Emma Kate's 4th Birthday (Coming Soon!)

I have already started thinking about what to do for Emma Kate's 4th Birthday Party. She wants a Rapunzel theme and I thought it would be a good idea to have the party at the Clay Canvas (a paint your own pottery studio) since Rapunzel likes to paint...OR a tea party at Honey Bee Bakery. Not sure what to do yet. I found the cutest idea for a DIY invitation on MarthaStewart.com
Here it is:

How to Make this Cute Invitation

I love these Fondant Cupcake Toppers
And these...
AND these too!

 

Love this Party Banner Also!

 

Can't Have a Rapunzel Party without Floating Lanterns 

Fairy Halos for Party Favors

I want to get Honey Bee Bakery in Oxford to do Cupcakes. EK and little Jim treated ourselves to some cake pops in there last week and they were delish!

"I yuv you"

The other night after I got little Jim out of the bath and wrapped him up in the towel, he leaned over and gave me a big kiss and said "I yuv you, Mama". It melted my heart. But for the past couple of days I have been trying to get him to say it again and he always says "I yuv DAH DAH!" and then runs and gives Jim a hug. HAHA Emma Kate has always been that way about me so I guess it's time for Jim to have someone who thinks he is the best. I guess I can handle it!

New Look to the Blog

Yay! I am so proud of myself...I have been having the best time figuring out how to customize my blog and increase its "curb appeal".
I am working on 2 other blogs right now also.... www.good2geaux.blogspot.com  and www.swankychicfurniturerestoration.blogspot.com

Preschool Portfolio

Family Recipes

 This week I have been working on a family cookbook using my grandmother's recipes. I have been doing it through a site called Taste Book. It is so easy and the books look so professional when completed. You can click the link below to see what I have completed so far:
Elsie's Table CookBook

Round Hair Brush

Emma Kate found my round hair brush and was about to use it on Little Jim. I asked her "Are you brushing his hair?" She said, "Yes! It is going to be the curliest hair he has ever known!"

I'm a Bay-Bay

Emma Kate was enthusiastically telling her daddy "I am Rapunzel, Daddy! I am a princess!" and little Jim said, "I'm a Bay-Bay!" I also noticed as Emma Kate leaned up against the refrigerator this morning, Little Jim did just the same, watching his sister and trying to do exactly as she was doing. Jim came home for lunch today and sat at the table and even though Little Jim had already had his lunch, he climbed up in his high chair so that he could eat alongside his Daddy (Again!).

Preschool Princess

Emma Kate's 1st Day of Preschool (in her own words)

"I said your favorite restaurant was Applebees. Chloe's favorite restaurant was Zaxby's. I was being really quiet and sitting still. I ate marshmallow cereal and water at snacktime. My favorite friends were Bella, Chloe, and Cooper. I played on the slides outside and I was Princess Rapunzel and the boy who had black hair was a scary lion. I sat with Bella at the table and played with books and read stories." I then asked her what Mrs. Jane taught her and she said "Mrs. Jane tell me to sit in your chair." I then asked about Mrs. Stephanie..."She tell me to be quiet." :)

 Ready for Her 1st Day of Preschool

This is What She Has Been Working On At School:

Facebook Detox

This "No Face book" thing has been harder than I thought it would be! Now I know how important it really was that I delete it! I was spending much more time on face book than I needed to be with my 2 growing, precious children who need my full attention.  I needed a serious reality check (most of these "friends" aren't even really my friends!) and  to get my priorities in order. So it has been two days without face book now and I call it the face book detox, because it was really that much of a temptation for a few days (really, it was.) I have to say, my good friend Jenna was my inspiration. She deleted face book when she was studying for the USMLE and never looked back. My only way of getting in touch with her has been through text messages! So I thought, if she can do it, I can too! So adios face book and hello to all you friends who are really friends and care enough to read my blog. ;) Really I am doing this blog for myself and for little Jim and Emma Kate. Mostly as a way of keeping up with their milestones. Enjoy and  I encourage you to do the same and delete face book too. You will be amazed at how much more you can get accomplished in a day when you aren't stuck in front of the computer or staring at your phone screen.

Home Sweet Home. Oxford, Mississippi.

This Time Last Year! My how they have grown!

I can't believe that I haven't updated this blog since Emma Kate's birthday! What a shame...I have got to do a better job of keeping up with this blog! A lot has happened with the kids since then...little Jim learned to crawl, he took his first steps a few months before he turned one...then he had his first birthday! He has said a few first words here and there,  though he is not nearly the talker that his sister was at this age. Among his favorite words are "Dog" and "Ball". Every four-legged creature is a "dog" according to Little Jim. Emma Kate is now sleeping in her very own room and in her very own Rapunzel bed. She also has been fully potty trained for quite some time! The things that I get excited over now (shakes head)... We just moved back to Oxford, MS in the last several weeks. It is so good to be back! My favorite thing about being back in Oxford is that I don't have to waste an entire afternoon in the car just for the sake of running a few simple errands. This town is so simple and so Southern and I love it!! It's a shame that we had to move all over the world before we could finally appreciate our time spent in Oxford, but we are here to stay now and that is all that matters. So I hope that I will be able to spend every Thursday night (in the Fall and Spring months) for the next 70 years or so attending the taping for Thacker Mountain Radio at Off Square Books. That would be a good life! Today we had the privilege of spending the 4th of July at the Grove at Ole Miss. There were inflatable slides, train rides, face painting, great music, great food, and a wonderful fireworks display. Emma Kate had a great time, but unfortunatly little Jim wasn't feeling up to his usual self. I think he has a tooth coming in and he had a slight fever - poor little fella.  I didn't carry my camera along with me for long since the dark clouds were looming overhead and I didn't want to risk getting my camera drenched. So I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. Here are a couple from the day: