Easter Bunny

On Saturday morning, I rolled up to the soccer fields in my minivan with one kid in cleats. It's official - I'm a soccer mom. Wyatt loved every second of it and totally shined! My parents came out to watch him play too. They did a bunch of drills and then a little 3 on 3. So cute! He literally smiled the whole time except when he was really concentrating and stuck his tongue out to help him focus.

It was pretty surreal because I still feel like I have babies and not capable, little kids. I can't believe how fast they are growing up! Anyway, we peeled Wyatt's jersey off and after a good greasy breakfast at McDonalds, we headed over to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. I think it was the first time we'd ever taken them to sit on his lap. They weren't scared at all either. They gave him hugs and said, "I yuv you! I see you amorrow (tomorrow)!" They are so excited for Easter!

Daffodil Farm

Last night, we went over to a friend's house for dinner. On the way home, when I asked Wyatt if he had fun he said, "Yeah! I peep on the wall in JP bedroom!"

Uhhh... Come again?

I was like, "What do you mean, Wyatt? You went potty on the toilet?" to which the nut responded, "Nope. I peep on the wall." I thought I was going to disintegrate into a mortified puddle of glob. What the hell was I supposed to do with that?! Pretend like it didn't happen? Call and confess? We just taught him how to pee on a tree last week because we were stuck in the car with no potty in sight. He took his new skill to a whole other level though and stood firm with the facts of the event.

Panicked, I called Brent and after a little pep talk, I put on my big girl panties and called the parents to tell them what Wyatt did. They were awesome about it and just laughed but seriously, who knows what they said about my parenting skills after we hung up the phone. No one is going to say, "Sick! That's a freakin problem! Your kid needs to get it together before you're allowed to ever come over again!" Because that is fo sho what I would be thinking! Good Lord!

Moving on. Yesterday, we had such a fun day. For one, Callie graduated from her little gymnastics class! So cute! She got a little certificate and stuff even though she'll be back next week to start the spring session. I love watching her in class. She just loves it and flutters around from one station to the next grinning from ear to ear. It is the cutest thing! Wyatt starts soccer tomorrow so I'm excited to see how that goes for him. I'm hoping he'll enjoy it as much as I think he's going to!

Anyway, after gymnastics we took the kids to a Daffodil Farm to pick some flowers. It was just gorgeous. I can't get enough of this warm weather and I'm so thankful that the funky winter coldness is finally behind us. It lasted way too long this year and I'm anxious to get back to the beach! Here are some pictures of the nuggets in the daffodil fields. They put their flowers in their bedrooms as soon as we got home and are so proud of their little bouquets! It was just too precious!

It was way too nice outside and the kids were having so much fun that we decided to forego the nap and take them to the Fresh Market and to get icecream instead. We stopped by the Mall on the way there to get Wyatt some more big boy underwear. I almost caved and let Callie get her ears pierced. She's so ready and keeps asking to let her have it done, but I'm the biggest wimp. I tried to tell her, "Honey, it's gonna hurt. It's like a big booboo in your ear!" You know what that stinker told me?! She said, "It's not that big of a deal, Mom!"

I got owned by my 3 year old. :)

Last week was insanely busy. I actually had to look through pictures to remember what happened. We did absolutely nothing for St. Patricks Day and I just can't believe it. Being so close to Savannah, that should almost be illegal. I did get to enjoy River Street's lingering vomit smell on Thursday though. My friend came down from Atlanta and we partied like it was 1999. Literally. (Only this time I was a haggard 30 instead of 20 and it sure felt like it too!)

We drove to River Street around noon and the bars were still open but covered in beer and barf smegma. We bar hopped for almost 12 hours mixing beer, liquor, and champagne depending on our whim. Needless to say, I was sick for two days. We had fun though. You know you had a crazy night when it involved a cemetery, a coonskin hat, nipple ring malfunctions, and befriending a transvestite in the bathroom of a strip club. Wow.

Friday we got a call that we needed to show the house in the morning so I was forced to clean in my hungover stupor. Saturday morning we all got into the van (dogs included) and killed time tooling around Bluffton. We ate breakfast, taught Wyatt how to pee on a tree, illegally Christened a dog park, and barged in on my Pops for awhile.

My parents were nice enough to take the kids overnight so Brent and I actually got to go on a date! I wasn't interested in anything alcohol related so we took it really easy, went out to dinner, and shopped a little bit together. It was really nice. I feel like I haven't gotten time with him like that since Christmas. We needed it.

Yesterday was spent running errands and preparing for this dude to go out of town again. Back to the grind. I can't believe it's Monday already.

Week In Pics

Wyatt has graduated from Pull-ups and is in big boy underwear now! He's doing such a great job! He's so proud of himself that he'll drop trow in two seconds to show his "big boy panties" to anyone willing to listen. Poor thing speaks girl because of his twin sister, and I haven't been teaching him any differently. Bad Momma. I need to work on 'man lingo' with the little dude before he gets picked on at school.

The other day, Wyatt got in Brent's face and whispered very softly, "Daddy, I have a swecwet (secret). I have a butt in my hole." I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be the other way around, but with Wyatt, you just never know.

This is a typical Wyatt face. He's been doing it since he turned 2. He talks to the side of his mouth sometimes and it only recently dawned on me to ask him why he talks like that. He told me that it's because he tries to make his mouth into the shape of a triangle when he talks. I'm telling you, this kid is from Mars. (When he colors, he puts a crayon behind his ear so he can look like Handy Manny.)

Eating Pizza Action Shot.
We are addicted to Shrinky Dinks up in this piece! My kids love them and ask to do them all the time. This past Saturday, we busted out the Cars Shrinky Dinks and Callie colored them best I had ever seen her color anything! She colored both cars appropriately and even gave Lightening McQueen his yellow streak down the side. I was so proud and impressed that I literally took more than 20 pictures of it.

Last weekend, we took the kids to Lowe's and to Michaels to do their crafting projects. While the crafts turned out just precious at both places, the kids loved making the rain gauges at Home Depot the best. They do a great job of picking crafts for the kids that use both tools and paints. Even Brent is looking forward to taking them back up there next time. (Crackhead is doing his triangle mouth in this picture too.)

Target Couponing Deals!

I have a new obsession that is 5 days old. I found a couponing website called Southern Savers and I'm not sure how I happened upon it or why I even bothered to read any of it because, to be completely honest with you, I have never given a crap about coupons. The only coupons that have ever benefited me in the past, were the ones that were directly fixed to the package and that the cashier lady was nice enough to pull off and use for me. I never wanted to mess with it.

BUT, when I saw all the stuff that this website chick was getting for free, I decided to try it. She spelled it out for me which made it easy for the couponing inept and sure enough, it worked better than I ever expected! Ridiculously enough, I can't wait for the coupons to get here for this coming Sunday's paper. (You know you are old and crusty when couponing gets you excited.) So, here is what I picked up from Target this week using coupons - I'll try and include the links to them if I still can. I actually made money - $1.10 profit! Crazy, huh?

Clorox Toilet Bowl Wand Kit $9.69
$5.00 off Toilet Wand Kit (expired)
$5.00 mail in rebate (use both and make $0.31 profit!)

GE Reveal 60 watt light bulbs 4pk. $2.49
$1.50 off GE Reveal light bulbs (makes it $0.99)

(4) Right Guard Travel Size Deodorant $0.97
(2) $2.00 off 2 Right Guard Products (make $0.12 profit!)

Crest Kids Toothpaste $1.49
$1.00 off Kids Oral Care Crest (makes it $0.49)

Tylenol Extra Strength $3.29
$1.00 off Tylenol Pain Reliever
$1.00 off any Tylenol Product (use both makes it $1.29)

(3) Olay Moisture Bars 8 pk. $5.50
$5.00 Target Gift Card at register when you purchase 3 or more
$15.00 mail in rebate (expired)

I also came across a couple links for free stuff that ship directly to your house. You might also want to open up a separate email account that you can use for stuff like this so you don't litter up your good one with advertisements and spam. Let me know if any of you try the couponing thing! Good Luck!

Freebie: Ink-B-Gone ($14.99 value)
Freebie: Carolina Girl Decals (SC residents only)
Freebie: Spring Cleaning Gift Pack (first 10,000 to register)
Freebie: Degree Ultra Clear (Sam's Club members only)

Stuart's Cove - Nassau

I was so excited to get back to Nassau because we had such a great time there last year. We got up and ate breakfast outside while we watched a bunch of other cruise ships pull into port. I got yelled at for feeding the seagulls pancakes off the balcony (Supposedly, it's illegal.) We got ready and headed into town to do a little shopping before our excursion. We had already booked a shark snorkeling trip that we were pretty excited about hoping that it would scare the crap out of us. We did get insanely scared, to the point where we both thought we were going to die, but we never once saw a shark.

The dock we left from was on the complete opposite side of the island so we got a pretty good tour of Nassau on our long drive over there. We had to wear wetsuits because the water was still pretty cold. It was a three spot snorkeling tour; the last spot being the shark snorkeling where they throw chum overboard to lure the sharks in so you can snorkel in shark-infested water. Good times. Supposedly, you are kept safe because the chum is sent down to a 40 ft depth and the snorkelers stay at the surface.

The first two snorkeling spots were awesome. A bunch of movies were filmed at the first location and because the fish were so used to people, they swarmed us as soon as we jumped in the water looking for food. The fish were gorgeous and it was definitely one of the nicest spots I've ever had the opportunity to snorkel at. The second location was nice too, but as we were anchored there, the weather started to turn really fast. It went from being sunny and calm to crazy dark skies and angry water in a matter of minutes.

I figured that the two dudes were just gonna cancel the third spot and take us back. Unfortunately, they did not. We ventured out even further as the swells got bigger and bigger. All of a sudden, I felt like we were on an episode of 'The Deadliest Catch' as we were being tossed from one side of the boat to the other. At that point, it dawned on me that we were on a boat full of chum and that if the boat dumped over, it wasn't going to end well. Some people were screaming and others were barfing. I was praying. We did eventually make it back to shore in one piece but were pretty dazed and confused about the events that had just unfolded. Even remembering it now, I get pretty upset and still can't believe that happened.

On our way back to the port, our bus driver was cool enough to drive us by the cemetery where Anna Nicole Smith and her son is buried. It was just a tiny, local little cemetery and it was busy because there was another funeral going on that day. They were buried in this private section which was very close to the road. It was kind of surreal to see it.

Anyway, Lauren and I were so tripped out that night about what had happened that all we wanted to do was hang out in the hot tub. The boat was really pretty at night and because we were still at the port, we got to see the lights on all the boats that were still docked. It was really pretty. This is a picture I got of our boat parked next to it's sister ship, Carnival Imagination.

Weekend Fun

I'll finish the cruise update later, but I wanted to post some really cute pictures of the kids from this weekend. Brent took them to a little workshop at Home Depot on Saturday morning where they got to make bird house rain gauges. It was freaking adorable and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. They were just too stinkin' cute!

Today, I made a point to take my camera around with us just because I really haven't taken it out enough lately. Plus, I was in a picture taking mood. Before, I couldn't walk out the door without my keys, wallet, cell phone, and camera, and I've just been kicking myself for not keeping up with the everyday pictures.

We painted our toes, played outside, took the kids to Waffle House for the first time ever (Woot! Woot!), dealt with the Toyota Camry recall, and went to Sams. It was all completely uneventful except for one thing that Callie said in the car on the way to breakfast and it was the most creepy, unusual thing I have ever heard one of them say. It's seared into my brain and even just thinking about it now its pulling my stomach up into a tight knot. Here's how it went:

Callie: "I don't like those things in the middle of the road."

Me: "What? The guard rails?"

Callie: "Yep."

Me: "Why?"

Callie: "Because they hurt me."

Me: "They hurt you? What do you mean they hurt you?"

Callie: "They hurt me when I jumped the guard rail. I landed on the other side of the road and the cars over there smooshed me."

Me: "Callie? What are you talking about?!"

Callie: "When I jumped the guard rail, the cars on the other side smooshed me. I should have gone over by the trees and stayed there. Then, I would have been safe. I'll do that next time."

Brent: "Callie? Are you talking about a dream?"

Callie: "No daddy. I was steering."

Brent and I just looked at each other like, 'what in the HELL is this kid talking about'?!?! She wouldn't drop it either and carried on for another 5 minutes about it. I had to pull a complete mental disconnect and just not think about it. It made me sick to my stomach. I just couldn't handle it. All I could think about was this little kid I remembered from Primetime a few years ago. (If you are interested enough to watch, don't forget Part 2 in the related videos sidebar.) We decided that this child isn't getting her driver's license until she's at least 40! Wow!

Freeport, Bahamas

We got to Freeport around noon the next day. The only thing I had ever heard about Freeport was that it was very industrial and that there wasn't too much to see. Having been there now, I would agree. However, Port Lucaya is such a precious little nook on the island. I think it actually might have been the highlight of our trip.


(This is a short video I took of the port off the left side of the ship.)

Lauren and I decided to book an atv tour for our excursion. I had never been on one before so I was pretty excited about it and I absolutely fell in love with the things. I love jetskis and to me, it seemed like an atv was just a land version of a jetski. Once I figured out how to handle the thing, I tore it up. It was so much fun, and while I still prefer jetskis (only because I like being reckless and splatting on the water is probably way less painful than splatting on the ground), atvs are a close second!

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see too much on the atvs so we decided to take a cab over to Port Lucaya so we could actually see a little bit of the town. I'm so glad we did too because it was a really cute little area. There was a pretty good sized straw market and across the street there were a few big hotels and one of the cutest little beaches I had ever been too. I loved the big rocks on the beach and the fact that it was sprinkled with palm trees. We found a tiny little seafood shack right on the beach and ate cracked conch with Coronas. It was paradise fo sho!

We eventually made our way back to the ship. After we left Freeport, we just decided to fester in the hot tubs until dinner. Too bad it was formal night and we only left ourselves a whopping two minutes (literally) to get ready after we jumped out of the water looking like drowned haggard rats. We just didn't care. The difference between this cruise and the last one was like night and day for us. Last time, we were so excited and always attempted to dress up because it was a new experience for us both. This time though, we were complete hags.

Carnival Fascination

We were so excited to get back to our ship and once we boarded, it fit like an old glove. The ship had just undergone a refurbishment in the month of January so we walked around admiring the fresh lipstick on our favorite floating pig. There was a serenity deck with two hot tubs that was for adults only. There was also a brand new water slide area that looked pretty fun too. We ate first (which is something that you just do; as if it was required by law to decend upon the buffet and gorge yourself right away). We tried to stay outside for as long as we could stand it, but with the wind, it was absolutely just too cold. We hoped that it would warm up the further south we sailed, but it really was never the case. It was cold the whole time.

(I brought a little puppy that the kids picked out for me to take pictures with during the cruise.)

We checked out our room and met our cabin steward. Of course, we requested a "seal" for the first night since it was necessary to reunite with Vadge asap. During the lifeboat drill, we acquired a barnacle - a creepy old dude with a pornographic tongue like you would not believe who was posting pictures of us up on Facebook in the first minute of meeting us. We weren't able to shake him loose until much later on in the evening and even still ended up on high-alert avoidance for the remainder of the trip. That night, we had a late dinner and came back to our room to crash. We found THIS at the foot of our beds:

Our beloved Vadge had a BABY! We were screaming! The steward was so proud of his "seal" baby too. He had no idea the happiness he brought to us that very first night - delivering us Vadge along with a baby one too. It was pure blissfulness. We were high on life and on our way to the Bahamas. With the exception of the barnacle, I don't think either one of us could have imagined a more perfect start to our cruise.