The Family Stone

Hannah's First Talent Show

2012-02-13T23:04:00.004-05:00

Today at 2:30pm Hannah called me and told me she was doing the school talent show tonight. Even with such short notice she did such an amazing job...I was so proud of her and I love her so much! It was so neat to see not only my baby up there, but some other very talented kids that we have known for a long time now..Mr. Chaz was amazing on the piano and Adam was awesome as usual.... They are growing up too fast, but I am so proud.

I caught a bug

2012-02-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

Well I wanted Hayden's bug and I got it ugh! Shane got it too; so it was lots of fun being sick together. He helped out a lot last night as he was feeling better and our awesome neighbor Mary was so precious and kept Gracie, took her to school then took Hay to school and kept him most of the day. She rocks. I owe her big time. Also a big thanks to my sweet friend Malia for meds to make us feel better. I would have possibly died of nausea if I hadn't had those pills. :-)! Hopefully we are done with the Stone bug cause I can't handle anymore just sayin. This picture below is what I think of being sick. LoL. Needless to say our house smells like the inside of a Lysol can :-)!

My icon

2012-02-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

I learned to sing listening to this lady :-(! I'm so sad to hear of her passing. I can only pray she knew Jesus and that I get the chance to sing with her one day in heaven. Obviously I love all of Whitney's songs but my 2 favorites are "I wanna dance with somebody" and "I will always love you". I was actually singing "I will always love you" yesterday in the car! :((((( Rip to my all time favorite singer. I will truly always love you. :(

fashion love today

2012-02-11T12:52:00.001-05:00

My cute vest from Buckle, Essie 3D effects top coat, my grey knit uggs rolled down and my feather earrings.

He loves us

2012-02-10T17:33:00.001-05:00

Hayden has been the sickest I have ever seen him. He woke up at 3 am this morning throwing up and continued to throw up off and on all day today. After calling the doctor early this morning and waiting nearly all day for the pharmacy to fill his prescription we finally were able to get Hay some Zophran. He is feeling some better after taking his medicine and getting a Mickey balloon from mommy :-)! He was so sweet he always got to the bathroom to throw up in time and didn't want to mess up anything. He was so pitiful when he said "I tan't do dis anymore." my poor little fellow :-( I would much rather be sick then my babies. I guess in some way I can imagine how God must feel when he sees his children hurting. Whether it be from physical pain, a broken heart or just from the pain we inflict on ourselves. When my children are hurting it breaks my heart. I literally stop at nothing to take their pain away if at all possible. So it got me thinking; How much more does our heavenly father love us? The song "He loves us" came to my mind and now I can't get it out of my head. Today I am grateful for my sweet little boy and that even though he is sick today he is healthy overall. I also have taken the time out to be thankful for God's strength, His grace and His beautiful love for us.

My favorite things

2012-02-08T15:55:00.001-05:00

I love love love posting my favorite things. My new Yankee Candle makes my heart smile. Love my Affliction sunglasses. I'm addicted to nestles chocolate milk and I adore the band called the Black Keys. They remind me of Sons of Anarchy and motorcycles hahaha :-)! I am majorly addicted to pinterest.

Family Stone Christmas

2012-01-21T16:59:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. As usual I am a nerd when it comes to traditions and family activities around the holiday's. Baking cookies with the kids, making ornaments and of course watching tons of Christmas movies. :)! We love the holiday's we had parties and went to parties and enjoyed our friends and family! We love Christmas in the Stine house that's for sure :-)

bathroom project :)

2012-01-21T16:44:00.002-05:00

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In love with a mouse

2011-12-15T22:50:00.017-05:00

Its official. We are in love with a mouse.

Our fourth time at a Disney park in just two years happened only a few weeks ago. To say we had an incredible time is a complete understatement. We had such an amazing time, so much so that we are already planning to visit Mickey again in his Florida house and his California house. We love Disney. We started collecting Christmas decor last year and this year we added to the collection with pieces from Arrabas and the Art of Disney. Here is one of our paintings.I guess you can call them mementos for us to remember our precious time at such a magical place. The painting above reminded me of Hayden and Shane and how much He loves and admires his daddy.

Disney brought the pure joy of giggling with my girls as we rode the tea cups, laughing with meme as the carousel spun us round and round.

Tearing up at the music and fireworks display.

And basking in abundant adoration as my sweet 3 year old Hayden sang as loud as he could while we rode the ride "It's A Small World."

The radiant light in his eyes and the wonder that poured forth as he found something new and more spectacular each time we took a seat on a ride thought to be so simple yet so beloved to his little heart.

The glorious moment for me was when my nearly 13 year old daughter Hannah, who is becoming a young woman right before our very eyes asked if she too could dress up as a beautiful princess and have her picture taken with the castle. Our darling Gracie fluttering around as Tinkerbell and Shane wearing a mouse shirt. The music, food,

Goofy Hugs

Princess Kisses

Finding our matches

Dancing with the stars

The very merry Christmas parade and party

pool parties

shows

shopping and most importantly the memories made will always and forever be etched on my heart.

So I find myself being very thankful to the Lord for allowing a man such as Walt Disney to create such a place for a family such as ours.

So, yes we are all in love with a mouse, but hey I heard that is how it all started.

Our Back Yard!

2011-12-07T16:07:00.004-05:00

The pool is dirty because our robot broke while we were at Disney World :)! It will be clean soon! We keep it open year round because of the heater!

Sometimes I think I am dreaming when I step out into my back yard, but I pinch myself and realize I am not....It's all mine :)!

Happy 13th Anniversary

2011-11-15T08:04:00.001-05:00

Fall Gratitude

2011-11-04T16:36:00.004-04:00

I love writing gratitude blogs...I love writing them so much that I have inspired friends, family and even strangers who have visited my blog to write them as well. I have been writing gratitude blogs for over 3 years now and being thankful is kind of a habit that I have formed. A great habit mind you! :)! This time of year is obviously my all time favorite. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. I can't stop being grateful for the holidays and the family time we share as the Family Stone, plus the beautiful and priceless memories that are made.

This Autumn I find myself sitting back and noticing the details of my family more than ever before. Holding onto the sweet memories and focusing on each little moment that is breathed into our existence because it vanishes ever so quickly as it greets us.

I am thankful for noticing the changing leaves on my beautiful tree in our backyard... They remind me that change is beautiful.

I am thankful for 3 healthy children. Who love to play, run and giggle

I am so grateful for Shane and our marriage of 13 years this November 9th. He is still the man of my dreams. I have said it 1000 times and I'll say it 1000 times again...He is my home sweet home. I am so blessed to have a man that I can be myself with, laugh with, feel 100 percent safe and loved and adored. There isn't a day that goes by that my husband, friend and lover doesn't make me feel like a queen. In everything he does he thinks about the children and me first before he ever thinks about himself. I look forward to watching our son become just like his father, a great dad, a loving mate and a true friend to those he loves with all his heart. The greatest gifts he has given me is our friendship and our children. I love how all 3 of our babies adore their daddy and look up to him...He is their hero and mine too. We have been through so much...I feel like we have lived a lifetime in just these small 13 years. Looking back over the years we have faced major storms, but with God's help we have made it and we are stronger as a couple and as a family for all of the beautiful times both good and bad that we have faced...So I am thankful for this guy below! :)

I am thankful for precious friends who I have known for a long time now and for the new ones who have graced my life with such kindness and love! Thank you Jesus for these beautiful people in my life!

I am thankful for the messes that I find not only in my house but in the yard too! The trail of toys that I am always picking up is such a blessing and reminds me everyday of the blessings of healthy active children :)

I love having a rose garden and I am so thankful that they are blooming right now. This summer our landscaper planted 12 hybrid roses bushes for. I LOVE roses...They bring me so much joy. I am thankful for the beauty they give. I am so grateful for my eye sight to behold such beauty and a sense of smell to breathe in these designs of God. By the way I didn't edit this picture. These roses are this bright! At night our landscaping lights shines up on this one in particular. It is so bright I can see if all the way from the kitchen! Beautiful!

I am thankful for our outdoor living area and the chance to sit and enjoy the fire outside on a nice brisk fall evening while our children play :)!

The Playground, My kids love it. It's huge and they play on it everyday it's not raining and I think I really fell in love with it when I saw all of Hannah's friends all in "middle school" enjoying it...It's large enough and sturdy for even Shane and I to enjoy with our babies! Thankful for playtime on our playground

I am so grateful for our home. For our precious neighbors who are kind and loving. Our home is a place that we don't like to leave, but when we do leave we are so relieved to come back. In the two years of living here we have made precious memories and I thank God for our home. He hand picked it just for us! :) Thank you Jesus! Every time I pull into the driveway I am reminded that dreams/miracles really do come true/happen :)!

Happy Halloween from The Family Stone

2011-10-31T23:38:00.001-04:00

We love Halloween. We love the candy, the fun parties, the costumes and decorating our house inside and out...We love watching cute Halloween movies as a family (not spooky)...We love it! It's so much fun and so sweet to see our children love it just as much as us grown ups do. I think I love it because no matter how old we get or how young our children or grandchildrne are. We all become a bunch of kids during Halloween. We have a lot of fun traditions in our Family Stone and celebrating Halloween is one. It a day to celebrate being a kid, dressing up, acting silly and eating yummy candy. Plus we get to meet all of those other grown up kids who live around us and celebrate together in a day full of family, giggles, friends and lot of love and candy :)!

Halloween Party Fun

2011-10-30T22:15:00.006-04:00

I love having parties at my house. Most people don't, but I do! Even when we lived in a smaller home and didn't have a lot of room. I love filling my home up with the people we love, laughing and having a great time as a family. It is probably one of my favorite things to do....This year my friends Allison and Tiffany helped me host a cute Halloween party here at the Stone casa. Allison took some great pictures with her new camera. This wasn't our first Halloween party, but it was I think, the best! :) My favorite part of the night is seeing all 3 of our children enjoying every minute of the party. They dressed up, played with their friends and had a blast. We can't wait for next year. :)....

Great Room Shelf Redo

2011-10-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

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Master Bath Redo :)

2011-10-19T13:59:00.003-04:00

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Fall Favorites

2011-10-19T09:45:00.004-04:00

Some old and new Halloween Movies that we love. :)

Last year I used Yankee Oils but this year I fell in love with Glade's Fall smells. It's also less expensive :)!
One word: AWESOME!
Love these bags! :)

Fall Break at the Beach

2011-10-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

Last year we took the kids up to Grandfather Mountain and Beech Mountain in North Carolina for Fall break. We had the best time and made precious memories...It was so hard to top last year's long fall weekend, but I think we did it this year. We decided to take the kids to the beach and we couldn't have picked a better time to take them. First of all it's not busy at all, the temperature is AWESOME and the rates are reasonable. We stayed in a large 3 bedroom, 3 bath ocean front condo, took the kids to several attractions, enjoyed yummy restaurants, shopping and miniature golf. Shane topped off our trip with a surprise fishing trip at Murrell's Inlet...This was a first for all of us and we had more fun than we could have ever imagined....We made precious Family Stone memories that will be cherished for generations to come. Two of my favorite memories of our long weekend in October stick out more than any other. The first was the night we all sat out on the balcony in our pajama's and looked out over the ocean that was sparkling under the full moon shining so bright and the stars were glistening. It was breathtaking, but not as beautiful as when our Hayden started singing, "Twintal Twintal wittle staw...." We also recited "Goodnight moon" :).What else should we have done? I mean it was a full moon and we almost could see that cow jumping over it :)...My second favorite thing was sitting on a boat at the inlet looking out over the rich golden sand dunes with the beautiful Atlantic in the background while watching my precious children and loving husband fish for the first time together and actually catching some fun animals. For me it was a moment I will never forget.....We are so humbled by gratitude for our family and the time we get to spend together. Thank you Jesus! We are truly blessed

Viva Las Vegas August 2011

2011-10-03T23:01:00.005-04:00

I enjoyed a great trip to Las Vegas with Shane in August and it was such a great time! We enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Red Rock Canyon. I got to go on a Ghost Adventure at Bonnie Springs Ranch, Toured the Hoover Dam, Saw Phantom of the Opera again (Our Favorite broadway musical) and got to hang out with some really cool people! I had a blast with Shane and enjoyed hanging out with new friends! I am so thankful for a wonderful time :)!

Happy Birthday To my Sweet Darling Angel Gracie

2011-09-20T16:21:00.001-04:00

Summer Lovin

2011-08-05T01:40:00.008-04:00

My Favorites for the summer (DRUM ROLL)

I just started wearing watches...I bought my first watch at the Affliction store in West Hollywood...It's all white and of course Affliction. I also purchased another beautiful Fossil watch with purple flowers(my favorite color) in the facing. I love my watches, but this one below is my favorite! It is super comfy and goes with just about everything!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE :)!

I have worn purple a lot this summer, but this is by far my favorite nail polish....It is cheap and it goes on a little bit lighter than the color you see! I LOVE IT! :)
Shane has been a buyer of Affliction for a long time now...His love for this brand started when he started watching UFC! He loves buying me stuff from Affliction and I don't pout when he surprises me with stuff from their website...This GSP (the guy we workout with everyday) :) shirt is my favorite of all the Tee's he has bought me! Purple accents and the comfy fabric make for my favorite shirt EVER! :)
I have had this MUR MUR skirt for several years and I have always loved it....It is the best summer skirt, but is also adorable with cute boots and a plaid button down...It is so different because of the ruffle in the back and it goes well with my TEE above :)!
I am addicted to these pants! I wear them all the time around the house! SO COMFY! :) I am loving them this week for sure! They are my pms pants LOL! :) When I am cramping and feeling bad these are comfy and make me feel better!~ :)

We have had Apple TV ever since Mac started selling it, but I haven't really used it to it fullest. That is until this Summer... We have been home for most of the summer because of the 15 projects going on around the house, so we have enjoyed this product a lot and I am more familar with it than ever. Netflix is on it and all of our digital copies of our blu ray's...Plus I can purchase, movies, tv shows and such at great prices...The best part is that this tiny little product syncs with my super de douper iMac and iPad so I can play my music from iTunes, while my photos from iPhoto scroll on our theater screen or t.v.! We can also sit down anytime and watch home movies! I LOVE APPLE!
BEST EVER! :)
BEATS BRACES! :) LOVE MINE! :)

I bought this perfume 2 years ago...Ran out of it a while back and finally bought more! It's my favorite!

Top Gun ain't got nothin on Shane! :)

2011-07-24T17:52:00.001-04:00

For Shane's Birthday I purchased a flying lesson for him....He has always wanted to pursue a pilot's licence so the flying lesson couldn't be better! :) He waited six months to take the lesson.

Gracie and Hayden were allowed to fly with him :)! Here are the pictures from that great afternoon!

Trip To Tuscaloosa

2011-07-18T17:36:00.002-04:00

Hannah and I had the amazing opportunity of going on a trip with Branded youth group. We went to help those affected by the Tornado's that hit Alabama hard as well as much of the southeast. It was a humbling experience and my heart and prayers are with those that we met down there even still. We saw, for the first time people who were truly in need who asked for the simplest of items...Things such as towels, wash clothes, sheets....Simple everyday items we take for granted....I got to hear story after story of their experiences during this horrible storm...I saw the Branded teens really open up to these people, pray with them and show such love and compassion towards them....At the end of the trip I left with the knowledge that people are still hurting and that the tornado didn't just change the landscape of the town but it changed the way the town's people acted toward one another....Everyone there was affected one way or another by the storm...EVERYONE!

This is what I saw in Tucaloosa on my way out!

Happy 12th Birthday to Our Hannah

2011-07-08T16:19:00.003-04:00

12 years ago as I held my first born child in my arms time seemed to stand still. I smelled her sweet skin and breathed her in and for the first time in my young life I felt alive....My senses became heightened and I suddenly became aware of my surroundings; then I blinked as a tear fell from my face and all of a sudden I heard a little boy's voice calling out, "mommy hold you." and a little girl about seven tugged on me asking me to buy her a doll. As I came too I grabbed up the chunky little blond headed boy and assured the freckled faced girl of her doll and my gaze went across the room to a young lady of 12....She had my features and my smile and her dad's turned up nose. Her blond hair glistened under the soft lights of a dimly lit restaurant as she sat like a lady of refinement eating her chocolate fondue. She looked up at me with her cheshire grin and I gasped as I found myself in disbelief. My little baby that I was just holding in my arms was sitting in front of me as a young lady with dreams of the life that is before her......

WOW! She is beautiful. I suddenly took myself back throughout the past 12 years I have shared with her. Reading books to her, watching Wizard of Oz and Cinderella for the first time. Playing at the park and taking her to school for the first time (GULP). Watching big tears fall from her face at the young age of six when I told her about how Jesus saved me at five. I thought about how she drooled when her first teeth came in at 2 months old and how quickly she lost them as soon as she got them...I ponder her meek and kind spirit that she possesses and her overwhelming love for animals. I thought about her first step, her favorite shows, How nervous I was when she took off on her 2 wheel bike for the first time. I smile when I think about her coos and laughs. I remember her sad little cry when she would get ear infections; which happened a lot when she was a baby. I took myself back to the Doctor's office when she was only a few months old and how overwhelmed I was when the doctor told me she might be deaf and that she was also carrying a rare blood disorder. But I rejoiced in gratitude at the clean blood work reported back to us and remarkable hearing test that she past with flying colors...She is only 12, but she is still my baby and I am so thankful for her very presence in our life and I look forward to watching her grow!

Camp Gracie

2011-07-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

Our Gracie decided to go to camp this year....I reluctantly allowed her to go, but I am so glad that she went. She had a blast...Her counselor Marie Rabon, a pastor's wife from Rock Hill and a mom of 3 was so amazing to our entire family....She took tons of cute pictures of our little darling's experience at camp :)!

Gracie with Her Camp Counselor, Mrs. Marie (Ree) :)

Gracie with her 2 best buds! They all go way back :)!

Ms. Jenn with the girls :)

Happy Fourth 2011

2011-07-04T23:42:00.000-04:00

We celebrated with Chicken grilled on our grill, great desserts and explosive fireworks display thanks to the Sloan family! A great fourth and another year of Independence! Happy Birthday America!

Carowinds

2011-07-02T00:17:00.000-04:00

We planned a fun "long" weekend to Carowinds which included a two night stay at the Hilton in downtown Charlotte, an afternoon riding rides in the park and we had made plans to spend a full day with our own cabana at the water park in Carowinds...So, after arriving to Charlotte we checked into our hotel, but because it was so late in the afternoon we didn't take our bags up to our room....Instead we went directly to the park so that the children could enjoy what was left of their day riding rides....

We were all so excited and after spending most of the afternoon and night riding rides and planning our next day out we headed back to our car to find it had been broken into....Hannah got to the car first, opened the passenger rear door and glass fell all over her legs.....Shane and I will never forget the look on that baby's face. Horror is the only word to describe the feeling when she screamed out....While we were in the park some ding dong decided to pick our car to steal stuff out of and the crazy thing about it all is they were probably stealing our stuff when I took this picture above...Which was taken as soon as we walked into the park gates...

Earlier in the day Carowinds had a car fire in the parking lot which caught 8 other cars on fire...When we pulled in the smoke was gone, but the security and police were all still focused on that incident instead of the rest of the parking lot...We learned later from the glass repairman that the thief took well over 30 minutes to break in, so the incident had to have happened right after we left our car....This is scary to me because more than likely they watched us get out of the car and walk away...They knew no one would be looking because the security was focused on a bigger matter and they had plenty of time to do what they need to do which is rob us.

The thief stole 2 ipad 2's, Shane's business macbook air, the bag that it was in all the chargers, our car stereo/dvd system and our gps...They also stole my makeup bag which was full of MAC makeup..All totalling about $4,000. Yes, It was a pain in the butt that the thief stole those items and broke our dash and car window, but those things are replaceable.....

The two most important things stolen was our family time that we were enjoying and looking forward too and our feeling of security.....The question is: Will we go back to Carowinds? ...YES....Why? Because we will not let this evil person rule over us. Trust me we will be much more careful and extremely protective over our family and our possessions, but we will not be held captive by anyone! That only gives them the power over us. We are so thankful to God for his protection over us. Thank you Jesus for watching over our family! God is so good to us!

2011 Summer Update and lots of gratitude

2011-06-28T19:43:00.012-04:00

-Loved our Family trip to the West Coast

-Had a blast at Vacation Bible school at our Church

-Enjoyed a trip to see Mamaw and Papaw in Atlanta

-Got to visit with our old Friends Jason and Paige and their darling little angel Noah.

-I was sick for 2 weeks with pneumonia, but Thank you Jesus I am better

-Enjoyed dinner out a few times with the Sinclairs

-Working on and finished up a few big projects around the house....lots of things going on around here...some not as fun as others but no pain no gain hahaha.

-finally saved up the cash to buy a family vehicle for us, finally decided on the vehicle, but we are trying to decide if we want to buy the vehicle now or wait and start a back yard project instead; then buy the vehicle a few weeks later....TOO MANY DECISIONS! overload...Yet thankful and humbled at the simple fact that we can make these decision at this time in our life...So Grateful and overwhelmed with heavy hearts from the thanks that weighs on our hearts! We don't deserve the opportunities, but we are again so grateful for them and with gratitude in our hearts we will be joyous and keep our spirits lifted for this season in our life.

-took the kids to see Cars and there are a few other movies we have seen, but I don't remember them ahhahahahaa so they must have been pretty dumb LOL

-Finally got to take the kids to the neighborhood pool

-Got to visit and swim with my best buddy Allison and Her 2 kids

-Can't wait to find out what she is having :)

-Hannah started a business with Kassidy when we got home from the West Coast and put it online! It's too cute....She is also addicted to the play station 3...She laid in bed with me all day and we watched Ghost Adventures while I was sick...Enjoyed the time with my sweet girl, but Ghost Adventures Scares me! LOL.

-Gracie has been to three sleepovers with her friends from the cul de sac, church and with an old friend...She is addicted to making cards and crafts and plays computer games way too much hahaha...

-Hayden is potty trained except for the poop part, but thank God he only does that once a day right? He likes playing outside in the morning before it gets too hot...He still play's with his train table and it makes me so happy to see him play with it....He loves Cars and Toy Story toys....He takes a car or dinosaur with him just about everywhere we go...He is a little rascal for sure.

-Shane is busy working and has turned his small work area in our theater room into what I have now named "THE UPSTAIRS DUNGEON"....He is busy, but we are thankful for the new and different work he has...It is a lot of stress and very time consuming, but the kids and myself are so grateful for all he puts up with and does because at the end of the day it's all worth it...Well sometimes hahaha LOL :)! We thank Jesus for this blessing called work and the work that is coming because there are so many without work! Thank you Jesus!

We are so thankful first and foremost for

-our health

-family time and the opportunity to take our family on trips

-our sweet friends

-our home that is cool on these hot days

-cars that take us to and fro

-our doctors THANK YOU JESUS for them

-Shane's work and the ability to do the work put forth before him...Thank you Jesus! There are so many without work...We pray everyday that we never take it for granted...

-opportunity to love and help others

-learning the ability through Jesus to forgive those who have wronged us and to say sorry to those who we have wronged...

Southern California

2011-06-14T17:14:00.020-04:00

Last year we took our kids to Southern California for a week of fun...We had such a wonderful time out there that we decided to take Shane's parents along with us this year!

To say we had a blast is a complete understatement. We had the time of our lives.

Our trip started with us flying into San Diego, California on Friday where we drove our rental car for a four day stay at the Hyatt Regency in Lake Forrest which is a little community nestled next to Irvine, California. Irvine is about 30 to 40 miles south of Los Angeles and about 15 miles east of Laguna Beach.

Saturday, we took our family to the Santa Monica pier where we enjoyed the Pacific Park. The famous amusement park on the pier. We rode the Ferris Wheel and I got a little scared :)! Meme had to console me :)

Popee and Meme got to stick their feet in the ice cold Pacific ocean for the first time ever. Even though it was chilly they loved the beach, view and just being there.

Later in the day we headed towards L.A.. We took the girls to the American Girls store...This was their second visit to this particular store. Last year we got them clothes for the dolls they brought. This year we bought them a doll.

After our trip to the American Girl store we drove through Beverly Hills, walked on Hollywood Blvd.

Then we met a few famous people Madame Tussuad's....

At the end of our first day of our Trip to Southern California we treated ourselves to a yummy dinner plus dessert a $30 ice cream that is like no other at the Disney Soda shoppe on Hollywood Blvd..

Sunday started out with an amazing 5 star brunch at our hotel. Then we headed out to explore Silverado, California which is a mountainous area filled with canyons and tons of horse ranches....It reminded me a lot of a western movie. On our way out there we passed Free Chapel O.C., Jentzen Franklin's church, The Saddleback church pastored by Rick Warren and The Crystal Cathedral. Our Afternoon was spent relaxing at the beach....Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach California. Then we came back to our hotel to enjoy some time by the pool and hot tub.

Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed ourselves at the Disney parks. We spent the entire day Monday in Disneyland and Tuesday we hopped between California Adventure and Disneyland. Although Disney's first theme park can't compare to the Magic Kingdom and the Disney World park in Florida in size and Sleeping Beauty's Castle isn't as gorgeous as Cinderella's. But still Disneyland is by far my favorite place to go! It's cooler, not as crowed and most of the rides and the attractions are done with more detail and care than that of Disney World. California Adventure is the home of rides and attractions that Disney World doesn't have plus it's a perfect combination of Disney Worlds other theme parks: Hollywood Studio's, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. What made going to Disneyland even more special than last year was being able to take Popee and Meme. Popee had dreamed of visiting Disneyland since Walt opened it's doors. So to see his childhood dream come true was so surreal and very precious... Disneyland is magic :)!

Tuesday night after spending a full day at Disneyland and California Adventure we drove back down to San Diego, California where Shane had booked us a room at a 4 star Hotel in downtown called the Westgate....It was elegant and beautiful. Meme, the girls and I loved it...He knows how to treat the ladies in his life :). We felt like royalty staying there.

This is a picture of the business room....It felt like we were in a castle!

Popee and Gracie on the Stairwell
One of the foyer area's

Wednesday we spent the day at the world famous San Diego zoo....I can honestly say that it is the biggest zoo in the world or at least our feet and legs thought so...It also has a lot of hills.

Polar Bear :) So Sweet!
The first Panda I have ever seen!
The biggest Elephant I've ever seen!
These two are best friends since birth! Yes that is a dog that you see and yes it is sitting next to a Cheetah who by the way wouldn't do anything without the dog doing it first! This was WEIRD and COOL!

On our last day on the west coast we had plans to visit Lego land California in San Diego, but We were exhausted from all of the theme parks and the zoo trip so we opted for a more relaxing day full of sight seeing....

Our Last Day started off at the Hard Rock in San Diego :)! We have tried our best to visit every Hard Rock in the towns we visit :)! So far I have been to 10 across America, but as a family we have been to 5 :)...

Our next stop took us to the border :)...We visited Cornado Beach and Imperial Beach Pier...We enjoyed walking on the beaches and took a stroll on the pier that is the last pier before you get to Mexico! We also enjoyed watching the surfers...

All in all we had an amazing time and we can't wait to go back to the West Coast for a visit....This was our second time out there, but it was even better than the first....Can't wait for the third and fourth visits to come....

Savannah with My Darling

2011-05-22T01:50:00.000-04:00

Shane and I haven't gotten away for a weekend for over a year and Shane surprised me with a sweet trip to my home state of Georgia to it's oldest city, Savannah! He whisked me away to an amazing stay at the Westin Hotel Resort and Spa where we enjoyed dinner by the pool and late night drink by the fire, which may I add is nestled ever so romantically next to the beautiful Savannah river. We danced on a dinner cruise down the beautiful southern passage way, encountered ghosts on a fun tour of the many historic yet ghostly parts of Savannah. We climbed the dignified Tybee Island light house, walked along the beautiful Georgia beaches and ate a yummy lunch where pirates dared to go! :)! Most importantly we actually connected again...We laughed, shared gratitude in our hearts for the many blessing in our live, reminisced about sweet memories over the past "almost" 13 years of our marriage...We remembered why we feel in love and why we are still in love....It was an amazing time spent together and I am so excited for many more weekend getaways with my dear friend and lover!

Our Trip to Raven Falls

2011-05-16T21:33:00.003-04:00

Saturday we decided to take a trip at the last minute to get away with the kids...We headed up to Ceaser's Head and hiked up to the view area at Raven Falls! It took us 2 1/2 hours to get there and back....The kids had a blast and we enjoyed just getting outdoors away from everything!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T21:19:00.002-04:00

I am so thankful for so much in my life! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel humbled by all that God has blessed me and my family with! My greatest blessings have been and is my sweet children. I am so grateful for them, their health and the joy that they bring to both Shane and I. In moments where sadness and hurt fill my heart and soul up and almost take my breath away they swoop in and in one single moment the pain vanishes from the hugs, kisses and giggles that my 3 little pebbles bring me!

I love being their mama :)!

Shane took us all out to P.F Changs for Mothers Day Lunch! It was so yummy and so relaxing! He bought me river stone for around my back porch! LOVE IT! :)! I also got professional pictures made of our family, beautiful yellow gerber daisy's and Popee got me a dozen beautiful red roses! :) After Lunch...We came back to our house and played on Hayden's birthday slide, the kids played in the sprinkler that Hayden got for his birthday and we all enjoyed a treat from the Ice Cream truck!

Hayden's 3rd Birthday :)

2011-05-07T21:14:00.001-04:00

St. Francis Mud Run 2011

2011-05-01T16:33:00.008-04:00

So Shane and I did it, We finished the mud run. We did the Warrior Dash last year and it was tough. But it doesn't compare to the run we did yesterday....WOW! It was harsh...The St. Francis Mud run was a 3.5 mile course designed in Marine Corps boot camp style...We did over 30 obstacles including climbing walls, cargo nets (SCARY TALL and slippery. I swear I thought I was going to plummet to the earth to my death.... LOL!), Low crawls, rope bridges, swings (ALSO SCARY) 80 yards of trekking through streams and lots and lots and lots of mud....Slippery mud!

We got separated from our group after the 3rd obstacle, but Shane and I managed to finish the run in about an hour and 10 min, which is an average time for a team of four. We did it as a team of two...The other two got lost from us at an intersection of runners and were believed to have skipped most of the obstacles because they finished in only 20 or 30 minutes...The best time is 30 or 40 minutes overall out of hundreds of people, so there is no way they could have made that time just the two of them. Plus they would have had to pass the team in front of us who was part of our group. This team never saw them pass and noticed that the guys were already at the finish line and there is no way that could have happened unless the skipped the majority of the course...Needless to say Shane and I kept going did it all and didn't stop...A lot of the obstacles were designed for a team of 4, but we did it just the two of us :)....It was a great fun for Shane and I to do as a team!

To top off the fun we saw a snake in the stream while I happen to be waist deep and let's just say I have never moved that fast in water before :)! I HATE snakes! Clancy and Nicole will love to know this! :)

Today I am bruised, sore and tired, but it was all worth it! LOVE IT!

Thanks to Destiny and her buddies for letting us join in! We had a blast and we will do it again for sure!

Here are some pictures!

This is our two teams before the run

This is me after we started doing the first low crawl in the mud under barbed wire...
Coming out of the mud heading to all the awful obstacles ahead!

Shane and I afterward

Movie Room Redo!

2011-04-27T16:57:00.003-04:00

We redid our movie room a while back, but I finally have all of the pictures up from it! This is one of our favorite places in the house....We have enjoyed family movie night and T.V. time in this room and honestly I would rather stay home and watch t.v. and movies than go to the theater! This is a plus and a great add to our home!

This is how it looked in 2009...We bought the chairs from Garden Ridge for a great price and the area to the right was just a big open area that need something more.This was our former movie screen and a view of the extra space that at that time was useless...
This is current view....The shelving units are from Ikea we bought them about 6 months or more ago...They are a perfect dividers for the theater space and the office/workout space...The bins are great for all of the kids toys as well. We added a faux brick to add ambiance to the theater side of the room. We also added dark curtains to our windows to black out the windows for perfect viewing during a movie or television time.
Shane totally redid this area.....I know he got top of the line with little cost, but I couldn't tell you what any of it is! :)!

We had the room painted with accent colors and purchased a larger theater screen! Shane put this together himself and we had our friend J.J. help put in the new high def projector.

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-25T21:07:00.001-04:00

Our Spring Break in Destin Flordia Part Two

2011-04-25T00:38:00.015-04:00

We enjoyed staying at the beach or in the Condo, but We tried to take the kids out to eat every night..We enjoyed restaurants like Tommy Bahamas, Hard Rock Destin, and a shack (when I say shack I mean it)called Dewy's that was nestled on a pier next to a bait shop. This was the best seafood I have ever eaten... We also enjoyed taking the kids to 3 neat attractions: Dolphin Cruise, Gulf Breeze zoo and The United States of American Air Force Museum.

We had such a blast in Destin it was great and I hope you could tell from the previous blog of pictures that we enjoyed the beach and the pool and of course our condo...Below are more pictures just a few more pictures of the beach and some of the attractions we enjoyed...Check out the dolphin pictures below I still can't believe I captured these Dolphins so vividly with the boat rocking back and forth.....

The Girls standing in the hole that Hannah was buried in :)!

Hayden's favorite napping spot was on the beach under the umbrella on my shoulder! I loved every minute of it!
Hayden's favorite spot....He ate breakfast and lunch here everyday! :) God love him!
The Dolphin Cruise that we took was great! Destin is a fishing Harbor so there are a lot of fishing boats, but one cool thing to do while you are in Destin is the Dolphin Cruises...They are so much fun....We saw a ton of dolphins it was awesome...Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of the dolphins that I took...
This is us before going out on the Gulf....

A few snap shots during the 2 hour boat adventure...

This wass the ending to a wonderful Dolphin Cruise! What a spectacular sunset!

Our Trip to the Gulf Breeze Zoo! :) LOVED IT! We saw reptiles, Farm animals, exotic birds, Lions, Tigers, Kangaroo's and here are some other animals that we saw below :)...

Here is Hayden with the Zoo Map! :)Normally Hayden is holding hands with Hannah, but he wanted Gracie's hand today.
We saw the Gorilla's on a Train ride around the zoo.
Hannah checking out the brown bear.
Hannah and Gracie with the Parrots :)...

The girls on the train ride around the zoo! We saw Chimpanzee's, Gorilla's and Hippos!We had a blast feeding and petting the Giraffe's
This rooster wouldn't stop crowing! He also followed us around the zoo...

The kids decided to rest....While the kids sat on the above bench this is what was directly across from them! It was a funny site to see the monkeys and the kids staring at each other :) hehehehehe.
This was a cute pic :)Those were some big eggs :)

This is one of my favorite moments at the zoo...the little lizard put it's hand on the glass as if he was waving at Hayden....Hay got so tickled at this little lizard!

Before Flying Home We stopped at the Air Force Museum....It was so cool! Lot's of neat planes, helicopters, missiles, guns and ammo and lots of air force history...It was amazing to see and a great way to stop and think about and be thankful for all who serve and have served our country in all the armed forces!

Our Spring Break In Destin Flordia Part One

2011-04-24T22:08:00.008-04:00

Hayden and Gracie at the Airport waiting to board our plane for the Beach
Hayden was so happy to be taking off
So were the girls
Full moon over the Gulf of Mexico. This picture doesn't do this scene justice...It was so breathtaking to see the moon over the water...
Finally at our Condo in Destin, Florida. It was beautiful.Our Condo: This is the living room, kitchen and Balcony...It also had 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms! It was so relaxing and even and a washer and dryer! LOVED IT!

Scene from our balcony! GORGEOUS! They call these beaches the Emerald Coast...The water is so clear and green and the beaches are white as snow!
This was our little spot on the beach all week! LOVED IT!First Day on the Beach...Beautiful Sand, Clear Emerald Waters and lots of fishing boats out on the water! GORGEOUS!

First Time Hayden was ever buried in the sand! He loved it!
This shows you how clear the water really is!
Hayden playing football on the beach with his daddy!
My 3 precious babies on a beautiful beach with gorgeous water behind them...

My Family Stone on the beach spring 2011

Me and my princess
Hayden splashing around in the crystal clear water...
Hayden and Hannah...Too cute!

He finally gave up...

Hannah and I having a sweet mommy/daughter moment and talking about God's blessings...
Our Pebbles in the pool...Our little Darlings
Hannah was buried in a hole! No seriously like a huge hole! :)

Our Dining room is finally finished

2011-04-16T10:28:00.006-04:00

I am a bit slow with blogging in general. I have really not had the time to sit down and do this until this morning...Both of my girls are with meme and Hayden and Shane are watching cartoon's on the couch, laundry is going and I had a free moment to sit down and update what I had promised only a few weeks ago I would blog about!

I say our dining room is finally finished, however nothing is ever "finished" :)!

A month or so ago I posted pictures of my dining room...If you recall...I changed my "Living Room" that was usless into my huge dining room and changed my tiny dining room into our music room! It is perfect for us. :)! So Here is the Final pictures of the before and after. I still haven't decided on a light over my table, but I am not sure I am going to put one up yet or even at all!

Before Christmas 2009

After April 2011

Fun at Mickey Mouse's Magic Show

2011-04-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

A few week ago we took the kids to see Mickey's Magic show at the Bi lo center! After our trip to Disneyland last summer and our fun trip to Disneyworld at Thanksgiving we are in Love with everything Disney! We all love Mickey Mouse! Or as Hayden says "Ickey Mou" :)! All 3 of the kids enjoyed this magic show and Shane and I were even oohing and ahhing :)!

Couponing is paying off

2011-03-31T10:07:00.004-04:00

On average every week just by clipping coupons and following the bi-lo circular I have saved $65 this doesn't include the fuel perks at the gas station....If you add that into the average price saved it would bring it up to $75 dollars saved weekly.....This is amazing to me.....Just a few months ago I wasn't saving anything. I just went to the store and bought our grocery's without even thinking about saving any money.....I also had the fuel perks card from bi lo, but barely used it.....It blows my mind that just by watching the adds everyweek, clipping a few coupons and actually going to a bi lo fuel perks friendly gas station and using my card I have saved $75 every week.....WOW! That is $300 a month I am saving and I am not even scratching the surface of savings I could be making. This doesn't take a lot of my time....I look on couponmom.com and couponbug.com for extra saving and print them off and I also take a few min. every week to open up the sunday paper that we already get and clip coupons of the items we use. We also get another paper weekly that has the same coupons in them as the Sunday paper so for no perishable items we use a lot of these extra coupons are great! I match up my coupons with the bi lo sale's on items our family uses and that's how we are getting great deals.

I have also started saving any Target coupons....I got the new Disney Tangled blu ray/dvd combo from Target for $15 cheaper than the already low price of $19 because I took the time to save coupons and I used discounts that I had recieved from Target earlier. I save and use Yankee candle coupons and Justice and Build a Bear and Children's place coupons that come through the mail for my kids..We don't go to Build a Bear a lot, but a $10 coupon equals a $2 dollar Build a Bear...Cha Ching.. :)..40% off of a total at Justice is a HUGE savings for a family with two daughters and the 15 to 20% off of Children's place really helps to keep our son looking totally cute, but at a discount.

CVS is another store I am going to tackle over the next month or so.....I have a CVS card and I know the extrabucks really can save money if you know how to do it.

Shane is also a big saver...He doesn't coupon, but he always tries his best to get the most out of a dollar....Most of the items in our home he has bought for us at a discount, or used ebay or craigslist. Our furniture, electronics even our vacations are always because of discounts..Any trip/vacation we take is never taken at full cost we ALWAYS get hundred's up to thousands of dollars off....Mom and Pop furnitures stores will save you tons...You just have to be willing to shop around..Who knew that you can buy Ashely furniture at cost at a local furniture store vs going to an Ashely store and spending thousands more on the same items...Open box items at best buy or Hhgreg are worth looking around for and refurbished computers/phones/ ipad's and so on are always the better way to go because you save thousands by waiting and buying items like this instead of buying right when they first come out. He has also done bartering...This is something we learned from our friends, but it works....You have goods they want and they can do a trade you can't so at the end of the day each person gets a win win.....

There are so many ways to save money out there...Another neat money saver is Netflix. You can view movies, t.v. shows and so on anytime you want for the low monthly cost of $10....Taking the time to clip coupons out of Clippers magazine or moneysavers mailer's also helps....You might find great deals on restaurants that you love.

Taking the time to sit back and look at places you waste money is another great thing to do....Shane and I have done this....We switched over to energy saver light bulbs....After asking our power company for the free box of energy saver light bulbs we went and bought a few more and we have been saving 60 to 70 bucks a month just because we changed out our bulbs....We found a better phone service plan that suited us better and that will save us a couple hundred bucks a month through At&t....

Shane has been trying to do this same thing within his business....He is using our bank to do payroll instead of a major company and this is saving a ton of money a week...A little here a little there goes a long way.....

During this bad economy where people are out of jobs and suffering, where work is slow and great amounts of taxes are due and money isn't pouring in like it might have been before or it is pouring out more than ever before going to the government, and gas and so on and so forth....It is so nice to be able to see that money can be saved. The more money saved is more money earned!

Here are some great sites to help you on your path to save money! These are just a few! More to come!

Livingsocial.com

Groupon.com

couponmom.com

couponbug.com

ebay.com

craigslist.com

Hautelook.com

Hannah's Room

2011-03-30T12:38:00.006-04:00

Got Hayden's room finished, now working on Hannah's....About a year and a half ago I bought her bedding for a very very good price at Target...It was very cute, but after a 1 1/2 of wear and tear it was getting wholly! :) Yesterday I took her back to Target and let her pick out another comforter set for her bed....She did a great job in my opinion!

Hannah's old comforter! This was taken December 2009!Her new comforter! Look so cute! March 2011 We still have to put up her curtains!

The Comforter set she picked was inspired by this letter on her bedroom door given to her by our friend Allison who is the owner and creator of www.allieboriginals.com

Kitchen and Breakfast nook Updates

2011-03-24T23:17:00.011-04:00

Shane and I love to do upgrades to our home. It adds our own personal touch to our house, but it also gives it a little face lift too. I think everyone should do little things around their homes every now and then to freshen things up. Home is for sure where the heart is, however I feel that it is so important to make your house no matter how big or small feel warm and welcoming for not only yourself and your family, but for all you love. I don't think you have to break the bank in order to achieve a tidy, welcoming environment that surrounds you. There are a lot of do it yourself projects that I have found while randomly searching through great blogs. Simple idea's that can help everyone in the decorating and organizing their spaces. Updates and remodels can be something as simple as changing out your pillows on your couch or adding a beautiful wreath to your front door; to an entire room makeover or landscaping overhaul. Whatever it is you plan to do; Make sure it will mean something to your entire family and yourself. I think meaning behind what surrounds you will make all the difference in the world!

Our Kitchen Before at Christmas 2009

Our Kitchen Jan 2011...We had a back splash added! Thanks to Bagwell Custom Flooring!

I don't have a before picture of our breakfast nook ceiling, but this is a pic of the wood slats that we had put up by Bagwell custom flooring....The ceiling was plain white before hand.

My Favorite things award this week goes to......

2011-03-24T22:55:00.006-04:00

I have spoiled myself this week with lots of pampering! Tuesday I was so blessed to get a one hour massage at Spa 360 and then today I went back to the spa for a pedicure. Not only are the prices great at this spa, but you will leave feeling great. I love this place for several reasons, mainly because I go and feel wonderful every time I leave and I have precious friends working there who are so thoughtful and caring each time I visit. Today was the first pedicure that I have had at the spa and my feet have never been this soft. I have had tons of spa pedicures everywhere else, but I always leave with my feet feeling rough...Not today! I loved every minute of being there and I can't wait for my up and coming facial in the next few weeks!
This is a new hair accessory that I adore! My best friend Allison has started a new business called Allie B Originals www.allieboriginals.com . She makes beautiful handmade jewelry and is now making very cute hair accessories...I got a couple of these hair accessories this week and immediately fell in love with them....ADORE ADORE ADORE!!!! These are cute for every age!!!! They are a must buy!

These are my new Reef sandals from Buckle! I think you can purchase these at other shoe stores, but I got my at the Buckle... They are the most comfortable flip flops ever plus they sparkle! Win, Win for me. They are also so cute and yet so comfy..They are so comfortable I don't even like taking them off when I get home. If you don't have a pair go get a pair. They are worth every penny. Your feet will thank you, I promise!

Finally Got Hayden's Curtain up

2011-03-24T22:40:00.005-04:00

We have only been living in our home for a year and a half and I am finally puting up curtains in our kids rooms! Actually, I am lying. I have only put up curtains in Hayden's room. I still have Hannah and Gracie's to fix up!

Below is the before and after pictures of his window! I love his little blue jean overall curtains! I want to give a huge shout out to my sweet friend Allison for helping me out with his curtain rod! If it were not for her help I would still be looking for one! Thank you dahling! :)!

ZOO TIME in Columbia South Carolina!

2011-03-19T22:57:00.003-04:00

Fun at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia! On March 19th 2011!!!! We took kids for an entire Saturday at the zoo. This is a great zoo to visit! Everyone in a few hours from the zoo should visit! LOVE IT!

What I'm Loving this week....

2011-03-15T01:19:00.003-04:00

Last week I shared a few of my favorite things. This week I couldn't resist sharing two things I have come across. First off, I have fallen head over hills in LOVE with these silly little dolls called Singamajigs.

Shane and I took the kids Saturday to Toysrus and as soon as we walked in we saw these singing stuffed animals/dolls... We laughed so hard at these things and right then and there just the moment of us giggling and playing with this otherwise ridiculous toys I knew we had to have one! I think everyone should buy one..... They are great..... They brought our entire family together, laughing and being silly in front of strangers! I LOVE THEM!

This is my 2nd favorite thing... I love tea and I love to sleep. This is an amazing tasting herb tea (I add splenda) with yummy flavors that calm me down for sleepy time. So great. I love it in my new little tea cup too. Well, La ti da. :) hehehehe.

Hayden's Train Room!

2011-03-14T21:56:00.011-04:00

Hayden's room has been redone for awhile, but I haven't posted pics of the differences.

We bought his train bed off of craigslist. The shelf and the chair are from Ikea from a few years ago and He got the train table for his birthday last year. I have two old school pictures of trains in his room, but would love to find bigger pictures to fill up the walls. I also have the most adorable blue jean overall valances for his window, but I am currently trying to find a wood rod:). So I'll post more pics as I update it. Also the paint colors in the before and after pictures are the same. I took the before pictures during the day and the after pictures at night...

This is before....

This is his room now, minus the bigger train wall hangings and his adorable blue jean overall valance.... Again we haven't changed his room color's the lighting just makes the colors look richer. His colors are very soft like the "before" pictures. I will probably never change his room color. I LOVE IT and always have....

Hayden's Train Room....

This is hanging on his door! My friend Allison made it. I love it:)....

This is a picture of the wall hanging. I love this train picture, but I want a bigger picture for this wall...

This is his little bed. I love the deal that we got on it and the bedding. All of it was 100 bucks. Its over 300 bucks at Toysrus and that doesn't include the bedding. LOVE CRAIGSLIST FINDS....

This shelf unit came from IKEA. It was orginally in Shane's old office, but when he wanted to sale it last year I told him that I wanted it for Hay's room. PERFECT... Thanks RP Field Services LOL....

I found this precious hat rack at Homegoods store. It has railroad crossing signs all over it and it holds my cutie's stylish hats and ties. LOVE this find for under 10 bucks....

We Took a Magic Carpet Ride

2011-03-12T23:26:00.008-05:00

Hannah our oldest daughter tried out 5 months ago at school, for the part of Iago (The parrott) in the Aladdin Jr. Musical Production. She got the part of course and we had a blast watching the production this weekend! I must say she was so cute and the perfect little parrot! We are so proud of her and we look forward to her being in more productions in the future. All the kids did an amazing job! YAY for Middle School Musicals! :)

This is Hannah and Her chorus teacher Ms. Hill(who was over the musical)

Still shots during the play :)

Hannah and Erica (Jafar)

Hannah and Craig(who played the Genie)

Some of Hannah's Friends who came to see the production

My Perfect Little Tea Pot!

2011-03-10T23:45:00.007-05:00

A few posts ago I stated how I had found what I wanted for my china cabinet! I found the tea set named by Gracie China and two beautiful China Collections that bare the name of Hayden and Hannah. Well, Shane decided to order me the beautiful Tea Pot and Tea Cup/saucers from Gracie China. He surprised me with them :)! I was actually planning on waiting because I am not in that big of a hurry to get things done, I mean we have moved a lot over the past 12 years and now that I feel settled what is the rush you know? When I opened the box to view my new tea pot I noticed right off that the handle was broken! Shane immediately tried to wrap it back up and place in the box to be shipped back so that we could get another one in perfect condition! I grabbed it out of his hands and pulled it close to my heart and told him that it was indeed not going back from where it came from and to me it was perfect in every way!

You probably think it is so odd that I would want a broken piece of china sitting on my shelf in my dining room, but I don't think there is anything anymore beautiful or inspirational especially for me to view on a daily basis! First off, Shane purchased that piece just for me as a surprise so that within itself makes that little teapot unique, but then you add the imperfection and well I just think that it is perfect! Just think? A beautiful piece of china that has been broken! What a story! That little tea pot reminds me of myself. On the surface I put on my makeup, enjoy fashion, I am very delicate and fragile and yet I am broken! Every time I look at this tea pot now I will not only see my precious husband's love for me and the sacrafice he made to give it to me, but I will see God's love for me and the sacarifice that His son Jesus made for me on the cross when He was broken that I might be saved! He was perfect, but was broken for my sins! I will also think of the fact that I have been broken, but God continues to love me and take care of me and mend me. Yay for God's love and Yay for my little broken tea pot! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Some of my Favorite Hayden finds!

2011-03-08T23:43:00.006-05:00

Having a boy after two girls has been and is very fun, but when Hayden was a baby I was very disappointed in stores selections....My Awesome friend Allie has hooked me up for 2 years now with adorable gap, old navy, children's place and so many more cutie pootie outfits for my little monkey so anything I buy just adds to the already adorable stuff I have been blessed with from my dear friend. I love fashion and I also love for my kids to be comfy and stylish at a great cost :)! LOVE DEALS! One of my favorite places to shop for Hayden and the girls as well, but mostly Hay is Children's place! AWESOME STORE with amazingly cheap prices! I love the Gap and will occasionally buy adorable stuff for the kids there, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Children's Place! Here are some of my favorite spring finds that I have already purchased for my little man! By the way Hayden LOVES to wear hats and he looks so dang cute wearing them too! So that is my favorite accessory to buy for him! Hope you guys enjoy this blog today...If you have grandboys or little monsters running around the house this might help you get to looking for cute items for spring for your little man! Love you out there!

I bought these Pj's for him and he loves them! His are short sleeve! A must for my little sweat hog! LOL

Her Little Princess World

2011-03-08T12:54:00.005-05:00

A few months ago we bought Gracie a desk. She was excited, but we had to store her Rose petal cottage in order to have room for her desk! This weekend Gracie begged me to get the cottage down from the attic to play for a while! I was irritated, but began to think about when I was a little 7 year old girl and how fast time flies. I thought about Hannah and how at almost 12 she isn't really into playing with baby dolls and little houses such as the rose petal cottage and that in just a few years Gracie will be just like that. Needless to say! I took the desk out of Gracie's nook area, put it in the attic and put her rose petal cottage back in! I want to keep my baby girl little for as long as possible or at least as long as she will allow us to do so!

My Favorite Things!

2011-03-06T01:16:00.007-05:00

While walking through my house today I began to think about a few of my favorite things over the past few days! Not all of my favorite things, but just a couple of things that I really think is neat or that I treasure. I thought I'd share with you guys because you might wanna give them a try too!

I wear these necklaces almost everyday! The one of the left is a real black pearl necklace from Shane and the one on the right is from my dearest friend who is my sister not by blood but by bond! I love these pieces! The black pearl heart necklace came from Amazon.com and the sisters necklace from Allie B Orginals....You can check out her work at http://stores.ebay.com/Allie-B-Originals

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allie-B-Originals/169536013074931

I love this brown hair clip! I can fix my hair and if need be I can quickly put this clip in and it doesn't mess up my cute do that I worked so hard to fix! LOVE LOVE LOVE! The pony tail holder is great because it is the color of my hair and can be worn as a little fancy pull back and it's great about not breaking my hair either! :) These are must have's if you have long hair!

I LOVE Aveeno, but I really Love this body wash! It smells great and I love to use it at night in a quick shower before bed. AHHHHH!
Came across this magazine while at Walmart! I love fashion, but I want my kids to look too cute as well! This is a great magazine that gives you really cute ideas for your kids outfits and rooms even neat idea's for school lunches! It's like a fashion magazine for your kids! AWESOME! Gotta love it!
This idea came from my amazing friend Allison! My rainbow flowers were drooping from Valentines day and welll, I still wanted to enjoy them. Because of talented Allie; I cut them and placed them in smaller vase! :) I can still enjoy them and they look so pretty still!

RANGO

2011-03-04T22:59:00.010-05:00

Went to the movies for the first time in forever as a family to see Rango! It was so cute! It had a few curse words, but it's like an old western so it really wasn't that big of a deal. It was still a really cute movie. We laughed a lot, actually I think Shane laughed more than any of us. It was not the best movie for Hayden. He watched about half of it then kind of got restless toward the end. Gracie and Hannah really enjoyed it! I fell in love with this little lizard. He is funny, very dramatic, quirky and so ugly that he is just too darn cute. It is kind of scary towards the end when a snake shows up, but I hate snakes sooooo that might be why I felt it was scary. HAHAHAHAHA! Rango is just too cute! Love him and adore Johnny Depp!

In My Child's Eye

2011-03-04T10:07:00.007-05:00

I just had to share this beautiful picture with you all this morning! The kids and I have been enjoying these spring like days. Yesterday I captured Hayden in this photograph looking up at the sky. He ended up glancing at me and as I took the picture the reflection of the clouds in his eyes took my breath away!

In my Child eye's I saw heaven. I saw no fear and no limits. All I saw were blue sky's and white clouds! To infinity and Beyond! In my child's eye's I saw a reflection of the glory of God!

Goodnight Moon!

2011-03-04T00:26:00.004-05:00

Hannah and Gracie always love to read before bed, but Hayden has also started this tradition in our house! These are his favorite books! I love to hear him read along with me on Goodnight moon and just him trying to pronounce Pinocchio's name is the cutest thing ever! By the way, the Pinocchio book was mine when I was little! :)

I love her freckles

2011-03-04T00:09:00.004-05:00

I Love Gracie's freckles! We did homework outside and I looked up at her at just the same time the sun brushed across her face....A beautiful array of the sweetest freckles popped up and out as if they were jumping off of her face! She is precious! I had to share this picture of her! LOVE IT!

Finding Meaning in Our Surroundings

2011-03-03T15:58:00.015-05:00

In the changing up of our dining room and living room I discovered that to most current decorators the ever so famous china cabinet isn't really in right now and china isn't the "in" thing to buy! I could careless! I want some china! :) and I am a rebel! :) HAHAHAHAHA! Don't get me wrong I love certain new trends and styles when it comes to clothing and decor, but when it comes down to it I am a traditional girl all the way and my husband is just as traditional as me! I like to add trendy touches and such, but the classic-traditional style will never go away...Not ever!

Since I haven't received or bought china before I began to look at collections that would mean something to us as a family that we could pass down! I guess that is where my traditional sense comes from because I am a sucker for old things and stuff with meaning and depth behind them! I love old pictures of my family and Shane's family sitting around our house because that is our heritage they mean something to me and I love those sweet people in those black and white pictures! That is how I feel about nearly everything! I am very sentimental and when it comes to decorating I want the piece of furniture or the wall hanging or photography even the vases and candles to mean something and tell a story about our family or where we bought it or the experience behind it!

Gladly I have come across pieces that stood out to me for 3 reasons each collection bares the name of each of my children! LOVE IT! They mean something! Sounds silly, but it'll be something special to our children to have their name on the collection and it'll be neat to talk about later on down the road!

The Royal Hannah Collection by Lennox is inviting, charming, fun and beautiful just exactly like my oldest Hannah

This is a little collection of tea cups and a tea pot called the Gracie China Rose Chintz! What is so neat about this collection is that it totally suits my Gracie and will always remind me of her girly twirls and dress up days!

This is they Hayden Collection By Noritake! It is sweet, precious and just simply adorable! JUST LIKE HIM! SIGH! :)

Let's Have A Re Do

2011-03-03T13:44:00.012-05:00

We moved into our house a little over a year now and I am totally enjoying

it! I am so thankful for our beautiful, cozy home. I'm even more thankful for the warmth and love that resides here! We are finally doing a few things around the house as we settle in after a year of being here. It takes time to do projects, but I must say that it is fun and I actually enjoy seeing the difference.

I am trying my hand at being creative in the decorating sense, this doesn't come easy to me! However, I am grateful for the blogs of other creative women and men out there that can truly inspire my desire to make my home warm and a reflection of our Family Stone!

Here is one little project that I hired an amazing painter to come in and do for me! My EYE SORE of a desk had to be changed! Here is the after picture! I unfortunately can't find the before, but just imagine and all white wood desk before you! This amazing painter painted my built-in desk and shelf/cabinet to look as if we stained it! LOVE HIS WORK and the top of the desk is paint also! looks like marble, but it's not! :) LOVE IT!

These pictures of our living room and dining room were taking December 2009: Not Shabby, but also not exactly what I had in mind for these two rooms

This picture is the Living room December 2010 Still NOT my goal! In fact this room has been annoying to me and never felt quite right for our family for the past year and a few months!

Last Saturday I finally got rid of the black couch! YAY! Some of you might have loved this look, but I hated it in my living room and I just didn't think with a big den and a theater room upstairs that we needed another sitting area...It was too modern for our taste especially since everything else in our home is more traditional! I put our new dining room furniture in the living room area and placed my electric baby grand in the dining area!

I bought a beautiful china cabinet at cost and mismatched shelf for my "NEW" dining room! We got an amazing deal! The below pictures are just the beginning of the change in these two rooms. Everything is a work in progress! That is what makes it fun! I have no decor yet so I am really browsing the web for idea's and for the china that suits our family and our style!

The Piano room (former dining room) is not finished and we are currently looking at purchasing a used baby grand and oval or round area rug for this area, plus I am totally not finished with either room! So, most of the wall hangings and photographs aren't going to stay!

My Girl

2011-03-02T23:41:00.004-05:00

Took Hannah shopping today! She is truly a joy to be around! She is our sweet girl! I love this stage she is in now! Although I know that the teen "drama" is just around the corner; I am thankful that for the most part her attitude isn't too bad for a tween. She still loves hanging out with her daddy and me. We enjoy laughing together and I love our precious mother daughter conversations! She is so beautiful inside and out!

It was fun watching her pick out clothes, but my favorite part of the shopping trip was holding her hand throughout the store and seeing her beam because she was holding her mommy's hand! It's beautiful moments like those that make me overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings I humbly carry on my shoulders!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-02-27T17:57:00.004-05:00

Gracie's Elementary School hosted their 2nd (I believe) Daddy Daughter Dance! This was Gracie's first dance ever so she was excited to say the least! She was so giggly as I fixed her hair and gushed about being able to dance with her daddy in front of her friends. As her mother I couldn't help but embrace the moment and breath in every second between her giggles while I curled her pretty little hair and painting her nails bright red. I thought ahead to the prom and how different that will be from today! I wish I could hold onto my babies at this stage that all 3 of them are in and keep them right where they are at 11, 7 and 2! I love these 3 ages and want them to never change, but as we all know it is inevitable! So our Family Stone set's out to bask in every challenge, change and dance that comes our way and love each moment and live each moment as if it were the last!

Gracie at her dance! She is the little girl with the black top and red skirt in the middle of the picture!

Rainbow Flowers For Valentines

2011-02-26T15:58:00.001-05:00

The Sunday before Valentine's day I told Shane (while his dad was preaching) that I wanted rainbow roses! Not knowing how long they take to make and be delievered I just knew that I was going to get them on Valentines day! Shane LOVES when I tell him what I want straight out! I never do this SO this time I was sure I was getting them! Valentines Day rolled around and NO RAINBOWS! :(! In fact I didn't get anything... Now honestly, I experience valentine's day everyday with Shane, no joke! He is a wonderful husband and although we have our moments. We are truly blessed with a wonderful union, friendship and love that outweights any disagreement or hard times we face. That said I know Shane and He ALWAYS out does himself when it comes to romance and taking care of me and even the kids....So I was a little hurt when I saw I didn't have a valentines :(! Long Story Short he had in fact ordered the flowers via his iphone from the church and they wouldn't be shipped until later that week because these roses aren't your average rose you see? They go through a process of making them full of color and ever so beautiful. These aren't the type of roses you can throw in a box and mail. I was so excited when I recieved them! I had asked for them yes, but still he got them for me for that very reason and that's just cool! Even though I got them over a week ago they are still just as beautiful today as the day I put them in the vase! Long lasting colorful roses take time! :)

Our relationships are just like my favorite flowers (Rainbow Flowers). You have to be patient as they change into these beautiful colors and it takes time! A process has to occur! The results are breathtaking! Long lasting relationship full of life and vigor and lots of spark take time! Yes, I am still in love after 12 years and though we have our disagreements and tifts! I want to fight and make up with Shane Stone for the rest of my life! It's so fun! :)

We are WARRIORS!

2011-02-10T23:53:00.002-05:00

Iron Man's Mommy :)

2011-01-17T00:34:00.007-05:00

Well, just in case you didn't know I am indeed Iron man's mommy! It's hard being a superhero's mom living in the shadow of someone so great and super....Yes, I wash his super suit, I repair his super weapons (toys)... I fix his ultra super sonic meals that keep him going strong and I am currently teaching him how to take off his suit and pee pee in the potty just like his friend batman...I am proud of my superhero...You might ask "why is he such a superhero?" Well, when I am feeling sad he uses his supersonic speed to rush to my side and wrap his super arms around me. He wipes away my tiredness by using his super intense laser eyes...They light up like the sun when he giggles, causing me to have a boost of super energy to keep going during the day....Although, it is hard to follow my lil superhero around all day; picking up his traces of superhero weapons such as his favorite books, blocks, cars, trains and of course Rex the Dinosaur. My gratitude weighs heavy on my shoulders when I tuck him in for bed... As I hang up his super suit I can't help but be thankful to be graced with the presence of such an amazing lil hero! So yes it's hard to be a superhero's mom, but somebodies got to do it!

More of our Snow Storm 2011

2011-01-11T22:34:00.006-05:00

We had a blast today sleeping in then we headed to the mall to meet our friends the bagwell family....We ate a late lunch and then we walked around a little...Just being out of the house was nice! When we got home we enjoyed playing/sledding in the ice/snow, playing uno flip, watching t.v. and movies and some family stone wrestling! :) LOVE IT! :)! Even though we hate being off schedule we love being able to be together as a family and hang out with our friends as well!

Snow Storm 2011 January 9th

2011-01-10T20:42:00.005-05:00

So, we got some pretty Christmas Day snow and now we are getting hit once again with old man winter's artic breath....We currently have 8 to 10 inches on the ground! It is crazy the snow all around....On top of the fluffy snow we have ice...BOO! I don't like ice! Nevertheless, it looks like we are going to be home for a few days and school isn't going to be in for a while! Weird and annoying! UGH! We are making the best of it! :)! We are blessed and thankful for our time spent together!

Celebrating Connie's Birthday with all the Girls

2011-01-09T20:53:00.001-05:00

Sweet Connie!Yummy Cake

I love these ladies
ME :)
me and my sister from another mister LOL
my sweet precious bestest friend ever!3 amazing ladies! Nicole, Kimberly and Adele! MUAH! I love you girls!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

2011-01-01T20:36:00.001-05:00

Shane and I enjoyed a night out with our friends Tommy and Allison...This was our very first new year's eve spent away from our kids....We enjoyed hanging out with our friends and dinner, but the party was awful and made us very ill LOL! We had more fun hanging out eating room service and reading magazines and watching movies at the movie theater than we did at the party for sure....At least we know what we like LOL!

Burrell Family Christmas

2010-12-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

We all enjoyed getting together here at my house! Everyone was here except for Denise, Tina and her family, Lindsay, Loren and Paula and Jonathan....It was wonderful to be together! I can't wait for another get together! We enjoyed a yummy lunch, singing and a game called dirty santa :)! We had a blast!

Christmas Snow 2010

2010-12-27T20:04:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my beautiful Aunt Charlene....We got an amazing Christmas Snow! :)! Thank you sweet AUNT! Shane also made his very first snowman! CUTE CUTE!

we had a blast in teh

Christmas 2010 Family Stone Style

2010-12-26T19:04:00.001-05:00

We had an amazing Christmas.....We enjoyed spending time not only with our precious friends, but our dear family! We started Christmas with celebrating Christmas Bagwell/Stone style on Christmas EVE EVE LOL...We enjoyed Christmas eve at Meme and Popee's house and I cooked the Christmas Turkey, Ham and Dressing! GO ME! :)! I feel very accomplished :) LOL! ALL IN ALL We had a beautiful Christmas Eve, Christmas Day!

The Girls at the Justin Beiber Concert!

2010-12-12T18:10:00.000-05:00

Shane and I took our girls to see Justin Bieber! He wasn't so bad LOL...

Christmas Decor 2010

2010-12-10T17:23:00.004-05:00

Our Walt Disney World!

2010-12-08T13:45:00.012-05:00

We enjoyed our first trip to Walt Disney World over a 9 day Thanksgiving Break. We had a blast! We can't wait to go back! We enjoyed seeing all of the Christmas lights and decorations and the Christmas parades were awesome...We LOVED the snow that fell while we watched the parade coming down main street disney in Magic Kingdom! We are so thankful for all of God's blessing and for the opprotunity to spend time with each other in such a magical place!

EVERYDAY is a day to be beholden!

2010-11-15T22:16:00.020-05:00

During this time of Thanksgiving, we have so very much to be grateful for....Sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed by gratitude for this amazing life that God has blessed me with. I am humbled by His abounding grace that prevails everyday in my world that I am moved to a trance of quiteness and my thanks becomes a burden heaviness on my shoulders that I am happy to carry!

God has been so good to me throughout my life and He continues to shine...I am undeserving of His love and grace, but I am humbled by it and indebted for it all the same!

Our family is so busy with the everyday, but there isn't a day that goes by that we don't count our blessings and there isn't a moment that goes by that our hearts aren't full of content and thanks for all that God has done in our midst!

Here below is how our last few weeks have gone:

Our Halloween was so fun...We enjoyed trick or treating with our friends at Praise Catherdral's fall festival and enjoyed our neighborhood trick or treating...The candy was yummy and couldn't have come at a better time for me! :) hehehehehe!

Since the beautiful Autumn days of November have rolled around I have found myself surrounded by God's blessings on every side...The other day I was driving along a winding country road with the beautiful array of autumn colors falling all around me and I couldn't help but smile and feel like the changing season was bringing a new one! :)!!!
We have enjoyed beautiful days outside playing
and nights toasty in our movie room watching sweet movies and playing games with our kids!

Fun thanksgiving projects, Yummy Soup and Sweet talks while making dinner!

We also have enjoyed Bobcats games....We had a blast with our precious friends one weekend then the following weekend we took our family :)!

To top it all off, Shane and I shared our 12th Anniversary....It's hard to believe that it has been 12 years, but looking back it has been an amazing journey and for that I am obliged...We are more than just two people who fell in love 12 years ago; we are friends...It's hard work, but it's worth the effort for the prize of a dear friend and the affection we have towards each other....On Tuesday November 9th 2010 our 12 wedding Anniversary, Shane surprised me by taking me to a very romantic dinner and an amazing show! What a sweet and thoughtful husband!

Yes we are blessed and I will shout it from the rooftops; because all I have and all I am is because of Jesus!

Ghouls Just wanna have fun

2010-10-27T19:30:00.007-04:00

Not really much going on in the family Stone household.....Just the norm or maybe not LOL :)....We have enjoyed the past few weeks full of being at home and hanging out with our friends and family...Here is a picture of Hayden and his friend :) ....Shane always has to have a project :) and so our theater room became such...Nothing major just a few minor adjustments...We all approve! :)

We took the girls Sunday to the Panthers game and they won YAY! I was starting to wonder why on earth we were fans in the first place, but after seeing the girls cheer, the fans get excited and the team from a closer view I knew why! We had a great time and I can't wait to take them again!

Hannah and Gracie are both doing well in school...Hannah is struggling in math somewhat, but we are starting to see a silver lining :-)....Gracie has enjoyed helping her teacher out by organizing papers and folders and is reading very well:)....Hayden is learning new songs and colors and counting in his little K2 class and his sweet preschool pictures are just precious....The girls are doing well in gymnastics and Hannah is enjoying Chorus this year at school!

We loved hearing her and her class sing the other night at the Mascarade...The girls got to dress up in their Halloween costumes and Gracie even won the costume contest for her age group! Here is a picture of them from last nights adventure....

All in all...Things are going well and we are so blessed words can't express the gratitude for all that we have to be thankful for...Sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed by it all....
We are so thankful for:
Our beautiful healthy children

Our health

Our sweet family in Ga, Tenn, Indiana, Nc, and Florida...

Meme and Popee

Precious Friends who mean the world to us...

Our sweet dog peewee :(

sense of humor hehehehehe

the love that fills our hearts with warmth!

direction (we have been trying for 2 years to find this in our life when it comes to church and we both feel we have found the way we should go)

God's peace, love and grace