Tried it Tuesday: Ice Chalk.

At the beginning of this summer I promised myself it would be a productive, fun and there would be plenty of opportunities for learning. So far so good.Thanks to Pinterest I have a list of crafts and experiments to last us the next 6 weeks or so.

It hadn't really crossed my mind to share what we've done, but for this one I remembered to grab my camera a snap a few photos. I'll try to share more of them and let you know how successful each one is.

I saw the idea for Ice chalk here. She has a great blog mostly about using activities to create life long readers. Go check her out!

A great thing about this experiment is it took up 2 days. Yesterday, we mixed up some sidewalk paint, put into some ice tray and let it freeze overnight. The paint is really simple to make: 1 part cornstarch to 1 part water with lots of food coloring. We used 1 cup of each and it filled 1 ice tray. Today, we gave them a try.

We waited until after lunch and it was plenty hot. I know it's ice, but for some reason I was a little surprised by how quickly it melted. This is after literally 20 seconds.

When the girls first started using it the color was not really showing up. But, after it dried the color was very vibrant and looked just like dry paint.

The girls did enjoy coloring with it, but their favorite part was watching all of the colors melt together and letting it melt in their hands.

After about 5 minutes it was all completely melted and we were left with lumps of sticky, colored corn starch. Of course, they had to squeeze,squish it, and rub it all together.

Obviously, this was a very messy project. With the amount of food coloring we used I fully expected to have stained little hands for days. But, as soon as we were done we washed them and there isn't even a hint of color on their hands. That was a very welcome surprise!

Even though it didn't last long, the girls loved it! The oldest is already asking to do it again :) I'll be back to share more successful summer fun!

Our Fourth of July Weekend

Happy Monday! I am trying to get our house back into it's routine and and trying not to pout about the fact that the Hubs had to go back to work after 4 wonderful days off. We had a fantastic, extended Independence Day weekend!

We kicked the weekend off on Wednesday night at our towns firework show. The weather was perfect and the girls had a great time! I wasn't sure how the little one do, but she LOVED it!

Sisters <3

Daddy's Girl <3

On Thursday we actually slept in for once and relaxed most of the morning. That afternoon we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house to celebrate the holiday and their shared birthday :) This was their first time to host a holiday and they did a fabulous job! There was lots of good food, family, and more fireworks!

My Love <3

My brother and one of his babies :)

Boys and their explosives.

Happy Birthday, Eric and Hollie!

My  Grandma's amazing shoes. Seriously. She wears Chucks!

On Friday we stayed home and recuperated from 2 late nights in a row. The Hubs washed and waxed both of our cars, he and the girls had a water fight and later in the evening the girls tried out some sparklers. That was really fun photography!

She was quite dangerous with her sparkler :)

Saturday we spent most of the day doing house work and yard work. It was a very productive afternoon. Later that evening some dear friends of our came over for dinner with their sweet little girl. We had a great time catching up with them. They're such a sweet couple and they are amazing parents. Here's a photo I snapped of their sweet, 5 week old baby girl, Eliana:

Look at all that hair! Isn't she just beautiful?!

Sunday we went to church for part 1 of a new,amazing series. After that we were lazy and relaxed most of the day. The girls played and made messes in every room of the house, Hubs got some PlayStation game time and I put some finishing touches on my laundry room make over and started the daunting task of organizing my digital photos. (I'll be posting about both of those soon!)

What a wonderful weekend we had! I enjoyed every minute of all us being home together for the long weekend. I was sad to see Hubs go back to work this morning, but just 4 more days and he'll be on vacation for 9 days!!

It's been 10 years...

The month of June was a busy one for our family. There was something planned for almost every weekend. Two of those weekends were spent at 10 year reunions for the hubs and I. We both graduated with small classes and the turnout at both reunions was small, but we a great time both weekends!

My reunion was first. We had a family BBQ at a local park. We had fun, but got rained out early. That evening all of the adults got together for dinner. We had a blast! It's always fun to be around a group of people, some who you haven't seen in 10 years, and just pick up where you left off. 

I honestly was afraid there would be a lot of awkward silence. There was none! We talked a LOT! It was exactly like high school except the subject of conversation was drastically different. Instead of talking about boys, clothes and what we should do this weekend, we talked about our children, birthing our children and all of the crazy things birthing our children did to our bodies :) As I'm sure you figured out, when is say "we" talked, I really mean the girls talked while the guys played an overly competitive game of pool. There's nothing like girl talk especially when there's so much to catch up on!

This past weekend was the Husbands turn. We had a family BBQ at the school and got to take a tour since there have been a lot of changes over the past 10 years. After lunch the adults headed to the lake for an afternoon of sunbathing, skiing attempts and cliff jumping. I definitely did not participate in the latter two activities :) We left the lake, went and freshened up and met back up for dinner. After dinner we went to a cabin by the lake and continued the great conversations and laughs.

I had an equally good time chatting with his friends. I love hearing stories about him from a time when I didn't know him. He grew up with a great group of friends and I'm lucky enough to have some of them as my friends now.

I can't believe how quickly 10 years has passed. So much has changed in that time. There's not a lot that's the same, but a lot that feels familiar. I'm so happy and proud of where I went to school. There is something special about going to a small school and I cherish the memories that I made while I was there.

Photo update :)

For those that don't follow me on instagram, here are a few recent photos :)

Sisters having a very important talk :)

Daddy is teaching her his ways.

Father's Day cuddling on the couch. Baby girl was very sick :(

Splash pad fun...and by fun I mean getting nowhere near the sprinklers :)

Birthday party at the splash pad with her friend, Shawn.

An afternoon drive.

Learning to fish with Uncle Eric!

Her first time fishin and she loved it!!

She even held one!

Me and my girls wearing pink for Rosalie. If you don't know her amazing and ongoing story, you can follow the family on Facebook. Just search 'Please Pray for Rosalie'. God is performing miracles in her life every day <3

Happy Anniversary! Sorry, Honey. I had to.

***Disclaimer: Chance McKee, if you're reading this it's about to get all lovey dovey up in here. I'm about to be realllly cliche`. I know how you feel about me letting the world know how awesome I think you are via the world wide web, so get ready or get out.***

On this day 8 years ago, at the young age of 20, I married my best friend. It was at that point the best day of my life.(I told you I was going to be cliche`.) I met, dated and married my husband back in the ice age when it wasn't popular to have a blog and only college students were allowed to have Facebook. Because of that I've never really shared our story with the whole world. So, in celebration of our anniversary I'm going to do just that.

I'll start in December 2003. It was my Freshman year at OSU. It was finals week and I had been studying non-stop for days. My roommate Rachel and I lived in Drummond Hall and she begged me to make the short walk across the mezzanine to Kerr Hall so she could study with a guy friend that she had several classes with. This friend of hers had been to our dorm room and she had been to his many times throughout the semester. Not once did either of them speak of his roommate. Anyways, after a lot of convincing I put my books down and agreed to go with her. I now know that was probably the most important and best decision I've ever made.

When we got there they decided to study in the commons area because the roommate was sleeping. Rachel grabbed me by the hand and said, "Come on! Let's wake Chance up so you can meet him!" She walked right in, woke him up and that's how we met.

The next night she invited both of them over to our room to study. It had been snowing all day and so of course not a lot of studying took place. We all got bundled up and went out to play. And that was the night I knew. I honestly knew almost nothing about him, but I knew we would be together....forever. I know, I know that sounds crazy, over the top and a little really irrational. But I'm telling you I had never been so sure of anything.

We hung out every second of finals week. I could not get enough of him. We each went home for Christmas break. Our families lived nowhere near each other so we spent Christmas break emailing and calling each other. Again, this was back when you had to pay for every text you sent. So we would spend hours on the phone at night talking until we couldn't keep our eyes open.

Over the next month we were inseparable. He even made a trip to the Tumbleweed with Rachel and I. I now know how huge that was because he does NOT dance. But, that night, just for me, he did :)  Since we lived in the dorms there was a curfew on when the opposite sex could be there. So we would spend all night driving around Stillwater just to be with each other. I seriously would have done anything and went anywhere to be with him.

This continued through the spring semester and all summer. In September, 9 months after we "officially" started dating he popped the question. It wasn't a surprise at all. I even knew he had the ring. It wasn't fancy or choreographed, but it was special. It was just me and him sitting on his bed. Even though I was expecting it any day, that did not change how excited I was!

The fall semester ended and so did Chance's time in Stillwater. He decided he would finish his degree at a different school. I was less than pleased about this decision. So in December he moved and I stayed in Stillwater. I can honestly say this was by far the hardest time of my life. It wasn't because he moved. I loved him more than anything and no distance would have changed that. But, at that time he was all had. Not everyone agreed with our relationship and other than Rachel I didn't really have anyone. I felt alone, depressed and  I spent every day of every week waiting for the weekend because I knew we would be together and all the problems I was had would temporarily disappear. At the end of that spring semester my job as a substitute teacher ended and my Rachel decided she was wanted to live on her own. There was no way I could afford to get my own apartment and I didn't know anyone else who could be a trustworthy roommate. But honestly all I really wanted was to be with Chance. I didn't care if that meant leaving Stillwater, a town that I had fallen in love with. I didn't care what anyone else thought. I just wanted to be with him.

That spring, about a month before our wedding, I moved to be with him. I left one of the best places on earth and moved to a town I less than liked. But we were together and that's all I cared about. Yes, we lived together before we got married. It worked for us and I've never regretted it a day in my life.

On June 18, 2005 we said, "I do." I didn't have my dream wedding or my dream dress. But I did have my dream groom who loved me despite all of the obstacles we went through to get to that day. I wouldn't change a single thing about that day. It was beautiful and filled with love and that's all that mattered.

At that time I had never been so happy. We worked minimum wage jobs, had no money, we lived in a crappy, falling apart duplex, and eating out once a week at McDonald's was a treat. But none of that mattered. I don't even think we knew how hard we had it. We had each other and that's all we needed. We married young and we grew up together.

Since that day 8 years ago so much has changed. We went from the ghetto of Okmulgee to buying our own home. We went from a family of 2 to a family of 4...so far;). I wouldn't care if I never step foot in another McDonald's again :) Even my love for him has changed. I thought I could never love him more than on our wedding day. Man was I wrong! The day our first baby was born completely changed the way I loved him. It's not something I can put into words, but if you've experienced it you know what I'm talking about. Watching him with our girls never fails to melt my heart <3

Happy Anniversary, babe. I will never stop thanking God for blessing me with you. You're more than I could have ever dreamed of for myself. I don't always deserve your love, but I'm so thankful you're always so generous with it. The girls and I are so thankful for the life you have worked so hard to give us. I know I don't always tell you, but please know I never take it for granted. You make me a better person and I can't wait for the next 100 years.

I've loved you since the very first day <3

Sweet Karoline's 2 Year Update!

It's hard to believe my little baby turned two this month! I know all parents say it, but time has really flown! She has grown and changed so much over the past year. She's so smart, independent and really funny! Like really, really funny :) She always keeps us laughing and her curiosity definitely keeps me on my toes! She in nothing short of pure joy and my heart overflows with love for her <3

This is little k at 2 years old :

* She weighs 27 pounds!! This is an average weight, but at 1 she only weighed 20 pounds (quite a bit lower than average) . Most toddlers only gain around 3 pounds between 1 and 2 years and she gained 7!! That's most likely because we found she has lactose tolerance problem and when we changed her milk her tummy stopped being so upset and her food stuck around a little longer :)

* She is 35.5 inches tall which puts her in the 88% percentile. She has tall genes so that's no surprise :)

* She is a really good eater! She will eat anything you put in front of her. Her favorites are chicken, broccoli, strawberries and cheese of any kind. She also had her first taste of peanut butter recently and is very fond of it!

* Her speech is developing very nicely. She chatters all the time and repeats everything we say. I'm proud to say she uses please and thank you almost always without having to be told! She wears quite the bossy little pants and doesn't mind letting you know if things aren't they way she would like them to be :)

* She has a definite opinion on her clothing. Her older sister was the exact same way and so I've learned it's not a battle I want to fight. I think it's the one thing she feels like she can control at her young age. I think it's important to let them have a little independence.

* Speaking of independence, she definitely insists on doing everything by herself. Some her most use phrases are, "I try." and "Stoooop! Leave me alone!" It makes me a little sad that she isn't a baby anymore and doesn't depend on me quite so much and sometimes I want to pull my hair out with frustration, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that she is growing into an independent, strong willed little girl <3

* Her current obsessions are horses of any kind and her big sister. She does EVERYTHING her big sister does. And lucky for her, she has a very patient and loving big sister :)

* She has been a wonderful sleeper the past year! The first year she was back and forth with how well she would do. Now she sleeps 12 hours at night and on most days takes a 2 hour nap! A couple times a week she won't take one, but she will always lay down and rest for 30 minutes or so. I do cherish her sleep time because when she is awake she is a non-stop ball of energy!

Well, that pretty well summarizes Karoline at 2 years of age :) Here are few current pictures of her from her birthday party!

Birthday morning! Opening her roller skates just like big sisters! (almost:)

Cheesin' with Nana Donna

Posing with her Elmo cupcake cake!

Looking at ducks with Papa Paul <3

Blowing bubbles with Aunt Hollie :)

Blowing bubbles with her cousin, Cooper. I LOVE this picture!

Four months isn't so bad,right?

Four months since my last blog post?!?! This officially puts me in the "terrible blogger" category!

Since February I have been nothing but busy! So I'm going to use this blog to catch everyone up and then I'll get back to regular posting!

So, the end of January through the middle of March I spent every second planning 2 different parties! In February I threw a surprise birthday party for one of my very favorite people on the planet! My lovely grandma turned 70 on February 16th. (If you've ever seen her, this is shocking, I know!) I turned out perfect! There was a fantastic turnout and she was actually surprised! It was a wonderful party and I'm so happy I was able to do it for her! She deserves it more than anyone I know <3

The day after the birthday party I started putting all of my party planning energy into a bridal shower for my soon-to-be SIL, Hollie! I was so excited to do this for them. Once again, the turn out was wonderful and they got lots of great stuff to help with starting their life out together :)

After the shower I finally was able to take a break from party planning. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to plan parties and events, but it completely consumes my life! I can't think about anything else until it's over and the constant obsession over every detail is exhausting. But, it was all completely worth it!!

April was a HUGE month! My baby  little younger brother got married!! Seriously, if you had told me 5 years ago that he would be getting married, I would have never believed you! But, while he was deployed in Iraq, through a friend, he found his one and only. They balance each other so well and I couldn't have dreamed of someone more perfect for him! They had a beautiful wedding and I was so honored and excited to be a part of it!

May was spent mostly doing end-of-the-year school stuff with big K. She got through Kindergarten beautifully. I am amazed at how much she learned this year! She excelled at reading. She made a 100% on all of her AR tests (reading comprehension) and spelling tests! She also does really well in math. As someone who is terrible at math, this makes me beyond happy! She was blessed with an AMAZING teacher that she absolutely adored :) Overall, it was a wonderful year, but man am I glad it's over! Being the parent of a school aged kid is hard work!

The end of May brought more party planning. This time it was for my baby <3 On turned 2 on June 2nd! She had a great Belbo (Elmo) party. She had a blast and got to play with all of her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncle. I seriously cannot believe my sweet baby is 2!!! I will do another post with updates about her and all of the fun new things she does and says.

Lastly, I need to touch on a few things from the beginning of the year. 1.) I'm still trying out new recipes every week. I seem to have a lot more misses than hits, but I'll post the ones we do like in an upcoming post. 2.) I'm still living a healthier lifestyle and having great success. I'll give an update on my progress and the changes I've made.

Whew!!! I think I'm mostly all caught up now. I'm excited to start more regular posts. Lots of fun things coming up this summer!