St. Simons, good friends, and good times!!

~Presley and Joseph looking for shells~(not really, i just had them pose like they were haha!)

~ Smiling for the 1000th picture!~
~Once again, my favorite thing...toes!!~

~Ahhhhhh, alas a family picture...while Presley has her eyes closed...go figure.~

~ The fantastic four!~

~Riley the Rockstar, and her biggest fan.....Presley!~

~Riley, Presley, Reagan, and Joseph~

~ The mommies!!~

~Darren and Lem chillin in the sun~

~ The Greene's and The Hill's ~
~Joseph lost his second top tooth!! ~
~I love this picture of my boys!! ~
~Me and my sweet girl! ~

What a week!! I have so much to blog about today! We just returned from St. Simons, Ga after a week of fun, sun, rain, a little more rain, food, food, more food and lots of laughter!! A little rain didn't hinder good times for all on this trip, though. Our very good friends Darren and Tracey, and their beautiful girls Riley and Reagan joined us on our trip. My kids are absolutely head over heels in love with Riley and Reagan, and that may be an understatement! Riley is a rockstar in Presley's eyes! You should see how she looks at her, she idolizes Riley! It is the cutest thing that you have ever seen! All four children played more than exceptionally well together, which made for a very relaxing trip for us four adults!!

Darren is Lem's best friend, since like the age of three. They may as well be brothers, because they certainly act like brothers! They punch each other, tease each other, and all the things that boys do when they are together. It was a lot of fun to watch!



A big highlight of our trip was meeting another family at the beach, John and Laurie and their children, Sam and Lily. And lo and behold they live in Alpharetta, Ga.!!! They are such a sweet family, and our kids all got along so well together!! We hope to keep in touch with them, and maybe reunite at the beach again next year!! Laurie, I soon discovered, is a fellow blogger, which ofcourse delighted Tracey and myself! After learning that, we knew we had found a kindred spirit!! :)



Another highlight was Joseph loosing his tooth! He FINALLY lost his other top tooth! He looks so adorable! He was super excited that the tooth fairy was able to find him at the beach!! What a lucky kid!!



Tracey made her famous salsa twice on the trip, and we scarved it down like wild animals! I will post her recipe for all to see, because it is out of this world DELICIOUS!! Did i mention that Tracey is a wonderful cook?? She really needs her own show, she is THAT good!


Well, i could go on for days about this trip, but i guess i will end it here. I have ten tons of laundry beckoning me from the dirty clothes hamper.** **long sigh........violins, please****


Love to all!!


~Jill

Birthdays Galore!!!

~Presley and Anna-Joy in their Hannah Montana shirts~







~The birthday kids with their build a bears!~

~Anna-Joy sitting in the chair before getting her ears pierced....with support from Cali Rose (left) and her other friend Cali (right)~

~The cake!~

Happy Birthday to Granny, Anna-Joy, Cali Rose, and Alice!!!!!!!!!





This has been the wonderful week of birthdays!!!! First of all, Granny Hill's was Tuesday the 8th, my beautiful niece Anna-Joy's was yesterday the 9th, Cali Rose's (my friend Kim's little girl)is today, as well as my friend Alice's birthday!! Happy Birthday to all of you!!! Four very, very, very special people!!





Anna-Joy celebrated her b-day at Build a Bear at the mall of georgia! The children made their own bears and then we went to Claire's and had her little ears pierced! She was SUCH a big girl! She had a HUGE smile on her face, and was such a brave girl fighting back tears when they put the earrings in her sweet ears. We all cheered her and were so proud of her!!





I tried to get Presley to have hers done, but she wasn't having any of that. I bribed and begged and even had the other girls try some peer pressure...still didn't work. The girl is strong willed to the core!!! Maybe one day it will end up being a good thing!! :)





As I was busy coercing Presley into some beautiful diamond studs, Joseph was telling me to NOT let her get them pierced. He said it would hurt her too bad...what a protective big brother!!!





After the mall, we went back to Anna-Joy's house and ate pizza and Hannah Montana b-day cake! Yum!




Above are some pics from Anna-Joy's party...all of the girls wore matching Hannah Montana shirts that Anna-Joy had given them in their goody bags...they all looked ADORABLE!!!!

90th Birthday Celebration!!!

On Tuesday we celebrated Granny Hill's 90th birthday!!!! She was in a very good mood and she thought the kids were so funny. We sang happy birthday to her, which made her smile! Granny Hill is the epitome of sweetness. I have NEVER known a more selfless and content woman in my whole life. Granny never complains about anything, and always has a soft smile on her face. Lem and I used to eat lunch at her home every sunday before we had children. We would call her when church was out, and she would have a full spread on the table in about 10 minutes. She is one amazing woman. We are so blessed that our children have gotten to know Granny and how special she is.

Here is the video of us singing Happy Birthday! We love you Granny!!!

Pimento Cheese Recipe

Summer time is great for yummy and easy meals for lunch time! Here is one recipe that makes for a perfect sandwich for you and the kiddies. My friend Kim made these at the beach this past weekend and they were delicious!!!!! I didn't know pimento cheese could taste so good!

Kim's Pimento Cheese

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese (i use sharp and the thicker shreds)
Mayonnaise to your liking
1 jar of pimentos
a shake or two of worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to your liking
1/4 finely chopped onion (optional)
1 small finely chopped jalepeno (optional)

Pour chese into bowl, add mayo, salt/pepper-stir, then add in jar of pimentos (do not drain) and stir then add onion and jalapeno, stir.....store overnight for better flavor.

These sandwiches taste the best on white wheat bread......YUM! Enjoy!!

Humble Pie

Notice to all: If you really want to know the truth about something.....ask a child.

I learn this the hard way every time. Well, actually, most of the time, I am not even "asking"...but invariably I get the cold hard truth anyway. My children love to tell me things that they notice about me which aren't always the loveliest and kindest observations. As much as I want them to see me through rose colored glasses, I usually end up under their scrutinizing microscopes.

For example.....two days ago, I am getting dressed in my bathroom and Presley walks in. "Hey, darling", I sweetly say. As I look at her in the mirror she is staring at my bottom. I had just gotten out of the shower, so i had on my panties which were (close your ears little ones)...thongs. Yikes! A few seconds later, my precious daughter asks me "mommy, why do you have so many bruises on your bottom?" "Bruises, I ask?...silly girl, mommy doesn't have bruises on her bottom." She proceeds to say..."No, mommy not bruises, but dents. Why do you have all of those dents on your bottom?" She is serious as a heart attack, and I am melting in my "thongs".

My voice shaking with humiliation, I tell her that when girls become mommies they get those dents on their bottom. And so if she doesn't want dents, then she needs to wait a very long time before becoming a mommy.

My dear son ,Joseph, also has an unfiltered opinion of things. He is quick to tell me when my hair is too dark at the bottom and that it doesn't match the ends of my hair. He loves telling people that his mommy loves to get her hair done so it will "match" again. Ughh...

One more story regarding my now 17 year old nephew Jordan...When he was about 9 years old, we showed him a picture of my mom and dad on their wedding day. We said "Do you know who these people are, Jordan?" He looked closely at the picture, and said, " Yes, their pilgrims!" My mom was so happy to hear that she was compared to a pilgrim in her wedding gown.

And who says that honesty is a good thing??? As for me, i will go on pretending that my bottom is just fine, and be happy that my dark roots aren't grey....yet.

So, there is my big helping of humble pie for the week. "Yum Yum" I say as I choke it down. Water, please?

My two Dads.....

Lem, Joseph and Presley after church on Father's Day

A rare picture with ME in it! Lem said one picture and one picture only, because he was hot and wanted to go inside and take his church clothes off. So this is as good as it gets with only one shot at a decent picture!! Daddy and his girls!! (I think he is hoarding the cake from us!!)

My Daddy..... We celebrated Father's Day at our house yesterday with the whole family. My sister and her family and mom and dad. Dad wore one of his favorite shirts as you can see in the picture. Actually anything with a Harley on it is his favorite. ;)

Hamburgers, hotdogs, cole slaw, beans and a coconut cake were enjoyed by all! We had a great time as always!

Special thank you to my daddy for being someone that i would want my son to emulate. His wisdom, knowledge (of everything!), honesty, and character are just a few of the things that describe my dad. My children just love him to pieces and my dad's face just lights up when he sees his grandchildren. Dad is the ultimate "PawPaw". I am so blessed to have him as my daddy. He can fix anything! In fact, Lee, my brother in law said yesterday...that the one thing he has learned from my dad throughout the years is.."anything can be fixed!" And boy, is that true with my dad! I haven't come across a thing that he cannot fix! He is the original Mr. fix it! Unfortunately, I married just the opposite. Lem has many great talents, but fixing things is NOT one of them. He would just assume call my dad or just get a new one. ;) That's my darlin!

Also, special thanks to Lem for being such a great Daddy to our children. I never dreamed when I married Lem that he would be the kind of man he is with his kids. I honestly never thought of what kind of dad he would make. I was so focused on every other cool thing about him, his parenting skills never crossed my mind. But as soon as Joseph was born, Lem took over with the parenting. He amazed me and my family with how natural it came to him. He took it all in stride, as I was crying my eyes out in a pillow wondering what to do next!! He made it look so easy. He has never complained about watching the kids if i want to go on a girls trip, or if I just need a day out to catch my breath! I never in a million years could have pictured a better father for my children than Lem. God really knew what I needed those 12 years ago when we met! God had it all aligned with his plan for my life, and how grateful I am for that.

Happy Father's Day!!!

My Birthday Boy

Presley is helping to make Daddy's birthday cake and cup cakes! We tried to recruit Joseph, but he graciously declined. :)

Last week was Lem's 33rd Birthday!! I just wanted to tell my sweetie how much I love you and what a great husband you are!! The years seem to be flying by, but I find my love for your growing day by day. You are the funniest person I know, and OFCOURSE the MOST HANDSOME man alive!! You truly hold my heart in your hand. Thank you for showing me unconditional love (almost) every day. =)

Five Random Things about me...

My friend Mary tagged me with this blog entry. So....with much anticipation and thought provoking inner- self research (not really) this is what i came up with.....



Five Random things about me....



Number one... I have a very strange and frustrating fear.......which is kind of embarrasing to share, but here goes....i cannot swallow pills of any kind. Well, let me interject, the very small round advil i can handle, but any bigger than that and I will crush them up in a pill crusher. You know those things that they sell in the geriatric isle at walgreens??..well, nevermind, you probably don't know. Such a silly thing, but I am scared they will get stuck in my little throat and i will die and that would be the end of me. Go ahead and have a big laugh on that one. You have my permission.



There has to be a name for this phobia, but i have yet to find it. I think i will call it jillsafreakphobia. =)



Number two.....every night before i go to bed i have to have the coffee ready to go, with the cup, creamer, spoon and napkin all neatly laid out beside the coffee maker. Also, my cereal bowl with the spoon on a napkin and ready to go, as well as the kids bowls on the counter with the spoons on a napkin. I am OCD about this one! I cannot rest my head until it is all done. My husband, on rare occassion , when he is feeling frisky...will do this for me, because he knows it has to be done.



Okay, I am starting to scare even myself with the craziness. Yikes.



Number three...I have recently become an Arbonne consultant! Kind of an undercover one at this point, because i do not have much free time to give it a good go, but i absolutely LOVE their products. Which, of course, is the reason i wanted to become a consultant. I needed the discount to be able to get all of the products that i wanted!! Their products are ALL botanically based, with all natural plant derived ingredients, which was a HUGE draw for me. After 3 months on the skincare line, my skin has never been better! Arbonne is all about beauty from the inside out, so they have a whole line of health care products as well, such as vitamins, protein shakes, weight control products, detoxification products, suncare, etc.... which of course are also all natural. The coolest product that I must have every night before i go to bed is for my feet. It is a body serum and body lotion which keeps my otherwise flaky and yucky feet smooth as a babies behind!! I have tried everything for these feet of mine, and this is the ONLY thing that has worked. No more sticking to the carpet when i walk!!! (Got Lem hooked too!)



Number four..... My new favorite vacation spot is Disney World!!! I feel 5 years old every time we visit, and each visit is better than the last! Just wish it wasn't so far and that is wasn't so expensive!!



Number five....I really wish that more of my friends and family members were bloggers!!! ;) It would make this a lot more fun!! The two or so people that read my blog and that have their own blogs, I am so grateful for!!



I am tagging Mandy on this one! Are you up for the challenge??!! :)

Orlando.... without the parks!

Joseph and Royce taking a breather from the pool

Presley having some fun!
Here is a picture of the pool area
Joseph, Presley, Anna-Joy and Royce having some fun in the sun!!
The pool overlooked this beautiful lake

Well, we didn't think it could be done. But sure enough we did it!! We went to Orlando for a whole week without visiting ONE theme park! Since we had just visited Orlando in October and saw EVERYTHING, we decided to make this trip a little more relaxed and a little less expensive. My mom got a beautiful condo at The Marriot Cypress Harbour Club in Orlando. The place was extremely self-sufficient and there was really no need to go off the premises if you didn't feel the need. They had 2 HUGE pools and baby pools, waterfalls, a golfcourse, tennis courts, grocery store on premise, a starbucks, pizza hut, krispy kreme....and so on and so on. Ofcourse we stayed at the pool most of our visit.

Along with me and my children, my mom and sister and her two small children came along for the trip. It was such an enjoyable and even somewhat relaxing trip considering we had 4 children with us!!



My sister was so good with Presley in the pool. Presley had been scared to get in the water, even with her floaties on. However, my sister told me to go where Presley could not see me and she grabbed Presley and took her into the water. She kicked and screamed for about 2 minutes and then before I knew it she had let go of my sister and was swimming around by her lonesome! I was so proud of her, AND my sister! My sister is the best aunt in the whole world. I always tell her she is the fun aunt and I am the strict aunt. My sister loves to play fun games with the kids and she is constantly making them laugh. I love bathing them, cleaning up after them and completely babying them!! She and I make a great team! She is such a great mom and a wonderful role model for me. I don't know what I would do without her. I certainly would not laugh near as hard. She has the ability to make ANYTHING funny....and i do mean ANYTHING! I love her to pieces!!! Everyone loves my sister. Her phone rang off the hook the whole time we were there. She is a best friend to everyone. You can't meet her and not want to be with her 24/7. She really is the best!

Oil and water, drinking and driving, and grocery stores with small children...they just don't go together!!

As I sit at my little black desk with my afternoon hot tea, I ponder the absolute teeth gritting trials of being a mom. Being a mom has fulfilled me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I am not so sure that I even really truly existed before motherhood. Most of my memories are vague and just seem pretty petty from where i sit right now. What did i do everyday?? What in the world did i worry about?? My mind can barely recall because it seems such a dark and distant memory.

Anyway, back to reality. Sometimes I feel like a complete idiot when it comes to parenting. I mean, I know what I should do, and yet when situations arise that cause for me to utilize complete control and smarts, I somehow fail the test. =( I get flabbergasted and overwhelmed and before i know it, I am the child with the pouty lip and shrugged shoulders. Thank goodness this isn't a daily occurence, but when it does happen, i feel defeated and completely out witted by my children.

The reason for such a pouty and whiny blog is due to my trip to Kroger today. Oh yes, the wonderful world of groceries with 2 children. It started out very controlled and relaxed until Joseph decided he wanted to walk instead of ride in the little race car with his sister. Well, this made since because his ever growing legs just do not seat well in this little toddler car anymore. After trying to smush him back in, I agreed to let him walk with me. Well, Princess Presley in the toddler race car was not too keen on this idea. This left her alone at the wheel. After she screamed and hollered for Joseph to return to his seat, I kindly asked Joseph if he would try and sit back in the little seat next to her. He tried his best to squeeze back in. but this time to no avail. Presley then proceeds to scream a blood curdling scream for her brother to get in with her. Meanwhile I am trying to keep it together and act the well-kept, cool-as -a cucumber, not rattled kind of Mom. I gently chide her and tell her that she will not be getting a prize if this behavior continues. Not only did this not work, she bucked and kicked her way out of the car and pitched a certified, no holds barred tantrum in the middle of the bread isle. As my mind is spinning and my pulse quickens, I mentally kick myself for not bringing my wooden spoon inside. Not only am i beating myself up for feeling like a lousy mommy, I look around and see gawkers most assuredly feeling sorry for me with my no-makeup, gym clothes, greasy pontytail self. I casually and coyly smile as I pick Presley up into my arms and carry her out of the store. Meanwhile, Joseph starts asking if he can still have his prize since he was so good. Ugghhh...just get me out of here.

When I finally get to the car, she is still wailing at maximum volume. I go to the drive thru at Chic fil a to get lunch for Joseph and myself and she is STILL crying at the top of her lungs. My hands are shaking as I pull up to the window and hand her my money in exchange for food. I rolled down the window ever so slightly so that the noise would be somewhat muffled and so that I would not be humiliated again. The lady gave me a feel-sorry for me kind of smile and i sped away wanting to crawl under a rock and die.

Justice was served with the trusty wooden spoon when we returned home and for now all is well. Presley is now happy and smiling as if nothing ever happened.

I am laughing now as I write this and thinking to myself what fun motherhood is. How many stories about our children could we all share and roll on the floor laughing until our stomachs couldn't take anymore? Nothing bonds us more as women than the sheer throws of motherhood and all that comes with it. The laughter, the love, the pain, the sacrifice, the forgiveness, the heart bleeding worry, the wonderment, and the unspeakable JOY that comes from it.

What more could humble us and self-deprecate ourselves more than experiencing motherhood everyday? If it is true that trials and tribulations make us stronger and wiser than amen AND oh me!!

Orlando pics to come...my battery in my camera is dead. When it charges up I will post some pics from our vacation.