Princesses at the Party

I've decided I love the idea of a princess party. Pink everywhere. Girls in the beautiful twirly gowns they were born to wear. It just seems so innocent and wonderful.

One little Cinderella has lost her shoe. I guess that's par for a Cinderella. The prince has to have some way to find you, I suppose.

I am so sentimental. Our babysitter went to her senior prom tonight. All I could think of when I was looking at these pictures was how it will be a few quick blinks and I'll be snapping shots of these, or other little girlfriends with my baby and their prom dates. Time, please slow down. These days are just too precious.

An Excellent Adventure

After much research and the use of many strollers over the last 2 1/2 years, I am ready to make a professional statement. The Phil and Teds in-line stroller is the ONLY stroller a mother could EVER need. I am somewhat of a self-proclaimed stroller enthusiast,

so you can trust me. :)

Here's what you need to know about this totally excellent stroller:

It works for:

A new baby in an infant car seat (forget that huge 40 lb travel system you'll never use again)

A single stroller for everyday needs (saves you the $150 on the Maclaren I would've recommended prior to owning this stroller, although I still LOVE Maclarens)

A jogger for one kid up to 5 years old (saves you up to $300 for a good jogger)

A double stroller for an infant and toddler (it lays flat for the infant and the jumpseat sits on the front to make a pram-like space for the new baby and a fun front seat for the big sib)

A double for 2 toddlers (as seen above)

A double jogger for 2 toddlers (unless you're a super serious runner, then I'd recommend the Bob Revolution Double Jogger)

And it folds up so easily and is surprisingly compact (i.e. fits in the back of the Mini, even with the kids' car seats in there). I really can't say enough about this stroller. Makes me want to have another baby just to use the infant portion! :)

While it will feel like you're spending an arm ($450 for the stroller new) and a leg ($90 for the jumpseat to make it a double) at first, you will never need to make another stroller purchase for the life of your child/children. If only I'd known this when I started this circus nearly 3 years ago I wouldn't have the collection of strollers that exists in our garage. Lucky for me, I got this stroller for FREE because of my absolutely amazing husband. Someone was throwing it out on the curb when Nate stepped in and grabbed it up for us. After minimal cleaning it's like new. Like they say: "One man's trash, another man's treasure."

That's it for my review.

Who needs Consumer Reports when you've got Keeping up with the Cooks?!

Going to Granny's

just not today :(

This morning I was putting laundry away in our room, when Natalie came in asking for help to pull her pants on. She'd changed out of her jeans, into a pair of cutoff capris that we picked up one day in Wrightsville Beach last April because she'd fallen into the water and needed dry clothes. She rarely wore them last year because they were way too big. Apparently she still remembers where she got them though because she was wearing them on purpose. Or maybe she can read? They do say "Wrightsville Beach" across the butt. Classy huh? I went into her room to find her suitcase out and open on her floor. Packed with (as she listed to me), shoes, shorts, her swimmy suit and a sunhat. She explained that she was going to Granny's to the beach. I have to say the packing was pretty impressive. I think she learned it from some early morning tv with Special Agent Oso. I guess tv's not all bad. Luckily she didn't flip out when I told her we weren't going to Granny's today. Instead, we went to a park that has a sand volleyball court and had a "beach" day there. It was fun, but it wasn't the same. We may be over that stinky virus, but now we're all beachsick. Granny, we're heading your way ASAP so we can get over our illness. :)

Just Can't Get Enough

Every time she puts on these boots I want to run for my camera. So today I did. She must've known it was gonna thunderstorm that night.

Her new favorite toy: sticks.

Sutton, 10 months

Ready for bed, and maybe the major leagues.

Sideways smiles. He is one happy kid.

Loves his Daddy. Just like when Natalie was a baby, no one makes him smile quite like Daddy.

Easter Sunday

Sorry Rest-of-the-World, I have the 2 cutest children on the planet!

Natalie's Easter dress was made by Granny K in 1981. If I can find the picture of me in it, I'll be sure to post a comparison.

The best part of the dress is the little chick inside the peek-a-boo egg. Wasn't Granny so clever?

Two suckers from Pastor Matt. Apparently, on holidays one sucker just won't do.

Just a small portion of all the little Easter cuties from our church.

Easter Firsts

Sutton enjoyed the grass in his basket as well as the little nerf ball the Bunny brought him. And Natalie, well, she liked biting into a hollow choc choc bunny.

Passover and a Seder Meal

For our Maundy Thursday service this year at church we planned a traditional Jewish Seder meal to celebrate Passover. It was fun researching and learning about the traditions that Christ would have taken part in during The Last Supper. It was fun preparing far in advance for Easter and getting to celebrate for more than just one day.

Transforming the fellowship hall with twinkly lights was really fun. Thanks for all your help ladies!

Springy Saturday

Garage Sale season has officially begun. McDonald's for breakfast, then off to see what we can find for mere change. Other than a few pair of shoes and a couple of tees for Sutton, these little toddler tables were the big purchase of the day. Stay tuned all summer to see all the "necessities" we will find.

Washing the car (and her puppy) with Dad.

Warm sunshine and suds. What could be better?

Church Egg Hunt

Last year, Natalie was elated to find each and every egg. This year, she was much more interested in the candy hiding within the eggs. It was hard to convince her to stop trying to eat the candy and keep hunting for eggs. There really is NO rationalizing with a 2 year-old.

Then there's Sutton Paul, who's just happy to be at the party. He liked holding/eating the empty plastic eggs, so it worked out great. Next year, his sister will probably have him finding eggs for her while she lays back and waits for the candy. Whatever happened to hunting for real eggs anyways? The prize was in the protein.

"The Friends"

I got Natalie out of the car in our garage, she saw friends in the culdesac and immediately started yelling at them to come inside. They couldn't understand her, so she ran over to them and invited them in. The three of them trudged through the garage and the house, then into the backyard...with Natalie leading the way, turning to make sure they were following her and saying, "Come on, come on."

In a matter of seconds, our back slab of concrete was full of neighbor kids. All personally invited by our little hostess with the mostest. Now, every time we get ready to go outside, Natalie looks for "the friends." I sure love that kid.

A Reason to Smile

We're smiling about the sunshine and outdoor playtime. But, Spring also brings..

the ice cream truck (this my be the cutest smile I've ever seen on her face)

and Easter Mail

Thanks for all the mail grandparents and great-grandparents. Natalie and Sutton love tearing into those pastel envelopes!

Partners in Crime

Apparently Natalie thought Sutton needed a little snack while he played. So, she gave him the entire container of stars. The cutest little convicts I've ever seen! Don't worry, they "cleaned up" nearly every morsel.

LiTTLe MoNKeYS

We had our first zoo trip of the year last week. It was perfect. Well, there was one small meltdown on the car ride home, but I won't tell you which of the 5 babies lost it. (ahemnatalie) Other than that, a truly PERFECT zoo day.