Say Cheese!

Britain has started smiling!

I haven't caught her on camera yet, but here are a few shots I got while trying:

Happy Birthday Babe

It's my favorite person's birthday today.

Can you guess who's?

Ok, so it's not that hard.

Mmmm. Nice coconuts.

If you know him and love him, drop B Daddy a line today!

And if you haven't yet seen B Daddy and the Squirt breaking it down at bedtime - check them out here: Not Your Average Bedtime Routine

Dream Weekend 2011

Last Friday afternoon, we drove up to Highlands, NC to enjoy the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend (our family has re-branded it the Dream Weekend) with my parents and my sister's family.

This was our 7th annual Dream Weekend in the mountains - we started taking this trip the year before B Daddy and I were married - there were 6 of us then. There are 10 of us now and we require a much larger cabin. : ) One of my new found obsessions as our family grows is comparing pictures from year to year. As in - this is what our family has looked like on the Dream Weekend in 2009, 2010 and this year.

2009 - Squirt was on the way

2010 - And baby makes three

2011- Can this kid stop growing up already!?

Our little Sweet B is also growing so fast!

I can't believe she'll be walking and probably talking this time next year.

It's kind of amazing how quickly things change.

I'm a Nap Time Slacker

Nap time is my favorite. It's when I catch up on my blogs, when I watch re-runs of The Real Housewives of Orange County and when I check facebook for the 82nd time each day.

Nap time is also this mommy's favorite, but she is waaaaaaaayyyyy more creative (although I hesitate to say productive) with her time than I am.

While her daughter is soundly asleep, she creates a completely different world ... from whatever she can find around her! (In contrast, while MY daughter is sleeping I do everything in my power to stay away lest I disturb her slumber.)

Yes it's awesome and slightly crazy. But hey, she's making a book of all her pics, so she'll probably be banking off of this insanely time-consuming nap time obsession.

You can see more pictures and read all about it at: Mila's Daydreams

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check back in with Vicki and Tamra. Peace out!

Why The Chickens Stopped Laying Eggs

It's been a while since I've given y'all a chicken update. When we left off I was telling you how Hester started laying, then Charlotte starting laying, then Hester stopped laying and then Charlotte slowed down considerably. (You can read the entire saga here)

Well shortly thereafter, Charlotte also stopped laying entirely. We had an entire December without fresh eggs (thank goodness for Publix) and then up until last week we were eggless in January as well. After many hours spent on Google and urban chicken chat forums, we decided to try an artificial light regimen. Apparently chickens require a lot of light in order to lay. The seriously cold December/January we have had has meant the girls stay inside the coop quite a bit more than they used to and when they are outside, they have less time to soak up the sun given winter's shorter days.

Friday afternoon B Daddy came home with a clamp-on lightbulb for the coop and viola! Friday we had a dark speckled egg. We have had three of the same color since and so I think the girls (or at least Hester) are back in business. Hooray!

P.S. Charlotte's the blond, Hester's the brunette. Things you need to know.

Picture of the Week: 8

Yes that's a surfboard. We make do when it snows in the South.

New Year - New Goals

I have much to catch you up on - our first Christmas with two kids and the current Atlanta blizzard of 2011 - but my camera is acting funky and I can't download pictures to the computer. A pictureless post of Christmas or a snow day would be a total snooze, so instead let's talk about my New Year's resolutions goals for 2011.

In no particular order they are:

1. Compete in my first triathlon (also on my 30 Things Before the Big 3-0 list)

2. Fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans without muffin-topping all over the place.

3. Be a more creative mom (i.e. playing games other than Watch Mommy Surf the Web)

4. Learn more about investing. Maybe even actually start to take an active role in our investments.

5. Do a better job of pouring into my middle school small group. (Have I ever mentioned this on the blog? I lead a group of eighth grade girls at our church with my sister...they are adorable. They deserve a seriously awesome leader... I would like to be that for them!)

So there you have it. I think everything on the list is totally attainable with some focus and discipline. I'll try to check back in every few months and update my progress. Do you do resolutions (or goal setting) at the start of a new year? I can't help myself. B Daddy and I actually take a whole day to talk about the previous year and write out our vision for the coming year. The nerd in me LOVES it.

Caped Crusaders

If you are crafty and have a 6 year old in your life...please make them one of these.

I die.

Image and super-simple how to can be found at Pure & Lovely.

Not Your Average Bedtime Routine