At The Pool

Now that the girls are little bit bigger and more comfortable in the water, we have really been enjoying swimming at our neighborhood pool. Let me rephrase that - Emma enjoys the pool, and Mary enjoys snacking around it.

Emma has come so far this summer. She loves swimming and is getting braver and braver about jumping in and going under. I am so proud of her!



Mary loves the water, but she loves food more.
...mmmm, salt and vinegar Pringles.
...once you pop, you can't stop.
...who wants a sandwich?
...a bag of Froot Loops for dessert.
...I felt obligated to include one picture of my girl when she wasn't eating.

Recipes

Because I am really getting into blogging, and because I am always looking for easy and yummy recipes, I was thinking of posting a recipe or two a week. Maybe on Sunday to get the week started. AND, if I'm feeling REALLY creative, I might even give it a silly little name. If you have a recipe you want to share with the three other people who read this blog, e mail it to me - I would love to post it! If you think this is a ridiculous idea, please leave a comment.

This recipe is actually a Weight Watchers Recipe, and the great thing about it is you can add more or less of each ingredient based on your tastes. The heat of the chicken mixed with the chill of the salsa makes it even better!

Warm Chicken Salad
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup diced red onion
4 tbsp chopped black olives
4 tbsp chopped green olives
2 tbsp capers
4 tsp olive oil
2 tsp basil
8 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash of garlic salt
Mix the above ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Next, brown 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts in salt, pepper, and olive oil.
While browning the chicken, prepare 1 13.25 oz box of wheat spaghetti noodles.
Layer spaghetti noodles, then salsa, and top with sliced chicken.

School Supplies

Today, the girls and I went to Wal Mart to buy the supplies required for Emma to start kindergarten, according to the school's website. I spent 85 AMERICAN DOLLARS on pencils, markers, paper, folders, pens, notebooks, and glue sticks. (EIGHT GLUE STICKS, to be exact.) By the way, the blob in the lower right hand corner is one of my kidneys, which is also required.

The last item we needed to get was a towel for rest time, but Wal Mart didn't have anything that Emma loved. We came home and I pulled up several different designs online for her to choose from. She looked at all of them and said "I like those, but I was hoping for an Alabama towel." So we, the PROUDEST PARENTS IN ALL THE LAND, will be ordering this towel for her to take to Kemp Elementary this fall. Awwwwwww yeah.

Wardrobe Malfunction

The girls dressed themselves this morning...

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Behold, the device that has changed our life. I actually kissed the Best Buy man full on the mouth when he completed the installation. (I'm kidding. But seriously.)

You've Come A Long Way, Baby

Samson has never been completely in love with Emma. In fact, the day we brought her home from the hospital, and about every week or so after that for close to a year, he threw up on the rug in our foyer. Literally. Every week. Entire year. We tried our best to make sure he didn't feel that he was being replaced, and tried to make sure he was a part of anything that we did with Emma. But every time we would come into a room with his new little sister, he would leave the room. He eventually came around and now I know that he would lay down his life for her (well, maybe, you know, as long as he isn't napping). We were worried sick about how he would take it when Mary Wade was born, but he has really surprised us.
Both of our girls love Samson more than anything, but Mary Wade has a very deep attachment to him. When she wakes up in the morning, she has to go to his bed and kiss him good morning before she will start her day. She makes us hold his snout so she can kiss his nose. She holds the bowl when we put his dog food in it, then she stands beside him with her hand on his back while he eats. She gets treats from the pantry for him and sits beside him while he eats them. She lovingly prepares imaginary meals for him, such as chocolate cake, hamburgers with cheese (she refuses to call it a "cheeseburger"), and macaroni and cheese. (Samson absolutely does NOT appreciate the imaginary meals, as they are served in an EMPTY BOWL with a spoon, but we don't have the heart to tell Mary Wade that.) She lays on his bed and snuggles with him, and always invites him to her room while we rock and read stories before bedtime. When she lays in our bed to watch TV, she always wants him in the bed with her.
This morning, she wanted to watch TV in our room, so I turned on her favorite show and tucked her in. Before we even had time to ask Samson if he'd like to join her, he hopped right up on the bed and settled himself in right beside her. It made Mary Wade's day, and mine too.

Making Progress

If you read this post, you know that Mary is terrified of gloves. She won't touch them or put them on her hands, nor will she go near ANYONE wearing ANY TYPE of gloves. So, imagine my astonishment when we were checking out at Pike Family Nurseries last week and Mary waltzed right over to the glove display and announced that she wanted her very own pair of "gubs".
Here are some pictures of Mary's latest milestone:

Okay, so she is not actually willing to WEAR the gloves yet. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Sleeping Beauty

I've Been Tagged - Now What?

My sweet friend Robyn from high school (Go Vols!) has a wonderful blog that I check every day. She does all kinds of neat things like "tagging" people. I don't know all the rules, but I think I am supposed to follow her lead and describe my life in 6 words, then tag 5 other people whose blogs I read. The only problem with that is that I'm kind of a lurker. I "follow" 4 blogs consistently - Robyn's, my neighbor's, Linda Lee's, and Emily Cassee's. Those last 2 girls have NO IDEA that I exist, so I'd feel a little uncomfortable tagging them.
So, in the spirit of tagging and blogging and what not, I'm going to describe my life in 6 words 6 times. I don't want to be "that girl who didn't play the tagging game". So here goes:

1. I love my family and friends.
2. Wade Latham is my soul mate.
3. Emma and Mary have my heart.
4. Samson is the best dog ever.
5. I am addicted to the Internet.
6. I want to return to Birmingham.

OMG

This makes me LOL.

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is...

For those of you who know Mary well, you know that she's a bit of a scaredy-cat. For those of you who don't know her, here is a small sampling of things that TOTALLY FREAK HER OUT.
1. Gloves (this includes latex, gardening, and dishwashing)
2. Houseflies
3. Kung Fu Panda Happy Meal toy from McDonald's
4. This train set
5. Koosh balls
6. Baby dolls that coo, talk, cry, or move
7. Squirrels
8. Carwashes
Yesterday I wanted to get a carwash, and I asked Mary if she thought she could handle it if we went through the $3 Carwash. She was NOT keen on the idea, but Emma promised to hold her hand and "protect" her during the torturous experience, so Mary reluctantly agreed. What's funny is that Emma used to be just as terrified of carwashes, but she apparently conquered her fear to keep Mary safe. Now that's love...

Emma The Artist

Dora the Explorer - Emma's rendering:

Funny Stuff

You may have to click each image in order to read it because the print is small, but it's worth the time because this is hilarious!

Emma's Dance Pictures

We got Emma's dance pictures in the mail yesterday. I don't know how she ended up with a safety pin hanging off of her bow (that NO ONE NOTICED) and how our last name ended up misspelled (we paid up front by check), but they are beautiful anyway and I wanted to share them!

Daddy's Home!!!

In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to share a video of the girls taken this past Friday. Wade has been traveling non-stop (at least it feels that way!) over the last several weeks, and the girls and I miss him SO MUCH while he is gone. This week he left Monday morning and didn't get home until late Friday afternoon. We were all waiting in the driveway for him when got home. We are always so happy when we hear his car coming down the street, but no one gets quite as excited as Mary. (*WARNING: LOUD*)

Claustrophobia

This is how Mary sleeps. She has to have each and every stuffed animal seen here, and has added one or two to her collection since this picture was taken. She takes inventory before she lets me tuck her in and knows if something is missing, and she won't go to sleep until she is sure that everyone is present and accounted for. But don't try to just toss them in all willy-nilly either, because they all have "assigned seats," including her TWO BARNEYS.

Random Family-ness

Some recent pictures of our little family...

This is Emma and me at the Mother's Day Tea at her preschool. Emma made all kinds of beautiful things for me, including this hat. I'm not sure why I was flipping someone a bird - seems a tad inappropriate at a Methodist preschool...


The family getting ready to go to Emma's preschool graduation...


The two sweetest girls in the world...


The girls giving BoBo some love...


Mary thinks Sister can do no wrong, even in those crazy socks...

Son, You Got A Panty On Your Head

This is Mary's new way of entertaining herself. Yes, that is a diaper, and yes, it is clean.

Swinging Is Super-Fun!

Even mid-meltdown, how ADORABLE is she with those pigtails???

Emma's Dance Recital

Emma had her dance recital on Saturday, May 17th. She did perfectly (and not because we are biased!) She does so well on stage and loves performing! She never gets nervous - just excited! Here are a few pictures from her big performance.

...waiting backstage.
...Daddy waiting for Emma onstage. Emma's class danced to "Butterfly Kisses" and the girls' dads were part of the routine. It was the sweetest thing EVER!
...during the "Butterfly Kisses" routine (also one of my favorite pictures).
...during the "Feels Like Love" routine.
...more from "Feels Like Love".
...Wade calls this "the hucklebuck".
...Mary entertained herself by wallowing on the floor and playing with batteries. (I never said I was Mother of the Year.)
...our little ballerina after the recital with her trophy and flowers.
...Mary giving big sister some lovin'.
...Wade and the girls. It is almost impossible to get a picture of Wade without his eyes either almost or completely closed. I'm starting to think he does it intentionally.