out and about

I'm loving the rainy, overcast afternoons. I get to take the kids outside after dinner because it's not 100 degrees. Last night we took a little walk. Yep, all of us. I give her another week or so and she'll be a pro.

Check it out.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In case you're wondering, we are a little redneck and like to wear socks with our flip flops. And we do go for walks decked out in princess gear and wands. Don't you?

an addiction

Morgan had her first Oreo the other day. And she's just like me. Addicted.


And for some reason they taste even better when the filling is blue.

welcome home

I went to Chicago for a couple of days this past week for work. After spending 8 hours in the airport, we finally made it there. It was a fun, quick trip and I was able to get some shopping in while I was there.

When I got home Friday night the girls were eating Chick-fil-a for the second time in 3 days. And as soon as she was done Addison wanted to play dress up. I even let her stay up a little late just so we could twirl like princesses and dance around the living room.

I was not allowed to wear the princess shoes because my feet are too big. So I was told that I had to wear my green ones.

please VOTE for the girls

Our fantabulous photographer, Taryn Lewis, is holding a little contest. And the girls need your vote to become the next representative for Sugar Tree Studios.

Go HERE and vote for Morgan or Addison. Voting ends tomorrow.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Father's Day

I took Addison to Target and let her pick out a shirt for Michael. I told her not to tell daddy, that is was a surprise for tomorrow. And when we met him for lunch she looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face and said, "we got you a shirt daddy". We took it home and I let her wrap it by herself. Sunday morning he opened the shirt and she was so proud of herself. She ran around all day telling him Happy Father's Day.

I snapped these pictures from inside when no one knew I was looking. They're a little old, but I see this same sort of thing everyday. Addison and Morgan love Michael so much and love spending time with him. And he loves it just as much. I always hear giggling and laughing when they are spending time together.


I love you Michael! Thanks for being the best husband and father to me and our sweet girls.

And Happy Father's Day to my dad. I miss you and can't wait for you to come home. You've got two little girls who can't wait to come visit and get to know you more. I love you!

And to Jim. Thanks for always being there for me and the girls. We all love you so much.

it hurt that bad

I've had two children.

With Addison I went through 3 hours of labor without an epidural and then 9 hours with. In the end I had a c-section. The recovery was rough. With Morgan I had a spinal block and planned c-section. The recovery was much better than the first, but I was still sore.

But what I experienced Monday was hands down the WORST pain I've experienced in my life. Like someone was stabbing me over and over with a knife. It started this past weekend when I thought I was getting a small UTI. On Monday morning I came to work still irritated by the feeling of constantly having to pee. At 11 a.m. I decided to go to the store and get some juice and OTC meds. I stood up and that's when it hit me. The sharp pain in my side. I toughed it out while I walked the aisles, but by the time I got back to work I could barely sit. Or stand. Or hold still. I worked for about an hour and I couldn't take it any more. I had to go home. As I was leaving my boss convinced me to go to a 'doc in the box' for a prescription. So I drove myself there.

Looking back at it now, I don't know how I made it. I could barely move, hunched over in pain. I drove 65 mph on a 45 mph road, weaving in and out of cars. I almost ran the red light. I was dying to get there. And when I walked in the people at the front desk knew immediately that I wasn't right. I started vomiting and could barely talk. They worked backwards, doing tests first and then paperwork. It was determined that I did not have a UTI, but probably a kidney stone. I was told I needed to go to the ER because of the pain and to have scans done. And then they gave me a shot of Toradol to hold me over until I got there. I hate needles, but I had my pants down before the guy even came in with the shot.

Michael met me there and took me to the ER. I was admitted and evaluated. When I told them the pain was coming back they put in an IV, pushed a bag of fluids, and loaded me up with Morphine. HEAVEN! After more tests and a CT scan, they did in fact find a kidney stone. A 5mm kidney stone that is currently hanging out in my bladder, waiting for the next road trip. (taken by me after Michael left to get the girls)

I've seen a Urologist who basically told me that I have three options. I really don't feel comfortable making those decisions since I didn't go to med school, so I've decided to see another doc at the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday. Did I mention that I *heart* the Mayo Clinic? I'm hoping he can give me more of a straight answer on what to do. I'm not in any pain now, but I do feel uncomfortable from time to time.

I'm currently walking around with Percocet in my purse waiting for this thing to make it's next move. The suspense and the constant urge to pee are killing me.

pictures

Check out the blog post from our fabulous photographer, Taryn Lewis, about my sweet girls and our photo shoot. She's so sweet to us and so fabulous to work with.

And I love, love, LOVE the pictures.

To view, click HERE!

Thanks Taryn!

reading material

Some of her favorites. Can you find the one that makes me laugh?

Seriously? The serial killer one?

It never fails. It's always the first one off the shelf. I think it's the size and how it sticks out more than the others. Or maybe the color. That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

(Yes, that is the Danny Rolling book about the Gainesville murders. I've had it forever and I'm not even sure how I got it.)

the zoo

The stomach bug that lingered in our house all last week finally past so we headed to the zoo on Saturday. It's been a long time since we've taken Addison so I was excited to see how she would react. She ran around all day and loved the animals. I even got her to stick her hand in the sting ray exhibit. But her favorite part was feeding the birds. They freaked her out once when the one bird was trying to climb over the other, but she quickly went back to feeding them.

Allison and Cole came up to go with us. Addison was perfectly content watching Cole feed the giraffe. She wanted no part of that things tongue. I can't blame her.
The day started out nice, but then it got pretty hot. We stopped for a break in the play area and to hang out in the shade.
Morgan enjoyed her PB&J and cold water for lunch. See? After this we headed to another bird exhibit and there were big birds just roaming around. I told Michael to keep Morgan away from them so she wouldn't get scared. Next thing I know one of them is making a beeline for her and her cheerios she was munching on. Those things are quick. She only had a minor freak out before we saved the day.
The other highlight of the day was the train ride. It was a good way to see all the big animals. And it was nice to sit in the shade and rest. It even started to rain a little which cooled things off. Morgan was chatty during the entire ride.

Addison and Cole are best buds.


It was a long, hot fun day. I can't wait to go back since we missed the gorillas.