Swimsuit Model

Preschool Memorable Moments

Each day, Tal and I enjoy getting a daily report from Savannah's preschool, which includes a memorable moment from her day:

1. Savannah drew a picture of an "airplane port" today. The people needed to get on the planes.

2. Savannah was so excited to visit with the firemen. She even got to walk through their truck.

3. Savannah and her friends built a hula hoop house outside today. It was very colorful!

4. After learning how to crab walk, Savannah enjoyed playing "crabs" with her friends. They went to the beach.

5. Savannah was very excited to visit the sensory garden today. She was able to see the fresh strawberries growing and smell mint leaves.

6. Savannah went to Canada in her boat today. She went to Jumpin' Beans there.

7. Savannah pretended to be the baby in cozy corner today. Her "mommy" read her a story.

8. Savannah enjoyed being a basketball helper today. When the ball went on top of the play set, Savannah would get the ball and pass it down.

9. Savannah had a great time helping her friends into the "water." She used her muscles to pull them.

10. Savannah made a huge castle today! There was a big scary monster inside.

11. Savannah enjoyed exploring in the art center today. She practiced cutting paper to make a beautiful picture.

Spring Sweetie

Training Wheels

Sod Summer: Part 7

Today Tal and I laid sod in our front yard...

and now it's time to start watering!

Earlier this week, Tal and I paid $1,500 to get our in-ground irrigation fixed. 

Yes, it's a lot of money, but Tal and I want to protect our investment. 

After spending so much time, energy, and money on our new lawn,

 we want to ensure that it will be lush and green for many years to come. 

Plus, we're tired of being the eyesore of our neighborhood. ;)

We have 18 oscillating sprinklers in our front yard.

With our new controller, Tal programmed the sprinklers to water 

the three zones for 15 minutes a day, 

as well as to turn on and off automatically: 

With our irrigation system, Tal and I feel confident that our new grass 

will take root and look beautiful for years to come!

Sod Summer: Part 6

For the last two weeks, our front yard has been a wasteland: 

Today Tal and I have a new lawn (and we're so excited!!!)!

We've waited 2.5 years for this day! 

At 9:30 this morning, one bag of compost and 2 pallets/80 rolls

 of sod were delivered to our house: 

Tal and I chose tall fescue grass because it's lush and green 

and very common in our neighborhood:

In order to have a good foundation for our new grass,

Tal shoveled compost/soil/fertilizer mixture into the wheelbarrow, 

and then I dumped it and spread it in our yard:

After spreading the compost, Tal and I spent 

8 hours laying 90 rolls of sod: 

Tal and I worked really hard today, but we love our new yard! 

Over the next two weeks, we'll wait for our new grass to take root 

and get established before Tal mows it for the first time.

Tonight, however, Tal and I are going to relax and take some ibuprofen
for our sore muscles--we're not gonna do a dang thing
for the rest of the evening! :-)

Cost Breakdown:
$150 one bag of compost
$420 two pallets/80 rolls of sod (1008 square ft.)
$100 delivery charge
$60 ten rolls of sod from Home Depot (to finish our yard when we ran out)
-----
$730 total

Big Girl Bedroom: Monogram Over Bed

This afternoon Tal and I hung Savannah's initials above her bed:

I love how the monogram makes Savannah's bedroom more personal, 

as well as ties in with the room's turquoise and pink color scheme:

When the 24-inch custom monogram arrived, it was unpainted 

so I sprayed some primer on it first:

Then, I found a $1.50 bottle of craft paint from Michael's 

that coordinated with Savannah's bedding:

After giving the monogram a couple coats of turquoise paint 

and spraying it with poly, it was ready for hanging. 

The monogram was lightweight, so we hung it with a couple Command Strips:

Savannah was all smiles when she saw her monogram above her bed:

Click here for Savannah's bedroom reveal, 

as well as links to all of the bedroom makeover posts and sources:

Big Girl Bedroom: Juliette Tufted Headboard

When Savannah woke up from her nap this afternoon, Tal and I surprised her 

with a new headboard for her big girl bedroom:

Savannah loves the pink the Juliette tufted headboard 

from Target:

Savannah's new headboard adds some girly sophistication 

to her bedroom and coordinates beautifully with

her Seaside Floral bedding from PBteen: 

When Savannah saw her headboard for the first time, she squealed with
delight, snuggled under the covers...

 ...and read some books with Mommy: 

Click here for Savannah's bedroom reveal, 

as well as links to all of the bedroom makeover posts and sources:

Another Year Older

Today is my birthday! To celebrate, Tal took me to 42nd St. Oyster Bar, 

which is one of our favorite seafood restaurants. 42nd St. is a special place for us because it's where Tal proposed to me 6.5 years ago and also where we held our wedding rehearsal dinner:

For dinner, I ate grilled mahi-mahi and mashed potatoes...

...while Tal had fried shrimp and flounder:

I topped off my birthday dinner with some complimentary key lime pie, 

 which I shared with Tal and Savannah:

6 Years!

On May 11, Tal and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary!

Tal and I are thankful that we have a happy and successful marriage. Obviously, our marriage isn't perfect because Tal and I aren't perfect. Believe me, we've had some rough patches in our relationship, particularly as newlyweds and after Savannah was born. We struggled to adjust to life as a married couple, as well as life with a crying newborn who wouldn't go to sleep. :-)

Overall, however, Tal and I get along really well, and our arguments are few and far between.We treat one another with love and respect, work together as a team,  and invest in our relationship by spending time together and communicating daily.

When stressful moments arise, the Lord gives us strength to persevere, courage to forgive, and unconditional love for one another.

Tal and I look forward to many more years together!

The Pit

To celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary, Tal and I 

made dinner reservations at The Pit, which is one of our 

favorite BBQ restaurants:

For appetizers, we ate hushpuppies, as well as biscuits with molasses.

We loved the famous Eastern NC BBQ...along with mashed potatoes, 

mac and cheese, cream-style corn, and red beans and rice. 

It was a wonderful evening to celebrate our love, spend time as a family, 

and eat some yummy food!