Another Day, Another Apron.

Sev got me up a little early this morning, so, because of that, I was able to get the house a little picked up. That is where the story begins. Apparantly, I can't handle a clean kitchen, so I took it upon myself to whip up a batch of brownies. This was my first attempt ever at brownies from scratch...and I decided to try adding a cheescake center. So, marbled cheesecake brownies. Soft, moist, and delicious. Will I make them again? Oh, probably...but it was a lot of work. A lot. Who wants to buy me a Kitchen Aid mixer? I could use one of those if this behavior continues.

On another note, Jon and I are headed this evening to Roanoke to deliver our golf cart to a family from Newport News who bought it from us on craigslist. Whew...finally down to just having ONE golf cart. What a relief. Big fan of craigslist now, people. Something to sell? Give it a shot - I had the cart listed for less than one day...actually less than 12 hours. So it works! And it's free!

Oops, I did it again.....

More cookies. This time with the excuse that my Dad would like them. Homemade peanut butter cookies. These were easy and turned out pretty nice. But I said no more cookies!

Maybe tomorrow I will make cake. That's just what I need. Not.

What have I become??

Jon actually used the term "Susie Homemaker" to describe me. The world as we know it must be coming to an end. Today I made another batch of from scratch chocolate chip cookies in my pursuit of creating the perfect cookie recipe (these were gooooood!) as well as a batch of lemon cookies. These I am not too keen on. Too flour-y or something, but I followed a recipe so I don't feel too bad about these not being super great. Of course, they are still good enough to eat and make my household fat fat fat, but I don't think another batch will be in our future.

Jon got to stay home with us today because of the rain, so he was busy part of the day steamcleaning the rug here in the living room. Sev likes to throw up on it from time to time, so it was pretty stinky. Smells good now, though!

I just want to tell you about the cutest thing. I had purchased some time ago a DVD for Seven that came with an "interactive" dog. I could never get the stupid dog to interact. Until tonight. Before, I thought the video was just cute...now it is tooo cute. The little dog knows where you are in the vieo and sings along, or throws in his two cents whenever he can. Seven thinks he is the bees knees, so that's a big plus. For those who may want this little video/animal set, I believe it is called Video MagiQ. I found it at a TJ Maxx or Marshalls, and it was only $24.99. Well worth it, and cuter than Baby Einstein, in my opinion. More interactive...not so themed. All in all a cute idea.

Last night we had the friends up for a little grilltime to celebrate Rikki and Doug's anniversary. Lots of good food and fun. Poor little Ryane had a time with her allergies and sniffed and slept the biggest part of the time, but that didn't keep Rae from having a good time...little Lainy refused to nap, which irked her Mommy a little bit, but all in all I think everyone had a good time.

Tomorrow Seven and I work half a day, so at least that will keep us out of the kitchen and away from the oven. Here's a look at about half of the cookies in our kitchen...and a look at Seven enjoying his new toy castle.

Another Week Goes By...

Seven has been especially good for me this week...and thank goodness! On Tuesday I worked half a day at the store, so I dreaded Wednesday at home because I really needed to get some things done and I was afraid the little man may not cooperate. But get this - an angel all day. I was able to vacuum, do a couple loads of laundry, clean the kitchen, make all the beds, straighten the house in general, do some travel work, make a HUGE batch of homemade Neiman Marcus cookies, and even made a fantasticly good strawberry kiwi sorbet in my Cuisinart Icecream Maker (that I forgot I had hidden in one of my cabinets). SO, all of this along with feeding, changing, playing and napping with Seven. Good Lord did I feel domestic - Ieven wore an apron of all things. We also went to the bank and the grocery store that day, which means HUGE day for us. I even impressed myself with my productiveness that day. Thursday was also a big day for us...we joined Rikki and Leslie at the park with their girls until Sev got a little naptime cranky...he got his first feel of grass and a first taste of PB & J as well while we were there...which he of course loved. Later that evening we joined everyone for a cookout at Leslie and Erics, where he was really good and entertained himself for the most part. (Eric - you did a fabulous job on the grill...and the salad was still great despite the lack of communication in the dressing department.) For our contribution to the party I whipped up another batch of sorbet - only this time I used some strawberries I had in the freezer along with a banana and an apple. Much lighter in flavor but still really good!

Friday I again worked half a day, then we had a big family dinner at Poppaw and Mommaws across the street. So Good! Even Seven got in on the action and ate only table food that night for dinner. Biggest news about Friday is that someone started "creeping"! Not just rolling around anymore, he puts that head down and forces himself forward by any means possible. So cute to watch - for now - but this time next week I'm afraid my easy going days are over, as he's gonna be all over the place...and in a hurry.

Today was good - Jon and I mowed and took care of the yard, then Seven and I went over to Auntie Mommaw and Uncle Poppaws (Sylvia and Tommy's) to visit with our newest cousin Emma Claire Sizemore. She belongs to my cousin Becky, and is just turning a month old - and so tiny! Only about 8 pounds, so you hardly even notice she's in your arms. I really can't remember Sev being so small...it seems he's always been a big boy!

Well, here are some pics - one is of a wild haired man in the park, one is of Cousin Emma, and the other two are a sleeping baby who konked out while being held by Auntie Mommaw. I thought this was too sweet not to post. And for fun, here is a look at the creep in progress...stay tuned for the crawl! (which I feel sure will be here way too soon....)

A Lesson We Can All Learn...

Here is a video of Seven teaching us the basics of greeting an old friend that we may not have seen in a while. This is a lesson in his foreign language series, so we have added subtitles to assist you. Hope you enjoy it!

Our week abroad in the Dominican Republic...

Jon and I just returned from a fun-filled, friend-filled week in Punta Cana, where we ventured to see our friends Jay and Carolina tie the knot. It was a beautiful resort, the Paradisus Palma Real, and if you have ever considered giving the DR a shot, this is a superior place to stay. The wedding was very nice, just the right size and the location couldn't have been better. Carolina was a rediant bride, and Jay a very handsome groom, whom, I must say, wrote saome very impressive vows. Men, if you need help in the romance department, give Jay a call...he can really work the magic. During the reception, they provided us with a couple of fire-dancers for entertainment - which was a nice surprise! All in all, we had a great time relaxing on the beach, reading a lot (me) and scuba diving (Jon), tanning, eating (YUMM-O), and just chilling out for a week with some really nice people. Looking forward to being able to go back in the future with Seven...I think it would be fantastic for him.

Speaking of Seven, he finally got to meet his cousin William Hart Ballard tonight. William is a mere 3 months old today, so Sev has a little over 4 months on him age wise, but as you can see, William makes up for it in size! His Mommy Catherine spoils him rotten, but what a cutie! Hopefully we will be able to spend some time with Cat and Will this summer (and year) while his Daddy Jason is deployed for the next year or so. I hope to be able to watch him continue to grow up!

Well, here are some pics from our trip, as well as the new cousins showing a little love.

Oh, and friend (you know who you are) congratulations on your stick, fingers crossed, and we can't WAIT to have you in the club! We love you!