This man is on his way home from Peru. We can't wait to see him!! He should arrive on Sunday night after hours of flying and a really long drive from Miami. We ask that nobody take any potty breaks and only drive-thru for meals so you can get here faster. We love you, Daddy!!!

Ok, so I know I already posted something today and that most of you probably freaked when you saw the title, but I had to add one more thing that happened while blogging today. You know how you have to type in those curvy looking letters (some sercurity thing) when you comment on someone's post? Well, usually they don't spell anything that even looks like a normal word, but today it did. You want to know what those letters were???? s-p-e-r-m. Yup! SPERM!!! And you want to hear the kicker? Apparently I don't know how to spell that b/c I had to do it again! I think I was in my foggy state of mind when I was doing it. I just had to share that with everyone. I thought it was pretty funny that of all the words it could have spelled THAT was the one I got. Here are two more photos of the kids I had to add:

Sophie's head full of curls, which I am totally in love with!!!! I hope it stays, but if not I'm fine with a bob. There is nothing cuter than a little girl with a bob haircut and a bow in it!

And of course, Christopher's new shoes. He is one of the rare ones who loves Mater more than Lightning McQueen and as soon as I saw these we grabbed them. They were on sale and his best friend, William, has the LM ones. I can't wait to see them wear them at the same time. Oh, and yes, he only wears these now. Who cares if I got him some knock off crocs or he has super cool New Balance tennis shoes. It's Mater from here on out. Do it while you can son, do it while you can. : )

NO, it's not a baby! Or a puppy. I"m talking about the blog. I was looking at a blog my mom sent me and ended up on Etsy again. I am slow and in my own little bubble, so I didn't know what Etsy was until a couple months ago. I don't allow myself to go there b/c I know I will get completely lost and my child will be screaming for an hour waiting for me to get her out of the crib from her nap and I still will be drooling over all the wonderful things I can buy online. SO, I decided that I would only let myself play there a little here and there and then add links to my favorites on my blog. This is more for me b/c I'm terrible about finding something and then losing it just as fast b/c something comes up and I can't find it again. Now, if you want to save me some time and send me your favorites, that would be awesome too! I have this obsession, that I have yet to actually dive into, with pottery. I took 2 different classes in college and well, I was terrible. Ok, so the first thing my teacher said was it takes about 5 years to get really good and be able to throw something successfully everytime. I knew then and there that I didn't have a future as a potter. I don't have the patience to wait 5 years to be good at something, I'd rather appreciate someone else doing it. Also, my other classes were so time consuming and my pottery prof. didn't care if you showed up, just had your work completed for the last day, so I was usually working the last week of class and did the easiest thing I could think of. Now, I'm excited b/c there are TONS of antique, and other shops of the sort, around here that I'm dying to check out! I haven't been in any of them yet b/c I have 2 small children that I know will break something as we are walking down the aisle and I don't want to pay for some tacky figurine when I want to spend my money on something pretty and interesting. My goal is to go this summer. I know, I sound silly for dreaming about going into a store to leasurely shop without kids, wait a minute, no I don't! What mom doesn't dream about that?? Anyway, I KNOW that I will be able to do it this summer b/c I plan on having both kids enrolled in Mother's Day Out. Now THAT is really what I'm dreaming of! : )

I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the birthday wishes (and gifts) that were sent either through email, phone call or mail. I appreciated each and every one of them! I'm also going to apologize for not calling back. Christopher has decided to act very "two" lately and says no to everything, which makes running errands, which are a must, exhausting. It seems the kids have a little bit of a cold and maybe a stomach thing, resulting in odd diapers. (Sorry if that's too much info!) I have also caught the cold Sophie has had and maybe some allergies on top of it all. So I'm walking around in a fog right now. Things could be and have been much much worse, so I'm not complaining, just explaining why you haven't heard back from me. Thankfully my parents allowed me to rest up while they were here so I could be physically ready for this week, but my eyes just don't seem to want to open until about 4:00 in the afternoon. Also, an update on Brandon, he was able to call on Sunday, thanks to a woman in the square who let him use her cell phone, and is having fun in Peru, but is tired and missing us. He said they are all doing well, but starting to feel the exhaustion, physically, mentally and emotionally from taking care of all the patients that have come through the clinic. He will start his journey home on Friday and arrive here Sunday evening. Please pray that he will have a safe trip home and I can't wait to post the photos he has taken when he gets home.

I didn't think I'd post anything about my birthday b/c well, it sounds a little needy, but I had such a great birthday, thanks to some very special people, that I had to mention it. I wasn't really looking forward to Friday b/c mostly, my dear husband is in Peru for 2 weeks doing medical work and wouldn't be here to celebrate and I would be alone with the kids the whole day and I would be turning 31, making me officially in my 30s. BUT my parents came to the rescue. I'd asked my mom if she'd wanted to come down and hang out at some point during the two weeks and it worked out that this was the best week to come and my dad was able to take a long weekend and join us too. I've been able to sleep in and have lots of help, which has been wonderful! I woke up to the smell of cinnamon muffins baking (made with love by Christopher and Grammie) and the kids had huge smiles on their faces shouting "Happy Birthday!" when I walked in the kitchen. I got to use my new Chi flat iron (thanks honey!!!!) and get ready without a single child in my room or pulling on my leg in the bathroom while putting on makeup. We dropped Christopher off at Mother's Day Out and headed to Destin for some shopping. Grammie bought me some new clothes at the Banana Republic outlet store and with my b'day money I got some new shoes and makeup. We had lunch at Panera and Sophie fell asleep so I got to go in Michael's, by myself, to get some ribbon to make her some hair bows and B&N to get some new books (thank Maria!). We went to pick up Christopher and played in the back yard until Pop got back from his outing, had birthday cake and the kids took naps. The grownups all crashed on the couches reading and we were going to go out to dinner, but it was so cold I didn't want to leave, so we made pizza and watched Wall-E. It was as close to a perfect day as I could have asked for. If Brandon could have been there it would have been. But I did get to talk to him online for a while, so that was very nice. It has been a great week with the extra help and thankfully we have quite a few activities going on, so that will help since I'll be alone. Brandon gets home next Sunday and we can't wait to see him. God has definitely blessed my life with wonderful family and friends. Thanks man!

Sophie making herself laugh while enjoying the birthday muffins. She loves doing this! Making herself laugh AND eat.

Christopher loving some muffins too!

The kids and I about to dive into some birthday cake. They wouldn't come inside, so we took the cake out. Made it hard to light the candles b/c it was windy, but we managed.

Saturday Pop painted the bookcase he made Sophie and Christopher and I helped a little. C-man got bored quickly, which I figured he would, so he went to dig instead.

Pop taking a break to help C-man dig and Sophie cuddling up to him. They quickly became friends and it was adorable!!

Pop and Sophie playing trucks and reading the truck book she brought to him. She sounds like she's trying to say backhoe, which we all think is hilarious! Yesterday she had to take a paintbrush in the commissary while wearing her pink bracelets. Yup, she's all girl, but can definitely keep up with the boys! I love her for it!!

Grammie and Christopher reading books too.

After only 3 days at home, the kids and I loaded up in the van and headed north this time. Our next door neighbor in Huntsville had her baby, on Sophie's birthday, and we went to go meet him. I know you hear me talk about my friends back in Huntsville a lot, ok maybe my new friends in FL hear about them more, but I loved these women dearly! It was very difficult for me to leave them behind and the ONLY thing that made it easier was knowing that 2 of us were moving away. I just had to go first. We spent the night at Aunt Jenny and Uncle Trey's house on Thursday night and Christopher was so excited he wouldn't go to bed that night. Friday we drove over to Auburn to pick up Kirsten, Ava and Patrick (the other neighbors who moved) and got to see their new house. It was fun to have people to ride with us and it gave us time to catch up on everything. We stayed at Kirsten's parents' house for the weekend and they were wonderful to let all of us crash there. Saturday was the big baby party! Gabriel was so cute!!!! His big sister (and Christopher's former partner in crime) had grown about 2 feet since we left! She was so tall and looked more like a little/big girl instead of the baby girl we'd left 8 months ago. It took only 15 minutes for everything to sink in for Christopher and he and the other kids were off and running around like old times. I was so glad to see everyone and hear how things had changed. After the party we all went back to the grandparents' house and crashed. That evening Kirsten and I were surprised with the offer to go have a girls' night out like we used to and we didn't hesitate one bit! After putting the kids to bed, we headed off with the other moms to really catch up. At midnight we realized it was time to head home, knowing the morning was going to come earlier than we'd like. Sunday we grabbed lunch and headed to the park to let the kids run around which lead to more great naps. Monday morning we loaded everyone back in the van and headed back to Auburn. Three of the four kids napped all the way to Birmingham, which we couldn't believe. After playing at Chick-fil-A, stopping in Auburn, stopping at Mimi and Papa John's house to pick up something, we finally arrived back at Aunt Jenny and Uncle Trey's house for the night. Grammie met us in the morning and we were back home by lunch time. It was so nice to be back. Well, I actually enjoyed traveling that much, but I could tell the kids were ready to be home again. It was just what I needed. I've missed those wonderful families so much and would have flown across the country to see them again, but is nice to be back. Hopefully we'll get to see them all again soon!

Here are photos from our week at Disney with the in-laws. We had a fabulous time, the kids were wonderful (exhausted, but had fun), Brandon took his finals exams to officially become a doctor and we made it home safe and sound. The weather could not have been more perfect too. Mid-sixties and sunny. Could you ask for better weather? Except one day that was freezing!!!! It was 33 degrees when we left the house and never even got out of the 40s. I had on the following: tank top, long t, short t, fleece, wind breaker, puffy jacket, jeans, 2 pairs of socks, but we still saw people in shorts, go figure! So I'm just going to cut to the photos and explain there:


First day was at Magic Kingdom. First stop: Christopher wanted Mimi and Papa John to meet Mickey. We were informed last visit that this was an early thing to do to beat the crowd. This part of the park opens at 10, be there earlier. Just so you know, I don't have funny bangs, just hair hanging down.

Sophie wearing her new pink and white striped overalls. I had a blue pair when I was a kid (I call them train overalls b/c you think of train conductors wearing them.) and just couldn't pass them up in pink for her. Isn't she adorable????

Christopher and Mimi riding on the Dumbo ride. He would just giggle and wiggle with excitement everytime he got to ride something. He had a blast!! You couldn't help but laugh if you were lucky enough to ride with him.

Those crazy grandparents!! It was really fun having them with us. Brandon and I were able to go on "big people" rides (or take turns with the in-laws) b/c there was always someone to watch the kiddos.

Here we are on day two at Hollywood Studios. This was our favorite park. (We went there 2 days!) This is the only family photo we had taken. Of course it's in front of Light-ing Queen and Mater (as the little guy calls them).

Day three at Animal Kingdom. Christopher and grandparents on a ride. Can't remember which one. Sophie was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her. Glad I didn't b/c they didn't like the ride anyway.

Sophie and I trying to keep each other warm while riding on the trolley. We went to Magic Kingdom after Animal Kingdom in hopes to see fireworks and to let Christopher go on the Goofy ride, his absolute favorite b/c it's a kiddie roller coaster. (Gabi, recognize Sophie's jacket?) The little lady had on 2 outfits to stay warm. Diaper changing wasn't easy, but we did it.

Brandon and Christopher going on the Goofy ride. They let me ride with him first and stay on so Brandon could ride with him. Can you see the excitement in his face? He was practically jumping out of his seat b/c he got to go twice!

Here's Sophie all bundled up. This is how she looked all day. Minus the sweater. It was the only day she didn't mind staying in the stroller. She never tried to get out to crawl around. I wouldn't either! Just so you know, we didn't stay for fireworks. Too tired and freezing!

On day four I stayed home with the kids to relax while the grandparents had the day to go play at Epcot. We spent the morning out at the playground and on the basketball court walking around. After naps we went back out when Brandon got home and they had so much fun! We were going to go to Epcot, but decided to pass. Of course Christopher would find a nice water hold to dig in!

This walker got pushed all over the place. It was by far, the best thing I brought on the trip. If we weren't at a park, she was pushing it around. In the condo, on the sidewalk, at the basketball court. She actually walked so much and so fast that she wore a hole through the toe of her shoe. Thankfully I brought an old pair and since they are getting too small I didn't care. I'll try to post a photo of them later.

Our last day, back at Hollywood Studios. The first day we were there the Toy Story ride had "technical difficulties" when we finished, but since we were still sitting on the ride we got fast passes to come back and ride again another day. Sophie didn't care for the ride b/c she had to be strapped down, so Brandon and I took Christopher alone. Again, can you see the excitement in his face? The squinted eye gives it away. He was trying to pass the people in front of us to get there faster.

Brandon and I went to ride the Aerosmith ride together (take the single rider lane, SO much faster!!!) and when we caught up with the rest of the gang, this is how we found them. Sitting on the grandparents' shoulders while waiting in line for the Stunt Show and trying to peek over the wall. They didn't see anything. The show was really cool! Sophie would start yelling at the cars and clap for them when the stunts were over. I'm telling you, she's a little daredevil!

Not long after the Stunt Show the kiddos passed out! They were such troopers and so tired!

Sophie and I watching the parade/block party. It was a lot of fun! Can you tell we love Disney World? I was not ready to come home. As we were walking back to the van, we lost another wheel off the stroller. We lost one on our first trip to DW, but caught the second one as it rolled away. That same one rolled away again, but somone else caught it and ran us down. We now have 3 of the 6 back wheels off the stroller. I think it might be time to give it a break.

Well folks, for those of you who check here often, you can take the week off. Cause I am! Monday morning we are loading up the kids, some warm clothes and headed to Disney World. Again. We went in October and are going back b/c Brandon has to take his Step 3 board exam for med school and where else, but Orlando, is one of the locations for this! His parents are going to be joining us, to which we are very excited, and are looking forward to having two pairs of helping hands. Although they seem to be as giddy as little children themselves (it's adorable!), so I may be the only "adult" there. We will return on Sunday, but please don't expect photos to be popping up here by Monday morning. I promise I will do my best to get them on here as soon as I can, but you have to understand, I will most likely have 2 cameras (ours and the in-laws) photos to go through. This means, hundreds, not 100, more like 400-500+ photos to dig through. This will take time. I wonder if I can get Brandon to drive home and I can start editing the photos? (By that I mean just go through them, there's no real editing going on, in case you haven't noticed.) So, I hope you have a great week wherever you are and I'm hoping we will too!