It's a jungle out there!

Matthew and I took MC to the Greenville Zoo on Monday. I didn't know if she would even notice the animals or not. She said, "whoa," and "oooo," everytime she saw an animal move. She especially loved the orangutan and the loud birds.

I haven't made a video in a while, so I decided to arrange the pics from the zoo in video form. Hope you enjoy!

***Matthew did mention that one of the pics that I labeled as a gorilla is not a gorilla, it is an orangutan. What in the world is the difference? I don't know!***

The Crayola Surprise

Marli Claire loves to color, but has a hard time keeping her grip on crayons. I found easy-to-hold baby crayons at Target, and decided to surprise MC with them today.

SUPER EXCITED!

THANKFULLY, THEY ARE NON-TOXIC

DROPPING THE CRAYONS UNDER THE TABLE ON "ACCIDENT."

THIS IS MORE FUN THAN COLORING! "UH-OH!"

THE MASTERPIECE

The Gratitude Card

I have blogged about how awesome our salon is in the past, but they continue to amaze me every day. Two weeks ago, each employee received a "gratitude card" to give to someone who goes above and beyond in service. The "gratitude card" is a $50 giftcard to Wisteria that can be used for any salon service, spa service, or for retail. When I received the card, I started praying that God would lay someone on my heart that needed that card. I didn't want to give it out just to give it out. Last week, I took Marli to the doctor for a check, and it hit me, I knew at that moment who needed the card. Marli's pediatrician is awesome, and her nurse, is just as great. She has been so good to us, and just loves Marli. She goes above and beyond what is expected of a nurse. Recently, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. She has been working full-time, and taking care of her husband and family. When I saw her, I knew that she was in need of relaxation. I hope that she will leave Wisteria feeling relaxed and refreshed. Please pray for Diane, her husband, and thier family as they continue to fight against his cancer.

EMEALZ - This is unbelievable!

This is one of those things, you read about and want to kick yourself for not thinking of it first. These people are probably millionaires, and here we are scraping by. I'm still thinking of something awesome that I can invent.

So, what is it?

Thanks Jonny and Allison Scott for this incredible idea! EMEALZ is a weekly menu guide for busy moms and/or frugal families. You choose your plan (regular menu, low-fat, low-carb, menu for 2, etc.), log on, and print off your weekly menu. You choose your favorite grocery store, and it will print off your aisle by aisle grocery list for you. It also chooses the menus for the week according to your grocery store coupons and specials. You average an $86/week grocery bill. THIS IS CRAZY! Sometimes, I feel like I get stuck in a rut with what to cook. You know you have Spaghetti at least once a week too!

So, to sign up, it cost $15/3 months ($1.25 week). Go to http://www.emealz.com. Type in this coupon code for $2.50 off the $15/3 month price. (Coupon code: DAVE)

***FYI: Dave Ramsey endorses this!***

Our Vacation in Photos

Sorry, it has taken me a while to weed out the thousands of pictures that I took on vacation. We had so much fun in Florida with my family. Just a few :) pics from Daytona:

MARLI'S FIRST PLANE RIDE

AMANDA'S SKIMBOARD ACCIDENT

MARLI'S SUNSCREEN MOHAWK

THE LIGHTHOUSE

FIRST BITE OF KRISPY KREME

MARLI DOESN'T LIKE GRASS!

AUSTIN AND JOHN MAKE ME LAUGH

HONEY, I ENLARGED OUR CHILD!

SURFER, ARE YOU CRAZY?

TIM CAPTURED MARLI'S FOOTPRINT

THANK YOU SHERRI!

HEART CATHS AND GOURMET DESSERTS

I would like to thank you all for praying for my mom! Update - The muscle in her heart is working at about 20%. Apparantly, a virus attacked her heart at some point causing this damage. The solution? She is going to have to make some difficult lifestyle changes. The hardest thing, NO SALT! She is doing great so far, so please continue to pray for her as she changes her life. These are some pics from last week in Tifton!

In the hospital, acting like ET, very LOUDLY! (FYI - This is before the drugs!)


My brother-in law making faces with just one of Sherri's gourmet desserts. (Frozen Berries with a White Chocolate cream sauce)


Right after she was told NO SALT! (She really didn't eat any!)

BEEN UP 2

What have we been up to?

OUR FAMILY:



We just got back from vacationing in Florida. (pics are coming SOON!) Now, we are trying to get back in the swing of things at home.

MARLI CLAIRE:



Marli is walking around, and getting into everything. (I like to call it exploring, because it sounds better.) She says, “hey” to EVERYONE we pass. I’m truly glad she is a social child, but this usually calls for a 15 minute conversation with each person telling us how old their grandchildren are. Again, not complaining, just explaining!

Her personality is UNBELIEVABLE!!! She is over-the-top expressive with facials and words. She talks and giggles all of the time. I have no idea where she gets this from :)! She looks just like her daddy, but acts like her mommy. She is a ton of fun!

We finally were able to change her car seat to “forward-facing.” This is awesome! I can reach back to hand her things when needed. (yes, I know this is dangerous, but a necessity)

She just moved up to the Junior Toddler class at school, which is BIG TIME! Although we miss her teachers from Infant B, I believe it will be very good for Marli. She will now have to sit in a group for story time, eat in the cafeteria with her class, and play on the playground.

MATTHEW:



Matthew is working as hard as ever! He just got back from Boston yesterday. He went to see a friend, Landon Powell, who plays for the Athletics play the Red Socks. (hope that makes sense) I am so grateful that his dad was able to go with him. It gave him company, and gave them time to hang out together. Matthew has a never-ending prescription for a drug for the times he has to fly for business. (afraid of heights, but don’t tell him that I told you) This drug makes him extremely talkative, giggly, then knocks him out for a day. So, please know that I take full advantage of the time that he is “out of it.” Back to flying, Matthew is awful, but my father-in-law is worse. Needless to say, they DROVE to Boston. I am so glad that they are home!

Matthew was also able to see a few more guys that he trains during the off-season while we were in Florida on vacation. They play for minor league teams out of south Florida, so it really worked out well. While I wouldn’t consider watching baseball games a vacation, I know he really enjoyed it.

ME:



I have been working like crazy, which is great. I enjoy my job so much, and everyone has to get their “summer hair” done.

Marli and I also traveled to Tifton a few days ago, to be with my mom during her heart cath. (pics coming soon)

On Monday, I will be having another CT scan on my head and neck to check the size of my lymph nodes again. Last year, I had one biopsy behind my ear, which came back just fine. Since then, the others in my neck have tripled in size. I am with a new ENT this time, so hopefully, they can figure out what’s going on. The good news is that I feel great. I will keep you posted on results.

I have a couple of new loves, worth mentioning: Wii Fit and People Puzzler Book. Ok, so let’s start with Wii Fit. LOVE IT!!! A lot of you know that I have been doing P90X, and I don’t have enough words to describe how awesome it is. It is INTENSE. While I know that I must continue with P90X, Wii Fit is just downright fun and hard. I would like to say a special thank you to my sweet in-laws who surprised us with it tonight. Wii + Wii Fit are not a normal surprise! I truly appreciate it. On to the next, way less important love, the People puzzler book. I should have started writing about it, because, it doesn’t seem very interesting at this point. Many of you know that I have an awful addiction to People magazine. I have sought an interventionist for this very addiction. The truth is, the main reason I purchase the magazine is for the crossword puzzle in the back. I get a strange joy from filling them out. Why? I don’t know, I guess it is because I can fill them out completely ALMOST every time. The People puzzler book is an entire book of nothing but crossword puzzles from the back of People magazines. (I know you are wondering, but, you can purchase these at Barnes and Noble.) SO MUCH FUN! I have said for a while now, that if the info doesn’t come form People, it just isn’t true.

YOU:
So, that’s what we have been up to these days. What about you? What have you and your families been up to? I would love to hear from you!