The Suits Sisters

SPAGHETTI FACE!! First sickness, complete with her first sick visit to the doctor. Hand, foot and mouth disease!  If only she knew that there was an iPad behind her chair... My, what big shoes you have... Bed Head

What: Baby Gap boots, size 8  Cost: $1.99 Thoughts: These are for next Fall, but she wanted to put them on. And breathe through a broken kitchen strainer.  What: A big sealed bag of cookie cutters. Ya never know what you're gonna end up with... Where:  Habitat for Humanity Store  Cost: Either $1 or $2, I forget Thoughts: Not pictured are the two clown cookie cutters that were already back in a bag to donate. I didn't see myself making clown cookies enough to hold onto them. What: Outfits for next Spring Where: Walmart Cost: $2 each Thoughts: Knowing that I paid $2 for an outfit helps me to relax when we leave the park and she's covered in dirt or when she eats ketchup with her fingers at lunch. If all of her clothes came at a regular price, I'd probably make her sit on a plastic covered sofa all day.  Choosing her favorite...

This was our second year participating in National Talk Like a Pirate Day for the sole purpose of getting free donuts (No Shame!) Last year we were the objects of a lot of "Awwws" as we toted our 6 month old pirate into the store. This year we were the family with the 1 1/2 year old, sitting on the car trunk yelling and a Mom & Dad trying to sneak a bandanna on her head. It didn't last long.  We'll have to get more creative with our costumes next year. The nice Krispy Kreme workers gave our little goober a free dozen just for holding her bandanna. We should have refused as one dozen was plenty, but uh, it all just... happened so fast! Fresh off the line  Get it, girl!  Donut Count: Caris- 1  Kent- 3 Kait ( ANDthebaby)- 5

Kent took my quiche early  on time to my morning bible study at church so that I could spend a few more minutes getting ready. A perk of having a church-working-husband.   Her first ponytail! I cheered, she fussed and Kent said she looked like a male soccer player.  Here we are rocking the neons.  I have butchered my Mom's mac-n-cheese for 5 years, but last week I NAILED it. The clouds parted, the trumpets sounded and we stuffed our bellies (see above picture).  We had a rough weekend so we did a lot of this:

As the first Fall Facebook Posts begin to pop up, ( I am LOVING this cooler weather! First morning wearing my new boots! Sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte while wearing my wool cardigan! )   I thought it was time to reflect on our first Summer in Florida (Which is currently still going strong, by the way) Coming from South Carolina I knew the hot summer wouldn't be a complete shock, but there were a few things that left an impression on us.  1. THE HEAT No need to check the weather forecast from June-September. Everyday is a high of 92. At first I thought, "92 is sooo doable" since some SC Summer days would occasionally climb to 98+. What's NOT highlighted on the cute NBC weatherboard is the heat index of 102. Mix in a whole lot of humidity and you're ready to fry eggs in front of your house. Early in the Summer Caris learned the word "hot" from dinner time and then she started to say, "Hot hot hot" every time we walked out of our front doo...

If you want to gain the patience of Mother Theresa, teach your child to feed themselves. After that you will... -Spend most of the meal picking up food off of the floor (both "by accident" food and "on purpose" food) -Make noises like "DING!" (fork) and "SCOOP!" (spoon) to help her remember the actions -Try to convince her that "Mommy helps?" is a really good idea -Cheer loudly when she gets any amount of food from the tray, onto her spoon and into her mouth  -Secretly wish that she'd just revert to her hands and get it over with ...and 3 hours later, you've finished a meal. She certainly lives up to her bib these days

Here are 10 book titles that I'm waiting to find on Amazon or at my local library... What to do with a Toddler Between the Hours of 5 and 7PM 3 Easy Steps to Break the Thumb Sucking Habit Finding your Inner Voice: An Introvert's Guide to Initiating Play Dates  For Such a Time as This: Surviving  and actually enjoying  your Life as a Pastor's Wife 3,832 Lunch Ideas for Toddlers, Never Make the Same Lunch Twice! Double Trouble: 2 Easy to Spot Signs that your Second Pregnancy will be Just like Your First One How to Leave the House on Time with a Toddler without Sweating or Wanting to Say Naughty Words Nikons for Newbies: Learning How to Use your SLR Camera Without Reading the Manual, Taking any Classes or Really Trying at All Comparing your Child's iPad Obsession to Gollum and The Ring 5 Tips for Hosting your In-laws with Ease Allow me to sneak in the news that over the weekend I beat Kent by a mere 5 points even with a deduction at the end for ...

1. Today marks 33 years of marriage for this couple. I'm pretty sure they weren't wearing these outfits to celebrate today. They are complete opposites and they're currently stuck in a hut together in South Sudan. Only Jesus.   2. Tomorrow is this chick's 5? birthday. If we were hanging out we'd probably go shopping and spend our husband's money and then stuff our faces with tasty treats. RAIN CHECK, please!  This picture was supposed to be our "Let's look emotionally drained since we just drove from Philly" but someone couldn't help but to crack a smile. The nerve. 3. Tonight Kent grilled chicken for my  post-surgery dinner care package , bathed Little Punky Brewster AND did the dishes before heading out to his 8PM-1AM youth event. And for that, I stand and publicly salute him.  4. Sunday is Grandparent's Day so a Happy Grandparent's Day to Pops and.... (insert a Grandma name for my Mom. We're still working on i...

Before we dive into the September goals , let's review the goals for August. Each goal is listed followed by a short evaluation (reflection?) 1. Go for walks This remained steady and possibly lacked a little. One reason was multiple play dates. It'd be impossible for me to walk and make it to a play date on time, duh. I was happy to swap walking for play date invitations.  2. Read one book I read Lift by Kelly Corrigan and Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman. I will never, ever, everrr recommend a book on my blog for fear of potential potty words and my younger audience. BUT I will recommend Julie G's blog, where I find all of my books. Click here   3. Use our public pool  Check!   4. Clean and organize The linen closet, pantry and garage are all organized and (key part here) have stayed that way.  5.  {Get my husband to}  Hang Decorations  He is always willing, I'm the one who hems and haws over what to put where. I hung...