Instax and loving it.

I have never done this before...

Well, techinically, I didn't do it this time either. Jessi did it for me.

She SCANNED some pictures for me. Why am I so technologically challenged?! I am sure it is simple, but I just haven't learned how to get it from the scanner to my computer. Some day!

These are little photos I took with my Instax camera. My dad and Rita got me this little beauty for Christmas. I think it is cooler than sliced bread. I always did love the Polaroid concept, but as you know, they aren't making those anymore... voila...

Enter Instax.

I especially love them because they are so tiny. I cannot wait to use these in my scrapbooks. Whenever I EVER get back to scrapbooking. I am predicting, maybe July, when we are in the new house and all my stuff is back in a "spot".

So, quickie about these pictures... We tried to take Don's boat out last week for the first time of the season. He had just had it winterized and put in a brand new battery.

We took the girlies to get new lifejackets (You may have seen that on Facebook!... Gabbi patting her leg and calling the "shish" on the dock... dang! I can't link that either!) and headed to the boat landing. When we arrived, Don had already put the boat in the water and we spied him floating about 75 yards away out in the bayou. We had to make do with sand and some juice bottles and whatever we could to preoccupy three toddlers on the bank's edge until a good Samaritan towed him back to shore.

The girls were only concerned about riding in the boat. Ellie has been talking about wanting to do this for weeks. We cross a big river all the time and she always says, "Are we going to ride in that river on Don't boat?" Yesssss, Ellie. And so it has been for day after day after day...

There was no way we weren't riding in that boat. So, with lifejackets on, we stuck them up in the boat and rode around and around the parking lot. Talk about some redneck fun. I was laughing so hard I could hardly speak. Don, not so much!

This is the three of them piled in the back of the borrowed minivan (a la Facebook also), thinking they were riding like this to get crawfish. Actually, Staci, Veronicia, and I , determined to make the most of the evening DID take the girls to eat crawfish and had a ball. There was a "jumpy thing" that the girls got to hang out in, and we just got our bellies full.

And that is the story of our first Boat Ride and my new Instax camera. Have a good day.

Mo

What a fun day.

Alright I am warning you....

If you are at work, may want to do this at lunch.

If you are having breakfast, settle in...

It is going to be a very, very long one. I haven't had an opportunity to do a long post in a long time. I have only been working on this one for about a month! Ha. When I am at Staci's, I load a pic or two before we have to wrangle girlies!

So although it's been a long hard road, we are finally going to be able to show a few pictures of a fun day we had at MMPT one day. It was the day we also went out to the daffodil field, thus the same outfits. I'm just sayin... you know I don't like to duplicate!

We had a final IMOT (Intense Model of Therapy) day with a cowboy day. We asked the Children's Home to bring their miniature horses out , and they gladly did so. They brought this cute little cart too, which the little chillen' just LOVED!

Even MY little chillen!

Round and round and round the parking lot. Poor little tiny pony!

Especially with big mama on board!

Ellie liked it...

But Gabbi LOVED IT!

Have I mentioned that my baby girl is a HUGE animal lover?!

I really need to get this sweet baby a little lap dog. I just don't know if I can take two toddlers AND a puppy who needs potty training in my brand new house.

But she's so cute. She may just win out! She would love a little Maltese or a miniature dachsund, or something like that.

Don't get me wrong, she LOVES Earl! I mean, really, really loves Earl! They are BUDS!

Our therapists really like to get into the theme with the patients. This is Jessica.... she is one of the girls who works with Gabbi for physical therapy. And she is yet another person at MMPT who loves my baby girl!

Cowboy hat, plaid shirt, and flats?! Jessica. You need some boots!

KK went with us to the daffodil patch and hung out with us at the miniature horse party.

Gabbi, who rarely goes to anyone, would have ridden with ANYONE on this particular day! ANd I mean she would have ridden ALL day long! She was in hog heaven. Unlike other kids whose first animal sound is "woof woof" and picks the dogs and cats out of the books...

Miss Lou always finds the "horsssssse". And she says, "heeeee" in a high pitched tone and breaks her voice up like an adult would make the horse sound.

This is Gabbi Girl in between rides wondering first off, WHY the horse is not moving. After all, this is HER world, we just LIVE in it! And second, WHO is planning on riding with me? Again?

I just love this child's hair. When I wash it, it hangs down to past the bottom of her shoulder blades. And I swear, it looks like she has layers cut in it. When it is not back in a barrette (now), it is SHa hag gy! Hangs all down in the poor girl's face. Todd has been telling me to trim it to give her bangs. However, she has the double crown thing going on and her hair literally crosses on the top. I mean, there is a criss cross over the top of her head. I am afraid that bangs might be a mistake. I am hoping that the weight of having it long will weigh down that crazy growth pattern. There's a bird.

I guess this blog post was mainly about Baby number two. After all, she is the one who loves animals... and especially miniature horses!

And she is just plain ol' CUTE!

Mo

Easter Dresses

Oh, WAIT! Did I ever show you the girls' Easter dresses?

What? I didn't ?

Well, that just won't do!

Staci had this super duper cute little dress in her store and brought a couple home for my girlies. She said, "This has to be their Easter dresses. Maddi's too! And we will get them all monogrammed."

Ok, I 'm in!

All of these pics were at JinJin's after church where we were doing our best to get a picture of the three of them together.

As you can very well see, that is not exactly an easy feat.

Then, we all went to lunch together and we got a few cute little shots of the girls playing at this big window. I was pulling the old, "Look. Do you see a dog? Is there a dog out there?" trick!

Cruel. I know. But it worked.

What? You don't see a dog? Keep looking. I can hear him, "woof woof."

Then JinJin naively said, "awww, let me take a picture with my three granddaughters." Riiiiiiight, Jin!

We had the late seating at the lunch, so we were among the last to eat. With that said, I went against every grain of my uptight, nervous, worrisome husband's fiber and let them just "run around" for a while!

But, geez. Look at the joy on their faces. And I think the people there thought they were cute. Not obtrusive. They didn't, like, eat their salads or anything. They just walked around a bit.

Ellie being her "loving", yet so aggressive self with Maddi.

And this pic... have NO IDEA!

But this one.... PURE SWEETNESS!!!

See that dog, Gabbi?

Mo

Gabbi in the Garden

I can't believe that this last Spring I will ever be in my house with this awesome garden, I completely failed to get a picture of my cottage with GORGEOUS wisteria draped all down in over the balcony. For some strange reason, I also failed to get pics of all the bulbs blooming around the garden. Am I crazy?!

I am still hoping that this little cottage is heading right on over to the new house with us. Todd and I still having "discussions" on that one.

Oh wait, look... I did manage to catch a few azaleas in bloom.

Gabbi Girl, loves to walk up and down this little wood plank path. She can do with or without the flagstone stepping stones, but that wood path... is like a magnet to my GG.Do you remember all the pictures I used to take of Ellie Sue in the garden? At one time, there was only one! And I put my girly poo in the garden on a weekly basis for new blooming pics. I haven't done this as much with Miss Lou. Because, well, now there are TWO. And one of them is ELLIE! And two, outside in the garden, with Ellie as busy as she is, ... equals no camera. Just a need for Gatorade!

This is Mr. Johnny. He has helped me in my garden on and off for the past 10 years or so. He hasn't been around for about 5-6 years, and my poor little garden has seriously suffered. Now, out of the clear blue, he comes back and is wanting to know if I need help. He certainly showed up at the right time. He has dug up about 100 plants and potted them for me to take with me to my BAH. Some of them are really sentimental to me. In fact, my great grandmother's house was updated about 12 years ago, and when that happened, they tore down her chimney. I rescued all the bricks and made a little patio out of them in my garden.

Mr. Johnny has taken up all such important features from my garden, and the majority of them have already been transported to the new location. Can you believe we should be there in about two months?! ahhhhh!!! My garden and my cottage are going with me. Although, Todd and I are still in "discussions" about that. Again. (I'm gonna win!! I'm just sayin'!)

Gabbi Lou is wearing an Ellie hand me down and one of my all time favorites! Precious girls! And then, there is good ol' Earl. Gabbi's first word in the morning is "mama?". She tries to find out if I am awake and ready to come get her out of her crib. Shortly thereafter, there is an "Earl?". That baby girl LOVES her dog! And that dog loves his baby, Gabbi! They have a special relationship for sure!

We should have paint on the walls of the BAH this week, so expect some new pics soon. I am getting really excited that this is all about to happen! And nervous too!

Mo

At the Mall

This past week, ol daddy was out of town, so we girls did what we girls do...

We went shopping!

I got home from work, got the girlies dressed, and headed straight to the mall. MAINLY because I was craving Auntie Anne's Pretzels. I am not much of a mall crawler, but I will just about anywhere to get an almond pretzel with caramel sauce!

We went to Center Court where we hung out at the wishing well. I loved that the big sky lights in the middle of our mall made for such pretty lighting/ photos!

I know, I know, I have a problem! I keep the camera in the diaper bag.

For whatever reason, I always think of Jake around wishing wells. I remember him always saying, "I wish for no more chemo. No more surgery. No more "buddies". No more cancer." All I can say is.... well, he ain't go no more of any of that anymore! He is pain free, buddy free, cancer free, and healthy and happy. I can't wait to see him someday.

Just like Jake, we can't pass a body of water in a "well" that my kid doesn't say, "Mom, I need some money".

Gabbi Girl has been in a phase of copying everything her sister says. She repeats everything she says too. That is kinda scary!

And then we went by the cheap jewelry store. I knew they must have some clip on earrings, but I just didn't know how FAB-U-LOUS they would be...

Do you even know how awesome my little wee one thought she was?! She wore these suckers all through that mall! ANd then, Jessi's little girl, Kaitlyn, and our neighbor, Sarah, came over and saw them, and they have been MIA . These were some pretty popular earrings!!

We made some fun memories in the mall! Can't wait til our next trip. (and our next pretzel!!)

MO

Heading to the beach.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when Staci and Don took the two "big" girls for a quick trip down to the beach?

Well, I didn't get a good chance to tell you about the "goodbyes"!

Todd and I have sent Ellie Sue away for the night. She has stayed with JinJin, Pops, and Staci. However, it has always been IN TOWN! This was our first time to ship her off on a real, live TRIP!

She packed her bags, and of course, had plenty of accessories in her extra bag, purse, AND backpack! I put these little Polly Pockets in the bag for her to have something to keep her little hands busy on the 7-8 hour trip.

Right when we got her out to the car, Maddi was already in full-on BEACH mode! She asked her mom,

"Pass me my sunhat, please."

Seriously?!?

Staci says when her child has snowy white, flawless skin, we will see who's laughing at who then!

Dad strapped her in the carseat, with her "nasty" and we stood around saying our goodbyes...

for like, oh, 30 minutes!

I was a bit teary! You'd think we were sending her on another tour to Iraq. I mean, it was emotional.

Except for Ellie!

Look above at our reflection in the side of the car. We watched them go all the way out of the driveway!

With Ellie smiling and waving and thinking, "See ya" the whole time.

And steadily trying to roll up her window!

She is definitely going to be one of those, "Oh, Mooooom, please do NOT come pick me up from the dance" kind of girls!

Mo