Delicious!

I love some cheese dip from one of my favorite mexican restaurants, Las Margaritas. Unfortunately, this restaurant is located in my home town almost 4 hours away! I occasionally get the craving and go on the hunt for some. As we had some friends from out of town coming to visit a few weekends ago, I was menu planning. I came across a recipe for a dessert that everyone was giving five stars. The recipe went great with a mexican themed meal and so that was the direction I took! As I was doing my grocery shopping, I came across



and it was very good! Not to be compared with my favorite...but a good second that can be purchased at Wal-Mart! To go along with this yummy appetizer I chose a menu of Smothered Mexican Lasagna, Chips and Salsa, the above Cheese Dip, sides of shredded lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream, and Sopapilla Cheesecake. This meal was DELICIOUS! I cannot rave more about it! So, I wanted to get the word out. Try these recipes. They are sure not to disappoint!

PS - If you have a cheese dip recipe that you have found to be tried and true....I'd love to try it!

The Carter Wedding

What a super time was had by all!


My precious brother and his wife married on Mother's Day weekend and we had the best time celebrating! My family is so fortunate to be gaining such a sweet daughter and sister-in-law in Stacey. We think the world of the bride my brother has chosen and look forward to many, many years of joys and celebrations with them! Daddy and I were honored to be a part of the wedding party and enjoyed every minute of the weekend! From the bridesmaid's luncheon at IV's, to the Rehearsal Dinner at Park Heights, to having our hair and makeup done, to the ceremony and dancing the night away at the reception, fun was abundant! Congratulations you two! May your marriage be full of love and happiness!


Me, Stacey (my sister-in-law), and Holly (my sister) at the Bridesmaid's Luncheon


Daddy and I before the ceremony


Neal (my brother-in-law) and Holly before the ceremony

My brother was a cheerleader at Ole Miss and his father-in-law was a cheerleader at Mississippi State. They are in a battle of "getting" each other. So, my brother had Colnel Rebel attend the reception!


My Mom and my Brother dancing at the reception


Doll, Dash1, and Dash2 in their wedding attire. We had a babysitter with them throughout the wedding and reception. However, we brought them to the church for pictures. After getting home, we took them to a local rose garden and took a few pictures since we had not taken any the day of the wedding!


Mac and South (my sister's boys) at the church in their wedding attire. (My sister remembered to take a cut picture while they were dressed!)

Mini Getaway to Good Ol' New Orleans

As I mentioned in yesterday's post we took the kids on a mini vacation to New Orleans for a few days. Our primary goal was to attend the C-USA Baseball Tournament at Tulane and cheer on our Golden Eagles. However, we had to throw in a little kid friendly fun : ) while we were there! We had a super trip! New Orleans is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our city, so the trip was an easy one. We treated the kids to a day at the IMAX Theatre and Aquarium, a day at the Zoo, and their first experience to Cafe Du Monde. I must say all three were a treat...even for the adults!


We chose the Dolphins and Whales IMAX movie and I was so proud of Dash1 and Doll. They kept their 3D glasses on and enjoyed the show. It was pretty cute to watch them reaching out to "touch" the creatures. We were fortunate the movie time was close to Dash2's nap time and he slept through it.




The Aquarium was equally delightful. They enjoyed exploring the exhibits, watching the sea creatures swim by in the big tank and walking through the tunnel "surrounded" by the ocean. I was especially proud of Doll - she wanted to pet the baby shark!










Later that evening we walked along the riverwalk to the Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. I was really looking forward to sharing such a great place with the kids. I am sure they are not old enough to fully enjoy the experience; however, this place holds a special place in my heart with lots of great memories with special friends. And afterall, there is nothing like a fresh, hot beignet covered in powdered sugar. And they are made even more delicious by eating them in the open air cafe! I think Dash1's face says it all!







I was kinda surprised at the activity level of the French Quarter. It has been years since I visited. Maybe my visits mainly fell on weekends back in the day of working summer camps on the coast. However, I must wonder if this was due to Hurricane Katrina. It did not dampen our experience whatsoever! It may have even lightened it. We were not constantly sheltering our children from the "not so pretty" New Orleans vibe.


The Zoo was equally rewarding. We have a local Zoo that we frequent often. But, getting to go to a Zoo with BIG animals like elephants, giraffes, and sea lions brought some great smiles from the five dubs! I'll leave you with a few of those!

I'm not so sure about this...

I really want to be a blogger. I can sit and read my favorite bloggers for an hour at a time (not that I should do that, of course). I have a few faves that I visit daily, sometimes more :-; and I enjoy reading about their days...even if they write hardly anything at all! I can come up with ideas to write about and have the thought, "Oh this would be a good post". But, days and then weeks pass and I just don't get it done. Then the "good post" is outdated. You can see what I mean by checking out the date of my last post. What does that say? Yep. you read right! March 16th! Yikes. I need to get with it.

I must admit we have been swamped with busy-ness! This Spring has been more busy than just the "busy" of a stay at home mom to a 5, 3, and 6 month old! We have been involved in three weddings (one of which was my brother), Dash1 finished up Preschool, is playing Coach Pitch, and is taking swimming lessons this week, Doll is getting geared up for her first ballet recital, and we took a mini family vacation to New Orleans last weekend. On top of this schedule we have been trying to finish our upstairs. It has been a long haul but we are soooo close! We have all the walls painted (a few are in need of their second coats) and are ready to start finalizing the trimming out. Then the biggies left will be flooring and plumbing fixtures. YAHOO!!! I am so excited! We will be moving Dash1 and Doll upstairs, gaining another family room, and (drumroll, please) my scrapbook desk.

I was reading a post of one of my faves this week and she was writing about how much she missed having her own room once she got married. I can empathize with her. I have not ever thought about it in that manner. But, after reading her post, I must admit I agree. I am so looking forward to having a space of my own to house "my" things. And a place I hope will be come a special retreat for me (albeit tiny)! So, I finish this post with a reminder to myself...get with it girl! Blogging is fun! It is a way to document our lives...very busy lives...but lives that one day I will love to remember!

Talking about hitting the ground running (literally)

So Dad was barely home for several hours before Dash1 had Coach Pitch practice. And then he turned around and had practice again on Saturday. Great Grandmother watched Dash2 so the rest of us could go and help out with practice. What a gorgeous day. We were even saying we were hot! Just wait till August :) After hitting the batting cages for a while the team headed to the field for some defensive practice. Shortly into it Dash1 and another boy were headed after the same ground ball and collided. Dash1 (pretty tall for his age - and a head taller than this teammate) ran into another little boy and his mouth hit the back of the little boys head as they tumbled to the ground. Dash1 got up screaming and we could see blood. Dad and I both made it to him about the same time. Dad kept him spitting the blood out. At first we thought he had just busted his lip. But time would tell us that the lip was fine...it never got swollen. However, his two front teeth are another story! They are very sore, blood has pooled and dried above them, and they are loose. Poor baby! I hate to see him hurt like this. And on top of that what do you do with a mouth injury on a Saturday afternoon?!? Well, fortunately I have a friend through Bunko whose husband is a local dentist. I called him and he advised us to do nothing. Basically we have to sit and wait. They may fall out (in that case they would not put them back in since they are baby teeth) or they may stiffen back up in about 6 weeks and be fine. As the night came he was feeling better and slept well. This morning the teeth look much better! His gums seemed to be pretty bruised but other than that maybe those baby teeth are going to hold in there a little while longer!

Surprise! Daddy! Welcome Home!

So, about the surprise I mentioned in an earlier post...our good family friend (also Dad's co-worker) asked me earlier in the week if I would be interested in riding the bus to the airport to welcome Dad home. I thought it was a fabulous idea and was really looking forward to it. I knew the kids would think such a big bus was super! However, after the week had passed I was tired. My mom and I and the three kiddos ended up going out of town for the day Thursday to see her mother (my grandmother). IT was a great day! She had never met Dash2. And she thought he was adorable! We ate lunch and hung around her house till early afternoon before heading home. And once we were home we went to the Globetrotters. I just was not up for packing up and heading out bright and early Friday morning and riding a bus. However, our friend suggested that he take Dash1 and Doll. GREAT! I knew they would love the big bus and the independence of a trip without me AND Dad would be super surprised! So, off they went on their adventure. Dad was beside himself! He could not believe they came to meet him at the airport. What a great welcome home!

It is great to have him home! Life runs very smoothly with him around. He is s great husband and a super father!

4 Months Old

Dash2 hit the 4 month milestone this past week. What an exciting time in his little life! He is laughing, rolling over, following you with his eyes, grabbing at toys above him, holding his head up great and getting stronger everyday!. We go to the Doctor tomorrow and I am sure he will start you on cereal. It is hard to believe the time to start "food" is right here on us. We are loving everything about having a baby in the house again and Dash1 and Doll could not be more proud of their little brother!

A little Spring Break treat...

With it being Spring Break I wanted the kids and I to do something special. I did not want the week to pass us by waiting for Dad to return and life to return to normal. But everything I imagined us doing for "fun" ended up being more than I could handle with three children...one of which needs to eat or nap every 1 1/2 hours! But, on Thursday night a good family friend treated us to the Globetrotters. We had a super time! Dash1 REALLY enjoyed himself. I think he was the perfect age. He was belly-laughing through the entire show!



Doll's first taste of cotton candy had her sold. I went in Friday morning to wake her up for their surprise (I'll post about that in a minute) and she drifted back to sleep after waking for a short second or two. I attempted to wake her again and she said (in a monotone, very sleepy voice) "I like cotton candy". It was so funny!



Thanks to my mom! She ended up traveling this way for her Spring Break. She was a big help around the house. More or less, it was just nice to have another adult to pass the time with, to help control three kids while running errands, and to help mealtime be successful! While she was here she also had the treat of watching her 4th grandson/5th grandchild, Dash2, roll over and begin to belly laugh. Such a good week!

Gotta love it!

After posting my last post Dash1 and Doll come whizzing by the computer desk saying "BUZZ" and "FLY, FLY". As I turn to see the commotion I reaize they have found themselves dressed as bugs. Yes, bugs. They have turned the head pillow cushions to our patio furniture into wings. I love to see them using their imaginations. And let me tell you...they have ALWAYS been good at that!

So, here are front and pack pics of my two BUGS...





Doll also brought me this bowl. She had caught a caterpillar (It had already passed) and felt it needed a warm bed. She is so cute. Yet another example of how she puts others before herself.



And with all these picture posts I could not leave out Dash2! Now he is a cutie! He will be 4 months Monday.

Doing it alone

This week is gonna be tough. I wish I did not see it this way. I wish it would just gradually GET tough, if you know what I mean. It almost seems worst KNOWING it will be tough! Daddy is in Baltimore for Spring Break. He took a group of about 25 students from BSU on a mission trip. They are staying in the city and helping with outreach for a local church plant, doing some light construction and painting, and basically loving the people of the neighborhood. He will have such a good week. It is so refreshing to get away and love on people who need it. And more importantly show them the TRUE LOVE they need. I always loved going on mission trips and look forward to the day I get to go again. And wouldn't it be great if we could go as a family?!?

Anyway, back to the basis of this post...this week is gonna be tough. It is my first attempt as a mother of three to do a week, alone, all day, every day. There is something different about those words. Because I do do it all during the day everyday. But throw in nights and no super Daddy to help...that is the difference. I had thought we might spend the week in my hometown with my family but that did not end up working out for logistical reasons. And as the week got closer, baseball practice, the cabinet guy, the sheet rock guy, etc. started setting plans for us, so it is best that we are just around here. My mom may come later in the week. We'll see. So, I am doing my best to keep my cool. To keep organized and well planned so that we do not have a week of shot nerves and tears. I started our day with a big plan for us to go have a picnic at a local state park...but halfway into those plans Doll emerges from Dash1's room in an old pair of his shorts, black socks, and an old pajama shirt (all too small for Dash1 and already stored neatly, mind you!)...Dash1 has pulled out the table air hockey/pinball machine...and Dash2 is ready to eat. WHAT!?! I am in the middle of planning a perfect picnic. What do you mean you would just rather play dress up in your brother's old clothes? What do you mean you would rather pull out a big game that makes loud noises? What do you mean you are hungry, didn't I just finish feeding you?. Here I go again. Daydreaming perfect plans (in my mind) only to realize this picnic is best served in our own back yard! Yes, they peacefully ate in their tree house as I fed Dash2. And it was...perfect. Why do I feel the need to do so much, to try and make it better, almost bigger than real life? When, after all, better is just us. Just the backyard. Just family time. Around our own sweet house.

So, today has reminded me to not focus on doing it big and doing it better. Just do it. Do it the best way I can. Do it and Dash1, Doll, and Dash2 will all be happy. So, as I finish this post, Dash2 is ready to eat and Dash1 and Doll are blissfully enjoying each other's company...all in our own sweet house!

Sweet, sweet music to my ears

Over the last few weeks Kris has been noticing that Wes' Sunday School class is a little rambunctious when he goes to pick him up. Sunday School has been over for an hour and

Should I keep trying?

I am not so sure about this...as you can see I have not done a good job of posting! I have had a few good ideas of things to post about, but I never make it over to the computer to do so. Will I finally pick up the habit? Maybe life is just too busy for now...but I absolutely LOVe to read other blogs. Can't I just pick it up? Maybe so...

So, here goes...

Well, after several months of secretly reading blogs and being encouraged by blogging friends, I am attempting to blog about our life. Not really sure where this will take us. Not sure how long I will keep this up. But, as much as I enjoy reading other blogs - I had to give it a try. I am most inspired by reading blogs of other Stay at Home Moms that love the Lord and are trying with all their might to manage and balance daily life while raising and loving their husband and children. I have found much comfort and encouragement from like moms. I enjoy the posts where the mom is real...you know the day was really like that simply because you have had that very same day! Or the posts that help you realize just how precious every moment of life is - the light bulb moments. Or the posts that bring such laughter because the moments are so telling. And even the posts that pierce right to your heart, challenging your soul to be the best mom and wife the Lord has called you to be. I hope this journey helps us document our daily life of raising baseball hats and pigtails. A journey that we will look back on with pride and joy. A journey that we will smile upon as we recall the blessed life we were given. So, here goes...