The Ware Family Journey

Happy Love Day!

2012-02-18T18:34:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Little Love was all ready for Valentine's Day the Sunday before the actual day...ready for church!

These pictures were taken actually on Valentine's Day fixing to leave for a fun-filled day at school, and they just crack me up! I usually just post the best pictures I can get of Little Missy, but sometimes that's with several attempted shots. It took a few this morning before a decent one turned out...
"How old am I fixing to be Mommy?"

Not into this at all...Now there is our cute smiley girl!

On our way to Oma's before school. She is telling me to take a picture of her new Valentine puppy she got from her Oma!Curtis is still out of town, but he is still full of surprises while he is gone. A package from Nordstrom's arrived on our front porch a few days before Valentine's Day. While we were doing Facetime that night, he let me open it early with him watching me! I love my North Face jacket! He is getting me ready for North Dakota next month. He told me he thought it would be more practical to get me that jacket instead of roses that would eventually die, and I had just gotten some for my birthday...but he surprised me again when the pretty flowers showed up in my classroom at 8:30 Valentine's morning!

Valentine's night was all about Audrey and I since Daddy wasn't home! We had a little pizza party, and just enjoyed some play time together!

There's Daddy! This is what we do every night! Daddy was kind of part of the party too! He got to watch Audrey open her Valentine's from us over the phone!

"Ohhh some candy!"

Showing me her new Hello Kitty nightgown...Brutus had to check it out too!

A little bit of a Hello Kitty theme here...A new coloring book and stamps too!

Reading her card, and making sure BoBo doesn't get any of her stuff!

My Little Valentine's! BoBo looks like he's being tortured!

Happy Valentine's Little Buggy! Mommy sure did have a fun night celebrating with you!

The Big 3-0!

2012-02-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

My 30th birthday came and went without too much excitement! It was a great day, but it just was not the same without Curtis home. Curtis and I had celebrated a few weekends before with friends, and my family, and my team at school made my day extra special! My little Love Bug made my day day when I woke her up that morning. She told me "Happy Birthday" and told me to wait right there because she needed to take my picture...I wonder where she hears that! I love that girl! I got a ton of phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages throughout the day that made me feel so special! Curtis sent me these beautiful roses from him, and a little teddy bear that said, "Happy Birthday Mommy!" My team goes all out celebrating birthdays...We had a great lunch and dessert, and I got some great gifts from too!
My mom showed up at my school with my all time favorite, Great American Cookie Cake! I forgot to take a picture before my mom and I had already gotten into it!
After school, my mom took Audrey and I out for a yummy dinner at Johhny Carinos!
Thank you to all my family and friends for helping me celebrate the big 3-0!

Cute Little Western Girl!

2012-01-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

Thursday was Western Day at Little Missy's school! I'm so glad we were able to wear her pink cowboy boots and pink cowgirl shirt that Daddy just had to have for his little princess again! Ready for school and so excited!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I love that Audrey's teacher just happens to be one of my best friends because I got a few extra pictures of Audrey during her school day!

They had a little Western Party with hotdogs, cheetos, fruit, juice, and cookies! They even got to "pretend" roast marshmallows by their "pretend" campfire!

I'm guessing they got to eat their marshmallows after they roasted them...yum!

What a fun day Audrey had on Western Day!

Countdown to Daddy!

2012-01-18T16:53:00.001-08:00

Our little family started a big change this past week, that I KNOW is a good thing...that is sometimes hard to say! Curtis works for Baker Hughes Oil and Gas, and accepted a transfer offer to leave his Mineral Wells yard, for the cold up in North Dakota. This offer and decision has been in the works since this past fall, and it is weird to know it is finally here, and we are living in our new "norm" for awhile. This new "norm" for us means that Curtis works up there for 28 days, then he gets to come home for 14 days. He will keep this schedule all year long, and realistically, it will last longer than that. About every other time Curtis will be up there working, Audrey and I are going to get to fly up there to stay with him for a week or so. This will help with breaking up the long 28 days without seeing each other. After a lot of prayer, crying, and talking this all out, we know this is the best decision for Curtis' career, and for our family. We know it won't last forever, we are strong in our faith, and each other, so we will get through this year just fine. We made this countdown board, thanks Pinterest, to be able to count down the days until Daddy gets to come home. It is has been fun letting Audrey take a Hershey Kiss off every evening, knowing we are just that much closer getting to see Daddy. Thanks to FaceTime on our phones, leaving video messages daily, and getting to talk to each other pretty much whenever we want to, has made our time apart bearable. I know there are going to be hard days on both ends, but I'm so thankful Curtis has this job, and amazing once in a lifetime opportunity! Thank you to everyone who is praying for us, checking on us, and is there for us with anything that we might need. We have done good adjusting to our new routine this past week...only 3 more weeks to go!

Weekend Getaway!

2012-01-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Curtis and I got away for the long weekend to Bastrop, Texas! We stayed at the Hyatt Lost Pines Golf and Spa Resort, and had a really good time. We met our friends, The Blacklock's, for the weekend! We planned this trip as an early birthday present for me, and for a last little getaway before Curtis' leaves for North Dakota for his 28 day at a time rotation. :( We are here, well we thought we were. You turn here off the main road, but the actual resort is 3 miles through windy roads before you are really there!
This was the view from our room. It was such a relaxing, laid back, low key weekend. There was a ton to do, but we didn't do much, which is okay with me!

As we were walking around after we got checked into our room, we came across these longhorns. They were just begging us to take our picture with them...ha!

Audrey got a kick out of seeing her Mommy and Daddy on a BIG cow!

We didn't do much Friday night, but listen to a band at the restaurant we ate at, and hung out there all evening getting caught up with Beth and Chad.

Saturday, Curtis and Chad golfed, and Beth and I went to the spa. We got hot stone massages, and spent time in the sauna and hot tub...it was so relaxing! We just had a low key rest of the afternoon, then met up for dinner at a fancy restaurant in the resort for dinner.

I didn't sleep good Friday night because there was no noise. I'm used to a fan, or noise machine, so silence was not working for my beauty sleep! I was so glad to see this box fan that arrived in our room while we were at the spa! The next 2 nights, I had great sleep!

Curtis and I before dinner

Beth and I before dinner

Beth and Chad before dinner

After dinner, we went back to where another band was playing and hung out for awhile.

Me and my hubby

Sunday, we hit the road early to San Marcos for a day full of shopping! We had a great time, got everything we wanted, and hit a ton of sales! I would say, it was a prductive day of shopping, and I was one happy girl!

We had seen this huge squirrel on our drive to the resort on Friday, and wanted to stop. It is a store that is famous for their pecans and homeade fudge! The sign had me at the word "fudge!" I knew we had to stop there at some point, so on our way back to the resort from shopping, we made a quick stop for some pecans and homemade fudge...it was yummy! Sunday night, we went into town for Mexican food, then came back to the resort to plan our next vacation!

We took our time leaving the resort Monday, met our friend, Mike, in Georgetown for lunch, stopped at a shop I heard about in Waco, then headed home.

It was such a fun and relaxing weekend, and we all had a great time!

Highlights from our year

2012-01-01T10:46:00.001-08:00

I can't believe 2011 is over, and 2012 has already begun. It's been a year of new adventures, lots of excitement, and life that was definately unexpected! We made it though, and are stronger now than before. Here is a look back at some of the highlights from this past year...

I celebrated my last year in my 20's in January
Our Little Bug turned 2 in February
This little princess was completely potty trained shortly after she turned 2!

Curtis turned the big 3-0 in May, and I managed to pull off some what of a surprise party with all our family and friends in tow!

We celebrated 6 years of marriage in June...can't believe how time is flying by being married to my best friend!

We went on our best vacaction EVER with some of our besties to The Riviera Maya this summer!

Our Little Fish took her 1st year of swim lessons, and was REALLY swimming by the end! Curtis and I bought our dream home this summer! Our baby girl went from crib to toddler bed....
to BIG GIRL bed in less than 2 months!
Little Missy saw her 1st movie at the big theater...Winnie The Pooh!

Audrey started Mother's Day Out 2 days a week this fall!
We had a great time throughout the holiday season entertaining in our new home!

I'm excited and a little ancious about what this next year holds for our little family! I know there are going to be some GREAT things happening, but some new changes as well that are going to be trying. We are going to keep our faith and trust in God and lean on him throughout 2012! Happy New Year!

Christmas Celebration #4

2011-12-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day afternoon, we celebrated with Curtis' family at our house! We had our traditional barbeque with all the fixins, and lots of yummy desserts! We had a great time together, enjoying great food, and lots of presents were opened! Audrey couldn't wait to play with her new dollhouse with her Aunt Jen

Passing out presents

Audrey got lots of play-dough this year

Audrey got her very own digital camera

Baby got some new shoes

Some new sheets

Some new clothes

Checking out her new babydoll

Some new rainboots

"Oh My!"

Helping Mommy open up her new bag

Mommy and Daddy got some new towels!

Cute!

Helping Poppa open his presents

Helping Nana

Sweet

Helping Uncle Larry

Now helping Papaw

Spoiled rotten

"Thank you Aunt Jen for my new boots!"

Audrey's last big gift from her Nana and Poppa was this super cute table and chairs! We all had such a great Christmas this year, and are beyond blessed! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning!

2011-12-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

Santa came! This is what we woke up to Christmas morning! From all the hustle and bustle of the last few days, Curtis and I finally woke Audrey up at 9:00am. That has NEVER happened. I was awake much earlier anticipating her reaction, but that's okay! She was so excited to see all the gifts Santa had left her!
Going through her stocking...a new toothbrush!

Some Curious George Band-aids

BoBo even got a new toy in his stocking!

Daddy got a calendar full of family pictures to keep in his truck while he is away a lot next year!

Some new jammies

"Oh My Gosh!"

Daddy and Audrey reading a new book

Our traditional "Happy Birthday Jesus" Cake

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus!

We had a great Christmas morning just relaxing, playing with all the new toys, having a yummy breakfast, and just being together!

Christmas Eve...Celebration #3

2011-12-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

Our 3rd Christmas Celebration began Christmas Eve with my mom and Chase. After going to our 5:30 Christmas Eve service at our church, everyone came back to our house for dinner, family time, and opening gifts! Us after church
Being silly

Audrey and her Mamaw

Mamaw, Uncle Chase, and Missy

Audrey loves her Uncle Chase

Audrey got a TCU Horned Frog Pillow Pet

A new dress

Checking everything out

Mamaw

Mommy

Chasey

Some new diapers for all her new babies

Posing with her new babydoll highchair

Uncle Chase got a gift card

Audrey helping Mamaw open her presents

Testing out her new vacume

Feeding her new baby

The boys

Audrey playing with her Uncle Chase

After bath time and getting all ready for bed, Daddy read "The Night Before Christmas" and we went outside in the yard to sprinkle the reindeer food!

The last thing we did for the night was lay out 3 cookies, milk, and a package of fruit snacks for Santa! They were gone in the morning, so that must have been just what he wanted!

Christmas Celebration #2

2011-12-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve day, we headed out to Cedar Creek Lake to have Christmas lunch with all the Ware family. We enjoyed great food, and getting to see a lot of that side of the family that we don't get to see very often! One of Curtis' cousin's has a little girl who is 4, so her and Audrey had a fun time playing together!
Getting ready to open presents

Helping Poppa open his presents

Passing out the presents

Audrey got some new boots

Trying them on

Giving Aunt Paula some love!

Baking Cookies for Santa

2011-12-28T14:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Eve day, Audrey and I got to baking away our cookies for Santa! Well, I baked and Audrey "helped" decorate. Little Missy was much more into licking and eating more than she was actually decorating...silly girl! Putting some M&M's on the cookies
Concentrating...

Audrey and Mommy putting the icing on

BoBo didn't go far since he knew food was around! We have all enjoyed the yummy cookies, and so did Santa!

Christmas Celebration #1

2011-12-28T08:09:00.001-08:00

Thursday night, a few days before Christmas, we had our Christmas Celebration at my dad's a.k.a Grandpa's house. We enjoyed great food, spending time together, and opening lots of presents! Audrey loves Cheyenne
Audrey and her Grandpa

Audrey is ready...

Helping Uncle Chase pass out the presents

Audrey got a new soccer ball and goal...this might be sport we need to try!

Grandpa

Lea

Chase and Cheyenne

I love this face

Audrey is reading her new book Grandpa got her

Out of all the gifts Audrey got at Grandpa's, she LOVED this pink flashlight she is holding!

Helping Uncle Chase open his BIG present

Helping Lea

Audrey's last and big present...

An art easel

Our little family

"Hello down there"

Audrey's favorite spot!

Playing Doctor With BoBo

2011-12-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Curtis and I talk more everyday about how Audrey and Brutus are truly best friends. Brutus tolerates Audrey while she drags him around by his collar, chases him with her grocery cart and baby stroller, helps to feed him out of his dog bowl, and the list goes on and on. She loves to snuggle with him, and give him hugs and kisses when it is convenient for her, but he better stay away if she is not in the mood! One night last week, Audrey was playing with her doctor kit, and guess who was close by to be her guinea pig? Checking his ears
Taking his temperature in his ear

Oh, the Love!

He wore the stethoscope proudly!

They truly are the best of friends...so sweet!

Grand Prairie Lights

2011-12-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night, we decided to go to the Grand Prairie Lights to look at some amazing Christmas lights. It was a great start to my Christmas Break!

Audrey and Daddy enjoying the lights...Daddy had to keep his eyes on the road."Hey there Missy"The baby had to enjoy the Light Show tooHalf way through the path, they had an area you could stop and get out to walk around. They had a few rides, a walk-through lights area, and an indoor pavilion with treats, and Santa!Daddy couldn't tell Little Missy "No" to a "carouself" ride, so here we go!

The 12 Days of Christmas Light Exhibit even put to music!This was the tunnel we went through as we were leaving...pretty cool!So we couldn't leave without getting Audrey's picture made with Santa! She was so excited to see him, and to ask him for a new baby! When it came time to take the picture she would not smile. Santa and the photograper were doing everything they could to get her to smile, but that was just making it worse. Silly girl! All of her pictures look like this with Santa. Maybe next year we can get a little grin! I'm loving these fun memories we are making!

Trains and Santa at North Park

2011-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday, Curtis and I took Little Missy to North Park for the morning to visit the trains, and to try and see Santa. It was such a fun family day that we loved every minute of since we don't get to have many of them while Daddy travels each month! Spotting the trains

Each area of the exhibit featured a different state, and something it was popular for...Texas and our Great State Fair!

Me and my Happy Bug

There they go...

"Look at that"

Before we went to the train exhibit, we stopped by Santa's house to pick up our ticket to get Audrey's picture made with him. We thought getting there at 9:30 would be plenty of time since the mall opened at 9, Santa didn't start taking pictures until 11, and the trains opened at 10! Well, we were sooooo wrong! Santa's helper told us to stop back by about 4:00pm to get our picture made since we had ticket #147...What? We weren't planning on making a day of this. We have naps to take! Audrey had her picture taken with Santa at her school a few weeks ago, so it wasn't a huge deal, but I was still looking forward to being there for this picture. Well, the closest we got to this Santa was for storytime at 10:30. It worked out great, Audrey didn't mind, then we headed out for some yummy Mexican food! Maybe we will try this again next year!

He is a great Santa!

Enjoying listening to Santa tell stories about The North Pole

Oh yea, see this man in the yellow shirt all sprawled out in the middle of the mall? He had ticket #1 to see Santa for his daughter in the red bow. I asked him how he got that number, and he got there at 6:00am to get that good of a ticket. Who knew you could do that? Amazing! There's always next year!

Christmas Party 2 Year Old Style

2011-12-19T17:09:00.001-08:00

Last week was a fun week at Audrey's school. Tuesday, was Audrey's Christmas Party and Book Exchange. I got to sneak away for about an hour from school to go to the party. They were running a little behind schedule, so I got to watch Audrey's class practice for their program, and help Miss Katie with the Book Exchange. This picture is a little blurry from my phone, but it shows the absolute sweetness this Bug has for her Miss Katie!Partying with Little Missy

Opening her book at the Book Exchange

She got Bambi and was so proud of it!

Thursday, was Audrey's Christmas Program at her school as well. I got to take the day off to enjoy the whole day! She was so excited and ready for her Christmas Program!

My Mom and Dad both got to watch Little Missy perform...we were so proud!

Audrey spotted us the second she came into the sanctuary

She began waving immediately

She was all smiles

She waved the entire time to her spot on stage

Happy Girl

Yep, still waving!

Getting all settled on stage

Audrey didn't sing much, but she was so proud to be up there, and I was one proud Mama!

Ringing those bells

After their class was done singing, they went back to their class until all the other classes sang. Parker's mom, Cari, took a few pictures while they were waiting to come back on stage to sing one last song.

Audrey, Parker's GiGi, and Parker

Coming back out for one last song

Everyone singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

"Hi Mom"

After the program was over, Grandpa came back to the classroom with us

I was so proud of my sweet girl and how happy she was during her program. It brought such Joy to my heart! We got the whole show on video to show Daddy who was out of town!

Silly girl

Parker and Audrey

Showing me her babies that she plays with, I'm sure all day!

I was so glad I was able to spend the morning enjoying my sweet, energetic, fun little girl! She sure brought a smile to my face!

Tacky Sweater Christmas Party

2011-12-10T17:21:00.001-08:00

Our Sunday School class had a Tacky Sweater Christmas Party this past weekend. We thought it would be fun to do something different, and we even had a prize for the tackiest sweater! It was a lot of fun!

Curtis and I borrowed my mom's attire...sorry Mom! She knew what we were doing, and was a good sport! I turned one of Beth's old necklaces into a headband too!The hostesses...Beth and Chad
Pretty much everyone participated, which was a ton of fun! If you didn't come in proper attire, Beth had an assortment of tackiness for everyone to choose from!

Curtis and Chad relaxing before the guests arrived!

We had a great meal, and everyone brought food to share!

Mr. Ritchie, one of our Sunday School teachers, won the prize for the tackiest sweater. He made it himself, and Mrs. Ritchie's!

I'm not sure what prompted my husband to take off his shirt, there was NO Alcohol involved, but I came into the living room to find this! There are no words for this!

We had such a great time with friends, and getting to know new ones. The food was great, and everyone left with a gift from our Chinese Gift Exchange...even if it was a marshmallow gun!

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend, our great neighbor, who just happens to be a professional photograper, came over to take our yearly Christmas pictures. They turned out so great, so I wanted to share a few! This is one that made the Christmas card...standing outside our new house!
I really love this one too!

It was soooo cold and windy the afternoon we took these, so we were trying to hurry and get inside!

This girl loves her BoBo...Audrey in her new Christmas nightgown.

And this one made the back of our Christmas card...love this!

FYI:It was so much easier to pose Brutus than it was this busy little bug!

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas Around Here!

2011-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

It was so fun decorating our new house for Christmas this year! We got the inside and outside of the house all ready by Friday night! This is my most favorite time of year, and I couldn't wait to begin all the fun. It just gets more and more fun now with Audrey too, which I love! Here it is...
I love our mantel!

I put a tree up in Audrey's room for the first time this year. She loves it, and so do I!

Love our house all lit up!

Looking in from the front porch, and you can even see a little bit of our tree through the windows!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T19:00:00.001-08:00

We hosted our 2nd annual Thanksgiving dinner this year...my what a year makes! We have so much more room for all the food, and for everyone to have enough space to spread out! It was a great day of relaxing, and spending time with all of our family! We are truly blessed and thankful for so many great things! I had all intentions of getting my camera out to take some pictures, but I completely forgot. This is the only picture we got of the 3 of us! Audrey has been wearing her hat and "gubes" around the house this last week, so we joke that she is getting ready for a North Dakota winter. We will probably be there this time next year...brrrr! Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Curtis, Amanda, and Audrey

The Last Few Weeks...

2011-11-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks have been super busy around the WAREhouse. I haven't taken great pictures of much, but I seem to catch a lot on my phone these days. I post a lot of these on Facebook, but I want to make sure I capture them here too for all the memories. So here are some snapshots of our last few weeks IPhone style...

Getting ready for a day of shopping with Mamaw at Holiday Magic!

That same night, she got to go on a date with her Nana, Poppa, and Papaw...she is one blessed little girl!

Curtis is still going up to North Dakota for 2-3 weeks at a time. We are adjusting, but we miss him terribly when he is gone. He always brings Audrey a present when he comes home, but this last time he left a present for her to open while he was gone. She is loving monkeys right now, so he got a Curious George book that he recorded reading to her before he left. It is one of her top favorite books, and loves to listen to her Daddy read to her even when he is away.

She decided to take it out on the patio one evening for some reading time! Notice her favorite monkey right beside her that her Poppa got her!

I think this is the funniest thing Audrey has done...one night I was cleaning the kitchen, and I knew Audrey was in her room, but I just thought she was playing with her necklaces and bracelets. She came out of her room with everyone of these clips in her hair, and she put them in all by herself.

About 3 weeks ago, Audrey started a horrible habit of getting out of her bed in the middle of the night. It started one night with a rain storm, I let her sleep with me, and it was down hill from there. Everynight I walked her back to her room, and some nights that worked, but most nights she was up again. I caught her in the refrigerator, on the couch, laying on the floor in the living room, or our bedroom. One morning she even opened up the back garage door, and the alarm went blarring. I have never seen her run so fast to our room. I've tried rewards, taking things away, and nothing seemed to be working. Nana got Audrey this Minnie Mouse for big girls because they stay in their beds all night...It worked for one night. I had to take it away for a few days while she was still getting out of her bed. I got a lot of advice from friends, and started a sound machine in her room, and put up a baby gate at her door. These things have helped tremendously, and I am happy to announce that for a week now, she has stayed in her room all night...Praise The Lord! There were a few nights when I started the baby gate that she cried at the gate, but she never tried to push it down. It doesn't seem to bother her much anymore. I hope this phaze only lasted a few weeks, and we are on the up hill for peaceful sleep again because I was about to lose my mind!

One of my cousin's, Megan, got married a few weeks ago to a very nice man, Jonathan. Curtis was out of town, so Audrey and I went with my dad and Lea. It was so great to see all of my family because it had been awhile since we had all been together. We had a great time!

My dad and his siblings...Aunt Nancy, Aunt Lynn, Uncle Mark, and Dad!

Audrey being silly and trying to catch the bouquet...you're facing the wrong way silly girl!

These are the 4 great grandchildren...Keiran, Dane, Kylie, and Audrey playing Dominoes!

Last Tuesday, Audrey didn't have school, so Audrey and Nana got to spend the whole day together. They even met Poppa for lunch at Cotton Patch, and got to ride the horsie!

Most Saturday nights, Audrey gets to have dinner with her Nana, Poppa, and Papaw. Silly girl hangin on Papaw after dinner Saturday night!

We went for the 2nd year in a row with Audrey to the Parade of Lights in downtown Fort Worth. We grabbed our spots, a to-go pizza from Uno's, and enjoyed watching all the floats lit up at night! Audrey loved it again this year!

Audrey and Mommy getting ready to watch the parade!

Audrey and Daddy waiting patiently for it to start!

That's us in a nut shell these last couple of weeks!

Audrey's Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Audrey's Thanksgiving Feast was the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and I was so glad I was able to go and enjoy her feast with her. I just turned it into a 1/2 day off because I had a Cardiologist appointment anyways that afternoon. Her school had Spring Creek cater the meals for the kiddos, and it was perfect!
Mr. Parker enjoying his yummy lunch

Audrey and Parker saying "cheese" for Ms. Susan

They got cookies after they ate...yummy!

After their feast was over, I helped Ms. Katie round up all the kiddos (only 7) for a class picture. I'm telling you, keeping up with 7 2 year olds is so much harder than keeping up with 19 6 year olds any day. I don't know how she does it! I got to enjoy some time back in the classroom after the feast, which was treat because I'm not up there much! I loved spending this time with my Little Turkey!

This Is The Day!

2011-11-27T16:45:00.000-08:00

School Fun For Miss Audrey

2011-11-06T16:40:00.001-08:00

I sure do love having my best friend, Ms. Katie, as Audrey's teacher. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Audrey is being taken care of, learning, having fun, and being loved on while she is at school 2 days a week.
Ms. Katie with Audrey, and one of Audrey's best friend's, Parker, at their school carnival a few weeks ago.

Katie had an embroidery buisness for awhile, so she created these super cute Halloween shirts for our girls...Audrey and Briley!

A cute school picture of 3 sweet friends...Emery 1, Audrey 2, and Briley 4!

Another great perk of having a friend as Audrey's teacher, is you get all the pictures that were taken at school, which I love! I feel like I get a little glimpse into my sweet girl's day!

These pictures crack me up because this is totally a 2 year old class...what you see is what you get!

Pumpkin Patch Day

Being such good listener's to the Pumpkin Man speaker! He must have been doing something interesting...look at all their faces!

The Thursday before Halloween, Audrey got to dress up in her Halloween costume for a little party and trick-or-treat time for school!

Raggedy Ann was so excited to be heading to school in her costume!

Audrey's wig didn't stay on long at school, and when it did this is pretty much what it looked like.

Audrey and Parker doing puzzles.

I love that she is so happy about being at school!

Audrey's class minus 1

Heading out to Trick-or-Treat to all the classes

More trick-or-treating

Stopping by to see another favorite, Ms. Susan!

Audrey's 2 year old class Halloween 2011...so fun!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

This Halloween was the best one yet! I came home right after school to get ready for the festivities. Our family, the Baughman's, and Blacklock's came over to our house for the night to help us celebrate! Taking pictures of our Little Raggedy Ann before everyone came over...she was so excited!

Cute girl with her Raggedy Ann Doll

We decided to dress Brutus up as a pumpkin this year. As you can see he was not amused, and Audrey was too busy adjusting her baby to take a picture.

The best shot I could get of them!

Brutus was so over dressing up!

Just too excited to sit still...checking out her sparkly red shoes!

Our great next door neighbor just happens to be a photographer. He offered to come over and take some pictures of Miss Audrey all dressed up. I'm so thankful for that because he got some great pictures of our Raggedy Ann!

After everyone arrived, we had a pizza party, let the kids play for a little bit, took a few more pictures, and then the fun began!

Belle and Raggedy Ann

Briley and Audrey...sweet friends!

Brady was The Beast...it was precious!

Beth and Finley The Ladybug

Almost ready to go...

Sweet girls

Grandpa and Lea ready to go

Mamaw watching us leave

Our group finally heading out to do some trick-or-treating!

Trick-or-treat

The joy and excitment was pricess on these girls' faces after they got their candy.

Every time Audrey would run, her hair would come flying off!

We decided to use a neighbor's blow up decoration as a great photo op!

This skeleton danced and sang when you would touch it's tummy...the girls loved it!

Our night was super fun, busy, crazy, exciting, and filled with laughter. I'm loving experiencing these fun holidays through the eyes of our Love Bug!

Briley's Soccer Game

2011-11-03T11:55:00.002-07:00

A few Saturday's ago, Audrey got to go watch her sweet friend, Briley, play soccer. Briley got to play goalie that day, and her Mommy helped coached.
Audrey enjoyed watching Briley and cheering her on!

Hangin out enjoying the game

During one of Briley's breaks, her and Audrey got kick the ball around for awhile. This might be a sport Audrey needs to try. She seemed to enjoy it! Way to go Briley! We had fun watching you play soccer!

Pumpkin Carving and Baking

2011-11-03T11:16:00.001-07:00

The week before Halloween we decided to bake some Halloween treats and carve our pumpkin while Daddy was in town and home with us! One of the treats we made were pretzels with a Hugs candy, bake that for a few minutes, then add a candy corn on top. Curtis and Audrey joined in to help. Who do you think was more excited? We also baked candy corn fudge, and little witches hats. This is the 1st year Audrey really got into helping me bake. We baked treats for Audrey's class at school, her teachers, my team, and just to have some around the house...it was fun!

We spent an evening carving our big pumpkin too. This is the 1st year Audrey has participated in this!

Digging in and getting those seeds outEwww, slimy. Audrey lasted about 5 minutes with this project, then she let Daddy do the rest.Daddy creating his jack-o-lantern The finished product! It sure was fun making these sweet memories!

Hello State Fair of Texas!

2011-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Since Curtis got back in town late Thursday night from being gone for over 2 weeks, I took Friday off, and the 3 of us went to the fair! It was the perfect fair day! We were there when the gates opened at 10, and left a little after 1. It was not crowded, the weather was perfect, and we did everything we wanted to do! We will only do it like this from here on...it was perfect! Our 1st stop was the animals...she recognized one of these from Grandpa's house!
The little sheep

Mommy and Audrey with the 1200 lb pig named Borus

Audrey got a lift on Daddy's shoulders to get a close up of the horses

Audrey and Daddy checking out the trains

Me and my Love Bug

We walked through the car show, and looked at all the cars. Audrey sitting in a Red Corvette...that will probably never happen again! Ha!

Big Tex

A nice man offered to take a family picture for us.

Lunch time...Corn Dogs, french fries, and Lemonade! What else are you supposed to have at the fair?

We decided to ride the Sky View to the other side of the fair where all the rides were...it was a perfect idea!

Getting a good view of the fair grounds

Our 1st ride was the Carou"self"...one of Audrey's favorites!

Waving to Daddy

That was fun!

Next stop...a little zoo animal train ride by herself!

She loved it!

Next ride...a little mini roller coaster

The whole time Audrey said "Wheeee" or "Here We Go" when we turned a corner! She loved this ride, and tried to get in another car when we had to get off!

Trying to get out...my legs barely fit!

Next ride...the hot air balloons by herself.

"No Hands"

Next ride...the airplanes

These airplanes went pretty high and really fast, but she had a smile on her face the whole time!

Next ride...the whales.

The last ride she rode were the little swings. She rode these last year and loved them, so I knew she would love them even more this year! I love all her expressions Curtis caught on this ride!

Enjoying the breeze

This girl had a blast! The only time her smile went off her face was when the ride was slowing down. It was so much fun enjoying the fair through the eyes of this sweet girl! Curtis took a ton of pictures, and caught some great expressions from our Bug! We had such a great family day at the fair, and can't wait to go again next year!

RCCA Carnival

2011-10-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we decided to check out Audrey's preschool's carnival at Rush Creek Christian Church. We met Katie, Briley, and Brady, and Matt, Cari, Parker, and Pierce there to have some fun! Sweet girls climbing the tree

Katie made the girls these super cute shirts, and they got a ton of compliments on them while we were there.

Posing with their shirts

These girls love to bounce!

Parker joined in too!

Cari and I were trying to get Audrey and Parker's picture together, so Audrey tried to help too...oh my!

The bean bag toss into the pumpkin...who cares if you stand right in front of the pumpkin to get the bean bag in! She was so proud of herself, but over it so quickly.

The best picture I got of Audrey and Parker...I know Cari got some better ones! They sure weren't into sitting still!

We weren't too impressed with the carnival, so we didn't stay long. We ended up at Chick-fil-a for a little dinner and an ice cream treat!

We are so thankful to have such great friends to hang out with while Daddy is still away working!

Lunch at The Tea Room

2011-10-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you Christopher Columbus for discovering land, which we now call America, because I was able to enjoy a great, and relaxing extra day off with my Love Bug! After going to the gym, we met Mamaw at Decorator's Warehouse to do a little shopping, then had a yummy lunch at The Rose Garden Tea Room! Audrey loves getting her picture taken now, and said, "Mommy, take my picture." She knows exactly where to stand too!
Silly Girl

Audrey and Mommy

Audrey and her Mamaw

Audrey loved the little croutons they serve at the table, so that kept her occupied until her sandwich came. We sat right beside a fountain too, so I was able to bribe her throughout lunch, and told her she could put some money in the fountain if she was a good girl. All in all, Little Missy's 1st tea room experience was a hit! Thank you Mamaw for a great lunch!

Fall is Here!

2011-10-08T13:22:00.001-07:00

We are so excited Fall is here and cooler temperatures are beginning to arrive! We just couldn't resist starting out our weekend with our cute pumpkin shirt, pretty mums, and having fun at the Pumpkin Patch! Audrey and Brutus posing on the front porch!

Brutus is not happy, but Audrey sure is!

We met our friend's, The Blacklock's, at the Pumpkin Patch...Audrey was so excited to be there!

Audrey loved this little "Pumpkins For Sale" stand...it was just her size! She kept going back over to this stand over and over!

Finley's 1st Pumpkin Patch...too cute!

Audrey cracked me up...every new area we walked over to, she brought little pumkins with her! She is a pumpkin lovin girl!

"Cheese"

She wouldn't sit on the hay, but she wanted her picture made with the horsie!

Mommy and her little pumpkin

Another horsie photo op, but Baby Girl does not like to get dirty!

Finley in her Bumbo...good thing it matched! What a great idea!

Every year we mark this spot to see how much taller our Bug is...

I think she is about 1/2 foot taller this year than last year...

Then, look where she was the year before that...wow how time flies!I always have to reminisce about this picture because she really hasn't changed. Little Missy does not like to get dirty!

Audrey and Finley...I'm sure they will grow up to be sweet friends just like her Mommy and I are! Finley was loving the bow on Audrey's shirt! Audrey was being so patient...sweet girls!

Me and Beth with our girls!

Audrey was enjoying pushing around this wagon for awhile...as she was walking backwards, oops. Where did all those pumpkins come from? She fell into all those pumpkins. I couldn't resist taking this picture! Silly girl!

I love this time of year and all the traditions it brings. This was the start for many more to come over the next few months! Since Daddy was out of town, we brought him home a big pumpkin to carve for us!

Settling into our Home

2011-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

We have been in our home for already 3 months...wow that has flown by! We are loving everything about our home and neighborhood. I'm so glad the weather has started cooling off because we can get out for walks, and see all the other beautiful homes in the neighborhood. Who knew we had 2 ponds in our neighborhood? Just kidding, I really knew that, but it is nice to get out and enjoy them! We have been adding pieces of furniture here and there over the last few months, so I wanted to just give a little update! I love our front porch, and the way it looks all decorated for fall!
Our mantel ready for Fall

I have always wanted a chaize lounge, and now I have one! We have added this to our sitting area in the Master Bedroom!

Our dining room table arrived today! We have been looking forward to this day for awhile!

We will probably add a buffet in here at some point too, and I can't wait to get a centerpiece on the table!

We got some patio furniture too, which we are loving! Audrey loves to be outside whenever she can, so it is nice to have this out here to sit and relax on!

Curtis just got us this Chimenia too! He says he will be using it a lot this Fall and Winter...we will see! I would love to make some Smore's though!

That's where we are now, and loving every minute of it! It is slowly, but surely coming together, and definately feeling like home!

Busy, but Good!

2011-10-03T18:36:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since I have blogged about our little family, and I just don't want to forget anything as we start rolling into Fall! We have been in full-swing mode since school has started, not missing a beat. We are in a great routine during the week, my new school year is going well, and Miss Audrey is loving Mother's Day Out! It is definately challenging learning the ropes of a new school, along with balancing family time too. I am happy to say that I DO put my family first, but then I end up feeling guilty that I could/should be doing more in my classroom. I know it will all come together sooner, or later, so I'm just hanging on, and taking one day at a time! This cute girl is doing great going to Mother's Day Out Tuesdays and Thursdays, then to Oma's the rest of the week. We seem to have that routine down pretty good! There was a change with Audrey's teacher the 2nd week of school, which kind of threw us all for a loop, then we had a few subs for a few weeks, but we are now so happy that Miss Katie will be Audrey's teacher for the rest of the year! I am a little partial to her because she is my best friend, but she is going to do an amazing job with these little munchkins the rest of the year...such a blessing!

Since about March, Curtis has traveled a little each month for a few days here or there, and was never really gone for more than 5-6 days at a time at the most. He had the opportunity to do some work, and learn so much up in North Dakota recently. He was gone for 2 1/2 weeks. Audrey and I missed him so much. He was home for a week, and just left again for another 2 weeks. I'm afraid this might be our new norm for awhile, which is a little scary. The exposure he is getting, the learning he is doing, and the amazing pay he is getting while he is there is making it worth this time apart. Whenever I get down and start having a pitty party, I just remind myself how blessed I am...we are healthy, happy, and have a great support system all around us! We are making it!
I've just been taking pictures of Little Missy with my phone lately, so I thought I would update them here also, so they are just a hodge-podge...digging for treasure at her sweet friend, Preston's, party!

She was sporting some of her favorite things this particular day...sparkly shoes, her new jeggings, purse, monkey, and cute piggies! What more could a girl want?
It was western day at church this past weekend, so Daddy just had to buy her 1st pair of Cowboy boots and western shirt. The shoes are 3 sizes too big, so hopefully she will get some good use out of them, and so is the shirt...she looked pretty cute though!

Too cute!

This picture cracks me up because she was telling me something very important...ha!

My new addiction in all my spare time has been Pinterest. When I should be using all these great ideas on school projects, I just can't help myself by decorating our house...it is so fun! This is what happens when I am by myself and I get some free time! I bought these hurricane vases that I will reuse for many different projects, added some metallic colored pumpkins from Ross, and some black twig things from Hobby Lobby...my mantel decorated for Fall!

The 1st weekend Curtis was gone, I made a Pinterest dessert...I had a little helper!

Stirring away

The final product...brownie mix, mixed with hot fudge, and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, then layered with Oreos. I should have made it in a smaller pan because you are not supposed to see the Oreos, but trust me, it was still AMAZING!

I kind of made this my own Pinterest project...I wanted something to hang all of Audrey's play necklaces and bracelets on instead of them just being thrown into a drawer. I was given the "A", then we just bought the knobs at Hobby Lobby! We hung this at Audrey's height in her vanity, so she can dress-up anytime she wants!

We have an amazing Mud Room heading out to our laundry/garage area, but I needed something to put extra things that would normally just be laying on the counter...I saw this great idea from Pinterest, and it is just an outdoor shutter! It is perfect to hold coupons, bills, notes, pictures, etc...I love it!

I am so proud of myself for following through with these little projects around the house because I am not a crafty person at all! I'm sure I will be adding many more as the holidays get closer, especially if I have so much time to myself!

I hope everyone is enjoying their year, and finally getting a little bit cooler weather!

Audrey's 1st Day of Mother's Day Out

2011-09-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Audrey's 1st day of Mother's Day out at Rush Creek Christian Academy. She is going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2:30. I have been looking forward and anticipating this day for Little Missy for awhile. We have made such a big deal about going to school all summer long with getting her new backpack, lunchbox, napmat, and some new outfits. She was super excited about going to school, and I think I might have even been a little more excited about all this new funness until her 1st day actually was here...

I took the whole day off from school to be able to take and pick Audrey up from school. The rest of the school year will mainly be Nana getting to enjoy this time, so I wanted to get a fill for what her day would be like!
I allowed plenty of time to take pictures inside, outside, and at school of Little Missy's 1st day of preschool! She was so excited!

Too happy to stay still...

I love this sweet girl!

It was super bright outside, and she kept saying it was too hot, so these pictures didn't turn out great!

All ready to go with her backpack, lunchbox, and nap mat.

Before we went into school, we had to take a picture outside the church.

Audrey's sweet friend, Parker is also in Audrey's class this year. We are so thankful for this because it makes it a little easier for both of them to start out their day knowing they are together!

You can see they are a little bit nervous, but they did great!

Audrey's teacher, Ms. Donna, had lots of puzzles on the table for the class to do as everyone was arriving for the day. At meet the teacher the week before, Audrey wouldn't even sit down in her chair, so I was so thankful she sat down immediately and knew exactly what to do!

Sweet girl putting her puzzles together

She is too big!

She was excited, and she knew just what to do!

Before I left, she decided to play in the kitchen. She gave me a kiss and hug bye, and didn't miss a beat when I walked out!

I, on the other hand, was super emotional that day. I did not expect to act that way at all, but I couldn't believe I was dropping my baby off at school for the day, and all the anticipation of what her day was going to be like, was really hard for me. After leaving her classroom and going out to my car, I had to go back in one more time just to see what she was doing. She never saw me, but she was reading a book with her teacher and friends on the floor. When I finally got back in my car for the second time, I could not drive away. I sat there in the church parking lot for 30 minutes before I drove away...I have turned into one of those moms! I carried her schedule with me all day, so I knew what she was doing every 15 minutes. I couldn't believe I acted that way...I can laugh about it now! I will never again kick the parents out in my own classroom! After spending the rest of the day with friends, I couldn't wait to pick Little Miss up at 2:30 to see how her day went!

I took a quick picture with my phone when I walked into her classroom because this is exactly how I found her when I walked in, and she was the only one asleep. Ms. Donna said she only slept for about 30 minutes, but I'm thankful for that considering she has never slept on her nap mat before. I know every day at school will just get a little better! She was so happy and excited to tell me about her day, and she was glad she was getting to go back to school!

Daddy was able to get off work early enough to meet me at her school to pick Audrey up, so we decided to enjoy a little 1st day after school treat of yogurt with sprinkles!

Silly Audrey with her Daddy

Mommy and her Love Bug

Ms. Donna said that Audrey is such a big helper and leader in their class. She is being sweet and helpful to all of her new friends. I'm so excited about this school year for Audrey, and the opportunity that we have for her to enjoy this Mother's Day Out experience! I know it's going to be a great year!

Audrey Meets Her Teacher!

2011-09-03T14:05:00.001-07:00

Thursday, was Audrey's Meet The Teacher Day at her new school, Rush Creek Christian Academy. She is going to be going to Mother's Day Out 2 days a week this school year, and we are beyond excited! I'm not sure who is more excited, me or Audrey, after reading their monthly calendar! Audrey will still be going to her Oma's house the rest of the week, but this is definately something that she needs and is ready for! After talking about going to school all summer, and all the preparations we have been doing these last few months to be ready, Audrey was very shy walking into her new classroom. She has an amazing teacher, Ms. Donna, who Audrey finally decided to take a picture with right before we left.
At one point, this was a reaction that I caught, which just cracks me up! I know she will love school, but I'm afraid it is going to take her a little while to adjust.

I'm so glad Audrey and her sweet friend, Parker are in the same class. It made it so much easier for them to enjoy their new classroom knowing they had each other to count on!

Ms. Donna had a coloring sheet and some crayons on each little student's area at the table, but Audrey wanted nothing to do with it. She played with some toys after she warmed up a little bit, and then she found this little chair, which she loved! I have a feeling she will be in this chair a lot!

I know Audrey will end of loving school and be such a good little student, but I think this whole thing is going to be an adjustment for her at first. I'm sure there will be a few tears shed on Tuesday, not just by her, but I'm so glad she has this opportunity to be in a program like this to learn, and build sweet friendships in a Christian environment!

Pool Time Fun!

2011-09-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

Even though I have had to go back to work and my summer has come to an end...Audrey's summer is still going strong! Audrey and Nana have been going swimming every week for awhile now, and I'm so glad they have taken advantage of some great pool time! Nana has captured some cute shots of our Little Water Bug! Posing...

Riding on the dolphin

This last week, Aunt Jenn even got to come spend the day with Audrey, so she had double the fun!

Our Summer is Over...

2011-08-21T14:40:00.001-07:00

I love to go to Mac's for brunch on Sundays, so here is me and my Love Bug enjoying our yummy brunch on the last day of summer!

I can't believe summer is over for me and my Bug! I know I say this every year, but I really do mean it today. This summer was a little different for us since we moved. After Curtis and I's Mexico vacation the week after school got out in June, our world was turned upside down for a few weeks getting out of our old house, buying a new house, and all the crazy that goes with that. I don't EVER want to move again! After July 4th, our summer seemed to be on track. We spent time getting settled in our new house, lots of pool time, going to the gym or the park in the mornings, shopping, lunch, some play dates, and getting to spend a lot of time with our family and friends...everything I love about summer!

School officially starts tomorrow for me and all of my teacher friends. This is also bringing change and newness for me this year, but I'm happy to report that I really am excited about this upcoming year! I moved from the school I have been at the last 5 years with some of the greatest friends and people I know, and am moving to a new school, but am still going to be teaching 1st grade! I'm not one to like change, but I have a feeling I'm going to love it where I'm going, and hopefully will be there for many years to come! So as we are getting used to our new house, my school change, Miss Audrey will be starting Mother's Day Out this year 2 days a week, and will continue to go to Oma's the other 3 days. We are thankful and blessed that Nana will be able to help out with getting Audrey to and from her school on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I can't believe all these changes are officially happening, but I'm excited, and looking forward to this new year! I hope everyone has a great school year as well!

I Can't Believe We Are Already In This Stage...

2011-08-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am blogging about my baby girl being in a REAL BIG GIRL BED! Last week, we finally made the switch from Audrey's baby bed (minus the front rail) to her real big bed that she will hopefully be in for a very long time! This bed was my bed when I was in Junior High until Curtis and I got married. I always knew if I ever had a little girl, that I wanted her to use this bed, so Curtis and I have kept it over the last 6 years since we have been married! I spent a day over the summer repainting the rails, we were given a Queen size mattress, so all we had to buy was the box spring and bedding! I think it turned out so cute, and Audrey LOVES it! She will have so much room to grow in over the years. I only took a picture of the bed because the room itself is still not done. We are going to get a white dresser and nightstand, a curtain, and recover her window seat cushion soon. I would love to paint her room and vanity now too, but the looks I get from the hubby when I mention this, we will probably wait awhile for that part! I can't believe our Love Bug is really sleeping in this big bed...it makes me so sad!

I just had to take a trip down memory lane to recapture our Love Bug in her bed...
Just a few weeks old...

She always had her hands up and Sassy in her mouth!

Bright-eyed girl about ready to be out of her Snuggle Nest

She was finally free with free reign in her bed at about 6 months old!

I remember when Curtis had to lower her bed all the way when she was about 9 months old...it made me so sad.

Check out that hair!

A couple of weeks after we moved into our new house, about a month ago, we took the front rail off of her crib after she discovered she could climb out of her bed. It took a couple of weeks to adjust, but she got used to it!

This past Tuesday was her 1st night in her real big-girl bed! She absolutely loves it, and we have had no problems with her adjusting to it. It is so comfortable too. I'm sure she has the sweetest dreams in her new bed!

Hawaiian Falls

2011-08-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

Our church has a Hawaiian Falls Bash and Baptism night each year before school starts back! Our church rents the entire park after hours from 6-8, so there are no lines for the rides, no crowds, and everyone gathers in the wave pool to watch all the baptisms...it is very cool! This was our 1st year to go since Audrey has always been too little. I'm not sure who was more excited...Audrey or her Daddy!

Audrey couldn't do any rides except the ones in the Kiddie area. She has a whole year or 2 before she will be tall enough to ride the bigger rides. She was able to go in the Lazy River and the Wave Pool though, which she loved! Little Missy has no fear, and loved everything about being at the big water park! Curtis even got to venture off with the guys at one point to go ride the adult rides! We had a great time as a family and being with a lot of our friends!
Audrey and her friend Olivia are ready for some water fun!
I didn't get any other pictures while we were there, but trust me everyone had a blast, and we can't wait to go back next year!

Audrey's 1st Movie

2011-08-06T12:53:00.001-07:00

Audrey Lane saw her 1st movie today...Winnie The Pooh!

I've gone back and forth all summer if deciding if Audrey was ready to see a movie, or not. After talking to a lot of our friends with little ones, this was around the age that they started seeing movies, so we decided to give it a try! We chose Winnie The Pooh because it was only and hour long. We snuck in a Happy Meal from McDonald's because the movie started around lunch time, Curtis got popcorn, we got a couple of drinks, and I had my stash of suckers in case of an emergency, which we had to use towards the end. When we 1st got seated, I realized that we needed one of those booster chairs they offer, because the seat would not stay down with Audrey sitting back. Once we got settled she was soooo excited for the movie to start. We had talked it up big time about going to a big movie theater to watch a movie, and how you had to sit still and be quiet...well the last part of that talk didn't stick!
Audrey and Mommy...she sat with me through about 1/2 the movie!

Audrey and Daddy...sorry Daddy, the big bow cut off part of his face!

She sat with Daddy for a little bit, but he just did not have the patients...ha! She had a REALLY hard time sitting still throught the last 1/2 of the movie. She went back and forth to her seat, to Daddy, to Mommy, and to the 2 empty chairs next to me. The hardest part was keeping her away from the family in front of us. This movie had been out for awhile, but it was still very packed. She kept looking at Curtis and I throughout the movie telling us to be quiet...I couldn't help but laugh!

This movie was about 20 minutes too long for Little Missy. She is not quite ready to try another movie just yet. She didn't undertand or follow the story at all. She knew Winnie The Pooh, there was a red balloon, she noticed a frog, she called Tigger a Tiger, she called Owl a bird, she danced a little bit to the music, and I think that's about all she got out of it. I'm glad we tried it, it wasn't horrible, but we won't be back for awhile!

Curly Sue...

2011-08-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

I wish...

Miss Audrey desperately needed a trim this summer, but I have been trying to wait until later in the summer so it would be fresh for Mother's Day Out this fall! Miss Rebecca and I decided just to trim her hair for now because we are loving piggy tails and ponytails this summer, and I'm not ready to give that up right now! Audrey was so excited to get her haircut! She was so still, and loved every minute of this pampering!
Miss Rebecca had a few extra minutes, so she went to down on Audrey's style...

She gave her the CUTEST curls! Audrey takes after me, and has NO shape or body to her hair at all. It is flat and straight as a board, so this was a huge change, and we all loved it!

I was trying to capture a cute picture of The Bug on our way out, but she was too busy to sit still!

I was able to capture 1 good one! Her hair was so stinkin cute for the day!

I might have to try this one at home! Thank You Miss Rebecca!

One Hot Day At The Zoo

2011-07-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

...Yes it was, but we survived!

The month of June is such a blur to me from school ending, house selling, Mexico vacation, not having a home anymore, buying a new home, moving, and getting all settled into our new house, all in 1 month!

This month of July has been WODERFUL! I have enjoyed being on a fun routine with Audrey of going to the gym, or park in the mornings, errands, or play time, play dates with friends, and scheduling some extra little adventures into our week!

Yesterday was one of those extra adventures that I had wanted to do with Audrey during my time off this summer...who knew it would be over 100 degrees the whole summer though? We still went out, braved the heat, and survived The Fort Worth Zoo! We were at the zoo gate the minute they opened at 10, and spent about 2 1/2 hours enjoying all that the zoo brings before heading home for a nice, long nap! So excited about going to the zoo!
Cuteness!

The 1st stop was all the monkey's...they were so playful and cute!

Stopping by to pet the little elephant

The giraffes are one of Audrey's favorite animals to watch!

Heading into the coolness of the MOLA

This HUGE Python was on the move the second we walked into the exhibit. I don't think Audrey really realized what it was yet, she just saw something moving.

She saw what I was staring at and in shock over at this point.

After this Python slithered up the glass, it fell back down to the ground so fast. Audrey has never ran to me as fast as she did at that moment. She thought it was coming to get her...I'm still having nightmares from this thing...ewwww!

We headed up the long walk towards all the Texas animals and to eat lunch. My plan was to ride the train up to the Texas part, but I missed it. It worked out better in the end because we were able to ride the train down back to the front when it was starting to get really hot!

Once we made it to the Texas area, we had to ride the carousel!

Then we stopped and had lunch!

Audrey LOVES her some pizza!

After lunch, we made it just in time to ride the train back to the front of the zoo!

This was by far her favorite part of the day!

We walked around a little bit more and saw the Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Birds!

She was talking away to these little birds...she really wanted to go inside this area, but I was not going to have any part of that. She doesn't know what she is missing.

Ready to head home after a fun, but super HOT day at the Fort Worth Zoo! See you next time!

Bye, Bye Crib

2011-07-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

The day finally came a few weeks ago to move Little Miss out of her crib, and start her transition to her big girl bed. This is something that I have had mixed emotions about for awhile, even before we moved into our new house. There were days when I thought she was ready, and then days when I thought we had time and could wait awhile. When we moved into our new house a month ago, it was an adjustment for all of us. Audrey is completely on the other side of the house from our bedroom, which we were not used to, and her room was very dark at night. Since Audrey has been potty trained completely since about April, she sometimes has to get up in the middle of the night to go potty, and can not do that by herself yet in the middle of the night. She doesn't wake up every night, but 2 weeks into our new house it started everynight. I felt like a parent of a newborn all over again. For about 2 weeks, she was up 2-3 times every night. She usually would just call out for me, and I would go in and take her potty, then put her back in bed. One night, Audrey decided to come and get me herself, and climbed out of her bed completely, and met me at our bed...I was not happy. 2 days later we decided it was time to take the front part off of her crib, so it could be a toddler bed for awhile before we had any injuries. 1st night...getting ready to try it out!
"Goodnight Mommy. I'll TRY and stay in my bed ALL night tonight"
Well that TRYING didn't work out so well. She still got out of her bed atleast 2 times every night...just a little safer. I knew this had to come to a stop before I had a nervous breakdown from lack of sleep...thank goodness I'm still on summer vacation!
About a week ago, we decided to try a sticker reward system if she could stay in her bed all night, not cry, and not get out. If she did this, she got 2 stickers at breakfast the next morning of her choice. Who knew that's all it took? The 1st night with this incentive worked great, and she was so proud of herself. The 2nd night, not so much. I think she thought I would still give her 2 stickers even since she got up twice...I DID NOT give in, and she was devastated. I think it took not getting them that one night for her to realize we meant business, and she really wanted those stickers! So, 1 sheet of stickers into this little incentive, and we have a HAPPY girl and Mommy because Audrey stays in her bed ALL NIGHT until we come to get her in the morning! She now doesn't even always ask for her stickers anymore.
We know this tall girl is not going to last long sleeping in this bed, so we are planning and preparing her big girl bed and room. I'm not sure when this will be complete, but we have started the process!
Another event down in the books of this sweet girl turning into a Little Lady!

Come On In...

2011-07-17T19:12:00.001-07:00

We have been in our house for about 2 1/2 weeks, and things are starting to come together, and it is beginning to feel like our home! I wanted to post pictures of the house, and what plans I have for each room/area. Curtis and I say that we will spend the rest of our lives decorating this house because we plan on being here forever. We are in no hurry, and we will do a little at a time when we can! We are love, loving our house and can't believe it is ours! A couple of shots from the front...
We love that this house already came completely landscaped, and there is not much at all that we have to do to the yard. I plan on planting some potted flowers and plants as it gets cooler to add some color! I love our front porch...We plan on getting a bench or chairs for this area.

This is standing in the entry way looking at the dining room to the left, play room and bathroom to the right, and the family living area straight ahead. It has very tall ceilings throughout the house, and a ton of wall space to add to later.

Immediately to the left in the entry way is the formal dining room. This is something that we have never had, so we will be adding a new dining room set in here soon. I have plans for a big round table, a buffet, and some artwork later on down the road.

Another view of the dining room with the beautiful ceiling!

It has this little "Butler's Pantry" area between the formal dining room and kitchen area where we have our China and Bar stuff...I love this!

I have posted a few different views of our big family/living room

There is so much wall space to add to in the future...

I LOVE all these windows, but they get the afternoon sun, so it gets pretty hot later in the day.

We are loving our new living room furniture too! Now onto our kitchen and breakfast area, which also has new furniture...

The border and wallpaper will come down soon, and I want a new fan in the kitchen. There were all white appliances when we bought the house that we changed out to black to make it a darker.

A plan for WAY down the line is to get new counter tops and change out the sink and stovetop to black too, but we are enjoying it now!

A cute little girl enjoying her afternoon snack on the barstools

This is one of my favorite parts about this house...a Mud Room! I love the storage. This is the hallway from the garage into the kitchen area. There is storage under the bench, and a big linen closet.

A great laundry room and BoBo's room when we leave. I love the sink and all the counter/cabinent space!

Now onto our room which is at the back of the house off from the living room. We just got this new bedding, which we love! We need something above our bed though.

I love the ceiling in our room too! We have a little sitting area that we will add a chair/table/lamp to eventually!

I love our bathroom, but the wallpaper will be going soon as well!

I would like to change out the glass of the shower too, but we are in no big hurry!

We have a HUGE closet with lots of space on both sides, and racks up really high for our out-of-season clothes. We LOVE these drawers!

This is the playroom/office at the front of the house...I have big plans for this room, but I don't know what yet. This new couch pulls out into a sleeper for guests.

I would like to mount a TV on the wall, add some artwork, and there is a great area to do something with above the closet too...I just don't know what.

This is the guest bathroom that is next to the playroom. I want this wallpaper down quickly too, then I can start envisioning what to do in here!

Now we are moving on to the back of the house behind the kitchen where there are 2 bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom set up!

This is Miss Audrey's room!

I love this bench in her room. We will eventually paint and add to this room, but we will wait until she moves into her big girl bed later, then just do it all!

Audrey's vanity that leads into her bathroom. I'm not sure yet what I will do in this area.

This is the other bedroom that has taken over as the Hobby Lobby room. It will be another baby's room one day, but for now it is my go-to room when I am feeling the need to decorate. No plans for this room right now.

This is the other vanity that was apparently cowboy themed...it will be coming down!

Now onto the backyard, which we LOVE! It has a covered patio with a fan, and a big patio to play. We will eventually add furniture out here.

We are really wanting to put a pool in within the next few years, so if we do, this will be the spot. There is still plenty of yard because it goes down both sides of the house too.

We know we still have so much to do to our house, but we are in no bug hurry! We are just enjoying it so much!

Baby Doll Fun

2011-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Audrey spent a few days last week down in the dumps with a fever and Sinus Infection, so we spent some down time just hanging out at home. Audrey has loved getting to play with all her toys in the new house. It's like they are brand-new to her all over again! She, of course, loves her babies and everything related to them. So, one afternoon she drug out everything she had to take care of her babies, and I just had to capture some of her "Mommy sweetness!"
Making sure her baby is secure

Not sure what those eyes are for...no telling!

She is going to make a great Mommy one day!

A Relaxing 4th of July

2011-07-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

After a busy move-in weekend, we were excited about a relaxing holiday to just have fun! Curtis spent the 1st half of the day golfing with my brother while Audrey and I stayed home to work on the house and do some final organizing! Later that afternoon, we headed to our good friend's, The Blacklock's, to swim, cookout, and try to watch some fireworks! Audrey enjoying the water in her Puddle Jumper!
She swims all the time without her floatie too, and has become such The Little Fish!

Swimming with her Daddy

Sweet Girl

Swimming with Mommy

After swimming, we came in for a yummy dinner and to relax. Audrey just loves Baby Finley, and does not get out of her sight often.

This picture cracks me up...Audrey was singing at the top of her lungs, "Jesus Loves Me" to Finley and the little lamb, and Finley just tolerates her!

Chad and Curtis hanging out after dinner

We never were able to watch the fireworks like planned, but we saw a few shows on the way home from afar, and that is all we needed this year!

Happy 4th of July!

A Little Sneak Peak

2011-07-07T18:05:00.001-07:00

Thursday, June 30th was MOVE IN DAY! Curtis and I have had a whirlwind month of June, and could not wait for this day to be here. Our new house in Mansfield became ours about 1:00pm that afternoon, and we were moving in a few hours later. This day has a little bit of a back story to it though...Our 1st house sold June 1st and was on the market for 43 days. Our original plan was to buy some friends of ours home, but the day after we got back from our Mexico vacation we found out they were not going to be able to move right now and the offer was off the table. Curtis and I were devastated since that was really the only reason we put our house on the market to begin with. After a lot of prayers, and realizing God was in control of this situation, we realized he had bigger and better plans for our next house and where we wanted to raise our family, and we just needed to listen to him because he guided us through the rest of this journey with such ease!

The last 2 weeks of June went by so fast, I hardly even remember they took place. 2 days after we got our bad news about the house we were going to buy, we met our realtor to look at 8 homes. This home is the 1st one we saw that morning, so I compared every other home we saw to this one, and not one compared. We made our offer that afternoon, and after countering back and forth, the previous owners had accepted our offer by the next morning, which was a Friday. The following Monday was the inspection, which came back with no big problems, we got the appraisal later that week, and we closed a week later. A big reason we were able to close so quickly, was the previous owners had already started the process of moving out of state, and it had been on the market for awhile because they had a contract on the house back in February that fell through the day of closing. So, with all that happened on their end, and all that happened on our end, we were able move the process along very quickly. This whole experience worked out perfectly in the end. I didn't see that 2 weeks prior to our closing, but Curtis and I definately see it now! We were able to move quickly, only stay with family for 2 nights, and get moved in and settled my 1st month of summer, so now I get to relax and enjoy my last 1/2 of summer before I go back to work! I wanted to give everyone a sneak-peak at our beautiful new home!

We are completely unpacked and organized, but we are waiting on a lot of furniture and some appliances to be delivered next week. We have not decorated yet, or hung anything up on the walls because there is some wallpaper that I want down, and some repainting to be done. As soon as we get our furniture in I will post pictures of each room with the vision that I have for all of the rooms! I can't wait for you to see, but for now just enjoy a few outside views!
We are all so in love with our new home, and can't wait to make LOTS of new memories here!

Just a cute picture of the Bug eating her 1st meal in the new house on the fireplace since we don't have a kitchen table yet!

6 Years

2011-06-26T17:51:00.001-07:00

6 years ago, yesterday, on June 25th, I married my best friend! I can't believe 6 years have already passed by. When I think back on these past 6 years, we have been through so much together, good and bad, and have been blessed in a million ways! Our greatest blessing so far is our precious Miss Audrey!

Curtis and I had plans to go out Saturday night to look for furniture for our new house and have a nice dinner somewhere, but his job another plan. He had to go out of town Saturday afternoon, so we didn't get to celebrate, but I got a dozen Frosted Pink Cupcakes instead...I can't complain!

This is the only picture I got to remember our special day! These cupcakes have been keeping me company while he is gone...I have shared some too!

I love being married to this great guy, and I fall more in love with him each year! We have a lot of exciting things happening now, and that will be happening in our future. I am just beyond thankful and blessed to call Curtis my husband! Happy Anniversary Babe, I love you! I love spending every day with you, and looking forward to the next!

Fort Worth Children's Museum

2011-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Curtis was on vacation this whole week after our trip, and we wanted to do something fun and special with Audrey before he went back to work. We were so busy this whole week with house stuff, but we wanted to make sure and have some special "Audrey" time too. We threw around different ideas, and ended up spending a few hours at the Fort Worth Children's Museum on Friday! Audrey and Daddy outside the museum
The museum is pretty big, but we stayed in 1 main area the whole time that was geared toward the younger kiddos, which was just perfect for Audrey. They had a pretend grocery store set up with food, grocery carts, and the whole checkout out system too!

Buying some cheese

Mommy showing Little Missy how to check out her groceries.

"That will be $100!

Putting all the groceries back in her shopping cart

Then we moved on to working some puzzles

Daddy helping Audrey

Driving in the pretend ambulance

Silly Girl

Building a tower with some blocks

They had a pretend hospital area set up to take care of little babies too...so she was in love!

Giving the baby a bath Lovin the baby

Finally checking out a few of the critters...hello Little Lizard.

Checking out a hairy Turantula

When she realized it was about time to go she was not a happy camper...

so pitiful!

After spending the morning at the museum, we decided to have a yummy lunch at Uncle Julio's! We had so much fun getting to spend some sweet time watching Little Missy have a great time at the museum!

1st Year For Swim Lessons

2011-06-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

This year Curtis and I decided to have Audrey take swim lessons for the 1st time. I knew I wanted to use Stacey Witherspoon because I know a ton of people who have used her, Chase went to her when he was younger, I have known her for a long time growing up at Fielder Road Baptist Church, and I just always hear AMAZING things about her! I looked into her starting lessons last summer, but Stacey said if she wasn't swimming everyday, there was no point in starting lessons that young because she would not retain what she was learning. Stacey said that 2 was the perfect age to begin, so here we are a year later taking swim lessons! I was so excited about Audrey trying something new, and I had such high expectations going into all of this, but Audrey had her own plans! The 1st day started out great the 1st half of the lesson, and then when she realized she had to keep doing this over and over, she was done, and there was MAJOR DRAMA! I had always heard that day 2 was worse than day 1 because she would realize where she was going and what she had to do...that was definately the truth! All day before swim lessons and all night after swim lessons, we made a HUGE deal about swimming, Miss Stacey, Miss Maddie, how fun it was, and all the things Miss Stacey was teaching Audrey, but the second she stepped into the backyard, all those great things we had been talking about went right out the window. I thought by day 3 or 4 we would be over the DRAMA, and she would get better, but she was still not a happy camper. Audrey has NO fear of water, or being in the pool, it is the whole concept of actually swimming that FREAKS her out...going under water, reaching with your arms, keeping your eyes open, kicking your feet, holding your breath, etc...that is a lot for a little 2 year old to take in and remember, and she did not like it. Curtis and I left for vacation and Audrey had to go to swim lessons on Friday and Monday with Nana and Mamaw, and I heard she did so much better those 2 days than she did the 1st 4 days I took her. My mom even took video of her ACTUALLY SWIMMING on Monday and showed it to us when we got back from our trip...I couldn't believe she was actually swimming! This is now day 7 and she is a much happier camper, so I had to take some cute pictures of her practicing her kicking! This part was her favorite thing to do during her lessons!
Relaxing and no worries

Heading back to the steps to get started on the real stuff...

and then I get this face again...not a happy girl!

Day 8 and 9 were actually pretty good days because I started bribing her with ice cream if she didn't cry, and it worked!

Friday was the last day for lessons and a show-off day. I debated on inviting anyone to come watch her until the last few days because I wasn't sure if she was going to have anything to "show-off" but she ended up doing a really good job, and she is actually swimming!

Grandpa came to watch Miss Audrey

Lea and Nana got to come and watch too. She was starting to get a little shy.

Swimming to Miss Stacey

It took getting to day 8 and 9 for her to really start putting all the steps together, but we were all so proud of her on how far she had come!

"You did it!"

So proud of herself

Kicking girl...she had to swim to Miss Stacey, then back to the step.

Practicing with Miss Maddie

This was Audrey's favorite girl these last 2 weeks...she is still talking about her Miss Maddie!

Taking a rest watching her friends practice

Audrey with one of her new friends, Ezra

Tuesday Miss Stacey threw them for a loop, and they had to start diving off the side of the pool. Thursday they had to dive off the side, then turn around to reach up to the side of the pool...pretty crazy for my little 2 year old, but she did it!

Good Girl!

Audrey survived her 2 weeks of swim lessons with The Best Miss Stacey! Audrey learned so much, and so did Curtis and I. We will be keeping up the practice the rest of the summer!

We love you Miss Stacey, and thanks for a great 2 weeks!

Vacation in Paradise

2011-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Curtis and I had a great opportunity to go on vacation with our great friends, The Baughman's. The best part was Brandon planned the whole vacation, and all we had to do was write the check. After tons of research on Brandon's part, we went to Secrets Maroma Beach in the Riviera Maya for 4 days, and had the best vacation we have ever had! It was an all-inclusive, couples-only resort, and we spent most of our 4 days doing absolutely nothing. It was the perfect amount of time being away from Audrey for the 1st time for this long. Audrey stayed with her Nana and Mamaw, and didn't miss us one bit! Curtis and I are boarding the plane
Katie and Brandon right behind us

We made it safe and sound, now we just have to make it to the resort!

We arrived at our beautiful resort

The guys are keeping an eye out on our luggage

When we walked into the resort we were greeted with cold towels and champagne...we were already in LOVE!

The beautiful lobby

This is the back of the main lobby leaving the pool areas

When we arrived, we were told we were being upgraded just because...This banner was on our door when we walked up!

Our bathroom

The bed

On our balcony...we had a jacuzzi on our balcony too!

Look who our next door neighbors were!

This was my view for 4 days from my pool chair...I didn't leave this spot often!

Our beautiful beach

heading to the beach...

We spent some time our 1st day checking things out at the beach

Me and Katie

Katie and Brandon

Me and the hubby in the white sugar sand!

Most of our days were spent at the pool, and the guys didn't leave this spot often!

And Katie and I didn't leave this spot often either!

Hangin out in the pool

The view from our room at sunset

Heading out to dinner our 1st night

All 4 of us enjoying a great Mexican Dinner, and worn out after our 1st day!

Each night there was some type of show after dinner...The Fire show was the 1st night, and it was pretty good!

Our 2nd day poolside

Our 2nd night before dinner

Sweet

Heading to dinner

Relaxing and listening to music after dinner

Playing around

We loved being able to lay on these floats and soak up the sun!

By the end of day 3 I had too much sun and my face was on FIRE!

These iguanas were all over the resort sun bathing on the rocks

They also had these "Mexican Racoons" that were out and in the trees during the day!

Every morning after breakfast the guys would grab some bagels and come out to the ocean to feed the fish.

Tons of Angel Fish would come and circle us...it got a little creepy!

Katie and I were much happier watching from the sand!

They had these fun swings on the beach too!

Our 3rd day we ran into some friends from our church...it was such a small world! They were there touring our resort for the day!

Dinner the last night was at the Hibachi Grill...pretty good!

Our last night at the resort

Curtis and Buddah at the Hibachi restaurant

After dinner we went to this Coffee Shop for dessert...since it was all-inclusive I tried 4!

Our last day at the resort, we had a few hours by the pool before we had to pack up and leave. It was cloudy and rainy almost the whole time, so it was kind of a wasted few hours, but we weren't saying goodbye yet!

Even though it rained, Curtis stayed in the pool and made himself a little shelter.

Waiting in the lobby for our transportation to take us back to the airport! It was bitter sweet knowing we were leaving!

We had an AMAZING vacation and can't believe it has already come and gone! We are already talking about coming back!

The Beginning of our Summer...

2011-06-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

It seems like awhile since I have sat down to blog, but we have been busy enjoying our 1st few weeks of summer, and I can tell it is going to go by too quickly. I just wanted to post some pictures of some fun that we have been having these last few weeks! Our 1st trip to the Lifetime Pool of the season was over Memorial Weekend. She loves the pool, and enjoys her snack time breaks too!
A few Sunday night's ago we met our Sunday School class at Misenheimer Park for a picnic and play time. The kids had a great time, and being right by the splash part of the park really cools things off in the heat of the summer...we will be making frequent trips here this summer!

The water just comes out of nowhere and is full of surprises!

We have had some pool time at Miss Beth's house too! This Puddle Jumper Float is the best invention ever. It completely holds her up and in an upright position while she floats along in the pool!

We stopped one day last week to have lunch with one of Audrey's favorite girls...Aunt Jenn!

These last 2 pictures are of the 1st day of Audrey's swimming lessons. She was so cute and innocent, and had no idea what was in store for her. Her 2 weeks of swimming lessons have been an adventure, but I will save that for a future post!

She was posing with her hands on her hips...ha! She sure does look cute in her suit though!

Happy Summer!

Panties and Tiaras

2011-05-20T18:23:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged about this yet because as a mom, I'm not really sure when you "officially" say that your little toddler is potty trained...but I'm here to announce that I have a potty trained Little Princess! Curtis and I started this whole process when she was just 19 months old. She went potty on her little potty whenever it was convenient for her, but we didn't push it because we knew she was so young. We did that for several months. Around her 2nd birthday in February, we got more serious about going on the potty more often and being more consistent. People ask me all the time how we got her potty trained, and I really have no idea. Audrey has always transitioned easily to everything in her little life...bottle to cup, baby food to real food, Sassy to no Sassy, 2 naps to 1 nap, and now this! Oma helped a ton too, and Audrey's friend, Camden, at Oma's was also being potty trained at the same time, which I know helped a ton. We are truly blessed to have such an easy going girl when it comes to changes we are making for her. Let's just hope it stays that way!

I guess I really realized she was doing this whole potty training thing around Easter. We left the house in big girl panties for the 1st time to Grandpa's house, which was a huge step. We gradually started doing that more, then we started wearing panties all day, even at nap time...that was an even bigger step. I have not made the switch at night time. I'm finishing up the diapers and pull-ups that we have at night, then we will see what happens. Most nights she stays dry all night, but that has not been consistent yet. Audrey loves being such a big girl, and we make a huge deal about her getting to pick out her little panties in the morning. So I'm so happy to say, we haven't had any accidents during the day in over a month!

We are so proud of our Love Bug, and can't believe she is becoming such a Big Girl!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day this year! It started Saturday with a relaxing manicure and pedicure, and a date night with my favorite man Saturday night! Sunday, I woke up to Audrey bringing me a sweet card with a gift card inside to go shopping at one of my favorite stores, Ann Taylor! I also got some pretty flowers for our back porch! Curtis was the best at making my day so relaxing and fun..he knows just what I love! We headed to church, then took my mom to PF Changs for a delicious lunch! Later that evening we went to Curtis' sister's house for dinner and to continue our Mother's Day celebration! It was a busy, but a super fun day too! Our camera battery was dead, so we left it charging while we were at church and lunch. The best camera we had was on Daddy's phone, so he tried to get a few decent shots while we were at lunch!
Kisses for Mommy

Audrey and Mamaw

After lunch, we attempted to take a few pictures, but Audrey was in a mood and it was nap time, so we didn't have much luck.

It was windy outside

Me and my girl

After our afternoon nap, we headed to Aunt Jenn and Uncle Larry's new house for a yummy dinner!

Audrey and her Aunt Jenn doing what they do best!

My sweet girl

Audrey with Aunt Jenn and Nana eating cake and ice cream for dessert!

Little Miss Independent

Silly Little Monkey

I loved my day and getting to spend it with my sweet family! Happy Mother's Day!

Curtis' 30th Birthday Party

2011-05-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Curtis turned the big 3-0 on Monday, May 2. I had a big surprise party planned for him for months over the weekend, and I couldn't wait! Most of our family and close friends were able to be there with us to celebrate. The party was at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Fresco's in Burleson out on the patio with a live band playing! It was a great night, Curtis had a blast, and everyone had such a great time! It ended up being somewhat of a surprise with a little glitch in my plan...The little bit of traveling Curtis has to do with his job conveniently came over the weekend of his surprise party. When he left out of town Thursday night, I stayed up all night thinking what to do to make sure he gets home for his party. I called him Friday morning crying, and told him that there were big plans for him this weekend that involved a lot of people. He felt horrible, and knew immediately that he needed to do everything in his power to get back home by Saturday night. It all ended up working out, and he ended up just being confused by Saturday night, so he was still pretty surprised by most of the night! Walking in and everyone was there to yell, "SURPRISE"

Larry and Jenn enjoying the partyDad and Lea having fun

The biggest surprise for Curtis was that his best friend, Mike, came in town from Austin!

Audrey gettin some lovin from Miss Katie while Briley was away!

Being a big girl

Audrey with her Grandpa

Kelly, Mechelle, and Audrey

Our besties...Katie and Brandon

Our other great friends...Janean and David

Mike with Curtis' parents

Mom, Lea, and Dad

Monte, Al, Richard, and Kelly

Kelly, Mechelle, and Jackie

Audrey and Mommy having fun

The band playing sang "Happy Birthday"

Blowing out the candles

I love how the cake turned out

Sorry Katie got a little cut out

Antsy girl and Daddy

After dinner and cake, my mom took Audrey home, and we all stayed and hung out visiting and listening to great music!

Me and Dad

Lea, Dad, and me

Me and Janean

David and Janean enjoying the night

Me and my bestie...

...and my other bestie!

Thank you to all of our family and friends who came out to help celebrate Curtis turning 30! He had a great time, and we will always remember this fun night!

Fun Filled Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T16:14:00.001-07:00

Our Easter weekend was filled with lots of sweet family time, great food, Easter eggs, and of course, a ton of candy!

We started our family celebrations Saturday night at Grandpa's house (my dad). We had a cook out and just enjoyed hanging out together! Audrey not letting go of that bat
She was not happy with me because I would not let her do anymore bubbles...we had already gone through 2 bottles.

"Hi Gunner"

Playing basketball with Daddy, Uncle Chase, and Cheyanne

Audrey loves her Uncle Chase

Grandpa and Audrey hangin out

Before we left Grandpa's, the Easter Bunny came and brought Audrey an Easter basket filled with lots of goodies!

Sunday was a busy day that started with finding what the Easter Bunny had delivered...

She got an Easter basket filled with books, pajamas, panties, sidewalk chalk, and more candy!

The Easter Bunny hid some eggs around the living room that were filled with Jelly Beans, M&M's, and some coins...she loved shaking the eggs and discovering what was inside!

I love how she gets so excited over reading her cards!

Showing off her new princess panties

After seeing what the Easter Bunny brought and having breakfast, it was time to head to church. Mommy and Audrey heading to church

Daddy and Audrey

After church we headed to brunch at The Cima Club with Mamaw, Uncle Chase, and Cheyanee. It was very yummy! Audrey loves Cheyanne

Mamaw got Audrey lots of goodies in her Easter bag!

Cheese with Mamaw

There was a great balloon lady making the cutest balloons for the kids.

Audrey got this cute little Ladybug bracelet...

and this great flower hat! She wore this almost the entire brunch!

After brunch, we met up with the Easter Bunny

Audrey was so excited to sit in his lap!

Getting some lovin from her Uncle Chase

An attempt at a family picture

After brunch, we headed home for a good nap, then Curtis' family came over for a cookout!

Our neighbors had a huge egg hunt planned, and invited Audrey to participate!

The eggs were even hidden on Daddy's truck...

and in the trees!

Then we came inside to open all the loot!

After dinner, Aunt Jenn set up another egg hunt just for Audrey in the backyard

Bobo was sooo excited for some reason, but Audrey didn't seem to mind.

They were even hidden on her swing set

Finding the surprises in the eggs!

Sneaking a piece of candy

No telling what that face was for...I can only imagine!

Audrey and Aunt Jenn had so much fun playing together all evening!

Audrey sure does love her Aunt Jenn!

We had such a great weekend, and were reminded how blessed and thankful we are because of the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us who believe in Him! Happy Easter!

Good Friday

2011-04-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to have an extra day off, and just spend some relaxing time with my Love's!

Audrey and I spent the morning at the park with Katie, Briley, and Brady. The rest of the day was devoted to hanging out, and doing some fun things around the house.

We started by making some Easter cookies...I actually let Audrey help me (a little) and she did pretty good, but still just wanted to eat the dough. Daddy snapped a few pictures of us mixing the dough...
Mommy and her little helper

I ended up finishing the cookies, and decorating them later on in the day!

After dinner, we went ahead and dyed our Easter eggs. I was very nervous about this activity, but it ended up being a plesent, easy, and fun project that Audrey loved!

Checking them out...

Turning them

Having so much fun!

She was really into watching them.

Mommy and Audrey

Daddy helped too

Bobo came to check out the fun!

I loved our extra day that we got to spend together this Easter weekend!

Our House Full of Love

2011-04-17T15:27:00.001-07:00

The time has come for us to put our 1st home up for sale. Curtis and I bought this house the month we got married, just out of college, and I didn't even have my teaching job yet. This has been an amazing 1st house, that we have just completely outgrown. We knew if we wanted to expand out family any time in the future, we would need more room. We have been so blessed by having a great 1st home that is FULL of LOVE, great neighbors, and being in a great area in Mansfield. We know whoever buys this house will feel the same way.

It is officially on the market! We will be staying in Mansfield, and finding a home with more to grow on!

Pictures in the Bluebonnets

2011-04-17T15:15:00.001-07:00

I had been wanting to get Audrey's picture taken in the Bluebonnets, and was looking for the perfect spot. I didn't realize until yesterday that there was a beautiful, huge area of them right across the street from our church that wasn't on a major highway. Curtis even pulled up on the field, so we didn't have to get out of the car on a busy street...I'm not sure how legal that was, but we never got caught! We didn't stay long, but we were able to capture some sweet pictures of our little flower girl! Our big girl She pulled a few...ooops!

Blowing them out of her hand

Walking around

Audrey and Mommy

Audrey and Daddy

Exploring with Mommy

Trying to pose...

We tried! We will have to start making this a yearly must do!