Meatloaf and Fried Rice

2012-01-17T03:11:00.001-06:00

Some of you may have caught wind that Ken is doing (what has been named) the Fat Boy challenge. The challenge is to run a 6 minute mile by March 3rd. Since he's been training, he's been eating healthier which has rippled into all of us eating healthier.. Lots of fruits and veggies!!

So Ken and I have decided to take it a step further.. We are going on a juice fast!

What? Annie not EAT anything? No meats? No cokes? I know.. mind blowing.. I type this as I stuff my face with cheetos, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Stop judging me!!

WHY??? You may ask, are you doing this? While I can't speak for Ken, I am going to do it for a couple of reasons. And while I don't want to sound cliche, its probably going to come out that way anyway so here goes. I am trying to be a better person, I'll keep the details to myself but let's just say eating and feeding my family heathier foods is on the docket. Enter the juice fast! And if I drop a pound or two in the process thats a bonus. :) The juice fast we'll be following is inspired by the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" if you haven't heard of it, you should Definitely watch it.

So this week, Ken and I will be starting our fast. Stay tuned for updates!

Clean carpets = shopping time?

2011-12-30T03:42:00.000-06:00

When we bought this house, we had the carpets replaced. Since then, we've had 2 more kids which equals LOTS of juice stains. This week, Ken and I finally got fed up with our carpet and decided to have it cleaned. It looks AWESOME!

do you notice what you don't see? Stains!!! Or toys. All of the mess has been temporarily relocated to the spare bedroom while the carpets dry.

So while we waited for the carpet to dry, we decided to get the girls out of the house and run some errands. We got AJ some new tennis shoes.

I scored an awesome deal on a couple of super cute hand knit sweaters for the little ones.

And we got the girls new raincoats! Click on the link to watch the video entitled RAINING! on the left side of the page.

http://englandfamily.shutterfly.com/

midnight ramblings of a hungry insomniac

2011-12-28T00:20:00.001-06:00

For the last couple months my head hasn't hit the pillow before 4am. So its a bit of an adjustment to make my body go "on Christmas Vacation". So here I am, chowing down on yummy Christmas ham, corn casserole and mac and cheese and updating you guys! The England home was VERY blessed this year. Santa (whom Addison does NOT like or care to see ever again)

brought the girls a pink wooden kitchen set with lots of food and pots and pans. Alexis asked for a first aid kit and a bell from Santa's sleigh which she received. And Ken and I surprised her with an iPod touch. (I think that thing is permanently embedded in her hand). My mom got us a membership to the McWane Center which the girls are LOVING!

Addison and Anna are especially fun at this age. Addison is showing such a sweet and thoughtful personality. Here are a few funny/ sweet tidbits from the past couple of weeks. Sorry for the repeat if you're one of my facebook friends and have already read these stories. :) You can skip on to the pics.

One night when I put the girls down for bed Anna was crying and Addison calmed her down. I stood outside the door and this is what I heard:

Addison: "Anna, whats wrong? whats wrong?.. Stop crying. its ok. You want mommy?
Anna: "uh Huhhh"
Addison: "its ok. stop crying. we get cereal in da morning okayyyy?"
Anna: "ok" :)

I'm sitting on the couch playing on my laptop when Addison comes up to me:

Addison: Anna got a booger mommy. I got it. (she brings me the base of a wooden toy tree the she apparently shoved up Anna's nose to get the booger.)
Me: yup you got it didn't you?
Addison: Yeahhhh, Gwoss.

Addison's favorite movie is Toy Story 3. We watch it AT LEAST 3 times a day. So she was really excited to get her own Woody doll and Mr and Mrs. Potato head. Actually, the Mrs. Potato head is Anna's but Anna prefers wearing Mr. potato head's glasses. If you've ever watched that movie, there's a scene where Ken is showing off all his clothing options to Barbie and the background music is that old song "Freak out". So Addison has picked up that phrase. " Mommy, I wanna watch Freak out" Yeahhhh, we're working on correcting that. haha!

2 little monkeys jumping on the bed!

2011-08-07T18:28:00.000-05:00

OMGoodness, I just realized that I never posted the blog on Addison and Anna's birthday party! BAD MOMMY!

So here we go.

Since Addison and Anna's birthdays are 2 weeks apart, we decided to have a joint birthday party for their first and second birthday. We call Anna "chunky monkey" so that was the theme for our party. I tried my hand at applique and made their birthday shirts. Anna was chunky monkey and Addison was silly monkey. We had their party at our house and created an outdoor playspace of sorts for the kids. We had lots of family and wonderful friends to help us celebrate the big day. Here are some pics of their special day.

I made monkey invitations, cupcakes, and decorations/ favors. The big monkey cake was a custom order from Publix. SO YUM! I was busy getting things set up that I forgot to take more pics of the decorations. It was cute though! We made lots of tissue paper balls in turquoise and pink in different sizes. And hung them from the tent. I also decorated freezer cups with each child's name and a monkey face customized to fit each child's personality (sassy monkey, silly monkey, etc.). Take a look.

For more pics check out our picture sharesite. http://www.englandfamily.shutterfly.com/

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!

2011-08-07T17:12:00.001-05:00

CLAP! CLAP!

So much to update you guys on. The England house has been a bit busy lately. Ken has started his doctorate program at the University of Alabama and he is going full force into it. I have a feeling that we'll have to make some changes to our schedules and routines to accomodate all of the studying and writing that he's doing. But I am SO proud of him. He's a pretty amazing man to be able to handle a demanding job, demanding school schedule and being an active father and husband to our little family.

And the girls are all growing up so fast. We moved Anna into Addison's room since they love spending time together and its worked out well so far. I still have LOTS of decorating to do for their room but it frees up a room for my mom to stay in when she comes. It's nice to have a guest room again.

Anna is practically running and is still working on vocab. She doesn't talk as much as the other girls did. I guess she's just taking it all in. She'll occasionally bust out with words here and there like "Aday sue" (AJ Shoe) and Doe (Door). Her little personality is really coming out and its so cute. She is sweet natured but definitely has a feisty side. Her feistyness just comes across a little more sly than Addison and AJ's. Her thing lately has been nodding her head. When you ask her if she wants something she'll nod her head and go "mmm". I can't get her to say yes for the life of me.

Addison is talking up a storm now and we have entered the "why" phase. Me: Addison clean up
Addie: Clean up? why? Me: because its messy Addison: Oh messy? WHY? hahah! You get the picture. It goes on FOREVER. But she's such a good girl. She's sweet to her sisters most of the time unless one of them took a toy she wanted or was even thinking about playing with. We've got to seriously work on the sharing. I'm working with her on her abcs, numbers, and colors and she's doing pretty well. The key is to do the flashcards during her eating time. Because then she's distracted and eats more and focuses on what we're talking about. She's also done AWESOME with her potty training. She's able to stay in panties when she's awake and tell me when she needs to go. We still keep her in pullups at naptimes and at night though. BUT YAYYY for Addison. Hopefully not much longer and I'll be able to get her completely in panties and then it'll be Anna's turn to potty train. I am SO ready to be done with diapers. UGH!

And AJ starts THIRD grade next monday! Can you believe it? She's grown up so quickly. She just started her second year of cheering and she is so excited. I'll be sure to post more pics when the games start. Go HOOVER! :) I'm having to work with her on her attitude since she seems to have picked up a sassy pants attitude and I do not like it one bit. I talked to a few other parents and they seem to confirm what I was thinking about her watching too many Disney shows. If any of you have elementary school kids you probably know what I'm talking about. Almost all the shows the grown ups seem to be the bumbling idiots and the preteens and teens all smart mouth back to them. So I've cut out a lot of her tv time and am trying to keep her busy with activities and such.

As for me. Most of you know that I've started my own business. And if you didn't.. I DID! It's very exciting and I'm loving it. Still trying to figure some things out like work schedule, etc. But I think its going pretty well. Make sure to check out my etsy shop, blog or facebook page!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bahbooodesignstudio
http://bahbooo.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bahbooo-Design-Studio/206786469361043

And help me spread the word too! (For every 2 people you refer to me (that place an order) you get a free monogram!)- Shameless plug right there.

Anyway, I guess I'll leave you with this. Have a happy week!

One, TWO, Four

2011-04-30T01:59:00.000-05:00

Me: Hey Addison, How old are you?
Addison: Addison.

Me: No, I said how OLD are you?

Addison: One, Two ... Four.

So I guess this time next year she'll be four years old.. We'll work on numbers more later..

Today was Addison's SECOND birthday!

For those of you that know Addison, know that she gets cold VERY easily. And when she's cold, she doesn't sleep. SO, this morning Addison got up before 7am. (She usually sleeps until 10:30) Ken picked her up and we all went downstairs because AJ was itching to give her the birthday present she got her.

Opening her present from her big sissy AJ!

"stashios!" (Pistachios are her favorite.)

She could finish that entire bag of pistachios in a day if I let her. She loves them that much. OR maybe she's just trying to keep Ken from eating them ;) just kidding Ken.

snuggled up, eating pistachios, drinking juice and watching Pingu!
What could be better?

So last week we got in the new "One Step Up" catalogue and she's been carrying it around showing Ken and I the pictures and saying "want it" "get it" of the tricycle, sandbox, and any and all water toys... So needless to say she liked her "big" present.

Addison's first tricycle

I got Wheels!!

Check me out! Zoom! Zoom!

"go AJ go!"

She rang that bell NONSTOP for ten minutes... at least. Her legs can't quite work the pedals yet but she likes to push it around or have AJ push her.

For her special birthday dinner we had all her favorites:

see-weeal (cereal), pancakes, rice (my little chinese girl haha! No meal is complete with out rice), boiled shrimp, leftover chicken nuggets (from lunch).

Then we waited around for Ken to get home from Tuscaloosa and we had CAKE!

Addison is quite obsessed with Pingu (a claymation penguin cartoon). So I had this cake made at whole foods!

Then she got to open her last present of the day.

PINGU! PINGU!

Happy Birthday my funny girl. You make my days brighter. Mommy loves you!

Bathtime Fun

2011-04-25T00:53:00.000-05:00

Bathtime at our house is an all out fun fest.
Recently, Addison has come up with a new bath time game. Its called "sticky Anna" She takes the bath foam letters and sticks them all over anna's body and if she happens to come across a toy that doesnt stick she either puts it on Anna's head or "hands" it to her so hard that Anna falls backwards.

That Anna. She's a tough girl. Here's a video of her having fun with her sister until Addison head butts her and makes her cry.

Anna's Walking!

2011-04-25T00:22:00.000-05:00

Things have been busy in the England house! Ken broke his tailbone two weeks ago. We've been busy fixing up the house (repainting, replacing eaves and replacing our crappy, single pane, leaky kitchen windows.) I'll do a separate post with all the home improvement pics once we get finished.. Which if its actually on schedule will be done by May 7th. (The girls' birthday party)

Anna took her first steps Friday night! She's still a bit wobbly but she's taken up to 5 steps at a time. I love it. She has the cutest triumphant expression on her face when she makes it to where she wants to go. Heres a little video we shot. Sorry the lighting is dark, it was taken on our phone.

Love sweet love

2011-02-15T00:38:00.000-06:00

Valentine's day.

A day where you bare your soul to the one you love.

A day to tell them how much they mean to you and how grateful you are to have them in your life.

A day for romance... for all ages.

Alexis has an admirer (we'll call him Mr. B). I picked her up from school today and boy did she have a lot to say. :) Today was her Valentine's Day party. They did the usual card exchange and her admirer gave her a present! A chocolate bear (which she had already devoured) a handful of cards and lots of handmade "gifts". It was so sweet! He even made a card that said "do you like me? yes or no?" The dillemma: She has a crush on another little boy in her class (Mr. J). So our dinner conversation tonight was filled with our little second grader's thoughts on how she should break it to Mr. B that she just wants to be friends.

Ken's solution, "tell him my dad says I can't have a boyfriend until I'm 30" haha!

Don't worry Ken, you're the only man in their life... for now anyway! :)

(the girls with their Valentine's present from daddy)

Houston we have liftoff!

2011-02-01T21:55:00.000-06:00

We have a new crawler!! Anna has been crawling backwards for a couple of weeks now and we finally have forward progress! She gets up on her hand and knees now and rocks back and forth (I guess for momentum) and then she'll take a big lunge forward. Its hilarious. Addison has been working with her ;) She'll get on her hands and knees and crawl around the floor and say "come Anna". Its pretty comical. Toys don't seem to motivate her to crawl though, for now she only wants to crawl if there's food, electronics or jewelry to reach for. So she's got her basics covered.

Here's a video of her rocking.. This was taken a few days ago so it doesn't show her actually moving forward but its still pretty funny to see. I'll try to get a new video in the next day or so.

Dear people on Lakeshore Running Trail

2011-01-29T17:54:00.001-06:00

Hi there.
Here in Birmingham we have a wonderful running trail that runs alongside Lakeshore. Unfortunately, there are people who run it that have no idea about trail etiquette. So this list was put together by Ken and myself to help inform/ educate. Feel free to add any of your "tips" in the comments section. I'd love to hear those too!

- If you are running on the trail with your dog and he doesn't want to take two steps off to the side to poop in the grass. Don't just leave it there for other runners to run around. CLEAN IT UP or at the very least knock it off to the side of the trail with a stick!
- If by chance you do let your dog go off to the grassy area to do his business, walk into the grass WITH him! DO NOT stand in the middle of the trail talking to your girlfriends blocking the path.
- If you are socializing while you walk- DO NOT walk 4 by 4- taking up both lanes of the trail. Go to the mall! Your designer outfits will be appreciated more there.
- If you have kids on the trail and they want to ride their bikes. Keep them on ONE side of the path. This may be a good time to explain rules of the road to them. The line is not something you swerve back and forth over.
- And if by chance, someone needs to pass you or your child. Do not yell "rapido" to get them to speed up. Tell him to stop or move him over to let others pass.
- Here's a key one. Run WITH traffic. If you are running in the lane and runners are coming TOWARD you, You are in the wrong lane. MOVE OVER. You are not special and the rules apply to you too.

I'm sure there are lots more but those were the first ones off the top of my head.
Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weekend!

Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom

2011-01-26T14:13:00.003-06:00

Ok. Ashley this post is for you..

In response to my friend Ashley's blogpost requesting 11 Confessions for 2011 Here are mine.
Don't judge! ;)

1. I've become addicted to romantic comedies and watched 4 in one day... yesterday.

2. When the kids are fussy I turn on the radio and dance and sing around the house. You should see my running man. Its a crowd pleaser.

3. I have a system that tells me when I need to clean the floors.. When the kids look like they've begun to look like puppies because there's so much dog hair or hair or lint on their clothes from rolling around.

4. I look for all kinds of excuses to run errands alone. So I can sing really loud and off key without getting looks from Ken and AJ .. annnd Addison. She's at that age now where she knows bad singing.

5. Its impossible to feel sexy or attractive when your wearing a nursing bra.

6. I dislike vegetables most of the time and I only eat them because I make the kids eat them. And even then, I usually only have a spoonful of veggies on my plate.

7. Sometimes when a telemarketer calls, I talk to them just for a little adult conversation. It almost always has nothing to do with what they are trying to sell me and they usually hang up on me. I actually learned that from Ken. Its great entertainment!

8. I wish we lived in Jackson and still owned the restaurant for the sole reason that I would never have to cook.

9. I feel like the washing machines and the hampers have a plot against me and somehow something is ALWAYS in one of them.

10. My house is a mess

11. I've been avoiding cleaning it by making this list.

Sunday Tea? Yes Please!

2011-01-24T10:11:00.005-06:00

So yesterday, the girls were invited to a birthday party. It was a joint birthday party for two cute little girls. The theme was Tea and Top Hats and oh my goodness it was ADORABLE! The place was decorated so cute and they had 2 "Southern Belles" there to do make up and "doll up" the guests. The food was yummy and the girls had a ball swirling and twirling around. Here are some of the pics.

Anna and I twirled too..

This is Erin. She works with Ken and is the mommy of the birthday girls.
Great Job on the party Erin! We had a blast! Thanks for having us!!

Food

2011-01-16T22:57:00.002-06:00

Let me start off by saying Addison is a picky eater. I dont know if its the toddler stage or what. But its like torture getting that girl to eat something of sustenance! Her favorite foods at the moment: White rice and Frosted flakes Cereal. How's that for being true to the blog title!? :) Its not quite meatloaf but I think its close enough.

I tend to cook a mixture of American and Chinese food when I cook. From stir frys, to casseroles and almost everything in between. And throughout all of the dishes i've served Addison the constant seems to be cereal and rice. So I've decided to expand my repertoire and I wanted to ask for your feedback. What was a fave dish of yours as a kid? Or if you have kids what do they like to eat? And any tips for sneaking in veggies?

Night time ramblings of a crazy Asian

2011-01-07T00:54:00.002-06:00

omg i'm old. wanna know how i know? Because I drank a coke tonight. a large coke from mcdonalds. AND I'm Wiiiiide awake. STILL! 3 hours after the fact. What the heck?! I used to be able to drink 2 large caffeinated drinks and go straight to bed. I'd be out by the time my head hit the pillow. Oh well. The kitchen is clean and the playroom is semi picked up so I guess it wasnt all for naught. (like that? I've been rereading the Scarlet Letter so my mind drifts in and out of that old world language.) Dost thou judge me? hahah. I know, I know, I'm a weirdo. but hey Mrs. Clark would be so proud. hm, now that I think about it. I'm not sure Mrs. Clark was the one who made us read that book... Maybe it was Mrs. Norville in middle school English. Oh well, I digress.
Since Ken got me a Kindle for Christmas, I've decided to reread all the classics. "Why?" You may ask. Well, 1. because most of them are free and 2. because I never really took the time to read and appreciate them when I read them in school. And I'm curious to see if I "get" them now. :) So next on the list is Emma by Jane Austen. Actually, I've never read that one but it seemed interesting and I remember having the hardest time getting into Pride and Prejudice back in school. So we'll see how that goes. :)

Wow, didnt mean to go so in depth about my reading schedule. haha. Oh Caffeine. I'm going to pay for being up this late tomorrow morning.

So lets see what else is new of interest in the old England abode?... Anna finally got her two bottom teeth. She's working on crawling but still not getting it.. Addison is working on Potty training and is doing REALLY good. We've been at it for a week now and she's getting it slowly but surely. And A.J., she's A.J. - going stir crazy and wanting to do gymnastics, piano, etc. etc. etc. Chinese school starts up again on Saturday so hopefully that'll occupy her a little but I've got to find something for her to do to expell some of that pent up energy. Speaking of pent up energy, I need to go and finish a couple of crafts while I'm on this sugar/ caffeine high. I'm recovering a highchair pad, finishing up some pendants/ rings, making some hair bows, and doing a little mending! Oh and that reminds me, I've got a photo coaster tutorial that is SUPER Easy and CHEAPO that I'll post here soon. I made a set for my in laws for Christmas and they turned out really cute. So start picking out some pics and get ready to start making some cute Valentines presents for parents, grandparents, etc.

night yall!

A Glimpse into Annie's Mind... what could be scarier? ;)

2010-10-07T12:25:00.006-05:00

My mind works in tunnels... er. wormholes is probably more appropriate. Remember that image of Jodi Foster in the movie Contact- where she's in the chair flying through tunnels and then dropping into wormholes, then flying through another tunnel only to end up at a clear destination of a beach.. well that's the best way to describe how my mind works.

So if you're still interested come along on a journey with me and keep reading! :)

Getting in the chair and strapping in: Last weekend Ken and I watched the movie 2012. Then two nights ago I watched a show on the History Channel about 2012. And they spoke about how the Mayan calendar (which is apparently really precise) ends on December 21st,2012. And they went on to talk about how the Chinese have a book called the I- Ching that ends on the same date, and of course they brought in all kinds of stories about people prophesying the end of the world as we know it. Most of the time, my reaction would be "click" - change the channel. I don't know what the pull was that kept me watching it (maybe it was the movie being fresh on my mind) Anyway, I watched the whole show which got me all worked up because they had said that astronomers and science had confirmed that Dec. 21, 2012 is when the earth and a bunch of other planets come completely in line with the sun which could cause polar shifts, etc. etc. Sounds plausible. Well being a mom this had me all worked up. I'm not so much worried about it being an apocalypse because if that's the case we're ok. But what if its not the end of the world and it just means some really traumatic geological stuff is going to happen? It physically hurts me to imagine not being able to save my children from harm.

Enter my constant spell of worrying...

Tunnel: So, for the past couple of days I've been pondering what I would do if some major natural catastrophe were to strike. Possible scenarios, Where would I go, What would I do, How can I plan or prepare in order to keep my family safe (thats the major one). Sure I can pack an emergency kit, maybe even pack one of our hiking backpacks to be ready to go... (yes, I'm that crazy that I would do that- don't judge me! ;)

Wormhole: So I started to create a little mental list. For example, each person would need a change of clothes, (something warm, waterproof, and lightweight). The girls would want their blankie... so have to pack that.. And then first aid kit, trash bags, flint stick, knives, tent, sleeping bags, food and water. Then I looked around my house to see if there was anything else that we would "need" and it was like my eyes were opened for the first time.

Beach: We have so much that falls under the category of "want" it was very grounding. Yes, I was always keenly aware that there are others out there that have far less than we do but it didn't quite hit home until today. WE ARE SOOO BLESSED! Our closets and drawers are beyond full, the toyboxes/ baskets are overflowing, we have so much stuff that we don't know where to put it all. It was a really good reality check to have especially since the holiday season is gearing up. I've already been eying Christmas presents and cute matching Christmas outfits for my girls for the past two weeks now.

Back to Earth: But now with this realization I've had today it makes me think.. Some of my favorite presents were presents that were "thoughtful presents" not just filler presents (ie. more boxes to open). Toys and clothes get outgrown, is there something that you received as a child that has always stuck with you?

As for the end of the world stuff. I'll probably have a bag packed just in case. ;)

And do the same exercise... If something were to happen and all you could take with you had to fit in a backpack.. what would it be? Then take an inventory of your belongings.

Its finally here!!

2010-10-03T23:39:00.009-05:00

Its my absolute favorite time of year... The air is crisp, the leaves are changing and the relentless summer heat finally gives way to the refreshing breezes! Oh FALL! I've missed you!

One of my favorite family traditions is going to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkins. We've gone every year starting when AJ was 2 months old.

This pic is us and anna from this year... (4 months)

This is us and AJ when she was 2 months old..

LOOK at Ken's bald head! Skinny man. ;)

This is Addison at 5 months old

Its always such a great time and the kids always have so much fun. There's the sandbox, concessions, facepainting, music, inflatables, pony rides, a petting zoo and of course the hay ride to the main pumpkin patch!

This year we invited our good friends the Pattersons and the Cowles along.

Homer and Addison had fun running around and exploring.

And AJ and Claire are bestest buds.

Here are some of the pics we took. I guess you can tell that Halloween is getting close because almost every picture I got on my camera at least one person was making a funny face... Although I don't think it was on purpose. :) Take a gander and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Happy Fall!!!!

Adventures Past the Mason Dixon

2010-09-20T09:48:00.009-05:00

This past weekend, Ken, AJ and I had a much needed mini vacation! We traveled up to NJ for my friends Ria and Mark's wedding (AJ was the flowergirl) and got an invitation from my wonderful friend Ashley to stay at her family beach house in Ocean City! It was Ken and AJ's first time past the Mason Dixon line and we learned so much. We learned all kinds of things like: 1. there are bandit cabbies who will try to rip you off. 2. I sound southern. 3. Chaos is bound to ensue when all my friends get together and 4.we learned some new vocabulary. :) The first night was spent with Ashley at her family beach house - which was AWESOME! In the first hour that we arrived, we learned/ tried three new things. Ashley walked us down the boardwalk and we had some Magical Pizza at Mack and Manco's.
Tried Birch Beer. Which is like rootbeer- but better.. The waiter asked if we wanted White Spinach and Red Spinach on our pizza... Feigning confidence in our choice we just blindly chose one. After the waiter left Ashley kindly explained that white Spinach pizza doesnt have sauce and red Spinach does! For a second there we thought there were different types of Spinach up north. lol! After Pizza, we went to Shriver's candy store and got some yummy fudge and licorice laces. Then we headed down to the arcade/ amusement park.. We bought our tickets for the rides and whaddya know.. it started pouring and they closed the rides. We did get in one ride on the carousel though, thanks to Ashley charming the ride operator. :) We played in the arcade for a bit then headed back to the beach house- occasionally ducking into a shop or under an awning in a futile effort to avoid the downpour. We finally gave up and just walked in the rain which was fun for me since my parent never let me play in the rain. (I know, I know- I was deprived as a child. :) )
The next morning, we had some delicious breakfast at Brown's. On the menu- typical breakfast fare: doughnuts, eggs, bacon, sausage, scrapple, pork rolls.. I know, I know- SCRAPPLE?! Pork Rolls?! haha! Ken and I were intrigued. Scrapple- Also referred to as Pon Haus is basically leftover parts of pork combined with spices and cornmeal formed into a loaf, sliced and then fried. Ken ordered the scrapple which is actually pretty good. As for the Pork Rolls, Ashley let me try a bite of hers and that was REALLY good. Apparently in North Jersey, its referred to as Taylor Ham. For all of us southerners - its like fried balogna. YUM! YUM!

After we had brunch, we went for a walk on the beach. Alexis was playing in the waves lapping up on the shore when she lost her balance and face planted in the water. IN HER CLOTHES. It was so comical. Her foot sank into the sand and she lost her flipflop and as she was trying to right herself, she stumbled and in what seemed like slow motion, her face turned from a bright smile to a "oh no, oh no! I'm going down and I can't stop it" look.
We all couldn't stop laughing. After that, we decided to skip the boardwalk and let her play in the ocean in all of her clothes. An hour later we had to practically drag the child out of the ocean. She had so much fun playing and her shorts were absolutely soaked she had to hold them up to keep her undies from showing! After we cleaned up it was time to pack up and head to the resort for the wedding festivities.

Ria and Mark had an abbreviated version of the Indian Wedding Ceremony and it was beautiful. A bunch of my friends from High School made the trip as well and we had so much fun. Alexis made friends with a couple of girls at the reception and had a blast running around. Ken lost a game of ping pong to Marty now has to call him Uncle Marty.

Saturday morning, AJ went into Atlantic City with her new friends to walk on the beach and boardwalk and found a massive clam shell. In the meantime, Ken and I had lunch with Sarah's beaux Sean and watched some football. Not spelled with a U OR a W - Eli! :) Then it was wedding time! Here are some pictures of the beautiful flower girl.
The ceremony was great and the groom's mother sang Ave Maria so beautifully. The wedding and reception was held at the Carriage House and it was amazing -The food was awesome- I'm drooling thinking about the shrimp nachos they had- and the mashed potato bar was awesome. and I've got too many pics to post here so you'll have to check out my shutterfly site.

Congratulations Mark and Ria!!

Then Sunday came and it turned out to be a great down time day. We had a breakfast in the main dining hall and ran into a bunch of the late nighters.. 2 of which had YET to go to sleep and listened to stories of riding in Eli's Semi, Ginga and all the other craziness, lounged around the pool, then packed up and flew home. We had such an amazing time and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!

To see more pics of the trip check out our shutterfly account. www.englandfamily.shutterfly.com

(fyi- Some of the pictures were taken by AJ- hence the weird angles and the finger in the pics :)

PS> Ken found SCRAPPLE at Publix yesterday! We didn't buy any - but its there! In the frozen meat section for any of you who'd like to try it! :)

Playdate at the Gardens

2010-09-12T23:45:00.008-05:00

Anna is 4 months old today!

So today was a gorgeous day! We had a nice little visit with Ken's parents this morning, Sold Ken's Camaro ( WOOOHOOOO!!!) and then Addison, Anna and I had a last minute playdate with my best friend Erika and her adorable little boy Homer! We went to the botanical gardens and had a little snack picnic for the babies and just watched them run around. It was awesome! The sun was out and there was a nice breeze. It gets me so excited to know that fall is around the corner! Its my absolute favorite season!!! And being outside was so refreshing.. I really needed it and it wore the babies out.

Here are a few pics of the outing.

Here's a pic of me failing to properly paci train Anna.
I think she's been watching Addison. What do you think? ;)

And as a bonus- here's a video of Addison dancing. :) She's a dancing machine.

Update!

2010-09-11T11:17:00.009-05:00

So its been a while since I've posted and I know I promised to be better at posting but MAN, this whole stay at home mom thing is not as easy as I remembered it to be! To be fair, the last time I was a SAHM I had ONE child and now I have THREE!

So let me catch you up quickly:
Alexis is in second grade and is doing WONDERFULLY! She's so smart! She's also cheering for the Hoover Raiders and absolutely loves it! She cheers CONSTANTLY and believe me when I say I am not exaggerating. The child cheers in the shower, getting dressed, eating, .. you name it.

Addison is growing like a weed and her vocabulary is expanding by the day. Its so fun to watch her little personality develop. The child is an animal! :) She's always good for a laugh! She'll dance, boss her big sister around and OMG she's become Obsessed with her little sister Anna! From the time she gets up till its time for bed she's constantly saying "an-na" "an-na". She'll hug her, try to pick her up, give her kisses and even try to give her a paci or a bottle. Its so cute.

Anna- my sweet little baby. She turns 4 months old tomorrow and she has grown into quite a little chunk considering she was only 6 lbs 2 oz when she was born. :) She has the absolute sweetest disposition and is always smiling. She's so happy and content it almost makes me want another.. haha! I said ALMOST! haha!

So I am constantly being asked, how is being at home?.. whats it like having 2 under 2?
Well, Being at home is wonderful. I feel so blessed that I am able to spend the important first few years of my babies' lives watching them grow and develop. But I have to be honest- being at home isnt the cake walk I remembered it to be! Yes, SOMETIMES I take naps during the day because I usually dont get to bed until midnight and then maybe one or both babies wake up in the early am hours and then there's getting up to get AJ's lunch and ken's coffee made before they head out at 7:30. With a toddler who is into EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME, its hard to keep the house picked up and all the household duties done daily so that's my greatest hurdle at the moment. I have great expectations of myself being a stay at home mom and I get frustrated when I don't meet my goal for the day/ week, etc. So I'm still working on that. and having 2 under 2? its constant but not as bad as i imagined- chaos wise. i have them on similar sleep schedules so when they're napping its awesome and when theyre awake- its like an adventure. hahah! you never know whats going to happen. But thats what keeps it fun. :) All in all I think the following picture best illustrates my life at times...

hmm.. what else?...
Ken's doing well. Working hard as always and finishing up his last semester of grad school. I'm so proud of how hard he works. He does an amazing job at work, has a 4.0 in school and still stays involved with the girls. :) He's like superman to me.So that's pretty much it for now. Have a great weekend!
ps. the pics of anna and addison were taken by my friend AMY CARSON! She's awesome. Check out her blog http://acpgallery.wordpress.com/

Ruffles and Lobster Tails

2010-04-29T21:18:00.002-05:00

After dinner tonight we decided to let Addison have another try at getting messy with her cake.

We figured- maybe she was just shy and didn't want to be in the spotlight on Sunday so this would be great! It was just Ken, Addison and me in the kitchen (AJ was in the shower). So I put the cake in front of her expecting total obliteration... She stuck her finger in it and whined. So I thought "OK! maybe it would work better if I cut a big piece to put on her high chair... So i cut off a big piece and cut it into pieces to entice her to pick it up and eat.. Still nothing. She sat there with a look of horror on her face. As if to say... "what am I supposed to do with that?!" I turn to Ken "what the heck?! What child doesn't want cake and icing?!" He said, "I bet you she'd eat ruffles.. The girl likes salty stuff" So we grab the bag of ruffles and what do you know?! She ate a TON! hah!

I hated to let all that yummy cake go to waste so I asked Ken, "Can AJ have this small corner piece with the flower?" He proceeds to shoot me a look and said "THE GIRL HAD LOBSTER TAIL FOR DINNER! THAT WAS HER DESSERT! Not to mention a half rack of baby back ribs and mashed potatoes! .. Do you know when I first had lobster!? It was after I married you! And we ate crab when we went down to the beach and CAUGHT IT OURSELVES!!!"

bahahahah!

What can I say- the girl has expensive tastes!
She loves lobster, crab legs and shrimp!

I JUST had a baby!

2010-04-29T12:50:00.018-05:00

Well not really.. but this time last year I was in that state of shock, bliss and happiness because Miss Addison Salee England was just born! 12:21 pm to be exact. Its insane to think that a whole year has passed so quickly. Addison is a toddler now. She still prefers crawling as it allows her to escape from whomever is chasing her faster. But we work on walking at night and she is doing sooo well! My mom has been such an angel and helping her practice so she can take a good 6 - 8 steps or so!

She is a girl on the go! Most of the time her body moves faster than her feet and she face plants but she's a tough girl and is ready to get up and try it again. Oh did I mention she's completely fearless? The child scrambles up and down the stairs and she LOVES to climb.
I caught her trying to scale the drawer handles in the kitchen.. I've heard of moms finding their climber kids on top of the fridge.. I'm hoping i'm not one of them! :) Thankfully, I think the top of my fridge is just too cluttered for anything else to fit up there! Her favorite toy at the moment.. This big box.

She is such a loving girl and absolutely ADORES her big sissy AJ. Its funny to watch them play and see how different their personalities are.
Lately she's been infatuated with Ken too. Always banging at the window or screen door squealing DaDa!!!! He'll turn and wave back at her then she'll look at me with her little squished up smile like "did you see that? he waved at me!"

Life has been hectic this year but very good nonetheless. Here are some pics from her party we had on Sunday. AJ did a great job putting together the paper flowers for the centerpieces/ favors, we made a banner, and decorated some water bottles. It was a lot of fun and Addison almost lasted the entire party!

So here's to you our sweet Addison...

The youngest of our household for one whole year...
We love you and Happy 1st Birthday!!!!

A Fresh Start

2010-04-23T15:11:00.005-05:00

OK, its time for us to start over. I admit, I've done a horrible job keeping this blog updated but times they are a changin'... This spring is my renewal.. I'm starting fresh! So get ready guys because I'm back and i'm bigger than ever... no really.. i am!

Here are a few maternity pics to prove it! (Courtesy of Amy Carson - http://www.acpgallery.com/) And yes you can say it.. "Didn't you JUST have a baby this time last year?!" Yes, Yes I did. What can I say- "Oops I did it again!" Addison turns ONE next week and her birthday party is this Sunday. I'm still working on all the little details but will post pics soon! My little baby is going to be a big sister! And soon you will get to hear all the fun details of what life is like for me as a stay at home mom with 2 under two and a 6 year old who's going on 16! EEK! Fun times though right?! right?!!!

Meet Miss Addison Salee England

2009-07-29T12:53:00.003-05:00

Meet Miss Addison Salee England!
Born April 29, 2009

She's 3 Months Old today! And is such a good baby girl now!

When you have one child and you have a second- you think you know how to do everything and what to expect. So not true! From the beginning Addison showed us that she's different. Temperament, Reflux, etc.

And Alexis couldn't be more of a doting sister! Its absolutely beautiful to see how motherly and loving she is with Addison.

Addison is cooing, recognizing people and starting to sit up! Such a big girl!

Has it been 9 months already?!

2009-04-22T13:26:00.003-05:00

Wow, so its been a long time since we've updated this.

Life is going good. And as Ken likes to say "happy to have a job, happy to be here"
AJ is finishing up Kindergarten and is reading EVERYTHING in sight. She's at the top of her class and is liking school much better. She has a new little boyfriend/ crush named Conner and apparently EVERYONE in the class adores him. She's also discovered the wonders of Star wars and has been enjoying watching EVERY Star Wars movie with Ken. Which is so nice.

Its hard to believe that our second child will be here so soon ( I'm 38 weeks now). Bulging and soo ready. With 2 trips to the hospital (1 with early labor - which they stopped and the second with contractions that stopped on their own) I am just ready to hold Addison in my arms!

I think Ken and AJ are ready too. AJ is being such a big girl about it all and helping get things ready and picking things out for Addison. Ken is a little preoccupied with a big event at work this week... And is praying that Addison doesn't decide to make her debut on Saturday during the big event. But I think we're ready.. Monica and Kaylee are still living with us and Kaylee has just started crawling so its definitely going to be a tight fit in the house!

TELEPHONE!!!

2008-09-07T12:32:00.002-05:00

AJ is entering a new phase in her life.. She's beginning to use the telephone, answer it, etc. Here are a few funny things we've heard her say or do in the past couple weeks.

1) Phone Rings- AJ picks up- Hello?-(its a telemarketer)- Hello?.. (voice getting louder).... "Is it waining dere?" "I AM talking to you- Hello? Is it waining dere?!" (Our phone lines are super staticky) Ken takes the phone from her and the telemarketer had hung up.. hahah! I guess thats one way to get rid of them.

2) Zack calls for Ken - AJ answers. They chat about her first day of school... then she cuts him off "Hey, you wanna talk to your buddy?" hahahah!

3) A mom from our soccer team calls and leaves a message while Ken and I are out of the house. I come back in the kitchen and I see her stool by the phone... "AJ? Why is your stool in here?" AJ- "well a lady called and she gave her number and told us to call her back so I was trying to call her back but I couldn't reach the numbers..."

A New Chapter

2008-08-11T14:23:00.003-05:00

So here we are opening a new chapter to our lives. AJ has decided that she wants to be called Alexis now and I guess that's just the Kindergartener in her coming out. Today is her third day to be a Kindergartener and she likes it for the most part. Ken and I walked her into the school and were trying to get her into the classroom when we were stopped in the hall. They didn't allow parents past a certain point... It broke our hearts... "You mean we can't walk her in? But we have her school supplies...." The lady took the supplies and another woman started to lead AJ off to her classroom... BUT.. WAIT! We didn't get to hug her yet! I mean - we have been preparing for this for a while but we never thought it would be so soon or so abrupt...

We have had to make a lot of adjustments lately. Monica has moved in with Kaylee and things are going pretty well. We all get along and we have started to settle into a routine but AJ is having it rough with the new baby... Its hard not being the center of attention anymore... So we're working with her. Giving her our undivided attention at times and doing things specifically with her and for her and at the same time being careful not to spoil her with attention... After all this is going to be a long term thing and she's going to have to get used to the idea that she won't be the only child forever... Right?...

Summertime!

2008-06-04T11:18:00.003-05:00

Well its the last summer before AJ officially begins school. She'll start Kindergarten in the fall. I can hardly believe it. And I know it sounds so cliche but it REALLY does feel like not too long ago I was pregnant with her and all the time has flown by so quickly. Its amazing to see her grow- and not just physically but mentally. She's got a few phrases that she repeats now. Like "awesome" and "that's cool". It cracks us up when she does that. It just seems so weird for a little girl saying things like that. Oh and the other thing she's stuck on now.. is "I love you mommy/daddy" or "I think you're pretty/ handsome" which is so cute and really sweet but the funny thing is When she says it. Like its usually if she's procrastinating eating, bored or if she knows she's in trouble.
Anyway, I think she's overall pretty well prepared for the big K. She's reading a little and loves it and she wants to ride the bus desparately. I just don't know if I'm ready for her to ride the bus...

Disneyland

2008-05-03T21:05:00.012-05:00

A little more about the Disneyland trip. First of all let me say I was a little nervous about taking AJ to California. We had to fly from Birmingham to Dallas- Fort Worth to L.A. Even with the time change working in our favor (on our way there), it was a long trip. Add onto that all the drama of American Airlines canceling hundreds of flights, I was a nervous wreck. But much to my surprise everything went smoothly. Way better than I could have hoped for actually. We had no problems checking in at the airport, AJ behaved well and the flight attendants were so great! OH and on top of that... We got ALL of our luggage there AND back! HOORAY!

The cab ride to Anaheim was heinous... No AC and the cabbie could NOT drive. We were lucky we made it there alive... and without anyone getting carsick.. me especially.

So we finally made it to the Hilton and it was FANTASTIC!
AJ was particularly thrilled that we had our own bathroom that we didn't have to share with other people. She went on and on and "OOOHH!! Look! We have our own TV! ooohhh we have our own closet and our own window!" It was really funny. But we didn't stay in the room long, we headed off to the parks almost immediately. After a really long- roundabout walk to the park we had a great first evening at the Disneyland Park and rode some rides.. On the way home we decided to ask around and see if there was a shorter way to the park and there was! Much shorter way. All we had to do was to ride the tram to the first stop. Get off and walk through the parking lot and across the street to our hotel! This was not going to be so bad!

The next morning AJ and I got up and dressed and headed to the Disneyland Hotel for Breakfast with Goofy in Goofy's Kitchen. Well when we walked across the parking lot I noticed that there weren't any cars in there.. No big deal I thought.. they must not have opened the parking lot yet.
So we walked the same route the tram ran and made it to the Main Park entrance.
(Well it turns out they closed that parking lot and the trams that ran to it for the week for construction... So we ended up walking it 4 times a day... It turned out to be good exercise!)

We got turned around a few times but AJ never complained and when we finally got to the breakfast AJ had a blast! It was worth all the walking.

After Breakfast, we headed to the park and began our routine: play at the park until lunch, eat, and then walk back to the hotel for pool time and rest until Ken got out of classes. Then we would head out again, eat supper, play at the park and then head back to the hotel. And so went our days. It was so much fun and the one thing that I must say about Disneyland is that it is the PERFECT Size if you are trying to keep up with a little one. The lines weren't too long and if you waited until late night you could practically ride all the rides that usually had long lines without waiting! Ken rode Splash Mountain TWICE! And he got his own log! We had the best vacation ever!!!

Catching Up!

2008-05-03T20:43:00.006-05:00

It has been a very busy past few weeks.
We spent a wonderful week at Disneyland and we all had a blast!
AJ was such a well behaved princess!
You can check out those pictures at
www.englandfamily.shutterfly.com

And last weekend AJ had her last ballet recital at Dawson!
It was so cute and she did such a great job!
She's the second from the left on the back row..
The lighting quality wasn't the best.. but its all I could do!

Horizon Wireless!

2008-03-19T09:44:00.003-05:00

As AJ was getting dressed this morning, she ran into my room all excited. "Hey Mommy! (holding the tag of her shirt) LOOK! My shirt is from horizon wireless!" Verizon Wireless? I looked at the tag... "no AJ, that's not Verizon Wireless. That's NIKE!" Too Cute! haha! What a way to start the day.

4 is SO Big!

2008-02-26T12:55:00.003-06:00

In the mornings, when I wake up, my sole responsibility is to get AJ up, dressed and ready for Ken to take her to school. Then after they leave, I get ready and go to work myself. Monday morning, I woke up exhausted and too tired to get out of bed. So Ken woke AJ up. She dressed herself, packed her backpack, put on her socks and did her hair and got herself ready. When did this happen? It all creeps up on you. One moment you're changing diapers and warming bottles, the next moment your baby is saying "that's awesome!" and gettting herself ready for school. And on the way out of the door she yells "love you mommy! Don't forget to turn off the lights!" (she's been doing that since she was 3) I can hardly believe my little girl is getting so big!