52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 21

Griffin was invited for his first ever sleep over.
He was so excited while he packed for his big night.

He took all the essentials for a 7 year old boy...

his leopard "Blaze",
the latest book he's reading,
a book light for late night reading
(in case he woke up scared),
tooth brush and toothpaste,
and his cool Angry Birds jammies.

It was really exciting
to watch him walk
into his best friend's house
to spend the night.

He didn't even look back as he stepped inside.
I choked up a little bit,
he's getting so big and independent.

It felt like a milestone.

We had an unexpected surprise
and my parents offered
to take Koen for the night too.

Of course,
he had to pack an overnight bag as well,
just like his big brother.

He scampered around the house,
collecting this and that.

Contents included but were not limited to
bath toys,
Hot Wheels,
and a pretend pocket knife.

The house was quiet as we
snuggled up on our couch to watch Avatar.

We kept the phone close by
just in case Griffin got homesick
and called for us to come pick him up.

The phone never rang.
He stayed the whole night.

It was a big deal, for sure.

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Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Winner : Dealer Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Linda D
Rayna was so glad that her BBF Delta Burke
was her fashion consultant for her photo shoot.

Vandy J
She flushed for diamonds.

Andrea
The less talked about sister of the Queen of Hearts

and the winner is...

Andrea

The less talked about sister of the Queen of Hearts

Andrea

is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Please visit her blog
and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned!

Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another installment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Dealer Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, this girl is slick!

You gotta know when to hold em'.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.
Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll link up to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

The Rythym of Summer :: Week 8

Summer is in full swing
and in an effort to make sure
that I don't just plop my kids in front of the TV all day,
I am pulling out all the stops
to keep my children engaged and entertained.

I plan to document some of our
simple summer adventures here each week.

Here's we've done recently...

Escaped the heat to get some yummy frozen yogurt.

Played the game Candyland for 100,000,001th time.

Dumped a basket of toys on the floor
and made a total mess.

Solved pretend crimes.

Avenged Loki's bad decision making.



Went to Family Day
at the Georgia Museum of Art
and admired amazing folk art.



Then created our own amazing folk art.

My little photographers...

The other day I took the kids to

The Georgia Museum of Natural History.

The name sounds fancy but really
it's just one room full of dead and stuffed animals.

It was the perfect place to take two smelly little boys.

To make things super fun,
we stopped at the grocery store
and picked up a one use camera
so the boys could snap pictures of their experience.

They stomped around the room,
and were very serious as they snapped pictures.

I just love seeing the world through their eyes.
Here are a few captures
of what they saw through the lens...

They are so proud of their photos
that we are making a photo album
that celebrates our adventure.

Yay for creativity
and big ol' dead
stuffed animals.

52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 20

We decided to take the path less traveled and marvel
at all the small hidden things that nature has to offer.

Like this amazing spider web that would
make even Charlotte jealous.

Or sweet little mushrooms that tiny frogs
can hide under when it rains.

Griffin stopped to record our findings in his field journal.

We saw a crazy fungus clinging to a fallen tree.

Perhaps the most amazing discovery
was when we happened upon
a barn owl perched on a tree branch.

We all stopped to check each other out.
He didn't seem impressed by us.

It was such an awesome journey into the woods.

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Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Winner : Vulcan Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

TortugaRachel
Spock's son, Spork, tried to blend in with the other tourists,
but something kept making him stand out..

Linda D.
The latest Hawaiian tourism poster
didn't do well in the Neilson family ratings for some reason.

Dory Nordlinger
Spock went to Hawaii and all I got was this stupid shirt!

and the winner is...
TortugaRachel

Spock's son, Spork, tried to blend in with the other tourists,
but something kept making him stand out..

TortugaRachel

is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Please visit her blog
and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned!

Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another installment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday :Vulcan Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, this guy needs help.

"Even Vulcans need a vacation."

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.
Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll link up to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

The Rythym of Summer : Week 7

Summer is in full swing
and in an effort to make sure
that I don't just plop my kids in front of the TV all day,
I am pulling out all the stops
to keep my children engaged and entertained.

I plan to document some of our
simple summer adventures here each week.

Here's what we've been up to recently...

Drawing amazing 3D pictures.



Pretending to fly in our backyard.

Getting lost in a book in our clubhouse.



Practicing our cursive to combat "summer brain".

Catching the rain in our hands.

Perfecting our pretend lumberjack skills.

Baking gluten free brownies.

The best part is always
licking the batter off the mixers!

Taking Children to Church

Do you and your spouse agree
about the importance of religion?

Please click here to read my story

and share your thoughts and experiences
by leaving a comment over at Athens Patch.

Dove® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash Review

Despite the fact that summer is in full swing
and I have two little monsters tugging at my skirt all day,
I've been feeling pretty saucy these days.

I know that it's because I've been taking some time
from being a harried mama
to pamper myself.

Everyday, I've been kissing my little ones on the cheek,
locking the bathroom door,
turning the hot steamy water on in my shower,
and taking a little "me time".

Lord knows I need it.
Well, taking just that short moment for myself
has worked wonders
and I'm seriously feeling like a new woman.

I was lucky enough to receive
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52 Weeks of Happiness :: Week 19

Griffin attends a Montessori school just up the road from us.

They have a beautiful class garden right next to their classroom
that we pass whenever we drive home from anywhere in our little town.

It is just about the most cheerful garden I have ever seen.



The children had a huge hand in tending it last school year.
When we pass by it, Griffin always points out
that he helped rake and prepare the soil for planting.

We often see his teacher gardening when we drive by.
I just love that she is taking time
from her summer break
to give the plants and flowers some love.



The flags that line the fence were hand painted by the students
and seem to watch over the garden while the kids are away.



Even the flowers look proud.

I like to think that if his teacher's attention
can help plants flourish so beautifully,
that the students in her class must bloom as well.

It makes me happy to know that in
just a few short weeks
my children will be at their school,
tending to their class gardens.

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Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.