a dose of weekend ramblings...

another january weekend in the books! i for one couldn't be happier to be looking towards february, as january happens to be my least favorite month.  if we could have more january weekends like this one though, i think i would change my mind!  the weather was gorgeous, i got to make a few great purchases, and spend time with my two loves. 

saturday morning started with a trip to the eye doctor.  not fun, and totally necessary.  it had been 3+ years since my last exam, and i knew i needed an update.  turns out, i was right.  not only have my eyes gotten bad, but they have gotten really bad. like two pair of glasses bad.  why two?  well, one is for driving, and the other for computer & reading.  even better?!?!  they.are.bifocals.  WTH?!?!  ya'll, i am only 25!  and i need bifocals?  talk about feeling old!  ugh.  the guy even asked if i wanted the lenses that don't show the line. ummm, duh!!!!

after that hard news and the bill, i was in need of some therapy.  i found it  in the form of 'car browsing' with my hubs.  if you have been reading for a while, then you might remember my post here about how we decided {albeit reluctantly on my part} to become a one car family.  i have been bitching/complaining/throwing tantrums patiently waiting on my husband to realize that it was time to add a new car.  we had met our goals that we had set when we sold his truck.  while the sacrifice was worth it, i was just over not having my own car {16 months can feel like a lifetime} ha!  well, car browsing turned into car buying, and by saturday afternoon, i became the proud owner of an '08 ford escape :)

 

i didn't picture red or an escape, but i am in love!  ava loves it too! she got to pick out a new car seat and was thrilled that she can roll down the windows just by pushing a button :) 
{it's an upgrade, trust me!}

on saturday night, i felt the urge to get a little crafty, so i tried making a few more flower headbands.  they still aren't great, but it's a start!

on sunday, i gladly went to get groceries {any excuse to drive the new car!} and my favorite little girl went with :) 

she may or may not have talked me into this little number --->

seriously? !?!  bieber fever at 5 1/2?  lord, please help me!  ha!

i hope all of you lovelies had a great weekend too!

cousins...

Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends.

Weekend ramblings...

I gave myself permission to have a three day weekend, & headed down to spend the day with Preston on Friday. It was great getting some one on one time with him!






We played, napped, and played some more :).












Justin and Ava came down after school & work. We ended up staying both Friday & Saturday night at their house. After lunches, shopping and Aaron Kelly ((Ava's new fish thanks to Aunt Sarah & Uncle Brad)) we headed home :). Sunday consisted of laundry, my weight watchers meeting, and a mani & pedi with Ava.









If only we could put Monday on hold a little longer :)

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to be a kid again...

when I think of my winter childhood growing up in northern ohio, i definitely think of snow! we'd spend hours outside building forts, snowmen and having snowball fights. living in the south now doesn't offer as many of these experiences for ava, so snow days are extra special!

we ended up with a couple inches of the good white stuff last sunday & hurried outside to play!

 

ava was so excited to get to play at the park :). she was a little hesitant about the ice & snow on the slide, but quickly decided it made sliding so much better!

girlfriend was OBSESSED with the icicles!

we found a stick and practiced our writing in the snow...

we finished up with the riding toys at the park!

there's nothing better than an afternoon of being a kid again with my girl :)

my sweet little nephew...

if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you have seen a ton of pictures of my adorable little nephew, preston.  he has been having some health issues as of late, and you can catch up with those here on his momma's blog.  please say a little prayer that this amazing little boy gets back to himself soon!!!!



a day of EPIC proportions...

i can't believe it has already been almost two weeks since operation 1/1/2011 took place.  can we just pretend that is really only 1/2/2011 so that these amazing girls don't stop being my friend because i haven't taken the time to talk about the best meet up in history? kaythanks.

anywho, 1-1-2011 was an  epic day.  one for the record books people. after talking for months and months via blogs, facebook, and twitter Jill, Sarah, and Kristy and i finally decided that it was time to meet IRL (that's code for in real life for all you non-tweeters!) 

so at the crack of dawn really early on saturday morning, i set out east geared with my pepsi and my tunes for a serious three hour jam session.  i was so nervous.  what if these girls didn't like me?  what if i didn't like them?  what if what if what if.  in my nervous state, i may or may not have driven a little faster than i should have.  and like the dork prepared individual i am, i had left a half hour earlier than i had originally planned for fear that i would be late for this epic meeting.  this deadly combo resulted in me getting to T-Town in record time.  I nervously text Jill to let her know i'd be super a little early.  A second later my phone rang, and the sweetest southern voice was on the other end.  I immediately knew i was nervous for nothing! jill is as real and as authentic as she appears to be.  i swear, with her family stories and love for dust it, we were cut from the same cloth. 

i got to jill's house after her amazing direction-giving skills and was glad to see it was really her!  (there may or may not have bee some skepticism on weather or not we were who we said we were.  i also may or may not have googled jill just to verify she really was jill!  ha! sweet sophie had just woken up (um, it was 9:45 --can we please switch kids?  seriously, i'd give my right arm for ava to sleep past 7:30!) and  she graciously gave me a tour of her fab new playroom!  then jill and i were off to starbucks ---and a pit stop to wash j's fancy wheels --- before meeting up with the rest of the group!

I was so excited to meet sarah and kristy!  sarah is a fellow ava-mom and working-mom, and so many times i find myself nodding as i read her blog or tweets thinking girl, i can totally relate! kristy has an older kiddo and a younger one too, so she knows the ropes for raising a girl right!  plus, she is martha freakin stuart super crafty, as proof in her amazing hats she makes! 

We talked for a few hours at jill's and got some live entertainment from miss sophie before we headed out for lunch.  they put us in the very back corner so we could keep on with our conversation.  one story would roll right into the next.  it was like we had been friends for years.  old college chums, right jill?  :) 

after lunch jill drove us around her stomping grounds and made a special stop at the state line for a photo op.  i felt just like mandy moore in a walk to remember :)

jill then forced us to stop at coldstone for some ice cream and more bonding before it was time to head our separate ways. it was a great day. an epic day.  you girls are truly such a comfort to me.  I am beyond grateful for our friendships, and can't wait for our dallas reunion!!!

the aftermath...

it seems so crazy that another year has already came and went, and we are well on our way to enjoying 2011.  i pray that this new year is as good to us as the last.  wishing you and yours a year filled with laughter, love, health & memories! happy twenty eleven!



a time for family...

sadly, my family lives 1100 miles away, so we don't celebrate the holidays with my side. maybe it was a blessing, as we still managed to have 5 christmas celebrations when it was all said and done ;)  on thursday night we headed to are old stompin' grounds {justin's home town}  for the {big} emerson family chirstmas.  it was great getting to see the hubs' extended family! 

on christmas eve, brad and sarah graciously hosted the celebration for chirstmas with Steve & Sherry {dad & step-mom}.  It was a great afternoon!

brad and sarah must really enjoy punishment hosting, because we headed to their house again on christmas night for great food & fun for chirstmas with sarah's family.  i love love love her mama (she has become my second mom!) and step dad.  they are so sweet & treat us like part of the family! 

who asked for a Foosball table (a recap of christmas)...

christmas morning was so much fun this year!  santa must have thought our little princess was a very good girl this year!  in her sweet little stocking she was left with candy, my girl ((a classic in my opinion)), mittens and a pencil sharpener.  girlfriend was gifted with an itouch, foosball table, despicable me, a fancy new itouch case, pencils & a new notebook from the jolly old man.  she made out pretty good from mom & dad too :)  We got her new boots, a few sweaters, a semi full of match box cars and a few other odds & ends.  she was so sweet, and thanked santa and us for each gift.  nana & papa's gifts were also under the tree.  they got miss priss a messengers bag, a tool set, ornaments for her tree & a gift card to use on itunes :)

her favorite present of the morning was a toss up between the pencil sharpener ((hello kindergartner)) and the itouch!

cookie baking is not for dummies...

so every year, like most families with little kiddos, we make cookies for santa.  the biggest difference from me and most families would be that i have never made them from scratch.  i am most definitely the mom at the grocery store on christmas eve scrounging up the last tub of pre-maid sugar cookies and calling it a day.

this year, i thought ava deserved a half way decent mother the fun experience of making the cookies from scratch.  i went to the store a {gasp} week before christmas and gathered the ingredients that were listed on the recipe i got online.  fast forward to chirstmas eve.  it was about 2:30 p.m. and we had our second chirstmas of the week at 4:00 p.m.  we had just enough time to whip up these pain in the A precious cookies for santa!  we i mixed all the ingredients on the list while the oven was preheating.  then i got to the step that said 'chill dough for at least one hour before baking'.  momFAIL.  there was no way i was going to have enough time before the christmas to get the cookies baked, let alone frosted and ready for the big guy.  luckily, aunt sarah came to the rescue with back up cookies for santa, and we made the sugar cookies on chirstmas day. 

Santa's spread.  i actually remembered carrots for the reindeer!

Christmas cookies on Christmas day.

Santa enjoyed the back up chocolate chip cookies.  the sugar cookies from scratch were good, but so not worth the hassle.  pretty sure i am going back to the  store bought basics next year!