We baked brownies on Friday night. Each girl added something into the mix and we took turns stirring the batter. However, it wasn't until the end that we started to really enjoy the chore!
On Saturday we made cupcakes (last 2 photos). I did the baking but I had help cleaning the bowl.
These girls love licking the bowls clean!! I wonder who gave them the idea????
Today we celebrated Cadence's fourth birthday. Kristy had her party at Laura Walker State Park. Mom and Steve came up for the occasion.
The theme was Disney Princesses and it included a special ribbon for the birthday girl (so you can identify her among similarly dressed girls who had the same hairdos).
Cadee received a lot of gifts, including a wii and ds games. All of the kids had a lot of fun. The park had an awesome playground so there was plenty to do.
Guests included Papa Sammy, Nana Robin, Sam, Aunt Melissa, Little Danny, Becky, me and Mallory and of course the birthday princess's sister, mother, and grandparents.
Here is a video of when the Raulerson's pulled in. They came to the door carrying their suitcases. We are anxiously awaiting Grandma's arrival. In my opinion she can't get here soon enough.
I went to the doctor on Thursday. I have a sinus infection (surprise, surprise) but my knee looked good. He took x-rays and advised me to not run for 3-6 months. The doctor also suggested that I avoid wearing high heels. He said the thing about the heels after he looked at my shoes!! I wonder how well you know me. If you know me well, you will know that I probably won't follow this advice. At least not completely. Since I have trimmed down my running time, my knee hasn't bothered me much. I just thought I would have it checked while I was in the office.
The doctor also started me on B12 shots due to my lack of energy.
Last night Mallory had a relapse of her most recent illness. She vomited during the night and awoke to having MORE diarrhea. She was also picking at her ears. Instead of going to the eye clinic, I made an appointment with our local pediatrician. I am so glad that I did! Mallory has a sinus infection, an ear infection and it is suspected that she has strep throat. They didn't swab her for the strep because she was already guaranteed an antibiotic for the other infections. It is suspected because her taste buds can be easily seen on her tongue. It seems that strep also causes diarrhea and vomiting.
I rescheduled the eye appointment for sometime next month. I cannot remember the exact date but I have it written down at work. I spent the morning with her and took her to the doctor. Daniel relieved me at about 12:30. I went to work as he was leaving work.
Here are 2 pictures that I wanted to share with you. The first is of me and Krystial right before we made our grand entrance. The photo was taken by Daniel. I really like this picture because I have a similar photo of us on my wedding day.
The second is of me and Mal making a toast. Mallory got ready with me and the rest of the bridesmaids. Before we started dressing, Karina, Krystial's sister, opened a bottle of champagne. We all made toasts, and Mallory clinked glasses with everyone too.
Does any child (who has a lot and does a lot) realize how lucky they are?????
Tomorrow we are taking Mallory back to the eye clinic in Jacksonville. It is a follow up. I think they want to ensure that her new glasses are adequate and that her vision isn't digressing.
I will keep you informed.
I have also scheduled myself a medical appointment. I rarely go to the doctor but it is time for a physical, to have my knee looked at, and most importantly, I think I have a sinus infection that needs immediate attention! My appointment is on Thursday morning. I truly plan on keeping this appointment!
Aunt Peggy--I would have posted a picture of me sleeping except Mallory took 68 pictures. I didn't feel like sorting through them. I just deleted them.
Well she's back and with a vengeance! Mal started feeling better late yesterday afternoon but didn't come fully into the swing of things until this morning. She awoke early and apparently got bored waiting for me to get up. She not only took pictures of me while I was sleeping but she also called my mom and her dad. She told both of them that I was still sleeping and wouldn't get up!
Mom called at around 10 to make sure I did get up. Mallory called her 3 times, starting at 7:30!
Kirsten graduated from kindergarten!! I cannot believe she will be in first grade next year! I really wished her and Mallory could have been in the same grade (Mallory's birthday is after the cutoff).
She had a graduation ceremony that I was unable to attend. I was able to retrieve these pictures from Russell's facebook account. In the second picture you can see her holding up her diploma.
The girls were supposed to come over yesterday but since Mal is sick, they didn't come. We are hoping to get together on Monday.
Mallory had a rough night but seems to be more active this morning. She still feels a little warm and still refuses to eat. Hopefully recovery is well on its way!
On Thursday, Mallory's class had a small graduation ceremony. Each were awarded for completing the school year and everyone got an additional unique award. Mallory's was for being friendly and helpful!
Her ceremony was attended by her Nana and her daddy. Daniel eventually made it. He was detained by the Georgia State Patrol Office (yes that's right, I am married to a felon). If you recall, I was in Savannah for a work training so I was unable to attend.
Afterward, Mallory's class celebrated with a cake and chips.
This was Mallory's last day because during Thursday night, she started vomiting and running a high fever. She is still sick today.
Finally, wedding pictures. I hope you enjoy them!
Due to terrible weather, the wedding could not take place near the beach as intended. In fact, the weather was so bad that the hotel took the tent down. Krystial got married inside the hotel lobby!!
Oops, I forgot to mention that the bride and the bridesmaids were nearly 45 minutes late!!!!
The space was small but I thought it added a very intimate effect. The ceremony was beautiful with speeches given by both sets of parents. Krystial's brother also played a song with his guitar and Sam's niece played the wedding march with her violin.
Now to Mallory. To be completely honest, I did not adequately prepare her for this. She had NO idea that there were so many people inside. The procession started from the outside and as you walk further in, the crowd grew. All she knew was to follow Libby, which she did until she spotted Daniel. Once she saw Daniel, she went directly to him and tried to sit with him. He directed her to me and I motioned her to come to me. I think her face in the 3rd picture says it all!
Once the vows started, Mallory and Libby sat down on a nearby sofa. They remained there, playing with their baskets and chatting until it was time to go. When we lined up to walk out, Mallory held my hand and walked with me.
The reception was really nice. It was in a different location, Krystial's home to be exact. She had a large buffet, a live band, a champagne fountain, a keg, and numerous types of liquors. All of it was underneath a huge white tent. Unfortunately, I was unable to completely enjoy myself because I had to drive myself home and I had to go to work the next day.=(
As I am typing this, Krystial, Sam and Bryce are in Maui. I hope they are thinking about me!!
Tomorrow I leave for a training in Savannah. I won't be back until Friday night. I will be missing Mallory's end of the year school program but someone will be attending on my behalf. I will try to post pictures on Saturday. 
Although the weather was stormy, Krystial's mood was not dampened. We were still hopeful, excited, happy, and anxious, even when a tornado watch was announced!!
The preparations started by having our nails done. We each received a mani and pedi, complements of Krystial.
Once again, these pictures are not in the order that I prefer but work with me.
We got ready in a luxury hotel that Krystial and Sam would be using later that night. As you can see, Krystial made a BEAUTIFUL bride. The fourth picture was taken right before she was due to walk down the asile. Her mom was asking her if she was sure. Mrs. Donna told her she could still change her mind--that it wasn't too late and she wouldn't be mad!!!!
The last picture is of Mallory having her nails done. She was not the ideal customer and really gave the nail tech a fit.
Tomorrow night, I'll post some pictures of the ceremony. We took so many and a lot didn't turn out well. Our camera is cheap and the batteries were nearly dead at this point. I didn't even get any photos of the reception.
Lealane--did you get some good pictures of the ceremony?
Rehearsal was last night and we all had a lot of fun. We prepped for the wedding, of course, and we teased Krystial and Sam. Sam was already nervous!!!
Mallory's partner is Sam's niece, Libby. Libby and Mallory immediately hit it off and seem to be good friends already. Libby is 9 and seems to have a good understanding of the situation. As you can tell from the pictures, both of them performed very well. I can't wait to see how Mallory does in the wedding.
My partner is Willy, Krystial's brother.
The wedding is outside of a large hotel on Jekyll Island. The ceremony is located directly in front of the ocean. We have the perfect view. However, it is currently storming and upcoming weather predictions indicate rain. The wedding is 5 hours away. I will keep you posted on this very important news story!
p.s. notice Krystial's bouquet. Whoever made it, has a lot of talent!!!!
p.p.s. thanks for the assurances that Mal's dress isn't too short!
Tomorrow is our niece's (Harlie) birthday party, Krystial's wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and after that Krystial's lingerie shower, which is at our house. The wedding is on Sunday. I guess I will rest on Monday, when I return to work=)
The first picture is of Mallory with the mock bouquet we made. Krystial will carry it during rehearsal. All of the bows that we used came from wedding gifts that was received. The second photo is of her in her "wedding dress." The dress is actually too short for my taste but I guess that is the risk you take when you order online.
This picture was taken on Mother's Day. I guess slaving after me made her exhausted! Notice that she has her outside shoes on. Right before she fell asleep, she was begging to go outside.
I texted Kristy several times throughout the day. She is still alive. She is hurting but is able to eat ice cream and pudding today.
I'm tired because I awoke an hour earlier than usual. Why? Because I am an awesome sister. I got up, hurriedly dressed and rushed Mal. I dropped Mallory off at her Nana's and then I flew to my sister's house. I had to have Kristy at the hospital by 8:00 am. She was scheduled to have her tonsils taken out. The surgery went well. She had a lot of scar tissue but the doctor was able to remove everything. Right now, she is in a lot of pain and is very uncomfortable but is at home and is surviving. She should be better in about 2 weeks.
This year all three of us went to church with Daniel's mom, Paula, and his step dad, Yancy
. In this picture, Paula is posing with the flower she won for having the most children present. All four of her babies were there. After church, the entire family went back to her house and ate tacos and salad.
On Friday, Mallory gave me a card that she made at school. Here is what it said, (her words are italicized and in yellow font.)
My mom's name is : Anna
My mom has black hair and brown eyes
She is 2 feet tall and weighs 3 pounds
My mom likes to eat tuna
My mom is happy when she sees daddy
but I know she is really angry when daddy makes her mad
My mom's favorite tv show is movies
My mom is smart. She knows all about playing with me
If my mom would have one wish come true, it would be to have salad
I love my mom because she cooks for me.
Here are my thoughts:
I don't particularly care for tuna, I wished I weighed 3 pounds or at least looked like I weighed 3 pounds. I often feel like I am 2 feet tall. I usually eat salad when we go out to eat. We sometimes watch movies when we go to bed. The movies are always my suggestion so that is where that comes from. As far as cooking, I didn't think she noticed. Not sure why she thinks I am happy when I see her daddy because he does sometimes make me mad!
Happy Mother's Day to all but especially to my mother!
Krystial is getting married next weekend so this weekend is full of bachelorette activities. The first night (Friday) we only dined. Tonight is an entirely different story but be assured I will not be participating in all activities. After all, I am a married woman.
A few weeks ago, sometime in March, Kristy and I took our girls to mom's. While there, the Bates came for a visit. I told Mallory, Cadee and
Kirsten that they had some new cousins that were coming over to play. The new cousins: Kenny, Christopher, and Katie were kept busy with our little girls. Kirsten and Christopher especially hit it off.
Yes, Uncle John has a telephone! In fact, its a cell phone. I had e-mailed him a little while ago to ask something and instead of e-mailing back, he called me. We didn't talk long. Not sure if he will ever call me again because I think I tried to talk his ear off. Anyway, we had a nice conversation and he sounded just like I remembered. I bet even looks the same too.
When Mallory heard me call him Uncle John, she started asking for Papa John's pizza.
Last weekend, the Raulersons plus Grandma and Grandpa Brown invaded SeaWorld. As you can see from the pictures, the girls had a great time. They look like they enjoyed the fountains as much as Mallory did.
My mystery caller lives in Memphis and he is a relative. Surely these are enough clues.
Aunt Peggy, where are you? I expected you to pounce on this.
You may have already seen these pictures, but they are worth looking at again. Here are 2 pictures of the Raulersons dressed for Easter. Aren't they cute? Their beauty really isn't amazing since their mother and aunt are gorgeous!
Guess who called me! I will give you a hint: He is from TN. If you still can't guess, I will give you another hint tomorrow night!
Today I met Mallory and some of her class mates to tour their elementary school. The tour consisted of seeing the playground, lunchroom, library, art room, the music room and the gym. When we were told about the gym, Mallory said, "we have to work out to?"
We also saw all of the classrooms. After visiting the second classroom, I told her that this school didn't have any toys. She looked all around the room and realized that I was right. The bigger disappoint was when she realized what they did do, which was writing. I felt bad about pointing this out. I felt like I ruined her whole field trip. She totally understood what I was saying and what the expectations were next year.
Can you believe that she didn't want me to take her picture? I tried to explain that this was a very important and special event but she wasn't having it. At first I thought she was embarrassed by me but I quickly dismissed that crazy idea. After all, I am the COOLEST and HOTTEST mom around.
These pictures are from the nearby playground that was located next to Krystial's wedding shower. As you can see, the equipment was really nice. Not seen in the pictures, are the rock climbing walls, the monkey bars, balance beams, swings, and a seesaw.
The equipment is shaded by several huge oak trees and the ground is softened with sand and wood chips.
It really was a nice area, a place that would be great for a children's birthday party!
