Local Talent

There are so many people these days starting their own businesses and I wanted to take the time to tell you about two family members that have started their own business within the past few months.

Here are a few pictures of Madalyn in two new dresses that her Aunt Wanda made.  Check out more cute dresses at "Gigi's Boutique" or request a custom order.  (you can find it on facebook and at Etsy). Thanks Aunt Wanda!

Of course, you know that this one was Kevin's favorite! :0)

And I love the purple one! 

The purple is really rich in color, due to the lighting it looks a bit lighter than it really is.

And just in case you were wondering who Madalyn was smiling at...it was Mary Grace!

My Aunt Felicia has started her own business called "Simply Southern Pralines" and you can also check it out on facebook.  Her pralines are sold in a variety of gift shops, coffee shops, etc.  You can go to her facebook page and find out where you can get your hands on this delicious southern treat!

Summer Fun

Madalyn loves to play in water no matter if it's the bath tub, lake, pool, ocean, rain, or a mud puddle.  I ordered Madalyn a Minnie Mouse sprinkler that I found online.  It came in this week and we have been waiting on a sunny day to try it out.  The fact that the water was a little cold didn't stop her any. We played for about an hour in the sprinkler this evening.  Her favorite part was to jump and splash in the mud puddles the sprinkler made. Her favorite expression was "come on Mama!". So glad summer is here!  Here's to making sweet, precious memories with this precious baby girl (who I know isn't a baby any more ;0)

 

I had the camera ready to get her reaction for the first time it was turned on. She had no idea what was going to happen.

 

 

 

 

Jumping in the mud puddles

 

Tasting the water

 

 

Let's see how this works...

 

Her shoes got too dirty for her to continue to wear. (However I am saying over and over put your shoes back on. Our yard is full of fire ant hills and she has already experienced what it was like to fall in one in the fall.) But I loved to walk bear footed through the grass too! Still do, but not here :0)

 

Dirty feet but pretty pink toes!

 

Here's some FUN in Black and White!

 

 

 

I love this picture! Sweet girl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Well our garden is growing and growing and if it doesn't stop raining our garden will be growing out of the fence.  One thing about all this rain we have had, our garden appears to have gotten big over night.  Now we need a week of hot sunshine to warm it up.  Here are some pictures I took last night.  Madalyn is in many of the pictures to show you the height of the corn and other vegetables.

Madalyn running through the corn.

 

She's not cold; she's playing the copy game.  She always starts with folding her arms and she wants you to copy what she does.

 

The pole beans that are behind Madalyn are growing out of the fence.

 

Some little green tomatoes

 

And some yellow squash too!

 

Blooper Pic: This face is saying, "Mom I don't want to stand still for a picture."

 

 

 

 

Madalyn at 2 Years

I just wanted to give an update of what Madalyn is up to lately and how her 2 year old year is so far.  So here are some of favorite things and some things she does.

Favorite TV Shows:
1. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (she loves Minnie Mouse!)
2. Doc McStuffins
3. Sofia the First
She also likes:
-Jake and the Neverland Pirates
-Team Umizoomi
-Bubble Guppies

Favorite In Door Activities:
1. Playing with her little people doll house
2. Playing with her Minnie Mouse toys
3. Dressing up like Doc McStuffins and playing doctor
4. Playing with Play Doh
5. Puzzles
6. Coloring and eating Crayons (did I say "eating", yep sure did! :0)

Favorite Out Door Activities:
Anything outside! She loves to be outside.
1. Playing in the sand/dirt
2. Playing with a ball and running around
3. Sliding down her slide
4. Riding the golf cart to look at all the animals

Favorite Things to Eat:
Currently this is a very small list.  She was a really good eater and would eat just about anything before she turned 1. Then she basically eats the same thing all the time.  I give her a chance to eat new foods, but she won't try them and you can't make her either.  She won't eat any kind of vegetable or meat besides chicken really. She will eat bacon and sausage some.
1. Chicken-fixed any kind of way
2. Shells and Cheese (she won't eat any other kind of mac'n cheese)
3. Mashed Potatoes
4. Rice with or without Gravy and Especially brown rice
5. Any kind of fruit
6. Favorite Snack: yogurt, fruit snacks, Goldfish, cereal, and of course Chips and Cookies (we try to limit this snack as much as possible)!
7. Favorite Drink: Sweet Tea (her Meme has spoiled her on this one.) I don't make tea because I make it by the gallon and within a day it's gone between Kevin and Madalyn.  She does also love plain, white Milk, and she will drink water and juice.  She will even tell me "no water, tea."

Talking:
Each day Madalyn's vocabulary and sentence structure is building and changing.  It has especially been changing a lot over just the last month.  She is constantly picking up on new words and you are starting to be able to understand sentences.

One thing that Madalyn says, which I think is precious is "Hi, my Mommy" and "Hi, my Daddy"  I think it's so sweet how she says "my".  She has also learned to say "Amen" with us at the end of her blessing.  Sometimes she will put her hands together and say "Amen" before we begin the blessing.  She has the sweetest little voice and I love to hear her talk.

Madalyn has become attached to this one little puppy stuffed toy that she likes for "puppy" to go everywhere with us.  She is still just as active as she ever was, but hey she's two; she has a lot of energy to get out.

Sometimes I look at her in amazement and just think about how she was once this little baby that couldn't do anything for herself and now she seems so grown up.  Since I work full time, I don't get to spend a lot of time with her during the week. Which before I got married, I use to think how can people say they see their spouse or children when they live in the same house, but I completely understand now. So I am excited that after next week, I will be officially, officially done with school and can just enjoy Madalyn for few weeks I will have off.

Madalyn and Wingo

I got Madalyn some ABC magnets the other day. She loves to play with them. Her favorite thing to do is to knock them all down. Then she says "Oh no! What a mess!" and comes to get me and wants me to help her clean them up. (You know a good many of the pictures I have posted lately, including these, were taken with my smart phone. I finally got one a few weeks ago, and I have been so impressed with the picture quality. My phone will not take the place of my camera, but it's nice to know I can take a good picture with my phone if my camera isn't with me; or instead of pulling out my camera for a quick picture around the house.)

 

Miss Hollywood

 

Wingo

Bless his heart, it was hot playing ball last night. But he stays outside all the time, so I guess he's built up some tolerance to the heat.

 

 

 

 

End of the Year Gifts

Yesterday, Friday, May 31st was the last full day of school. Next week students come Monday and Tuesday but stay for a half day. The students' last day is Tuesday. (We, the teachers have to stay the whole day, but it's not that bad. :0). So, I knew that some of my students would not come those half days because some were going on vacation next week and we really don't do anything at all those days, so some just choose not to come, which is fine. We had our end of the year party yesterday and I made some gift cups for my kids. I got the idea off of pinterest so I can't take the credit for it, but I thought they turned out really cute.  The kids were really excited about them. Overall this has been the best class I have had in my 8 years of teaching.  It has been a good year, and I have had made many good memories with this group of students. However, I am ready to just be a Mom to Madalyn and a wife to Kevin and to hang up my "teacher" hat for a few weeks.

 

What's in the cup? A Kool Aid pack, a single-serve Kool Aid, Nemo fruit snack, starbursts, Charms sucker, hugs, Kit-Kat, a summer silly band, and a crazy straw.

 



 

 

Packed up and ready to be delivered.

 



A 100th Birthday

This past Saturday, my parents went to a birthday party for my Dad's aunt, which makes her my great aunt and Madalyn's great great aunt.  She turned 100 years old, which I think is amazing.  The other amazing thing about Aunt Quida is that she doesn't look 100 years old and she's still in her right mind and can take care of herself.  If I am blessed to live to 100 years old, I hope I can do as well as she is.  Not many people in this world get to enjoy their 100th birthday and know it's their 100th birthday.



 

Aunt Quida

My aunt Susan (my dad's sister), Aunt Quida, and my Dad

 

When she saw the cake she said, "I've never seen a cake with 100 candles before." And she also said, "Whoever made the cake for me, thank you, it's good."