Old McDonald's Farm

Written over a month ago and never published.. oops. 

This weekend we went to Old McDonald's Farm in Sale Creek, TN. Such a cute little place with hayrides, a petting 'zoo', corn maze, pumpkin patch, and tons more. We had a great time there.

Before our venture, we dined at Chick-Fil-A. After getting this picture, everything on the table was cleared by the two toddlers {toddlers, really?} so only one picture was captured.

 The first thing we did was cheer LS down the slide. 

 Then we did the corn maze. It was pretty cool. After about 10 minutes of going in circles, Jordan decided to take the lead. {We were letting LS be the leader}. Then LS said, "Hey, guys! Why won't you trust me??" Haha, she's hilarious. 

We made it!

The pony was a popular hit with someone....

 Petting zoo! They had rabbits, sheep, goats and roosters all congregating around.

 We ran into our friends John and Jenny and baby Charlotte {why didn't we get a group picture?!!?!}. They offered to take a picture of us :o) 

 Pumpkin slingshot

 A stranger offered to get our family picture! It's so rare that all of us are in the picture so I love the times when it's a picture of 5.

{I promise my hair isn't thinning...

The wind was blowing at that moment. Otherwise I look like I'm wearing a cheap wig.} 

as always,

ashley

October 26 Birthdays!

Jordan turned THIRTY this year. He's so old, hehe. Good thing he has me to keep him young, right? ;o)

We had a wild, I mean wild, birthday dinner for him at El Meson. Our party guests were Jordan, myself, Lilly Scott, Mac and Paisley. Crazy crowd. 

Jordan warned me to not share his birthday with them, but LS did. We got renditions of Happy Birthday in a couple different ways.

 Mac enjoyed playing with the chip basket once we emptied it. We love chips and salsa. We also splurged and got queso and guacamole. 

 The next day we set up the projector and had a hot dog party. We lasted as long as we could in the cold before we moved it in the garage.

 Sarah playing with Paisley and Jill keeping Mac warm. 

I totally failed getting pictures of the party guests. We had a lot of family {The Nashville Allens} and friends celebrate with us.

 Before Jordan's party, we went to Emory's FIRST birthday party. He and Jordan are in the 10/26 club, as Jordan puts it. Here we are with moms and babies :o)

Frances and Holden {Holden was born the day before M&P, and Frances delivered in the room I labored in. Funny story, actually, they moved her out of the room because I was coming and in labor.}, us, and Mary and Emory Jackson! 

as always, 

ashley

Uncle Jeff's Surprise Party

My older brother, Jeff, turned the big 4-0 on October 22. Lordy, Lordy, Jeff is forty. I can't stop saying that in my head. I remember passing a yard sign that read that on my way to school in 8th grade. Random. 

He had NO idea, and that was pretty spectacular. Rachel and I pulled off quite a fun party and Jeff had a great turn out to celebrate him. 

Shhh!! He's coming! Paw Paw, LS and Colton hiding.

 Birthday boy and our Rachel!

 Colton, McKenna and LS having fellowship.

 I made Colton a shirt from John Deere flannel. 

We celebrated around a bonfire after dinner. Fun times, special memories.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jeff!!! 

{Mac and Paisley were tucked into bed at Mimi and GeeP's house.} 

Picture Story

A lot of changes the past few weeks! My brother turned 40, Jordan turned 30, Lilly Scott is improving in all areas, Paisley has started walking and Mac says 'bye bye' and waves. Both M and P have started saying "Uh oh" at every perfect moment. Super cute.

Mac loves throwing balls- all kinds, no matter the shape. Here he's playing with our friend, Eli, from across the cul de sac. 

Family dinner at Outback after dad's half marathon and mom's first 8 mile accomplishment since delivering twins :o)

 I can't say it enough: we. love. pajama days!

{Especially when we coordinate, no doubt.}

 The usual: Mac thinks I'm hilarious. Paisley has other interests. 

 I love these pictures. I won't be able to get away with them forever, but until then... ;o)

 I have about 8 second from the second I open the refrigerator before I have four hands and feet in front of me. They know the noise of the door opening. It's great for needless eating caution, I tell ya. 

 When not in the fridge...

Dr. Steph's office for flu shots. My nuggets are old enough to sit at the 'big kid' tables. Bittersweet, yes, but so cool. 

 Cold day for a run, but these two are prepared. 

 Mac, what are you getting into?? Gotcha!

A day in the life!

as always,

ashley

What's Up

What is up... well, a lot. I get behind with posts, feel overwhelmed, then remind myself why I do it. It's for our kids when they grow up, us when they grow up, and our family and friends to see what we're doing. Then there's of you who have never met us, but you read. I love the comments, posts and emails I get from you. Thank you. 

My last post shared a new venture I've started, and it's definitely a dream come true. I am SO excited about Southern Stamp {I'll probably label it SSE in posts}. 

Here are pictures from the past couple of weeks, and of course we are supporting SSE. I had to practice and learn somehow. 

M&P have turned into such mischievous little ones. They are always working together to get out of a baby gate, pull everything out of a drawer or pull things off a surface. They are way faster than me most of the time. :o/

I found them like this one day. I was washing the sheets, and our duvet was on the floor at the foot of our bed. Apparently they liked the fluff. Cutie pies. 

Just a typical hot spot...

One of the last warm days we've had. I'm tring to get the last few wears out of my favorite summer outfits of their's. These adorable onesies are from my freshman year college roommate, support group leader, friend for 10 years, and amazing mama to Tobin- Katie aka Kate. 

What is the face P is giving me here?? Haha, she's SO full of it! Paisley LOVES to climb, rock on a rocking horse, and spin.

Mac loves his spaghetti. We have to hide when we eat in front of him. Even if he has food, he wants what we have. I'm not kidding. He will scream and fuss until we share. It's not that we don't want to share, but he can't eat steak. They often eat whatever we are eating, but I prepare it for them to be able to pick up and chew. Sometimes I just want to scarf something quick down without sharing. I said it. Guilty as charged. 

Happy babies love bath.. especially when we dance and sing for them. 

These days... Paisley started taking several steps! She started on October 22, and she took 4 steps. Then Friday {Jordan's birthday, October 26} she walked across the room! I have a video of it I'll share. Paisley says: Dada, Mama, Nana {not sure if it's my mom or banana}, Mac, Lilly, uh oh, thank you, and stop. She also has full conversations with anyone who will listen- eventhough we don't have a clue as to what she's saying. We just listen and respond 'Really? Yes!" and so on. 

Mac is a sensitive boy. He cries if I give him the 'mama look' while P usually giggles when I do it to her. :-/

Mac says: Mama, Dada, and Nana. He still grunts. It isn't in a negative way. He knows it makes us laugh so he does it, then he cracks himself up. Mac gets the hiccups when he laughs a lot. He even throws up because he laughs so hard. It doesn't stop him, though. He keeps laughing. We do settle him down when he throws up, though.

M&P watch each other all the time. If one takes a drink, the other does it too. If one doesn't like a food, the other often turns his/her nose up at it. Paisley talks to Mac all the time. He sits and listens or laughs like he knows what she's saying. He probably does. It's precious.

Lilly Scott adores them, and they feel the same. They watch her every move and want to be with her every chance. Lilly Scott says some hilarious things that I post of facebook, but I am compiling them for a "Lilly-isms" post. I have to share some of the things that she says. 

Thanks for reading! 

as always, 

ashley 

Southern Stamp... the beginning.

My newest venture {as if I have time to spare} is my new Brother PE 770. It is my new baby, so to speak. It needs a lot of attention, guidance and patience, but it produces wonderful results if I meet it's needs. This 'baby' is a bit more attention detailed than my other three, however. 

When I say 'we', I'm talking about my friend, Anna. She has been such a blessing in our lives, and our passion has merged to create our own small business! We are fortunate to have supportive husbands who believe in us and invest in our business daily. {Thanks, Jordan and Cole!} 

Another blessing in this whole thing is another 'A' friend- and her name is also 'Anna.' Anna has been so supportive and encouraging. She came over the night we got our machine {which we have named Betsy- because it's fun to call her by name}, and we worked and learned for several hours. Since then, Anna has been a great go to for advice and last minute/emergency phone calls- Our needle broke! The bobbin is messing up! I sewed the back of the shirt to the front! 

Fortunately we have learned from our mistakes and Betsy's temperament. I am encouraged with how much we've learned and improved since that first week. Hopefully we'll get faster- one shirt takes us about 2 hours. No joke. That's partially because I am super detail oriented and OCD about making things straight and centered. I want anything we make to be the best quality it can- and something I would put on my own kiddos. Needlesss to say, a lot of heart and energy {and time} go into each thing we make, but it's such a leisure activity for me- I absolutely love it!

Another friend- April- with Cuddle Bug Gifts has been a huge help. She gives me 'insider tips' on all kinds of stuff. It looks like the AAAA team is coming together! Thanks, friends!

We would LOVE to do something for you! Our facebook page is 'Southern Stamp Embroidery and Gifts'. You have no idea how much excitement I get from getting new 'likes' and comments, so please, humor me. ;o)

Our contact email is southernstampembroidery@gmail.comsouthernstampembroidery@gmail.com

Here are a few things we've done:

Our turnaround time is only a few days so get your holiday orders in quickly!

as always, 

ashley

Fall Break 2012

Lilly Scott's school hosted an event so our fall break started early. We wanted to do something fun for her break, but Jordan couldn't take much time from work. Easy for us, though, because we hopped on over to Pigeon Forge! We've never vacationed there this much, but since we bought season passes to Dollywood, it makes it worth our while to visit as often as we can.

We went with our friends Jeremy and Sarah and their adorable mini me, Kynlee. I found a place to stay {we opted for a hotel rather than a cabin this time because A- cabins were mostly booked and B- we didn't need all the amenities in a cabin}. Soooo Jordan decided he could find a less expensive place, which he did... and back into 1993 we went. :-/ Enough said...

Friday we got there mid afternoon, and we ate dinner at 3:30, haha. Seriously. We were all hungry, and it was time to eat. After that we left our things at the hotel and went to the outlet malls. Unfortunately my dinner didn't set well and we decided to leave the outlets. On the way home we got stuck in traffic, Paisley puked, and one of the other children was crying. I can't remember which. Pleasant.

On Saturday we ate breakfast and headed to Dollywood. The weather wasn't great, and it got super cold! {I had to run to the outlet malls that night to shop for warm clothes. I just had to! ;-) } In all seriousness, it was pretty terrible that Mac and Paisley were without socks, shoes and a blanket our first day in the park. I way overestimated the temperature.

{These pictures are from Sunday... the day we bundled up}

We ate dinner at The Old Mill, and it was- as always- delicious!

Paisley was my neighbor at dinner, but she wouldn't sit still for me to get a good picture.

Sunday we went to another outlet mall, I got a new pair of work out shoes {not the same as running shoes}, and we ventured to DW. Lilly and Kynlee got to ride every ride they wanted until the rain wouldn't stop. It was such a pendulum swing to go from sweating profusely to needing gloves and a fleece. Silly me. As Paul Ryan quoted: The calendar's the same every year. Hehe.

M&P were so good for us.

On our way home we had dinner at Cheddar's in Knoxville. Lilly was coloring and didn't want a picture, but I had two others who didn't have a choice ;o)

                                                                                 My mom came that Sunday and stayed until Wednesday 

afternoon. I love that she knows what a whirlwind our world is... she brings food! It doesn't offend me at all to not cook. I do love cooking, but I plan and prepare 4 meals for M and P and dinner for everyone else daily. It gets to be tedious. I enjoy being able to breathe and not worry about what will or won't be eaten.

While Mother was here I worked on a new venture of my own :o) Here's a hint:

The rest of the week we goofed off, relaxed and had fun.

We finished our Fall Break 2012 with delicious THREE ingredient pumpkin spice cookies! 

Recipe: box of spice cake mix, can of pumpkin and a special treat of whatever you choose {chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, etc}. We did white chocolate chips. I also added some vegetable oil to help the consistency. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes! 

 School has been back in for a week now, and our routine is in full swing!

as always,
ashley