Rainy Days

Lately, Charlie spends the majority of the day standing at the door pointing to go outside until we go outside. Annette has always liked being outside, but Charlie is something else. He is so very persistent about going outdoors, and with all this rain, we have had to get creative with our indoor play ideas.

This weekend we went bowling with "AA" (Aunt Amber) and Cruz.  Very fun. Charlie liked pushing the ball, but would rather have walked down the alley and pushed the pins over himself. We had to constantly keep him off the lanes. Annette really, really liked it. She could pick up and carry her 7lb ball to the stand  by herself. Scary, but impressive.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

On Saturday, I took Annette to the Children's Theater for the play If You Give a Pig a Pancake. When I bought the tickets, I was worried that she wouldn't want to sit still in the same seat for an hour. Or that she would be scared of the larger-than-life characters. Or that she would be bored. But I was really hoping it would  be a fun mother-daughter date that we could talk about and remember for weeks, if not longer...

So we get there. She loved buying the popcorn and skittles at the mini concession stand. She loved sitting in her own big chair, even though she wasn't heavy enough to keep the seat from springing back up:) Then the lights dimmed. I looked over at her and she had actually used her hand to cover her little eyes. She said she was 'skeered' and I was afraid we were in for a LONG hour. But once the Pig came on stage and started falling all over the place, and when the other kids started laughing, she perked up and started enjoying herself. It ended up being a super great date. The play was just perfect for little kids and I'm So glad we went.

Hungry Hungry Puppies..... A twist on the old classic hippo game my sisters and I loved growin up

My sister, Lauren, had a total hip replacement on Monday. So on the Sunday night before, we had Lauren's big 'Last Supper Before a New Hip' party at my mom's house. Isaac cooked burgers and asparagus and squash, and we had chips and dip. Good last meal:)

Indoor Pool Time!!!

We started swimming lessons with some friends at the Racquet Club today. She was a bit nervous at first, but she kept saying 'my turn, my turn' by the end:)

When we got in the car she said, "It's OVER???" I guess 30 minutes in the pool wasn't long enough.

Excited about our next lesson on Thursday.

I border on hoarder

I'm kidding.

But, you know that show Hoarders on A&E? I can almost see how those sweet people get themselves into such a huge mess. When I get a chance to go to savers, antique stores, garage sales, or any other second hand store I find myself saying.... i love this old thing!... it's one of a kind.... i'll never find another one again... i'll regret it if i don't get it....    I'm pretty sure those words have been said on that reality show a few times.

So far, I have kept my hobby under control, but I truly look forward to digging through junk. I know it's not for everyone, BUT searching through other people's old books, clothes, knick-knacks, and furniture is like a fun little competition for myself. Yeah, I might could go buy some of this stuff at Target or somewhere else, but I get a thrill out of finding something so unique for so cheap:)

For example, I've had Catholic High's Junktique written on my calendar for months. Last year I got our coffee table for 5 bucks and over 20 antique books for 2 dollars. You can see why I go, right?!? The problem is, hundreds and hundreds of people show up for this junk sale. That's why I say it's not for everyone. Including my nice husband pushing a double stroller with our two toddlers:) They left after like 10 minutes. However, I went twice. Once when it first opened, and once at the end of the day. And I found some goodies!

You can fill a bag like this with almost anything for 2 bucks. Perfect for children's books, chapter books (which I love to read, and use for a course I teach), and of course small games and toys for my two kiddos.

The goods that I stuffed in my sack.  Annette went straight for the game. It's called Don't Spill the Beans and Annette loves it. We have played it at least 5 times already. However, she LIKES spilling the beans, so the game ends pretty quickly:)  I  also got two newbery winning chapter books that have been in my amazon shopping cart for months, and several caldecott winning books that we didn't own yet. AND, annette's favorite, the water color coloring book.  And that water torpedo toy that costs about 15 dollars on amazon or Target.  Two dollars well spent.

This is the kind of stuff just laying around everywhere. Barely organized, but oh! the potential!!!!

You could have gotten this table for 4 dollars. With paint, it could be a cute table, right?

I came home with this table for 8 dollars. Big purchase, I know;) Cute for the kids. Or I might put plants on it and keep it outside. I'm still deciding....

The chair came from the Antique store in Alexander, AR.

For 2 dollars..... which brings me to the next place I frequent to find fun stuff.....

This store is on the way to Bryant, and is a CRAZY place to shop, but I absolutely love it. I would love to spend hours here like I used to do, pre-kids, but now I go and spend 30 minutes lookin' real fast:) It doesn't have a real name (just says Antiques on the side of it) and it doesn't have a phone number. The guy that owns it shows up about 10:15ish on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The other days have been hit or miss for me. Those hours and inconsistency in themselves can make this place annoying for most people. But I keep going back because he has everything old you could ever want or hope to find.

 isn't this mess and huge pile up remarkable! i mean, i can't believe he knows where anything is....

 surprisingly though, if you ask him to find you some.... oh, say.... some classic toy wooden blocks... he will take you right to them.  they might cost 1 dollar or 100 dollars. it seems like he prices things according to their sentimental value. i have bought picture frames from him for 20 dollars, and gotten one for free before... all based on his story behind the item. i got a great dresser for annette's room from here for just $80.

this is one of the neater aisles. 

this bunny below (or maybe the flag) is marked $145. and do NOT think about bargaining here. he will tell you straight up that he will NOT go down on his prices. and he means it.

This last time, I came looking for an iron twin bed for annette. She is ready for her 'big girl bed', so I wanted to find an antique headboard to match her vintage-y room. He found this one for me. Cute, right???

He also has this one, which I equally love. I'm going back on Thursday to hopefully bring one of them home:)

It's sideways, and I don't know how to fix that. And there is a cute teal rusted chair behind the iron bed, so you can't see the  bed that well, but trust me... it's cute too.

People have asked me if it's worth going to this place, but you should probably ask either my sister in law Amber, or my friend Courtney. Their opinion is probably more credible than mine, because I am already looking forward to my next digging spree:)

Charlie's Birthday!

A few cheesy phrases to go with our bubble party theme that I've been dying to get out....

We are 'bursting' with love for our Charlie!

Mommy and Daddy are 'bubbling' with joy over Charles Isaac Junior.

Hate to bust your bubble, Annette, but Charlie was the center of attention today :)

Thanks, friends and family, for POPPIN' on over to celebrate with us!

Charlie has been very into bubbles lately, so I decided to use them as our theme. (I love a theme and I love a party. As many of you know:)

Thanks, Nonnie, for baking these YUMMY and cute cookies.

Isaac and Lauren and cousins Sydney and Tom grilling (and test tasting) some sausage and cheese snacks.

Thanks, Granny, for 'popping' some corn and making the cupcakes!

Doc playing with Ada in the bubble pool.

Wouldn't have been a fun party without my WONDERFUL family. To my husband, sisters, parents... THANK YOU! Charlie is a lucky boy to have you building into his little life.