Blue Kung Fu Panda Pool Party

Reagan turned three two weeks ago and we tons of fun at his party! He told us he wanted a blue Kung Fu Panda Pool Party. We took care of the pool and Panda parts and thought the blue could be the water…anyway…the weather changed our plans a bit! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us crash your house when the rain turned our pool party into a water gun party. 🙂 Here are some pictures from the party. Thanks, Bryan, for being the paparazzi.

Reagan wanted a Kung Fu Panda Cake for his party – so here it is! Thanks, Sweet T’s Cakes, for doing a great job!

This is one of Reagan’s best friends, Olivia. I think an arranged marriage is definitely an option! 🙂

Since it rained, we had to move the party from the pool to Nana and Papa’s house. Don took everyone out on the back deck and played in the rain with water guns. They had about as much fun as they would have at the pool, I think!

Reagan and Cale Pray – what fun!

Thanks, everyone, for coming to Reagan’s party!

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I Did Something Really Stupid

I went to the mall Friday afternoon with mom, Reagan and Rylee. We were just going to eat lunch but I ended up shopping in Dillards for shoes to wear with my new dress for the 20th anniversary service next weekend. I found the perfect pair! Black and Pink Stilettos that cost way too much but I couldn’t resist them. I also picked up a cute pair of yellow wedges that were on clearance.

Anyway…I paid for the shoes and then gathered up the kids to go to the car. As I was trying to get Rylee situated in her car seat without waking her up, I set the bag of shoes on the ground next to the car. When I got home and went to take everything inside, the shoes were nowhere to be found. Oh, crap! I left them on the ground in the mall parking lot! Crap, crap, crap, crap! (the may have been other words that went through my head but I’ll never admit it…)

I went in and called the mall and Dillards to see if anyone had turned them in but no luck. I wanted to throw up – there was no way I was telling Don. We were going on a date last night and I didn’t want to ruin the mood by telling my “Mr. Budget Man” husband I had lost two pairs of expensive shoes. (breathe, Abbye, breathe!)

So, late this afternoon my cell phone rang and it was my credit card company calling. A very polite lady told me she had the manager from Dillard’s on the line and he had found my shoes! After she turned the phone call over to him, I learned that two young teenage girls had found my shoes and tried to return them to the store and get the money for them. Their story was that their aunt had purchased them as a gift for them and said they could return them and get the money on a gift card. But – the sales clerk remembered the shoes and that I had specifically purchased them for myself for a church event. She called the manager and they confiscated my shoes for me! The manager looked up the purchase information in their computers and then called my credit card company in order to find me.

Thank you, Dillard’s customer service! You guys are amazing and I am so relieved to have my shoes back! Now I don’t have to go barefoot next Sunday! 🙂

Something’s Got To Give

OK – so I think I just have to be honest for a moment so that maybe it will force me to change some things…

Yesterday was my birthday and I think my sister-in-law, Jennifer, knew that I needed a break. Maybe it was 10am twitter that had the blatant sound of whining that caused her to pick up the phone, but anyway….she called and offered to take the kids for a while so that I could have some alone time. That was the best birthday present EVER! So, she came and whisked them away and I went to try on some clothes. I’m tying to find something to wear for the 20th anniversary service of the church next weekend. Let me just say that the dressing room was a major motivation kick in the butt for me.

Yes, I know I just had a baby seven weeks ago – but I know that I have so much work to do. It’s not just about losing weight and fitting into better clothes – although that’s a BIG part of it.

I want to be around a loooooong time for my children and I know that some things need to change. I remember when I moved home about ten years ago…I was 40 lbs overweight and miserable with myself. I was single with no children to take care of and so I had plenty of time to work out and plan my meals. I lost all of that extra weight in about 3 or 4 months so I know what it takes. But, years of comfortable marriage and two pregnancies have not been friendly to my waistline or my overall health – those 40 pounds are back and staring at me with evil intentions. It’s time for a change.

So here’s the deal… anyone else ready for a change? Anyone want to join me in the quest to be healthier and happier and around for a looooooong time? I promise not to bore all of my blog readers with the daily minutia of my diet and fitness routines, but I will try to let you all know what works for me and what doesn’t and try to encourage those of you who may be on the same path that I’m on.

Maybe I should start a separate blog just for this journey -what do you all think?

Happy 3rd Birthday, Reagan!

My little boy is three today! I can’t believe how fast three years goes! He is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such blessing in my life but I thank God for all the amazing things He has done for me – and this little man is the love of my life!

I love you, boy!

some things that need attention:

So – having a new baby kind of puts a lot of things on hold….like housework, working out, date nights, doing your hair on a regular basis, etc… So, with that in mind, I feel the need to make a list of things that need some attention.

• my marriage. Regular date nights seem like ancient history around my house and that needs to change. I’m going to have to be creative though – we don’t have as much expendable income as we used to! The budget has become painful… 🙂
• I need to be more honest with myself.
• reading – oh, how I miss reading! There are a lot of really good excuses why I haven’t read very much lately – but that’s all they are, excuses.
• potty training Reagan! ugghhhhh
• traveling – I want to take my kids to meet their great-grandparents and their family in Nashville.
• more time to cultivate friendships – I need more girl time
• keeping my house clean and organized. If I could organize things it would be easier to keep it clean I think
• my body – I desperately need to loose about 30 pounds

What do you want to accomplish in the next few months?

Some New Pictures

A lot of you have been requesting new pictures of the kids…so here you go!

Some of my dear friends came to visit and meet the baby. My Aunt Charla, Mindy and Stephanie all came for a few days. This picture is of Reagan and Aunt Charla while they were busy cooking Tomato Gravy and Rice. Yum!

Rylee and “Faffy”. My best friend, Stephanie, is known as “Faffy” to her friend’s babies. (Love you, Faffy!)

Rylee and her Aunt Mindy

All of us (Reagan, Faffy, Me, Rylee and Mindy) after church on Sunday.

I’m Nervous (and some other Wednesday morning thoughts)

So tomorrow night I join the team again…

I told David several weeks ago that I was ready to get back on the team – I’ve been stir crazy. So, tomorrow night at 6:30 I will leave the kids with Don and head to the church for my first rehearsal not as the leader. That part excites me…I am ready to give myself to this ministry again and be a support to David and the vision of the house. But…I have to admit that I’m a little nervous, too. Is that weird? I’m NOT the kind of person that gets nervous – but here I am a little on edge about being on the stage Sunday morning. But even so – I’m committed and ready to get started again. What we are doing in this city is so exciting and I want to be a part of it.

Now for some randomness:

• Don had the day off on Monday. It was his first day off in weeks and we had a wonderful time together.
• We took Reagan to Learning Express to pick out some things he wanted for his birthday. All he was interested in was a $50 dump truck. <sigh> Then we took him to the Party Store and he picked out Kung Fu Panda stuff for his party. He such a great little kid and I’m so glad I get to be his mommy.
• Last night, we had Mom and Dad, Gabriel and Uncle Milton to our house for dinner. It was great to see them all. Mom and Dad have been in Florida for two weeks after my Aunt Kristy passed away. You can read her story at Uncle Milton’s site.
• Carolyn and I went walking last night. Monday Don and I took the kids to Boombalatties for ice cream. Reagan and I went in while Don stayed in the car with Rylee. While we were ordering, an old guy yelled over at me from his table in the corner, “You won’t lose any weight eating that stuff!”. Ohhhhh…those of you who know me can probably guess what came next. The death rays shot out of my eyes and burned holes all through that old geezer – but I kept my mouth shut. Reagan was standing next to me so I couldn’t blurt out what I was really thinking. I got to the car and told Don what had happened and, well….you can probably guess again how he responded. Anyway – that’s what prompted the walking session with Carolyn last night. It was a little bit of motivation to do something about this baby weight. 🙂
• I talked with Reba Monday. They’ve been going through so much – please keep them in your prayers. Most of you know that Reba’s mother, Dottie Rambo, passed away in a tragic bus accident while she was traveling in Missouri. Also, Dony has been having some major health issues and they need a miracle. I appreciate your prayers for them.
• I don’t have a piano anymore and that makes me sad! I’ve always used the keyboards at the church and now that I am not working there anymore I haven’t played the keys in about two months. 😦
• Rylee is almost six weeks old already. She is a great little baby and is growing and changing so fast! I’ll post some new pics later today.