A Scavenger Hunt Fit for a King!

This Father's Day was a little bit different. I went out of town with my friends. But before you think I'm a horrid wife you must know that I was given full permission, and was ordered to have a blast. Anyway, we celebrated a little bit early. Aby and I had a hard time deciding what to get Chris (is it just me or are men extremely hard to shop for anytime of the year). So, we decided on an edible surprise. But, we couldn't just hand it over in a bag, we made him hunt for it. Now, I must give Chris some major credit. He indulged us by doing this scavenger hunt as soon as we walked in the door from hiking up Enchanted Rock. Yes, he is the best. Please be jealous!!

Here he is getting his first clue.

1. Don't be a slouch. Go check by the "couch."

2. No need to rush. Go check by a "brush."

3. This isn't a chore. Go check by the front "door."

4. This is the plan. Go check by a "fan."

5. Take a look. Go check by a "book." This one was a bit tricky. There are a million books around our house. Luckily all he had to really do was follow Aby. She led him to most every answer!! =)

6. There is hope. Go check by some "soap."

7. You are a big shot. Go check by a big "pot."

8. You don't need to think twice. Go check by some "ice."

Here he is finding his surprise.

Chris was such a great sport. He even had a little fun with Aby and occasionally finished a clue with a word that didn't make sense. She of course had a wonderful time telling him he was wrong. =) As you can see Chris, Aby, and Mac were all well fed while I was away!!! =)

So Wicked on Father's Day!!!

It was a GNO weekend!!! I went with some wonderful women to Dallas this past weekend. It just so happened to be Father's Day weekend. (Yes, we did get the clear before we left, and they are the best!! There will also be a post on our special Father's Day surprise) We had a fantastic-oh-so time!!! We stayed at this beautiful hotel in Rockwall, spent time lounging by the pool, and went and saw Wicked. This was my second time to see it. I get goosebumps just thinking about this show. It is AMAZING. If you like musicals, please treat yourself. It is well worth the time and money. I had a hard time NOT standing up and belting out the songs with the characters. But I felt like that would 1.) completely embarrass my friends, and 2.)those around me might get a little upset listening to me and not the professionals. So, I refrained. Ok, so I hummed along with them. I couldn't help it. To see pictures of our adventure, please click here and skip over to my friend, Brittany's blog.

Fun in the Sun!

Last Friday we drove down to San Antonio with some great friends, and spent the day at Sea World. Although we had a blast, our morning didn't start off very well. Mac has decided that riding in the car is not so fun (I guess she takes after her momma here). So from about South Austin on she cried on and off. And therefore was grumpy up until about lunch. Go figure, give the girl some food and she's happy. =)
I have been to Sea World several times. And I must say that these animals NEVER cease to amaze me. It is so soothing to watch them glide through the water. The next few pictures are from the dolphin and acrobat show.

The big highlight for both of the girls was the Shamu Show. Again, I find whales such an incredible animal. The fact that they can get their bigger than giant bodies out of the water blows my mind. Plus the fact that they follow commands of their trainer. They did say it takes a trainer 3 years to train for a show, where it takes the whale/dolphin 2 years. I thought that was a fun fact. I can remember as a kid the trainer would swim with the whale and then ride out of the water on the tip of Shamu's nose. Unfortunately we noticed the trainers never even entered the water with the whales.

Another fun show is the walrus and otter show. It was pretty comical. Aby really enjoyed this one.

Here is Seymour and the Soda Jerk, Clyde.

One thing about amusement parks that Chris and I are in agreement about are the Roller Coasters. At Sea World there is a super fun roller coaster called The Great White. Chris and Tom rode it together while Susanne and I watched the girls, then we switched. This coaster is sooo smooth. I loved every minute of it. Of course the getting to the top of the first drop is always the worst. Aby has never enjoyed being held up high or upside down. So, from the beginning we put Mac on our shoulders or upside down. She doesn't seem to mind. Both girls seemed very excited about this penguin ride. Susanne and I were the "lucky" ones to take the girls up. This of course was the worst ride EVER. Well, actually once we were on the ride it was fine, it was getting on it that took 1/2 an hour. All 4 girls had a ball though. So, it was worth it. I was glad that Mac liked it. It was her first "coaster".


After this ride we found Shamu's Happy Harbor where the girls stripped to their bathing suits and had a blast in the water. It was definitely a hot summer day, so the water felt wonderful. We finally stopped for some lunch and everyone seemed in better spirits after that. Earlier we had walked by a water ride called Journey to Atlantis. Chris finally talked Aby into riding it, so we went back to try it out. Of course it was being worked on, so we went off to ride a boat ride. McKinley finally fell asleep and got herself a short nap while Aby and Chris rode the ride. Aby had a blast on the boat ride.

We walked back over to the Atlantis ride to find it up and running. So, Chris and Aby ran to get in line. Here is the ride.

Aby didn't quite know what think when she got off. She liked it, but didn't at the same time. She was proud she did it, but didn't want to ride again. =) She did however like standing on the bridge and getting soaked as the boats came down the slide. I think after this day she decided that roller coasters were loads of fun. This is great since we'll be taking a trip to Disney in the near future.

All things new!!

Each time that one of my kids reach a new milestone it is so bittersweet. This month has been no different for both my girls. I am still in shock with how they are, growing up right before my eyes. I can remember being little and dying to do big kid things, and now that's where my girls are. Both are becoming so independent.

This month McKinley has figured out how to open doors, caught on to how old she will be for her birthday (and loves telling you), has learned a few color words, and no longer needs her paci. For McKinley's birthday she got a big girl bed. I was nervous because she is so little. But she never batted an eye. Here she is after her Daddy finished converting her crib to her bed.

And of course Mac and Aby had to have some play time before all the bedding was put in place.

Here she is after playing hard one morning =)
It seems like yesterday that this was my little Mac! My how quickly time flies by.

Aby has also had her month of new skills. The big thing this month for Aby was learning to tie her shoes. I went to a teacher's store and found a shoe tying game. The cool thing about this game was not only did it aid with teaching shoe tying, but it also helped her with lacing skills. PRE-SEWING =)

So after she got the hang of it on her Papa's shoes, she decided she needed a pair of her own. Up until this point she hasn't had tennis shoes with laces. So off to Academy we went. I must admit that I get great joy watching these girls learn and grow, but it does still bring a tear to my eye at times!

DIY

The Poppy Fest was really not that long ago. I had so much fun working my Sprinkles & Frosting booth. The best part of that day was getting to talk with tons of different and interesting people. I was set up next to some super sweet ladies from a company called Posh Pixie Design Co. They make the CUTEST magnet boards and other fun room decor. I got one for my office and I got one for Aby's room to put all her art on. They are really beautiful. The only problem was they only came with one magnet a piece. And of course we couldn't just buy any old magnet. So, Aby and I decided to make our own to match. Here is our adventure through DIY magnets.

Here are the Cast of Characters.

1.Mod Podge Glue or any other clear drying tacky glue.
2.Pretty Paper
3.Flat backed Glass Gems
4.A round paper punch OR scissors will work just fine.
5.Paint Brushes
6.Small round magnets which unfortunately didn't make the picture.


Here are Aby and McKinley getting started.
The Recipe is super easy. We punched the paper, and then put the glue on the pretty side of the paper. After that we glued the pretty side to the back of the glass gem (flat side). I ended up needing to put some extra glue around the edges of the paper to keep it in place. After we got the paper right where we wanted it, then we glued on the magnet using the tacky glue. Make sure you spread them out to dry. Otherwise they will try and pull towards one another. I kept checking them while they were drying to make sure it dried clear so we could see the paper design. I was a little worried at first, but they eventually dried nice and clear.

Here are our finished products and a few other in between photos.






This is my magnet board. I unfortunately have not had a chance to hang anything on it yet.

Aby's board with all her treasures.

This was a really easy project for Aby to do. It took only about an hour. They turned out simply gorgeous!! Isn't the magnet board so pretty? You can find these and other cute room decor at http://www.poshpixiedesignco.com/

New

So, I am new to the blogging world. I am not in the least bit a scrap-booker. I think they are gorgeous, but what should take a normal person 15-20minutes to do one page would take me over an hour. I just couldn't make the decision about where to put all that cute stuff. So, I decided I would give blogging a go. I recently started a blog for my business, Sprinkles & Frosting (look for it at http://www.sprinklesfrosting.blogspot.com/). I'm having quite a bit of fun with that one, so I decided why not do a family blog. Not saying there will be anything profound on this blog, but thought it would be a wonderful way to help me chronicle our family life without feeling like a loser if I don't put the sticker in the perfect spot.

I titled this blog post New for several reasons. One being the obvious, this is the debut post for this blog, two it's a brand new HOT season, and three (see picture below)

Isn't she GORGEOUS!!! My mouth is watering just looking at this picture. My darling husband agreed that we should get one of these. He is the best!! This sweetheart is going to make my morning run much more smoothly. For one reason I won't be mopping water up off my kitchen floor because now I'm running from the kitchen sink to the coffee bar. And YES I usually spill. There will be less boo-boos to kiss from where my kids have slipped in the water that has spilled on the floor. This coffee pot has a water reservoir which is only a plus. The jury is still out on what her name will be. But she is just too lovely not to have one that is spectacular!!

I will give credit where credit is due. A HUGE thank you goes to my Sis & Bro In-Law. I visited them several months back and they introduced me to the wonderfulness called a Keurig. I had no idea they even existed. Wonderful things do come from visiting your family! Don't let anyone tell you any different!!! HAHA J/K

Here are a few other beautiful pictures.

Now, I promise that I am not getting paid to be a spokeswoman for Keurig. But if they are reading this and need one, then I am the gal for the job! Just looking at the picture with all the different coffee choices gives me an adrenaline rush. Where to start?
Here is my favorite coffee cup waiting in anticipation for the morning debut brew!!! I'm just wondering if I'll be able to wait that long?? ;+)