IKEA

I know it's crazy, but we haven't been to IKEA. Honestly, I judged the store before every stepping foot in it. I assumed it was overpriced and outside of my tastes. I was wrong. Saturday I talked Chad into riding down there. It is very easy to get to and had covered parking. We weren't able to spend as much time browsing as I would have liked, but I will be back with a loaded wallet.

I didn't come away empty handed. Well, I did, but the kids didn't! They each got a new stuffed dog and some neat finger puppets. I also got a really cool magnet board for the kids' toy room. I made a running list of all the goodies I want, and Chad did, too.

So be sure to check them out. You, too, may be surprised with what you find floating around!

Unexpected Fun

Chad took a vacation day Friday because of impending weather headed our way. We didn't get the wonderful snow that TN received, but we were able to take advantage of an extra day with Daddy.

We decided to make Friday all about the family. We went to Dutch Monkey for some yummy doughnuts and then headed to CatchAir. Marlee and Cooper loved showing Daddy all of their favorite spots to play and how much fun it is to slide. We finished our fun-filled day at Subway to replenish those burned calories.

Here's some of the fun!

GA Aquarium

Nana and Papa came for a visit this weekend, and we all went to the GA Aquarium. Marlee and Cooper really enjoyed themselves. The last time we were there was in February '09. A year's time made all the difference. The kids were so excited about everything they saw. Cooper really enjoyed the otters and jellyfish. Marlee loved all the small, colorful fish.

They probably would have sat there all day watching the fish. There was an aquarium employee in scuba gear cleaning that caught their attention. Not to mention the colorful schools of fish swimming by.

She was having a great time.

Cooper enjoyed the crawl spaces.

Totally Worth It

If I could have one talent it would be to play the piano. I think it is so soothing and relaxing. Beautiful music is a wonderful way to de-stress. I love how music can tell a story without lyrics. It amazes me how someone can hear all of those notes in their head and transform it into something beautiful.

A few months back my friend, Elizabeth, was helping to spread the word about a former colleague's cd. Chad Watkins was the half-time music teacher my last year at Big Creek. I recently bought his cd, and it is WONDERFUL!!!!

If you are looking for some beautiful music for yourself or your children, go to his website and check it out. You won't be disappointed!!

Hello, Links, and Helping

Just dropping in to say hey! We've not been up to much since the snow or should I say ice we had last weekend. Several schools were still closed Monday after the snow/ice from Thursday. That's a rare occurrence around these parts for sure!! It has warmed up as the week has moved along. We've been able to make use of all the cute hats and gloves we got for Christmas.

Marlee and Cooper are doing great. Playing just like best friends and fighting like brother and sister. It is a wonderful sight (and comical and irritating) to watch everyday. Everyday is an adventure. Their new favorite things are using the laundry baskets as race cars, climbing on top of them like mountains, racing Monster trucks, and by far bathing in color. Marlee has become a pro at making ice cream, via play-doh, and she's the queen of of Hi-Ho Cherry-O.

In other news, I read a great post the other day that really struck me. With the chaos that's our life, it is sometimes easy to miss those small moments that happen everyday. Then with the sadness that's happening in Haiti right now, I realize I am how grateful I am for the path that brought us here and for the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom regardless of how long it lasts.

When tragic events like this happen, I find myself glued to the tv. I know it's not good for me, but I can't help myself. I have been watching CNN and have seen so many stories involving children. My heart is breaking for those children and their parents. I wish I had tons of money to donate to the many organizations that are helping with the relief. If you haven't donated yet, check out this link and pick an organization and donate what you can.

I hope you can help!

She's Everything

Ignore my messy bedroom. It was laundry day!

Marlee knows how to push my buttons and drives me crazy sometimes. She's acts just like I did as a child. She's already moody and will argue with me when she doesn't want to do something or disagrees with me. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Country Kids

We hung out with friends for New Year's since the guys went to the Peach Bowl. Marlee hit the jackpot with horses. Cooper enjoyed himself, too.

Biker Kids

Marlee got a scooter for Christmas from Mimi. We brought it inside, and it hasn't left yet. So we brought Marlee's old "bike" in for Cooper to ride around. They have spent a lot of time riding around the house chasing each other. It is so cute because they park their bikes in different spots around the house. It took me back to my childhood and playing outside with my bike pretending to be parking my car.

They are growing right before my eyes. Marlee is 3 years old and Cooper is 3 months shy of his 2nd birthday!

It's 'snow" fun!

We had a lot of hype for a little bit of snow around these parts. Poor Marlee associates snow with Christmas. So when she saw it was snowing she said, "But Mom, it's not Christmas!"

I took the kids out for a little while after Cooper woke up from his nap. He was not excited about the mittens, but he got the idea once we were outside. Marlee agreed to wear her "hair" jacket to keep warm. A few hours later she told me she really like that hair jacket. I asked why, and she said because it kept her warm.

She was all excited to slide until she realized her bottom would get wet.

He wasn't sure what to do when we first went outside.

She was so excited. I wish we had more snow fall so they could really enjoy it!!

2nd Generation

2nd Generation Friends carrying on the New Year's Eve get together.

R & R

Well there is no rest and relaxation with a 3 yr old and 21 month old running around all day! But the R & R stands for Recap and Resolutions. 2009 was a wild year so I want to remember some of the highlights.

2009 Recap:

Cooper started walking and talking and turned one.
We went on our first family vacation with the four of us (and Nana and Papa).
I was a stay at home mom for a full year. Missed the money but loved the time with the kids.
Marlee turned 3 and continued her love affair with horses.
We were able to spend quality time with our families.
I celebrated my "last" birthday (29)! ha ha

I'm sure there are plenty of more moments to celebrate, but these came to mind first.

2010 Resolutions:

I tend to dwell on the negative in situations (I know, shocking!!) but I really want to focus on the positive in 2010. I want more patience with myself and the kids and life in general. With that, I want to focus on quality time with my family. I want to look back at my time home with Marlee and Cooper and not wish that I had done this or that with them. I see how quickly time is moving, so I want to cherish every moment I have with them. I want to focus on myself more by doing more things for myself and spending time with my friends. I know a happy mom means a happy family. I also want to be better at time management. I tend to over-extend myself which leads to stress. I hope that all of that leads to health and happiness for myself and my family.

Holiday Wrap Up

Well it is 2010 and I'm just getting back to blogging. Sorry!! Chad was off for 2 weeks, so we've just enjoyed family time and the holidays. Here's a recap of our adventures over the last few weeks.

The week of Christmas we were busy with last minute holiday shopping. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with just the four of us. Marlee and Cooper were so excited with all of the goodies Santa left them. The biggest hits were a train table and horse with a doll. The kids played around for a few hours then we packed up and headed the Middle Tennessee. We stopped off at Mimi's house and were showered with goodies and great food. We stayed at Nana and Papa's house and got up Saturday morning and exchanged Christmas with them. Then headed to Jackie's for more goodies. Boy are Marlee and Cooper spoiled!!! Sunday we got together with Chad's side of the family for finger foods and Dirty Santa.

We headed home on Monday and got the car unpacked and stretched our legs. Tuesday we took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel. Marlee loved it and Cooper could have lived without it. Wednesday I had dinner with an old friend and prepared for our good friends coming into town for the Peach Bowl. We got to visit with some old friends and enjoy some good food and let the kids play and play. They guys went to the football game and I was home and in bed before midnight. Although I did stay up and watch the ball drop in NYC. Friday night the girls and I had a night out with dinner and a movie. We saw Sherlock Holmes. It was great and would make a great date night movie.

So here we are back to the present. It's so cold out we probably won't be doing much other than playing with all the new toys. Come on over and play some day!!!

The loot. Marlee was pouting about who knows what!

The McCormick Grandkids at Mimi's house.

The Fagan great-grandkids with PawPaw.

Smiling in front of Nana and Papa's tree.