A Twitterific Lunch!

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to meet up with some Twitter/blog friends for lunch today.  Y'all.  It was SO much fun!  We were there for two and a half hours!  We met at a place called US Pizza.  Ashley and Niki had been telling me how good their salads and house dressing were so I knew that's what I had to get.  It did not disappoint.  DELICIOUS.

I could eat another one right now.  SO. GOOD.  

The kids all really enjoyed each other too.  Especially Caden and Addi.

Sweet, pretty girl would not look at me for anything!!  She told Caden "hold you" and climbed over into his lap and sat there for the longest time!  So stinking sweet!  :)

Mackenzie had a BLAST with all the other kids.  She is still talking about playing with Caden, Camden, Laiken, and "Abby."  I keep correcting her and telling her that it's Addi, but she insists on calling her Abby.  Maybe she'll catch on eventually.

This little one was completely smitten with baby Sawyer.  She loves babies and plays with baby dolls at home all the time.  Sawyer is so sweet and tiny and I think maybe Peyton thought she was a doll.  She kept saying "baby!" and reaching her arms out like she wanted to hold her.  So sweet.

Peyton quickly bonded with Niki.  She reached out her sweet little arms for her and was able to get out of the high chair.  Then she wouldn't be still for a picture, hence her being so blurry.  Rotten girl!!  Niki is pregnant with a sweet baby boy named Nathanial due in September!  He's going to be the best dressed baby boy in Little Rock!

Ashley, Niki, Me and my girls, and Ashley & Addi.  I really really wish I had been able to get some pictures of Camden, Laiken, & Sawyer while we were there and more pictures of everyone else, too.  Peyton was making sure that I stayed busy, though!  :)  Next time I will!  These girls were so much fun to be around and I felt like I had been friends with them forever.  I can't wait to get together again!

Staying Busy

While Josh is out of town we try our best to keep busy to make the time seem like it's going faster.  We have run errands, 

This was the most important "errand." ;)

visited the zoo (again),

I can't even tell y'all how much P loves these prairie dogs!

Mac's favorite!

gone to the library, and played outside.  A lot.  The weather has been gorgeous and we have just been taking advantage of that.  I am determined to have my first tan in probably 15 years this summer! ;)  Our sweet neighbors and friends Megan and Andy have one of those blue kiddie pools and Mackenzie has claimed it as her own.

Every now and then she has to share it with Sam (Megan's yellow lab) and Hurley.  She usually does NOT have to share it with Peyton.  Every time we have put her in the water she has screamed.  And I do mean scream.  Loud.  As if someone is trying to cut her arm off with a spoon.  Today, however, we turned a corner.  Mama got smart.  I filled the pool up while she was taking her nap so that the water wouldn't be frigid and it worked!  She splashed and played and had big fun!

We've been having loads of fun but we really miss Daddy and we're ready for him to be home.  We will continue to try to stay busy until he comes home.  I'm meeting some twitter/blog friends for lunch on Friday (I hope they don't think I'm crazy if I bust out the camera!) & my parents are coming to visit this weekend and we're looking forward to having them here for a few days!  Hope everyone else is having a great week! :)

Mackenzie's Hummingbirds

A few posts ago I mentioned that we got Mackenzie a hummingbird feeder.  We knew when we put it out that it was a little early for them.  Not anymore!  We have hummingbirds fighting over the feeder and Mackenzie loves standing at the windows watching "her hummingbirds."  Peyton isn't impressed and bangs on the windows when she sees them...scaring them away.  It makes Mac so mad!  I can't help but laugh.  Little sister is a pistol.  The other day we were able to get a few pictures of them while we watched. 

I can't tell y'all how much it tickles Mackenzie to see those little birds!  She has become quite the little nature lover.  Oh and an update on her flowers...all 8 of the sunflowers we transplanted have bloomed and are beautiful!  She is so proud! :)

The pictures just don't do them justice.  They're gorgeous.  I'm so proud of my sweet little gardener.  :)

My Luck

Josh left this morning for a TDY.  We already miss him and are ready for him to be home.  On our way home from taking him to the airport, I needed to stop at Walmart for a few things so I decided to go to the Walmart Marketplace in Sherwood.  I knew it would be a lot less crowded and I HATE the Walmart in our town.  After we left and were headed home, this happened...

Luckily I was right beside a gas station, so I pulled over.  Then I saw this...

Lovely.  I know nothing about changing tires.  I found a little hole in the tire and could hear the air leaking out, but I had no idea what to do to stop it.  So, remember last week when we went to the zoo and took our friend Angela?  Angela's husband, Jordon used to work in the same group as Josh and they live in Sherwood.  So I called her.  They were so sweet and came to our rescue.  I found out while he was working on it that Jordon put himself through college by working in the automotive part of Sears working on tires.  I called the right person!  I also found out later that we have roadside assistance to take care of these kinds of things.  Good to know for future reference.  Jordon aired up the tire, plugged the hole, then aired up the tire again.  I am SO thankful for Angela and Jordon!  They came and helped and did it with smiles on their faces and didn't complain once.  I also have to mention that a little bit of my faith in people was restored today.  As we sat there waiting, so many people asked us if we were okay or if we needed help.  I have had some negative experiences with people and even with "friends" that it's hard to see the good sometimes.  It's hard to remember sometimes that not everyone is like those few who have hurt me or hurt people that I love.  Also I think it hurts more when it's someone that is supposed to be your "friend."  Sorry, I kind of went off on a tangent.  ;)  Anyway. It felt good to see the good again.  Hope everyone has a great week!

A Day at the Zoo

This past Tuesday we loaded up and went to the LR zoo with our sweet friend Angela.  The zoo is always a fun trip with Mackenzie, but this time Peyton really enjoyed it too.

The thing that I love most about the LR zoo is that you never have to search for the animals.  They are generally in plain sight.  Peyton loved the lioness.

One of Mackenzie's favorite parts of the zoo is the children's area.

Usually Mac isn't a fan of touching animals.  She surprised me when she started petting this huge tortoise!

The prairie dogs are also in the children's area.  Peyton made friends with this one.  It was hilarious.  It mimicked everything she did!

It was such a fun way to spend a morning.  When we left the zoo, I got the girls happy meals from McDonald's and we came home and had a lazy afternoon and the girls took late naps.  We are so thankful to have gotten a zoo membership for Christmas and we are already looking forward to our next trip!

What We've Been Up To...In iPhone Pictures

Thank goodness the iPhone camera isn't just completely terrible.  I've been without my "big" camera for several weeks now and I am aching to have it back!  Hopefully I'll have it back soon.  I miss it so bad!

Last week we didn't do a whole lot.  My feet were still healing so I only ran once all week.  I never thought I'd miss it like I have!  It has really become a big part of who I am.  I love that.  Anyway, back to last week.  Remember a few posts ago when I showed y'all Mackenzie's flower pots?  Well, we had to transplant some of her flowers because they were outgrowing the pots.  We just knew they were dead a couple of days later, but we were wrong!  This is what we found on Friday of last week!

Isn't it beautiful!?  To say Mac is proud would be a huge understatement!  She is thrilled!  And since then three more have bloomed and the other four look like they're almost ready to as well!  I still can't believe that she's grown them from seeds!

Last week one of my twitter friends, Niki posted a picture of some cookie ice cream sandwiches that she bought and it gave me a serious craving.  I waited on the ice cream truck all week long and finally he came!  We were so excited!  Mac got a Madagascar penguin sherbert popsicle 

and I finally got my cookie ice cream sandwich.  It wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, but I suppose that's a good thing.  It'll keep me from wanting another one! Ha!

At ballet last week Miss Amanda let Peyton get in on the tumbling action.  She made herself right at home in that preschool gymnastics room!  It was too funny.  She didn't want to leave!!

I also need to add that it was made very clear to everyone at our little gym that Miss Amanda is Mackenzie's favorite teacher.  She wasn't there the week before and when Mac walked in and saw her this week she squealed and said "SHE'S BAAAACK!!!!" She was so excited!  I am so glad she loves her so much!  :)

The weather has been gorgeous lately so we have spent a lot of time outside.  Mackenzie is obsessed with blowing bubbles so we've done LOTS of that.

I really want to find her a bubble machine.  Anyone have any good recommendations??

Oh, the dog loves bubbles too!  He will run and try to pop them as soon as we can blow them.  It is hilarious!  In this picture he is waiting patiently for more bubbles!  He has also claimed Mac's soccer ball as his own and it has become his favorite toy!  He will chase that soccer ball  all day!  I also want to note that Hurley is now 6 months old and right at 75 pounds.  Big. Boy.

Peyton loves being outside too.  I really think she'd stay out all day every day.  Thank goodness for sunscreen.

Last weekend we went out to eat with some new-ish friends.  I wanted to take a picture with my big girl before we left.  Y'all.  She is so sweet.

She quickly made friends with Mr. Jordon & Ms. Angela.  :)

Peyton has started making this face that Josh thinks is hilarious.  I have been trying to get a picture of her doing it for forever, but haven't been able to!  I finally got her partially doing it, but it is so much funnier in person.  I told my mom that I think she looks like a little pappaw!

She's such a sweetheart too.  She will be 15 months old in two days and weighs 18 pounds.  She is so petite.  She is finally starting to be able to wear some of the 6-12 month things we have!  She will never gain any weight if she won't be still, though.  Girlfriend is constantly on the go and isn't afraid of anything!

Saturday night was spent at one of Josh's co-workers' houses for a cookout.  We had so much fun and ate lots of good food!  I was worried because we were the only ones with kids and I thought the girls would be bored, but they did great and everyone was so sweet to them.  When we got home, I turned on the race.  Josh fell asleep watching it on the couch and Mackenzie fell asleep on me...

so I watched the race by myself, but it was fun...except for the outcome.  Ha!

On Mother's Day, my sweet little family took me to lunch.

I can't decide if this is her kissy face or her fishy face.  Either way, I think it's adorable! :)

We spent the afternoon playing outside in the water and had a ball!

And later Josh surprised me with my favorite treat ever!!

My sweet mama and daddy sent me this...

And while the delivery lady was standing in the door with it, Peyton was saying "mo! mo!"  The child loves to eat and she knew exactly what those strawberries were.  It was hilarious.  The whole arrangement was gone in less than a day!  We all enjoyed it.  :)

Hope all you mamas out there had a wonderful mother's day, too!  It really is such a special day.  I spent it doing exactly what I love doing the most.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.