...lol it's the black side of her coming out :)

She loves her brother

She has a sweet tooth like her mama

She's not too big in the meat department but she loves her fruit and veggies

She is healthy, she is sweet, she is a TOTAL daddy's girl, She is truly one of our greatest blessing.

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!

  

Work less Wednesday #7

So...I'm not even going to lie and say I remember exactly what we did on WW#7. I suffer from "I'm on vacation and my days run together"

I can tell you we spent the day at Orange Beach! Which by far the greatest work less Wednesday.

Hannah loved the beach...

And the best part....She got to hang out with her best buds...

So needless to say this work less Wednesday was full of friends, sand, sun, frozen drinks, and great friends.

Vacation Part 1

aaahh...Vacation...It just doesn't get any better than this. I could get use to sitting on the deck in the mornings. Watching the sunrise. Getting lost in the sounds of the ocean. So peaceful.

Any who, just because I'm on vacay..It doesnt' mean my body won't wake up at 5am. It could be that Mike and I had way too much fun yesterday and called it a night at 11...but whose really counting.

So we made it to OB Saturday around 5pm. We left the house at 5am. Yes.. for real. That was a long day in the car.  Surprisingly H did really well. BUT the last hour. Girlfriend was DONE with being in the car. I can't say I didn't blame her. we were all tired. Thankfully we traveled down with our buddies..who also had a 2 year old. So they got it. And they totally understood the  "WE have to stop because H is having a meltdown."

Once we arrived at our beach house, we headed straight for the ocean. We all couldn't wait to see the babies reaction. Some loved it, some hated it but our Hannah...LOVED it. Seriously took her shirt off and laid right in it. The girl has no fear. She had a ball.

Sunday, we spend all day in the ocean. I thought it was really funny..as the waves got closer. H continued to move her toys back so the water wouldn't get them. She is totally my child.

We are having a ball. We are so thankful to be able to get away for a week with great friends.

Work less Wednesday #6

Since my birthday fell on work less Wednesday #6. Hannah got the shaft. Well not really. She spent the day with TEE TEE Amber.

So we really had Work less Friday instead.

After many.."I'm too busy to take Hannah to get her first haircut" I finally caved. I took my baby and had her hair cut.

So many emotions

ME:

"But she's my baby"

"But that's her baby curls"

"What if her curls don't  grow back"

"Maybe tomorrow..or maybe next year"

Mike:

"It's just hair"

"It will grow back"

"babe she has a mullet"

"You have to cut it sooner or later"

"BABE... she has a mullet"

"Babe she looks like the dude from the college poster"

So I put my big girl pants on and headed to Pigtails and Crew cuts and I cut my baby girls hair.

This is before:

Just a little mullet-ish...

She looks so cute...

Happy Birthday to me!!

Another year...WOW...Where does the time go? I can't believe I'm 25...again....for the 6th time. It's amazing the older you get the more the little things just don't matter anymore. I remember being "young" and having birthday weekends. Parties, Booze, Friends, Trips, Gifts, BBQ's, Bars and of course Birthday Shots.

 

Those days are OVA!!!

My sister came up on Sunday to spend the week with us. We LOVE when Amber comes. The night before my birthday we decided to act like teenagers and go to a 10:40pm movie. What was I thinking? I don't know if it was the Vodka Lemonade that I drank or the fact that it was after 10:00pm but I didn't make it 15 minutes without falling asleep.

This year I got to sleep in for my birthday. Thanks for my wonderful sister Then I had a day of relaxation and pampering. Hair (which was way over due) Mani And Pedi. It was wonderful!!

oh and my wonderful husband send me flowers..

 And my sweet MIL and baby girl made me a cake

I realize as I get older what really is the important things in life. I am so blessed to see another year I am so blessed to have 2 healthy kids, I am so blessed to have a hard working husband, I am so blessed to have my MIL who is such a blessing to have here. I am so blessed to have a roof over my head and food to eat.

Flip this room Part 2/Hannah's Big Girl Room

Hannah's room is finally finished.

Displaying Lauren's awesome photography.

I found these toy chests on craigslist for $20.00! just added a little paint and they are perfect!

I have a love/hate relationship with this. I love the colors but this arrangement is triggering my OCD. I prefer things to be even and balanced. I'm going to leave this up and see if it grows on me.

I found the bed frame at Goodwill. $5.00 and some paint! LOVE IT!!

My sweet MIL made these curtains for H. I searched HIGH and LOW for teal chevron fabric. NO one carries it. So when all else fails....go to ETSY. You can find anything on there.

Hannah's Shadow Box. This is all the items from the hospital. I can't believe she was that small.

I think she likes it.

Work less Wednesday #5

Hannah and I went to The Wonder Place yesterday. It was a hit!! We'll definitely be going back.

This is our wonderful Wonder Place Photo Bucket:

We played in the water.

Meet Hannah the Veterinarian. She checked on "Horse's" heart (which was located in his neck)

We grocery shopped. Which was my favorite.

Paying for her groceries

We made Lunch

She had a ball. This place was clean and the price was reasonable.

Dallas Wedding Weekend

Thursday night Mike and I headed to Dallas after work for the VU & Boyer Wedding. I worked all day Thursday and was in no mood to leave Hannah. It was really sad leaving her. I knew she was in good hands..but there was something that just ripped my heart out when she yelled "mommy mommy"...when I left. I cried all the way to Malvern. My sweet sensitive husband told me to get a grip and shoved a taco down my throat. It took a minute but I got a grip and enjoy the time with Mike.

We made to to Dallas around 11:00pm. I was exhausted and it showed. We stayed at the Marriott City Center it was super nice. I jumped in the shower then Mike and I headed to the Lobby bar. It's amazing what a glass of Reisling can do for the soul.

I was so proud of Mike and I. We ran both days.

I can't get this dang picture to turn right side up....

Friday, we were invited the the Koren wedding at Lisa's parent's house. I loved the experience of the different culture's and the food was amazeballs. Isn't she pretty..

We had the rehearsal dinner at Dakota's . It was the best steak I have ever had. It was so nice to sit and meet with Lisa and her friends and family.

here we go again with the jacked up picture...WTH?

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I know it wasn't really about Mike but he looked so handsome. He was a little paranoid about the rings but he did great.

 I for some reason don't have any pictures from the wedding and I'm so mad that I don't. Lisa and Adrian both looked amazing.

The reception was at The Dallas Petroleum Club. Great time. Mike did great on his best man speech.

It didn't take him long to loosen up and get moving on the dance floor.

Yep..He's mine...Be jealous...

 Aren't we cute?

Work less Wednesday #4/ Happy 4th of July

I've always loved the 4th of July. I remember as a kid having family over, bbq, lots of people hanging around the house chatting and laughing all day. Then we'd pile in Dad's truck and he'd find what would appear to be a "shady area" but it would be the PERFECT place to watch the downtown fireworks. It was awesome. I had high hopes of giving Hannah the same experience this year.

That is until I saw the temperature. 104 degrees. #umnothankyouverymuch

We played around the house Wednesday morning. Well really I played and when I say "played" I mean watched useless T.V and ran. Hannah didn't wake up until 10:30am. CRAZINESS and she went to bed at 9:00pm. Her MIMI left Tuesday and I guess she was worn out from being spoiled playing with her MIMI.

We did a lot of laughing with Mimi..we love our mimi... We miss our MIMI...I'm not really sure how or why my hair looks so crazy in this picture, but I'm REALLY not sure as to why no one told me?
Mike has been itching to see movies lately. although I couldn't get him to go see "MAGIC MIKE" with me. Thank you Stacey for stepping in.  Later that afternoon, Mike suggested going to see a movie. I thought "What the hay it's too hot to do anything else" (plus Hannah ended up taking a 2 hour nap...crazy sleepy/I'm growing phase I guess) On the way to the movie, Mike was trying to talk the AVENGERS up.."Oh..Neil and Sweet Timmy saw this moive..they LOVED it" "really? oh great" is what I was thinking...and by that I was thinking we'll at least I can get a nap in today.

The movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either.

I thought the heat would break a little by the evening and had hopes of going to the "Benton Family Festival" but to no avail. 103. Too dang hot to get out. Plus with all of this heat the Benton fireworks had already been cancelled. I felt bad for Hannah. I wanted her to experience the 4th of July like I did as a kid..She even had a cute little 4th of July outfit to wear. I couldn't even talk Mike into grilling so he went and got pizza and beer and that was our 4th of July festivities.

Side note: When we traveled across the county line to the liquor store (still totally hate that we live in a dry county) Mike comes out with this:

REALLY? Who drinks this? Those were my exact words and Mike's all "Babe...it's 4th of July...you HAVE to drink the Blue Ribbon" I've never had it before and Mike described it as having a "little bit of a vinegar taste" #umnothankyouverymuch
We spent most of our day in the pool. We have a neighborhood pool but it's not very toddler friendly, plus every Tom, Dick and Harry is usually down there so we opt for our blow up pool in the backyard. That way we have unlimited access to the wine bathroom and H can swim in her birthday suit. I'm not really sure as to why she won't keep a swimsuit on? But she's so stinky cute anyway.