School Days

Anna Kate is doing really well in school. She loves it! She has been to the computer lab a few times, the library, art class - where they made 'drip paint' art, and music class - where she chose the DRUMS out of all the instruments (triangle, recorder, keyboard, bells, xylophone, etc.) as her instrument of choice (**WARNING: If anyone buys Anna Kate a set of drums for Christmas, well let's just say that you might want to get your will in order.**) She really is loving Kindergarten :c)

There have been a few instances, but mostly just getting in trouble for talking with her BFF during 'journal' time, which is a BIG no-no. The teacher ended up moving (separating) them Friday, so maybe we can all avoid that little problem, lol.

She came home Thursday saying she had a new boyfriend *gasp*. She told me he took her hand on the playground and said, "Come on my lady!" so they could go play. These kids are a hoot. No worries though, AK thinks boys are ick unless you are daddy, pops or Brooks ;c)

In the car yesterday she was soooo excited to tell me about her, and I quote, "Happy Love Note" she received from her teacher. Anna Kate used her manners in the lunchroom and then helped some of her classmates clean up. For that she received said 'happy love note' and the privilege of getting up from her desk to get water from the water cooler in the classroom as often as she wanted without asking the teacher.......I gather that is a REALLLLY big deal, LOL!



I volunteer for Anna Kate's teacher to help with things such as sorting construction paper by colors, cutting things out, sorting worksheets and such. Well yesterday I had to carry in the construction paper, so I had the opportunity to speak with her. She commented that AK was doing really well and that she was excelling in her reading group - in fact, she had read her first book the day before. We are very proud of Anna Kate. She's growing up too fast :c( But she still makes us extremely proud!

*This was taken this morning before school*

*I took this one in the car while waiting in the drop off line*

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14 Years Ago...

Jeff & I said 'I do' :c) I don't remember ever being an adult without Jeff. I was barely 21 and he was 27...such babies, when we got hitched. Ha!

Happy Anniversary baby. I love you!

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Brave Girl

I swear to you, in the 5 days Anna Kate has been in Kindergarten, she has literally grown up and become so brave.

While on vacation this weekend she did a number of brave things that shocked us;
1) She tried new foods (that has NEVER happened before).
2) She swam in the pool completely by herself while Jeff & I sat on the side of the pool.
3) She JUMPED in the pool completely by herself. I'm talking jumped and even went under the water, and learned how to do a canon ball!
4) She walked down to the ocean several times to get water for her sand castle.

If nothing else great happened while on vacation, Anna Kate learned to broaden her horizons :c)

*Taken with Jeff's new digital underwater camera (videos too)*

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An Unwanted Visitor

As if there could have been anything else possible to go wrong with my week and weekend vacation....there was. Tropical Storm Claudette decided to drop by for a visit. Anna Kate and I were planning to come home Sunday evening around 6:00, however plans began to change as the progression of Claudette developed. We found out that they closed the bridges to and from the island where we were staying (anytime the wind is projected to be 40+ mph, they close them), so we were stuck. I mean, come on! I know I wanted more time at the beach, but I did not want to spend said extra time riding out a tropical storm in an RV...not the safest place in the world to be in 50mph winds and 6" of pounding rain with the ocean literally just a sand dune away. We were told we may be required to evacuate a little more inland, but we couldn't get off the island. We put up all the bikes, beach gear, rugs and awnings and then ordered a take out pizza to begin our 'Hurricane Party' :c)

Finally, and I say finally because we sat all afternoon waiting on Claudette to arrive on our doorstep, around midnight 'it' began. It was pretty rough from then until 3 AM. I could feel the RV rocking from the wind, and the rain sounded like it was going to come through the walls. Limbs and trees were banging, but we never lost power or cable TV (I had the Weather Channel on all night). Anna Kate slept through the entire thing while Jeff and I were bracing ourselves for a tumble when the wind blew the RV over. Thank goodness that didn't happen.....we survived!!!

This morning we got up and surveyed they damage (we didn't have any) and rode down to the beach for a quick look. O.M.G. It was AWESOME! The ocean was so angry and the beach was as flat as the paved parking lot. It was so cool to see the where the sand and water had washed up onto and passed the boardwalk. The wind was still insane, so we couldn't stay long, but I could have sat there for hours watching. I really think I missed my calling as a Meteorologist ;c)

So now we are all home, mostly unpacked and I am taking a break to enjoy fast internet access (*note to self: update air card!), so ya'll can enjoy some pictures. I didn't get near as many as I wanted and I certainly didn't get 'the one' I had in mind :c( I'm sooooo disappointed. We just didn't have the opportunity since it rained/stormed 90% of the time we were there. Sigh.......

Here you go:

*This was our one & only trip down to the beach*

*AK's friend asked her to bring her back a shell from the beach*
*Our sand castle. Notice the windows AK 'installed'*
*And then this began to approach, so we had to leave*

*We went to dinner at Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin. It's such a cool place!*

*We ate at Graffiti's Funky Blues Shack*

*I hate that this is out of focus*
*I had a vision for this picture, but the weather didn't cooperate, so I had to try to make it work in the middle of the day. It was too bright and hot, so I ended up applying a watercolor filter. I wanted this exact pic taken at sunset....*
*Sunday we went back to Baytowne Wharf to have lunch at Another Broken Egg.*


*By the time we made it back to the campground, we learned of Tropical Storm Claudette and began securing things.*

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A break in the storms

We had a break in the storms...not rain, but storms. We have ridden bikes in the rain, raced through the puddles, went to the beach and built a sand castle. Then it started to storm again. Sigh.....we're trying to make our time here fun :c)

***stay tuned for pictures*** (my air card is sooooo ssslllooowwwwww).

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At the beach...

And it's raining. *Sigh*................... This happens every.single.year. Jeff has been down here since Wednesday - water perfectly clear, like bath water and smooth as a lake. In less than fifteen hours after Anna Kate & I arrive, the storms set in. Aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *ripping my hair out*

Why, why, WHYYYYY :c(

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First Day of Kindergarten

Well, we all made it through Anna Kate's first day of Kindergarten. She was a little nervous this morning in the car (she cried), but calmed down by the time we made it in the school. Her teacher immediately recognized that AK seemed to be nervous and took over = brilliant! After that, it was smooth sailing :c)

(AK, Mrs. Orr (teacher) and Anslee (bff))
I think Mrs. Orr is going to regret putting AK & Anslee together, lol.
Oh, and the shirts say, 'Kindergarten ROCKS' with their names under the star.

Jeff & I picked her up together and she was allll smiles :cD She says she's ready to go back tomorrow. Phew!


She came home with this in her backpack. How sweet!

This is a pink rose! And look how my baby already knows to follow the rule of thirds ;c)

I'm anxious to see what comes home tomorrow!

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They're Married

I got a text message today at lunch from the babysitter. It read, "AK & Brantley are getting married today." Not too much later I received this:


Followed by this:


(LOL at the song choice)

Now come on, it doesn't get any cuter than that...a little scary, but cute :c)

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NOTICE: ARMOR NEEDED!

Ever heard that song 'Battlefield' by Jordin Sparks? If you haven't, then take a peak at some of the lyrics...

Battlefield by Jordin Sparks
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute it's love
And suddenly it's like a battlefield

One word turns into a war
Why is it the smallest things tear us down?
Guess you better go and get your armor
(get your armor)
get your armor
Guess you better go and get your armor
(get your armor)
get your armor...........

Suffice it to say that our home is a battlefield in the mornings and I am the one needing the armor.

I just don't understand how picking out an outfit to wear has to be sooooooo.flippin.dramatic! If it's not that it's 'not pretty', then it's 'it's going to make me sweat' (even though it's a TANK TOP), to 'this irritates me'........Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! I just can't take it any longer. Not another morning. So from here on out, Anna Kate will show up wearing whatever the bleep she wants to. *sigh*

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100 Years of Hershey's Favorites

I absolutely adore and treasure that cookbook. It makes me very, very happy :c)

Look appetizing? Wish you had smell-a-computer? Well let me tell you....they were and are scrumptious!!!!

Best Brownies

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup Creamy Brownie Frosting

Heat oven to 350*F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan. In medium bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; with spoon, beat until well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture; beat until well blended. Spread batter into prepared pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare Creamy Brownie Frosting; spread over brownies. Cut into squares.

Creamy Brownie Frosting

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoons Hershey’s Cocoa
• 1 tablespoons light corn syrup or honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

In small mixer bowl, beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup (or honey) and vanilla until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. Add additional milk, ½ teaspoon at a time, if needed.

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