Bailey has a birthday...and the terrible twos begin! ;-)

Oh my Goodness....I can't believe my baby is 2 today!!!!!
We are having a party for the b-day girl next Saturday, but we couldn't let the day go without a special celebration. We let big sissy skip school and spend the day with us too!

Bailey woke up really early this morning, so I let her come snuggle with me in my bed and she fell back fast to sleep in no time...I sure do love snuggling with my baby girl! I took this pic of her at exactly the minute she turned 2. Not too long afterward she woke up.
We had a little breakfast and hung around the house for a while. Before long, it was time to go to Dr. McCowan's office for a check up...
Daddy met us there and filled out the paperwork like he usually does for the girls' check ups!
Bailey had a big time playing in the well room and then they called us back. Notice she has a baby in her arms...this is a regular occurance...she is such a little mama!
The nurse weighed her and checked her height. Unlike her 18m check up, today she was very compliant. Miss bailey weighed in at 25lbs and was 32 inches tall...very average for her age.
Brooke at 2 was not so cooperative at her check up, but weighed in at 26 pounds and measured 33 3/4 inches tall. Here is a pic of Brooke on her 2nd birthday...so do you think they look alike?
After a short wait Dr. Mcown came in and gave her a check up...she was very cooperative which was great. Oh, and 2 year olds don't have to have any shots so that was a plus for her and us! Dr. McCown said it was one of the best 2 year old check ups ever! Oh and notice the paci in Bailey's mouth...Dr. McCown says, " It's GOT to go!"...now that's gonna be hard for Bailey to deal with (and everyone around her that has to hear her whines..especially her mama! Um yeah, I think I will give her a little bit longer to enjoy her guilty pleasure! ;-)
After the check up we waited around for the girls to get the flu mist...we waited longer than we wanted...we got silly and then impatient...Here are the girls doing their best "Alivia mad face" for the nurse that took so long!
We finally got the mist and then we were off...Brooke decided we should have a birthday dinner at "Cheesetown" which is known as Cheesecake Factory to everybody else.

Sounds like a good plan to me...you know I love that place, so I was ready...but daddy took a little more convincing. After we picked up the van from being serviced and a little stop at Walmart, we finally talked Daddy into the plan and then headed over to Cheesecake Factory. Bailey fell asleep on the way and woke up kinda grumpy, but before too long she started being her sweet self again!
We all stuffed our bellies with a super delicious entree and then waitress brought Bailey an ice cream sundae and sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
Of course we couldn't leave until we all chowed down on some cheesecake for dessert...YUM!
After the outstanding dinner and dessert, we sent daddy back to work for a bit and the girls and I did a some shopping at the Summit...the girls had a blast playing at Pottery Barn Kids and I actually bought a couple of little things.
Later that night, we presented Bailey with a few gifts! A new craft table with 2 chairs was her big gift...
She also got a new Dora doll (loved it) and a few other Dora goodies!
And what birthday girl celebration would be complete without Edgar's strawberry cake? Bailey's favorite thing in life thus far has been sugar, and now her favorite thing is sugar with candles on the top! She loved blowing out the candles and was so cute saying, "I blo cans, mama!"
The girls had several petit fours each and then just as their sugar high was about to reach maximum overdrive, I gave them a bath and sent them to bed!

It was a nice family day.

I am so thankful for the past 2 years with my baby girl! It is so amazing how God puts certain people together in certain families. I sure am glad he put me with Penn and gave us the 2 best little girlies in the whole wide wirlly!

My Bailey Grace really is a joy to be around, but you do have to beware of the temper tantrums becasuse they are sure to creep up on you at anytime and it is NOT pretty....she certainly is a handful...but I wouldn't trade her for a million bucks!

Bailey Grace Bullock

What a precious bundle of joy you are
Cute from head to toe
You melt my heart with your sweetness
Everywhere you go
You're a very special gift
Descended from heaven above
The most perfect little angel
Sent for your Mommy, Daddy, and Sissy to love.
With all our love and best wishes
On your 2nd birthday!

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."
1 Thessalonians 3:12

An Alternate Easter

This Easter was not exactly how we planned...sometimes that is just how it goes!

We were planning to go to Baton Rouge for Easter weekend, but the day before we were scheduled to leave, my mom found out that she has shingles and so we thought that it would be in the girls' best interest to not go to Mimi's house and to just stay here in Birmingham. We were all really disappointed, to miss the fun in Baton Rouge, but we found some alternate plans and ended up having plenty of egg hunts and Easter festivities to keep us busy.

The first egg hunt we participated in was on Wednesday at the Alabaster library...

Oh and let me just state for the record...I did let my girls wear white shoes all 4 days BEFORE Easter...I know I can't believe it either!

We took pics with Miss Spring and the Easter bunny. Needless to say, Miss Bailey was not a fan of the bunny!

But she did have a big time hunting the eggs. The girls got TONS and wouldn't you know, EVERY single one of them had pastel candy corn in them...they didn't seem to mind though...pure sugar...what's not to love!
After the hunt, I tried to get some pics of the girls by the azaleas, but they NEVER both look at the camera or smile cute at the same time! SO, we colored some Easter pics and then we went inside the library for a little book reading and computer time. (And Bailey sampled a few of the candy corns...)
Before too long, it was time for lunch, so we decided to go over to O'Charleys! We had a super great lunch with the Brand girls and then invited them over to our house to play for a while, but not before we paused to take a picture on the bench outside of O'Charley's. See...we can never get them to all look the same way at the same time! ;-)
The next day, was Brooke's 3K MDO egg hunt. I was supposed to be there at 11:30AM to hide the eggs, but there was a back up on the interstate as I was returning from running a few errands. Some of the other moms had to hide the eggs and I got there just in time to see the hunt! I snapped this pic on the way out to the playground...the kiddos were so excited!
Each child was asked to find 12 eggs. It was hard to stop at 12, but a good way to reinforce their counting skills!
After the hunt, they played a while. It was very chilly that morning, but by lunch it turned out to be a very sunny and hot day!So much so that the kids all worked up a sweat... Just in time for some lemonade and Easter cookies.
Bailey even got to join in on the fun...I dressed her in this pillow case dress that Brooke passed down to her. Here is Bailey hunting eggs at 17m...
Brooke wore the same dress to an M&MFF Easter play date at Stacey Rakestraw's house in April 2006. Here is Brooke hunting eggs at 15m.... It is so much fun looking back at all the old playgroup pictures....all the little ones have grown so much! I really need to get those in a scrapbook!

Sooooo, the next day was Good Friday. If we were in BR we were planning to go to the zoo, but Birmingham was forecasted for heavy rain. We decided we might better find an indoor activity. I spent most of the morning working on some bows and bracelets while daddy played with the girls. I made 6 bracelets and 6 bows! That was nice, because I usually don't get to take the time to work on any of my hobbies.

After getting my craft fix, it was time to get going....SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE! After much discussion, we decided to go for a late lunch/early dinner at Golden Corral and then we headed to the Bass Pro Shop in Leeds. There we took pics with the Easter Bunny...again, Bailey was less than thrilled! And Brooke even tried to pull some "I'm scared" drama, but I nipped that in the bud and before long she was "best friends" with the Easter bunny!
After pics, Brooke worked on a craft while Bailey and daddy looked around the store.
After the craft, Brooke and Bailey searched for eggs, but never found any...not even one! The Bass Pro Shop people must be serious about where they hide their eggs!?!
After hunting, we just spent some time exploring...the entire store! The live fish tank was amazing and the girls absolutely loved it. Do you see that big daddy one? No not the girls' daddy, the big daddy fish above his head...Whoa!Another favorite spot in the store was the babbling creek that had a fully mounted brown bear next to it...where we just had to pose for a pic. Daddy said he would only take one, but the first time he cut the bear's head off! What? He said he was trying to get our faces up close...Isn't the point of posing next to a bear to get the bear's head in the picture? I had to argue with hubby and convince him to take another. Obviously, he does not support my scrapbooking/photography hobby...no wonder I am so behind! Anyway, I love this bear pic....too bad I had to throw a fit to get it! Anyway, the girls had the best time playing by the creek and hanging with the bear. I am just thankful neither of them fell in the water with all the picture commotion!
The bear was a lot of fun, but the girls had the most fun playing in the hunting blind section of the store. They thought it was their own little city of forts. Here is my baby girl playing peek-a-boo with her big sissy! Is she precious, or what?
After we combed the entire store and didn't buy a thing, we decided that we might better head home to shower and get some rest before the next big day of events! It was after 9PM, by the time we got home and we were planning to be to our next hunt by 9AM!
On Saturday, we packed a picnic and headed to Veteran's Park in Alabaster for yet another egg hunt! There was tons of traffic and it took us a while to get there, but the kids were glad to go. Look at all those eggs!
The girls scored plenty of eggs and then it was time for some more fun. We jumped in the inflatables, talked with the clown, played a few games, and some of us even got a face painting.
We all had a great time, but agreed it was way TOO cold for a picnic! We decided to save our picnics for later and headed to O'Charley's for a nice hot lunch...INDOORS! The Brands went with us and we all had a very nice time. As a matter of fact, we had the same waiter that we had on Wednesday, the only difference is that this time we brought the daddies with us! We ate tons of food for cheap and then we all agreed that naps were the next order of the day.

I love my sleepin' sweet angel girl!
After naptime, it was time to dye eggs. Brooke had been asking and asking and asking all week long and it was FINALLY time! I let Brooke and Bailey both participate and they were such good little helpers! ;-) Brooke splashed the dye everywhere while Bailey smashed every egg she got her hands on, but I didn't expect anything less from a 4 and 1 year old dyeing eggs...it certainly was a lot of fun!
So the next day was Easter Sunday! Yay! Time for the best church service of the year, right?
Actually, we were so busy all week running around in the chilly weather that by the time that Easter Sunday rolled around, the girls and I were too sick to attend church. (BUMMER) Daddy had to go without us and we stayed home and had Easter service on the couch. (DOUBLE BUMMER) Well, actually I watched the service on the laptop and the girls ran around the house like crazy! Brooke did pause a minute or so to watch the choir sing with me and enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces, including Miss Connie, the conductor!
Due to their yucky colds and massive sugar highs (click here to see our Easter morning goodies and all the sugar we had for breakfast), the snot was about to hit the fan by the time daddy returned from church...I was frazzled to say the least, so much so that hubby just sent me to bed! I slept from 1:00-5:30PM...a good ole' long Easter Sunday nap. Can't say that I have ever spent my Easter Sunday doing that, but I guess it could have been a lot worse. Besides I NEEDED it!
It really was a good day...it just wasn't our traditional Sunday.

So that's our Easter in a nut eggshell!
Not exactly what we had planned and definitely not the traditionally Easter Sunday we love and are accustomed to...we didn't even get to wear our pretty new dresses!!!! :-(

Most importantly, it was a good week of reflection for our little family. Our Brookie knows that Jesus came to this world, walked in our shoes being a perfect example, had to suffer greatly, and died for our MANY sins because He loves us so much...she is really starting to get it! :-)

But y'all the best part is that we do not have to celebrate Easter on this one special Sunday of the year....we can celebrate it EVERY Sunday...He is Risen...He lives!

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

~~Update~~
The Easter bunny left "The Jesus Storybook Bible" for the girls in their Easter basket. We have been giving these as gifts for a while, but haven't had our own copy until now. Brooke treasures hers and begs to read it everyday. If you are ever looking for a good children's bible check it out!

Pioneers on Turkey Day

OK this Thanksgiving was interesting to say the least...I will try to keep it short (leave out the ugly stuff) and sweet.
It was quite different from last year(here is a pic from Turkey Day 2007...look how much the girlies have grown!
The morning started off very well with the expert turkey fryer, frying for the multitudes! Just kidding...he did fry a few turkeys for a couple of friends and then fried our two.
There was a lotta fryin' goin' on!
While the turkeys were frying outside, we had some warm spiced cider and yummy appetizers to hold us over until dinner because we usually don't even eat until around 3 or 4.
Around 2:30, the turkeys were done to perfection and as I was about to put the last few casseroles into the oven, the electricity went OFF!
No big deal, it will come back on right?
WRONG!
We called the electric company and they said it should be on by 5. No problem...we'll just wait...cook the casseroles then and have a LATER Thanksgiving.
We had some dessert, some wine, played outside, and just visited.
When 5 rolled around it go VERY dark.....still no electricity, so we lit up the house with candles and waited a few more minutes. The electric company now said lights on at 8! What?
This is getting ridiculous!
We were all getting bored, aggravated, and HUNGRY!
We could just eat turkey, rice dressing, rolls, and cold salads in the dark, but our day wouldn't be complete without the corn, green bean, and sweet potato casseroles.
I was getting antsy in the dark as some of the others I'm sure...let's go for Mexican was my vote. Instead, we went to Ruby Tuesday on 119. Most of us had the mini's and the salad bar.
We sat there for a few hours, had coffee, and then decided to try to go back home.
Lights still off!
All of our guests called it a night and went back to their hotel...with electricity!
We were starting to worry about the food in the frig spoiling, so Hubs, Mimi, the girls, and I all headed downtown to pick up a generator.
The electric company was now reporting 11:15PM.
We got the generator, hooked it up to the 2 frigs, took showers, and then got snuggled into bed all by candle light and the beam of a flashlight!
I was mentally and physically drained!
What a day!
As soon as I drifted into dreamland around 12:30AM, the light came back on!
WOO HOO!
We woke up the next day and had our traditional Black Friday Brunch compliments of Aunt Heidi and Nana. So yummy.
After brunch, Mom and I would usually go shopping, but this year we had to pass since we were going to have Thanksgiving Phase 2. Instead, we lounged and had a relaxing time. Some of the girls watched Steal Magnolias while some of the others studied and graded papers. Others played and read while Daddy and Grandpa went out to Tarrant to get a new tire for Mimi's car. (You'll have to ask her what happen to her tire! ;-)

The guys made it back in time to watch LSU lose and then it was finally time to eat turkey!!!
The food was quite yummy and surely worth the wait! The turkey and casseroles had time to soak up all the great flavors and everything tasted extra good...or maybe we were just extra hungry! So the worst Thanksgiving turned into a pretty darn good one after all!
To see ALL of the pics of the day(s) click here!
And can I just say just that on this Thanksgiving 2008 I have a ton to be thankful for!

At dinner we were supposed to say three. Here are mine.
1.) ELECTRICITY~How did they do it back in the day? Pioneering is not for me!
2.) Salvation...although Bruce was not here (he passed away in May '08 while battling cancer) in Alabama with us to celebrate Thanksgiving 2008, it is refreshing to know that because Jesus died for our sins and Bruce was one of His followers, he is now in the presence of the Lord. WOW! Awesome...can't wait! You are missed, but we rejoice knowing that we will see you again one day! (This is a pic from Thanksgiving 2007~ Bruce is the 2nd on the left)
3.) My hubbies JOB~ it may not be the best one in the world, but it suits our family just fine and with the economy in the shape that it's in, it is certainly a blessing to have job security! BTW hubby, you are a super great provider and the girls and I love you muchly!
"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." Chronicles 29:11-13
SO how was your turkey day? Pretty please leave us a comment and tell at least one thing that you're thankful for!

Bailey's 1st Birthday Baa-sh!

Bah, Quack, Oink, Moo
We are inviting you...
Our Little Piggy is turning one,
so saddle up and mosey on over
for some farm fresh fun!
Bailey's 1st Birthday Baa-sh

October 18,2008
@ Mimi's Farm

A couple of months ago, I found a cute pastel 1st birthday pattern with a farm theme and I was hooked. We decided as a family that it would be fun to have the farm party at Mimi's house in Baton Rouge. So, I bought all kinds of party decorations, started planning farm-type activities, and decided that Bailey needed a special 1st birthday party dress. I used to collect pigs and have always loved them, so I decided that the dress must have a pig on it. Besides, pigs and farms go hand in hand, and pigs are pink, and pink is girly.
After many hours of browsing store aisles and the Internet, I FINALLY found one that could be custom made to my specifications! The seamstress lady and I exchanged lots of emails and lots of different fabric samples,(it had to be the perfect shade of pastel blue) and finally agreed on how it was to be finished. The dress was made and arrived just in time to the Bullock household via UPS on the day before her birthday. Isn't is darlin'?

Brooke and I wrapped it up and gave it to Bailey on Wed. with a few other gifts. We couldn't wait to see it on her at the birthday baa-sh on Saturday. Too bad, that it didn't even make it into the suitcase to Baton Rouge!!!! It's not like forgetting a tooth brush that can be replaced at the nearest drug store. I guess that's what happens when you pack at the last minute~you forget the custon made non returnable birthday party dress! I was a little upset, but I tried to go with the flow, so I just had to let her wear an alternate outfit! After the dress catastrophe, we were good to go. No more bumps in the road. Bailey and everybody on the guest list was feeling well and that's all that matters, right?

It was time to party...Mimi bought a bunch of bales of hay and balloons to decorate the "barn." AND, my bestest friend in the world made some super cute little signs to hang all around the party. (THANKS MIMI & ANDREA!) I had my crew help me with all the last minute cleaning and then we arranged everything. We completed it all with like one minute to spare! Bailey ran out to greet the guests......while mommy took a few (hundred) pics for the scrapbook.

The dessert table had 2 types of mini cookies that daddy baked and of course the birthday cake. Mimi picked out the cake and made sure it was really big! It was precious and tasted oh so yummy...Bailey's birthday grub included lots of kid friendly snacks, and a fruit and vege tray (Bailey's Garden) for starters. And then, we ate hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and chips and dip for supper. We also had a good supply of Capri Sun and soft drinks, but had to make a run for more beer midway through the party. Who knew 1 year olds could drink so much beer! ;-) Along with too much food, we had tons of fun stuff for the kids to do! Here is the "duck pond"...a few of the kids even got into the water to sit with the ducks. The "pig pen" corralled all of the kids at some point or another, but it was especially great for big Ted. This way he could join the party without getting lost or run over by the hay ride! The "cow hide ride" was definitely tons of fun. And everybody got a chance to ride or pull it a couple of times throughout the day. And no party is complete without making a craft, so we did that too. But I must say, MY favorite part was the "needle in the haystack game" The kids hid their eyes behind the trees while I buried tons of candy and goodies under the straw. Even Bailey found a few good treasures!
Here is a pic of one of the many hayrides that we went on. This time was particularly fun because it was getting dark and we were able to bust open the glow sticks that the kids found in the needle in the haystack game. We also sang farm songs like BINGO and Old McDonald...sooo much fun! Another great part of the party was the guests, of course! It was so great to see family and friends from Louisiana that wouldn't have been able to come if we would have had the party in Alabama.

Thank you Uncle Brian and Pey Pey for helping us get everything ready for the par~tay....love you!Here's a pic of mommy and daddy being silly after one of the hay rides. (And for the record, we didn't even have any beer!) Mimi and her girls...
Paw Paw with Bailey and Brooke...
The Bullock Gang...
And now it was time for presents....
She's in hog heaven. Lovin' every minute of the party and being such a sweet guest of honor.
Let's sing Happy Birthday to Bailey!And on to the good stuff...
It is soooooooooooooooooo delicious! The face says it allllll!
After the cake, we had one more hay ride and then the party started winding down. Brooke and Paw Paw colored....

And then Brooke, Peyton, and Bailey had a bath (she had lots of cake up her nose) while the guys finished watching LSU beat South Carolina. Geaux Tigers!
After the game, we said goodnight.
Bailey even passed out kisses to everyone.It was a super fun party! I can honestly say a great time was had by ALLLLLL. But most importantly, I am thankful for the reason we had the party...to celebrate an entire year of having our precious angel baby girl! To God be the glory. How thankful am I that God gave her to us?

Sooooo thankful! (Nana and Grandpa can you name that book?)

Bailey's Birth verse

Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:15

Looking forward to what God has in store for us this year...I love you baby girl!