Daddy/Daughter Dance

Saturday night was a magical night for a certain little girl around here.

For weeks, she had been waiting and counting down the days until it was time for her Daddy/Daughter dance! 

Her school had decided to put the dance together and I thought it was SUCH a cute idea. I of course, was not "allowed" to go as Anistyn put it. I did get the honor of helping her get all dressed up though. She wore a dress that Grammy and Poppy had got her and I curled her hair for her.

Here are some pictures of the daddy/daughter duo before they headed off to the dance!

            



Really, could they be any cuter?

Apparently, when they got to the dance they got to walk down a "red carpet". They also had to walk on stage and be announced to everyone. I wish I had been there to see them, but I'm sure it was adorable!

Trip to Helen!

This past weekend, we headed out to Helen, Ga to spend some time with Josh's parents. They have a great cabin there, and it was actually where Josh and I spent our honeymoon when we got married. This was the first time we had been back there together since then. Anistyn and I had gone once over the summer with Dane and Ellen...so it was a lot of fun for all of us to be there together!

We had such a great time! My family used to take a lot of trips to Helen when I was a kid, so it always brings back a lot of fun memories for me. We enjoyed a LOT of great food together. Dane and Ellen took us to a spot where we could feed a whole bunch of trout, which Anistyn loved. We did a lot of sight seeing, and even got a round of mini golf in! Here are some pics from our fun trip...

                                        My little family of three...but not for much longer!

                       I took a picture of her while she was smiling for Poppy. I know I'm biased...but she just takes my breath away sometimes!

Josh and I...goofing off of course!

Josh, me, Dane, and Ellen! Thanks to Ani for taking this picture!

I also wanted to add in two pictures of our time on the road while getting to the cabin. Anistyn likes to take pictures with my camera when she's bored...especially of herself!

Here's some of the evidence.

We also took Saban with us along for the trip. He loved tagging along! On the way up there, Saban would walk around the van, taking naps and snuggling up next to us. At one point, he decided to come and sit directly beside me if the passenger seat....

                                                       He looks like such a dignified little boy!

We had a great time and it was so nice to get away for a weekend!

Spring Break weekend...

Here in Augusta, people are a little scared to venture out of their houses this week...

Why you ask?

Its Masters week! I have heard a lot of people say how crazy it gets around here and that its best to just try to avoid going many places. They even schedule spring break during masters week so that school traffic and such isn't a problem.

So with that, Anistyn was super excited on Friday that her spring break had begun! We started it by taking in an extra dog for the weekend. My friend Sara and her husband had gone to Atlanta for the weekend and asked if we would mind keeping their puppy, Wrangler. So Saban has had a little friend this weekend which he has loved!

Then Saturday my best friend Kelly and her son Caleb came for a visit. We have great neighbors here who, between the two of them, have 7 kids! So the kids spent all day Saturday and Sunday outside eating up all that fresh air and running off all of that kid energy!

Sunday, Kelly and I took a trip to Target to finish my baby registry. It was soooo much fun! We were both gushing at all the baby stuff. I can't wait to see the baby that will be occupying all of the things!

Also, just like I said...Josh's schedule has changed to full on nights now. He started the new schedule last night, going in around 6 for PT and then work...and not getting home until 7am this morning (at least I think...I was a little out of it!) We'll see how it goes, but at least he gets an extra day off of work now!

Spring weather=fun times!

Now that the weather is in its lovely in between time, its perfect for outdoor family time. It isn't the freezing cold it was before, but it hasn't made it to the blistering summer heat either. On Friday Josh had some errands he wanted to get done, so Anistyn and I headed up to the park since she was out of school. After much playtime, we headed home for more playtime with daddy and Saban outside. Saturday we headed up to Adventure Crossing, which is a small amusement park. It has go karts, rides, an arcade, and mini golf. We spent the whole afternoon there together, then headed home.

I've also been working more on our meal times around here. Since Josh is working 2 to midnight, I've had to readjust meal times a little. The only difference is that I now cook Josh a meal at midnight. Sometimes its meals that are reheatable...but sometimes I just cook a whole other meal.

I've done so great with meal planning this last week. I am all set up for our meals up to April 2nd! Go me!

I did make one meal last Friday night that was a big hit here. I had some salmon in the freezer that I wanted to use up, so I took to the world wide web to find something to make it super yummy. I found a yummy glaze to put on top and it gobbled up quickly. Josh really loved it especially.

Here's the recipe:

Mix together:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish

Spread the glaze all over the top and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Funny side note: The only item that I was missing from this recipe was the horseradish so I added it to our grocery list. I always make out the list, and Josh likes to do the grocery shopping. So when he came back from the store...he had an actual horseradish! Not the sauce that comes in the bottle already made...but a HORSERADISH! It was hilarious! I of course asked him why he didn't buy horseradish bottled and he said "I was just reading the list. It said you needed horseradish...so you got horseradish." He is right...it DID say horseradish...haha.

So, since I obviously had a horseradish ready, I just googled how to make horseradish. All it took was chopping it up, adding some water and white vinegar and putting it in the food processor. Then, I just jarred the rest to use later...and now I have homemade horseradish! We also had a good laugh over the ordeal as well!

Happy dance!

I am my mother's daughter.

I'm not stating this obvious fact just for any reason though. I will never forget all the weekends that I had to spend, being dragged from consignment sales...to yard sales...over and over again. I never understood my mother's fascination with these places.

Until now.

Now that we're about to have not one, but two little girls running around this place, there is one thing we will never have enough of. CLOTHES! Anistyn is at the point now where I have completely ran out of all hand me downs people have so graciously given to me through the years. With spring right  around the corner, she had NO shorts and barely and t-shirts that fit.

Then there's Britton, who will be born in the summer. Of course, she won't need many clothes in one size since she'll be growing so quickly...but I have absolutely nothing for her yet! Since this is the first time in awhile that I've had to purchase a whole seasonal wardrobe for Anistyn, I wanted to go about it the best way. You will never convince me to spend big bucks on children's clothing...unless its a special occasion. Especially for a baby. I remember spending 30 dollars on an outfit for Anistyn when I was pregnant with her. She wore it one time, then it seemed like she outgrew it the next day.

So, when a fellow blogger that I follow, Nicole, wrote about consignment sales...I knew I wanted to find one. Then, she just so happened to give out this great link on her page. You can click on it HERE. and search for any consignment sales going on in your area!

I looked on the site and it just so happened that there was a huge church consignment sale going on this weekend! Then...I did a happy dance. I quickly told Josh about it, and while he did not participate in my happy dance with me...I know he appreciates the penny saver in me.

The sale started this morning...and while I was up and ready to go, Josh needed to sleep in a bit due to his schedule. Once he had slept though, we headed over to the church to see what we could find. 

This is what we ended up with:

14 different pieces for the girls! For how much you ask? 40 bucks!

Anistyn got 4 shirts and a pair of shorts.

      While Britton got her first stash of outfits! Really...I forgot how fun it is to shop for baby girls!

From now on I'll be sure to kee track of any more consignment sales in my area!

Oh, and by the way....my mother is so proud!

Swing shift

Around here, we're trying to get adjusted to Josh's new "swing shift" schedule.

We were so spoiled since he got home in October. Josh was working from around 8-4...give or take 30 minutes to an hour depending on the day. It was great. We were all up in the morning together getting ready. Anistyn and him got all of their work done during the day, which gave me time to myself to get all the housework done and meals started. I would pick her up at 3:00...and he would be home at 4.

He had time to spend with Anistyn before dinner where we all sat down to eat together. He could help with Anistyn's homework and after putting her to bed, we still had a few hours to spend together before bedtime.

Now though...its an ajdustment. He works 2 to midnight and we're still working on getting used to it. He pretty much doesn't see Anistyn during the week at all. When I'm getting her ready and off to school, he's still sleeping. And by the time she's home from school, he's already at work. If I want to spend time with him, it means staying up until around 2am...which means I sleep in too...which I don't like to do.

Hopefully we'll start getting used to it soon. I've started cooking dinner for Anistyn and I...and thne cooking for him again at midnight when he gets home. I know that once he's been at work for so long, there's nothing like a fresh, home cooked meal.

And it could always be worse. There are a lot of wives that don't get to spend any time with their husbands at all right now due to deployments and other things. So, while it is an ajdustment...he is very much worth it.

Although...now they're talking about making him work night shift. So as soon as we DO get used to this shift...it will probably change again!

Good-bye...or, see you later!

Yesterday some of my friends and I met up at O'Charleys for lunch, and to say good-bye to one of our friends, Kemis. Since this base is used a lot for training there are a lot of people that just are here for around 8 months...and then leave. Such is military life:(

I adored Kemis right when I met her. We our both loud, outspoken...and its pretty funny when we're around each other. Plus...we were both pregnant! I say were because Kemis gave birth to her adorable little boy a little over 2 weeks ago!

So, along with this being a farewell lunch for Kemis...it was also my first time getting to meet little Israel Alan.

He was soooo tiny! Its hard to believe that in 4 more months I'll be holding my own. Since I haven't had to care for an infant in 6 years...it made it very real to me! I just forgot how tiny and fragile they are when they're so little! He is absolutely precious!

I am going to miss him and his mommy so much and wish they weren't leaving! But I am glad that I got to know them for a short while.