Funny conversations involving Daniley never cease to amaze me.  Here is one that got a little extra laugh.
Mom:  "Daniley, I got that stain out of your shirt."
Daniley:  With excitement, "DID YOU USE OXY-CLEAN STAIN FIGHTER?"
Mom:  Rolling on the floor laughing. 

So we got out the slide again.  We used this when Daniley was little.  We inherited from my Uncle Michael.  It is at least 30 years old.  Daniley played on it like she had never seen it before (although she clearly remembered it because when I mentioned "the slide" she asked her Daddy to go get the "slide with the green sides and squares and circles on the sides."  That was way more than I remembered.  LOL.  Anyway, Lil' Darlin' climbed right up that thing and she loved it.  Here she is on her first trip down.  Then after bath time they went right back to playing.  Fun times!  Love my kids TO DEATH.  It was such a lovely weekend!!

One of the beauties of having girls is all the fun things we do in the kitchen together.  Daniley loves to help me cook.  I can promise you she doesn't get that from me, but I suspect from my grandmother Nina, also known as MawMaw.  Rolling out homemade biscuits is part of our Sunday morning ritual, but here she is trying to help me with dinner.  I hope she washed those potatoes good, because I did not go behind her.  :-)

Thursday night, Lil' Darlin' stayed up waaaay late, like 10:30.  She was just in the bed restless, climbing on us, pulling pranks, and laughing.  She FINALLY got to sleep....and my reward came the next morning.  She slept until 10:15am!!  (VERY unusual.  We're all early birds.)  That was great, because I had all the upstairs computer work completed by the time of her awakening.  We had a BIG day planned so I had been awaiting her.  I thought, how can I quickly give her a bath?  MOST efficiently?  Well since this is something we do every day, you'd think I would have asked myself this question before.  But I hadn't.  (Shows how we can be more innovative if we stop and THINK.)  Here's what I came up with.

Yes yes, it was fast and easy, and she liked it, and so did I.  I didn't have to get on my knees (one of which still isn't comfortable  to sit on due to surgery back in March).  Anyway, after this we were on our way out to town.  I had a to-do list a mile long, so we were out running errands for....NINE HOURS.  Yes, me and a 1 year old out for NINE HOURS.  I don't ever remember being so tired and exhausted.  I had to take Tylenol when I got home.  Here's one reason I needed Tylenol:  I was carrying her while she was asleep in Costco, and I had to pick up a 40 lb. bag of dogfood and put it in the buggy while keeping her comfortably balanced on my shoulder.  I'm not talking about putting the dog food on the bottom of the buggy either.  (no room there!)  I had to lift is all the way in.  It's amazing what you can do when you have to.  Got everything on the list completed though, happy and proud to say!! 

Click the pictures to enlarge.  This one cracked me right up because apparently, Daniley is trying to suffocate Dan.  LOL.

And when I saw this picture, the look on Dan's face just cracked me right up!  She is giving him a pillow so he'll be comfortable....right before she body-slams herself right onto his midsection.  LOL more.

This weekend we went to a swimming party hosted by Lisa and Chris and their sweet daughters.  It was VERY fun and I'd love to have a pool in my backyard so I could have my own swim parties.  Here are some pictures!  Thank you for inviting us ya'll.  We had a really fun time!!

Saturday was swimming with Cwissy and Shane.  WHY did we not take a group photo???!!!???  We had SUCH a wonderful time.  Thank you so much for inviting us over.  We can't wait to come back.  So hurry up and invite us again.  :-P

Daniley never meets a stranger.  By the time she left 3 entire families knew her life history!

This past Saturday was Liberty Day.  It was H.O.T. but also very fun.  I found some patriotic fabric at a yard sale a while back (several yards, different patterns, all for $2!!) so Mom took it and had Daniley and herself a clown suit made.  Well Daniley's clown suit was about 3 sizes too small (??) so it got handed to Lil' Darlin' and Mom had about 3 days to have another one made.  They were all clowns in the parade, and if I must say so myself, they were very CUTE clowns.  After that, Brooke invited us to the fireworks.  We had a REALLY good time.  The kids ran around all night long.  It was hot and sticky, yes, and they had grocery store feet, yes, but it was awesome.  The band was good, the music was rockin', it was just an all-around great weekend. (Please pardon the pictures running backwards.  I don't know how to stop that without renaming all my photos.  (hardly worth it).)

Lil' Darlin' finally went in for her first haircut.  She LOVED it.  I could not even believe how that child sat up in that chair.  She didn't even hesitate.  Now this is her LeLe doing the job, which I'm sure helped the situation.  Nonetheless, she was still and happy.  Who could ask for more?

 This is a little pet coon.  Here she is climbing at the Barber Shop, getting into everything.  I, for one, need a haircut every once in a while too, so while I was shackled she was on the loose!  I tell you what, if this wasn't my mother doing the job, I'd get me a grandmother on duty to go have my haircut! 

This was a great weekend!  Saturday night Dan and I did get to go out for his birthday.  (Thank you SO MUCH Honey and GPaw!!)  We didn't do anything elaborate but just to have some quiet time and remember we are married to each other was good.  Then Sunday I took the girls to the Splash Adventure.  I bought Dan a very nice waterproof camera (with video) for his birthday and today it served me well.  It's a pretty swanky device.  Here are some pictures from the pool.  Lil' Darlin' LOVES the slides and she giggles all the way down.  I love holding her because those giggles are the sweetest sound to a mother.  The first file is a video, so make sure you hit the play button.  I self videoed on the way down so it looks like a straight line but we were whipping and turning.  She loves it!!  Also Daniley can swim across the pool by herself (I'm not saying she's going to the Olympics or anything) but I think for her age this is pretty good.  Here she is floating.  I promise she isn't laying on the bottom.  I love that kid!!  And Lil' Darlin....maybe she DOES look just a TAD like her Dad.  :-)

Wow!  It has been a little while since I have posted on here.   My main excuse is that I have had some computer trouble (ok, like it was smoking!), and that particular computer is the one that has the camera card reader.  I don't think that my life is so interesting that anybody would care to read about it if I didn't have a picture to throw on here.  It's the pictures that make this interesting.  Well, that AND the 3 year old.  :-)
Things have been hectic lately.  I've been a bit overwhelmed.  Danslen is really clingy right now and I swear I can't get a minute to myself.  I'm either working at work or working at home; either way you slice it, it's work.  We all had the stomach virus last week, thank God, one parent at a time.  Beyond that, Dan had taken on an extensive project in the basement which left me alone upstairs for a couple weeks pulling my hair out!  Speaking of Dan, who is that?  I barely remember him.  Our last date night was in early 2011.  (Quite ridiculous!)  We will go out this weekend for Dan's birthday--I don't care if I have to run an ad in the newspaper to find someone to watch the girls.  This no-time-for-us crap is getting kind of old.  And just to be fair, if I wasn't so cheap I would hire a babysitter....but I would be so miserable spending that much money for a date that I honestly wouldn't enjoy it.  (I mean let's just be honest here, I'm cheap.  It's part of my success story.  You don't get ahead spending every penny you make.  DUH.)  And while I'm ranting....I've been doing some soul-searching lately.  Seems to me I have some friends who always have time for us as long as I'm doing the inviting.  News flash:  I'm out!  I'm on a quest to find some relationships that are a little more give-and-take, not just take-and-take.  Well I guess Maxine is a little moody right now....that's what happens when you get no rest..... I'm not usually moody, so please, just write this one off as well-deserved.  :-)

On a brighter note, Dan has promised me a motorcycle ride tomorrow evening.  My leg is doing great; I have a new motorcycle; and I DEFINITELY need some wind blowing through my hair!! I should feel blessed that we do get a couple hours on Monday evenings to ourselves while our kids visit Mawmaw.  However if she finds out I'm riding my motorcycle she might rescind the offer.  ;-)

My sweet Daniley sings the blessing at our meals.  Sunday night, I asked her to please ask the blessing.  I prepared myself for lovely song.  Instead, I heard this:  "Dear God, Thank you for the food and drink.  Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Little Sister and my grandparents.  Amen."  My heart melted.  She is so precious!

Also this weekend we were at the house and we all had initials on our cups.  GPaw couldn't see my cup but asked Daniley to read him what it said.  duh, ell, cu.  DULC.  GPaw looked very confused so I had Daniley turn the cup around and there it was:  "DLC."  She read it perfectly.  LOL.

Also Daniley has suddenly learned to draw.  She came home from church Sunday with a picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Little Sister, and to my surprise we had bodies, arms and legs.  We also had eyes, a nose, and mouth.  Only I, Daniley's mom, would appreciate this drawing.  I asked her why Daddy had arms and I didn't.  All I had was a wad of color in front of my tummy.  She said, "Mom, that's a brownie bowl."  LOL.  I would put this picture online, but you might not be impressed.  I am, only because we went from drawing scribbles to full bodies.  Overnight.  How does that happen??

A couple notes:
1st:  Daniley sounded out and successfully "read" her first word yesterday.  We were sitting at the counter and I was eating, paying her almost no attention whatsoever.  Then I hear:
huu
ehh
rrrr
sss
hhh
ehh
ww
She had a mini Hershey bar in her hand.  (She missed the y sound, since when you say it, you get a w sound first, duh). Anyway, I knew there was no way she could possibly get "Hershey" out of that but I made a big to-do about her sounding out each letter and trying so hard.  I went back to my eggs and sausage, then I heard:
kkk
ihh
ttt
KIT.
Yes, that's what I heard exactly.  I looked down and she had a Kit Kat bar.  I could not believe my ears and eyes.  I was so proud.  It's like the moment when your hard work pays off!  She successfully spelled and sounded out other words in the car (log, hot, sam, etc) that morning.  We learn a lot of stuff in the car.  GOOOO DANILEY!  I have never been more proud.

2nd:  Some of my readers may have links to their blogs on my sidebar.  If your blog reaches a year since your last update, please don't get your feelings hurt when I delete the link.  I see no point in using my real estate to link to yours if you aren't updating.  Please, don't take it personally.  :-)

This weekend was one of the best ever.  It was jam packed with lots of stuff, all with my kids!
Friday Danslen and I hit some yard sales, then I had therapy.  Then we picked Daniley up from school and headed to ballet rehearsal.  Fun day.  No pics.

Saturday.  Up at the crack of dawn.  Went "picking" (the new "in" term for yard saling) on the way to recital.  10am.  Recital.  Daniley did AWESOME.  I wish they would have chosen a rap song so she could have really showed off.  ;-)  (GPaw has the actual dance pictures.  I'll post a few soon.)
After recital, Honey, Aunt Judy (Honey's sister), and GPaw met Daniley at the door with her first ever rose and a cute little purple doll.  She was thrilled.  So was I.  I heard lots of moms complaining about how hectic it was.  I didn't think it was too bad.

This is what Daniley thinks about dance:

  

Oh well, maybe next time we'll shoot for gymnastics.  Flipping and jumping seem to be more her thing!

Home for a nap....getting ready to wind down....Honey calls and invites us over!  My nephews are there as well as Honey's brother and his kids (Tyler INCLUDED.  Daniley LOVES him!!) and Honey's sister, Aunt Judy.  We go play dance.

Yes I'm 3.

We traveled on foot.  After walking home at 9pm, we hit the sack and then slept in.  Yes I admit it, we slept right through church.  We got up and did some chores (laundry, I don't hate it nearly as much as most people), and then it was time for a trip to Pump It Up!!  Lil' Darlin' went when she was just a few weeks old, but this would be her first trip down the slide.  I took Daddy with me so he could assist.  (Don't want to re-injure the old knee.)  

 

[Like the cute shirt?  $1 at a yard sale Friday.  Still had the tags on it.  This is why I love yard sales!]
 

The Pump It Up verdict is in:  She LOVED it!!!!!!

So one last thing.

I haven't rode my motorcycle since....a LONG time....well before my knee injury which was in February.  Dan bought me a new one several months ago and today I decided I was gonna have to be a big girl and take it for a ride.  I admit, I was scared, but I made myself be brave.  It's a bigger, heavier (not heavy) motorcycle and it will go a lot faster (only if I tell it too).  But with my leg still a little shaky, I just wasn't as confident as before.  Since we all went to Pump It Up, I just had Dan follow me in the car to keep tailgaters off.  I did fine.  It was fun.  By the time I got home I decided I love the new bike and I'm ready to hit the road.  I hope this fall or winter Dan and I can ride our bikes down to the beach together and sit along the shore while the sun goes down. Babysitters sign up here!  :-)

Have a great week everybody.  Love to you all!

I took some time with my family and spent Mothers' Day at the beach this year.  My BFF Jamie and her two girls went with us.  Having Daniley someone to play with at the beach is the best idea I ever had!  We had such a fun time.  I won't go into all the details here but I will tell you 1)  Lil' Darlin' loved the beach and the sand.  She put her face right down in it (see slideshow) and never  missed a beat.  2)  Daniley didn't get a spanking on the whole trip.  and 3)  We parked the car and never moved it once the whole time we were there.  Great trip.  Need more.

Happy Mothers' Day everyone.  A couple months ago I was getting cracked up at all our mothers and I wanted to share some of their quirks, I mean GIFTS!  ;-)  I decided I would save those thoughts until today, MOTHERS' DAY.  Enjoy the parody.

We've been blessed with alot of mothers.  A lot.  I have a mother.  Dan has a mother.  But wait, there's more.  I have a step-mother.  And I have a grandmother.  Or two.  As you can imagine, things get "interesting" at times.

LeLe--Fun Mom
Whether it's being the Queen of Halloween or the brains behind the next city parade, Fun Mom isn't going to miss a beat.  The trouble that she goes through for a party is incredible.  Sometimes just her talking about all her plans is enough to send me over the edge.  I think at times she recognizes this.  At that point she says nicely, "Just show up."  The last parade she had a costume for Dan, and I was afraid to tell him he had to dress up like an Indian (Native American).  LOL.  So I just simply waited til we showed up to break the news.  He's up there rolling his eyes....(but he's smart enough to shut up and get dressed!).....but like always, Mom's plan was thorough enough that she pulled it off perfectly.  As usual, we ended up having a great time.  When it comes to those Grandbabies, Fun Mom is going to be in the middle of the action, with costumes, props, and plenty of other ridiculousness but making sure those grandbabies, and their friends, are the stars of the show!

Honey--Spoiler Mom
Spoiler Mom is notorious for spoiling grandbabies.  Every time we go to Publix now, Daniley thinks she is entitled to a trip down the toy aisle.  Spolier Mom and Daniley go to Publix twice a month together and each time Daniley comes home with a little something new.  Spolier Mom also gives them lots of JUNK but justifies it by saying "It's sugar-free!"  Daniley will call Spolier Mom and invite herself over so she can get hot chocolate, cookies, ice cream, PEZ, and whatever else goodies that are hidden in that closet.  If you see that Daniley has a little junk in her trunk, don't look at me or my junk.  IT'S ALL SPOILER'S FAULT!!!

Mawmaw Nina--Clean Mom
Ohhhh sometimes I worry Clean Mom is going to have a heart attack that takes her on out of here when she comes to my house.  You could have dinner on Clean Mom's floor.  It would surely be cleaner than the surface of my kitchen table.  Clean Mom's house is always dusted, vacuumed, and spotless, but Clean Mom never thinks it's good enough.  Each time she has company, she says "Come on in....IF you can get in."  A side effect of being Clean Mom is that Clean mom never gets any rest!!  However, this might be just what keeps Clean Mom ticking.  My kids stay with Clean Mom three days a week.  I know that I never have anything to worry about.  Everything is clean and safe.  And the doors are always locked.  And there's always a gun in arms reach.  Take that you nasty criminals!!

Debbie--Unprepared Mom 
Bless her heart, Unprepared Mom is just....not ready for all this.  Unprepared Mom came into our lives before the kids were born.  She didn't have any kids but did have a few neices/nephews.  One of the prime qualities that got her through Daddy's "checklist" was that she didn't have any baggage.  (Her looks didn't hurt her either.)  About 5 years later.......out popped Daniley!  Suddenly poor Unprepared Mom was thrown right in the middle of an attention demanding little baby calling her Grandma!!  I say Unprepared Mom was lucky to get the grandkids without having to raise the kids.  I'm told being a Grandma is far better than being a Mom.  Well anyway, Unprepared Mom just learns as she goes.  I usually have a spy out when she has Daniley anyway, so it's all good.  LOL.

Mawmaw Imogene--Grand Mom
Mawmaw Imogene isn't as healthy as the other Moms so I can't really write about her quirks.  She can't manage the babies alone.  She's always very happy when she gets a visit.  She loves all her baby girls (two of mine and one of my brothers).  Mawmaw Imogene is a great gardener and she gives Dan good advice and has given him all her vintage gardening books.  She also knows how to get by on the basics, like mater' sammiches.  :-) 

We love ALL our Moms!!!!!!!  You make my life so much easier and awesome for my children.  I always loved my grandparents more than my own parents when I was little (because they were FUN, CLEAN, SPOILERS, UNPREPARED, and GRAND!!)  I know how much you mean to my girls and I am so thankful to have each of you in my life!!!  Love love love love love love love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tell you what...we've been having some busy weekends lately.  Summer is definetely upon us.  We've gotten lax about taking the camera with us everywhere.  Don't wanna be the next Mrs. Dollar.  (Fellow graduates, go ahead and laugh.  The rest of you, don't worry about that comment.  LOL.)  Anyway, when you don't take the camera, you don't have good pictures for the blog...and worse, for the yearbook!  Don't worry though; we aren't short on stories.  In fact, I won't go into all the "stories" we got this weekend.  Lord help me, my house is like a zoo.  Oh well, everyone likes a zoo!!  :-)

Here are a few pictures of us winding down Sunday night getting ready for the workweek!!  Looking forward to a wonderful, fabulous Mother's Day weekend.  It's my weekend to relax and get whatever I want.  Dan, did you hear that?  I can get whatever I want.  :-)

One of the joys of being an aunt is having your neices and nephews over to play.  Last night was Bentley's first solo visit, and just like I did for both my nephew's first visits/spend-the-nights, she gets her own blog post.  :-)  First, Unc called to check on her before they even got to the pavement.  That's not even enough time to START crying, much less finish.  No worries though, Dan got on the phone and cried to Unc.  (Not sure if Unc caught on or just thought it was part of the regular zoo.  LOL.)  After we were sure Brooke and Unc weren't going to return to fetch her back, we played in Daniley's room.  :-)  We played with mirrors, Mr. Potato head, and Ariel.  Then we moved to the playroom and rode the total gym, watched cartoons, and Daniley and Danslen bounced.  Then we went downstairs for a snack, and Bentley was crying, and in popped her Mommy and Daddy to pick her up.  Too short of a visit.  Next time she gets to spend the night.  Maybe when she's 5, she will be allowed.  Hahaha.  Just kidding Brookie.  LOL.  We had a great time playing Bentley.  Come back soon!!!!!!!!

I am one proud Momma!  (And the end of the video is hilarious, at least to me.  Little Stinker!!)