The two of us

Jason and I took a trip to Savannah and were gone for 3 nights & 4 days...oh my gosh how strange it was to be just the 2 of us.

Jake stayed with his MawMaw & Papa Jack and had the best time (they did too). They did lots of fun things, playing at parks, eating out, finger painting, they went to the horse farm, & made a hand print stepping stone. This was the 1st time we had been away from him for more the one night and farther then 25 minutes away.  I was very anxious about leaving him for so many days (not because I was worried about him it was just the whole being away from him).

Jason & I had a great time and it was so wonderful to connect just the 2 of us and enjoy each others company away from everything(mostly Jason's work & technology).

By Monday night we missed Jake terribly (we left Sunday morning). But we still had a couple more days so we made the best and enjoyed our time away & eating lots of yummy food! We spent one afternoon at the beach and were able to enjoy lots of time on River Street and in City Market.

I am sure it will be along time before we take another trip without Jake, but we really did enjoy ourselves. And 2 1/2 was a great age for us to take a trip away from Jake.

The day we were leaving Jake came into the bathroom and I said "guess what, your going to Mawmaw & Papa Jack's today (he had been asking every day for a week if it was time to go yet...excited?) and then he turned to me and said "mommy, guess what, your going to Savannah today." It was too cute. He really was so excited to spend 4 days with his grandparents.

It was great to get home to our sweet boy, but the next day Jason had to go to work and I missed him so much. After being together for some many days with no interruptions it was so hard to get used to the day without him.

Here are a few pictures of us from our trip!
 View from our roof top pool at hotel

How Does Your Garden Grow??

WOW!! We were on a mini vacation and when we returned our garden had really grown!!

It is so exciting to see all the things growing and starting to bloom. It is even more fun watching it with Jake and teaching him all about where food comes from. The other day in our farmers basket we got squash & Jake asked me if it was from our garden? So we were able to explain that our garden wasn't ready yet. It was exciting to to know that he remembered we had squash in our garden.  And tell him it would be a few more weeks before we could pick anything.

But it is really growing now. We have actual jalapeno peppers, tiny green tomatoes and big yellow flowers about to turn into squash, as well as, tiny purple flowers that will soon be green beans.

Having a garden is SO much fun!!

          Jalapeno Pepper       Tiny Tomatoes             Squash flower          Green bean flower

Life Skills

Do your children do chores? Do you call it chores? Do they get paid for it? How old were they when you started?

These are all questions I have about this and would love for you to give me your feed back in the comments.

Jake is too young to be paid for things he does to help...but am I wrong?

At this age we call them life skills and feel the things he is learning to do are part of growing up and all are things you need to learn.

At 2 he is learning to make his bed. He carries his plate to the sink & wipes off the table after each meal. He also helps to load & unload the dishwasher.  Along with other small things around the house.

He loves to help & I really work on letting him.  I recently read a blog post at passionate homemaking about learning experiences around the house. It was great and inspiring. Gave me more ideas of where to let Jake help. It takes a little more time, but really aren't these life skills are children need to learn?

I think for now we are focusing on the life skill aspect and being a part of the family. Not the chore get paid for it kind of stuff. But really I would love to hear your thoughts!!

6 Wonderful Years

6 years ago today I married my best friend!

6 years ago I promised till death do us part!

6 years ago today we danced to My Best Friend !

6 years ago today I thought I couldn't be any happier!

Today you are still my best friend

Today I know no matter what it is till death do us part

Today every time I hear that song it makes me smile

Today I am happier & more in love then I ever knew could be possible in this life!

Jason, I am so blessed to be your wife & I can't wait to see what the next 6 years & beyond has in store for us!!!

I could go on and on & write about how much I love this man & the life we have together. How amazing he is as a husband & father. Or how hard working he is & what a great provider he is. But for now we will leave it at this.

Happy Anniversary Honey...All My Love!!!

Bean Salad Wrap Recipe

Last week when I posted that we would be eating bean salad wraps for lunch I had several people ask for the recipe.

This is from the Better Homes & Garden new cook book. It has become my all time favorite cook book!!

4 8 inch flavored or plain tortillas (we use whole wheat)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
2 Tbsp cilantro
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup light mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
1 Tbsp lime juice
leaf lettuce
Some times we include avocado too
1. heat tortilla
2. in a medium bowl mash the beans slightly; add sweet pepper, cilantro & tomato. Stir in mayonnaise and lime juice.
3. spread bean mixture over tortilla top with lettuce. Roll up tortilla
We like ours dipped in salsa

For my weight watcher buddies it is only 5 points & super filling.

Menu Plan (5/19-5/25)

                                     Last years anniversary cake(recreation of wedding cake top)
                                                                         made by spoonful of frosting


Wednesday:
Breakfast: eggs & toast
Lunch: out
Dinner: Chicken Tetrazzine, squash & whole wheat biscuits (carried over from last week)

Thursday: 
Breakfast: banana bread waffles & banana
Lunch: turkey sandwiches & cantelope
Dinner: sloppy joe loaf, homemade fries, & veggies

Friday:
Breakfast: banana bread waffles & fruit
Lunch: bean & cheese burritos & cantelope
Dinner: left overs to clean out fridge

Saturday: Happy  6 year Anniversary
Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: hot dogs, macaroni salad, & fruit
Dinner: Little Caesar's pizza (this is where Jason & I met)

Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday-Jason & I are out of town to celebrate 6 years of wedded bliss...all meals in Savannah!!!

Conversations

                                                     Right after last weeks hair cut

 As you can imagine being a stay at home mom(so blessed to call that my job) a lot of my day is spent in conversation with a 2 year old. Don't get me wrong we have plenty of play dates where I can talk to other ladies and of course when my hubby gets home we have lots to talk about. But really a good portion of my day is spent talking to Jake! 

We start our day with the 1st question..."mommy, are you down stairs?" This is what I hear every morning when he wakes up. Usually most mornings I am down stairs and he comes walking down to greet me. From there we sing our "good morning song." And some mornings he tells me "stop mommy, it too noisy." But other mornings he joins in and sings Good morning with me. And on the days it is "too noisy" for him I catch him singing the words to it around lunch time.

Our day is filled with "whys." Some days I can feel my patience running out when he asks me "why?" for the 5000th time, but more so when he ask me why about the same thing we have already gone through several times that day. But I try really hard and take a deep breath and answer every "why?" Even if it means saying the same thing just a little different every time he asks. I remind myself that he is 2 and  he is learning...and of course how do you learn without asking. I don't want him to feel like he can't ask me because I get impatient. So every day I will answer the "why, daddy go to work?" or "why, we eat at the table." And all the others that come along throughout our day.

He comes up with some of the funniest things to say & he loves when people laugh along with him, But just in case no one is around to laugh when he thinks he is so funny. He has perfected his new fake laugh & has no problem laughing at himself or what he says.

Last week we got his hair cut and then went on one of our favorite dates to Panera. While sitting at the table looking oh so grown up he says to me "Mommy, when my get home, I need a mirror." Ok. "I need to look at my new hair." Then he said, "my hair all fall off my head."

I want to remember all the fun little things he says to me throughout our day. I don't want to be too busy that I can't listen or don't  hear what he says to me. At this age it is a little more difficult to not pay attention since almost every time he says something he wants you to repeat it back to him. I guess he is insuring that we understood what he said.

I like to think it will all be stored away to recall when he was 2 and said "my" instead of "me" for everything. But will it really be there when he is too grown up for all day conversations with mommy? For this reason I am writing things down. Little sayings or fun things he says. Like the other night after being in his bed for 1 hour he comes out and says to me, "mommy, my waked up, & my had good dreams." Needless to say 1 hour is not considered a nights sleep. So off he went back to bed. But really how cute is he and where does he come up with these things.

Some times he is so grown up, but at least at 2 he still finds a few minutes to snuggle with his mommy! And he loves our conversations just as much...or at least I tell myself that ;)