Memorial Day Weekend

We enjoyed our long weekend with family and friends. After cheering on Daddy on Saturday, we were visited on Sunday by Grandma and Grandpa. We had a delicious lunch at Jason's Deli and Madeline and Eli got some good play time in with their grandparents. During M&E's nap time, Brandon stayed home and I got some solo pool time in - a rare treat! After nap time, Brandon, M&E and I headed over to Laura's parents house to play in the pool. We had a great time visiting with the Mizeranys and Goggans. Eli in particular loved getting thrown into the air and splashing down into the pool.



On Monday, we wrapped up the weekend with some more fun in the sun at the Goggans' lake. Here are some pictures from Sunday... Madeline and Eli loved the baby pool so much that we decided to shell out the $5 and purchase one of our own!

Tri Daddy

Brandon competed in his first ever triathlon on Saturday morning. He has been training for several months and did an awesome job in his first race. It was a sprint version - 200 yd. swim, 8.5 mile bike and 2 mile run, which he completed in a respectable 54:43 (especially great for someone who has no background in any of the three events). Brandon placed 13th out of 23 in his age group. He was a bit disappointed that he had to get off his bike twice to fix the chain that had fallen off, which pushed him back in the placement. Nonetheless, he looked like a pro out there and we're very proud of him! Madeline, Eli and I showed up to cheer on Daddy, and I could tell M&E were very impressed with their triathlete daddy.

Orange Beach

We were in Orange Beach Thursday through Sunday visiting with the Harris family and enjoying the beach. It rained all day Thurs and Fri, so we hung out in the condo during the day on Thursday and went out to dinner that night at Tacky Jack's. We left the condo at Madeline and Eli's bedtime to go eat, so we were a little nervous as to how they would do (I even dressed them in their PJ's to be ready to whisk them into bed when we got back). They did great though... there was a band playing and Madeline danced through dinner.



On Friday, we got out and went to lunch and shop at the Wharf. Lunch was good... until it was over. At the end, I realized that sweet Eli had had a blowout all over himself. I won't name any names as to who packed the diaper bag, but it didn't have any wipes in it. So, Eli got a bath in the bathroom sink in the restaurant (which thankfully was brand new and very clean - at least until we left it), was dried off with paper towels and his outfit was chucked in the trash. Thank goodness I had an extra onesie in the diaper bag so the poor child didn't have to go naked.

Saturday was beautiful so we all went out to the beach. I'm very distressed to report that I have a child who does not like the beach. Yes, Madeline hated the sand. I put her feet in it and she wailed. She's just going to have to get over that though because her Mommy loves the beach. Eli enjoyed hanging out under the umbrella and even got his feet dipped in the ocean (it was too cold for a good dunk). We swam in the indoor pool every day we were there, and each day M&E were getting more used to the water. I wish I had four arms to take them swimming every day!

All in all, we had a great visit with Ben, Lauren and Jackson, and are excited about the next beach trip!

And, She's Off!

Madeline has won the race. She crawled for the first time on Thursday...

I wonder how long it will take Eli to catch on?

Magna Cum Laude

Last weekend Madeline, Eli, Mama Kaye and I drove to Dallas for Allison's graduation from UT-Arlington. It was a long 14 hour drive to get there, which included stops at two Cracker Barrels and one stop to walk around a mall in Monroe, LA. M&E thoroughly enjoyed their first Cracker Barrel experience; they highly recommend the biscuits. They also thought the bouncy chairs at the Starbucks in Monroe were totally worth the drive.

We had a great visit with Allison (and Mama Kaye and Papa Bruce and Julia). Congrats to Allison, who graduated magna cum laude in journalism. Madeline talked her through the entire ceremony - loudly, and Eli wasn't a huge fan of the loud cheering. While in Dallas, I also purchased my first pair of cowboy boots, and Eli picked out a pair for the future.

Monday morning, we loaded up the car (which with two children in tow is quite a load) and headed back east to Alabama. Mama Kaye climbed in the back seat to feed M&E snacks so we could cut the Cracker Barrel stops down to one and make it home in 12 hours.

Tomorrow morning, we will load up the car once again and head to Orange Beach for some fun in the sun!

Sew What?

I always have my eye on the cute little outfits in the children's boutiques all over Birmingham, and if I had only one child, he or she would be wearing said outfits. However, when you have to buy two, it adds up and I refuse to spend $100+ on two outfits that Madeline and Eli would grow out of in a month or so. Thankfully, I can make some things myself! I took sewing lessons a couple of years ago just for fun, and now I get to use what I learned. Here are Madeline and Eli in their first outfits by Mommy...

The Juice is Loose

Madeline and Eli love their juice, and I feel like I'm always running out at the last minute to buy more because we are out or almost out of it. So, I started a tally to see exactly how many bottles they go through in a week. The verdict... 8. Is that a lot?

In related news, due to the overflow of empty plastic bottles in our home, we have started recycling. Yes, the Rooks family has joined the fight and is saving the Earth one juice bottle at a time.

Homestead Hollow

Today, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and ventured up to Homestead Hollow in Springville. Three times a year, there is an arts and crafts festival featuring "fine arts, unique - one of a kind - handmade crafts, and pioneer demonstrations of the old time days". We must have missed the fine arts section, but there was no mistaking the one of a kind handmade crafts. There were bird houses, dog clothes and hair bows galore. We got some good people watching in and enjoyed a good lunch of barbecue sandwiches and funnel cake. Madeline and Eli enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Madeline sat in the front of the stroller and talked the entire time we were there, and Eli really enjoyed the animals. We wrapped up the trip with a stop at the boiled peanuts stand for Daddy and hopped back on the interstate toward civilization.

Growing Up and Grocery Shopping

I have two new exciting (at least for me) tidbits to report...

1. As of a few days ago, Madeline and Eli are weaned. I am so grateful that they both took to nursing so easily and I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. My little babies are growing up though and they prefer the likes of grape juice, mashed potatoes and yogurt to breast milk, as well they should.

2. I recently discovered that both Costco and Publix have shopping buggies that can accommodate two children. Hooray! Now I can actually go grocery shopping during the daytime. Real grocery shopping! Not just lugging out the stroller to go in and purchase the one bottle of juice that I can manage to handle while pushing the stroller at the same time. This may seem a bit silly to those of you with only one child or no children, but to me it is a life-altering discovery. Praise God for double buggies!