My PB + J

monday phone dump {link-up party}

busy weekend as usual. the dailey method started my weekend mornings off, some park time, an adorable polka dots & cupcakes first birthday party order, cleaning (and some more cleaning) and watching baby brianna for the first time. my mother-in-law arrives tonight and at 2 pm we close escrow. a lot of exciting things will be happening this week. especially since my mother-in-law hasn’t been out from new jersey since april of 2010. cannot wait to spend time with her, tony and jim since he’s taking the whole week off. make it a great week people! 
            
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 i am linking up with what makes savanah smile 

playing at the park. jumping off of large rocks. 
my boo-boo brady lounging watching little einsteins. 

after our last storm god was letting me know he was shining down on us. i said hello to my grandma’s at this moment. 

monday phone dump {link-up party}

get ready for my serious phone dump. now that i have instagram i cannot make my fun collages that you have seen the last seven weeks. so as the title states let’s dump that phone ‘o mine.

                             

 i am linking up with what makes savanah smile


saturday after the gym i got my nails done. i loved how the color looked against my dress. 

saturday we ditched the adult dinner plans and babysitter for a kid friendly dinner at jimmy’s famous american tavern down on the san diego harbor. after dinner charlie and payton got to run around but they made sure to pose for their 2012 prom pic, remember their ages two and three, perfectly posed. pray for janelle and i. 

my dinner at j-fat. it was worth every calorie. 

last week amira posted a pic of her nails and it came out that four of us share a common palm freckle. 

friday began my six week journey of the dailey method classes. let’s just say, i am addicted. minus the excessive amounts of lululemon that fill the room. 

wednesday night i snuck out for happy hour with janelle & tessa. my reward after jim’s business trip. 

jim reading over the doc’s as we sign our lives away on on our second house. 

i had two. 

all the boats… i love the san diego harbor. 

after not napping saturday she asked to sit with me as jim and i were watching water for elephants, she passed out babbling about riding an elephant. 

this should officially be ours on the 30th. squee! 
aunt kathy and payton on the new golf cart that will drive her to school and around the corner to their house. 




monday phone dump {link-up party}

i am late posting this, i usually get it all ready sunday night but last night after creating my collages i couldn’t see straight. we had a busy yet very fun-filled weekend. i just love weekends like those but i always need a day to recover, which i did not get today. we were up fairly early to drop jim off at the airport. he was home all of two days before he left us again for manhattan…kansas. luckily, this trip is a quickie and we will be picking him up late tomorrow evening. like every week they are jam packed. here’s how last week went through photos. 


i am on instagram now, follow me! @melly_atkinson – just like my twitter account. 


 i am linking up with what makes savanah smile


from top left to right
* i ran my third 5k on saturday in like 30 mph winds. it sucked. i was so amped, like couldn’t sleep the night before because i was so excited. but the wind beat me. this was the first time running where it wasn’t fun, in more ways than one. 
* brayden while running errands. this kid is always happy. also, my first insta pic! i love his natural faux hawk! 
* my mom came down friday to help watch the kids saturday morning. i made her dinner friday night and then after the race we took her to claim jumper to celebrate her birthday. i truly do have the best mother and friend a girl could ask for. 
* on sunday we went to the avocado festival in fallbrook. my old boss, robert, has a new venture mcgee’s tavern & grill. they bought it and are currently re-vamping it. the place had to be the busiest on the block. live music, ahh-mazing mac & cheese with shredded corned beef (like dreaming of it today it was so good) and a refreshing snakebite to get the day started off right. the mac & cheese was payton’s, i had a fish taco and a corned beef taco. 
* payton eating homemade chocolate ice cream at bernado’s. her first impromptu fine dining experience. more and that fiasco later. 
* at the park before the last winter storm blew on by. 


* sunday night. i was beat, my hair all afro’d, dark circles and sassy that the hubby was leaving us again. sigh. 

* brayden sleeping on my chest at the tavern. the music was so loud and he was out. 

* my oldest friend, maggie, welcomed her second daughter on sunday. here she is 13 hours old. she decided she wanted to share her daddy’s birthday and my mom’s too! 


monday phone dump {link-up party}

i was a bad blogger last week. we were just so busy! by the time wednesday got here i was out the door minutes after the kids waking up to hunt for easter outfits, run errands, etc. before driving up to my parents house. thursday jim took my nephew, ethan, snowboarding for the first time. so my sister, brother -in-law and the kids hung around the schack’s cabin. friday was another day of errands before the weekend. we had an amazing weekend, well, really an amazing four days. looking forward to the end of the month when jim is off for a week when my mother-in-law is visiting from new jersey. this weekend i didn’t have too many cell pictures because my dslr was literally strapped to me at all times. it’s amazing how that works sometimes. i won’t be a bad blogger this week because i have too many pictures and recipes that have been piling up! maybe i will post a recipe for maple french toast and candied bacon cupcakes next… 
 i am linking up with what makes savanah smile

from top left to right. 

* ethan and payton just as we were leaving my parents for the 12 mile drive up to big bear. it was an amazing day and ethan did great!

* on saturday the four of us went to our church for the annual easter family service and festivities that followed.

* on wednesday, janelle purchased payton her first princess doll since payton would not part with it while making a stop at the disney store to regroup and feed the babies. let’s just say payton has not parted with charlotte from the princess and the frog.

* i had a sesame street cupcake order on saturday. after seeing the tortilla curtain on friday night i came home and knocked out the cupcakes. this is the second time i have done elmo, he’s always so fun to look at.

* my nonfat starbucks double shot – my drink of choice. this one was sipped on while sitting out on the deck looking at all the talented kids hit the rail on big bear express, listening to the kids play in the snow. it was bliss. i will reference this picture over the next few weeks since i am strictly back to tea.

* the annual easter bunny photo. payton looks the exact same as last year except more hair and a slightly stronger attitude.

how was your weekend?

monday phone dump {link-up party}

happy first monday in april! is it going to be a great monday? we had a few laughs yesterday for april fools, did anyone pull a good prank on you? here’s a glimpse of our weekend through photos. 
 i am linking up with what makes savanah smile

  
from left to right
* on thursday i had to stop by the pharmacy to pick-up some prescriptions. i went by the check-in desk to get print outs of our 2011 visits and they let me know payton had labwork that supposed to be done after her two-year appointment. two vials of blood later she so worked everyone for stickers and mommy for a bag of m&m’s and gummy bears. she kept the tape/cotton ball and pumpkin smiley sticker on for two days. 
* on friday evening jim and i went to see mixtape . amazing show for anyone who lived through the 80’s. this was our first date night since our anniversary last june. thanks to my mom who came down and al & kathy for the show tickets that jim was given to for his birthday. oh, and that coffee cup housed my wine. staying classy SD!
* our photo op at the show. seriously, if you’re in the san diego area i urge you to see the show, it has been extended again until may 27th. i was singing along the entire time!
* we all headed to target but i made a stop into starbucks beforehand. while ordering drinks for payton and i she found a comfy winged back chair, a newspaper and sipped on her chocolate milk. 
* brayden got a frenchy mustache while eating his first peas. 
* look at your local grocery store for nabisco’s barnum animal crackers. this is the third year they have teamed up with lily pulitzer. not only does the gorgeous lily pulitzer print bring a smile to your face it can also bring a smile to a child in need! barnum & pulitzer have teamed up to donate a % of proceeds to operation smile. check out the cracker tracker to find a box near you. 
* brayden totally engaged in the new chipmunk movie while at my sisters. we were celebrating my nieces actual birthday. look at his cheeks! he is a little chipmunk!
* last night we went back to our summer ritual of pinkberry and HBO’s game of thrones. we did the same with true blood, but last night was the anniversary of our house flood and the four months we were out of our house.  
* the wreath i mentioned last monday was constructed on saturday as well. look for the tutorial tomorrow! 
* payton giggling while eating an art-i-choke. she kept saying, “yummy, vegetable! i love art-i-chokes!” this wasn’t the first time she’s eaten one but my parents will enjoy the fact that she enjoys them as they hold funny stories within our family.