Wordless Wednesday

It didn't rain today! Thank goodness for some sunshine!!!!!!!! We enjoyed it:

Opryland Hotel

Casey and I are on a kick of trying to get in shape this summer. When its nice out, we walk almost 2 miles with the girls in the morning. However, it's been so yucky in Tennessee the past two weeks that we have had to miss a few days. On Sunday after church, I was lamenting the fact that once again we couldn't walk, and Casey suggested we go to the Opryland Hotel. First of all, let me just say that when my family first moved to Tennessee, my parents would drag us to this hotel whenever anyone came to visit us, and my brother and I despised it. Now that I'm an adult, I get it. It's an amazing hotel, and a great way to spend the afternoon. We walked around in there for two hours, and I'm quite sure we didn't see everything! The girls both loved it.

My precious girls

Kiley and I loved this table and chair set! Looks like an enchanted tea party area from Alice in Wonderland

Sorry for the poor picture quality, we forgot the camera, so these are all cell phone shots. But as you can see, we had a great time! Next rainy day we are planning on going to the Tennessee State Museum, which I am totally nerding out about. Can't wait for that!

FitBF

1.   The last thing I ate was      Chicken nuggets and french fries. Yeah, real healthy.

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is    Braised short ribs over mushroom risotto. Yum.

3.  The best things     in the world are the members of my family. Love my days with Casey, Kiley, and Madelyn

4.  Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is   days off with the whole family, where we go on a fun outing.

5.  Sports are     a mixed bag. Love hockey, like college football and nfl, like soccer, the rest....meh.

6.  I miss       sleep. Sad to say it, but sometimes I do.

7.  Right now I am       waiting for Casey to get home so we can start grilling out some dinner. Yum.

Father's Day

Sunday was Father's Day. I always try really hard to make Father's Day super special for Casey, since he always makes Mother's Day great for me. I never feel like we do enough, though, but I always leave everything up to him, so maybe he just enjoys having a lazy day? Ha, I am never really a fan of a lazy day-I take about one every three months, if that. This year, Kiley had the idea to bring him breakfast in bed, so we did that-super fluffy pancakes with cinnamon cream and bacon. Then we gave him his gifts-a nice new shirt and a grill set. After that we were lazy for a long time, then we drove Kiley out to see the neighborhood we're hoping to live in by the end of July, then off to Five Guys for dinner, yum! We love Five Guys, and could probably eat there every day. Oh, and I made Casey some old fashioned banana pudding, his favorite dessert of all time. I rarely make it, and I don't know why. I build this mythology in my head that it's really time consuming and ridiculous, but it only really takes about 30-45 minutes start to finish, and its easy. Oh well. Maybe I'll start making it more.

Maddie loves being able to sit in high chairs now!

Daddy and his girls

Maddie at 5 months

I said it with Kiley, and I'll say it again with Maddie-5 months has got to be my favorite age! She is so much fun now, but she can't get anywhere to wreak too much havoc yet. The perfect age :)
Let's see, at 5 months, Maddie now: eats sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, pears, oatmeal, and applesauce. We are starting peas tomorrow, and hopefully she'll love them as much as she's loved everything else so far! She is a food maniac. When we go out to eat we have to fight her away from our food. Silly girl.
She rolls over both ways, frequently.
She can sit up for just a few seconds on her own.
She can stand holding on to something (what strong legs!)
She is wearing 0-3 months all the way to 6-9 months clothes. It's pretty nice. There are very few things which she's outgrown.
Still sleeping in her own bed every night, and sleeps until at least 5 am usually, although today she slept until 6:30.
Wants to play all the time. I love it!

Kiley's Recital

This year was Kiley's second year at dance. Her recital was a theme of Disney, and they performed at TPAC, which is the theater downtown. I love watching her in dance. She was planning on quitting after this year, but then changed her mind at the recital, she loves performing I guess! We will probably put her in a different dance school though, because while she's had fun at her school the past two years, I don't think they really challenge the older kids or teach them much, so putting in her a different school with real choreography and such would test to see if this is something she really wants to do.
Anyway. She had 3 dances, a ballet, a tap, and a jazz of sorts. Her ballet was done to Cinderella's "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"

Love this costume!

With some of her friends from class

Sorry, I'll have no pictures of the girls on stage. Photography isn't allowed during the recital, and I forgot my camera on dress rehearsal night :( Her next dance, which was the "jazz" performance was to "Steady as the Beating Drum" from Pocahontas. It was both my favorite dance and my favorite costume. Kiley killed it in that dance! She remembered every step and was on beat the whole time. I was just beaming.

4 & 5 year old class

Miss Stacey gave all the girls this adorable Mickey cookie

And last was Kiley's favorite dance and costume-"Under the Sea" from the Little Mermaid. It was a tap dance, and it was my second favorite.

Girls were anxious to get on stage!

My little celebrity checking herself out

All in all, it was a great night. After the show we gave her some gorgeous flowers, then she went home with Nana and Papa for a whole week! She comes home today, and I can't wait- I've missed her so much.

Love this picture of the girls

Friday Catch Up!

I know it's been ages since I last blogged, we've just been so busy. We had Kiley's dance recital, we're trying to purchase a house, plus Maddie is becoming a very active baby who always wants play time! I am planning on doing a large catch up post later today, as well as Maddie's 5 month update! But for now while Maddie and Casey sleep (Kiley is at Nana's & Papa's house) I will do Fill in the Blank Friday.

1.   The last movie I saw was       Bridesmaids. It's so freaking hilarious. All I have to say is "It's happening" and I dissolve into laughter.

 

2.  I want to    get under contract on this dream house we found!

3.  Surprises are     awful. I hate them, really. Please don't surprise me. Ever.

4.  The best accessory is   my diaper bag. Thanks, honey!

5.  My favorite warm drink is     Non-fat, no whip pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Mmmm, is it September yet?

6.  My favorite cold drink is       Cherry Sundrop, which I can't drink currently because Maddie does not tolerate caffeine well at all.

7.  Currently loving      Remember the Mountain Bed by Wilco. I heard them play it live when I saw them in Indianapolis a few summers ago, but had never been able to find it, until I looked it up on my MP3 app on my phone. Yay, smart phones!

Storytime

Yesterday we went on our second Mom's group outing to the Downtown Library. I had never been there before, even though I've always heard great things about it. It did not disappoint! It was hands down the best library I've ever been too, which is saying something because I'm a bit of a library fanatic. We went to Provence  on the first floor for some coffee and croissants first, then went to storytime. It was great! Kiley and Maddie both loved it. After that we played outside in the courtyard for a bit, then Kiley read while I nursed Maddie. You would think we'd have to run out of stuff to do by then but there was a craft room too, so Kiley made an adorable lizard. It was a great morning-all in all I'd say we spent over 3 hours there. We're going to make it a weekly thing.

Cookout

This past Saturday we went to a cookout at my brother Paul's house. It was Maddie's first cookout, and she did great, surprisingly. We played horseshoes, chatted, and ate some seriously good grilled and smoked food. My personal favorites were the smoked avocados and portabello mushrooms-yum!

Kiley & I loved this hammock

Papa loves his baby girls

Nepa & Maddie meeting

Kiley was a huge helper for Uncle Paul

Casey & me playing horseshoes

It was a great night with family. Hopefully we'll get to spend lots of summer nights out at Paul's this year-love that yard!

On to first grade!

I hate even saying it, but my big baby girl has graduated Kindergarten and is now "officially" a First grader! Yesterday was her last day. I don't know how she got so big so fast without me noticing.
She is a little sad about starting First grade, because she had the best Kindergarten teacher ever, so I spent yesterday talking about the good parts of changing grades with her. I think she'll be ok by August. She got her last report card of the year yesterday as well, and she did great as usual. Exceeding grade standards on all but science, in which she's meeting grade standards, and reading on a third grade level! Watch out first grade, we're coming to rock your world!
As everyone knows, after a good school year you deserve a reward so we went to Target where she picked out a new Whimzy Pet, then on to Baskin Robbins for her first ever Clown Cone!
Here's hoping we'll have an awesome summer vacation leading up to a fantastic year at school!

First Day outside of Norman Binkley

With her Clown Cone

Wow, I think you can tell how much she's grown just by looking at those two pictures! No wonder people can't stop having babies.

Wordless Wednesday

Someone needs to explain to Maddie that bouncers are for relaxing:

My big girl seems to have missed the memo on that one!