Monday, August 20, 2012

Growing up

I can't get over how quickly the girls are growing up.  It seems like Lily Kate has grown a foot this summer, and Aubrey is mastering potty training is more and more independent on a daily basis. 
Stabbing her strawberries with a fork-
she had a certain way she had to do it, by herself!
Aubrey loving on Jjaja & Pa
Potty trained Aubrey and Lil McStuffins
Cheesing
Aubrey "babysitting" James at playgroup
She was so sweet and gentle
The first thing Aubrey told Stephen today when he got home, was that she held James!  It made her day!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Crouching Toddler, Sleeping Panther!

I'm very hopeful for the Panther's upcoming season.  We are die hard Panthers fans and are even excited during the pre-season.  Aubrey was so excited tonight that she wanted to sleep in her Panthers gear!
Go Panthers!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We had a mosquito trapped in the van with us today.  Lily Kate brought up how mosquitos like Aubrey so much.  "She must be strawberry flavored," she said.  Aubrey replied, "No, yellow!"
That explains it all!

Wordless Wednesday- Swimming by the Pool







Sunday, August 12, 2012

Veggie Tales

 Friday night, Lily Kate spent the night with her grandparents, so Aubrey and I got to have some one-on-one time on Saturday morning.  We ran a few errands, went to a yard sale (Aubrey's favorite- because they had a cat that let her pet it) and then stopped by Lifeway because they had a Kids Day: Veggie Tales released a new video. 
She sat so still to have a heart painted on her face!


Decorating her crown craft
Enjoying snack and checking out the toys
The movie: The Penniless Princess



They had a dance contest at the end that Aubrey loved- she loves to get down (but I didn't get a picture!)  It was a sweet event and I really enjoyed getting to hang with my 2-year-old!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Hold me!

One of Aubrey's favorite things to ask is "Hold me?"  Today, Elliot and Belle came over to play.  Guess who Aubrey asked to hold her?  Too cute!
Elliot & Aubrey

Monday, August 6, 2012

Olympic Spirit

I love the Summer Olympics and tried to share that love with the girls.  We let Lily Kate watch sand volleyball one night- and her free spirited self decided to cheer for the other team.  As we watched Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings play the Czech Republic, Lily Kate cheered: Go Czech Republic! Go Czech Republic :)

I saw USA themed cereal at the store the other day and decided to get some so we could make USA necklaces.  The girls loved stringing the Oh's onto yarn.

Aubrey put all the red ones on first

Lily Kate made a Red/White/Blue pattern
 They were turning out beautifully, until I told them they could eat a few.

 The finished product:
Lily Kate wearing her necklace and holding Aubreys
Aubrey opted to eat all of  her Ohs :)

Praying Expectantly


I have been attending a ladies Bible Study at our church for the past several weeks and this story was told this past week and then I read it again in our homework. Something about it just really struck me  as a reminder of Who is the one in charge. This is an excerpt from “Faithful, Abundant, True” and this section was written by Priscilla Shirer.
We took a trip to New York with my family, my parents, all three of my siblings, our spouses, and our kids. One evening at dinner I noticed that my sister’s husband , Jessie, was ordering a little appetizer as his entree for the second night in a row. Now, some men in some other families might eat lightly, but the guys in my family are big, football-player types who think that anything less that meat and potatoes should be labeled "rabbit food."  they don't eat appetizers unless it's just a preface to the real deal.
So I leaned over to him and asked, “are you not feeling well?”
 He responded, “No, I am feeling fine, but I’ve got a large family with lots of mouths to feed. This restaurant is kind of expensive, so I’m just eating an appetizer and then I’ll go out on the street and get a hot dog from one of the street vendors.”
I looked at him in bewilderment and asked if he’d gotten the memo that our parents had sent via e-mail several days before our trip. It had clearly said that they would cover the bill for dinner each night.

He almost choked on his tiny hors d’oerve. “What? I have been hungry for two days!” He called the waitress over and ordered the biggest steak he could get. It seems that knowing someone with adequate resources had him covered changed his perception of what his options really were.
Knowing God and the resources He’s made available to you will change the way you order, my friend. It changes not only how you pray but what you feel free to ask God for. You will begin to realize that you don’t have to pray small or with reservation. You can ask the Lord for exactly what you desire no matter how outlandish or impossible it may appear to be. Your Father has got you covered, so look at the menu differently.
She later challenged us to conclude our prayers with "God, do this or something better."  
Something to think about.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Vacation Bible School

Lily Kate attended VBS this week with one of her best friends, Kathryn.  She loved it.  The theme was Under Construction: A Habitat for Humanity Vacation Bible School.  Here are a few pictures I took at the program on Thursday:
 Snack time was her favorite activity.  I'm mad I didn't get a picture of her and Kathryn in their sharpie tie dyed shirts!
She busted out singing this song for me after the first day!  It was so sweet to see her perform.

Cook Nation Beach Trip

PapPap and Grandma invited everyone to the beach this week.  Unfortunately, with Stephen's new job, we could only go for the weekend.  We arrived Saturday afternoon and immediately hit the pool and the beach (seriously, Lily Kate changed in the van to jump in with her Great Uncle JJ.  I didn't take many pictures!  But the girls loved bonding with their family and since they were the youngest cousins by 12 years they loved being the center of attention.

Sunday morning, PapPap & Grandma took us all to the Surf Club for breakfast.  SO YUMMY!  They have made to order omelets and I LOVE THEIR STRAWBERRY CREPES!

Aubrey loved the biscuits

Lily Kate handing us the knife from her napkin
 "Do you want me to hurt myself?"

Aubrey and PapPap
After brunch, we took a few family pictures:
Janel, Joy, PapPap, Grandma, Jill, JJ

The whole crowd
It was so good to see everyone, the visit just wasn't long enough!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Who Doesn't Love Snail Mail?

Every time we arrive home, the girls rush to the doorway to "pretend they are letters"  I'm not exactly sure where this idea originated, but they giggle and giggle when I open the storm door and say "Oh Look!  We got a letter from ________!"
 Here are my two letters today!

 Later, Lily Kate had Aubrey sitting in her lap to read a book.  Sometimes they get along so sweetly!


More Please!

Each time we go to Trader Joe's, I let Lily Kate choose a new fruit or vegetable to try.  This time she chose eggplant.  It isn't one I grew up eating very often, so I asked several friends to share recipes.  I made this Eggplant Parmesan Sticks from Weelicious


 It was a total hit! The girls asked for seconds of eggplant and snap peas!!
I also drizzled some eggplant with olive oil, garlic powder and salt & pepper and then roasted it- it was my favorite part of dinner!  What is your favorite way to fix it??