Lately..........

I've had more than a hand full of people ask me why I haven't been blogging lately, and it wasn't until then that I realized it's been almost two weeks since my last post!  I'm very flattered to have been missed, because this means (maybe) people actually enjoy reading about my everyday, ordinary (yet wonderful!) life.  So, thank you---it feels good to have been missed!  Truthfully, we've just been so busy that I haven't had much time to sit down and blog.  Yet at the same time, I really didn't feel that our recent happenings were blog-worthy or exciting enough to share.  But, since you asked, here's what we've been up to the past two weeks............

(I'm not a big fan of cell phone pictures and I believe there is no comparison when it comes to quality.  However, sometimes life's precious, fleeting moments don't slow down and wait for us to grab our camera of choice.  So although most of these pictures aren't the best quality, I'm thankful that I was at least able to capture them in some way, before the moment passed and the memory became just that.  So please excuse my cell phone picture dump, which is this post!)

Two weeks ago, the owner of our house decided to do some major improvements, including a new roof, new garage door, new paint, new outdoor light fixtures, etc.  Our house was a bit of a zoo for a couple of days with all kind of workers and handy-men coming and going and making LOTS of noise!  Kyndall took a particular interest in this nice man who came to paint the outside of the house and the front door.  Little Miss Nosey wanted to supervise and make sure he was doing his job exactly right!

Before I knew it, Prissy had perched herself  in her lounge chair and was overseeing the whole operation! 

Last weekend we had a "Kyndall day" where we spent our entire Saturday investing precious family time into our daughter.  We started out with lunch at Firehouse--yumm!! (ok, so maybe this part of the day was for Mommy!)

Then, we spent several hours at one of Kyndall's favorite places---The Children's Museum.  It was Matthew's first time and Kyndall's second time.  We bought a yearly pass a few weeks ago, so I think we'll be making many more trips over the next 12 months.

After a few hours in the museum, we found a smoothie place in downtown Charleston and treated Kyndall to one of her favorite summertime refreshers

Last week I had a revelation---a wonderful, beautiful discovery which is SURE to make my grocery shopping a more peaceful experience!   I would like to personally thank whoever came up with this glorious contraption!!  This is one thankful Mommy!!  I'm just wondering why I didn't use this to my advantage months ago?!

Pair that thingie with a free sugar cookie from the Publix bakery and we are good to go!  Thank ya Jesus for the little things in life!

How funny is this?  Ya think she's picking up on Mommy's bad habits already??  Hey, at least she's a multi-tasker!

We've been spending a lot of time indoors due to the extreme heat.  Most days, my little Princess runs around in nothing but a diaper because it's just so darn HOT!

If we're not indoors soaking up the A/C, you can most definitely find us in the water somewhere!  Our new favorite place is the splash pad.   Mommy loves it because a.)  It's only $1 to get in for the entire day and b.) I don't have to do anything but sit back and watch!  I don't even have to put on a swimsuit!  It's a winner all the way around.

Kyndall seems to have taken an interest in golf, which as you can guess THRILLS her Daddy beyond description!  The other day I caught her doing this with her sparkly baton and a golf ball.  I think golf lessons may be in our future.......

Kyndall and Minnie Mouse have become BFFs this summer!  They are inseparable and where Kyndall goes, there Minnie goes also.  They even love to dress alike!  =)

One of our favorite activities to do with our Moms group is the open play at the YMCA gym.  Twice a month on Fridays, our group gets total reign of the Y's gymnastics facility.  For just three bucks, the kids get an hour of free play where they have total freedom over anything in the gym---the balance beams, trampoline, bars, mats, spring boards, etc.  I love it because it's a great way to continue improving Kyndall's gross motor skills and it's also a wonderful outlet for her energy!  I plan on signing her up for the Y's Tumble Bugs class once the summer is over and things slow down for us a bit.  I think she'll love it!

Last night we met up with our good friends the Marchants and had dinner with Wendy, Freddy and their 3 boys.  It's hard to believe that just a few years ago Will (who is now entering 5th grade) was Kyndall's age and I was toting him around on my hip while he affectionately referred to me as "Ash".  Geez, where does the time go??  Not to mention, their oldest, Avery is now 15 and taller than I am!  What happened to the little boys I used to babysit???

Kyndall and Brady (who is now 5), became good buddies last night at dinner.  Kyndall even tried to give him a kiss!  =) 

Today was a typical Sunday---Church, lunch at our usual Atlanta Bread Company, and home to do laundry, housework, yard work and catch up on important things---like this blog! =)

Ready for church

Lunch at our Sunday hang-out spot

 

And that pretty much catches you up on the last few weeks!  Nothing too exciting, but fun memories nonetheless!

In other news, I recently lost my ever-loving mind and decided to make a trip to the orthodontist for the first time in my entire life.  I am now the painful proud new owner of some shiny metal in my mouth, as well as a completely ridiculous speech impediment!!  It's terrible and I hate it---both the pain and the lisp, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end!  Right now I'm just wondering what I've gotten myself into!  I have a whole new respect for my past patients who complained about the pains (literally and figuratively) of orthodontics!!

Let's see, what else?  Oh!  This past Saturday I had the privilege of cooking and serving brunch at the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Charleston.  With the help of my sweet friend Maggie, we organized this as a community outreach project for our Moms group to parcipate in.  I'm not a morning person and I'm certainly not a cook----but I was so incredibly blessed yesterday to have been a part of this project.  It's a small way to give back, but it made me realize just how very blessed I am to have a healthy, happy family!  I'm looking forward to partnering with the RMH again soon, as I truly believe it is a wonderful organization!

As I said earlier, Kyndall has recently become engrossed in ALL things Minnie Mouse!  With this in mind, my wheels have already started turning in regards to her 2nd birthday which is less than two months away!  (What???!!!!)  The party location has been booked and creative juices are flowing!  I'm excited!

In less than three weeks we will finally be enjoying our long-awaited summer vacation!!!  I have to admit, seeing everyone's beach pictures on Facebook and their posts on Blogger have made this waiting game even harder for me!  I absolutely cannot wait to sink my toes into the beautiful white sands of the Gulf and soak in the warm sun, all while enjoying a week with 8 of my favorite people!  Lists are being made, necessities (like clearance rack shovels and buckets and swimsuits) are being bought, and my camera and I are ready for memories to be made!  St. George Island, we are coming for you!!!  Check out where we'll be staying for the week........

I hope that your summer has been as good to you as ours has been to us!  It's been a busy one, but we're having lots of fun!