bloggy friends :)

I see that someone from Chattanooga, TN has discovered that I updated my blog list! ;) I have my guess as to who you are....

But, anyways, yes, I have a list of blogs that I follow regularly and while I keep up with most of them through Google Reader, I know a few of you use the links on the side of my blog sometimes so I thought I'd share some more of my favorites with you. :)

And if you have never discovered Google Reader, and you read a list of blogs regularly, oh my. You need to check it out! I had heard it mentioned off and on for a while but never really knew what it was and didn't think much about it until Rebekah told me I would love it and to check it out. She was right. And if you already have a gmail account, then you have google reader already, you just need to add the links of the blogs you read! Then it tells you each time you check it which blogs have a new post and you can read it right there! Sounds kind of confusing. It's really not. :)

Anyways, I could tell you lots about the blogs on my list over there but I don't want to bore you too much. So I'll just mention one. Pleasantburg. This sweet little blog is written by a friend of mine, Mrs. T., who used to live close by and is now a few hours away. She has a little boy who is just a couple weeks younger than Mr. Happy and she also home schools her older kiddos. Her last few posts have talked about ideas for what to do with your littlest ones when you need to focus on the older ones' schoolwork. I love how she stresses that our little ones are just as important too and that we don't want to just push them aside but use their time wisely while working with older siblings.

So go check out her blog - she also has great organizational ideas too! Mrs. T. - will you just come organize my house for me?? :) Oh, and we tried out one of your ideas this week....

He thought it was a brilliant idea!! :)

(sorry...really bad cell phone pic...!)

little bo peep

Had to get these edited and up tonight because I have another photo shoot tomorrow evening! :) Just pray the rain will hold off until afterwards!!

Here are *some* of the rest of Leah's 2 yr birthday pics. I had come here to explore with Michael a few months back and couldn't wait to come in the spring when everything was green and flowering! It was definitely beautiful!

She loooves "circle flowers" and oh boy! were there plenty of them here!! She "shake! shake! shakes!" them instead of blowing them. Very effective! :)

We knocked on a lot of doors trying to see if Aiden was behind any of them. He wasn't. Aw, nuts.

She loved these red chairs! And mommy and Kiki were happy to beat the belly dancer over to them who was also there having her pictures taken. Ha!

Ooh, how I wish I had a video of this! :) She was holding this little chick toy and singing to it: "Rooock a bye chiiiiick....."

Soo. Sweet!!

Pausing to hug the tree during our peek-a-boo session... :)

And then Aiden came for a few minutes!!

They are so funny together! Aiden was peeking through the V in this tree and Leah wasn't quite sure of the point of this...although she did try it too. :)

And of course, I couldn't not take a pic of this little cutie! Can you just barely see her new accessory?? Here...you can see it in the one below...

She got her ears pierced!! She is just so fashionable! :) And yes, she's a pro at blowing bubbles! lol :)

Next we found a great tree to climb! By this time it was dark enough that I had to turn on my dreaded flash! Bleck. I do not like having to use it. but oh well. These two pics make me smile! :)

Flash again...ew. But look! Little toddlers holding hands...tooo cuuute!!!!

Some day these are going to be engagement pictures.

If these two can overlook the fact that little Leah would have the same name as her mother-in-law.... Teehee! :)

peek!

Just a sneak peek...

...and a peek-a-boo!

:)

This is who I did pictures of tonight since her 2nd birthday is coming up soon. More to come soon after I edit...just thought I'd put up one to show her mommy. :)

hangin' out

This past weekend and part of this week I've been hanging out with this little guy...

Very blurry, bad cell phone pic...sorry. :) Catrina and Steve escaped for a few days so I stayed with Lauren, Reegan, and Maddox for part of the time. We always have fun hanging out and Maddox did a good job of cracking us up most of the time!

Yesterday the came with me for the day and played with my kids. By later in the afternoon everyone was getting waaay stir crazy being cooped up in the house on a chilly, rainy day, so since the rain had stopped, we grabbed coats and went to the playground across the street, wet ground and all! It was cold, but so good to get some fresh air and let the kids run around!

Oh and Maddox got a hair cut last week...and now his hair is perfect for doing this with:

Lol! So cute!! :) He is 16 months old now and starting to talk some. Some of his favorite words are bye bye, dog, more...and batman! :) If you sing the first part of the batman theme song he will finish it with "ba ba!" :) So fun to get to stay with them! I know they'll be glad to have mom and dad back though!

just sayin' hi :)

Lauren hung out with us for the day yesterday and played for a while in the kids tree house and took this crazy cute picture of Mr. Happy. :)

I am now on my way to stay at her house for a couple days while her parents go out of town. What are you up to this weekend?

Whatever it is, enjoy! :)

model pose?

Just a few more pics from my photo shoot with the girls...Lauren suggested a pose looking like models...you know, with serious, focused, model looks on their faces.

Ahem. This is what happened.

Emily couldn't stop cracking up! Which of course made Lauren start laughing and then...eh, it just never happened!! But we got some funny pics out of the deal so I'm happy! :)

chillin' with my peeps :)

Some of my favorite girlies are in town this weekend!! I usually get them to come stay at my house when they come to see their grandfather, however this time I got to have Melissa spend the night with me last night. She is running in a marathon relay tomorrow (pictures to come...probably) (lol...lauren...) We hung out and scrapbooked and pretty much talked nonstop from the time she got here until we finally went to bed somewhere around 1am...then woke up this morning and continued until noon. It was so great to hang out just the two of us and catch up on life! Mel, you have to come back for an entire weekend sometime!

Oh, and while usually her kids would have been pretty jealous that she was here and they were not, Evan got to have his daddy all to himself for the night, and the girls all went over to spend the night at Lauren's house! So it was a win-win-win situation!

Today I picked up the girls + Lauren to hang out for the afternoon because, hey, I couldn't just let them come for the weekend without hanging out at least a little bit! :) It felt pretty great outside so we went downtown for lunch and for a mini best-friend-photo shoot....

She's so cute. :) And is g.r.e.a.t. at posing for pictures! A total natural! :)

Mmm...yummy sunlight....

Love you girls!