Alabama Trip

So the girls and I went to go visit some friends in Alabama last week. It was a lot of fun seeing Debbie and the kids. The kids play so well together so us moms get to sit there and chat the whole time. Nice! One morning we took them to the Fine Arts Museum. I know this isn't the best picture but it represents the girls quite well. : )

Thanks to Chris who watched all 4 kids both nights! Notice the girls have matching dresses - that's what happens when we have nights out and a Target nearby.

Debbie bought these nail stickers for the girls. Needless to say, Sydney loved them.

Sydney & Aubrey

Just a couple new(er) pictures of the girls.

And

Matt's sister and her family came to visit right before the 4th of July. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures! I was too busy being hostess and taking care of the baby. So pathetic! I need to do better. Anyway, we had so much fun. Sydney loves her cousins. There was always someone there to play with her. She got lots of beach time too. She's still rockin' a pretty nice tan right now. So a big thanks to Jen & Rob for trekking it all the way out here. We appreciate it. Anyway, here is a picture of all grandkids for Matt's parents.

Do you notice the bright blue shoulder behind the baby making sure she doesn't fall off the piano bench? haha. Yep, yours truly. : )

Last Ones, I Promise!

Yep, You Guessed It!

More beach pictures:

7 Months Old

Aubrey is 7 months old today. Yes, time goes by so fast. She has been crawling for about a month now. Her new tricks include pulling up an anything and being able to climb the step in our home. Overall, she's a happy baby. She does get fussy when she is tired and wants to go to bed. Can't complain there. Her favorite foods are Cheerios, acorn squash, and bananas.

She cracks me up!

Beach Pictures

Yep, I'm dragging these vacation pictures out as long as possible. : )

Matching Swimsuits

Sydney just had to have a swimsuit that matched little Aubrey's suit. I couldn't argue.

Vacation!

No, I haven't forgotten you!! We've been on vacation since the beginning of July. It's been really great but it is really great to be home. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to sort through the hundreds of pictures I have taken and show you some. Until then, here's one of my favorites.

Don't be blinded by my pasty, white skin at the beach! I don't tan. : )

Aubrey at 6 months

She's growing up so fast. She is now crawling. Craziness. I guess she just wants to keep up with Sydney.

"Oooh...grass!"

Swinging

Eating Peas

And because I don't know a lot of my crafts on this blog anymore, I just wanted to give you a sneak peak of what I have been up to. You can always find out more of my crafting here.

All American Apple Pie a la Mode.

Homemade Caramels

I don't know why I decided that I needed to make homemade caramels but I'm sure glad I did.
I used this recipe here for chewy caramels. They were absolutely fantastic!!
I did use the reviewers suggestions about heating the caramels to a higher temperature. I even loved individually wrapping them like I owned my own little candy shop.
I can't wait to make them again...I'm thinking next week. : )

Sitting Up

She started sitting up on Monday morning. It's amazing how quick they learn these things. On Sunday, she couldn't sit up on her own. On Monday, she's a pro at it and she is getting better at it everyday.

Good Morning.

Do you notice anything different?

Sydney has her ears pierced! She had been asking for a few days so we took her last night to get it done. She did so well...better than I expected. She shed a few tears for just a few minutes afterward. Nothing a lollipop couldn't cure. They are little crystal daisies. I will have to take a better picture next time so you can see them up close.

When did she get so big?!

More Baby Love

I've finished up all the birthday details, here, if you wanted to see.

Have a happy weekend.

Baby Love

The Bounce House

We rented a (pink and purple) princess castle bounce house for her birthday party. I had no idea what to do with a bunch of 4 year olds. I figured this was the best way for them to expend their energy with minimal parental supervision. No worries, all the parents were at the party.

The company left it for the whole day at our house so we definitely got our use out of it! She was exhausted by the end of the day...mission accomplished.

The Birthday Party Decorations

We had Sydney's Birthday Party this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun for everyone. I got to do all the decorating and entertaining. Sydney bounced in the bounce house and received lots of presents. She thoroughly enjoyed everyone singing "Happy Birthday" too.

Here's the pictures of the decorations. I will spare you all the details. If you do want to find out about everything I made, you can read about it here.

The Birthday Girl

Sydney had a birthday this past weekend. We just did the family thing. The big birthday party comes later.

Let's start with the cake. I've seen these chocolate butterfly decorations from the Hello, Cupcake! book and around some blogs. I needed to practice them before I make them for her party. I still need a little more practice but I have some ideas on how to make them look better.

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It's chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate butterflies! Yum.

She was so excited to blow out the candle. Well, she was excited that it was just her birthday.

Happy Birthday Sydney!