Family time

Yesterday was another great day with my family. The girls and I are enjoying some more Daddy time. :) Jeff got to play golf, which is a rare treat for him. The girls and I enjoyed some sun and fun at the pool.



After a great steak dinner we went for a long walk thru the gardens at the West Baden Hotel. This is another historic site in the area. It is absolutely amazing. At one point in time it was the 8th world wonder because of its domed structure. I didn't take any pictures of the dome tonight. Instead we went through the gardens. They are all part of the original layout, with cemetary, fountains, bridges, and buildings still stand.



Ayla loved running through the flowers and being free of crowds and having to hold our hands! ha She is such a sweet girl and we have been so proud of her lately. She seems so grown up sometimes.



Leah is so social and smilely. She warms my heart. Defintely a Mama's girl, she will lean in toward me when I talk to her letting me know she wants me to hold her. She has been great this whole trip even though she is battling allergies.

Blogger here is too slow to uopload pics. I have so many I want to share!! You will have to be paitent...

Great Start to our trip...

I am blogging to you from our annual family trip in French Lick. Some of you guys know, Jeff and I bought a villa here the year before we married. Jeff's family has been coming here the same week since he was a boy. So we bought the same week so as our family grew we could all be together. And good thing because as you know our family recently grew. We are really happy to have a place of our own to relax, especially with our girls.



So here we are.....



The first weekend we are down is always the brother time. Jeff has three brothers and they all have kid(s). In the past we've gone boating, but this year it was the new water park in French Lick. Big Splash Adventure.



It was AWESOME. I suggest it to anyone. :) No pics Because I am on vacation. Ayla is asleep, Leah is happy, and Im going to cuddle with my hubby!



Hopefully, more happiness to share with you later this week. Lots of fun stuff planned.

Thankful Thursday

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118: 23-25

My Favorite Things

I hope the title didn't put that song into your head... cuz if it did- you wouldn't be able to get it out. And the hills would be Alive with music. Really.

Anyways, packing for vacations is always stressful for me. I try to be very organized with pretty much anything I do. I tend to pack a week in advance. I double check and recheck. However, it always ends up that I wish I had brought a different dress, shirt, or camera cord.

This time I am SURE I got my absolute Fav-o-rite things packed.

What else would I need?

Really?

On other news... My little prissy is a potty training fool. She does so well. She's pretty much dare I say it trained on #1. We've had very few accidents, very few. We've been lucky. She's gone out a these past couple days in panties and we've had No accidents out. I would knock on wood, if I believed in luck. Which I don't. But, poos. Another story. She has done it on the big girl potty. But, I think its a bit strange for her? I can't quite put my finger on it. (and that would be gross) But, we're getting there. She tells us Right after #2's emerge... little to late sister.

Ok. I am sure you're glad you read all the vital information. But, its for the books.

Organized or Obsessed?

I have packed 6 "matchy" outfits for the girls to wear during our annual trip to French Lick. I tend to go for matchy not matching. You know... its similar but not the same... tomatoes & tomatos. Though you can see their are 2 identical sundresses. I find myself each morning laying out the girls clothes according to the colors we all could wear. Yes, I said We.

Most days all three of us girls are matchy. At least in color, its more subtle. (wink)

Im off to continue my cleaning and packing for our first family trip of the summer! More outfits to match, more cookies to bake....

How sweet it is....

How sweet it is to be loved by you....

Jeff, you are the most amazing husband. God truely knew what he was doing when we crossed paths. I could not imagine any other person Id want to raise my babies with, tell my secrets too, cuddle with at night, and kiss in the dark (or light). You're the best. God is Good!

The girls are so blessed to have such a cool dad, too. You make all the cool voices when reading bedtime stories, you throw them high in the air, you kiss the boo-boos, you celebrate the sucesses, you dance in our living room, and by the way, you look great carrying a diaper bag.

Ayla 4 mo

Daddy with Ay 14 mo w/ strep

Daddy w/ his two girls
Leah 1 week, Ayla 23 mo

Daddy w/ Leah 2 mo

We love you Daddy!

Courtney, Ayla, & Leah

Also...

My girls and I are truely blessed to have 3 other Very Special men in our lives! I have always been a daddy's girl (and will always be). To watch my Dad with my girls... oh, it such a cool sight! He is so sweet with them. My girls will never want for anything. Both my Dad and FIL would give them the world and more. My grandpa is still very much a part of our lives. I am so glad that my girls have a great grandpa, and great he is.

My Daddy rocked sleepy Ayla 3 mo

My FIL with his girls. He gives them the cutest nicknames like sweet pea, shrimp, sweetie pie...

My Papaw with my cousin Jackson. Aren't they both too cute :)

Thank you all for the sacrifices you've made to make me and my girls smile.....

Thankful Thursday

"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the King for his friend."

Proverbs 22:11 NIV

Very, Very 2 months....

Leah is....

very smilely.

very scheduled- eats every 3 hours.

very good at holding head up for periods of time.

very social.

very much likes to chew on her hands.

very active, kicks like crazy, finding hanging toys.

very much attached to Mommy!

very special to our family.

Leah is very cute at two 2 months old...

Happy Weekend...

Well the weekend is over and it was happy. :)

Cheese. I know.

Let's do a recap... Shall we?

Friday night we had some family time here at the Owens' house. Jeff has been begging me to "allow" him to go to WalMart with me. See, that's Mommy time. But, he claims it should be family time.... hmmm. Its still up for debate. However, off we treked to WallyWorld. We bought some big girl panties for P-Day is coming soon.

Potty Day. C'mon, catch up.

Anyways, we grabbed some stuff to make for our cookout Saturday. I really should have taken pics bc the kids are always so cute! We had a blast at the Rainey's. The best part is watching the hub's chat and carry on. Ya know. Man stuff- like "how fast is your bike, with that kiddie trailer attached" and "bet I could swing mine higher". Typical.

In efforts to start P-day (or most likely days) we've been talking up wearing panties. Because its an honor she'll soon know. She asked to go ahead and put them on, we obliged. One accident later, I set an egg timer for 10 min. Every time it would DING we'd sit on the potty. Jeff says let me hear you potty Gross. But it worked. She went 3 times. First two we celebrated were meeger amounts but worth skittles but the last was a work of art- art made of pee in a plastic potty.

She's proud.

So are we.

Later that night we attended a celebration of life. It was awesome fellowship with great food and friend. I met 'That Girl' (she's so cute!). I would prove it but Jessie took off with my stroller + baby + camera. Oh well. It was an awesome event! Mandi and Andre did an amazing job sharing with us. The kids feasted on inflatables and ice cream. We should do this more often.

Looking forward to a great week! I have a lot to share with you... projects we've Completed. Yes, I know. Its serious. But, I shall have pictures up soon. Hopefully, and playgroup swimming! Wahoo.

A new day....

Writing down my thoughts always helps. And now that it is in the WWW, I am forever held accountable. Really. Just read all the comments and see how many of us woman are struggling with the same worldly crud.

I loved Tera's comment on doing it for the health of things. So, I packed up the girls for a family walk. I actually ran (or walked) into a beautiful Christian woman this morning. She mentioned how she had came across my post and was amazed at how many wonderful woman were on here to encourage each other. And even admitted to struggling with much of the same issues we've talked about.

See, I think its ok to struggle with things. Because that means we are Fighting them. God has promised us to never give us more than we can handle, and he has given us each other to laugh and cry together.

Today was a new day in my fight against myself.

Our walk was nice. I got very winded up the hills. Very winded. I got a small project done that I have been wanting to do. It did not cost me very much money. But, makes a difference in my everyday.

I hung these....

...the pictures of my family and fun little things in various rooms in our house bring a smile to my face. It reminds me of why I fight.

I am on to hopefully do more things to make a difference in the way I feel. Cleaning up what is supposed to be our garage and crunchless abs is on the menu for this afternoon. Then dinner with friends. What more could I ask for?

I encourage you all to start this day new. Do something for yourself and your family. :)

My Thoughts

I have alot of thoughts on alot of things. Most of these things are small but they somehow find a way to creep into every fiber of my being. This in turn, consumes most of my thoughts (the ones that aren't consumed with my God, my hubby or my girls, of course).

My thoughts on contentment. I feel like I have trouble sitting still. Like I am not content with my abundantly blessed life. THIS bothers me.

There is always a project in my head... a room that needs more... a new recipe... a too cramped vehicle... a few more pounds to loose... a sock with holes in it. Whatever. I told you some are small, but I just have trouble sitting still sometimes and just listening to God and be praise minded on what I do have. I want for nothing, meaning if I feel like I need something I can get it. While there are others out there with far less than me that don't appear to be taken by my bug?

This is something I want to work on. That doesn't mean I feel like I need to stop my projects, stop searching for new recipes, or what have you. And I really do need to break down and get new socks. I think what it means is being in daily Thanksgiving. The Lord HAS given ME this blogsite to speak of the wonders he has given us, including the wonderful friendships I've made. He has also allowed Jeff and I to give to people what He has given to us. I want to listen more, give more, and show my daughters how to truely absorb the world.

My thoughts on weight loss...

Wow. Raise your hand if you'd like to look and feel better. Ok, put them down. The whole WWW just sighed. Man, losing weight is fun.... too bad I need to get motivated to have some fun. I am so busy brained that I don't realize I hadn't exercised all week and I happen to look the same in that bathing suit I did before. This seems to be like the HOT topic btw some friends of mine. If you look over at my blog list- at least 4 of the fantastic woman on there are challenging & encouraging each other to shed some excess weight. Im in a rut. I need to get OUT of this rut. I may have found some friends to do it with... too bad they are from all over the state and can't share their Zumba tapes with me.....

My thoughts on never-ending remodeling...

This goes hand-and-hand with my contentment thoughts. I feel like I can't complain about my never-ending remodeling if Im not tackling some of daily. SO. I plan on posting weekly what is going on. Now I warn you.... some of it is dirty. :) Some of it, hopefully will make you want to improve parts of your home to make it more comfortable for your family. Mainly, I hope, some of it will make you call me the absolute homemaker genius I know I can be.

So if any of you girls feel like your in a rut... join me. Join me in my daily praise for the things God has given us. Join me in making myself better overall. Join me in dusting off the shelves you can't reach and making your home what you've never thought it could. Do it. Please.

Thankful Thursday

I heart baby smirks.

Now who doesn't like them some pizza?

Really. Be honest.

I bet you're salivating just thinking about it.

My friend Jen posted her "gourmet pizza" recipe the other day (ok-it was a while ago) and asked for others to share theirs. I already had homemade pizza on the menu for that week, so I will oblige. I also fully intend on trying hers out soon. Now, my pizza isn't 'gourmet' by any means. Just a mean crust recipe that is easy and fairly quick to whip up, mostly with things you'd have in your pantry.


See for yourself.


The crust:


21/2 c Flour
1/2 t Salt
1 pk yeast
1 T + 2 t Olive Oil
1 c Water (lukewarm)

Preheat Oven to 400. Lightly grease baking sheet. Sift flour & salt into bowl (super important to sift... make a lighter crust). Stir in yeast. Make a well in the center- add oil and water. Mix into dough. Knead 5 min on floured surface.

Roll out dough & press into cookie sheet. Cover and let rest for 10 min to rise. Then bake 5-7 min. Remove crust from oven.... this is where I brush with my garlic oil and sprinkle my fave seasonings- go wild- crushed red pepper, italian seasonings, parm cheese, etc.


The sauce:


1 jar of any tomato sauce that knocks your socks off
or you could be fancy schmancy like Jen and make your own- tomatoe, tomato


Spread the sauce on the crust.


The toppings:


Mozz Cheese- shred
Pepperoni
Green Pepper
Onion
Fresh Parm shavings

We are pretty simple when it comes to topping our pie, and thats why the crust is so important!

Add your toppings of choice. This is what I had on hand. Sprinkle cheese with oregano, basil, and fresh cracked pepper.

Bake 15-20 min or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Woah.... "That Girl" is famous!

Ok really.... while perusing my fave blog sites this am. I came across a title that I am familiar with reading. That Girl. Ok. Can't be...

It was! Lauren, I did not know the story of your mother or your current walk with grief. How amazing, and to read about you on a blog of a woman so cool! Your on your way That Girl

Everyone go and check out the Bring the Rain site... Angie talks of this wonderful Christian woman (we all know her).