End of Year Party

Just yesterday we had the best bash at our house. I always want to throw a pool party in the summer but never really have a reason (not that you have to have a reason to party!)
This year I decided to throw an end of year party at our house for Girlie's friends. They still go to "school" in the summer and will move up to the new class next week so I wanted to celebrate their moving up. It was such a great day.

End of Year Luau!!
We had hot dogs with homemade chili, homemade potato salad, chips, fruit & veggies and drinks. Dessert was a fantastic ice ceam bar that I didn't get pics of :( boo!

The food table



This fun centerpiece was easy to make and turned out SOOOO cute. I'm so glad I did it!
That's real pineapples!

Decorations: I did up the luau theme. My fav was that big ole pineapple hanging from the tree. We covered tables with beach towels for table cloths and set out goldfish crackers and salt water taffy for snack. I blew up beach balls for each kid and just had them all in the pool and little drink umbrellas were at each place setting. The kids drank from little cups shaped like tikis and sat at small picnic tables (mine and borrowed). It was such a great day and the decorations did look great, if I say so myself :)

Dad grilled the hotdogs in his island gear! I was so proud of him when he came downstairs in his clothes. He matched without even being asked :) I LOVE THIS MAN!

The treat bags were really cool reuasable lunch bags I found at Target with a whale on them, perfect for a beachy/luau theme. I put pencils, stickers, candy necklaces, suckers, a cute beach cabana frame craft and a scratch art Hibiscus flower. So cute!

The greatest was seeing all her friends enjoy each other OUT of school! I love watching them together. They swam and played in the sand and The Cube (the square shaped inflatable in the one pic) and just had the most fun!

Overall it was a great party! I hated when they had to leave and I can't wait to throw another one next year. Although next years will be more sad as she'll be leaving this school to go to KINDERGARTEN! :( pout pout

I'm already excited for my next party and I don't even know when it will be LOL. I'm sure James and Mom aren't excited and are very glad this gig is over! :)

Dog Daze

I don't blog about our dog much. Before there was Girlie there was our furbaby, Vegas. She's a HUGE American Bulldog that is more bark than she is bite. Very protective of her Momma and sister and quite honestly one of the best dogs on the planet.

Yesterday we took her to the Vet for her normal yearly shots, etc. She did fantastic. The Vet even said she was the best dog all day! :) *brag brag* He also said that she's the biggest dog they've seen in sometime, lol.

Vegas is not great with other dogs. Maybe it's her size (a whopping 119 lbs - eek!) or maybe it's her desire to protect no matter who,what,when,where. Either way, it sure doesn't make it easy to take her someplace.

Here are some pictures that will take you back a full 5 years!


Yesterday at the Vet




Last year with Girlie & I


2007 with Girlie


One of our Christmas cards for Girlie's first Christmas (yes we had multiple, don't judge me)

Meeting her sister for the first time.

Our Christmas card the year before Girlie

All sprawled out, look how huge then... that was 3 years ago and a full sized bed

I love the way her ear does that. When she's wondering what's up

How she use to ride in the car on Thursdays. I took her with me every Thursday I went to do client runs... those were the days.

Her favorite chew toy as a puppy - pantyhose!

Her first day with us! I love this shot!

I can definitely tell as I go through old pictures that she was our first baby. Every set has 100 of her. She doesn't get as much camera attention as she use too but she's always so photogenic.

She's such a good dog, we're lucky - and so is she!!

Awww.... Vegas!!!

LOSER!

Our competition is finally over at work and today I was..


I lost a total of 34.4 pounds over the 12 weeks which is a total of 12% of my body weight GONE! FOREVER I tell you!

I'm so proud of myself. I didn't know if I could do it and I did. I AM doing it!
This is only the beginning. I will get my prizes tomorrow but my sweet friends in Accounting gave me the crown today after the email announcement. My mom got 2nd place with 9% lost :) We are rockin' it!

I'M A LOSER!

I *heart* Visitors!

This past weekend was fantastic! :) I always love having visitors at my house. Yes, it's tons of work before and after but during makes it all worth it!!!

My BFF Cena and her kiddos and neice came for a weekend visit on Friday. Cena and I were roommates in college. Boy is she the bestest friend ever! Truly like my sister.
Saturday we took the chicklets to the Nashville Zoo. It was Ice Day at the zoo. They had fun activities and "cool" things going on!

Ice sculptures...






Popcicles for the animals...



Free water slide for the kiddos...







And free ice cream :) ...



that melted in 2 seconds and became a free milkshake, lol.


But more importantly we had a super great time!
Here's pretty girl Chelsea. Oh she's so sweet!

A and Girlie riding the carousel

They even had cool photo ops, hehe.

That beautiful Chelsea again. My camera can't get enough of her!

A, C & Girlie. They had so much fun together,

laughing and being silly!

Then I remembered while we were there this picture I took in September 2006.

So nearly 3 years later! SHE'S SO GROWN!!! (I did tell her to look at the Meerkats but I did not tell her to touch them. Proof that she can't keep her hands off anything - ever)

Overall the weekend was fabulous! We're gearing up for another big weekend ahead. Birthday party and Girlie's End of Year party at our house for her preschool friends. I can't wait!

Family Fun

I always like doing something fun on Friday evening after work and school to kick-start the weekend. This past Friday was no exception :) We decided we'd have some fun at a local fun center. They have go carts and putt-putt and a batting cage and we took advantage of all three. Ok, so James was the only one to take advantage of the batting cage, but nonetheless.

We had a blast and Girlie loved it. She's already asking daily when is the next time we'll go back. It makes me happy that she loves our little outings! I think the go carts were her favorite part. We rode those twice. She was my passenger once and then James' the next time. James has this super mega-fast car the first go round. He had a blast! Lucky me got that speed demon the second time and I saw exactly why he was having so much fun!

I'll just let the pictures say the rest...

Ahhhhh, fun times!

Time has wings!

It's amazing how time flies lately. My baby girl is no longer that, she's so big. Her most recent big girl move is sleeping alone. I've tried for 3 years to get that child to sleep in her own bed. I'm not talking just saying oh sleep in there, etc. I'm talking up for a straight year every single night for hours on end because she wouldn't sleep by herself. Finally, Nannie said "just let her sleep with me" and that's where she's been sleeping since.
I kept asking quite often if she wanted to sleep in her own bed and she didn't. Well just this week she said yes. Friday night was her first night and she did FABULOUS! She woke up at 5:10 am but went to sleep fine. All I did was tuck her in and say Goodnight. She did get up a few times to potty and get a drink of water but she did fantastic. Two more nights of great sleeping too. I'm so proud of her. This is such a huge step for my child that LOVES to snuggle.

It helps that I had a bribe in there too *giggle*

Here are some recent shots of my girlie. My VERY BIG girlie!

Underwater - blowing those bubbles!

On July 4th

This was taken in Louisville after a party at James' cousin's house. They had a makeover and we had to leave while the mask was still hardening *lol* She totally is making a face that makes me think of the Grinch here!




Lastly, BIG with a BIG attitude. Trying on shoes *lol*

Maybe they'll be pics soon of her riding her new bike which is her bribe for sleeping by herself for a certain number of days :)

Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday to my better half!

Today is James' 38th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!

We don't have a great deal of special things planned. We will be eating at one of our favorite restaurants Mikado - YUM!! We'll have cake at home afterward if there is room lol and then he'll get a few gifts. He's getting so hard to buy for lately.

Speaking of gifts for him. When we first got together (nearly 8 years ago now) I could buy that boy anything. I could think of things to get him easily. I never had a hard time deciding what to buy him. But now, fuhgedaboutit. Maybe it's because I've gotten him everything already hehe or maybe it's because as we get older we don't need as much as we did before, or want as much.

He's a big kid though and always has a 'wish list' but I find it harder and harder to buy him gifts. I just have to come right out and ask. I never had to do that before. I hate it. I think boys are difficult to buy for after they reach teenage years anyway and I've just confirmed that it only gets more difficult.

He'll like what he's getting but I wish it were more. I might put an IOU in there too for something I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Either way he'll have a great day I'm sure.

I am going to post this because I'm certain he won't see it before it happens (ah heck he probably never reads this blog until I tell him to look at something) I am having him a pizza delivered to work today for lunch :) Isn't that sweet? lol I wish it were a singing telegram. He'd kill me!

Happy Birthday Sweets! MANY MANY MORE TO YOU! Hope you get everything you wish for and more!