A New Find!

With summertime now here (especially living near the beach, like we do currently), I always dread one thing...FINDING A SWIMSUIT!  Hopefully I'm not alone when I say that regardless of how many shops and styles I try, or how much money I'm willing to spend, I just have a hard time finding a swimsuit that fits my body correctly, looks cute and trendy, and covers modestly.  If you're like me in that area, then I have great news for you!!

When reading through my "blog roll" today, I ran across this swimsuit site with some of the cutest, but most modest swimwear I have ever seen!  And what's even better, is that they are currently giving 10% off of orders and have a giveaway going on for someone to win their choice of swimwear.  Trust me...I've entered that contest!  And, even more than that...I know where I will be spending my money to get my next swimsuit! 

You can check out their amazing line of swimwear at http://www.limericki.com/.  And you can enter the swimsuit giveaway at http://missionalmamassoul.blogspot.com/2010/05/lime-ricki-swimwear-review-and-giveaway.html.

Which one is YOUR favorite?  I have about 5 favorites that I will have to choose from... ;-)

Wordless Wednesday

Do you know...

...where we took the kids last week??

More to come...SOON!!  I just had to give you something to anxiously wait for {because I know you're clicking the refresh button every 3 minutes to see the rest of our recent adventure.} *grins*

"Not Me!" Monday

Our *once* little tomato plants now have tomatos!  The kids were not so excited that they decided  to pick a couple.  I had to explain why we can't pick them yet...and re-explain that almost daily now :-)

We're not, however, fighting to save the life of our dear cucumber plant.  Not sure what's going on with it, but it doesn't look happy and healthy anymore...

I did not have to call the doctor's office this week, when I unintentionally gave Austin the wrong dose of Ibuprofen.  Thankfully, I had not given him much above his "real" dosage (apparently, I usually only give him about 1/2 of his okayed dosage).  Still scared me, though!

On a recent swim in Uncle George's pool, Katie did not put on her floaties and jump in off the diving board 2 times!  She hates water getting into her eyes and is much too cautious to try this.  I just wish I could have had the camera to show you how great she did and how much she enjoyed it!!  Maybe next time I'll be more prepared :-)

I will not greatly miss my lovely flowers (given to us by Pawpaw B) when we sell our home and move to North Alabama.  Who wouldn't miss something so beautiful??

This was not a recent conversation at our dinner table:  {Me}"Katie, try some of your hamburger...it's the best one Mommy's ever grilled!"  {Katie, without missing a beat}"But it's the best hamburger I never wanted!!"  Don't you love the honesty?  We're still laughing at this conversation... ;-)


I  did not enjoy an impromptu nature photoshoot with Mark as we enjoyed a nice {and much needed} date night in Fairhope.  Here are a few shots we took of the beauty there...

What have you not done this week??  :-)

Playing TOGETHER

The kids being the ages that the are, and of course being girl and boy, there have been few things they have been able to agree on enjoying together.  They like different types of music, movies, games, toys, and ways to play with toys. 

The past few days, however, Austin has *finally* found something that he likes to play with his sister...

It is now a very common sight to see Katie pushing her doll stroller with Austin following close behind with his grocery cart and baby.  It's easy to see that Austin is all-boy as he drives his cart like a race car driver, but he still tries to learn how to "take care" of his little baby boy {borrowed from big sister, of course}...

Good Milk & Sweet Kisses...what more could any baby{doll} need??

Tall Towers

Austin has a new fascination with making things

tall,

taller,

and tallest of all!

And, after getting a quick "how-to-build-the-tallest-tower" lesson from Katie...

He quickly began to master the art all on his own...

and finished his task of building one very TALL tower!

Good job, Buddy!!  You're learning new things every day, and I love seeing your little wheels turning as you figure things out.  Who knows?!  Maybe you'll build real tall towers one day...but for now, this is amazing enough! :-)

Timely Advice

I recently received Mr. Bernabe's Mind Your Own Mortgage book for review from Booksneeze.  I felt that this book couldn't have come with more timely advice for our family, as we are currently in the selling/moving/buying process in the real estate market. 

Purchasing a home and managing a mortgage within a budget can be overwhelming, frustrating, and even confusing, especially for first-time homebuyers.  Mr. Bernabe helps to clear up typical misunderstandings, give advice for making the best mortgage decisions, and reveal the terms, deals, and gimmicks often used through mortgage agencies.  He also helps to understand how to budget to afford your mortgage, and how to pay off your mortgage timely enough to be able to enjoy retirement down the road, all with a Christian perspective.  There are many real-life examples/scenarios throughout the book, which makes it easy to relate to as you read.

I have already cleared up misconceptions I had concerning mortgages, refinancing options, etc.  And, I am looking forward to using this new knowledge as our family finds our next home to purchase.  I would suggest this book to anyone that is looking to make future choices regarding a mortgage. 

I received a copy of this book as a complimentary copy to review. The opinions written above are mine and are honest.

"Not Me!" Monday

Last week, Katie did not ask to eat "that kitty cat thing", while in a restuarant with the family.  I asked her to repeat herself, then finally realized she intended to ask for catfish fillets.  We all got a good laugh out of that one!

Austin is not learning new words more consistently now...his favorites being "no", "eat", and "nack-nack" (for snack).  Yesterday, Nana and I did not hear his first attempt at the word "sock", and though I won't repeat it here, it sounded very much like a no-no word...definitely not "sock"!

I have not somehow let 2 months go by since I was going to start my crash beach diet and exercise, only to realize that I am 1 1/2 weeks away!  {oops}  How well does a 12-day shred? ;-)

I am not at my wit's end with my sweet, but oh so stubborn daughter.  The past week, when I try to correct her about anything, she does not immediately cover her ears and yell "stop talking to me!"  Praying for wisdom here...

I am not ready to do something other than cleaning, de-cluttering, or anything else involved with selling a house.  Can my sewing machine and/or camera come out to play now??

I am not completely determined to do better starting NOW at taking more pictures of the kids and what we've been up to lately...it's just been so crazy the past couple of weeks...

Girls' Getaway 2010

The kids and I spent the last week in North Alabama with my mom, sisters, and niece for our annual girls' getaway trip.  Technically we did not "get away" this year like we did the past two, but we did spend the entire week together doing things that we wanted to do together.  It was a little more "budget-friendly" for all of us this year.  The kids and I definitely enjoyed our time with family!

The Three cousins - Austin, Katie, and Sydney

Me & My Mom

The Three Sisters - Megan, Marsha, & Heather

We even convinced Mawmaw to join us this year, at least for one day! 

She took all of us to see the Ave Maria Grotto and then out for lunch. 

Can't wait to see what Heather comes up with for our 2011 girls' getaway!! :-)

Family Portraits!

Being that I am a photographer, I have always been the one to take the portraits of the kids and even our own family portraits.  However, since I cannot be behind the camera and in front of the camera at the same time, I could never achieve the candid, true-to-life look I wanted.  Last Christmas, Mark granted my request to (for the first time in our lives) hire a photographer to take family portraits for us.  My sweet college friend and fellow photographer, Diana recently moved back to Alabama from New Orleans, and I was quick to ask for her help! 

So, a few weeks ago, we met with Diana and Jake to have our family portraits taken at the Mobile Botanical Gardens.  It was early in the morning, wet, and very very humid, but we still had a great time.  Here are a few of my favorites from our session. 

Be on the look-out...Our family blog will be getting a "face-life" with new pictures in the near future, and I can't wait!  :-)  It just has to wait until I get home from my Girls' Getaway...  I promise I'll be back to posting regularly SOON!!  Hope you enjoy our pictures :-)

Not Me! Monday

We did not make our upcoming job transfer final this week by adding a "for sale" sign to our front lawn.  {For those of you who haven't heard, we received a great job opportunity in Huntsville and will be the by mid-July!  Though it is bittersweet to leave our family and friends here, we're very excited about the opportunity, but a little overwhelmed with all of the details that are yet to be worked out.}

In light of the above announcement, I have not been working endlessly to get and keep a sparkling clean house {for showing purposes}.  For those of you with young kids, I'm sure you understand the impossilbity of this task - - one step forward 10 steps back!  I will not be sad when this "selling the house" part is complete and life can be a little more manageble.

God never ceases to amaze me with His perfect timing!  This morning, Mark did not read the following quote, which was a great encouragement for both of us!  "What seems like the right thing to do could also be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life.  It's always worth it." ~Unknown

With Mother's Day coming up this next Sunday {while the kids and I will be visiting my family}, Mark did not decide to surprise me with my gift a little early.  He was sneaky this year!  He saw me unintentionally "eye-ing" this beautiful jewelry armoire, and decided it was the perfect surprise from him and the kids...I couldn't agree more!  Isn't it gorgeous??

I have not decided that my children have a conspiracy against me and productivity!  Why is it that they argue and fight all day long except when it is time to go to naptime or bedtime???

I do not have two watermelon-aholics!  See??  (And it's not even TIME for watermelons!)