back to basics...

Believe it or not, this blog's purpose in 2007 was scrapbooking.  I was teaching classes, and this was a way to announce classes and post layouts....Fast forward...my blog posts have changed, but so has life...

Today I'm going back to my roots and posting some scrapbook layouts (I have nothing else to talk about... call this a filler...)

Click here for one of my first posts...My babies were BABIES!!

Here is the layout of our family portraits taken in December 2010...

Shane's favorite holiday...

the Lymphoma fundraiser "Wiggin' Out"...

so as not to bore people who aren't remotely interested in scrapbooking, the rest of the layouts can be found here...

Mommy Camp started today...I LOVE sleeping until 8:30!!  Tommorrow - Audubon Zoo...Last night we swam until 8pm...The neighbors may never speak to us again after hearing "MARCO", "POLO" for two straight hours...but we had fun...here are my goofballs in new bathing suits from Daddy...

 

hope you have a laugh filled week!!

it's always funny....

no matter how often they do it...

it always make me laugh...

even the "mullet"

the blanket works too....

the wig...it just keeps on giving....

the joys of motherhood...

and having girls 15 months apart...see, they are inseparable...except when they hate each other...which just happens to be 45% of the time...but even when they are fighting they can't stand to be separated... the ultimate punishment is "separate room timeouts"...

I have even caught them "facetiming" each other after being separated for fighting... (if you aren't technologically savvy...Facetime is a way to "call" other kids with I-Touches...ridiculous...but no one asked me...)

Back to the story...Morgan was invited to a friend's house tomorrow...yeah for Morgan...boo hoo for Avery...wait, let me rephrase - hysteria from Avery!!  Only complicated by the fact that Avery HATES camp...or rather, she doesn't hate camp as much as she hates GOiNG to camp.  We've made it through the past three mornings without crying because I promised her a frog...or a sleepover...I've lost track, but I did stop short of a dog...

So Avery won't be going to camp tomorrow... which would be fine if I sat home and ate bon bons while watching my "stories"...but there are these tax returns waiting for me, and I had high hopes for this week...especially since I've already promised that next week will be their last week for camp...which means a complete hault on tax productivity between July 25 and August 9...(if you are a client reading this, I suggest emailing me with your emergency next week - I have high hopes for next week...)

So I have totally lost my train of thought...I'm distracted by Morgan and a friend leading an imaginary group in water aerobics while Avery and friend try to make the biggest splash in the pool...

I should probably just wrap this up by saying how appreciative I am of my precious girls...because complaining is allowed as long as you remember to be thankful, right??  Or is that just a Catholic guilt thing?  Hell, I don't know...I do know that when my sister Ashley reads this she will call me and yell, "Just send her ass to camp!"  but I can't - I'm a pansy...especially when it comes to my girls...

Anne Taintor...

I have been remiss in posting Anne Taintor photos...Why, when they make me laugh so much?!?

I was preoccupied this year, and I didn't order my Anne Taintor calendar - now THAT won't happen again!!

for more, click here - Hope Anne makes you Laugh Out Loud today!!

More Tennessee highlights....

now back to my "boring for most of you" vacation photos...

I may have succeeded in passing on the "flea market frenzy" to the girls... Here we are in Sweetwater, TN...I have NO CLUE what animal was used to make this "wrap"...I would not touch it!  Avery on the other hand....

Morgan loves a little dress up time...she was bummed when she found out the hat was $100...

and both were girls were AMAZED that my Great Grandma Hazel had this exact rotary dial telephone...I was cracking up watching their little fingers try to figure out the dial...

here is one of my favorite pics from Gatlinburg...

it's almost impossible to get both M & A to smile at the same time - they are constantly trying to "out goofy" each other ...as shown here...

It wasn't until the sixth day that I realized I should get in a picture and prove that I was, in fact along for the ride...

and speaking of rides...

Momma's gettin' a new set of wheels!!! 

Welcome Home....

Vacations are wonderful....but that first nap back in your own bed is priceless (mine was two hours)!!

On the 12+ hour drive home...besides losing the shred of sanity I had left, I asked the girls to name the best and worst parts of vacation. It was unanimous....the 25 hour car ride was the worst (even the adults agree)...from now on the Bellangers are flying! In fact, if I ever mention a driving trip over five hours, please remind me of this vacation!

Thankfully, the girls rattled off lists of "favorites"...for Avery, it was the cheesy simple things....holding the lamb at the smelly petting zoo, riding the pony at the same smelly petting zoo, finding a rabbit outside of our hotel and seeing fireflies for the first time, petting the horses at Dixie Stampede and the dogs in the Comedy Barn show, organizing her rocks into colors after "panning for gold", and having a fish splash her in the face in the Lost Sea...

Morgan's list included the pig races at Dixie Stampede, playing with Emily and Maddie in Knoxville, getting a full bag of Maddie's "hand me down" shoes, the scary ostrich eyes at the petting zoo, hiking Grotto Falls, putting her bare feet in the cold waterfall, and the rock climbing at Wonder Works...

Our lack of planning drove Morgan into daily panic attacks. Morgan requires a daily itinerary with exact times, places, menus and activities. She may never vacation with us again. We may need to send her on old folks bus trips from now on....

And what vacation would be complete without daily pancakes and the Salt and Pepper Museum with over 20,000 sets of shakers....
Both girls have started wish lists for the next vacation...

Here are a few of the highlights....

a bear shaped waffle...

PANCAKES!!!

Morgan found this sign... and thought it was hysterical!

pony rides...

with our friends...

inside the caves of the Lost Sea...

Avery's new friend...she was hoping to sneak him in the car...

more photos to come....but I need to figure out how to make dinner out of the three ingredients in the house... eggs, ground turkey and rice....what's the number to Papa John's?????