Happy Independence Day!!

Just a quick note from Things 1 & 2 to wish you a VERY Happy Independence Day!!  We hope you had a great holiday and remember the reason we celebrate!!

This and That...

This will be a post of some ramblings, so grab a cup of whatever you'd like, and join me... Will you?!?!


~*~*~HALF MARATHON~*~*~

Bryan and I, along with a friend of ours that we met while we were in Corpus (who has also moved to Little Rock), ran in the Music City Half Marathon last weekend!!  We had SO MUCH FUN!!!  Bryan's parents helped us out by watching the girls for us (and, of course, cheering us on)!!  Thanks, Jay & Jenny!!!  I think the whole thing was a little anticlimactic for the girls, but Bryan, Rita and I had a GREAT time!!  We had to be at the starting line before 7 AM, but it was well worth it!!  Bryan ran the 13.1 miles in just under 2 hours.  Rita and I did it in just under 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I couldn't believe when it was all over that we truly ran 13.1 miles!!!  I can definitely mark that one off my Bucket List!!  Who knows?!?!  Maybe we'll run another one in the future?!?!  I am thinking maybe the Princess Half at Disney World one year!!!  There would be a lot more incentive for the girls there!!!  ;-)

Here are a few photos from the event...

Bryan, Me & Rita before the race began!!

Oh, and did I mention that there were 31,000 participants?!?!  This was the view from the start line!!!

Bryan and me before the race began!!

The race was Saturday morning.  Saturday night they had a free concert downtown for all the participants.  This is Rita and me posing with a cardboard cutout of Rodney Atkins!!  We had a BLAST!!  Oh, and as we were walking in, they were handing out free bags of M&M's.  You better believe we took them up on THAT offer!!  :-)

~*~*~PICNIC TABLE~*~*~

I mentioned to my friend Rita (you can see her smiling face in the above photos) that I wanted to make a preschool size picnic table for the girls.  I had found the plans online and was ready to buy the supplies and dive in.  She said she thought her 4 year old son would love to have one, too, so we headed to The Home Depot, bought our supplies and got to work!!

The girls LOVE it!!  I'm so pleased with how it turned out, too!!  There's even a purple side for Thing 1 and a pink side for Thing 2!! 

I have another woodworking project up my sleeve, but I think Bryan and I will tackle that one together.  We just need to go buy the supplies!!  :-)


~*~*~FIRST SEWING PROJECT FOR...  ME!!!~*~*~

I have made quite a few things with my sewing machine since I received it as a Christmas gift several years ago.  (Thanks, Mom & Dad!!)  Most of what I have done has been projects for the girls (dresses, Busy Books, etc.).  I have done some mending of current articles of clothing.  The one thing I HAVEN'T done is make something for myself!!  This past year for my birthday, Bryan gave me some American Express gift cards to use however I want to.  I have been hanging on to them for quite some time as I haven't made the time yet to go shopping just for me.  There have been quite a few reasons (no one to watch the girls...  I'm having a fat day...  The list goes on...)  Upon completion of the picnic tables, however, I had a couple of projects I'd seen on Pinterest that I wanted to give a whirl.  One of them was a dress for (GASP) me!!  I decided this would be the perfect time to break into those gift cards!!!  So, yesterday, we ate lunch together, then the girls went to their rooms for nap and quiet time, and I went to Hobby Lobby!!!  I was chompin' at the bit all afternoon to get started, but I knew that there was no way that I could work on this project while the "Things" were still awake.  As soon as they were in their rooms for the night, I got the sewing machine out and got to work!!  I had a deadline...  You see, tonight, we went to a potluck BBQ on base with some of our friends, and I was DETERMINED to wear this dress to the BBQ!!!  In less than 3 hours, I had whipped out this baby...

You'll have to excuse the late-night hair, makeup, etc., but I was very pleased with the outcome!!  I wanted something to "embellish" the dress, but nothing has caught my eye just yet.  I have found an idea that I'll try at a later date, but I made my deadline and wore the dress tonight to the BBQ!!  The other girls there told me it was very cute!!  I sure hope they were telling the truth!!  ;-)

Here's a nice self portrait from the car ride to the BBQ tonight!!  :-)

~*~*~BACK TO TRAINING~*~*~

Since pinning on his pilot wings in November, Bryan has been "on hold" with his training.  While we were still in Corpus, we got to have A LOT of family time!!  We tried our hardest to cherish that time because we knew that all good things must come to an end.  Upon arriving here in Little Rock, Bryan was given a job on base in the International Student Affairs Office.  He has really enjoyed his time working there and has learned quite a bit!!!  I'm sure he has some stories to share if you ever sit down and ask him!!  :-)  It's been quite a while since he's been in the classroom, and tomorrow is our last day with him before he's back to the grind!!!  Thankfully, his job with the International students concluded on Friday, and his training doesn't start until Tuesday, so we get a long weekend before we're back in training land!!  Once this training is complete, however, he will be qualified to fly the C-130J!!!!  WaHoo!!!  He's been plugging away at pilot training since we left Abilene almost 2 years ago!!!  Can you believe it's been that long?!?! 

While he HAS been working here, we have had a very "normal" life.  His work days were very regular.  For the first time EVER we got to feel like a normal family.  He was home for dinner every night.  His work day was like that of a civilian working in an office.  I often teased him that this must be how the other half lives!!  HaHaHa.  One of our favorite things to do since we've been here is have picnic lunches on base with him...  The girls and I would meet our playgroup buddies at the park on base and play all morning, then, when lunch time rolled around, and our friends went home, we'd break out our picnic supplies, and Bryan would join us for a little lunch!!  We sure are going to miss those times!!!

This is a photo from our last picnic lunch!!  Maybe we'll still be able to do this on occasion!!  :-)

~*~*~HOW DO I GET TO HEAVEN??~*~*~

You know, sometimes kids ask questions that really catch us off guard.  Last night was one of those nights for me.  I'm not sure I handled it exactly the way I should have, but I did the best I could for thinking on my feet!!

As I was leaving Thing 1's bedroom after tucking her in and reading her story, she pointed out to me that it was getting dark outside.  I said, "yep, sure is!".  That's where the easy answers ended...  Her next question was, "Is Jesus watching me?"  I said, "Of course he is!!  He's ALWAYS watching us.  He always takes care of us!!"  She said, "Where is Jesus?"  I told her that he is in heaven.  She said, "Heaven is really far away, isn't it??"  "Yes, honey, Heaven is really far away."  "Well, Mom, how do I get to Heaven??"  "Well, when it's time for you to go to Heaven, Jesus will come and get you."  "But it's so far away, how will He get here??"  "Well, honey, the angels will come with Him.  They'll fly down, pick you up, and you'll all fly back together."  "Will the animals come with Him?"  "Yes, dear, the animals will come too, but don't you worry about all of this, when it's time, Jesus will make sure that you're well taken care of.  I love you.  Good night."  Mom exits the scene hoping she handled that in an acceptable manner...  So, I'll leave you with this question...  What do you think you would have said?  She just caught me so off guard!!  I have no idea where it came from, and there was no mention of it again today!!  I'm happy to help her understand, but I don't want to scare her with too much talk of death or the fact that when it's her time, the rest of us may or may not be going with her...  YIKES!!  I knew these questions would come up at some point...  I was just hoping I'd be a little more prepared!!

I guess that's about it for tonight.  Thanks for joining me on this little bit of catch up on our lives!!  Hopefully I'll have more to talk about soon!!  We are just hanging out around here.  Everyone has been happy and healthy, and I couldn't ask for more!!!

Have a fantastic week!!

Love you guys!!

Happy Easter!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy (albeit belated) Easter!! We had such a fantastic weekend with my whole family here!! I am hoping to get some photos edited in the next couple of days to post here, but, for now, I hope this one holds you over...


Getting a 1 year old and a 3 year old to look at the camera at the same time when the Easter Bunny has just visited them is not an easy task!! I think this turned out pretty good... Considering our severe handicap!! HaHaHa...

Love you guys!! I hope your week is wonderful!! :-)

It's Been A While...

It's been a while since I last blogged, so I thought I'd check in. We have been super busy trying to get settled in our new house. We absolutely LOVE our new house!! We are about 95% settled. Just a few more photos to hang, and a little more work in the garage (so my car will fit), and we'll be back to normal!! :-)

The girls are doing well. For Lent this year, I "gave up" Maddy's nap time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. During this time, we are doing some school stuff. So far, we've learned about the letters "M", "A", and "D". Maddy is LOVING this one-on-one time!! She can even write the letters "M" and "A" all on her own now. She is so proud when she does it, too!! It makes me so excited for her when she writes the letters all on her own. The "D" is a little tough, but she's still working on it!! This week we're going to give the letter "Y" a try. My goal is to have her be able to write her name first. Thanks to Pinterest, I've found quite a few activities that we can do during our school time. I plan to try a few new ones this week!!

This past week we checked out the story time at the library here. They read 2 books, had an activity for the kids between the books and a craft at the end. It was a little long for Amelia's attention span, but both of the girls seemed to really enjoy the time!! Last week's theme was Dr. Seuss. This week's theme will be St. Patrick's Day. Maddy is already talking about it!! :-)

Amelia is learning new words every day. Her favorite, however, is "no". Sometimes she says it with a cute little smirk on her face, and others she shouts it... Like when Maddy takes a toy from her!! She's really coming into her own lately. I'm loving her little personality that's coming out!!

I have taken on a new project for Easter gifts for the girls. This is likely to take up quite a bit of my time in the coming weeks, but I am hopeful that the end result will be worth all the effort. I am making "Busy Books" for the girls. If you are unfamiliar with what these are, you can google them, but they are basically a soft, sewn book that has activities on each page... Think: learning how to use a zipper, snaps, velcro, matching things, dressing a felt doll with felt clothes, etc. The idea is that they are quiet books to use at church, etc. I am still in the planning stages but am very excited to see the finished product!! If I can keep my act together, I'll take some photos along the way, so you can see the progress!! Let's not hold out too much hope on that, however. I didn't sleep last night because my brain was going 90 to nothing thinking about these books!! HaHaHa.

Bryan has gotten a job at work, since his training doesn't begin until May. He is happy to have some structure back in his life!! He is working in the International Student Affairs office on base. He has already met some really neat people who are here for training. He has also taken the first steps to completing his master's degree!! Woo Hoo!! I say that knowing that I won't be the one writing millions of papers. LoL. Obtaining his Master's is a necessary evil if he hopes to continue with his promotions at work, so here goes nothing!! :-)

Nash is thrilled with our new home. He likes his new yard. We bought a few new rugs for the house (the living room is hardwood). One of the new rugs is in front of the sink in the kitchen, and he really likes laying on that one!! I feel differently about his new-found "spot" since that's right in the middle of my work space in the kitchen, but if he's happy, I can work around him!! :-)

I guess that catches us up on everyone. I hope to blog again soon, but only time will tell if I remember to!! Maybe next time I'll have some photos of the girls!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, and the week ahead is nothing but fantastic!!

Love you guys!!

Another Two Blog Night

Can you believe it?!?! I was on blog hiatus for SO long, and now every time I post, I make multiple posts!! HaHaHa.

Tonight, after making the busy bottles for the girls, I decided to make some quick and easy necklaces for them too... M's has Tinkerbell on it (of course) and A's is just plain and simple. I like them so much, I may make one for myself, too!! :-)

Here's a photo of the necklaces!!


G'night... This momma better get some rest!! 6:30 will be here EARLY!!

Love you guys!!

Busy Bottles

Hi Everyone! I've completed another project that I found on Pinterest!! I think the girls will really like this one. I am saving these for our road trip to Arkansas, so I won't have a review from them for another couple of weeks. I made them a little different from one another... based on their ages.

For Amelia, I put dice, PomPoms, glitter, foam shapes and some jeweled butterflies in a plastic bottle. Then, I filled the bottle with water. She can shake it and hear the dice rattling around, watch the glitter fall and the PomPoms spin around. I am hoping for at least 10-20 minutes of entertainment with this one... We'll see... If not, it was a super inexpensive project, so I'm not out much!!

For Maddy, I put all the same things in her bottle, but I filled it with rice. This makes it a look-and-find bottle. She can shake it and tell me what all she sees... There's even a Tinkerbell button hiding in there!!

Once I filled the bottles, I glued the lids on with Super Glue... No need to tempt fate with spillage in the car!! HaHaHa...

Here is a photo of the bottles!!


I hope everyone's week got off to a good start!! Talk to you soon!! :-)

Love you guys!!

Girls Week

Bryan has been out of town this week, so it's just been the girls and me... Oh, and that silly ole dog we have!! ;-) I have been trying really hard to involve the girls in our dinner arrangements since that's usually the toughest time of the day when I'm flying solo. I have been so excited about our meals this week, and M has been too. Here's what we've had so far...

Monday we ate like Mermaids... I made sushi sandwiches and they had Goldfish and sea shells with them. The sushi sandwiches were just PB&J, but I used the rolling pin and flattened the bread first, then rolled them up and sliced them so they looked like sushi. The "sea shells" were mandarin oranges. M was SO excited about this meal!! She had 3 sushi sandwiches!!! When I make her a PB&J normally, she eats the equivalent of 1 sandwich. I couldn't believe that changing the shape made such a huge difference!!!

Tuesday I just did baked chicken with fruit salad and bread, but M got to help make the fruit salad. I marinated the chicken in some salad dressing and just baked it in the oven... Nothing special, but it tasted good. I cut up all the fruit then had M help me put it in the bowl and stir it. The bread was just some hamburger buns I had in the fridge (we used up all the bread with our sushi sandwiches) that I toasted and put butter on. I cut them into strips (thanks for the idea, Mom), and the girls loved that!! Another successful meal!!

Wednesday I made mini bagel pizzas. M was very into the TV show she was watching and chose not to help with these, but she certainly could have helped!! I just opened the bagels, put a little sauce, pepperoni, black olives and cheese on them, then baked them for about 5 minutes. SUPER easy and the girls LOVED it!! We had grapes as a side dish. They both ate more than I ever expected them to!!

Tonight I made a ham steak, fruit and bread. A ate more of the ham than I did. I cut the steak in half intending for the girls to share one half and I'd eat the other half. M ate one little strip of their half and A ate the rest. When I saw how quickly she was devouring it, I slowed down on my half and ended up giving A about a 1/3 of my half!!! It was crazy!!! I think I may have found a new favorite for A!!! M said she didn't like "regular ham" whatever that means!! Maybe she'd prefer the lunchmeat variety?!?! Either way, they both ate another great dinner!!

Bryan should be home in time for dinner tomorrow night, so it's going to be a Papa Murphy's night for us!! I have DVR'd a couple of movies this week, so we may do pizza and a movie with the girls!!

We're all looking forward to having Daddy home tomorrow! We've done a little "FaceTime" with him on the phone while he's been away. FaceTime is the Apple version of Skype which we can do from our phones. Both of the girls have LOVED getting to see him! They both got to tell him good night tonight. It's so sweet to watch their faces light up when they see him! M likes to tell him all about her day and her toys (as if he doesn't know what toys we have). His only complaint is that he gets motion sick when she carries the phone around while talking. HaHaHa.

Well, I never imagined that I'd have enough for TWO blogs tonight, but I did!! To tell the truth, one of my projects has to be put on hold until Bryan gets home because I need a couple of 20 ounce soda bottles, and I've been trying to lay off the soda lately. I tried water bottles, but the opening isn't large enough for my project, and I didn't make it to the craft store today, so the other projects that are on deck will have to wait!! Wonder if we'll get out the door early enough tomorrow to get some more supplies?!?! :-)

Ok, well, I'll end this now!! I just wanted to share our week of fun food with everyone!! Talk to you later!!

Love you guys!! :-)