You're never fully dressed without a SMILE!!!!

I can't help but think back 2 years ago, my little angel was a princess pumpkin.

Only 6 months old!

Her first trip to Biloxi, MS to see the family.

I did the usual as a Mommy of a 6 month old would do, dressed her up, took her from store to store trick or treating (me saying, "trick or treat from the pumpkin in the stroller") and even got her candy! Why candy?.. for me... ;) She was passssed out, but we had fun!

Don't ask.

At 18 months she had completely stolen my heart away. I was at this point in my life so in love with this little girl, i thought how could i POSSIBLY love her any more.

Who couldn't resist giving candy to this little princess Elmo.

All this candy, and she would only eat bubble gum and lollipops!

In 2 1/2 years an angel who has totally flipped our world upside down into the most perfect way! A little girl who has so much life! Who is full of personality and all smiles.

Today was "Halloween Day" at her school. She was Orphan Annie. She knows every song on the movie and all the characters by heart. I woke her up at 7am and starting rolling her hair! It was priceless when she saw herself for the first time as ANNIE:)

Little Ms. Orphan Annie

"You're never fully dressed, though you may wear the best,

You're never fully dressed with out a SMILE! :)

School Parade (gotta love the little rope).

She let loose and came running to Daddy and Mommy:)

Only my child would be SO, SUPER excited about the itty, bitty potty that she used it 5 times back to back just to prove to me she could do it all by herself ;) I honestly think she liked using the potty more than she did eating cake pops that took me and Nana 3 hours to make, but thats what makes little Ms. Princess Elizabeth so wonderful!!!

I thought they turned out pretty darn cute!

Pumpkin Cake Pops!!

Today, being my birthday and being able to spend it with E has been the best birthday gift that you could have given me. I look back on years past and remembered I could hardly wait to open presents on that special day. Man do things change!

Having the best husband and daughter in my life is my birthday present!!!! I love y'all so much! Only a couple years left in my twenty's better enjoy them while i can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I think I'm going to go eat a cake pop!

Happy Birthday to ME!

The Joy of being a Mom

My favorite time of the day is early morning before Elizabeth wakes, i tip toe out of bed and quietly make coffee and then i sit in my chair and start cruising the internet. I can usually do it for about 20 minutes until she wakes but it sure is some good therapy. Speaking of that my coffee is ready now!

So, i tried potty training, for a day and I failed miserably, or maybe that was her. Well no, she thought she was doing the right thing. She would potty in her new princess panties and say, "Mommy, i get new ones!!!!" YAY!! ....What? You get new ones, no, these are the only ones you get today kiddo! She clearly didn't get it. ..... that has been 2 weeks ago. She is doing better now. I'm just scared to "release" her in the new almighty princess panties on a daily bases. I put them on her during the week when i feel like cleaning up potty all day. :) I took her for a ride in my truck the other day and she rode in the front seat, and then she said, "uh oh!" Yes, she sprinkled my seats!!! Now with just the right amount of sun light they should grow thicker! :)

Gotta love the little hiny cheek hanging out ;)

Parenting is so much fun, really. When your going through all the different phases that kids go through you begin to wonder why your brain is still attached to your head, and then realize its not that bad and your really not going to lose it. I wouldn't say i miss little princess crys from 1 day old till 18 months, when she would wail through the middle of the night, not just 1 time folks, at least 3 times! (Thank you my sweet darling i now have permanent puffy eyes!) I would get up, i would plea, i would pray, i would cry and hope when i lay her back on those warm, fuzzy sheets she would close her eyes. I usually lost, yes, i gave in, i was one of "those parents" ..but i have learned, THAT I HAVE! ... well.. maybe not;)

Dear baby Jackson in my belly, love ya, buy Mommy will lay you down when its time to go to sleep, and you will be okay, and when you cry you are okay! That was the hardest concept for me to understand as a parent. I still have not totally embraced that, i just pretend i do :)Now i totally get the understanding of the "2nd" child syndrome. "You learn from your first one" thats what my Mom has always said, and i feel that is true, but i hope some things i do better at. :) I promise this day that i WILL take as many pictures of my little man as i did of Elizabeth. I think i ranked up in the numbers of OVER 900 pictures in delivery! Ha.. that is sad. No, what's sad is I'm the 2nd child and there are approximately 2 pictures of me when i was a baby, maybe 3 but I've tried to erase that 3rd one clearly out of my mind (it was the picture of me looking like a seal on my belly with the blanket over my head!!) Every baby had that picture back then, what was that all about? Or maybe that was my brother in the picture, he was the first born so I'm sure he was privileged enough to get the blanket picture:)

I stumbled across some pictures that i had taken of things little princess had done, they are priceless. Look what your missing if your not a Mom!

This to her was the ultimate, you have to understand she is in love with this cat. From the moment she wakes up she has this kitty in her hands and cries every night when its time for him to go outside. She was able to push him in the stroller for a few minutes and he stayed!

Don't you wish you knew how their brain thought? I guess she realized she had

to have something in every slot :)

I heard the small little trash can opening and closing the other day, she told me she was throwing trash away.. my orange bowl, her little doll, her garden gloves and a baby's blanket?

I would like to see what gets thrown away when I don't hear the little trash can open and shut.

Or how about this one, so sweet... there is a story behind this. We were in Hobby Lobby one day and as soon as she saw this little scarecrow she called him it her baby brodder and just had to have him :)

I found him the other day laying in the crib with a bottle :)

There's no way i did things this cute as a kid. Or did I Mom?

CAKE POPS !!!!

Dear Bakerella,

You have made getting through lunch with a toddler so much easier - due to your invention of cake pops! Thank you!

www.bakerella.com

Where we usually eat during the week, Elizabeth is allowed to get a cake pop after lunch if she eats all her food, and seriously that is sometimes the only way she will eat!! My child, the one who eats salad, broccoli trees, carrots and 100 calorie packs WILL NOT eat a whole cupcake, slice of cake..etc. She just doesn't eat sweets, and if she does its a bite or a lick! Mama and Daddy eat sweets, so not sure where she gets disliking of desserts from. When Dustin and i first started dating (back when ya wrote checks ha ha...) his checks had a small saying on the front and it was, "Life is too short, eat dessert first. I never understood that saying because growing up i had to eat my food first before i got desserts!!

I decided to make the princess cake pops the other night, and when i posted the picture of them to facebook alot of ya'll wanted the recipe. Well, sorry folks i didn't invent them, however, they were very good! They were reeeally sweet and moist and everyone loved them. The only twist i did with them is i used the strawberry cake mix from Duncan Hines and the 20 oz. "real" cream cheese icing in a can! Super fun to make, especially when a 2 year old is at your feet screaming CAKE POPS, CAKE POPS!!! ..and when you give them to her its all worth that little smile :+)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake Pops

1 box Strawberry Duncan Hines cake mix (cook as directed on box)

1 can cream cheese frosting

(calls for 16 oz. - i used 20. oz :)

1 package white/dark chocolate bark

wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet

4. Let chill overnight - or for several hours

5. Melt chocolate

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper then sprinkle Prinkles (as E says)

Next post..

potty training...

.. which lasted me uh.. a day :)

Iowa State Fair :)

We went to the BIG Iowa State Fair. Its the largest fair in the country - with over 75k people a day. Crazy i know, Iowa?? Ha Ha, and yes there were some characters there - not to say that there's ANY in the south. Nope, we live in the perfect little south :) Not a single redneck where I'm from! Wait, their all in my family.. I'm married to one, my cousins are one! What if I'm one? ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

Ever notice when you have a 2 year old, the minute they wake up your telling them these bright and wonderful things your going to do all through the day with them, and hoping they are just as excited as you are! Its sad, but the first day I was actually excited about riding in the truck, picking wild flowers and taking pics of E.

Then the next day we ventured out to the Big City of Des Moines and went shopping... with a 2 year old...then it rained horrendously! It just doesn't rain in Iowa, it floods and everyone gets washed away! We had to run in Old Navy and literally buy jackets and an outfit for E so that we wouldn't freeze to death.

P.S. She smiles like me when i was 2! The "big fake = here i am doing it for you mom...snap the picture!!"

Here we are at the fair, she met clifford for the first time! She ran back and told me, "Mommy I not cry!" (she was obviously scared of him, but knew the 2 year old had to suck it up and face the fact that its just a guy in a costume)

She wasn't real sure what was going on with the situation at this point, she just smiled for Mommy and said, "Baa Baa Black sheep getting hair cut"

HA! I just love this picture of the pig, it doesn't even do justice, it actually makes him look smaller. This thing was a beast!

It's just funny to know someone is entering the poor thing in the fair! E really liked him... they bonded.

And by this point, she was like seriously Mom, stand by the pumpkin!! Why yes, this thing is the state record child, weighing in at 1,323 pounds!!!!

It really was cool how they have entries for EVERY vegetable and fruit you can imagine. People don't win just by it being pretty but some times by the largest, the healthiest.. etc.

the Grapes...

farm crops...

the largest watermelon..

Here she is stealing someone's corn, and sitting in their basket! She told me to take a picture.. and of course Mommy isn't going to turn that offer down!

the corn..

the only picture i took of my parents, and Madre had to have her eyes closed.. it must of been the corn in her presence, she was just overwhelmed by seeing it.. she meant well.

Then it was off to, as E says "rides Mommy, rides!!!"

This one scared me, my 2 year old on a roller coaster!! Grant it she was with her Daddy but my Lord! She screamed the WHOLE time, i couldn't get a good picture, oh wait probably because she's 2 and the ride is for ADULTS, and the crazy people at the fair have a sign on EVERY ride that reads 36" and taller can ride this ride! ugh!!!

okay so maybe you could see her, but still from a Mommy's point - the ride was TOO big!

...and WHAT?? she wants to go on there.. shes 2 she can't make these decisions!!! and WHAT?? Daddy is taking you!!!

and look, all you see is Daddy, somethings telling me Daddy is the one wanting to ride these rides!

Daddy, giving her what she wants.. more tickets..

Pals :)

tired and at the end of a great day!!!

Banana Nut Bread - Revised

Banana Nut Bread

Revised Version

Here is what you need:

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup shortening

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.

Mix in bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and soda. Stir in pecans.

Pour batter into 2 greased 9x5 inch pans. Bake for 50 to 60 mins in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Fabulous!

Wishful thinking...

I wish....

I could relax and just enjoy things

My little girl would not drink so much juice during the night that it goes thru her pull ups and in the bed, and that leads to washing sheets, and putting them back on.

My dishwasher wasn't broke

I didn't get migraines

At 4 months preggo my legs did not swell at the end of the day :(

I could say I've won alot of people to God

I did not have hunger pains at 2, 4 and 6am.. I need to sleep not think about food.

I lived on a 3 acre wooded lot, with a garden and underground pool

For a healthy baby who looks like me, grant it folks E looks just like her Daddy

For front row tickets at the circus for my princess (oh wait, that comes true in September) :+)

I didn't sweat the small stuff

My little Angel would eat

To go camping one day

I was really good at taking pictures

I could make biscuits from scratch

More skirts fit me right now

Max & Ruby would come out with a show for the South and i could take E

More baby cousins for E

To go back to the place my husband asked me to marry him

Insurance wasn't a rip

For Chili's chips and salsa

To be seven again with no responsibilities and worries

For 3 kids and hopefully 1 a boy

Princess didn't grow up so fast

For all my breakfast dishes to be cleaned up right now!!!!!!

Catching up...

Well after months of letting my blog go due to "Life is so busy", I figured no more of using that excuse..it was time to do a little updating. Where do i begin? So much has happened in the past several months...

My little Angel turned 2 in April.

My hubby and me celebrated 5 years in June, took several vacations - including a cruise with another couple-undeniably the best trip i have ever been on with anyone! My long, lost cousins from MiSSiSSiPPi, whom we never get to see :(

She is a spaz

We really would like to try at modeling - i mean she's got it down,

I'm still working on my facial expressions.. ;)

and this pic sums up our trip. Just had to be there..

E got a new kitty "boots" or "booters" and then we find

out 3 months later its a girl, poor boots..

my brother after 30 years is FINALLY getting married,

it took him this long to find the perfect one.

Elizabeth got to experience the laser show at Stone Mountain

the music, a train ride & fireworks. Fireworks of which she hated :), but talked about them for the next 2 weeks saying, "day scare me!" Kids are funny and very whinny, ew did i say that? :)

Oh, and yes we are expecting # 2!!! whoo hooo!!! This one wasn't planned, but of course alot of things in life aren't, right? Like when you wake up in the morning and your husbands like, "well let's go to Florida today"...and you do, and those are the most memorable trips. Things that happen at the spur of the moment, no planning, just go. So, baby #2 we are looking forward to seeing you, and E bossing you around:)

Whether your another Princess or a Prince you will fit right into E's plan. :) If you are a girl, you will be her little baby, she will dress you, change your diaper and feed you bottles oh, and most definitely will put you in the corner. On the other hand if your a little man, she's just not going to know what to do with you, all your trucks and dinosaurs. E is going to be a great big sister, i can honestly not wait.. well, i don't look forward to being so fat in the last trimester that i wont be able to touch my toes :) On the other hand, January you can take your time :)

Whatever you are little peanut inside, please have some similarities to this...