Kids say the funniest things

Last night Kate was in the bed laying down with her daddy, winding down from the days activities and she said "Daddy you have grass growing on you face and you have grass growing on you legs too. You need to cut your grass daddy." Jerry had a little bit of a scruffy face last night. We both got a good chuckle out of it. Kids say the funniest things sometimes.

Lesson Learned!!!

Lately the last month or so I have been wanting to do something different with my hair. I didn't want anything to drastic Maybe a trim and some highlights or something. Well I thought that if I relaxed my hair not straighten it, I could maybe change my bangs, and have them swoop across my forehead instead of those dreaded bangs I so don't like anymore. Well, I was super nervous, as I always am because literally every time I go get my hair done something always goes wrong. Lets just say that when I came in to the salon the Head salon manager had to come out to assist the lady who was doing my hair. Not a good sign, I should have got up and started running out the door, but no I decided to see what they could do. They took a long time in the back room talking this over how to do my hair. Come to find out later this was the lady's first time straightening someones hair, so not a time for me to be a Ginnie pig. I told the lady I wanted just a little looser, NOT STRAIGHT. Well my childhood came all rushing back to me, I remember my mom would take us to the beauty college to get our hair done. If you not familiar with how it works, at the schools the beauticians/hair stylist have to have their work inspected and they are mentored and talked through different procedures. That's exactly what happened on Friday, every person in the Salon was either watching me or asking questions on how to do things. That was sign number 2 that I should have realized that this wasn't going to be good. So I get done and the lady says you still have some curl left, as she is saying this it looks bone straight and she is attempting to curl my hair with a curling iron. Now I have to say that is ironic, why would I want to straighten my hair just to curl it with a curling iron. You could tell that they knew they messed up my hair and didn't want to admit it. The manager said to me oh yeah I see some curl in it, I quickly paid for my bad hair job and walk quickly out to the car so no one would see me crying. I wanted a change not something worse then what I already deal with. This is where I tell you I've learned my lesson, I have straighten my hair many time through out my life and it never works, its half straight/half curly the next day. The last time I tried this was about 10 years ago, well I don't think I will be doing this again any more in my life time. I have just come to terms with the fact that the Lord gave me curly hair and he wants me to keep it that way. The older I have gotten the more I am OK with my hair and how curly it is. I think I just had a momentary laps and forgot that I'm not meant to have straight hair and that's o.k. Jerry was so nice he said it looks nice, but I know he likes my curly hair better, that one of the reason he thought I was so cute when we were dating. He said why didn't you just get some Highlights and a trim. I should have taken his suggestion. At church on Sunday I had a lot of people asking me what's different about you, or I don't recognize you without your curly hair and I really like you curls, which is code for I like your hair better curly. So in the end Lesson learned do not straighten hair again. I would post a picture but it looks so bad today it's have frizzy/straight, I don't think I could bare to show you at this point, it's too embarrassing. I guess I will be living with lots of bad hair days for about a month or two, so not fun.

Fake smiles , Frustration and Total Inspiration!

Today was such a bad day for taking pictures. My Husband was right, yes I will say it again, Jerry was right. I should have just gone to the park taken a picture of Kate for her three year old picture and called it good. No no stubborn me has to go try to get one done, the only place that you can go around here is the lovely Wal-mart (not really) or Sears. You can spent less money at wal-mart or empty out your bank account with Sears. So I went to Wal-mart, big mistake. Let just say when you walk in and the Photographer is complaining to her co-worker about her job, you should turn around and run. I should have know it was not going to go well. Let just say Kate's at that age where she likes to do that Fake smile, not her natural smile we all know and love. So that meant you had to work a little harder to get her to smile the right way, the lady was not even tying to work with Kate. I told her what I wanted one with Kate ,one with Kate and Caleb and ,one with Caleb by himself. I also had a change of clothes. She didn't let me change her clothes and Kate would not look directly into the camera, so all of her naturally smiling shots she isn't looking at the camera and the fake smiles she look straight at the camera, I just can't win. I just really wanted to get a nice official/with a cute background/ 3 year old picture to put on my wall of Kate. I guess you get what you pay for. So determined me set out to go straight to the park and take some more pictures, knowing I could probably get a better one. Kate was still being difficult so I only got a couple. This experience though very frustrating has truly inspired me to develop my talent of taking pictures. I love taking pictures. I almost had the same camera the photographer had, all she had going for her was some cute backdrops. I've decided that since I have the this nice camera we bought for Christmas and Jerry just bought a longer lens, Nothing can stop me from taking a good picture. I just have to work on how to take a good picture and take pictures I like. I can go and make my own backdrops. So I guess a good thing did come out of bad situation. I'll will still get professional family pictures taken, but for now I think I'm going to try to develop a new talent and try to utilize this nice equipment. It's a whole lot of camera, I need to try and understand. Jerry's family is really good at taking pictures, all his sisters and brother seem to have a real eye for a good picture, I need to get some ideas from them. So in the end Caleb got to hot and fussy and Kate didn't want to look in the camera when we got to the park so I'll still post "my attempt to get a better shot" photos which did turn out all that much better due to my children not having a very good picture day.

No Luck

Like I promised I was going to keep you updated on the Alligator hunt. Jerry was unable to catch an alligator this year, thanks to hurricane Fay. Jerry really wanted to catch one, he was so determined he went out in the pouring rain and 3 foot waves on the lake to try and find one. The alligators were no where to be found. He came backed soaked. The rain still hasn't let up, we are still getting rained on. It was good for me though, Jerry ended up not going on Saturday because of the weather so we got to spend some time together as a family and play games with some friends. So no luck for Jerry, but that's OK with me because I end up being able to spend some more time with him. I haven't seem much of him since he started working overtime. Jerry was really disappointed and sad that he was able to catch and alligator, maybe next year!

Naptimes, Alligators and Hurricane Fay!

I have to say I just love nap time at my house. It's my sanity break, my me time, my nap time as well. It's been really nice for the last month or so, Kate and Caleb have kind of been in sink with each other when it comes to naps. I was asked at a baby shower recently what the best advice I could give and I said sleep when you kids sleep. I got some weird looks, but you gotta do what you gotta do, everyone needs a little 10-15 min. power nap once in a while. Well, the reason I am so grateful that it's working out this way right now is because Jerry has been working a lot of overtime lately and has to go into work early ,which leaves me to do the night time routine and alot of other things alone. So I say to everyone out there take a power nap today, it will give you a great pick me up. The new reason I'm flying solo at night this week is because Jerry is alligator hunting for the next 4 days, yes you read it right ALLIGATOR HUNTING! So Kate tells her daddy go fly on the Helicopters and catch me a Alligator. I'm glad to say he came home the first night all in one piece. No alligator yet, it was to short, it was only 5 feet and the game warden requires it to be 9 feet, so he's going out again tonight. Will have to keep you all posted on his adventure. I know this entry is kind of random, just want to give a little update on what's been going on around here. This weekend we are going to wait for Hurricane Fay to make her way here, hopefully it will only be rain and wind. I hope all is doing well.

Caleb is 3 months old

Caleb turned 3 months old on August 14th. He is growing so fast. He is really doing well. His new thing he likes to do is everytime you smile at him and say his name he likes to smile back at you and giggle. It's really cute. The last time we weight him he was about 13 pounds, and that was 2 and 1/2 weeks ago so that may have changed. Caleb's acid reflux is getting a little better everyday. He has his good days and bad ones when it comes to the reflux. Unforunately the poor little guy still has a clogged tear duct. So some of the pictures I have take you will probably notice it, and also that his eyes get really watery at times. The doctor said is should clear up anytime if he goes past 6 months they will go in and open it up for him. We are hoping it will open up on it's own. Caleb is quite the traveler, he went on his first plane ride last week and did really great! Caleb is a sweet little boy that we are so blessed to have in our home.

Our Trip to Michigan

My Michigan!

As many of you know I had a once in a life time opportunity to go back to Michigan where I grew up and spent of week with extended family. I was really nervous to travel all by myself with not just one kid but two this time. The kids did great on the plane, it's a much shorter trip to Michigan than it is to Utah from where I live. I spent the evening with my Aunt Jill and Cousin Lindsey, then My mom and sister and brother in law flew in on the red eye flight, I thought they were crazy, but they didn't care. We then got to see the house I grew up in that my Grandpa built, on good old Sonora Drive ,in Fenton . I also got to see the huge apple tree I helped my dad plant as a kid, and all the other pine trees my Grandma had planned. Everything always seems so much bigger when your a kid. We then drove and look outside at the little Chapel my parents got married in, it was fun to see my mom reminisce. We then drove up to our summer vacation spot that I grew up going to every summer as a child. Frankfort, Beulah/Crystal Lake area. It's about a 3 hour drive from Fenton. It was so nice to be in the cooler weather compared to Alabama. We rented a cottage off of Lake Michigan. We all got a room for each family, it was really nice. It was really close to the beach and you could walk right into town and go shopping. We went straight to the beach to swim. Kate loved it, she liked it so much better then the ocean, it was just a little cooler without all the salt and scary things that live in the ocean. It was so beautiful I hope I captured some of the beauty this place posses with the pictures I took. I often think of this place when I am anxious or need to visualize a peaceful place. I love this place, it's a little piece of Heaven on earth. We then did a little shopping at the same little stores I shop at when I was little. That's the best part, no matter how long it's been since I've been back to this place, it stays the same. Each evening we would round up all the kids and walk down to the local ice cream shop. Kate discovered (thanks to her cousin Erin) Superman ice cream for the first time. I don't know but I think her shirt saw more of that Ice cream cone then her mouth, from then on every time we got ice cream she wanted Superman ice cream.

We then visited my Uncle Chris. He has his home right on Crystal Lake. Crystal Lake is the clearest lake you will ever see. You can literally see down all the way to the bottom no matter how deep it is. Crystal Lake as a child was the Lake we spent most of our time at. The site of the birch trees and the crystal blue water brought back so many good memories. We also went to Crystal Lake falls, which is a little water fall at one side of the Lake. Kate had so much fun finding rocks and throwing them into the falls. We built sand castles on the beaches and watch the sunset go down on Lake Michigan. I also got to swim in the big waves on the Alberta side of Lake Michigan with my sisters. That was my favorite thing to do as a kid, and still is. I'm glad I got to go with all my sisters one last time. Caleb did great at the beach as well, he mostly slept which that's pretty much what 3 months old do.

I got a chance to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Spafford Grave at the cemetery. It was really good to go. The last time I saw my Grandma was the last time I visited Up north/Frankfort. It was good for me to put a little bit of closer to things. I wasn't able to attend the funeral, so I was grateful to get to visit her grave to say my goodbyes at least for a little while. I'll see her again someday and for that I am very excited and can't wait. We saw the bird house we left my grandpa the last time we where there ,on the birch tree my mom and aunt planted. I had a feeling that grandma and grandpa where looking down on us and smiling, excited to see us all together.

Later on that day we went to my Uncle Chris's house and got to see all of my cousins and their children. It's been about 5 years since I've seen all of them. It was so good to see everyone again, boy how time flies and children grow up so quickly. We celebrated all the August/July Birthday's which there is a lot of them, with cupcakes. My Uncle Chris took us out on his boat and we went swimming on the sand bar in Crystal Lake. Kate was the first one to jump off the boat in her life jacket. I don't think she was ready for how much colder it was compared to the ocean where we live. She had a shocked look on her face. She wanted to get right back on the boat. She then decide it wasn't to bad and got back in a few more times.

We missed Jerry on this trip, but he had to stay home and work, he didn't have anytime off since we took it all when the Caleb was born. I was so glad I was able to go to Michigan and Up North. I thought I would never get the chance to see this beautiful place again. It was so nice to be able to share this place with my children. My kids may not remember it, but I'm glad they got to play where I played as child. This place holds a special place in my heart. If you ask me where I would love to go on a vacation I would say Up North Michigan every time. I love this place, it's so breathtaking. Words cannot express how beautiful and special this place really is, from the beautiful Birch Trees, to the Crystal Clear waters and the Light houses on the shores. As my Uncle Chris says it's "Almost Heaven". I want to thank my mom for making this happen for me. I wasn't planning on going because I had just had a baby, but I'm glad she was able to help me go on this trip. If it wasn't for her, I would have missed this chance to be with my sisters up north. As my mom puts it, it's a never go back moment. I may never get to be with all my sisters up there again, because of locations of where we live and families getting larger. Thank you so much Mom, I will never forget this trip, and the memories we were able to make. All in all I had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back again someday. If any of you out there reading this blog get a chance to go to Michigan, go north, it's beautiful.

Happy Birthday Julia!

Happy Birthday Julia Elizabeth Cromwell! I can't believe my little niece is already turning 1 years old today! Your such a beautiful little girl. It was so great to see you last week. You are a fast crawler and pretty soon you will be walking and running all over the place. I hope you have a great Birthday, we wish we could be there to celebrate with you.

Kate Turns 3 !

WOW, what a great day. Kate had so much fun that she told me as she was going to sleep tonight that "We have to do it all over again, my birthday you know". All the hard work and planning was really worth every minute. Last night I started making the Cinderella Cake and failed twice, Jerry decided we should just cut the leg down to fit the cake, It traumatize Kate, she saw me take out the Doll without the legs, so needless to say right after nap time I went to walmart and got her a new one. Kate's O.K. now. We took a little time in the morning to open up presents as a family, Kate loved her new Princess Bike/two wheeler. She also loves her Aurora dress and the Doll house Gramma & Poppi Mott got her. She really got into opening presents this year and love to open each one, she love her card she got from everyone, Mamaw and the Aunt Karrie and her family, and Gramma. We then took a nap which worked out great for me, I frosted the Cinderella cake, along with her Gus Gus Cake. Everyone said it looked great, I'm glad it turned out, Kate was so surprised when she woke up from her nap. I have pictures of her reaction. We then watch Cinderella and Enchanted. While we watched Enchanted, Kate and I danced like we were at the ball together, twirls and a couple dips. We then had some of Kate's closest friends from Church come and celebrate with us. It's always so nice to have good friend when your not able to be close to family. We had the Thomas's, Guistina's and the Gardner family attend the party. I was worried about the space in our apartment because literally there isn't any, but it worked out great. Now I know it can be done. We had the kids eat out on the patio and the adults inside where it was cooler. We had pizza and Cake, following that we open up some presents. She got a beautiful suitcase full of princess surprises from Brian, Stacy and Ammon. It was so beautiful. She got lots of fun books to read and a very fun make your own tiara from the Hutto Family. Thank you for thinking of Kate. We then went to the pool to cool off from the heat. Everyone had a great time, I did too. Kate gave out little party favor bags out to all the kids, filled with candy. I sent them all home on a sugar high, the moms loved that. All in all it was a memorable Birthday, and Kate had so much fun she didn't want to go to bed. I had a special request to leave all the Decorations up for a couple of days, she said "Don't take my party down yet." I promised her I would save her another piece of cake and the decoration to stay up for tomorrow. I can't believe me little baby girl is 3 years old now. Jerry and I just held her and gave her extra Hugs and Kisses today, realizing what a wonderful little angel we have been blessed with. I think we all didn't want the party to end. We love and miss all our family, and wish you where here with us to celebrate, I hope you like the pictures.

Birthday Prep

Well, It's hard to believe but my little girl is turning 3 tomorrow. I have been really trying to plan a nice party for her. She decided she wants a Cinderella party. So as some of you know my mom had this wonderful tradition of making our Cakes for us as a kid anything we asked for she would make it. I remember having a Bunny, Dog, Gumball, and Castle Cakes, you name it she made it. Well I've been attempting to do the same with my children. My mom never told me how hard or how much work it was. I truly appreciate her efforts in making my cakes so special. I made Kate a bunny cake her first year and a penguin cake her second year (Happy Feet Theme) and this year I am attempting to make her a Cinderella Doll Cake. I hope it turns out, I worry the whole time until It's finished, I want it to look good. The penguin cake was a huge undertaking last year so I'm hoping this cake will be a little easier.
Kate has also picked out her party decorations and has birthday cake flavor, not my favorite but it not up to me. She picked the white with rainbow colors inside. She has also asked for a two wheeler princess bike ,since Christmas I might add. She has to test it out every time we go to the store. Jerry said he's going to pick it up after work tomorrow. It's going to be the big highlight of the day I think. We are going to have lot of Kate's friends over to celebrate with us. We plan on having Pizza and Cake and going swimming in the pool afterwards. It should be a lot of fun.
I took some time to think back and remember my little girl and all the fun memories we have made, it's hard to believe she is going to be three. I love her so much and she is such a sweet girl. She truly has blessed are lives and I am grateful that Lord has given me the chance to be her Mommy. Three years really does go by quickly, pretty soon she will be starting school. Well I very excited for tomorrow and I will definitely post some great pictures!