Happy Birthday, Brooke!!

Sometimes it's hard to believe that Brooke was born two years ago. It just can't be possible. Time has flown by so quickly. Last year, daddy missed her first birthday. But this year, Brooke had a party with the whole family. Both sides (Meador's and Matthews') were all present and accounted for.

Here's the birthday girl!

Although I didn't get to make her cupcakes myself, I found her a little Minnie Cake. She liked everybody else's cake more than hers, of course.

We celebrated this week at Disney World. Can you tell who her favorite character is?

I feel that on her birthday, I should tell you a few embarrassing stories that have happen to Brooke in this week alone. First, Brooke is a little thief. We were waiting in line for a ride at Magic Kingdom, and she saw this lady standing next to her with a bag of Doritos. As the lady pulled some chips out of the bag, Brooke just reached over and took them. And then ate them. We were all floored!

But the craziest story of all happened yesterday morning. Picture this, it was about 6:30am. Wes and I are dead asleep. That's when we both hear the click of the front door shut. Wes popped up out of bed, threw on some shorts and went to check the door. There was Brooke walking down the hallway, crying. She had opened the condo front door and went for a walk. We think she must have been looking for us and used the wrong door. It scared me half to death. Thank the heavens above we heard the door and checked.

But all in all, this day has been wonderful. I would never expect Brooke to be anyone but Brooke. She is special in her own way and just as perfect.

To you Brooke, mommy and daddy love you very much!! We hope you had a magical birthday!

In the Mountains of Tennessee

One of my favorite childhood places to visit is Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN. I just love the mountains and the creeks. As a family we would hook the camper to the truck and take off for a weekend or sometimes a week. Riverside RV Campground would be our destination. I remember once hopping out of the truck and running straight to the pool. And with all my clothes still on, I ran excitedly and jumped in the pool. This was our family vacations.

One places we had to visit on the way to Pigeon Forge is the Sweetwater Valley Farms. Since my girls just LOVE cheese (and love is an understatement), this seems like a very fitting place to stop for a "snack".

Two words: Cheese Curd!!!

Being an outdoor lover, we took a drive through Roaring Fork. The best part of the trail was closed for some reason, but we made the best of it anyway. Gwyn and Brooke were able to play on some rocks, cross the creeks, and run around in the cold for a bit. I would never trade this for anything!

These pictures were taken outside the Ober Family cabin.

Snip, Snip... Sniff, Sniff

My baby girl, Gwyn, got her first hair cut today. While I know deep down this was the right thing to do, I still hated to see any hair be cut from her head. It took so long for hair to ever start growing.

I knew this time was coming sooner than later. And who better to trim her hair than the person she is named after. My Aunt Linda. They both have the same middle name, Jane.

Just look at the hair curling up. I just hope it stays curly, at least a little bit.

Happy Birthday HUBBY!

35 years ago, a special moment happened across the border in Canada. A miracle. A little baby boy was born into this world.

I would like to think he was designed by God just for me, even though I wouldn't arrive for another year or so. God made him perfect in all the right ways.

James Wesley Meador is my husband, my best friend, my cornerstone, my spirit-lifter, my only true love. I could not be where I am today without this man in my life.

So, to you, Wes. I love you. I hope you had a great 35th birthday!

Mommy's Day Off

I asked once for my birthday last year and even put it on my Christmas list..... one day off. Well, I finally got my wish. It was an almost-whole day off from the girls. This mommy went shopping with her mommy and had an absolute wonderful time. I probably bought too much, which means we will be checking an additional bag (or two) at the airport on the way home. Oops!

I even planned ahead the day for the rest of the family. Wes and Pop took the girls first to the Tennessee Aquarium. These girls had so much fun! I thought I would share a few pictures (well, maybe more than a few) of their adventure.

Checking out the sting rays.

Wes tried to get Gwyn to pet the sting ray. No go.

Baby girl sitting in front of the giant saltwater tank.

The girls weren't quite sure what to think of the butterflies. But, they were pretty (the butterflies and my girls).

Pop inside the circular tank.

I like this picture because it looks like Gwyn is touching the ballooga sturgeon.

After the aquarium, Wes and Pop took the girls to the Children's Discovery Museum of Chattanooga. I love this place. It's SO awesome. There's tons for the girls to do and they LOVE it. It's also really nice now that they are both big enough to enjoy and have fun.

Did I mention this place is awesome? Here's why....

There's water...

and electricity....

and sand...

and so much more.

Wes and Pop decided to divide and conquer. So, there are tons of pictures of Brooke because she was with Daddy. Gwyn, however, played musical instruments and climbed all over the place. Needless to say that by the end of their trip, they both passed out in the car on the way home. Wes mentioned that it didn't even take a whole minute before they were out.

I call that a great day with Daddy!

A Traveling We Will Go...

I had planned even before we left for the mainland to blog about our packing and preparations. But like all good plans are paved with good intentions, this did not even happen. I had shut down the computer way too early so that when there was time to blog, the computer was down.

Tuesday evening (Hawaii time) we boarded a plane bound for Atlanta. With two giant suitcases, two car seats, two kids, a stroller, and three carry-ons later, we were ready to go. We timed the arrival to the airport perfectly. (Sorry, Laura, for your 1-hour/5 mile trip home. We really appreciate you taking us to the airport.) Only had to wait to board for about 5 minutes - NICE!

The girls looked like they were very interested and pleased with their new sleeping quarters.

(Checking out the overhead lighting.)

We could not leave without Lamb.

My worst fears almost came to fruition when Brooke woke up from a 45-minute "nap". My mind envisioned her staying awake the entire trip and being this little, uncontrollable monster, a force to be reckoned with. Her tired, little eyes would almost close, then jerk open, destined to stay awake. She must have been afraid she would miss something. But, daddy worked his magic and had her asleep in no time.

Where did we go first when we got into Atlanta? CHIK-FIL-A, or course!! We actually went to the original, founding Chik-fil-a. I savored each and every chik-fil-a mini as it crossed my lips. I am not ashamed that I ate five little scrumptious minis. Not ashamed at all.

A dear friend of mine was in Atlanta yesterday, and we were able to take a few minutes to see her. I haven't been able to see her in forever, it seems. Thank you, Joanne, for allowing us to infiltrate your home and visit with you. I have missed you!

Lastly, we had a two-hour ride to my parents' home in Cleveland, TN. What did we do in the car? You guessed it!!!

I even put an embarrassing picture of myself on here. Equality for humiliation!!

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon

I love it how Wes gets something in his mind and just goes for it. His latest focus has been about bacon. Several days ago we bought a slab of pork belly for him to cure and smoke. This process takes more time than I had ever thought - 5 days.

Did I forget to mention that he built his own smoker from a huge plant pot, an one-eye burner, a grill grate, and some stone pavers? (MacGyver, watch out!) Oh, yes. That was the focus over Christmas stand-down. Here's a picture of the finished product. The girls thought it needed a little feminine touch.

Back to the bacon project....

So, for the past five days, Wes has been nurturing and coddling his pork belly, transforming it into some delicious bacon. He sliced it up yesterday. This looks like some juicy, succulent bacon. Can't wait to try it out this morning.

As for our picky eater in the house, what does she think of bacon? See for yourself.

Our Littlest Packer

I have been trying to prepare my mind for the upcoming trip home. Making checklists, buying travel stuff, doing laundry, and gathering toys for the trip are just a few of things that I have been doing.

What has little Miss Brooke been thinking about? Take a look at our littlest packer.

All she needs is Lamb. She could care less about anything else.