New Eyes and Chairs

Whew... Life has been so full lately that I just decided not to stress in keeping up with this blog as regular. So, just a few of the many happenings that have occurred in the last month are.....drum roll......MY NEW EYES :))) I had PRK laser surgery (not Lasik, but similar in that the goal was 20/20 vision) on my eyes at the end of September. Recovery to 20/20 is longer with PRK than Lasik but it is safer as their is no potential flap complication. After reaching 20/20 vision within 9 days of surgery, my eye doc (who is my cousin that did the surgery) said I reached 20/20 vision much quicker than expected and that it would continue getting better :) I was so blessed not to experience any pain either during recovery, just some blurriness for a few days (which deterred any computer activity!). All in all, I am AMAZED at how clear I can see without glasses or contacts. I love seeing the leaves on the trees. I love seeing faces clearly from a distance. I love being able to read the TV from a distance. I love exercising without my glasses falling down my nose. I love that I can cuddle with my kiddos and my glasses not bump their faces!!! I love that David does not rip off my glasses anymore and attempt to break or throw them. I love that Alex asks me now, "mommy, why don't you have to wear glasses anymore?" I often forget I can see and wake up thinking that I need to reach for my glasses. Or I'll think I need to take out contacts before going to bed as I think I shouldn't be able to see this clearly without them. I am loving this new world of clear vision with no aids :) I've been wanting to have laser surgery for a long time and this was the perfect timing - so thankful!!! Thanks to Mimi for helping with the kids for the couple days after and to Mom for driving me on surgery day!!! Bye Bye contacts and glasses!!!

Also, we have been pecking away at furnishing the house and various house projects. One small project I decided to tackle one afternoon was recovering our old dining room chairs. They were so filthy and stained from the kiddos. My upholstery job is not perfect by any means (I learned how by watching a 3 min video online after doing one chair my way), but it was a huge face lift to our table and chairs!

2 of the 6 old chairs

Recovered chairs in fun party print :))))

And for those that just want to see pics of the kiddos, yikes!!!! They are so cute and fun and I just have no good pics to prove it. They are at such a great age playing (and fighting) with each other. I seem to never take pics anymore...just enjoying the heck out of them...except when Alex pops her pre-adolescent attitude already!!! Oh, and David got his first spanking (not really hard and on top of his diaper) last week for throwing food from his booster seat after being warned a couple of times. He's getting a bit testy, but thankfully it started at 16 months old. Alex started testing us when she was 10 months old. David's personality is much more compliant/obedient than Alex's strongwilled self. Overall, they are precious and I am so thankful every day that I get to stay home with them. Loving my babies!!!

Cousins at Amber's 4th birthday party
(Amber, Raegan, Alex and Dylan)

Sweet Day Day sporting his Mississippi State gear

Alex is 3!!!

I cannot believe our first baby is 3. I love this age. Since she entered the terrible twos at about 18 months old, thankfully, she exited them about 6 months ago. Fits still come, but are nothing like the past. Thank you, God!!!! and yes, thank you, God, for our precious, full of life, hilarious, smart, silly, energetic, strong willed, sweet, brother loving Alex. We are so blessed!

We celebrated Alex's 3rd birthday on her birthday last weekend princess style as she requested a castle cake with princess figurines. We had a lovely time with lots of family and a few friends.

My 4th cake to make for my kiddo's birthdays. This was by far the tallest and most involved! Alex has already asked for another castle cake for next year - ha! Mommy gently said no and told her to wait until next year before deciding on a 4th birthday theme :)

Grandmother making sure kiddo plates are full of real food along with the cake

Aunt Cathy, Aunt Tammy and Hunter

Present time!

Sweet Anna and mama Jana

Cousins

Cousins

Reece was the only kiddo who could come from Alex's MMO class. He was a sweetie!

Sarah Kate (Alex's friend who is one week younger than her), cousin Anna Cate and David

Samuel and Reece playing

I pulled out all the tricks in the bag to keep my kiddos busy while I worked on Alex's cake. However, I still managed to pull a midnight plus night the night before. Chris snuck in and took pics of me at midnight putting the finishing touches on the cake. Those pics will remain tucked away as I had not showered in like 2 days and was working off of adrenaline as I was exhausted. Chris doesn't understand why I do this to myself and tells me to go buy a cake. I just can't...yet.

We took the kiddos biking for the first time in this bike trailor we got from a friend before Alex was born. The kids had a blast!!! It was so fun!

Taking a break from our bike ride to play at our neighborhood playground

David had a go at sushi while he joined mommy and daddy on a lunch date while Alex was at MMO one day. I think he liked it :)

Special Treats (even from around the world)

One of my bestest friends from our year in Australia is my sweet Zimbabwe native friend, Laura. She and her hubby, Ben, who we met for the first time, made a last minute trip to the US recently and called us out of the blue for a visit. What a special treat!!! We spent about 24 hrs together and had a fantastic time! Incredible memories of our surreal year in the land of Oz flooded my mind while they were here. Alex and David loved Laura and Ben, too, especially their accents :)

Such a special friendship and so thankful to reunite after 10 years!!!

David was starving and could not wait for all the food to get ready. He started his meal early all by himself.

Christening our new table with our special friends over a Southern holiday meal...notice David is still eating! I can't wait to see his growth progress at his 15th month appointment. He eats more than Alex most days and has a pop belly! ha!

Not only did we promise them Southern cooking during their stay, but kiddo entertainment as well. That came in many forms. Alex is entertaining with her ballet moves here.

We live about a mile or less from the Reservoir which is beautiful. We took Ben and Laura to feed the ducks with us one morning. Fun times!

Another special treat was one of my favorite Greek restaurants in Jackson was showcased on The Food Network on August 23rd!

The Madison Kroger has horses to ride outside. This is a special treat for Alex and David every time we venture to this Kroger.

The almost daily treat of the summer is homemade popsicles. Instant happiness and coolness as the summer heat has been brutal!

Former Little Rock neighbors gave us this motorized jeep before they moved away from our previous street. The jeep started to slow down so I told Alex I thought the battery needed charging. She got out and opened the hood saying she'll fix it. ha! She learned that from 7 year old cousin Hunter she said :)

Our redneck play area in the backyard. ha! This is what this area looks like in full force almost every day! We inherited the big play set at our new house and LOVE it! The kids can't get enough of outside rather it is swinging, climbing in clubhouses, sliding, pool time, soccer, t-ball, jeep, popsicles, whatever!!! So thankful the weather is more bearable this week for us all!

Oh and don't let me forget the doll action. When all the other outdoor entertainment gets boring, Alex brings out tons of her dolls to play with. She swings them, slides them, plays with them in the (dry) pool, etc... It's really cute even though they get dirty.

Celebrating Anna Cate's 2nd birthday in H'burg was another special treat. It is so nice to live closer to family now so we can actually attend family birthday parties now :)

Dancing in the rain together...excuse the fog on my lense :(

David loves to roll cars, trucks, and trains around while making the appropriate sounds. So cute!!! Here he is rolling them over cake crumbs :)

Another special treat was our first visitors from Little Rock. Special friends, Reese, Reagan, Layla and baby #3 came for 3 nights. We had a good time while the kiddos played themselves silly. Actually Reagan and Alex played so much they fought some, too...i think their time got maxed out. However, David and Reese played surprisingly well together. Sweet memories!

Alex and Reese having a ball

David and Reese were almost the same size. They were so cute together!!!

2 peas in a pod eating their bread together

Reagan trying to finish her food so she could get dessert :)

Grandmother surprised us with a quick visit during lunch yesterday. What a treat!

The fish tank at MMO (Mom's Morning Out)
I have been very emotional about this as Alex is signed up for 2 days a week and David one day. However, this became a treat for me today as I had my first MORNING (3.5 hrs) to run errands without the kids. I was so productive - tried out a gym for about an hour, shopped for Alex's birthday (2 stores), and went to 2 other stores before arriving a bit early to pick them up (really to make sure David was ok :) He doesn't do well on Sunday mornings in the nursery so I was worried about him. However, he did great they said after I left of course.

David and his main teacher, Mrs. Dianne, a precious lady
You can't see here, but his room has the coolest little toys for his age...no wonder he enjoyed it. There are 4 kiddos in here with 1-2 teachers.

Of course, Alex is doing great at "school" and loves it! There are 6 in her class now and 2 more will join her next week. That will make 3 girls in there including her :) She has great teachers as well.

More Summer Fun

First play date in MS. These two girls swinging with Alex have birthdays within 2 weeks of her.
Alex was so excited to meet Selah and Sarah Kate.



David is relentless in getting in cabinets and shutting doors (as you can see here). He has been known to get "stuck" or "lost" before as well because he closes himself in a room.

Having a ball until....he pinched his finger in the door :(

Jackson Zoo and Waterpark

Since Daddy starts his new job tomorrow, we tried to plan fun activities together last week during his last few days home. Yes, we still have a few boxes laying around, but we ignored them and just had fun!



We braved the Jackson zoo in the heat this past week. Our favorite part was probably playing in the mist sprayers throughout the park as it was so hot. The girls got drenched and had a ball!



Cave cousins, Alex and Amber



Loving the carousel



David was a little skeptical about riding the frog.



I thought this was a rare shot as I don't see pics of giraffes sitting down much.



the elephants were so close



Families who ride the zoo train together stay together.



Alex and Amber were so cute together on the train.



David LOVED the train ride and loved sitting in his own seat between mommy and daddy.



I love my babies!!! And yes, Alex will always be my baby, too, even though she is almost 3 and demands to be called a big girl.



Also last week, we braved the Grand Paradise Waterpark in Collins, MS just over an hour from us. Whoa...this was a hot day. We had a blast, but mommy ended up with heat exhaustion that night and in bed by 6:15 pm not wanting to eat. Thankfully, I'm much better now!



Just like sis, David could not get enough of the slides. He relentlessly wanted to go again and again....no wonder mommy was so tired and not making time to drink enough. Thanks Mimi for helping catch the babies with us :)



Alex loves cousin Hunter who had a blast with Chris speeding down the big slides.



excuse the wedgey...ha! Yes, Alex decided to climb up leaving Anna Cate no choice but to crash into her.



Anna Cate thought that was fun and wanted more!



Alex and Amber loved holding hands down the slides.







Blowing his hot grits and eating messy style



Sophisticating his eating style...David demanded that he eat the whole bowl of yogurt with a spoon by himself. He did great! His practice is paying off.






My sweet babies snacking together after naps. Sweet times!!! I love these toddler years and am trying to soak up every minute of them!!!!