Nutmeg

Conversation with Chayce after I sprayed air freshener this morning.

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HIM: "Mmmm.. Is that Cinnamon Mommy?"

ME: "No. It's Nutmeg. Smells good huh?"

HIM: "Ooohhh.. I LOVE nutbag!"

ME: "NutMEG, Chayce. It's nutMEG."

The Party & Gifts

The birthday party was fun! He had a great time with his friends and got some great gifts. We spent yesterday playing with a few of them.

Thanks to everyone who attended and for all of his great presents! Hope you had a great time, despite that bit of rain toward the end. LOL!

I'll share photos of the actual party on Facebook. Here's a FEW of the gifts he got though!

Crayola Roto Art: Very similar to Spin Art! (From Cameron)

Spiderman Rollerskates with knee & elbow pads (From my parents)


Vtech Kidzoom Camera:

This thing is AMAZING! 2mpx with video and 3 video games included on the screen. And a little photoshop type thing on there as well to add funny frames and animations to the photos. Very neat device, which he hasn't put down! (From Jon's parents)


"Thomas Busy Day" Train Set (From Leighton and Family)


Moon Sand (From Landen, Teagan and Hilten)


He also got a few Hot Wheels, assorted toy cars, water guns (which he asked for!), and trucks.

His big gift from Mommy & Daddy was....



His very 1st Bicycle!

He had a great time and is very thankful for all of the great friends he has that came and the birthday cards and gifts!

Chayce, we love you and hope you enjoyed your day!

Tomorrow's the Day

After all the preparations, and a bit of frustration as we couldn't get a bouncehouse for it... Chayce's 4th Birthday party is TOMORROW!

In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't get the bouncehouse, as there's a 50% chance of rain tomorrow.

Which in Florida terms means: It's gonna pour!

But the circus party is underway, and I'm excited to see how Chayce reacts.

ALSO, I got his bicycle today! Yep, his very FIRST bike. My Canon will get it's use tomorrow I'm sure.

Losing a Legend

Rest in Peace,

The King of Pop.

~Michael Jackson~

1958-2009

Isn't it Amazing...

Isn't it amazing how people wake up, get ready, feed their kids breakfast, head to work, work their job, come home, eat dinner with their family and actually have the nerve to be UNGRATEFUL? They say they're "bored" with their lives or aren't "content".

Sure it sounds like an everyday routine. But think about it.

Think about how many people DON'T have homes.

Think about how many couples CAN'T have children.

Think about how many people who have lost their spouse (or they are deployed!).

Think about how many people can't afford to feed their family dinner.

My point? Be grateful for what you have. Because in an instant it can be taken away from you. So shut up your whining already!

Tomorrow's Youth Group Game

Tomorrow's Lesson is on: Patience

However, we couldn't find a good game/icebreaker about that topic so our game is TOTALLY random.

The teens will be split into 2 teams. Each teammate will take a turn coming up to the table. They will each have a little "pie". (Whipped cream in a pie pan) The goal is to dig the cherry out of the pie without using their hands.

The hard part? (Besides not using their hands...) There will be other things IN the pie. Things not as sweet. A pickle slice, an olive, a red grape to confuse them.

The first team to get all of their teammates through their pies and getting all of their cherries out is the winning team.

Oh the joy. Oh the anticipation. Oh the MESS! :)

Father's Day

Father's Day was nice for us. We went to church, then out to lunch at Olive Garden with Jon's parents and some friends from church. Because it was a holiday, of course the whole process of dining out took about 3 hours. So that consumed most of our afternoon.

Chayce and I made a homemade Cookie Cake for Jon on Saturday night for Father's Day. That's his absolute FAVORITE dessert ever, so that's what we made him. We ate that after we got home yesterday afternoon. Then, we made muffins together for Home Group last night, and spent the early evening with friends at church. Then later last night we saw my parents and gave my dad some homemade truffles and a handmade card.

I'm SO proud of Chayce for how well he's progressing with his handwriting. It's becoming very clear. Of course he has to imitate most letters. The only ones he can write without being prompted are the letters his his name: C, H, A, Y, E and also the letter O. But I'm amazed at how well he does with it.

Hope all the dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day!

Now it's back into Birthday Party mode at our house. Party in 5 DAYS!

Showing Gratitude

In the newest edition of Family Fun magazine, they showed how to make homemade chocolate truffles. YUM!



Tomorrow being the last day for Vacation Bible School AND Jon's day off, we will be making 3 different flavors of truffles (about 20 each. So 60 truffles!) and giving them to the VBS leaders from Chayce tomorrow night as a little "Thank You" to them. They all worked so hard (I'm one of them, so I know!), and should be given something to let them know they're appreciated.

So the flavors of chocolate truffles we'll be making are:

1. Mint-Chocolate
2. Coffee-Toffee
3. Chocolate-Cherry

Another HOT Day.

It's been miserably hot this month. Around 95 degrees everyday. I'm really dreading July and August. YIKES!

Last night Chayce went home with Grandpa after VBS so he hasn't been home all day. Leighton still came over so we (Jon and I) took her to the pool. She had fun! I don't mind the heat nearly as much as long as I'm somewhere close to the water (pool or beach).

Last night I bought some crazy bright eye shadows. The VBS theme is very celestial. "Outer Space" themed. I don't feel like dressing up like a martian or some other funky looking space person like most of the leaders are, so I just play up my makeup and do some super dramatic looks.

Monday I did teal and purple.

Last night I did teal and bright blue.

Tonight I'm doing Coral and yellow.

Tomorrow I may do Coral and Blue.

I bought a crazy 4-color thing of eyeshadow by covergirl called "Tropical Fusion".

NEVER thought I'd see the day I'd buy these colors. LOL but they look pretty neat at night time and fit the dramatic theme. They're fun to play with that's for sure! And I make sure to foil them so they're extra bright. If I was thinking I'd have taken pictures each night, but forgot. Oh well! ;)

A New Addition... ???

We *may* be adding a new addition to our household.

Introducing... Daisy!

She's a 5 year old purebread Yorkshire Terrier. Very tame, very shy, very mellow. Something I definitely need around here. She wasn't spayed, so the current owner had her spayed on Friday. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for recovery from that (then she has to have her stitches removed of course) and then we SHOULD be bringing her home! Unfortunately 3 weeks from last Friday falls exactly on Chayce's birthday, so I'm not sure what we'll be doing that day. But hey! It may make for a good extra birthday gift for him. I'm excited about Daisy. We MAY change her name. Not sure yet. I'll post updates as they fall into place.

The Proposal

This was a GREAT movie!

It premiers THIS Friday (June 19). We saw a sneak preview of it this past Saturday and I loved it! A very interesting plot to the movie. And some great stars in this!

Ryan Reynolds

Sandra Bullock

Betty White

I'd rank it 4.5 stars!

VBS: God Rocks!

Last night was NIGHT 1 of Vacation Bible School!

Chayce had fun last year, but I think he's doing better this year since he's older. It all makes more sense to him. The theme this year is just what you see. "God Rocks! Starlight Rescue" Everything is very celestial themed. We have black lights, glow in the dark stars, hanging solar systems, rocket ships, planets etc. etc. all throughout the church making for a very "out of this world" feeling.

I'm assisting in the Crafts. (Or "Crater Crafts" as they say) and the kids did very well last night. We ended up having about 30 children on night 1. Very exciting! We're hoping for more tonight.

God Rocks!

Thinking outside the box.

Only MY family could come up with this.

Everyone's come up with some good wedding gift ideas for Jon and I. But my uncle takes the cake by saying he's getting us...

A baby crib.

LOL! Wishful thinking? Not until 2010 or 2011! But atleast he thinks about the future.

Love it!

(By the way, make it a 4-in-1 cherry sleigh please! LMAO)

Our First Youth Group Lesson

Tomorrow night is our first night leading the youth group! We're really excited about it and today I did a rough layout of what we'll be chatting about. Here's what's in store for tomorrow night!

ICEBREAKER: "Truth, Truth, Lie"
The teens write down 2 truths and 1 lie on paper. Everyone else will vote which "fact" they think is actually a lie. Whoever has the fewest votes for their actual "lie" wins.

THE LESSON:
The 9th Commandment

I. Satan is the Father of Lies
A. Temptations to be sinful (T.V, music, peers)
B. Temptations for you to lie to the world (To fit in, to impress)
C. Temptations to turn away from God (To conform with the world)

II. God is THE TRUTH
A. John 14:6 "I am the way, the TRUTH and the life."
B. When Jesus stood trial, just before His crucifixion, the Roman governor Pilate asked Christ if He were truly a king. Jesus responded by summarizing His mission and noting who would respond to His message: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).
C. God understands our nature and reveals how to combat it. Jesus explained that, even though we may be willing to obey, our flesh is weak (Mark 14:38). We lack the resolve and strength to resist temptation. How, then, can we neutralize this weakness?

III. How to let your Yes be Yes.
A.It is easy to stretch the truth and exaggerate, or try and validate your thoughts by lying.
EPH. 4:25
COL 3:9-11
B. Seek God for the truth. Everything in the life of a Christian is anchored to truth. God wants us, as His children, to commit ourselves to truth and reflect it in everything we do. That is why God commands us: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
C.We must ask for that help. And how can we get it? God's Word tells us: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

An Insane Monday

Today has been one of the most stressful days of the year. I'm not going to elaborate. Just take it as it is.

I met one of the Caterers we're talking to about the wedding today. She was super sweet and gave me so many options. Not like I need them, I know what I want. But I'm very happy with what she quoted me and what she has to offer us!

Chayce and I battled the rain and did the grocery shopping in near record time.

We were in and out in literally an HOUR! (Keep in mind we do 2 wks. of shopping at a time) So I was very proud of his good behavior and how quick we managed to do everything. (Tempting him with a lollipop the entire trip helped as well. But he did earn it today!)

I need a hot shower and a fluffy pillow now.

A Productive Day

Yesterday was a very productive day for Jon and myself. I'm excited to announce that right now we are the new Youth Leaders at our church!

God lead and guide us in the direction you see best.

The wedding invitations are in process right now as well! I'm actually having fun doing them, and VERY glad I opted to do them myself. Not only is the price probably 1/8th of what I'd pay for a company to do them, but I know they're coming out EXACTLY how I want. And being a perfectionist, I can happily say they will come out perfectly. Here's a photo of the beginning process. Black cardstock, the wording is on white cardstock which will be stuck with adhesive to the black cardstock. Once this is done I will tie in a piece of red satin ribbon right above the white cardstock. The invitations will be in red envelopes. The RSVP's have been drawn up and they will be printed in the next day or 2 as well. All the invitations and RSVP's should be made and sealed in the next 2 days!

I edited some information out of the invitations for privacy reasons. But here's your sneak peek.

One month from today...

...my baby will turn 4. *cry*

Y'know what sucks?

Washing your cars then a rainstorm rolls in.

Happens every.single.time! Lame.

Decisions, Decisions.

I can honestly say this is the first (and hopefully LAST) time I have to sit down and plan out a menu to feed 100 people.

I want to be careful and make sure everything is reasonable. Nothing too "different".

We're sticking with an Italian Theme for the reception food. So we're having it split into stations: Salad, Pasta, etc.

So today Jon and I are sitting down with a list of about 200+ total menu options from Hors D'oeuvres to desserts.

And yes, my mouth is WATERING.

Reese & the Tiara

Reese is 7 months old today! Happy Birthday Poodles!

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On another note, I got the flower girl's tiara yesterday!

This is the only photo I can find online that comes close to what it looks like.

It's hearts with jewels in the center of each heart. This photo is

obviously quite exaggerated, LOL. But you get the idea.

The tiara will be presented to her at the Rehearsal Dinner October 1st!

*..*Go Magic*..*

Way to go, Magic!!!!!

The "King" has been Dethroned!

About time "King James" met his match. (He's SO overrated)