Happy Birthday, Jaelyn

Dear Jaelyn,

I can't believe you are 4 today. How did that happen?

I blinked my eyes and you have turned into this adorable little lady.

You are already so independent.

You tell me numerous times "I can do it myself!" so I smile & watch.

You can write your name very well.

You love to color and stay in the lines so good!

You start Pre-K next week & I'm a little nervous.

You'll be riding a big girl school bus... WHAT!?

You love to have your hair done.

You often tell me HOW you want it done... braids, 2 ponytails, curly.

You are such a girly girl (& I love it!)

You will patiently let your fingers & toes dry after I've painted them.

You bug your Sister sometimes so much... but I know its because you love her dearly.

You can count to ten in Spanish!

You love to brush your teeth because it makes them "sparkly".   :)

You love to shop! It's all about shoes for you...

You are so beautiful. I know I may be partial but really... you have natural beauty!

You aren't a big eater. You kind of pick at everything!

I wish you'd just TRY new things to eat... *mumble*.

You love the water. Any water. You will spend hours in a pool like a fishy!

You are kind.

You say please & thank you.

You love people but sometimes you are a bit shy at first.

You LOVE tv (too much if you ask me!).

Your favorite show varies... you like Spongebob (ugh!), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,

Word Girl, Super Readers, Dora & Diego.

You love animals of any kind. We really need to get you a puppy!

You asked for a white puppy for your birthday.. and you wanted to name him "Fudge".

Your favorite animal at the zoo is the Snakes. Really???

BUT.. you hate bugs.  

You have quite the imagination.

You.never.stop.talking. even in your sleep!

You make up stories that often make me laugh.

You play very well by yourself especially with your My Little Pony's.

You love the Snerfs (Smurfs!).

You think your Daddy is best the thing to walk this planet.

You are a great cuddler!

I love you so very much and I am SO happy to be your Mommy.

You have brought so much joy & sunshine into our world.

I'd like you to stop growing up now, okay?

Happy Birthday my beautiful!

Love, Mommy

Hello, Cupcake.

So, waiting for a Hurricane is rather boring.

We are prepared in every way possible.

We have candles, batteries, water, canned goods, etc.

But, we needed cupcakes!

To keep the girls somewhat occupied and their little minds off the crazy rain & winds (just a taste of it right now!)... I got out the baking stuff.

Ok, so I opened a box of cake mix and took the easy way out... shhhh!

Sorry for the mess load of pics, I was quite bored myself.

First you get out your ingredients.

Then, you fill up the pans with cupcake wrappers.

Mix all ingredients together and stir, stir, stir. 

Take a little taste test to be sure they are good.... 

Spoon the better into the wrappers and bake! 

Let them cool off.... 

Add frosting & sprinkles... 

Take a pretty picture before you devour it (you can skip this step if necessary)... 

MmMmMmm... ENJOY! (Yes one likes frosting, the other prefers her plain... could they be more opposite, lol!) 

A little hurricane cupcake 101.

;)

Go Away Irene!!!

Haven't you heard? If not, what rock are you under? lol!

Yes, Hurricane Irene is on her way to our area.

The track keeps changing so it's still unclear as to where it will be exactly.

Still, I'm scared.

I don't recall any major Hurricanes growing up. Nothing of this magnitude anyways. It's just not common for us to be a point of target. In any event, please pray that everyone remains safe!

Not sure many of you know, my full time job besides Mommy is Insurance. Yes. Insurance.

Can I just tell how NOT FUN it is to be in the Insurance Business right now? Not that it ever really is fun, but everything is magnified right now. People panic. They worry about their posessions. I understand, really I do. So, my job today is to comfort those that call & tell them 'good thing you paid that premium huh?' and try to hopefully get them to smile a little knowing they are covered. I'm also directing them to some company websites to help them prepare in the best way possible to try & prevent damage. All in all, most seem to take things well and by the end of our conversations, we are wishing each other safety.

If you are in the path of Irene.. I am saying a prayer for you! Stay safe. 



WW: Lanterns

I bought these cute white lanterns at IKEA a week or so ago. They were only $3! I thought they were adorable and would make good props and I can actually use them on our back patio so how could I not pick a few of them up? Right!?

I've been wanting to take pictures of Jaelyn for her upcoming 4th birthday (more of those pictures to come!!) so last night we ventured out & about the yard with the lanterns, Abbie tagged along and I got some really cute pictures. Today though, I'm just focusing on the Lanterns! Aren't they cute?

In other news: I'm sure you've heard by now about our *big* earthquake here on the East Coast. I haven't heard any reports of major injuries but a few prayers to those in the immediate area will never hurt. I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the whole earthquake thing, lol... it was the most odd feeling to know the ground was swaying but it really shouldn't be. I'm just thankful my family & friends are all safe! (And it was kinda neat? Call me odd.) So, with the flooding that has been going on, now an earthquake AND this weekend we are suppose to get slammed by Hurricane Irene... I'm thinking someone is after us East Coasters!! lol!

Happy Wednesday!

I'm happy to be linking up with these cool blogs today for

Wordish-Wordful-No Words-All Kinds of Words Wednesday!! (haha!)