Lions & Tigers & Bears Oh My!!!

We celebrated the end of a great week with a trip to the zoo!

I was so glad our friends Emily & Durham could join us for our fun morning. It was an absolutely perfect morning to see the animals. I was surprised by how much Durham and Mary Stewart really enjoyed seeing the animals. There was lots of waving and blowing kisses to the the animals & of course the bigger the animal the better!

Emily & I heard quite a few comments on the cute twins!

I have to say my first outing with my new stroller was a success! So excited to have it.

After the zoo and before the car ride home, we needed to stretch our legs. Durham found all the sticks

while Mary Stewart ran around checking things out.

Thanks Emily & Durham for a wonderful Morning & Thanks Ya Ya & Poppy for the zoo membership!!!

Savoring the Sweetness!

Recently my mom asked me if I realized how often I used the word sweet. I thought about it and then she reminded gave me some examples about how sweet is all over this here blog! However I can't think of another word/ adjective to describe this season of life with Mary Stewart. So bear with me as I savor the sweetness of an 18 month old! Just tonight Matthew said, " I can't believe she is a year and half. That sounds so old!"

The last few weeks have been delightful. This is such a fun age. Her vocabulary is expanding and I love watching her get tickled. It is so neat to watch her make connections and put things together. Her new word is "Choo Choo" as she says it whenever we hear the train pass by. The other day we were on the square & I heard it coming so I took her to watch the train pass & it was so fun to see her get so delighted as she finally saw the "Choo Choo" she has been hearing. Several people have commented on how she is so active! Mary Stewart is either non stop, or sleeping...... that is the Donald in her! I hate to say that it seems she is pretty fearless. Mary Stewart doesn't think twice about climbing, sliding, or running despite the height or distance!

It also continues to amaze me how well she can understand simple commands. She loves the bath and I am excited to see her this summer in the pool. Curious George continues to amaze her. There is something about that cute little monkey. "George" is one of the words she is saying these days. Lately she has become very affectionate giving lots of love to her favorite dog, Maggie. Mary Stewart loves to give kisses and hugs to all and it is the sweetest thing. I am so thankful for the loving personality and the sweet nature the Lord has blessed Mary Stewart with. I pray that she will continue to grow in these traits and that we will nurture her in these areas. I look forward to seeing her love on her little sister in the months to come.

It is so hard to get a picture of her these days as she is constantly moving, but her daddy tried and we got a few!

She is constantly on the move exploring!

Maggie dog is never far from us......

Yesterday I was talking my friend Kasey whose little girl is the same age as Mary Stewart and pretty much her body double, about how fun and enjoyable this age it.

I just want to savor the sweetness of it......

It wasn't a fad....

Yes I'm still couponing & saving lots! CVS has some great deals this week. Look at what I got for $20!!!!



Notice the 2 boxes of diapers!!! First time I've bought 2 different sizes!
So for $20 I got:
-170 diapers
- 2 dawn dish soap
-1 crest pro health toothpaste
-1 contact solution
-1 Loreal blush
-2 bags of Starburst Jelly beans ( stocking up for the Easter baskets)

I walked out on a coupon high.
It's definitely not a fad.....

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Sweet Friends!

When we first moved to Atlanta almost 5 years ago..... Crazy as that sounds, we knew no one. My sweet friend from camp Laura Anne put me in touch with her college roommate Katy who was also newly married and living in Atlanta. We decided to meet with the husbands for dinner & a movie. Katy & Paul brought along there new friends Ben & Mary Catherine (Katy & MC were in nursing school together). We all just clicked & have been good friends ever since. We all had girls within a year of each other & this past Sunday we celebrated Mary Francis baptism. We all live in different parts of the city, so I don't see these sweet girls near enough!

Charlotte & Mary Catherine, Katy & Mary Francis, Me & Mary Stewart!

Me & Mary Stewart, Katy & Maddie, Mary Catherine & Charlotte, Jenny & Emalyn

(Mary Francis was at home napping)

I also had to throw this picture in that has our dear friend Jenny & her girls Maddie & Emalyn in it. They were part of our sweet group & then moved back to Nashville. We cherish our visits and are looking forward to our beach trip this fall with everyone!!

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I'll Take It!

I'm on a blogging roll this week....



Sadly Mary Stewart got hit with a virus on Tuesday evening. Our days have been filled with cuddling, George (Curious George, our favorite monkey ever), and less than appealing bland food choices.



I'd be lying if I didn't tell you how much I have loved being at home with her ALL day the past 3 days. So while I don't wish this bug on anyone, I'll take the cuddles, the extra time in the rocking chair, & the snuggles in front of George. I know this one on one time with Mary Stewart is precious!



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Mardi Gras..... Georgia Style!

In Louisiana everyone gets excited about Mardi Gras! There's king cake, colorful parades& costumes, beads,chasing chickens (yes chickens & it's quite fun) and just another excuse to "Let the Good Times Roll." This year we were especially excited for Mardi Gras because that meant Matthew's family all had vacation (South Louisiana basically shuts down for 3 days!) and were coming to Georgia to Camp D! It seems the times when all of Matthew's siblings, parents, and spouses schedules align is becoming fewer are farther between, so we have been looking forword to this weekend for a long time.

The weather was mostly cold and rainy but it gave great reason to stay in pj's, play games, watch home videos, and eat all of the delicious food Dee Dee prepared. Mary Stewart was very much in her element with all of her aunts and uncles adoring all over her! It truly was such a sweet time.

Mary Stewart & Uncle B

There were no parades or beads, there was a king cake that got devoured very quickly, but I'd have to say this was definitely one of my sweeter Mardi Gras!

I thought she had Dee Dee wrapped, I was wrong....She has Papa tied around her finger!!!

I love this picture of Nathan

My Sweet Family of 3....won't be able to say that for much longer!

Brothers.......

Thankful for sweet memories!

Fab Four

I could blog for days on my sweet friends from college. We were given the name, Fab 4 and totally embraced it. The Lord was sweet to bring us together and keep us so close through the years. Our times since then have been hit or miss. Suzanne is in Shreveport with Alex (who was Matthew's roommate & we both started dating at the same time, fun story). They have Perry who is 3 weeks younger than Mary Stewart.

There is Lee & Brad with sweet baby James in Baton Rouge (Brad was my prom date junior year, just fun trivia for you). James is 8 months & precious.

Katharine (whom I have known since I was probably 5, we grew up just miles apart), Phelps & Ella (14 months) live in Charlotte, NC (we think Ella & Mary Stewart would make great freshman roomates at LSU!).

After several emails and lots of spontinatiy, the fab 4 and the babies reunited over winter break. Matthew's parents graciously let us use Camp D & it was perfect. Matthew kept asking what we were going to do? Were we going to get bored? I reminded him that we girls love to sit in our pj's, and talk and talk and talk all day long. In my mind it was perfect. The children played.

We talked and talked and ate and ate!

I was curious to see how things would go. I mean it has been 5 plus years and we in many ways are different people than we were then. It seemed as though time had stood still. Our time together was sweet, natural, refreshing and I was reminded we really haven't changed, are personalities are still the same.

Since the 8 of us never got out of the house at the same time, our picture opportunities were limited. We managed to get 1 picture of all of us, in our pj's none the less!

Thank you girls for the effort you made to get to North Georgia. Papa & Dee Dee thank you for the blessing that your home is!

(Mary Stewart says come back soon!)

I pray it's not another 5 years until we are together!