My very beautiful 2 year old.

The 9th was Dravyn's birthday but we celebrated the 6th.  She had some people come to celebrate with her, including my cousin who's birthday really is the 6th.  It was a great day with pizza cake and a big surprise for the birthday girl.

 

She got a little people barn and has been carrying it around the house playing with it everywhere and after the initial scare over it making noise, now she is loving the sounds it makes and the animals.

 

Her big gift was from her grandparents, my grandparents, and her father and me.  She loves it and has been wanting to go play at her "park" all week.

 

 

Her actual birthday was really laid back, we played outside in the morning, and went about our usual schedule.  She did con her grandparents into taking her to McDonalds to get fries and a cookie, and to go to Wal-Mart where she got a new outfit and some hair clips.  The night finished with a jello fish bowl just for her and some two year pictures.

 

 

She has gotten so big over the last couple of years and I can't wait to see how much more she will be able to do next year.

 

 

4th of July

Dravyn's second 4th of July went really well.  She loves stomping on snappers, and helping her daddy light smoke bombs.  She also rode a tricycle for the first time, she didn't really "get" it, only pushing it correctly about half a rotation but she had fun!  It was a great day even though we spent most of the day building her birthday surprise in the backyard.

 

 

 

Stomp Stomp Stomp

What I got when I asked for a smile.

A super happy girl!

 

I hope you had a happy Independence Day.

The one with boom and falls.

So... I am pretty much frustrated with everything lately.  I think it has something to do with not having a good nights sleep in the last month. Well, that and other things, but for now we will leave it at that.

Dravyn has learned that fireworks go "Boom!" and then fall, and she loves them so much.  Therefore I have decided to fill the rest of this blog post with "fire booms".

Meal planning is a plot against sanity. - Me

That's right I said it.  I hate meal planning.  I love food, well some food, I am not a big fan of many vegetables once you get past the typical corn, green beans, carrots (only if they are cooked), and broccoli. 

A goal in my life is to eventually make a pretty cook book with recipes and pictures of our families favorite meals.  Another goal in life is to be able to sit down and plan meals for two weeks, along with a shopping list for the trip and have it take less than 4 hours.  Currently that not only takes me about 4 hours but it has to be spread out between two days because I get so frustrated about cooking the same things over and over again that I just get up and walk off.  I think maybe I should work on the second goal first.

I took a cooking class in high school and they had someone from a culinary academy come in and let us plate food.  I was mesmerized at the little bottles to drizzle various substances over the dessert we had on solid white plates in front of us, and was amazed at how the little touches really made the food look so much more tasty. Maybe one day I will accomplish making a balanced meal with bold colors and enough pizazz to land a photo of it on the cover of a cooking magazine.  But tonight I must continue my attempts to finish my meal plan and grocery list.  Wish me luck.

 

 



P.S. - The Parmesan crusted chicken variety of Chicken Helper is like a master chef level compared to the normal effort put forth for a boxed meal.  Just so you know.

Fathers Day and Dravyn's first trip to the zoo!

Father's Day at our house included Kevin watching the video of pictures I have taken over the last year of he and Dravyn together, getting the card Dravyn colored for him, and then him deciding he wanted to go to the zoo for Father's Day.

 

It was the first time Dravyn got to go to the zoo and she loved it!  She was such a big girl she walked about 90% of the time which is saying something considering we were there for almost 4 hours.  Her favorite animals seemed to be the polar bears, kangaroos, birds, and frogs. 

 

 

 

 

I feel very lucky to have a husband who loves our baby girl as much as he does.  I don't think I could have a better father for my child, and love how happy she is playing with her Daddy. 

 

 

Like Mother's Day I had several phone calls to make.  I called my father, my grandpa T, and my grandpa B.  The only one I actually talked to was my Grandpa T, but hey I put in my attempt.

 

 

Me and my grandma and grandpa B at my wedding.

Me and my grandpa T at my reception.

My father showing me the pretty flowers.



I hope that your Father's Day weekend was a great one and that you had someone to share it with.