A little piece of Heaven...

Almost 6 years ago Josh and I moved to Mississippi from New Orleans.  We bought a house and planted our feet in the ground and watched as our family grew.  While Nola will always be my home, Mississippi is now home too.  I may eventually tell people I live in Mississippi when they ask where we are from instead of my "New Orleans, but we have been in Mississippi 5 and half years now" response.....  Maybe.

Mississippi is going to be our home for the long haul though...pending any other unforeseen circumstances or natural disasters.  Josh has a great job, we have wonderful friends, and my parents moved up here by us and are five minutes away.  I do miss all my family in Nola, but life here is pretty good.  And so last month we purchased our second piece of property in Mississippi.  This is what I like to call our "little piece of heaven."

This second piece of property is about 25 minutes from our current home.  We have no plans to move our  here permanently, but instead to build a much smaller home on it for the weekends.  You see this piece of property is water front.  On a lake, that you can boat on, ski on, swim in and fish.

My parents always owned some type of waterfront piece of proptery, so I grew up on water.  Be it a bayou , a river or the Gulf of Mexico.  Their primary residence used to be on the Jordan River, that was until Katrina took that away from them.  No the land is still there, but they sold it, because the  heart ache was just too much to experience twice in one's life.  So we fully plan on sharing this "little piece of heaven" with them too.

The kids are excited.  I'm not sure if it's the waterfront location or the bunk room we promised them, with three built in bunk beds....one for each of them.

It's a big, scary step for Josh and I, but I'm sure it is one we will be so happy we took one day.

The kids and my husband, love to go out and see the property.  This is where our new sea wall is going to be.     Noah is already asking to go back and watch them fill it in with the cement.

One day in the not too distance future, we plan on putting something that looks a little like this on it.

Noah wants it to be green just like this one....Meredith is hoping for pink or blue.  

This will be the first framed photograph to go into our new little cottage on the lake

And I'm sure we will spend many a weekend and summer days our here at the lake, making memories we will cherish forever.  Thank you Joshua, for making this dream come true!

A letter to the caboose about her dad

Dear Caboose,

In less than 4 weeks (3 weeks and 4 days to be exact) you will make your arrival via c-section.  I cannot wait, but am terrified and not ready at the same time!  I mean who really wants to be 9 months pregnant in June....the heat index yesterday 114.  I kid you not....feel the love my child!  Anyway as much as I am over being pregnant with the multiple middle of the night bathroom trips, the swollen feet and ankles, the fact that shirts are now riding up over my belly and nothing fits, the toting of the extra 30 pounds and my newest complaint the burning and severe lower abdominal pain around my previous c-sections scars and constant feeling that at any second you are going to fall right out...I love being pregnant with you.  Although I'm no fool.... taking care of you in my belly is a  hell of a lot easier than taking care of you outside, and I do get more sleep with you inside. But yes, even though you are easier to take care of inside, I am ready for you to come on out and meet the rest of the family.

Here are some things I want you to know....You are my baby, you are the one that I had to talk your dad into....although he gives in to most things I want pretty easily, so it wasn't hard at all.  In fact I think the conversation went like this...."I think I want a third baby."  "Well I'm pretty happy with two, but if you want three okay."   See, he's super easy, I'm sure you will figure out the tricks one day to get what you want too.  And I think it was so easy because deep down, he really secretly wanted a third baby too.  I'll be honest when we were dating I told him I definitely wanted three and possibly even 4.  He told me he would think about 1, but was definitely not doing 4.  Well look where we are now....I'm so glad that he loves me so damn much.  Although I asked about the possibility of you getting a little brother or sister one day and he said absolutely not.  That's the other thing with your dad....he has limits, don't push him past them.....and you will know what those limits are.  Three kids is his limit.

But you caboose, along with Meredith and Noah, are damn lucky.  You have been blessed with one of the greatest dads in the world.  He occasionally works very long hours and lots of late nights and weekends when he is on call, but when he's not he tries to be home in time for dinner and to spend some time with you all.  He leaves earlier to start earlier to get home earlier.  And when he comes home he hangs up one hat to put on another and do that job even better than the first.  He walks in and the first thing he does is kiss me and the tikes hello, gushes about how much he missed us and then he asks about you.  He asks what he can help with around the house like dinner and then if there isn't grass to be cut, trash to be taken out, a fire to put out in the kitchen, a dishwasher to be unloaded, he will get right down on the ground and start playing.

After playtime he helps your sister and brother set the table and when we are finished eating he clears the table and does the dishes while I sit with my swelling feet up.  We then play some more or talk about our days and before you know it, it is bath and bed time.  We used to rotate bath nights, but because you have made it increasingly difficult to lean over the tub to bathe the tikes, he has now taken over that duty as well.  Once everyone is tucked tight into bed, I climb into mine.  He then retires to his office to finish up office work he left undone to get home earlier, but he also picks up the house, sometimes does a little laundry, folds laundry I didn't get to and multiple other things I take for granted.  Not to mention refill my water glass a million times a night so I don't have to.  I'm spoiled.

Before he comes to bed he lets the dog out once more, checks on the tikes to make sure they are snuggled in for the night and then crawls into bed feeling like his day is not long enough and he hardly got anything accomplished.  If he only knew how accomplished a man and father he is.  There isn't anyway he could be a more hands on father or a better father.  He has worries and work and deadlines, but we always see his happy face as Meredith would say.  He hardly ever raises his voice and has more patience than anyone I have ever met.   Now I'm not saying he won't get mad at you or correct you....because he will....I'm just saying you are lucky because he normally has a more rational and productive ways of handling things than your very dramatic mother.

So Margot, even though you won't be able to coo and look into your daddy's eyes this weekend, I just wanted you to know how special he is on your first father's day with him.  He is a hell of a guy and you are so blessed along with Meredith and Noah to have his as your daddy.  And I am even more blessed to have him as my husband and  partner through this journey in parenthood and life.

"Happy Father's day Joshua! From me and the tikes!"

Love,
mandi

The most amazing man...

Five years ago today I married the kindest, sweetest, most compassionate man in the world.  Lucky for me, he is also the most amazing husband and father.  Josh thank you for the past five years.  Thank you for all that you do for me and the kids.  Thank you for bringing me sunshine for the past five years and for promising to do it for the next fifty as well.  Thank you for the brownies you made from scratch last night that were waiting for me this morning and thank you for my gorgeous wooden bowl. 

Most of all thank you for loving me and choosing me to be your wife.  You complete me.

Love you so much!

Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints...Who dat!

Oh when the Saints go marching in, oh when the Saints go marching in...and baby I'm gonna be in that number, when the Saints march to Miami!

That's right, last night history was made in the NFL as well as in New Orleans.  My long awaited, beloved Saints won their championship game and with that scored a ticket to the Superbowl.  Typing these words seem surreal.  I'm not a big sports person.  I'm not even really emotional about sports and I have NEVER turned on ESPN, even  when my hard working husband has asked me too. ** edited to add-- I am very into Saints football...always have been....always will be....I was a season ticket holder for several years....I love me some saints football...anything else I could take or leave it ya know.....  This week has been a week of first for lots of things....

- my first playoff game
- my first NFC championship game
- my teams first NFC championship victory
- my teams first invite to attend the big dance
- the first time I turned on ESPN was this week and my husband wasn't even home
- the first time I cried at a Saint's game
- the first time I sat and prayed in the last 30 seconds of a game for a win
- I scored my first ever Superbowl tickets
- I will be attending the first Superbowl the Saints have EVER played in
- my first trip to Miami has been booked
- the first time I felt the caboose move and I happened to be in the dome!

The game was gut wrenching, emotional and one a hell of a football game.  I held my breath for the entire 2nd half.  I covered my eyes, my ears and cursed loudly.  At one point I considered listening to the game from the lady's restroom so I didn't have to see it.  It was all quickly becoming too much.  But in the end, in a miraculous overtime, in which we freaking won the coin toss and in which our kicker actually got the ball through the goal posts, we did it....who dat say dey gonna beat dem saints....not Minnesota!  not brett favre!


I was elated....here we are mere seconds later!

Our day started off great, we met up with some friends headed to the Big Easy for a late lunch, walked a little down Bourbon, and then headed to the dome. 

Upon arriving at the dome, it was wild.  More black and gold then you would ever dream off.  The New Orleanians were wild or as they say....crunk  ((v.) mixture of crazy and drunk).  Yes, New Orleanians have added a word to our vocabulary to describe the way of life during a Saint's game.

Our opponent was the Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback Brett Favre, who grew up in South Mississippi and lives a mere 10 minutes away from me.  I am essentially in Brett Country, which made living here the past two weeks a little tough, because I am not partial to Brett at all.  I don't get it, he lives here, but he plays for Minne-freaking-sota.  New Orleans is less then 2 hours away...pull for the home team!  Maybe I don't get it because I didn't grow up here or see him play in college, or maybe I'm just New Orleans through and through, but this city girl didn't feel too bad about winning the game.  Sure they played well, but we came out on top and that's a ball game.  Sorry Brett, but I'm glad my team is going to the Superbowl, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Upon arriving at the dome we saw plenty of these signs...

and plenty of these....

And you know they were both right!

Because when it came down to it, we pulled out a Victory.  In overtime...but, WOW! What a game!

Here we are with our friends, who are surprisingly still our friends after the game.  They were partial Brett Favre fans since they went to school with him and watched him play in college and they were partial Saints fans.  I *almost* felt bad cheering when they knocked Favre on the ground...almost being the key word.  Celebrating with the other 80,000 people our big WIN!

The dome was wild and I can only imagine the condition of the revelers and Saints fans that continued the party down on Bourbon!

So one more big WHO DAT!

And boys I'll see you in Miami!

The Saints are coming.....the saints are coming....the saints....

Much better

This weekend was fabulous.  Did you hear me?  FABULOUS!

We packed up the car and headed out Friday afternoon with not a care in the world.  We left our two little monkeys in the very good hands of their Mimi and hit the road.  We stopped for an impromptu dinner at Ruth's Chris then continued on to our hotel.  We checked in grabbed our coats and headed to the Bay front bar complete with outdoor fire places.  I had another glass of wine and Josh had a drink himself. 

The next day we got up and played the entire day by ear.  We had a late lunch, saw a movie, shopped, went to an art walk and then did appetizers for dinner followed by late night pizza.  We slept in, we snoozed and we went about our day without a care in the world.  I remembered why I fell in love with my husband many years ago.  I realized we continue to have so much more in common than just our home and children.  We are still the crazy couple that stayed up all night on our first date talking and then watched the sunrise.  A little more sleep deprived, but that same couple indeed.

We vowed to each other not to make it so long before we take another trip just the two of us.  Then we hurried home to snuggle our babies.

Thank you Josh for being the wonderful husband and man you are.  I am very lucky you love me too!  Thanks for a fabulous weekend.

The big apple

This weekend I took a quick trip to the Big Apple. I am a city girl at heart I tell ya, I was just born in the wrong place. Oh New York, how I would love to live there. But since I am a Southern girl, back home in the South is where you will find me. My trip was awesome. I would suggest that you grab a group of girls and head to the Big Apple as soon as you can. It is a trip you don't want to miss and something you just have to see and experience at least once in a lifetime, or in my case several times.


However this post is not going to be about the trip. This post is about what happened while I was away. While I was in Times Square taking in the sights, shopping on 5th Avenue, in Little Italy sipping wine, enjoying some shopping, dining and a street fair at the Seaport, watching the fireworks over the Hudson, drinking a beer in Hell's kitchen and at an Irish pub, having a beer at the boat house after walking through central park, having brunch at Tavern on the Green and perusing the shops in the Village.....my kids were home being taken care of by their dad.

I walked in this morning at 8am after spending the night at my sisters and going to bed at 2:30am then waking up to drive home 2 hours, due to a flight delay and I have to say I was happy and overjoyed to see the tikes and my husband and then I looked around and I was amazed.....astonished......in awe.

I was shocked to see how much my kids had changed in 4 days. Meredith was a little taller and her cheeks were slightly less rounded. She looked older. Noah was a little taller, his hair a little blonder and even more handsome than when I left to go. The kids were sharing and playing together and Josh reported not a fight happened while I was away. And then I looked around and the house.....the house was freaking meticulous. I want him to know that when I walked through the door I noticed and I thought to myself how the hell does he do it? Although honestly I ask myself that several times a day, because if you know Josh....you know he is a hell of a man, a hell of a dad, and a hell of husband.

Josh made what I do day in and day out look easy. He had no help, besides a babysitter Friday while he went to work. There was no one to take the kids for 5 minutes so he could have a moment to himself. For over 96 hours it was just him and them. He was responsible for preparing, serving and feeding the tikes 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, he gave 4 baths, brushed 2 sets of teeth 8 times, changed approximately 20 diapers, read numerous books, sang the goodnight song 4 times, did laundry, the dishes all on his own. He was the mom and the dad.

Not only did he do all of that, but when I walked in the house it was immaculate. The kitchen was clean, the living room and their bedrooms. He even did several batches of clothes and had them all folded and ready to put away. He took Meredith to get new shoes and weaned Noah from his nap time bottle.

He took the kids to the zoo, the donut shop, the bookstore, swimming, to target and for several walks around the block. He accomplished several things on my to do list that I never got done. He didn't stop and get fast food once, he not only managed to keep the kids healthy and thriving, but he made it look easy. He handled it like no other. I can't even do it all that well when he comes home everyday at 5. I know my husband is one of the many great dad's out there, but this weekend he proved that he is at the top of that list.

Thank you honey for an amazing weekend with the girls. I appreciate all you do and wanted to brag a little.....or a lot!

Another year older

Today the man of my dreams, is another year older. Is it me or do the years just fly by now? I swear I don't think of him as a day older than thirty, which means I am not a day older than twenty-four. Oh yes a girl can get used to that.

At thirty I threw him a surprise party at Hooters in Nola. At thirty-six I threw him a birthday dinner at home with friends, family and the kids. It's funny how things have changed and how much we love the change that has happened.

In the past 6+ years that I have known this wonderful man I have seen him grow and change and age so gracefully. He went from a resident wearing shirts that said "I have friends you just can't see them" to a devoted husband and father. He went from sleeping in on his days off to never sleeping past 7am. He has learned how to make donut runs and do one of the most romantic things ever night after night....the dishes. He has learned how to fix everything from a scratched knee to a broken heart. He has learned to play princess and dollhouse along with trains, plains and automobiles. He easily learned how to speak toddler-ease and differentiate cries, he has perfected his diaper changing skills and hair washing skills during bath times. He has grown into one of the best hands on fathers around.

Happy Birthday to the man that makes my dreams come true day after day and who loves me and my children more than anything. I hope you had a fabulous day.....you definitely deserved it! Here is to many more......I love growing old with you grey hairs and all.

From under the rubble...

I just wanted to say, Happy Anninversary to my husband. Four years ago today, on Friday the thirteeneth, we said "I do" in front of 200 of our closest family and friends. Today we are blessed with two beautiful children, what used to be a beautiful home, and now a lot of dust and mess. I couldn't be happier....Cheers to Josh and I!

Mother's Day 2009

Today is mother's day. I am blessed, with two beautiful children, a fabulous husband and my own wonderful mother. What else could I need on this mother's day that God hasn't already given me.

Nothing......well except for my house not to look like this when I wake up in the morning.

But even though my house did look just like that, I was woken up by the two cutest faces in the world....screaming "SAH-PWISE! Happy Mudder's Day!" And then I was given this beautiful handmade bouquet of flowers! My husband is amazing he did this with the kids. He thought of the idea, he bought the materials and then he made it with them. Well actually he and Julia's husband, Jeremy, got together and made these while we had our girl's night. They also enlisted the help of the babysitters, Carrie and their babysitter Emily. I heard it was a wild time. I couldn't have been more thrilled with this gift, I will cherish it always. The kids were very proud of their work and I was very proud of their dad's.


So today we headed to Mimi's house to spend the day in the sun and cool off in the pool. We were very sad Mimi and Poppa weren't there to swim with us, but their pool sure was fun!


Noah loves the water and is a little fish!

Meredith was happy to spend the day with her new neighbor and best friend Grace. The girls had a lot of fun.

This mother's day was very low key and very relaxing. Thank you Josh, I love you so much!

Bigger is better, right?

So for Christmas, I got my husband a grill. Or to be honest I was swamped with two kiddos and told my husband I had planned on getting him a new grill, since his other (3 year old) gas grill was broke. He in turn went to the store and got himself a new gas grill, from me for Christmas. Are you following?

We were going to put the grill together in January, but then we thought about moving, so the new grill sat in a box until last weekend.

Since the house was off the market we were free to live in it again and decided we wanted to eat some ribs off the grill. So Josh spent most of the morning putting it together so he could cook on it. We then marinated the meat and went to fire up the grill. No flame. The damn thing was either broke or not hooked up right. Josh went ahead and called my dad over who looked at it with Josh and it was apparent that it was connected correctly. So they literally threw it in the back of the truck and took it back to the store 6 months later and returned it.

After that Josh saw the error of his ways with a gas grill and decided to go after a Big Green Egg.

My dad has been having one for awhile and has always tried to sell my propane loving husband on them. However Josh was never convinced. But after having to very expensive gas grills break for no apparent reason - he decided charcoal and the egg were the way to go.

So one afternoon Josh took the kids to the local green egg store and bought a new egg. I asked which one he got, the large egg which can cook enough food for a large family or the extra-large egg which can cook enough for an entire neighborhood.

It looks like next week we will be feeding our entire neighborhood, come on by if you are in the area.



This was delivered to my garage. I tried to convince the 3 men it took to get it out of the truck and into my garage to get it to my back porch. Since I had no cash and the only way to get the 250+lb egg to the back porch was through my house on my very $$ wood floors, they opted not too. Oh well, now Josh needs to find someone to help him transport his egg..... wonder if our new neighbors want to come for dinner?

The egg and the table, yes we got a table too. It should be covered in 14karat gold in my opinion for what they charge.
The damn thing is massive!

Who is coming for dinner?

One for the record books

Yes, today was officially one of the hardest days so far this year....I know it is only January, but it was hard dammit. It started out with a 7:30a.m. trip to the dentist to fix my still pestering tooth. I could stop right there and the day could totally blow, really is there any reason to go on. Anytime I go to the dentist it is like paying someone to torture me, both physically and financially. Yes the damn dentist.

When I got home from the dentist, my mom told me Meredith had just woken up around 9am. I knew then we were in for trouble. She has been running fever, coughing with a runny nose and being quite miserable all day.

Noah on the other hand has been feeling fine and is going full speed ahead and not slowing down at all. He even took 6 steps today, see it is one for the record books.

After I thanked Mimi for coming over so early in this frigid weather.....okay so it isn't frigid to all of you, but this is south Mississippi where if it drops below 40 we think maybe we should stay in all day due to the abnormally cold weather. We also wear heavy coats and put hats on our kids and if we could find two mittens in our house we would probably put those on them too.

So right after Mimi left, the numbness in my mouth started to wear off and that is when I noticed that my mouth was killing me. Like as in I want to rip my freaking head off or at least my tooth out, killing me. Yes it was that bad, but I opted not to take a pain pill by myself with two small kids. Instead I opted for a couple of Advil and busied myself with other time consuming tasks like making dinner, making lemon squares from scratch, unloading the dishwasher. Yes, unloading the dishwasher should only be done by very responsible individuals unlike myself. At that point I dropped a glass on the granite counter top and that glass shattered and bounced and a big piece stabbed me right in the finger. It was awful. My finger looked and still looks awful. Meredith panicked, I panicked and that is when I called Josh and then Mimi, because I was going to pass out at any minute from the sight of red oozing out of my finger very rapidly.

So Mimi rushed back, she took care of my tikes, while my husband made a house call to take care of my finger. My husband then went back to work, while the Mimi helped to take care of the house and littlest tike while I took care of the big one with my botched finger.

Around 5:30pm I thought things were starting to look up, Noah was eating like a champ, Meredith was finally sleeping peacefully, Mimi was doing the rest of my dishes, Papa was cutting the grass and bringing in all my neighbors trash cans and Josh was walking in the door. Did I dare say things were looking up?

About 6, Mimi and Papa had left, Meredith was waking up telling me she was fam-ished, Noah was being Noah and crawling all over the place and Josh was on the phone with a friend talking about my finger and whether I needed stitches or there was glass in it. That is when Noah decided to take 6 steps. I stood there in awe. I didn't clap or jump up and down, I didn't do anything but count to six and point to make sure Josh saw it too. He did! Noah then sat downed and crawled and hasn't done it again. Yes the boy who refuses to stand on his own, much less try to take a step on his own......stood up, let go of the ottoman and took six perfect steps to the coffee table while holding a bag of baby wipes. I told you it was one for the record books.

So things were really looking up at that point. I then made Meredith some toast and fruit and then Noah demanded more fruit as well, so I set him up with some. I got them both some water and was thinking....it's been a hell of a day thank goodness it is over. And that is when the powers that be told me not to be all smug and turned our world upside down again.

Noah pooped and was abnormally cranky due to being overtired, my finger started bleeding and Meredith turned her cup over spilling water all over herself which is the equivalent of the world ending in her little princess mind. And the pager......the freaking pager went off. A patient was crashing which meant no matter how bad shit was at home, Josh had to go and take care of someone else. That's what it means to be married to a doctor. You take the very good with the very bad. And off he went and there I sat ready to cry and wishing I could just crawl into bed with my sliced up finger and aggravating tooth. But that is the amazing thing about how much a mom can withstand, no matter how physically, emotionally or mentally exhausted she is, she always has a little reserve to help her continue to push through.

Right now, at 8:37pm, Noah is tuckered out in his bed, Meredith is bathed and cuddled up beside me watching Peter Pan and I am thanking my lucky stars I made it through the day and that I people near me who love me and my tikes so much that they are always willing to do whatever they can to help. Thank you mom and Josh. I don't know what I would do without either of you.

To sum up my weekend an actual email I sent out tonight

Okay girls!

I made really cute invitations to our annual halloween bash for this year and put them all in envelopes. I started addressing them with the addresses I knew and then left half with only a name until I got the rest. I put stamps on a few and return address labels on all of them, but on the wrong side. I put them in a pile next to my address book to finish on Saturday when I got a minute, but I couldn't find them.

Tonight I asked my husband if he saw them and he informed me he put them in the mail. So some of you may get them, some of you may not.

Here is who I know won't....so and so, so and so, and so and so.... I know I didn't have your addresses...the rest may or may not. He thinks it's hysterical, he didn't take the time to print and cut invites and then put them in envelopes. With the holly fair this week and disney I don't know if i will get them out in time so I will tell you all the details and attach a cyber copy!

Halloween Night October 31st
4:30 until!
my address

Regrets Only!

If I get a minute I will drop another in the mail, but no promises!

mandi

Yes I sent this out tonight to some friends the conversation prior to the email went like this....

"Honey, do you know where the Halloween invitations went?"

"Yeah...I mailed them like you said"

"YOU MAILED THEM?"

"Yeah, you told me too"

"I told you to mail invitations that I knew weren't fully addressed"

"Yep, you put them in a pile next to the other stuff to be mailed and said mail these"

"I did, I specifically said mail these invitations that I know full well weren't addressed...that's what I said?"

"Well no, but that is what I understood."

"Right!"

"Hey is it really the worse thing in the world."

Men....I've been asking for shelves in the playroom for months.....guess he didn't understand that!

Those pageant photos...

Does anyone even remember that woman-less beauty pageant? It seems like it was light years ago, but it was the very same day that all this sickness crap started. So I guess we have been sick for light years. I am happy to report everyone is feeling better and without further ado, here are the pictures.....

The contestants getting a briefing.....that's my honey in the pink.

Mya and Ima.....boy are they ugly!
The contestants in the spotlight for the first time.
Mya going to answer her question........good luck!

And the winner....the woman...er man in baby blue!
Close up of the winner......he looks rather good as a woman....don't ya think? SCARY! Cardiologist by day....drag queen by night!

Where have a I been, where have I been...

Well tonight I went to a Miss America type pageant, well not really. More like a Miss Mississippi pageant, well no, not really like that either. More like a Mr. trying to be like a Miss on Bourbon street down towards Esplanade Ave. if you know what I mean. And for those of you that don't, I mean a drag beauty pageant. My better half was a contestant. Yes it was a night of many firsts. The first time my husband dressed in drag, what he did before he married me is his business and if he did it before....I don't want to know.

But yes tonight Josh was Miss Mya Grain.....get it?

Meredith also had a first tonight. I got a baby sitter to come and watch Noah so she could attend her first pageant....it was her first even if it was in drag. And she was all about it. All about her daddy painting his finger and toes like hers. All about her daddy having pretty hair and a pink dress and shoes like mommy's. Yes she was all about it until Miss Carrie showed up. Carrie walked in and swept Noah away into a playroom so we could get going. I love it how she just comes right in and does that.....that is my kind of babysitter.

Anyway Miss Carrie comes in and right then and there Meredith decides she is not going with her Mommy and Daddy she is staying with Miss Carrie. Apparently I am less cool than Carrie. That was the first time she wanted to stay with a babysitter and not go with me. And this was the first time that someone was cooler than me. Oh well, it was bound to happen.

Well good night all and tomorrow I perhaps I will post a picture of Miss Mya Grain and her fellow contestants. That is if she doesn't mind. And no he didn't win. There were much prettier men than my dear husband, which is fine with me. I like him better as a man anyway. He did great though, must have been all that practicing at work Tracy.

I got home from the beach and look what was waiting for me.....

Oh how I love my husband.....be green with envy!

Josh's birthday!

These pictures are a little late....it isn't like I don't have my hands full with two kids and all. Anyway here is Josh opening his presents with his two adorable children.....

Noah cannot believe that is what he got as gifts....

Seriously dad, there must be something else in that bag....hungry hippos and princess memory....is mom on crack? Mom I am just not happy about princess memory and I cannot believe you put my name on the card...I had no part in this bad gift.....we are men dammit!

Happy Birthday Joshua

His birthday only last for 9 more minutes so I had to be quick. Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I hope you had a fantastic day. I love you!
mandi

A father son moment...

Dad will you buy me a jeep one day?

Sure I will get you the world!

Happy Anniversary

Today is the day I celebrate being the luckiest girl in the world. It is the day I married the man of my dreams and the man that makes all of my dreams come true. Happy Anniversary Joshua, I don't know what I would do without you!

I love you!

My dear husband...

I am spoiled....I know this....he just will not stop. So I have been thinking about getting a digital SLR. I started looking into some and told Josh about my plan. Which was to save up my stationery money to buy a good SLR and a good lens. Well he jumped on the band wagon and started helping me research them and determine what was a good one and all that jazz. Today he came home from lunch and surprised me with this.......
I know I should be taking pictures with the camera, instead of the camera.....but people the buyers remorse will kick in at any moment and I will want to tote all of this back to the store it was purchased from. If I open it, I cannot do that....see.... so for now I will just look at it and admire the bright yellow boxes. I must admit I am a tad bit excited! Okay a lot of excited, but I just cannot bring myself to open the boxes.