Days Like These...........

......Are what I LIVE for!!!  Nothing makes me happier than spending time with good friends, making sweet and lasting memories!  It does my heart good (especially these days) to soak up these times and drink in every ounce of the blessings that are being poured over my life and my family.  Truly, we could not have asked for better friends than those that the Lord has given us in the short 8 months that we've lived in Jackson.  When I'm with these precious souls, it's as if we've known each other our whole lives.  We just "click", ya know?

We spent Friday morning with Kyndall's main squeeze, Mr. Cruz himself!  These two are so cute together and even though we all joke about him being Kyndall's boyfriend, I really would love nothing more than for her to end up with a sweet boy like Cruz.  His family is precious and we have come to love them so much, thanks to the blossoming romance between our toddlers  =)  Sadly, we recently learned that Cruz and his family will soon be packing up and moving to Dallas, Texas.  We are heartbroken, but we're making every effort to get our two little love birds together as often as possible between now and their departure day!  We met Cruz and his sweet Mama, Amy, at Fun Zone Friday morning for some bouncin'.......

How cute are these two?!?!

Ha!!!!!

All that bouncin' really works up an appetite, so to Steak 'N Shake we went.......

This picture says it all!  

Kyndall = Smitten

Cruz = Terrified!!!!

HILARIOUS!!!

Saturday morning Matthew and Kyndall went on their weekly Daddy/Daughter breakfast date, just as they do every Saturday.  I knew that Matthew would want her in her Georgia best for the game that night, so I took this as my opportunity to put her in her "Semi-mole" dress, as she so affectionately calls it.......

Minnie Mouse is still a pretty hot commodity around here these days, so of course she had to be in at least one picture.  I've learned to pick my battles!

I'm not sure where this new little head tilt came from, but I sure do think it's adorable for pictures!!!

The two of them enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Perkins and then made a quick run to the grocery store for me.  They even brought me back a special prize............

I love getting "just because" flowers!!!

Just as I suspected, later that day Daddy requested that we all dress in our Georgia gear for the first game of the season

I have the creepiest looking eyes......

That night, our dear friends the Raleys came over for dinner and some play time for the girls.......

Kyndall LOVES her some "Taroline" (Caroline)

After dinner we went for a little evening stroll around the neighborhood.  All I can say is HURRY UP FALL!!!

My soul sister, my other half, my partner in crime, my own personal cheerleader, my proof that opposites really do attract.....the beautiful and sweet Glory Raley

When it got dark, we returned home for chocolate pie and more play time!  These two are quite the pair!

My Georgia-loving sweetie

Love these two!

Sunday was church, lunch and a dark, rainy afternoon perfect for napping (Kyndall), watching football (Matthew), and cleaning house (myself).  Sometimes those are the best kinds of days, aren't they??  For me, I need them every now and then.  Some of our best family time is spent on those rainy days when we find ourselves sitting in the floor putting together puzzles, making play-doh creations and just enjoying each others' company.  I love those days.

I always look forward to the long holiday weekends when Matthew gets an extra day to spend with us.  Today was much like yesterday---We slept in a little, got some things done around the house, Skyped with the Grandparents and just enjoyed family time.

Today was our friend Pam's birthday, so we surprised her this afternoon with some fresh flowers and a hand-made card from Kyndall......

Happy birthday, Mrs. Pam!!

Pam and Jeremy have a house full of boys and Kyndall jumped right in with them with no hesitation!  

So sweet!!

Kyndall's favorite person in the world is Mr. Jeremy!!!!

And here's why............

We only stayed for a few minutes, before heading to the park for a picnic dinner with the Holmes family.......

This was our first time visiting North Park and I can tell you will definitely be back!  This place is great!!

 Like a moth to a flame, Kyndall went straight for the swings..........

I am in love with this shot of Kyndall and Matthew!  I adore the look on her face!

Kyndall and Jackson

It was HOT, but we had fun! (Have I already mentioned that I'm SO ready for FALL??)

We ended our fun-filled evening with a cool treat from Burger King

It was a great weekend and I'm sad to see it end.  This week is a VERY busy one for our family, so I'm thankful for the blessing of the extra day to recharge and rest before the chaos begins tomorrow morning!

In other news, I must brag on my hubs for a few seconds and tell you how very proud I am of him.  Over the past year or so he has unintentionally put on a few extra pounds and let himself get out of shape. (Haven't we all???)  It wasn't until a recent routine check up that he realized this extra weight has caused some blood pressure issues, which was enough to really get his attention.  He has since joined a gym and began METICULOUSLY counting his calories each day!  (I tell him he's worse than a teenage girl getting ready for Spring Break!)  He gets up every morning at the gosh-awful hour of 5:00 a.m. and goes to the gym for an hour before returning home and getting ready for work.  He's shown amazing self control, even when I bring home things like glazed donuts and ice cream sandwiches to satisfy my own crazy appetite cravings.  I'm so proud of him and he should be very proud of himself as well!  He is so much more disciplined than I could ever dream of being.  Did I mention that I ate the entire one dozen glazed donuts by myself over a 48 hour period?!  Yes, indeed, he is MUCH more disciplined than I am and it's paying off already!  He's lost about 9 pounds over the past two weeks and he says he feels great and has more energy than he's ever had before.  So proud of him!  Keep up the good work, babe!

Kyndall has also made great strides in the area of potty training over the past week!  I never thought I would be that Mom who brags about her child using the potty, but I also never thought I would have that kid who is almost 3 years old and still not potty trained!!  So, please excuse me while I celebrate this small victory and relish in my own success as a mother!  =)  We still have a little way to go, but at least we're making steps in the right direction.  Over the past four months I have used every bargaining/bribery/threatening method known to man and none of them have worked.  I have promised her ungodly amounts of candy, toys, treats and even a trip to Disney World!  None of it worked.  Last Sunday on the way home from church she spoke up from the back seat and said "Mommy, I wanna sit on the potty".  I rolled my eyes and said "yeaaaaahhh....ok".  When we got home I followed through only to be shocked when I heard the glorious sound of pee pee splashing into the potty!  We clapped, cheered, did a happy dance, put stickers on the potty chart, indulged her with jelly beans and sour worms and generally just made a BIG DEAL out of the whole event.  Well, I guess it worked because she's been doing pretty well ever since.  I still have to be the one to ask her (more like force her) to "just try" most of the time, but usually her diaper or pull-up is pretty dry when I take it off.  We're making progress!!!  (Just in time for the 10 hour car ride to Tallahassee that she and I will be making ALONE next week.  Worst timing possible?  I thinks so.)

I am continuing to take my own new challenges one day at a time and I too rejoice over the small victories.....like getting out of bed every morning.  Each day is still a struggle to put on a happy face and be the Mommy and wife that I need to be, but with God's grace and His strength I am still trucking along.  Some days are better than others and some days are still full of tears and feelings of self doubt.  But His mercies are new each morning and I am thankful for the baby steps.  I will share more about my own struggles and my journey to overcome them in a separate post.  I have a lot to say, but I am still praying about just how much to share.  In the meantime, if God places me on your heart, would you just say a quick prayer for me?  I would gladly do the same for you!  I have seen the power of prayer put to action over the past 8 weeks and I know what it means to really feel those prayers.  My physical recovery may be coming to an end, but the emotional journey is just beginning.  I still need your prayers and I covet each and every one.  They are sustaining me!

I hope you've enjoyed your extra long weekend as much as I have!  Have a great week!!!