life as a carter

Birdy in the Window...

2009-07-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and I found this project over at OhDeeDoh.

If you've never checked out this website then you should. They always have cute ideas for decorating your kiddo's room.

We both fell in love with the birdies in the window so it became our first project that will go in her new redecorated room. And here is how we made ours....

I found an old window. I originally planned to repaint it, but I ended up liking the weathered, crackled paint. I used regular acrylic paints and painted branches on the window panes. (You like my new lime green kitchen walls?? I'll be posting pictures of our house projects very soon!)

Then I cut out some birds for Kaitlyn to trace onto our pretty paper.

Then we just cut them out and used a little scotch tape on the backs to stick them on. I don't know how long the tape will work, but it looks good for now!

And here it is! It was a fun and easy project and I can't wait to see it on Kaitlyn's

soon-to-be-painted-turquoise walls!

P.S. I posted a couple of camera strap covers in my Etsy shop. I will be posting more this weekend :)

Humbled....

2009-07-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a letter came from St. Jude's asking for a donation and it was addressed to Kaitlyn. Jeff and I thought it would be a good time for us to talk to her about giving to others. She knows lots about St. Judes because of Jake's story. We talked to her about making a small donation, but that we would leave it up to her. She said that she would like to hang on to the letter and think about.

Let me just tell you a little bit about Kaitlyn. This child SAVES her money. She hangs on to every single cent she is given. Any money she has earned, any birthday money, any report card money...it all gets tucked away in her dresser drawer. The only time it comes out is when she decides to count it. She's never had a particular thing she's saving for, she just saves.

Several weeks had gone by and she had mentioned the letter a couple of times, but she kept saying she needed to think about it. We always told her that was fine because I wanted her to choose to give, not be pressured of forced.

Last week she walked into the living room where Jeff and I were sitting and handed me an envelope. It was the St. Jude envelope and it was full of cash. $100 to be exact. The envelope also had a note that she had written (that I can't believe I didn't take a picture of) that said "I love St. Jude. I think children should live. Love, Kaitlyn".

I was blown away. I couldn't believe that she was willing to give $100 of her own money. It means so much to me that she had it on her heart all these weeks and she decided to give so generously.

It made me stop and take a long hard look at my priorities. I just thought that I was the one teaching her a lesson in giving, but it turned out she taught me.

I'm so incredibly thankful that God brought me this beautiful little girl. I'm not sure how my life existed before her.

Gabbi Girl....

2009-07-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Looky who came to work with me! Gabbi Girl got to come to Ruston yesterday! One of our parents at work, Kimie (aka Aunt Kimie) called Melanie and demanded that she send a child to Ruston, so I picked her up and off we went. She is absolutely precious and was so much fun! Thank you Mel for sharing your kiddo for a day :)

We documented our day so we could share.....enjoy!

Sew...here's what I've been up to...

2009-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've (somewhat) learned to use my sewing machine! I still have LOTS to learn (Lindsay!), but I'm getting more comfortable with it and I'm actually SEWING!

I made some onesies for a sis-in-law to give as a gift at a baby shower...

Baby's name will be Haleigh, so of course we had to have a couple of "h" onesies...But I think my favorite is the birdy :)

And I actually sewed my very first shirt...from a pattern! I got the pattern over at Sew Sensible. Ok, so it took me about 3 hours, but I'm pretty proud of it! And it looks absolutely adorable on Kaitlyn. I think I'll be making another one for little Miss Ellie Sue's birthday. Mel, any fabric requests??
I've also been making lots of camera straps! Breanna, which one do you want? I will be dropping one in the mail tomorrow :)

Other big news....Jeff and I bought a house! We actually bought the house that we were already renting. I've had a whole year to think about all the things I'd like to do if we ever owned it....and now we do! We've been making frequent trips to Lowe's this week. I have SO many projects I want to do, so there will be lots to blog about! I just hope this home improvement stuff doesn't interfere with my sewing time.

**Disclaimer...I'm very aware that tonight's pictures are horrible...I'm just too lazy to take better ones :)

The Shake!

2009-06-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so sharing pictures a week late is better than never, right?!

We got to Jake's Jamboree bright and early (and it was already about 100 degrees)! I had lots of work to do inside, but I snuck away for a few minutes to take some pictures.

Kaitlyn hung out with Mrs. Ramsay at her table where she was making Believe necklaces. Kaitlyn adores Mrs. Ramsay :)

MMPT (Melanie Massey Physical Therapy) sponsored Jake's Jamboree this year, so we all rocked these shirts and represented!

I went back inside and got back to work, but Kaitlyn wasn't coming back inside until she tracked down Mrs. Melanie to paint her face. So she and Jeff were on a mission...and they succeeded! She came inside to show off her peace sign. She adores Mrs. Melanie, too....so much, that 's she's pretty sure she'll be a physical therapist when she grows up.

I didn't get to take nearly as many pictures as I wanted to, but between Mel and Lindsay, I think they covered the picture taking! Speaking of Lindsay, there she is! She was hard at work answering phones for the telethon. I think she just might be the sweetest, most bubbly person I've ever met! I can't wait to get her back in LA on a less crazy weekend so we can sit & sew! The telethon was a huge success this year! I'm always so amazed at the community support. They really rally around this event every year!

There is about a 9 hour gap in my pictures at this point. But I wish I would've taken pictures of all the busy little bees that flutter around all day to make this event happen!

By now, it was time for the event to start. Our friends Ramsay and Lee showed up and it only took me a second to realize that Jeff and Lee were.......OMG they were wearing matching shirts! It took some persuasion to get them in a picture together since they were "accidentally" matching, but they finally cooperated. Needless to say, they didn't sit by each other the entire night.

There was a huge crowd! I never heard a final number, but I would dare to say the biggest crowd yet.

This is always an emotional night, especially once Don, Staci, Veronicia & Mel get up to speak. They talked about the families that have been helped through the JOR Foundation. The work they do is truly amazing.

Mel talked about a family that was told they only have 2 more weeks with their child. She also talked about a family that was at St. Jude when they were there with Jake. The family had a terminally ill child and couldn't even afford a camera. That really hit home with me because pictures have always been so important to me. I think it was at this point that Lindsay and I looked at each other across the table and gave each other the, "Here we go, we're about to cry" look.

Like I said, it's a very emotional night, but it's also a very fun night! The band started and the mood lightened up!

There were just a few of the MMPT girls (and Keif) that were there to support!

Everyone had such a great time! (Shout out, Toni!)

This was the last picture I snapped before my battery went dead...if you didn't get to make it to The Shake, I think Heather had enough fun for you :)

I'm already looking forward to next year!

I've been a bad, bad blogger....

2009-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

I have no excuses other than I've just been a bad blogger. But I have lots to share now that I've crawled out of the hole that I obviously fell into....

Tonight, I'll start with Kaitlyn's birthday! Can you believe she's 8 years old?! It's like all of the sudden she looks like a "big girl". Jeff and I were looking back at pictures from our wedding and she looked so small. I really need to slow down and soak up every second...

She decided that she wanted a party with a candy buffet, ice cream sundaes, and a slip n' slide. And of course, she got exactly what she wanted!

We had SO much candy! As a matter of fact, we STILL have so much candy!

We made a whole day of it and grilled for everyone. We set up tables outside and there's no way we'd ask our guests to eat at tables without centerpieces! Kailtyn had a blast helping put these together.

We also wrapped up paper lanterns to look like huge candies!

The wax lips were great for picture taking! The kids LOVED them!

Kaitlyn couldn't wait to get in the water. The kids played for hours. She said that this was officially the best party she's ever had. I'm just glad it only comes once a year :)

I'll be posting some Shake 4 Jake pictures tomorrow night!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to the best mama in the whole world.

I love you bunches :)

I've been taken hostage....

2009-05-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

I've tried to escape...really, I have...

But it just keeps calling me back...back to the kitchen table (which has become my makeshift sewing table).

I've tried to walk away, but then it just looks at me...and I can't resist.
I'm weak. I can't escape.

And just about the time I stop thinking about it...
I stumble upon a stack of fabric (which are sporatically placed around our house)
and I go running back.

Can you blame me?

The sad thing is, is that I don't really have any sewing skills. Sometimes I just sit and stare at it.

I have a sickness....but the first step is admitting it, right?

The $4 shirt...dress....

2009-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have a sickness...

I can't stop creating. It sounds like an enjoyable sickness, but I assure you, it's a sickness.

My house is a wreck, my laundry is piled up, and my family hasn't eaten in days...Jeff and Kaitlyn have been seen wandering through the neighborhood scavenging for nuts and berries....

But at least I have something to show for it, and it only cost me $4!!

Check out the bandana dress....although it's really more of a shirt on Kailtyn...

And of course, we had to have a matching hair accessory.

And it only took me about 20 minutes to make and I don't even own a sewing machine, I just sewed it by hand. All you need is 2 bandanas, I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1 each, and about 2 1/4 yards of ribbon. I found the instructions here and it really was very simple. It's basically the same as a pillowcase dress, but the beauty of using the bandanas is the edges are already hemmed. The only thing is that you can't customize the size. It's somewhere between a short dress and a long shirt on Kailtyn (she's 44" tall, for reference) so I just paired it with some tights.

Mel and Breanna, what colors do your girls want....because as I mentioned before, I have a sickness. Maybe I should combine the bandana dress with aplique'...ooohhh, it's making my skin tingle!

My handsome tomato planting husband and I are heading out of town today to celebrate our one year anniversary! And to show my commitment to our marriage, I'm leaving my computer at home. Just typing that sentence sent a wave of panic over me, but I'll be ok!

Hope everyone has a happy and blessed Easter holiday! Go make something crafty!

P.S. Shannon, Megan, & Jennifer...give your tomato planting fellers and big ol "You're Welcome" for me!

Those big blue eyes...

2009-04-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE being an aunt?! Just in case I haven't....well, I LOVE being an aunt! I'm so in love with this little feller. I just love those big blue eyes...

...and the way he calls me "Jeshi"...

...and the special relationship he has with Jeff & Kaitlyn....

Oh yeah, did I mention that I LOVE being an aunt??

That's just how my tomatoes hang....

2009-04-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Lately I've had the itch to plant some tomatoes. I think Jeff was hoping this would be one of my "phases" that would soon go away (like..."I'm so in love with the Wii Fit, I'm going to do it everyday"...or..."I'm going to get a miniature horse and it can live in our yard")

Well, it didn't go away....so I was on a mission. Here's how you, too, can make yourself a hanging tomato...

Step 1. Find a handsome, strong fellow that owns a drill and ask him to drill a hole in your new hanging flower pot.

Step 2. Force that same handsome, strong fellow to play peek-a-boo through the newly drilled hole. You know, just to make sure it's the right size.

Step 3. Ask that fellow to do you ONE more favor and put your tomoto plant through the hole in your hanging pot.

Step 4. Tell that handsome, strong fellow that you realize you told him it would only be ONE more favor, but there's just ONE MORE teeny tiny little favor that you need from him. If he could just pick up that big, heavy bag of soil and pour it in the pot...that would be great.

Step 5. Here's where it gets really tough....plant the herbs of your choice in the top of the pot. I realizze that doesn't sound all that tough, but do you SEE the dirt that got under my thumbnail?!?

Step 6. Feel deep regret over not buying those super cute pink gardening gloves you were eyeing earlier.

Step 7. Now here's the most CRUCIAL step...make cute tags to mark your herbs. I just printed some out on the computer, covered them with packing tape to weather proof them, then taped them to some leftover wooden skewers.

Now, just wait patiently for approximately 50 days and you'll be harvesting some tastey tomotoes!

Step 8. Pat yourself of the back for the great job you've done growing tomotoes all by yourself (with a little help from a handsome, strong fellow)!

My name is Jessi, and I'm addicted to aplique'...

2009-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I'm addicted. I went to Hobby Lobby last night "just to look around" and came home with 4 projects. I'm pretty sure my husband is planning an intervention.

We made a shirt for Maddi (you remember her, sweet ol' baby girl).

And we're making totebags for all of Kaitlyn's school teachers and daycare workers.

And we made a tiny little tote bag for Ellie. Kaitlyn was certain that Ellie needed a tote bag to carry around her treasures. I'm sure this is only the beginning of out "E" projects, huh Mel?!?

This has nothing to do with aplique', I just had to share some pictures of my pretty girl :)

While I've been busy with all of my projects, she's been learning Photoshop. It's so funny to see the same excitement in her eyes that I feel when I'm working with Photoshop. When she learns something new, her whole face lights up with excitement. She's been soaking in every singe word of her lessons. I'm so proud of her!

"A" is for Aplique'

2009-03-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

My latest project is aplique'! Since I don't have a sewing maching (yet!), I had to stitch it by hand...which should explain why it looks so messy. But my sweet baby girl didn't care, she thought they were perfect :)

I'm hooked on aplique' and I'm ready to start another project!

Ice, Ice Baby....

2009-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sing with me now....

All right stop collaborate and listen
MO is back with my brand new invention...

I love me some Vanilla Ice, but I love me some MO even more! And I'm so glad to have her back in action!

Because I'm addicted to texting...

2009-03-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Comedy Central Presents

Friday 10pm / 9c

Paul F. Tompkins: Text Messaging

You can't tell me that's not funny....and if you do, I won't believe you :)

You're my soul and my life's "insprashon"...

2009-03-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

This girl surprises me everyday. She's so witty and funny and has such a sweetness about her. And check out those "big girl teeth"! (Breanna, get ready!)

One night last week I was busy cooking dinner and when I finished this is what I found...

She had "set" the table, complete with paper towel napkins and table decor.

She even wrote our names on our napkins so there wouldn't be any confusion when it came time to be seated.

Then....yesterday we walked into the living room and Kailtyn had left her dry erase board with a message for Jeff and I....

Seriously, how sweet is this? One day, we'll discuss the proper spelling on "inspier", "awsome", and "insprashon", but for now, I'm just going to enjoy it :)

I survived...

2009-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Whew! Gage's party has come and gone and fun was had by all! I had a blast planning the party, but I must say that I'm so happy that Kaitlyn's birthday isn't until June!

I took a day off work on Friday to prepare. I spent the day making robot cookies!

Which were deeeelicious! The kiddos approved :)

Melody and I put together the goody bags...

And the cups...

Then it was time to celebrate! I don't think Gage completely understood what was going on.

But he understood when it was time to dig into his cupcake.

It was so fun watching him open his gifts! He got so excited over all his gifts.

Even clothes!

I think my favorite part of the party was taking robot pictures! Everyone seemed to have fun sticking their head through the hole!

Kaitlyn thought it was hilarious!

Everyone participated! Adults....

And even pets!

This little feller played so hard and was so exhausted by the end of the day.

And so was I!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

It's allliiiiiive, it's allliiiiiiive!

2009-02-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get the feeling that someone is watching you?

(Go ahead and sing it with me...."Sometimes I feel like somebody's watching meeeee")

I mean, I'm not completely sure...I just get that feeling....

My creation has come to life.

This little feller will be living with us for the next couple of weeks.

Just think of all the robots I could build if the Super Bowl came on more often :)

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto...

2009-01-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

Admit it, you're singing Mr. Roboto aren't you??

I've been busy planning Gage's 2nd birthday party the last couple of weeks. I found this robot themed birthday party on Hostess with the Mostess and fell in love! Luckily, so did my

sis-in-law. As soon as she gave me the go ahead, I started writing down ideas.

I'm going to attempt to make these super cute robot cupcakes. They were made by Hello Naomi. S he makes the cutest cupcakes! Until last weekend I had never worked with fondant. I decided to give it a "test run" just in case I was being a little too ambitous by thinking I could make them. I made a batch of marshmallow fondant and it actually turned out pretty good! If anyone has any tips or tricks I would love to hear them.

Of course we had to have matching robot invitations, so I got right to work!

This weekend I'll be making the centerpiece and goody bags....aaaaand valentines for Kaitlyn's class. Only 2 more weeks to go! I've got to get busy!

Remember to thank me tomorrow when you're still humming Mr. Roboto :)

I'm alive....

2009-01-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

And I will be posting a proper update soon...I promise!
It's hard to get back on the blogging wagon once you've fallen off!

I'm making some cute Valentine goodies this weekend that I'll share. And I'm cooking up a super fabulous birthday party for Gage!

Can't wait to share some cuteness!

Tis the season...to blog....

2008-12-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

I think that I have more Christmas spirit this year than I've ever had. Seriously, It's almost sickening. I've always loved Christmas, but this year just feels different. I suppose it has something to do with being a wife and mom this year. Regardless of what is causing it, I love it!

So we had our MMPT Christmas party last weekend. It was so much fun! We draw names and we make our gifts. Melanie drew my name this year so of course I got cute stuff! Check out my loot....

I got these super cool yard signs. Mel cut huge ornaments out of vinyl and put each of our names on an ornament.

She even made an extra so that we have room for growth :)

I also got a rubbermaid FULL of goodies for my tree!

Check out these beaded peacock feathers, aren't they awesome?? They look fabulous sticking out of my tree.

And these super cute little canvases that Mel painted. I love things that make our tree personal!

She even included a blank canvas...once again, room for growth :)

This one might just be my favorite. So thoughtful :)

And the resemblance is striking...don't you think?

Ok, so maybe if Grizzly Adams shaved you could better see the resemblance...just trust me, it's like looking into the face of his long lost twin.

We spent the evening adding all the new goodies to our tree. I think if I add one more ornament to our poor little tree it will tip over. I informed Grizzly that we are upgrading to a bigger tree next year!

Strangely, one of my favorite parts of the gift was the huge red rubbermaid that all of the ornaments came in. I know....I'm a nerd. I'm a total sucker for organizational products.

I walk into the living room and this is what I see....

Kaitlyn was just chilling, watching t.v. ....inside the rubbermaid.

She got embarrassed once she realized I was taking pictures. I suppose that she, too, is a sucker for organizational products :)
I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season!

The wonderful kiddos in my life...

2008-12-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, how about you??

I really enjoyed some quality time with family!

I did a little photo shoot of Austin and his baby sister (aka "sweet ol' baby girl", if you haven't already seen the song that he wrote for her, check it out here)

This boy LOVES his baby sister!

Kaitlyn wanted she and Austin to take a picture with Maddi, but Maddi wasn't all that happy about it.

Austin quickly called for back-up...he doesn't like to hear her cry.

Then the best buds wanted to take some pictures together. Pretty cute, aren't they??

I'm looking at them, thinking how incredibly cute they are....and then....

They attacked. Suddenly, I'm no longer thinking they are all that cute!

Ok, maybe they're still pretty cute....

But they forced me to run and anyone that knows me, knows that anything faster than a brisk walk just ticks me off. I'm no runner....darn kids.

Look who stopped by just in time for pictures! My sis-in-law started calling me "Papparazzi" after she had Gage. I was clicking away the day he was born. I figured I'd go ahead and get an early start getting him used to the camera flash. I think it paid off, he flashes me a toothy grin everytime I get the camera out :)

I'm surrounded by some pretty awesome kiddos!

I'm thankful for....

2008-11-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

A job that lets me bring my daughter to work.

Kailtyn got to come to work with me yesterday. She had a blast!

And I really enjoyed a day to hang out with her!

Thanks, Mel :)

The award for the worst blogger goes to....me.

2008-11-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've just completely fallen out of the blogging world the past couple of weeks. I finally took the time to sit down and catch up on everyone's blogs. And know I suppose I should catch up on my own....

Here's what I've been up to....

Celebrating my hubby's birthday...my sweetie turned 31!

Making yummy Red Velvet Cake Balls for work....these things are addictive, consider yourself warned. Kaitlyn and I will be whipping up another batch (or two) this week for Thanksgiving.

Working on my Halloween mini-book....I'm almost finished, I still have a few finishing touches to add.
Wishing my friend a happy birthday by posting a tacky sign on her door....happy birthday Mer :)

Trying to negotiate with my dad to return my daughter...I was fairly certain that he had taken her hostage this weekend....He bought her a pony named Molly and her own saddle. Seriously...he's getting carried away with this whole grandpa thing. When he brought her home, he informed me that she wasn't really hungry for dinner so she just had some ice cream.

I've also been decorating my house for Christmas! I know it's a little early, but I'm just so excited! I never really decorated for the holidays before, but now that I'm married it just feels different. It's gotten to the point that it's really dangerous for me to go to Hobby Lobby!

I'm looking forward to some family time this week! I'm staying home Wednesday to do some baking...anyone have any great holiday recipes???

Braggin' on my girl...

2008-11-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

There are important moments in every parent's life when it comes to their child. Their first steps...first words...first day of kindergarten. Sometimes it makes me so sad that I wasn't able to experience those moments with Kaitlyn. In my heart, she is my daughter. There is no doubt in my mind that God brought us together at just the right time in both of our lives. I always tell her that we were meant to be together and that God chose her to be my daughter. So we have our own important moments. And this week, we had a moment.....

My baby had her first Photoshop lesson...

She learned about layers and brushes....

And she did SO good!

She's completely hooked. She's asked every night this week to practice.

This may seem silly to some...but I'm so proud!

That's my girl :)

Just chillin'....

2008-11-07T21:06:00.001-08:00

Me and the hubby are taking it easy tonight. Kaitlyn passed out early and we've been sitting on the couch watching a Comedy Central stand-up comedy marathon. For the first time all week, I actually feel relaxed :)

The scrap kits are up for sale on Etsy. All the details are posted on Mel's blog or click here to go to the Etsy shop. I'm really excited about finishing my book. I've already started, I'm just waiting on Walgreens to print my pictures (apparently "one hour" actually means "several hours"). I could print them at home, but I'm too lazy to go to Office Depot to buy ink...so I'll just sit at home and gripe about Walgreens.

Hope you're all having a wonderful night.

I'll leave you with some tunes :)

Aye Aye, Matey....

2008-11-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

My little pirate had such a great time trick-or-treating! Apparently we live in a neighborhood full of grouches, there were only a few houses that were accepting trick-or-treaters. I felt bad for all the other kiddos in the neighborhood so we stayed home for a while and passed out candy....Kailtyn wasn't happy with the amount of traffic we were getting, so she stood in the driveway and waved to passing cars thinking that would persuade them to stop and trick-or-treat.

Once it was time for us to make our rounds, she was concerned about using one of her hands to carry her sword...she was totally convinced that her bucket would be so loaded with candy that she would need both hands to carry it.

She and Austin were so funny together! I think they just might be the cutest pirates I've ever seen :)

Twas the Night Before Halloween....

2008-10-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

We've been busy bees around our house the last couple of days. I've had a couple of pumpkins that have been waiting to be painted sitting around and we finally got around to it last night. Kaitlyn gets so excited any time we get the paint out...and to be honest, so do I.

(Just so you all know, I do occasionally dress my child in cute clothes....it seems like every time I get the camera out, she's already changed into her "play clothes")

Can you guess what my pumpkin's theme is??

That's right...my pumpkin bleeds purple & gold!

Tonight, my cousin Missey and I made marshmallow pops (thanks Melissa!) for Kaitlyn & Austin's classes at school. I think after all the goody making I've done over the past couple of days, I'm going to need a break....I don't want to see a marshmallow or a even one stinkin' sprinkle for quite some time!

So that's what we've been up to this week. Kaitlyn & Austin are dressing up as pirates to go trick-or-treating tomorrow, can't wait to share!

Be afraid...be very afraid...

2008-10-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Guess who's celebrating Halloween 2 days early....the MMPT crew! We decided to celebrate today because we have more kiddos coming into the office than on Friday. We always try hard to come up with a theme that's unique and original, so this year's theme is.......HOLIDAYS!

We have the Easter bunny...

Leprechaun & Cupid ( I started out with wings, but they became a bother)...Oh, and Lindsay....try not to choke when you see my tutu. I did my best! It turns out that tutus aren't nearly as cute and charming on adults!

A Christmas tree (whose balls keep falling off...I'm talking about Christmas ornaments, get your minds out of the gutter!)...

A pumpkin princess...

And Mother's Day...can you figure out which one is the real baby?

I work with such a fun group of peeps :)

We even made goodies for our big day. I made these mummy cake pops that I found on Bakerella's blog. They were a little time consuming, but they turned out really cute and they tasted amazing! We always like to take little treats to our local doctors to thank them for their support. So this year, they got a mummy bucket filled with cake pops and marshmallow pops. We went as a group to deliver them. We got a few strange looks, especially since it's not actually Halloween.

And Ramsay made these super cute monster cupcakes. She thought they didn't turn out well, but I think they're great!

Well, that's our MMPT halloween...hope you enjoyed. I'm sure Melanie will be posting more pictures later so go check out her blog to see!

Sleepover at Aunt Jessi's...

2008-10-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start by saying, I LOVE being an aunt...I mean, I REALLY love being an aunt. I've been harassing my sis-in-law about letting Gage come spend the night and she finally gave in. She asked up early in the week if he could stay Friday night. It's all Kaitlyn talked about all week! He's finally getting to the age where he actually likes to stay with us. He and Kaitlyn play really well together and he adores his uncle Jeff. Here he is eating a ketchup soaked chicken nugget in uncle Jeff's lap. So what if Jeff ended up with little ketchup handprints all over him...he doesn't mind :)

This boy keeps us cracking up. He answers most questions with "Yesh".

And he LOVES his cousin, Kaitlyn. His new favorite game is "Where is your belly?". I asked him where Kailtyn's belly was and he tackled her to find it.

It's not just Uncle Jeff's lap he likes to sit on. He stands in front of Kaitlyn, pokes his booty out, and backs up until he finds her. She loves this because she's always begging to "hold" him. I don't think that she realizes they are almost the same size. Kaitlyn is going to be such a great big sister...maybe it's about time for her to have a sibling :)

Fall Tags, Anyone?

2008-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

I made some fall gift tags that can be downloaded and printed. I can't seem to figure out how to make a link to them, so if you'd like to have a copy to print just e-mail me at craftycarter@live.com .

Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

What a weekend...

2008-10-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit this weekend so we had a house full of family all weekend! It was so much fun to hang out with everyone. Mom brought her new puppy, Tiger. He's a snorkie (schnauzer/yorkie). Kaitlyn fell in love with him! She'll still a little afraid of him when he gets really playful, but as long as he was being calm and sweet she was right by his side. She and I have decided that we can talk Jeffro into getting us one :)

My nephew, Gage was over all weekend. He's getting to be such a fun age! All of the sudden his speech has exploded and you can almost have a conversation with him. He and Kaitlyn were big buddies this weekend. He wanted to sit right next to her.

And he loved to copy everything that she did! He thought this little game was so funny. He would just double over with laughter and slap his leg. That boy is so darn funny! (Did you notice Kaitlyn's haircut?? I'm NOT digging the bangs...her daddy took her to get a haircut...that's all I'm going to say...ok, maybe it's not all I'm going to say...anyone remember Jim Carey's haircut in the movie Dumb and Dumber...or maybe Captain Spok on Star Trek...striking resemblance)

Check out his boots....aren't they just too cute?! He's SUCH a boy. He absolutely LOVES his daddy (my baby brother) and his Uncle Jeff.

Mammaw Robbie (my mom) brought him a toy motorcycle. Immediately he tried to ride it. His little booty would barely fit on the seat. He scooted around the house and made "motorcycle noises". Then Nikki and Haleigh came over to visit. Nikki and I have been friends since we were about 4 years old. We met in Sunday School and have been best friends ever since. Her daughter is such a cute-patootie. She was quiet most of the night because we had such a house full of people, but she eventually warmed up.

She sat in Kailtyn's lap, which thrilled Kaitlyn. She's such a "mommy" and loves to help take care of babies. She always wants Gage to sit in her lap, but he's way too busy. She LOVED that Haleigh wanted to sit with her, even though Haleigh probably weighs more than Kaitlyn.

I've really enjoyed having all the family over this weekend :)

I've been a busy bee today working on some blog banners and birthday cards! I'll share later on this week!

What we've been up to...

2008-10-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

The project of the weekend was this hideous chair....

My dear mother bought me this chair (I love you, Mom) along with a vanity when I got my last apartment. I didn't keep it a secret that I didn't exactly "dig" it, but it came in quite handy at the time. I sit in it every morning while I put on my make-up and blow-dry my hair. I've been wanting to reupholster it, but just haven't gotten around to it. And since I'm not exactly an expert in the area of upholstery. Last week the back of the chair broke and suddenly turned into a "recliner". So I figured now would be a better time than any to give it a shot.

And this is what I ended up with....

The back of the chair didn't make it through the "makeover". Partly because it was broken, but mostly because it seemed a little too advanced. So I turned it into a stool...an oddly shaped stool, but I kinda like it! It's obvious that there's an entire chair back missing, but it'll do.

After my adventures in upholstery, Austin came over to play and brought his skates. So we sat out in the yard and watched the kiddos skate all afternoon.

It's been a happy weekend :)

Hey, Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'??

2008-10-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

This girl LOVES to cook. She jumps at every opportunity to help me in the kitchen. I hate to admit it, but most nights I'm in such a hurry to get dinner cooked, that I don't take the time to let Kaitlyn help me. Some nights I just don't have the patience to walk her through every step of making a meal. But then I think about my mom and grandma who taught me how to cook. As far back as I can remember, my Grandma would let me stand on a barstool and cook with her. During the holidays, she and I would bake goodies for a solid week. There would be fudge, and divinity, and cookies, and spiced pecans, and polish mistakes covering the entire dining room table. She's the one that showed me how much fun cooking can be. And my mom always gave me free reign in the kitchen. I started "cooking dinner" for the family when I was about 8 or 9 years old. And then my parents would so lovingly choke down my kitchen experiments. I can think of two dinner disasters...one involved hamburger meat, a can of tuna, and lots of spices ( I thought I was making "Tuna Helper") and one Skillet Chocolate Pie that involved eggs being added while the temp was too high...which results in chocolate pie with scrambled eggs. My parents pretended it was delicious and I love them for that.

Anyway, all that just to get to tonight's blog....cooking with Kaitlyn. She gets so excited when I ask her if she wants to help me cook. She runs straight for the barstool and pushes it over to the sink to wash her hands. Once I take the time to cook with her, we have so much fun. Tonight's meal was fajitas. My little picky eater wouldn't eat a fajita if her life depended on it, but that doesn't stop her from making them. Before we started cooking, she says "I realize that you and daddy will be having fajitas, but what will I be having?" She just likes to make sure that just because she cooks them, that doesn't mean she has to eat them. Because if that were the case, I have the feeling that she would find something much more important to do.

She's such a good little cook. She's learning to read directions on packaging and measure out ingredients. This is all working towards her goal of making breakfast in bed for Jeff and I on her 11th birthday. For some reason, 11 seems like the magic number to her...and I'm sure not arguing about getting breakfast in bed!

Well, I warned you that my posts would be uneventful this week! Turns out that the neighbors got rid of the goats, so my posts may be uneventful for quite some time....

This evening....

2008-09-30T18:52:00.001-07:00

Austin came over to play. I think the little feller is getting stir crazy these days. With a new baby sister, there isn't as much playing going on at his house. Much to Kaitlyn's delight, he's been coming over to play a lot lately. I just love their relationship. Sometimes they fight like brother and sister, but most of the time they play so sweetly. I love to listen to them playing pretend. Today, they were pretending that Austin was a Walmart greeter and Kaitlyn was a customer. I wish I had just a fraction of their imagination.

I am LOVING this weather! It's way too pretty to be inside, so as soon as I got home I grabbed the kiddos and we headed outside. We played tag and hide-and-seek. After about two laps around the yard, I was huffing and puffing. But despite my lack of fitness, we had a blast.

While the kiddies finished running out their never ending supply of energy, I sat outside and visited with my handsome hubby. He gets this look on his face every time he sees me whip out my camera....like, seriously, you're taking pictures AGAIN. Yes, Jeff, I'm taking pictures AGAIN. Get used to it!

This is my favorite part of the day. Every evening, Jeff & I sit outside and talk about our day. It's a few minutes for us to escape until we start our evening routine and I treasure every second of it.

Fall makes me so happy :)

I'm baaaaaack!

2008-09-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

I didn't fall in a hole...or get stranded on an internetless island...or get abducted by aliens. I've just been a blogger bum! I've been busy doting over this little bundle of joy....

My cousin, Missey, had a beautiful baby girl this week!
Welcome to the world Madelyn!!

I just can't get enough sugar from those chubby cheeks! (I wonder if Jeff feels the same way about my chubby cheeks??) She's such a sweet baby :)

Check out this proud big brother! His face lights up at the mention of his baby sister. Just in case you didn't get so see the video of the song he wrote for his sis, you can watch it here. The plan was for Austin to stay at our house while his parents were at the hospital...we made it until bed time and he walked into the living room and said "I think I might cry". It broke his heart to be away from his family and his heart breaking made my heart break. He and I sat on the couch and had a good cry together and Jeff loaded up all of his stuff and took him back to the hospital. I'm pretty sure between her Daddy and big brother, this little lady will never be allowed to date!

I promise to update more this week. Even if my posts are uneventful and goat-free.

Adventures of the Goat Wrangling Receptionist...

2008-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

There's never a dull moment at work.

Our clinic is located in a neighborhood, so we are surrounded by houses. Our next door neighbors have two goats and three dogs in their back yard, which happens to be right behind the clinic. Besides the fact that the goats climb the fence and eat all of Melanie's beloved plants, they have really been cool to have. The kids love going in the back yard and visiting the "zoo".

Apparently, Tina, the "lead" goat, has learned to open the gate. So, occasionally they escape. Usually they hang around the yard and I can go outside and whistle and they will come running, then I just walk them back into their pen. We look like some sort of redneck parade...me, followed by 2 goats and 3 dogs. (I never dreamed my past experience with livestock would come in handy in the physical therapy field).

Today, one of the parents came in and reported that the goats were in the street. I went outside to round them up, but they caught on...when they saw me, they bolted. Through the street...through neighbor's yards (taking bites of their beloved plants as they ran by)...back into the street....and down to the government housing playground that is across the street.

I tried everything...whistling, clapping, calling them like dogs...nothing was working. I tempted them with leaves and branches...but the darn goats were too smart. Tina (I can't say her name without using my Napoleon Dynamite voice, "Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner") was too busy chewing on playground equipment to pay attention to me. After several more minutes of following them around the playground, they decided to run across the street to the church parking lot. This is when I decided that I will have to take them back one-by-one....so I grabbed Tina around her neck and drug her down the street and back to her yard . That is when my dear co-worker Katie showed up with the camera to ever-so-kindly take pictures.

I finally ended up getting all the animals back to their home, safe and far away from traffic. Their owner is a precious little lady, who is probably in her late 80's. She came out and thanked me for helping...and later this afternoon, these arrived....

Wasn't that sweet?!

At work, we've been talking about going above and beyond to help others and reaching out into the community. I'm not sure that goat wrangling was exactly what Mel had in mind...but I suppose I have to start somewhere!

P.S. It turns out, Tina's name is actually Peanut....that doesn't really work for me. She'll always be Tina to me.

Out of this world...or at least out of this town...

2008-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures from our trip to Arkansas. It was a much-needed trip out of town and it did us all some good. It was so great getting to visit with my mom and step-dad.

There is a campground just a few minutes from my mom's house that I always want to stop at. Today, on the way out of town, we finally stopped. It was so pretty and peaceful.

Jeff thought we were there just to check out the scenery, but Kaitlyn and I had a secret plan to get in the creek. We immediately rolled up our jeans and got in.
This place was a little rock collector's dream! She started scouring the bottom of the creek picking up cool rocks. And I have to admit, so did I. I guess old habits die hard, huh?? I refrained from actually bringing any rocks home, but I ever-so-slyly convinced Kailtyn that some of the rocks I found were fab-u-lous, so she insisted on bringing them home...darn. :)

Can you tell by the look on her face that she takes her rock collecting VERY seriously??

Eventually, we ended up talking Jeff into getting in the creek. Ok, so maybe it was more like we guilted him for not participating in the family fun, but either way, he got in.
And here is our sad attempt at getting a picture of all three of us. Looks like we're about to take a tumble...kinda makes me dizzy just looking at it!
It was so nice to see her smiling this weekend :)

A day of healing...

2008-09-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it through the week. Thanks to everyone for the sweet comments and the prayers. Knowing that our family was being lifted up in prayer was very comforting.

Kaitlyn made it through the funeral. She was so strong. I don't think she was able to completely grasp what was going on. Or maybe God just gives children a sense of peace that we as adults can't grasp. Most of the week, she didn't really want to talk about anything, but today she's had lots of questions. Jeff and I have done our best trying to answer them, but it's tough because there are so many questions that Jeff and I don't have the answers for.

I've really been amazed at how well she's handled everything. Tonight we noticed her getting really frustrated over simple things. I'm sure we'll be dealing with a lot of that in the future. Parenting has been much more challenging that I ever imagined, but it's also been much more rewarding. All I wanted to do today was protect her. She has such an innocent outlook on life and I want to protect her from anything painful.

When we got home this afternoon, we decided to do a balloon release. She chose red heart balloons. We took them home and she wrote a note to her mom, then we all released them in the front yard. After she released her balloon, she realized that she didn't sign her name on the note and she was so concerned that her mom wouldn't know who the note was from. I assured her that mom's just know these things. She seemed satisfied with that answer. I think this brought her a little more peace than the funeral did. The thought of being able to write her mom a note made her really happy. I told her that we can do it anytime she feels like she needs to...so we may need to invest in a helium tank.

I decided that we needed to have a fun night and try to get back to "normal" for a little while. So Kaityln and I went to the store and bought the makings for ice cream sundaes. There's nothing like rainbow sprinkles to temporarily heal a broken heart.

We decided tonight that we're leaving in the morning and heading to Arkansas to my mom's house. I think it will do us all some good to get out of town. Thanks again for the many prayers.

Sigh....

2008-09-04T06:22:00.001-07:00

I try to always blog about happy things, but sometimes unhappy things happen...

We found out this week that Kaitlyn's mother died.

Kailtyn is such a happy little soul, so it's been tough watching her heart break...it's a very helpless feeling.

I ask that you all keep her in your prayers.

Austin sings...Volume 2

2008-08-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Since Austin was such a hit, I thought I'd post another video from the same day. After singing his country song, he got in touch with his inner gangsta'. This kid is a hoot!

Go ahead and recover....I'll wait.....

Now on to some great news...Mel's baby is here! When I found out, I screamed "Our baby is here!!!". And Ramsay (co-worker) replied with "Our baby is here!!!" . It's funny how we all think of Mel's babies as "our" babies. Elle has been coming to work with Mel since she was 11 days old. She and I have had lots of bonding time and I look forward to bonding with new baby Groves :) I wish I would've had my camera today so I could share some pics, but I know Mel will be updating soon. She had her camera out and was clicking away! Check her blog to see pics!

Poppa Jamie...

2008-08-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

I need to wish my Poppa Jamie a belated happy birthday! I'm very blessed to not only have wonderful parents, but also wonderful step-parents. He and I have always had a special relationship and I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

Jamie, in honor of your birthday, here is a list of 10 things I love about you....

1. Your grilling! I love weekends in Hot Springs, filling my belly with yummy grilled food!

2. Your karaoke skills. You have no shame...and I love it.

3. You love music. I can't listen to cajun music without thinking of you! Thanks for introducing me to Wayne Toups and Tab Benoit...a little cajun music is good for the soul!

4. You love your music loud. I think it's hilarious that you got in trouble by the park ranger for playing the music too loud at my wedding....

5. You threatened to beat up the park ranger. You've always made it very clear that no one messes with his daughter...and you weren't about to let that park ranger ruin my wedding day :)

6. You're persuasive. Not just anyone could talk me into going tubing behind a party barge...in freezing cold water...in my pajamas.

7. You love to embarass me. You just "happened" to make the tube (you know, the one I was riding in the freezing cold...in my pajamas!) bump up against a boat filled with hot guys. Humiliating at the time, but I can laugh about it now!

8. You put on one mean fireworks show!

9. Your sense of humor...you made my mom laugh so hard that she peed her pants...in public (Galveston vacation).

10. You adore my mama. Thank you.

Happy Birthday!

Love, Jessi

Hostess with the mostess...

2008-08-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Look who started school last week!

Little Miss Kaitlyn is officially a 2nd grader! She has been so excited about starting her new school. On her first day, she told me she was so nervous that her toes were sweating! After meeting her teacher, she was much more at ease. While she was posing for these pictures, she has to be sure that I got a picture of the cool backpack that Miss Melanie got her for her birthday...thanks Miss Mel!

It’s been tough readjusting our schedules this week so there hasn’t been much time for blogging, but I have missed it dearly!

Yesterday I hosted a baby shower for my cousin, Missey. My mom came to town and stayed the weekend with us. She is always such a huge help (thanks, mom)! It was so great seeing her, it's tough living 3 hours apart. We had a house full of family all weekend and loved every minute of it!

The baby shower went great. Missey got lots of cute stuff!

Here are a few of the decorations….
I made this banner with the baby’s name, Maddi (short for Madelyn). I made it out of scrapbook paper and strung it across the doorway.

Then I printed out lots of “baby words” and mounted them on the leftover paper from the banner. I stuck them on white sucker sticks and had some super cute, easy, and cheap cupcake toppers. I never got around to making favors for the shower, but the guests survived regardless.

I think the best part of the shower was when Austin (the baby’s big brother) performed a song that he wrote for Maddi. He was reluctant to perform since he didn’t have his guitar, but with a little persuasion (and with the use of Kailtyn’s red cowgirl hat) he put on quite a show!

Here it is, for your viewing pleasure….

I think my favorite was the "I'm gon' go getcha baaaaand aid" :)

This boy....

2008-08-17T17:42:00.001-07:00

He's the cheese to my macaroni....

Sometimes I'm amazed at how much I adore him :)

P.S. Go check out Lindsay's blog to see the new blog banner I made. I think I'll be opening an Etsy store soon (thanks to much encouragement from Lindsay), if anyone is interested in purchasing a blog banner. I promise it will be made with love <3

Happy, Happy Birthday...

2008-08-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy birthday, it's your special day.

Happy, happy birthday, from all of us, ole'!

Happy Birthday, Mel !!!

Oh Baby, Baby...

2008-08-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

My darling little princess wasn't feeling well today, so I stayed home (thanks for understanding, Boss Lady) and hung out with the sick kiddo. It gave me a chance to do some planning for the baby shower I'm hosting next weekend for my cousin. I came across a few pages from the book, Safe Baby Handling Tips and I thought I would share. I guess I'll need to cancel the mechanical bull that I had booked for the shower...

Brillante you say??

2008-08-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

An award?? For me?? I pride myself in being prepared....I wear clean undies everytime I leave home, just in case I'm in an accident....I compulsively check my gas gauge to ensure that I have plenty...I sleep fully dressed during storms in case a tornado comes and blows the roof off (thanks for that weird habit, mom). Could I be any more prepared?? And here I sit without a speech prepared for my Brillante Blog Award. Tisk, tisk.

Thanks to Lindsay & Megan :) It's nice to know that people read my silly little blog!

So I am supposed to answer a quesionaire and choose 7 brilliant bloggers...so here we go.

A. Attached or single? Attached at the hip to my handsome hubby!

B. Best friend? Is it cheesy to say my husband? Yes? Well, I'm gonna say it anyway.
C. Cake or pie? Yes, please.

Day of choice? Saturday....two words...SLEEP IN

Essential item? Photoshop

F. Favorite color? Lime green

G. Gummy bears or worms? worms

H. Hometown? West "Funroe", LA

I. Indulgence? A yummy meal at a nice restaurant, mmmmm :)

J. January or July? July...everything seems happier in the summertime

L. Life isn’t complete without? Family

M. Marriage date? April 12, 2008 (At least I think it's the 12th?? Oh jeez, don't tell Jeff)

N. Number of brothers & sisters? One (24 year-old) baby brother...3 step-sisters and one step-brother

!O. Oranges or apples? Apples...oranges are way too much work.

P. Phobias? I have a recent phobia of rip tides
Q. Quotes? Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. Anais Nin
R. Reasons to smile? New art supplies :)

S. Season of choice? Spring
T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)

U. Unknown fact about me? I would love to learn how to weld one day...it just looks like fun.
V. Vegetable? I was the only kid at the lunch table that liked brussel sprouts...word spread quickly and I ended up with everyones portions....turned out, I didn't like them THAT much.
W. Worst habits? Eating when I'm bored.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? I've had an x-ray. It wasn't all that exciting.

Y. Your favorite food? Fajitas (why is it that so many of my answers involve food??)

.Z. Zodiac sign? Gemini

Ok, here are 7 brilliant bloggers....

Mel- You're just freakin' awesome...need I say more?

Kacy- You have a sarcastic streak that I connect with. Not everyone could get away with blogging about their dog's va-jay-jay.

Dawn- You were my dancing buddy and I love reading about your cutie-patootie, Mason...plus, I'm trying to earn points so maybe your hubby will make me a cake.

Lindsay- You are the queen of all things "frilly"! Love your blog!

Breanna- You'll always be my wedding planner hero! Can't wait to read about your new adventures in New Orleans.

Zhohn- Love your support of JOR...and your comments. And your name rocks :)

Megan- I'm so interested in your world of couponing. I can't wait to go get some bargains!

Whew, what a post! I'm exhausted...and my husband is glaring at me over the top of my computer...I think he's feeling neglected. Nighty, night!

Warning: Project in Progress...

2008-08-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight's thought process:

Should I wash the dishes.....Nope.

Maybe I should fold the laundry....Nah.

I should probably clean out the fridge...Mmmm, no thank you.

Hey, Maybe I should cut fabric, mix up a batch of homemade starch, and slap it on the wall....Why not?!

We are renters, therefore we aren't allowed paint. I admit, the rebel in me has considered just doing it anyway...for my mental/emotional health. This has had me in quite a decorating rut lately. I love nothing more than brightly painted walls and it makes me sad that I can't have them.

Ever since I found this project , I've been itching to try it! I found some old brown fabric in the closet and started cutting. I was originally thinking I would just cut out one small design just to test out the technique. I picked a small space near the window in our bedroom to experiment. You'll have to ignore the uneven cuts and jagged edges, the only scissors I could find were really dull. I'm pretty sure I could've made a cleaner cut with my teeth.

After sticking on the first design and realizing how easy it was, I decided to keep going.

I'm really wishing I had drawn out a design before I started the project rather than just blindly cutting. Buuut, I'm LOVING this technique! I'll end up taking it down once I buy some cool fabric, decide on my design and find a decent pair of scissors. Once the starch dried, you can't even see it. And it's supposed to peel right off the wall with a little bit of water. I can't wait to give this project another try. I already have lots of ideas for Kaitlyn's room!!

A Wii Visitor....

2008-08-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, my baby bro, his lovely wife, and my handsome nephew came over for dinner. We had to lure them over with promises of grilled hamburgers and chocolate chip cookies.

Gage was happy to see his cousin, Kaitlyn.

He's at such a fun age!

He loved playing with my shoes. This didn't go over too well with my incredibly macho brother. He doesn't approve of Gage wearing anything that involves sequins.

Cody & Melody brought over their new Wii. O...M...G! It was my first time to play. I looked incredibly ridiculous, but I had so much fun. Jeff and I are now trying to figure out how to get one. I may sell a kidney...it was THAT fun. I have pictures of everyone playing the Wii, but I won't be sharing those. Let's just say that me, "bowling" in the living room, is not a pretty sight.

After a long night of playing, the kiddos were worn out...even the big kids. Gage loves his uncle Jeff and I love the special relationship that they have :)

Sun fun...

2008-08-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our annual "Summer Fun Day" at work. We've had it every summer for the past 4 years. When we first started having it, it was a slip n' slide and a few carnival type games. Now, it's a monsterous water slide, cotton candy, and sno cones. We like to "do it big" at MMPT!

Here is the monsterous slide that I mentioned...

The slide that I actually rented was much smaller, but they brought the wrong one so we just decided to go with the flow. The kiddos loved it, even though it was a bit scary (it was appropriately named "Blue Monster")!

My mom-in-law, Diane was sweet enough to bring Kaitlyn over so she could join in the festivities. As soon as Kailtyn saw how big the slide was she refused to get on it...unless of course I got on it with her.

Here she is trying to convince me to slide with her...

The little punk is pretty persuasive...so up we go.

See the blur of hair and frightened expressions?? That would be us!

She was a bit stunned by the slide. It took me the rest of the afternoon to convince her to slide again.

While the kiddos were playing, I fired up the cotton candy machine.

I'm getting pretty good at cotton candy makin'. Melanie better treat me right or I'll go start a new career as a carnival worker!
I was absolutely exhausted, but we had so much fun! I love me some MMPT!

Short & sweet...

2008-07-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

I've not been a good blogger this week.
I'll do better this weekend, I promise.
Even better, I pinky promise.

I'm planning a baby shower for my cousin. She's having a baby girl!
Anyone have any cool ideas??

Friday fun with the fam!

2008-07-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to have a family fun night and I'm so glad we did! We played miniature golf and I totally won (I'm just a tiny bit competitive).

This was Kaitlyn's first time to play mini golf so it took her about 20 tries to get the ball in. By about the 12th hole, Jeff and I were about ready to wrap it up, but Kailtyn was having a blast.

It wasn't Jeff's first time to play, but by the way he was playing you would've thought so (I'm sorry...I have to rub it in).

Here is Jeff retrieving his ball from the bushes. For a moment, he forgot we were playing MINIATURE golf!

Who knew golf could be so exhausting??

How cute is this??

2008-07-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Just a little something that made me smile. And yes, that's a halo above my head. I wanted it to be as accurate as possible. Ha!

P.S. If you want to make your own, you can find it here.

Easy like Sunday morning...

2008-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ahhh. Yesterday was nice and relaxing. I just love Sundays. I was a bit bummed, though. Jeff and I had decided to visit a new church. I hate to admit, but it's been quite a while since we've been to church. We just haven't found a church that feels like the right fit. It seems like every Sunday, we're so exhausted from the previous week, that we end up just laying around the house. We commited to go early in the week and said no matter what, no matter how tired we were, or how much we didn't want to get out of bed...we were going. I opened my eyes on Sunday morning to the alarm clock flashing...the power went out sometime during the night, therefore, we overslept. I was so disappointed. Next Sunday, we're setting a back-up alarm :)

Despite oversleeping, we had a really nice day (with the exception of the redbugs we acquired on our trip to the swamp- see last post). Kaitlyn and I gave our homemade ice cream another try. This time we made it in containers (thank you McDaniel Five for the suggestion!). Kailtyn was quite pleased. This girl takes her ice cream shakin' VERY seriously!

Tada! 10 minutes later, we have incredibly yummy ice cream! It amazes me everytime :)

Our next project was painting. We got out all of my paints and spread out in the kitchen floor and made out masterpieces. I started reading The Imperfect Parenting Blog Series that Ali Edwards linked on her blog. She talks about rest, creativity, and gratitude. The post really made an impression, especially this...

I believed that permission to slow down was externally granted and I was trying to earn the right to slow down from the world.Lazy and narcissistic are huge shame triggers for me. I was trying to prove that I was good enough to rest for a few minutes.I was planning for the creative life I’d have some day. Some day. The day after everyone said, “OK. You’re good enough. We know you’re productive.”

...so I tried to just slow down and spend some quality time with Kaitlyn. I realized that the world will not stop spinning if my laundry piles up a little, or if there are dishes in the sink, or if there are 12 pairs of shoes scattered around my living room (which there are). We ended up having so much fun and Kaitlyn was so grateful for the time we spent. I just love that gal.

The last couple days.,...

2008-07-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'll start by posting a couple of pics of this little cutie-patootie that I got to hang out with on Thursday. She sat on the counter and visited with me for a little while. And then it was off to the door to look for her beloved pups.

She stood at the door and said, "Oooohhhhh"!

And then mom came home with lunch, Mmmmmm, chicken!

Instead of going in to work at the office, Melanie asked me to come over and give a Photoshop lesson. I'm so proud of her! She learned so much in one day. Melanie isn't exactly the type to sit still and pay attention (I love you Mel, but you know it's true!), but she sat in front of the computer all day and practiced her new skills!

Moving on to Friday....Jeffy (he LOVES it when I call him Jeffy!) called me on my way home from work and asked if I'd like to go 4-wheeler riding. I said yes, even though our last 4-wheeling adventure wasn't much fun. So we loaded up and headed to the woods. He "forgot" to mention that we were actually going fishing. We just needed the 4 wheeler to get to "the creek"- aka- The Swamp.

When we got there, Austin was already fishing like a pro.

So Jeff and Kaitlyn whipped out their fishing poles and started fishing while I snapped pictures for a little while and then sat on the ground and pouted because we only had 2 fishing poles.

Once everyone fished for a while and realized that we weren't going to catch anything, we took off on the 4-wheelers for a short ride before it got too dark. Kaitlyn was having a blast!
Right before we got finished riding, Kaitlyn noticed how beautiful the sky was. That girl loves a pretty sky! It was so nice to spend some time outside with the family and get some fresh air. It's good for the soul!

You scream, I scream....

2008-07-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

I didn't get to post pictures of last weeks "special project" because I lost the cord for my camera which meant I was unable to upload my pics or charge my camera. I was pretty bummed that I had to go the entire weekend without my camera. I didn't get to take pics of Elle's birthday party on Saturday, but luckily Mel documented every single moment. Go check out the pics on her blog. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the cord got swallowed by the massive pile of laundry that's in our bedroom. Luckily, I found an old camera cord at work that will work until mine shows back up!

Last weeks project was (insert drumroll here)......homemade icecream! I found a recipe online that you can make in a ziploc bag. It was so easy and it was sooo yummy! You put 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar into a small ziploc bag (I double bagged to prevent any leaks) and put it inside a gallon size ziploc bag. Add ice and salt into the large bag and shake it for 10 minutes.

The Princess has delicate little hands so she needed to wrap the bag in a towel while she shook it up. After about 3 minutes she was ready to be done so I got a to take a turn. Apparently 10 minutes is a reeeeaally long time to a 7 year-old!

She was so surprised that it "actually made ice cream!" She felt like all that hard work earned her the first taste.

She was very pleased! She's already thinking of different flavors for next time :)

One fab-u-lous year!

2008-07-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

It was one year ago today that I met my husband. At the time, I never dreamed we would be married less than one year later. I showed up on that blind date with a list of excuses and reasons why I couldn't see him again, but instead I fell in love. It's been such a wonderful year. I'm a different person than I was one year ago. I thank God everyday for sending Jeff and Kaitlyn into my life.

Fishin' on the Fourth

2008-07-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

We had such a great 4th! We started our day going to Jeff's parent's for lunch and then went to my dad & stepmom's house that evening. It was really nice spending time with family. Once we got to my dad's, he asked Kaitlyn if she liked to fish. When her answer was "yes", my dad got out the fishing poles. He said if his grandaughter wanted to go fishing, then she will go fishing. I think he's really getting used to the idea of having a grandaughter! So we loaded up in the back of dad's truck and headed to the lake.

Kaitlyn and my dad found their fishing spot. The cork was barely in the water before Kailtyn declared "I'm bored". She's not a very patient fisherwoman!

This is the face I got when I tried to take her picture. I'm almost to the point of bribing her to smile for a picture!

My hubby was the first to catch a fish. I dropped my fishing pole and whipped out the camera to capture his "big catch"!

Kaitlyn was getting restless and was ready to go, but my dad refused to quit until his grandaughter caught a fish. The next thing we knew she was pulling a fish in. We later found out that my dad secretly caught a figh and somehow snuck in onto her line while he was "checking her bait". He was so slick, that Jeff and I didn't even notice. She was pretty proud of her fish and spent the rest of the night bragging that her fish was the biggest.

On the ride back, Kaitlyn pointed out how beautiful the sky was and thought I should take a picture. I love that she notices things like that :)

There's no place like foam....

2008-07-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

I found the cutest activity on Betz White's blog. She and her kiddos made a "foam maker" out of a plastic water bottle, terry cloth, dish soap, and a rubber band. So of course Kaitlyn and I had to try it out. It was so easy and she had a blast doing it. We sat in the front yard and made foam until we were both out of breath. She kept saying, "We're having so much fun aren't we?". By the time we got done we were both covered in soapy mess! She then tried to convince me that since she was covered in soap, that a bath wouldn't be necessary.
Sometimes I get so caught up in my daily routine that I forget to take the time to do special things with her. It only took a few minutes of my time and didn't cost a thing, but it changed her entire day. So I'm making a mid-year resolution (or at least a summer resolution) to do one fun project with her every week. We already play board games a couple of nights every week, but the way her eyes lit up at the mention of "making" something was priceless :)

Shake it like a salt shaker....

2008-06-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

Shake 4 Jake has come and gone and it was fab-u-lous! Everyone did such an amazing job (as always) organizing the event. Veronicia is a total rock star! She was in charge of the whole shin-dig. Everytime I saw her there were people gathered around her asking questions and she just answered questions with a smile. Don & Staci worked had all year and it showed. Cindy and Melanie did such a great job with the tables. Everything about this event shows what a special kid Jake was. The telethon was a huge success. Don was a natural on camera. I think they raised around $12,000 in about 2 hours! I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I wanted, but I'll share what I have...

Here is the welcoming committee....

And here is Kelsey (my sista' from anotha' motha') and her parents working at "Jake's Store". Kelsey and I work together and I absolutely adore her!

Here's Mel with Karl & Lori Ann working the "Team Jake" table. They were looking for new recruits for Team Jake to run in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Karl works in the West Monroe office and he and Lori Ann are two of the sweetest people I've ever met!

These are this year's t-shirts. LOVE em'!

Here is where the magic happens! This was right before the Shake kicked off.

Here are a few of the tables that Cindy and Mel decorated. Each table had a theme of something Jake loved, like Spongebob...

and 4-wheelers...

and m&m's...

and LSU...

and COPS...not police, but COPS, the t.v. show!

After all the hard work it was nice to unwind. The band, Fly By Radio, was wonderful! We had a few drinks and danced, and danced, and danced....

and danced...

and danced!! Here's Mel and her hubby, Todd the Bod, looks like they were having fun, huh?!

And here's Don, (Jake's dad). Who knew he was such a ladies man??

This is Dawn. She is mom to Angel Shae, you can visit his Caring Bridge site here. I met Dawn briefly at last year's Shake 4 Jake, but I got to spend more time with her this year. She and her husband, Todd are so sweet and she was so much fun to hang out with! I'm still aching from all the dancing!

All the hard work was totally worth it and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Lacking coolness...

2008-06-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Shake 4 Jake! Last year was so much fun and I know this year will be even better. I can't imagine that anyone reading this doesn't know about Jake's story, but if you don't, you can go read about it here. And if you'd like to know more about Jake's Foundation, check out the website here. And while you're there, go ahead and buy your tickets for tomorrow's big event!

So last night, Kaitlyn and I headed over to Mel's house to help her out with her new computer. I'm not gonna lie, I was also going to get an Ellie fix. It's been like 2 whole weeks since I've seen her! As soon as Kaitlyn overheard me telling Jeff that I was going to Melanie's she jumped up and put on her shoes. She LOVES going to Mel's house. I think it's a combination of Ellie and Melanie's art room that gets her so excited. Last night, Kaitlyn told Melanie that she was almost as cool as me, maybe even cooler. I didn't realize I had competition, sounds like I'm going to have to step up the coolness! Go check out Mel's blog to see pictures of Kaitlyn and her buddy, Ellie.

Today will be a busy day getting ready for the Shake 4 Jake! I'll be posting pictures soon!

My boys...

2008-06-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

My weekend got better :)

This little feller came to visit last night!

This boy LOVES his Uncle Jeff. I love to watch the two of them together, he is so great with him. Jeff and I are competing to see whose name Gage says first. I'm hoping it's me, but I'm sure it will be Jeff since they're such big buddies. Melody- Join my team and work with him at home. I need some sort of advantage!

Blah.

2008-06-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling restless.
I want to get out of the house.
Buuuut, I need to stay home and relax.
I need to create.
Buuuut, I'm feeling completely uninspired.
ugh. I feel like I'm at war with myself.

Anyone ever have days like this?

I get to babysit my cutie-patootie nephew tomorrow.
Aaaaaand I have a date scheduled with my hubby.
Maybe that will get me out of this funk.

Hey shorty, it's our birthday!

2008-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and I are both one year older! My 26th birthday was Friday and Kaitlyn's 7th birthday was yesterday. My birthday was fabulous! The girls from work took me out for lunch and my sweet hubby sent me roses! I got so many phone calls and messages from people wishing me happy birthday, I felt so loved! :)

Friday afternoon my mom and my sister, Hannah, came into town from Hot Springs. My mom looked like Santa Clause walking through the door with gifts. She always spoils us :)
Friday night Kaitlyn, Hannah & I made cupcakes and mom & I put together goody bags. We painted our polka dot sprinkles with pearl dust, they were sparkley and fab-u-lous! Can you believe I forgot to take a picture of the finished cupcakes?! I'm so disappointed! They turned out really cute, but I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. :)
Saturday was a big day! First we went to Austin's birthday party. Austin is my cousin Missey's little boy and he also happens to be Kaitlyn's very best friend. So we headed to Excalibur for his party. The kids had a great time. They are so cute together! We left the party and went home to get ready for Kaitlyn's birthday bash. Jeff and I so bravely decided that we would hold the festivites at home. We set up a slip n' slide and a jumper in the yard.

Gage had a blast in the jumper!

And so did my dad! He's so crazy about Gage (his first grandchild) and will do anything to entertain him...even though he's supposed to be recovering from a back injury! The party went great! Kaitlyn made out like a bandit. I have no idea where we're going to put all of her gifts. Looks like next weekend we'll be cleaning out her bedroom to make room for the new goodies. I see a garage sale in our near future!

As soon as the party crowd left, Kaitlyn started tearing into her gifts. The first gift she wanted to play with was her skates.
She was a little shaky on them, but she's getting better. She didn't take her skates off until bedtime. At least I'm pretty sure she took them off for bedtime...but now that I think about it, she did come out of her room this morning wearing princess pajamas and skates...so maybe she didn't take them off!

The next toy she chose was her Hannah Montana dance mat. That was quite entertaining! Even I tried it out, luckily no one took pictures!

We had a blast this weekend, but I am SO glad that birthdays only come around once a year! I am absolutely exhausted!

Before I go, I want to wish a few special fellers a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my daddy! Thank you for always being so wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better dad. I've always been and will always be a daddy's girl :)

Happy Father's Day to my step-dad, Jamie. I promise we're making a trip to Hot Springs soon! I've been missing you!

And last, but not least, Happy Father's Day to my husband, Jeff. I could see what a wonderful daddy you are the first day I met you. You amaze me with your love and patience. I love you, babe!

Little Picasso...

2008-06-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

So last weekend, Kaitlyn was walking around the house holding her notebook and drawing. I didn't pay her any attention because she always carries a notebook, much like I did when I was her age. I didn't even necessarily have to be drawing anything, I just found some sort of comfort holding a pencil and a notebook. I was completely unaware that Kaitlyn was creating a masterpiece...until she presented me with this....

I'm not sure what is sexier...my long and lean torso (by the way, that's completely inaccurate), my stubby little legs (fairly accurate), or my beefy forearms (I've now developed a "forearm complex"). After being presented with this work of art I walked into the living room to find Jeff posing for his portrait while the little artist was hard at work....

And here is masterpiece #2....woweeee my hubby is a hottie :)

I still feel the need to keep every single creation that she makes. Will I ever be able to pick and choose between what's keepsake worthy and what I need to sneak into the garbage while she's not looking? If not, I'm afraid we'll have to add an extra room onto the house for all the construction paper picture frames and the the cut-out paper hearts.

TGIF...

2008-06-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

Jeff left for the Marengo Suicide Swamp Ride this evening so it's just me and Kaitlyn for the weekend. So look who came to visit us tonight! My handsome, blue-eyed nephew, Gage!

Lucky for me, my sis-in-law, Melody felt sorry for me so she and Gage came over to hang out. I can't believe how fast he's growing up. He's running all over the place and getting into everything and he is soooo entertaining!

He discovered Uncle Jeff's lunch box (aka dirty ice chest) and decided that he would carry it around the kitchen. And just in case you're wondering why he's shirtless, he just came from having a haircut and he WAS NOT going to let the hairdresser put a cape on him! I'm amazed that she was even able to cut his hair as much as he was wiggling. So he had to lose the hair-covered shirt.

Kaitlyn loooooves Gage. She get's to practice "babysitting" when he comes over. It's been a fun Friday night. It amazes me how much my idea of a "fun Friday night" has changed. I guess I'm growing up. :)

14 miles of ouch....

2008-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

What a weekend...my dear, sweet husband talked me into going 4-wheeler riding yesterday. Normally I love to ride, but this wasn't just any 4-wheeler ride, it was the pre-ride for the Marengo Suicide Swamp Ride. It's a 4-wheeler ride that benefits the Wish I Could foundation of NELA. They grant wishes for terminally ill children. Jeff volunteers to help with the ride every year (which I love). The volunteers do a pre-ride the weekend before to check out the trail and to place mile markers. The ride is 14 miles long. When I agreed to come along, 14 miles didn't sound too bad. By about, ooohh, mile 3 I was reconsidering. Not only did I not get the memo that we would need to bring bug spray (total absence of common sense), but I also didn't get the memo that we would need to pack a lunch since we would be in the woods for 8 1/2 hours (once again, a little common sense would've come in handy). So Jeff and I set off on our day long 4-wheeler trip armed with bottled water and a package of fig newtons (seemed like a good idea when we were at the convenient store). It was 14 miles of bumps and ruts and mud-holes. I woke up this morning aching from head to toe and itching my mosquito bite covered arms. Jeff now owes me several nights of chick flicks!

Here are a couple pics of Ladybug at bathtime tonight. It amazes me how long that kiddo can play in the bathtub. She has such an imagination. She talks and sings the entire time she's in the bath. I just love her free spirit :)

Home Sweet Home...

2008-05-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh. It's so great to be home. We just got back from our annual MMPT beach trip! We had so much fun, but it's always nice to be back home. I missed Jeff & Kailtyn sooooo much. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing group of coworkers and such an awesome boss that takes us to the beach every year (Thanks Mel)!!

Here are a few pics from our trip....

Here are all the gals in our car (minus Melissa) Beth, Monica, Renee', Meredith, & Me. The car ride to Gulf Shores is always so much fun. Everyone is always so excited to get on the road and the fact that we get daiquiris doesn't hurt the fun factor!

We pulled into Gulf Shores around 8:30, which was muuuch nicer than past years when we get there around 2am. We headed to Walmart to stock up on groceries for the weekend. We stay at The Beach Club which is at the end of a loooong road (13 miles to be exact) so we try to get all of our shopping taken care of so we can hit the beach.

We had a great time on the beach, with the exception of me, Mishka, & Alysha almost drowning in the ocean. Darned rip tide! After that little scare I spent most of the day inside! You'd be amazed how many jokes people can make using the words "rip" & "tide" (Melanie). Buuut, I was back on the beach the next morning and I even got back in the water for a little while.

Mel brought her young en', Ellie. She was so much fun! That kid has so much personality!

We ate at LuLu's on Saturday night. I loooove that place! It was such a cool atmosphere. There aren't many places that I would tolerate a 2 hour wait, but it was no big deal there.

On Sunday night we went to a Luah at The Beach Club. There were hula dancers...including Melanie. When they called for volunteers she was the first one up.

We have such a fun group!

My first ever mama's day...

2008-05-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever Mother's Day actually being a mother. My super sweet hubby got me some perfume that I've been wanting. I'm soooo impressed that he paid attention and remembered that I wanted it. He's pretty awesome!

This stuff smells yummy :)

My sweet little Kaitlyn made me these at school....

You see that everybody?? I'm the berry best!

She also made me a coupon book....

She will help me in the kitchen 100 times. Although I was informed that this DOES NOT include cleaning the kitchen.

She will feed our pet 10 times....we don't have a pet, but it's the thought that counts.....

She will clean her room 10 times. This one should come in pretty handy....

This one is my favorite...she will take out the trash 0 times. Hey, at least she's honest!

My little family rocks :)

My mum....

2008-05-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Since today is Mother's Day, it only seems right that I post about my very own fabulous mother! She is the most amazing, strong, and beautiful woman I know and I only hope that I can be like her one day. The older I get, the more I appreciate her....especially now that I'm a mom. I look back and realize how patient and understanding she was with my brother and I. My brother is only 18 months younger than me and I wonder how in the world she raised 2 babies (2 babies that grew into 2screaming, fighting children)?!

Mom, I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. I appreciate the sacrifices that you made so that Cody and I could have everything we ever wanted. I appreciate that you gave up your career for the much tougher job of stay-at-home mom. I appreciate that you were there everyday when I got off the school bus waiting with a snack and patiently helped with homework. I appreciate that you taught me how to cook and you were never afraid to set me loose in the kitchen! I appreciate that you raised us to love the Lord and treat others with respect.

I love you, mom.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...

2008-04-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

We had a fun night at the ballpark! We went to watch my cousin Austin play tee ball. When he saw me standing at the fence with my camera he immediately started posing, he's such a ham!

And here is my cousin, Missey. She's 4 months pregnant and found out today that she's having a baby girl!! I have visions on dresses and mary janes and hair bows dancing through my head! I'm already planning the baby shower! Speaking of baby showers, I have several that I need to start planning. Melanie is adopting another baby girl in September and Christin is having a little one in October. Sounds like fall is going to be baby shower season. Now that I don't have the stress of planning a wedding I have all of this creativity that's itching to be set free!!

Here is my super cute hubby with his baby girl. Aren't they just too cute?? It's been a happy night :)

What a week...

2008-04-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

This has been my first official week as a wifey....and I love it! It was tough coming back from the honeymoon and getting back in the swing of things. My goal this weekend was to tackle the mountain of wedding gifts and get them put away...and I still haven't started on that project. It was also my goal to tackle the mountain of laundry...I haven't started on that either. It's much easier to sit here and blog about doing it than to actually do it!

I need to take a moment to thank my unofficial wedding planner, Breanna. She did such an amazing job! She spent so much of her time preparing for my wedding (and her ENTIRE Saturday)! I heard that even her husband showed up to help clean everything up. I want to say an enormous THANK YOU BREANNA! She may not be wearing a cape, but she's a total superhero!

It's nice to chillax...

2008-04-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just can't stop thinking about all the people who helped with my wedding. I'm just overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude. This has really made me realize how truly blessed I am. Every single detail of my wedding was just so perfect and it's all thanks to everyone who helped!

Jeff and I have enjoyed a lazy day at the beach. It's been so nice to finally slow down and relax. It's been too cold to lay on the beach so we've spent most of the day laying around the condo or sitting on the balcony listening to the waves. We went and walked by the ocean (it drives Jeff crazy that I call it the ocean, every time I say it, he quickly replies with "the gulf". He continues to point out that we're in GULF Shores....but I'll continue to call it the ocean, hehe). It is just so beautiful here! I'm not ready to leave tomorrow, but we are both really missing Kaitlyn. I couldn't wait to have some time alone and now that we're here it seems like that kiddo is all we talk about. We went out to eat dinner last night and spent the rest of the night shopping for Kailtyn. We scoured souvenir shops looking for the perfect gift to bring back for her. And today we combed the beach looking for shells to bring home for her. She is such a little girly girl and is fascinated with pretty rocks and shells just like I was when I was a little girl. I'm so thankful that God sent Jeff and Kaitlyn into my life. Kailtyn is such a precious little girl and I'm so happy that I am her step-mommy.

Mo- I'll be calling you Tuesday when I get back so I can get my hands on some pictures!!

Mrs. Carter is my name...

2008-04-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have so much to blog about, I don't know where to begin! Yesterday was our wedding day and it was PERFECT! It all felt like a dream. I am so blessed to have had some incredibly talented friends that made my wedding day so special. Many thanks to Mel, Breanna, and Cindy who did such a wonderful job and thanks to my family for pitching in and getting things done! They gave up their weekend to coordinate my wedding and I can never thank them enough. You should go visit Melanie and Breanna's blogs to see pictures and details of the big day! I can't wait to get my hands on some wedding pictures so I can post them!

I have so much more to talk about, but it's late and I'm tired (laying around on the beach is exhausting, haha) So I'll leave you with a few honeymoon pics (we are in Gulf Shores in a fabulous condo thanks to Mel!!)

P is for Park...and Pretzels...

2008-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

After being sick all weekend and cooped up in the house, I needed some fresh air! So after work me and the fam went to the park. Partly to scope out the wedding location, but mostly just to get some fresh air in these lungs! The kiddo got to swing (and so did the big kiddo). It was so nice to get out of the house!

Then we came home and Kaitlyn and I made some super cute chocolate covered pretzels for the wedding. Overall it was a great evening. I've finally stopped stressing (well, I haven't completely stopped stressing...baby steps, baby steps) about the wedding and I'm getting really excited! Up until now, I really haven't slowed down enough to let myself get excited. In 5 short days I will be married!! YAY :)

Showered with love...

2008-04-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

I just got back from my bridal shower at MMPT. I just need to say that my work peeps ROCK! Sometimes I forget just how incredibly blessed I am, but days like today are a great reminder. I got so much great stuff and so many sweet cards. I am so lucky to work at a place with such wonderful people. I'll have to take some pics of my loot and post them later! All of this on top of the great shower my sis-in-law and cousin threw for me two weeks ago. I still have piles of gifts that I need to sort through. I am just surrounded by wonderful people these days!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me! This is my last weekend to finish any wedding details. I'm so worried that I'm going to forget to do something! I can't wait until this wedding is over and I can just spend an intire weekend at HOME!

Sniffle, sniffle...

2008-04-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

9 days to go until the wedding and I'm siiiiick. I went to the doctor and she said it's only allergies. She gave me a long list of meds to take so let's cross our fingers and hope that it works!

My nephew Gage is also sick, poor baby. And if you haven't met this adoreable little feller, let me introduce him.

When I found out that my sister-in-law (Melody) was going to have a baby I was so excited and I just couldn't wait to be an aunt...but I had no idea how wonderful it would really be. I'm so in love with this boy. He has so much personality, buuuuuut I'm afraid he may have gotten his Aunt Jessi's mean streak!

My girl...

2008-04-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and I were walking through Hobby Lobby last night and she said:

K: I wish I could live in Hobby Lobby.

J: Yeah, me too.

K: And I wish I had one hundred bucks to spend here.

J: I think we need more than a hundred bucks.

K: Yeah, more like seventy-hundred bucks!

J: That's more like it.

K: I love arts and crafts 150%

J: Me, too.

I absolutely love being a step-mommy. She is such an amazing little girl. And I love that we share a love for all things "artsy". It's taken us a while to get here, but lately we've really found our groove. This weekend Jeff said, "I don't know what kind of buddy system you two have going on, but I'm feeling left out".

I've been so busy with all of the wedding plans lately. Only 11 more days to go! Melanie's friend, Breanna is helping with the wedding and she has been amazing! She has so many great ideas and really seems to "get" what I'm going for. I have been so blessed to have so many people step up and offer to help me with the wedding. One week from today I'll be sitting on the beach and all of this wedding craziness will be over!

My super duper fantastic little family...

2008-03-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

I will officially be "Mrs. Carter" in exactly 17 days! Let me intoduce you to my soon-to-be hubby, Jeff and my little ladybug, Kaitlyn.

Aren't they precious?! It's amazing how much these two people have changed my life. I can't imagine my life without them.

These pics were taken by the fabulous, Melanie. She rocks.