Wet-n-wild birthday

I dropped the ball. The birthday party was amazing. It was a total success. We had a blast with so many friends and family and I got so caught up in the celebration that I forgot to take pictures! I got the most important stuff, but we won't be able to remember everyone who was there. That really bums me out.

 From the very beginning Paislee told everyone who asked that she wanted a mermaid costume. Not just any mermaid costume, a purple one! So,when her birthday rolled around, her birthday wish was granted.

These are the bare bones of Paislee's cupcake birthday cake!

And, of course, we did the traditional first birthday "cake smash!"

And, of course, Grandpa Bob was there to help!



Ye-haw

Harleigh's first birthday has come and gone. She is officially one year old. Normally, I would be saddened by this but we have yet to have her party! There is so much more "first" excitement to come! I can't wait to catch all of these memories in my camera!

Speaking of firsts... she got her very first goose egg on her forehead this afternoon. Poor gal.

This...

Quickly turned into... This.

Now, I had a hard time getting a good angle on this bump and I still didn't succeed in doing it justice... it's pretty huge.

Harleigh got a new sandbox for her birthday... with BLUE SAND! Yippee! She has so much fun playing in that thing, that I'll overlook the fact that the stinking sand is so fine it sticks to everything and makes a HUGE mess! :)

This is one of my favorite things about living in Podunk, USA!!

<3

A little bit of splish, a little bit of splash

With the recent happenings in the news I feel the need to show a little extra love to my girls. They are complete and total blessings to my life. I wouldn't feel whole without them and I pray I never lose them. Children bring such joy to this world, each one of them should be loved and protected like precious jewels. I believe 100% that one day, in a place far from here, they will be.

As promised I took my camera to the pool and captured some priceless moments.

 This picture is SO Harleigh. This is how she walks everywhere.

Such a priss. <3

Paislee and I made a special trip to the local snowcone stand. She had her little heart set on a PURPLE one! I got her regular ol' grape but she sure loved it.

The "snowcone experience" was a success!

Last but not least I am proud to announce that my littlest love bug is celebrating her very first birthday tomorrow!! This past year has FLOWN by and it couldn't have been any more enjoyable.

This momma is so in love with this baby girl!

Happy Birthday

Harleigh Rae Tatum!!

No time like summertime!

They say that time flies when you're having fun. Boy is it true! I started a new "job" a little over a month ago but it seems like closer to a week. I get to spend the hot summer days basking pool-side and swimming with my girls. I spent almost everyday at the pool last summer and I'm actually getting paid for it now... can't beat that! I plan on taking my camera to work over the next couple days to give a glimpse of how I'm spending my summer.

I haven't gotten my camera out since I started working so the following pictures are from Memorial weekend and the beginning of the summer.

We do two types of fishing when we camp during Memorial Weekend:

Pole fishing

... and trot line fishing

And this is his trophy!

Being caught on our trot line was not this guy's only problem

Breakfast of camping champions



Let me explain...

Over the weekend we used a four wheeler to get across to this other bank since the water was so shallow. This is typical mimicking by a child, also known as "monkey see, monkey do."

(This is a battery operated, child's four wheeler. It was not quite big enough to make it across.)

Grandpa Spencer

Here are some more random snapshots from May

'Tis the season

No, no, it's not Christmas just yet. It's graduation and wedding season! Just so happens I had both this last weekend. My cousin, Sydney, graduated from high school and some family friends tied the knot.

Here is a shot of the happy couple!

Sydney's little girl is just 2 weeks older than Harleigh and they are a hoot to watch. They play well and are developmentally identical :)

Aren't they sweet? Yup. Little angels.

Here are some snapshots from the rest of the weekend:

I've got one more free weekend before I'm busy with the pool. I'll be the manager so I'm looking at some long, hot days and some dog tired nights. Of course I'll try to post when I can.

Not enough time in the... week?

Ivy gets a big fat F on "blogging once a week." I'm even ashamed to say that I've barely gotten my camera out. There were MANY times this week that I've been somewhere and thought "Ah, I wish I had my camera!" Times like when Harleigh was driving on her daddy's lap for the first time, or when Paislee was cheering him on at the softball tournament this weekend. Lesson learned: Always have a camera handy!

I promise my next post will be longer with more pictures. I'll leave you with the girls "mid indian battle cry." <3

Whew!

Another week (or more, whoops!) has come and gone. Time goes by and I'm not sure where it goes. It seems like everytime I blink the girls are older, my to-do list is longer, and I'm left in a dazed and confused state wondering how I got so behind. I think it's mostly because when I have dishes to do, laundry to fold, bills to pay, and a constant stream of messes to pick up I'd rather be out snapping pictures of the girls. Here are some random shots from this past week:

 I'm not sure who attached this wagon to Paislee's four wheeler but she haulled that thing all over my mom's yard. Most of the time it had a baby doll in it but she pulled it around empty too. Silly girly.

I'm so proud of her for holding fish the correct way. She used to be afraid that they would bite her. She's getting so big!

 Roxy thoroughly enjoyed herself as well. We had a hard time fishing with her bouncing through the water in front of us.

 ...And all Harleigh wanted to do was eat dirt.

The Easter Bunny made his way through Burden and hid eggs all over the church yard. The girls went nuts over them... Paislee for the candy, Harleigh for the colorful new chew toys!

Here is Paislee with Grandpa Bob trying to figure out the big pile of empty eggs. (Will thought he needed to "teach the kids a lesson in greed.") She quickly bipassed them and continued her hunt.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

God bless!