Promenade!

I'm so late in blogging this, but Labor Day weekend was square dance time again!!! The kids really enjoy it each year. It's quite a commitment each year because we have to drive 45 minutes each week for practice, but it's worth it to watch the kids have so much fun.

We start the weekend Saturday morning with a parade. It's one of the highlights of the weekend. Who doesn't like to ride in a parade?!?!

Then it's square dancing on Saturday afternoon and again Monday afternoon. It's a long weekend, but sooo much fun!

Hope, Sara and cousin Evan

The girls' group, "Boots & Bandannas"

Luke's group, "Dukes & Daisies"

Emma got to ride with Luke's group. She was so cute waving to everyone! :)

Isn't he the most handsome float driver?!?!

The girls of Boots & Bandannas

Hope and her partner and cousin, Evan

Sara and her partner Will

Sweetie #1

Sweetie #2

The girls

Luke

Luke and cousin Clayton

Dukes & Daisies

OBU Blog About

So my college is doing the coolest thing. A blog about for Ouachita Baptist University (pronounced Wash i taw) students and alumni who blog to link up and share there blogs. So I thought I'd participate! If you want to read other OBU blogs, go here: http://www.obu.edu/admissions/OBUblogabout.asp





OBU is a special place to me. I actually had planned on attending a different university until the spring of my senior year in High School. I don't know why I changed my mind except that the Lord was leading me. And I'm so glad He did!



I had 4 great years at OBU. I made some great friends and I'll never forget our university president telling us at freshmen orientation about the "Ouachita family." We all thought it was hokey, but he was so right! I can't go anywhere without running into someone that went to OBU. It it's a small enough university, that no matter what decade you were there, you have shared experiences. It's so fun!

One of my dearest friends from college days, Jennifer

Yes, that's me in all my glory my freshmen year. I got braces on 3 days before I left for college! How's that for impressing the boys?!?!

Two more of my best friends from college, Aimee and Melissa (Breastwell! ha!)

But I have to say the best thing about my college days is this...

Which led to this...

:) Lance and I met at Ouachita. He was a senior my freshman year. We knew each other and I had a huge crush on him, but he never asked me out. (can you blame him?!?! see above picture!)

We ran into each other after his 1st year of med school and that's when we started dating. We often wonder what life would have been like if we had dated in college! But God's timing is perfect, and our life might not be perfect, but we feel like it is!

The great thing is that neither one of us have to try to explain Ouachita to each other. We get it. We lived it. And we have that shared experience that is priceless. Ouachita will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Woo Hoo!!!!

So today after naptime, Emma was standing beside me while I was folding some clothes. All of a sudden she looked at me with a excited look on her face and said, "Momma, I poop!" I ran with her to the bathroom thinking she had already pooped in her diaper, but we got there, she hadn't, and she sat on the potty and POOPED!!!! Let me say it again, Woo Hoo!!!!

All the rest of the afternoon, she wore panties and told me every time she needed to pee. There were a couple accidents when I wasn't in the room that she was in when she needed to go, so she didn't make it to the potty in time. BUT, she pee peed about 10 times the rest of the day and she pooped one more time.

I am sooooooo proud!!!! I went to WalMart this evening and bought some pull ups because we are going to be on the go so much this weekend. I normally would only have her wear panties, but it's going to be impossible to take her to the bathroom every 20 min, so better safe than sorry. :)

But it looks like diapers are soon to be a thing of the past in the Faddis house! Yippee!!!

My Brush With the Famous!

There is a huge consignment sale in our area twice a year. Fall and Spring. I always put items in and then shop the consignors early 1/2 price sale. This year, I totally missed the deadline to enter my items! And to be honest, I wasn't too upset about it. :) It was such a stressful week last week, that would have just added to my stress level and I didn't need it. BUT! Thankfully some friends were going tonight the the 1/2 price sale and one of my friends was unable to go so she gave me her ticket.

This is a glimpse of what it looks like!...

I don't even try to shop the regular sale. It's a mad house! And I'm not a picky shopper. I'm always able to find really cute things at the 1/2 price sale and I pay no more than $4 for anything. Last year they told me I spent more at the 1/2 sale than they've ever had. (I can thank my Mom for instilling the bargain shopper in me!)

I didn't need as many things this year. Hope can wear all of Sara's hand-me-downs from last year. Emma is good with both the bigger girls' hand-me-downs. And a good friend let me raid her boys' old clothes yesterday for Luke and I got a ton of clothes and shoes for him. (Thanks Leslie!) Here is all my stuff at the check out...

And here's my bucket that I lugged around the entire sale! You should have seen me lugging it to my car in the rain! $100 for the entire bucket full! It's a huge bucket!

Now here's the funniest purchase of the night! My friends and I were laughing hysterically at them, but I knew that Sara would LOVE them! I almost didn't buy them because I didn't want to contribute to the fashion faux pax that they are! haha!

The picture doesn't do them justice! They are Barbie overalls, hot pink with orange extensions that you can zip off I guess if you want to wear them as capris! They are hideous, but she'll love them. :)

And here is the highlight of the night...

You might recognize Michelle Duggar from 19 kids and counting! haha! She and her oldest daughters and her son and his wife and baby were at the sale. I felt like a stalker when I went up to her. :) She was incredibly nice. I just walked up to her and called her name and told her thanks for the laundry soap! (Most of my friends reading this know that I make my own laundry soap and got it from a friend who saw it on the Duggar's show!) Michelle grinned and laughed and said you're welcome. She was so gracious to take a picture. I know she has to get tired of strangers coming up to her like they know her!

And I know, it looks like we coordinated for the picture!