Invading Alabama

The 2nd week in July, my side of the family took a beach vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We rented a large beach house there and all stayed together. It was such a wonderful time to be together, catch up, reconnect, relax, and enjoy each other's company. My brother, Mark, Charlotte, and I all rode together in my brother's car. The trip there was 13 hours and the trip back was 12 1/2. Charlotte was very well-behaved on the way down, not as well on the way back. However, I think she did amazing considering I was asking a 15-month-old to be content sitting in a car seat with little to do for such an extended period of time. My brother, as always, was so wonderful about switching seats with me and taking his turn in "occupying" Charlotte. My parents and my sister's family all came together from Austin. We were able to be there from Saturday to Saturday and count ourselves so blessed to have had the opportunity to take that kind of vacation. This post is filled to the brim with pictures. And believe it or not, this is very narrowed down! I have to give 99% of the picture taking credit to my sister. I think I only pulled out my camera twice the whole trip. Thanks for the great pictures, Jessica! Thank you to my whole family for the great memories!

There was lots of fun to be had in the sand and on the beach!

This is how I like to spend my beach vacation . . .

My mother made several amazing sand sculptures, including this dolphin.

I made a not-as-impressive sand castle.

There was also a plethora of fun to be had in the water!

Charlotte had a blast playing with her cousins. Her and Skylyn are not far apart in age and I know these two girls are going to have so much fun in years to come.

Aaris reading the the kids.

On one day, Mark and I took the two younger girls to the little zoo in town.

At the end of each long, but very fun day, it was nice to relax at the house and enjoy some great home-cooking, courtesy of Mimi.

This is definitely one vacation that we will never forget!

Beautiful on the Beach

Is it me, or does everything always seems so much more beautiful on the beach? I guess, perhaps, it's that the ocean and sand is so far from my "normal" that I am drawn to it. I was so excited to be able to take some pictures while we were on our family vacation. My sister was the official photographer and the pictures turned out fabulous! We definitely got some "framers"! Thanks, Jessica! What a special way to remember a wonderful vacation.

Papaw and Mimi with the grandkids

The whole fam

Going solo . . .

One to share

Just found this picture from when my parents came in May to celebrate my 30th birthday. It's a good one!

Too much fun

We are having too much fun to stop and blog! I will post when we get home. This is the life!

Riding the Reading Wave

We went to the library to check out books, but Charlotte found the tunnel shaped like a wave to be much more entertaining!

4th of July

Happy 4th of July from the Fowlers! We had a low-key holiday this year. July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. I am a sucker for patriotic music with fireworks. But, Charlotte's early bedtime, the fact that she startles easily, all coupled with her having a summer cold and teething made us decide to skip going to a fireworks show this year. After Charlotte's nap, we headed over to Grammy and Poppy's house for some family fun time. Mark's brother and family aren't in town for the 4th this year, so it was definitely different. We really missed seeing them. However, they will be in town in 2 weeks and we are looking forward to some time together then. Charlotte got to spend time playing in a little pool in the backyard. Our girl definitely loves the water, which makes her mama very happy for the hope of many future summers spent poolside. We enjoyed some wonderful grilled hamburgers and playtime afterwards. After Charlotte was in bed, I watched the New York City fireworks show on T.V. then Mark and I sat on top of the ladder and fence in our backyard/driveway and watched the Plano fireworks show over the treetops. Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

I simply could not pass up these matching shirts!

Charlotte playing the piano with Grammy.

Playing the water is so much fun!

Getting sprayed by the mist from the hose . . .

I think we have a child prodigy on our hands . . .

Help a girl out, would ya?

The link below is my sister and her husband who DESPERATELY need to be picked by HGTV for a room makeover. This is their 3rd time to try. All YOU have to do is click on this link to view their entry. The more views the more likely their chance at winning. Please help!

http://my.hgtv.com/hgtvd/Bedroom/I-hate-it-when-she-does-that/detail.esi?oid=24595644

A summertime favorite

I found a recipe for a fruit smoothie a few years ago on The Pioneer Woman website. It has been a favorite of mine ever since. This smoothie is a great go-to snack during the summer months. I usually have one 3-4 times a week June-August because it is so delicious and pretty guilt-free. I usually use 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (no flavor added), 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup ice cubes, and a squeeze of honey. Just blend it all up and you are good to go! Charlotte has taken a great liking to them as well, so Mama shares her snack! I hope you will try it and enjoy!

Our scampering squirrel

I love how Charlotte always grooved to the same part of this song each time it came on. So cute!

My parents went to New York and all I got was . . .

this "I Love NY" shirt . . .

I love NY thiiiiiiiiiiiiis much!

this pajama onesie . . . ("Community" fans will see the humor in this one)

and this white tiger from FAO Schwarz.

Well, at least I love the tiger!

This white tiger is yet to be name. Any suggestions?

Summer Savories: New Recipes Edition

I don't like cooking. There, I said it. Sad but true. Unfortunately, we do not have a tree in our backyard that grows money, so having dinner at home most nights is essential. I have found two ways to get me more excited about cooking dinner for my family: (1) have new, fun cooking tools/utensils to use, and (2) try new recipes. The fact that I don't like to cook limits the kinds of recipes I will try. If the ingredient list is too long or if it has items I don't recognize on it, then forget it. It isn't worth my effort. However, I have found that summertime is a great time to try new recipes. Especially now that we have Charlotte. During the school year we don't make it home until about 5:00, then I want to play with her before I confine myself to the kitchen, so that doesn't leave much time for cooking. All of that being said, I have resolved to try some new recipes this summer and thought I would share them with you. Here is the first:

Crunchy Whole-Grain Chicken Bites

(from Pampered Chef 29 minutes to dinner cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders (or I just cut up some thawed out frozen chicken breasts)

1 egg white

6 cups whole grain whips (I used Sun Chips)

1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mis

1/4 tsp paprika

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut chicken into pieces. Whisk together 1 tbsp. of the dressing mix and egg white in a bowl.

3. Crush chips in a resealable plastic bag. Add remaining dressing mix and paprika and shake well to mix.

4. Add chicken to egg white mixture; mix well to coat. Add half of the coated chicken to crumb mixture; shake to coat with crumbs and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet (I used my baking stone) or a casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken and crumbs.

5. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and centers are no longer pink.

My rating: I give this recipe 5 out of 5. It was delicious and super easy!!!

Isn't Summertime Grand?

Last week, I bought an inflatable pool and Daddy put up the canopy shade that we purchased this spring. Charlotte and I enjoyed relaxing in our pool in the backyard for the first time. I see this being a much-repeated activity this summer!

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Happy Birthday, Mark! Charlotte and I love you very much and are excited to spend the day celebrating the wonderful man, husband, and daddy that you are!

Father's Day 2011

Happy Father's Day to some amazing men in my life!

Mark - from your first moment as a father . . .

to many more . . . thank you for all you do! Charlotte loves and adores you!

Thank you to my dad and father-in-law, Tom, for being amazing fathers and equally as amazing grandfathers. We don't know what we would do without you.