Little Half Birthday Celebration

Because I love to celebrate most anything, I always wanted to do something special for Abby on her half-birthday. Yesterday morning, we sang happy half birthday to her and taught her to respond with "two and a half" when asked how old she is. She is so proud to add the half in there!

I had plans with friends last night for dinner, so Marcus planned her celebration and captured it all on his cell phone! Side note: I ordered a new purse camera- it is smaller, lighter and better! So, my current purse camera is now Marcus' truck camera. Yea!

He picked her up from school and she was happy to hear that they were going to the mall. We decided she could get a new Disney character for her half birthday.

This picture scares me. She loves the half naked Abercrombie guy. Remember this picture? She walked right in (likely to talk to him) and danced!

Arriving at Disney! I was pretty sure she would talk Daddy into more than one. Based on the picture on the left, she couldn't decide and threw her hands in the air- ha! In the end, she decided Mickey needed to join Daisy and come live with her.

Last night when I put her to bed, she had to get up and go potty and I told her to tell Mickey "I'll be right back" to discourage her from bringing him to the potty. Instead, she patted his head and said, "you stay here Mickey. Don't be scared. It'll be okay." Love it! I also called him Mick for short this morning and she told me, "Silly Mommy. He's not Mick, he's Mickey Mouse."

On the way to Starbuck's this morning, Abby asked if she could instead take Mickey to McDonald's. Her and Marcus go there instead of Starbucks on occasion- the playground and computers at our McD at empty on weekday mornings.

Apparently, two and a half is MUCH BIGGER than two, because she went down the slide with no hesitation for the first time after being scared for months. She put Mickey down the slide first and then told Marcus she was going to get him and down she went. And, went and went and went. Pretty cool!

Two and A Half

As of tomorrow, Abby is closer to 5 than birth and that suddenly freaks me out a little bit. Kindergarten doesn't seem so far off anymore. I loved Kyleigh and Cohen at the age of 4 and 5, so I keep holding onto that!

Let's talk about the wonderful and trying parts of being two and a half:

You are funny- you have a spirit about you that just makes us laugh. You are animated. You tell stories with your words, facial expressions and your hands. You dance and make up your own songs. You have learned tone and inflection in your voice. You perform and want an attentive and laughing audience.

You are compassionate. Nana thinks you'll be a nurse. You like to take care of things, especially your baby dolls. You make sure they are covered in their little blankets and tell us they are cold. You pat them, tell them good night, and hold them when they bump their head (read: get dropped). You love to give hugs and kisses. You currently like to watch TV in our bed snuggled up with us and all of the throw pillows we own.

You are stubborn. You like things in the same place, order, and pattern. You like routine and knowing what is coming. I hope you have enough of your Daddy in you to balance this out! The first night we sat down to watch "dancing" on TV, I had made cookies for church and we ate one. Dancing on TV is now associated with cookies every week in your mind!

You are known to say No with a grin on your face, throw a good fit, and have mastered the whine. But, you seem to recover quickly and often tell us, "all better now".

At age two, you stopped going to bed on your own and we are still struggling through that. You read books in your bed quietly from 8:15 to 9:00 provided we are in the room. Us leaving before you fall asleep or shutting the door is devastating!

Your favorite foods are: chicken nuggets, garlic bread, mac & cheese, most any fruit with grapes and watermelon being favorites, corn, peas, carrots, popsicles, and ice cream. I don't know what you weigh, but assume it is around 32 pounds. You wear a size 24 months or 2T bottom and 3T top, only to get it over your big head! You wear 3T dresses just to make sure they are long enough. You wear a size 6 shoe.

You are fully potty trained, except at night time. Your diaper is dry about 50% of the time in the morning. I think we'll end the night diaper in a few months and we've promised you a Goldfish for your room when that happens. I bet we name her Dorothy because you love Elmo's World. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has replaced Yo Gabba Gabba on TV and Daisy is still your favorite.

I love you. I adore you. You are my favorite Abby Lu!

Weekend with Mimi and Nana

Abby has been looking forward to this past weekend since she was going to see her Mimi and Nana. When we told her they were coming she said, "I tell Mimi thank you for my stroller" and "I tell Nana thank you for my ba-bas". She puts her baby dolls and their fabric scrap blankets my Mom made her in the stroller Carol bought her for Christmas daily. It was so cute that was the message she had for them!

We went to dinner on Saturday night at California Pizza Kitchen. We went early to avoid the crowds and ended up eating way too much! It was all so good including the $1 kids sundaes! Isn't that an insane sized dessert for $1!

We came back home and went on the back patio so that Kyleigh and Abby could play and ended up having a redneck water party :)

Abby liked giving Mimi and Nana some grass-covered wet hugs! We almost bathed her with the water hose Saturday night, but since we had church the next morning gave her a real bath indoors ;)

Thanks for coming to visit Mimi and Nana! Abby obviously loves seeing you!

Date Night and Car Shopping

Friday night Marcus and I hired a babysitter to have a nice dinner with adult conversation and then catch a movie. Marcus loves comics and with both X-Men and Green Lantern in the theaters we were excited to splurge on a movie night.

We had dinner at a new restaurant in our area- it was good, but the wait was long and the place was packed. So, we ate quickly and paid our tab while still eating to rush to the movie. It was sold out- boo! So, we weighed our options, and ended up getting frozen yogurt.

We joked that I got the Abby special. We don't normally put nutty things in our yogurt when she is with us to make sure we can share with her. Since she wasn't with us, I had nutter butter yogurt with Reese's peanut butter cups and brownie bites. Delish!

When we were in Savannah, we had a Kia Soul for the week and surprisingly loved it! Marcus has been thinking about trading in his truck for a Soul. It is inexpensive, gets great gas mileage, has great safety ratings, and would be fun with all of the audio toys included in the car!

So, we went to the dealership and looked around. No real decisions to be made for a while- Marcus' car is tied into his job, so it would need corporate approval. He also has to decide if he wants to give up the big truck for a little car and take on the jokes that will come ;)

Abby had fun with Mary while we were gone. Saturday morning when she woke up, she called for Mary instead of Momma!

Randoms

I have been meaning to post a weight loss update for everyone. We ended the 40 day extreme HCG diet at the end of May and have moved into the maintenance phase. We are trying to be low carb and keep our calories under 1200 per day. We are both using My Fitness Pal, a free website to keep track of our food. We are trying to be smart about celebratory meals and controlling our food when we can and not worrying about the occasional business lunch.

Here I am on Friday using a belt to keep my jeans up and wearing a new shirt. I spend more time going back and forth in the dressing room because I just can't believe my shirt size. Online clothes shopping is halted until I really settle into my new size.

Here is the photo from a month or so ago. When I took it I realized I didn't have many photos of myself and I want to look back at these in 2 months and realize how much better I look! It is like pregnant women taking belly shots only mine is shrinking!

I have lost almost a little more than 17 pounds and Marcus has lost more than 15 since Easter. It feels good to weigh yourself in the morning, buy new clothes and donate old clothes. My ultimate goal is 15 more pounds. I'd love that to happen by our trip to Cabo in late September. I believe if I lose another 4 pounds I'll be somewhere I haven't been in 6 or 7 years.

I have made two purchases the past few weeks for Anna 2.0, the stay-at-home part-time working Mom version of me! On the left is my new day planner- the Mom Agenda. I bought the myagenda version and I love it! I decided I'd have less computer time and an Outlook calendar wasn't smart. So, I am using the 5 sections of each day for Personal, Job #1, Job #2, Dinner, and to be determined. Nice to have an open area! It is the most beautiful turquoise silk and have my name on the bottom right. Pretty!

I also have been looking for a cute iPad case to carry in my purse on occasion. I use the iPad as my e-reader for the book study I am leading this summer, when I get a pedicure and to entertain Abby in the car/restaurants/doctor's office, etc. I needed something cute to store it! I am sure as her and I drive to my parents more in the fall or we run errands together it'll be even more needed.

Hope you all are having a good weekend! I can't believe next week is July my last month full time in the office. Amazing how quick this summer is going. Confirmation as to why I need to stay home and figure out how to slow down time so Abby stays little :)

Family Reunion 2011

Two weekends ago I attended my annual family reunion for my Dad's side of the family. I LOVED going to this every year and playing with my cousin Kristi. We are still good friends and I'm so glad we saw each other at least annually. I want Abby to have cousins her age to play with since siblings are not likely!

Kyleigh came with us in case Abby was super bored! They had fun playing with Tessa, a granddaughter of a sibling of my grandmother.

The reunion was super small this year- it happened the weekend after my Dad's Dad's family reunion (this is Dad's Mom). But, I did get to see some of my favorite people, eat fried catfish, and enjoy the hill country. Next year, there is talk of combining the 2 reunions which will lead to 100 plus people!

Above: (L) my Dad's sister and (R) her daughter Mary, me and Mary's youngest son's girlfriend Lindsay. Below: my Dad's sister Nell, her daughter Tina and her granddaughter. I want to be Aunt Nell when I grow up! She takes care of everyone, always has a fridge full of desserts ready in case 20 people pop in, and doesn't weigh 400 pounds from eating all those desserts in the fridge!

My Dad didn't join me since he is still up north for the summer- enjoy these pics Dad!

Abby Said What, Volume 3

My hair did not get cut short enough at my last appointment and now it is too long and I don't have another appointment for 3 weeks. So, I cancelled that appointment and made one for Monday. Thank goodness because when it gets long, I have to turn it out around my ears and I'm over that style.

When I picked Abby up from school Wednesday afternoon and she saw it, she said, " Momma you have crazy hair. Crazy. Crazy Crazy." All the while, she was shaking her head from side to side. Who is this kid!?!

Thursday morning Abby was on the floor to pet the cat. Jean Grey turned to walk away and Abby was suddenly eye level with the backside of the cat. Abby pointed to her rear (you'll have to visualize this one) and said, "kitty has an owie". Nice!

Swimming Updates

We have really enjoyed having a neighborhood pool this past month with the 100 plus degree temps each day. We like to go swimming on Friday night after dinner and again on Saturday and Sunday around dinner time. We are trying to preserve our fair child's skin by going in the off hours. It has also given us a fairly empty pool to enjoy!

Abby has made huge strides in her water abilities and confidence with the pool repetition. With her safety vest on, she walks in the kiddie area until it reaches her mouth, is able to dip her face in to blow bubbles (sometimes choking on water!), likes to float on her back, assisted, and spin round and round, jumps into our arms without us holding her the whole time, and with a noodle in her hands, practices swimming.

I can't imagine what she'll be able to do by September especially if we get our share of swimming during the week when I am home!

For the Love of Ketchup!

This post is for Uncle Shaun who puts ketchup on everything...

As much as I have tried to discourage ketchup (messy, full of sugar, etc.) Abby has found it and likes it! She'll often ask for it just to play with it. She likes to lick it off her fingers or the food she has dipped into it. Gross! I don't like ketchup so the thought of it alone disgusts me. I use very little only on thick or unseasoned french fries.

At Fuddruckers on Friday night, Abby was eating it out of the carton. Yucky!

Daddy's Girl on his Special Day

If you've read one single sentence on this blog, you know Abby and I think the world of Marcus! He is the most perfect husband for me and he is taking the time to raise one amazing little girl. The role of a Daddy in a little girl's life is so important and I just love watching them develop a special relationship.

After church on Sunday, we went to Hula Hut for lunch. We got there early and avoided having a wait. Score! While waiting on our food, Marcus did magic tricks for Abby with her crayons. He joked that he has to do these tricks for her before she gets much older and thinks he is embarrassing. She loved finding the crayon in her ear and hair bow ;)

We gave Marcus his presents on Saturday afternoon- an Action Heroes bible (looks like a comic book with bible stories), Biblezine (bible in magazine format), and a Raider Red rubber ducky. After Abby went to bed, he ended the evening with a glass of his favorite red wine and quiet time on his computer game.

Thank you Marcus for the amazing husband and father you are to us. You are supportive, loving, funny, and provide for us in so many ways. Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Happy Father's Day Dad! Hopefully I will get to talk to him today- he is in the wilderness volunteering for the Parks & Wildlife for the summer. Their ability to reach the outside world isn't super reliable. I mailed his gift and it was mailed to a different state- the closest district office to the park they are at.

Let me tell you why I think my Dad is pretty darn special....

He always has taken an interest in what I am doing wanting to know more and often times listening as I walk through my rationale for making a particular choice, like a major in college or a boyfriend in high school.

He is a great cook- from man food on the grill to banana nut bread and plum jelly. He isn't afraid to wear an apron and whip up a meal.

He invested a lot of time and mileage in our school and community. We never missed a football game my 4 years of high school. I didn't play, cheer, or entertain at half time, yet we went and cheered for my classmates. My love of football comes from those days. My love for my Dad comes from those car rides.

He is proud of me- all the time. Telling him I was quitting my job was the talk I most dreaded because I know how proud he is that I graduated college; however, he was excited for me. I love that I'll be able to drive across town (they only travel in the summer!) and have lunch with him or Abby will get to pick up golf balls with Granpa on a random Tuesday afternoon. Spending time with my retired parents is another awesome part of my new job.

He is determined and disciplined. I need more of that!

And, seeing him as a Granpa is even better. He has a different voice and demeanor with Abby, Kyleigh and Cohen. I love seeing him relax and have fun with them. Abby will talk about riding the golf cart with Granpa for days after it actually occurs.

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!

Crunching Numbers

I brought home a calculator from my office yesterday and someone discovered it, fell in love and slept with it last night! My friends would attest to how much I love Excel and numbers. Yea Abby for playing with a calculator!

She was able to push the number I verbalized to her which is something we didn't know she knew. Amazing what her little brain has learned in just 2 short years.

Our San Antonio Home

Without a doubt I can tell you my favorite hotel in all the world (as far as I know) is Westin La Cantera in San Antonio. One of the perks of my job is hotel points and I cash the majority of them in here. It is rustic, just the right size, has a great preferred guest lounge with drinks, breakfast, and snacks, and has the best pool and kids activities!

Rather than sleep on an air mattress at my Mom's house this weekend, we drove 45 minutes away to stay at La Cantera. We got there late afternoon, visited the candy buffet in the lounge, and headed to the pool! We ate dinner pool side and went back to our room about 8:30.

Abby loved being outdoors and showed us her many faces! After watching Marcus and Kyleigh go down the water slide a few times she went! Marcus held her and lifted her up to assure she didn't go under when they landed. She didn't love it, but after a little time, she went back for more! She also loved being in the kiddie pool where she could walk around, call for her friend Katy in the snoodles, and pour water on Momma!

We took Kyleigh to the hotel with us because she is such a little helper! Abby loves watching her, walking with her, and bossing her around :) We are working on that! Kyleigh toasted marshmallows for us at the smores pits- yummy! After dinner and swimming, while I put Abby to bed, Marcus and Kyleigh went back outside for the poolside showing of Gnomeo and Juliet.

We were up by 7 AM on Sunday- had breakfast in the lounge and went back to the pool for an hour before heading out to lunch with Aunt Vicki and Uncle Cecil.

We plan to make a trip back to La Cantera later this year- for relaxed reading and cool beverages at the adult only pool! It makes for a whole different experience!

Sunday Swim

We spent the entire weekend out of town with family and had the most fun! I took way too many pictures, so we'll go out of order since Sunday was easiest to edit and post!

We met my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Cecil for lunch on Sunday. They have a beautiful backyard with a swimming pool to occupy the kids. It allowed me to visit since I haven't seen them since I was on maternity leave more than 2 years ago and it had been 10 years before that. Our family was so close to theirs growing up and it was nice to eat hot dogs in the backyard, watch NASCAR, swim and catch up!

Abby found goggles. I was certain she wouldn't put them on. I was obviously wrong. She didn't wear them for long, but sure looked cute in them.

Abby takes to Aunt Vicki super well, as do most kids. She is the fun Aunt that everyone loves. We had regular BINGO tournaments with prizes growing up! She has taught most kids in our family how to swim and has no problem pushing you in the pool! She swam with the kids yesterday and held Abby most of the time.

The same goggles that fit Abby, fit Uncle Cecil and Abby was not happy about it! Uncle Cecil was a landscaper many years ago and know uses all that knowledge in his own backyard. I was trying to get lots of advice to add some colorful plants to our yard.

This float was a great lounger for Abby. K&C were swimming all around, so we loved securing her in this and letting her play with toys and her Daddy.

Abby also learned how to squirt a water gun on Sunday! She wanted to make it upside down most of the time, but Nana taught her and then she squirted us all!

Thank you Aunt Vicki and Uncle Cecil for having us all over! I promise we will not wait 2 years to visit again!

My New Jobs

First of all, thank you all for such encouragement. From Facebook to the blogs I have heard what wonderful and hard times are ahead. I love hearing it is the best job ever. My friend Erica remarked, "the rewards are eternal." I love knowing my job means something so important to the people most important to me!

So, if you know me in real life or can tell from the blog, I like to be busy. I will not be changing that part of my life this Fall! Here is our current plan!

Job #1- Consultant for Current Employer

When I "quit" my job, I actually asked for a demotion. My favorite part of my job and what I have done my whole career is plan professional events. In my current role, it is a small portion of what I do and becoming smaller. My work time has become more filled with HR, people management, financials, budgets, and operations. I do those jobs for a medical association and a national training corporation owned by my association. I miss meeting planning. So, I asked them to let me just be the meeting planner part time from home. Luckily, they said yes! So, I will plan 4 events per year in Texas plus a few single day events. I will travel 3 or 4 times per year only. I won't travel nationwide or attend trainings myself. I love this part of my job- I feel confident I have good systems in place and can do this work during naps and when Abby is at MDO.

Job #2- Virtual Assistant for a New Employer

I have a friend in real estate who works on a team of 4 agents. A few months ago (knowing this was coming) I was hired by them to be an assistant and work on their marketing. I am helping them get organized with checklists and systems, working with them on the paperwork of listing a new house (like researching home value, comps in the area, tax records, etc.), assisting them during the busy contract to closing period, and then marketing! We've started a blog, are on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I am also updating their website!

With a few simple changes in our expenses, being good at reducing debt this summer, and these two part time jobs our financial life will not be greatly impacted. I want to be a stay at home Mom that can play! I want to be able to go to Hobby Lobby and do a craft with Abby, join clubs and take her places, and I want to get out extra energy at Chick-fil-A. I am so very grateful God put these opportunities in place for me to do that.

To help me accomplish all of this, we have elected to place Abby in Mother's Day Out two times per week. I want dedicated work days so that my other days are focused on her! She will start MDO at a local church after Labor Day. I also think this will be good for her- staying home all the time would be a big shock to her system. She needs little friends! We have also enrolled her in dance class and I am looking at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in our area with a friend.

We even recently ordered a new lunchbox and matching water bottle for our first day of school! I have to buy these cute things while we have two incomes :) Abby's favorite color is blue, so she loved it!

I also think there will be lots of library time, park time and of course, pool time!

All of this should begin in August. I will likely be part time in August at my current employer and then move into my consultant role around Labor Day. We have our biggest event at the end of July and then need time to transition and train.

I have had Romans 12:12 on my computer screen for more than 4 years. It reads:

" Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer" I have been faithful and patient for so long, I am really enjoying the joy-filled hopeful part for the next few months.

So, Yea, Um, I Quit My Job

Three months ago, I quit my job. Kinda. Here is a timeline of God's movement in my life over the last few months...

The day I took this picture was the same day I started praying about quitting my job. It was once a dream. Then, I had to start traveling again and I thought about that dream more and more.

December 2010: While in Lubbock, I had dinner with a friend and we were discussing a recent girls weekend. I mentioned not feeling like I myself and feeling the distance between myself and my friends. We discussed what I meant and why I hadn't brought it up. One of the things that come from that conversation was my desire to jump off the career ladder and how I related to many of my other friends in that position. We cried together and I know she prayed for me from that night on.

March 1, 2011: My bible verse for the next two weeks, "Be Still and Know that I am God." How divinely fitting- sit back and let me show you. Listen and I'll tell you something wonderful. Don't do it all yourself. Leave me room to be miraculous. I picked this verse not knowing how much I would rely on it.

March 4, 2011: I broke down emotionally during a meeting at work about billing. Who cries about billing, especially when it isn't your money? That would be me. Our accountant abruptly called the meeting to a close. My CEO asked to speak to me- I couldn't fully process what was happening. I left quickly for lunch and cried for an entire hour on the phone with Marcus in the Wendy's parking lot. I couldn't take it any more- I wasn't doing the job I loved and my sweet girl was growing up in daycare. The combination was too much- God had been whispering and now he was yelling at me. I couldn't kick and scream anymore.

That afternoon I went and chopped my hair off before having dinner with 4 friends that night. God put them in my life that day to reassure me. I hadn't seen two of them in MONTHS. Three of the four work from home or quit successful careers to be successful Moms. The other announced she was pregnant. I could see God's love throughout the evening.

I stayed up late that night processing everything in Excel. I needed to see the numbers. They told me I needed to work, but not nearly as much as I thought. I began writing a proposal to my employer- let me do one part of my job, from home, part time for a small portion of my salary.

March 7: I wanted to see what options I had. One of the friends from dinner on March 4th discussed some real estate work she was doing. So, I called a friend in real estate and asked him if there was an opportunity. We met for lunch on March 7th. He told me what a "God send" and "an answered prayer" my call was. We started developing a plan for me to work for his team of 4 real estate agents to be a virtual and marketing assistant.

March 11: I played a little game with God- I was honestly so scared. Show me "this" loud and clear and I'll know "this" is a valid opportunity. He showed it to me in a big way.

March 14: Saw a Christian Mom tweet about "this is the job God has chosen for me". I knew that tweet was for me. I suddenly felt so reassured- God wants this for my family and He can move mountains to make it happen. I can move dirt. I can't see how big this is, but He can. I felt a peace- even if my employer says no, God is saying yes to the overall plan and He will work out the details.

March 15: My new Bible verse for the remainder of the month was picked with this whole life change in mind, "Stand firm in your Faith. Be courageous. Be strong." It has helped me to stop thinking of all the what ifs and just trust that when in accordance with God's Will, you are under his wing and he will protect and provide.

March 18: I rarely see my CEO- he is at the capitol most days. Since we had a meeting on this day, I knew it was the best day to talk with him. I shared my proposal and demotion request. He smiled and kept saying that he understood. He is a father of 2 small children with a wife that stays home. He also had taken a bigger role in our organization recently- very similar to my situation. He asked for time to process and that he'd get back to me quickly.

March 22: I got the call on this day that my employer was open to my proposal and that we could talk more the following week to work out the kinks. We agreed August was the best time to make the change- it works well for us in many ways, including financial. We can start living with the restraints that will come from my new position to make the transition easier. All that extra money- can pay off 2 small credit cards I want to eliminate before I lose my income. In God's detailing, the amount extra we can pay to the card between now and then, is just $17 short of the total. More reassurance!

March 23: I hinted about my news on Facebook- mainly to let all my prayers warriors know the good news and my Dad and Jacque called wanting to know what the message meant. They were coming over for dinner the following night, so I really had planned to tell them then. But, sitting on my bathtub in the dark, I shared my secret with them. I was honestly most nervous to tell my Dad than anyone. I knew how much going to college and having a good job meant to him. I was so relieved when he told me it was a good surprise and that he was proud of me. Another reassurance that this was for the best.

Over the next month, I shared my plan with a few prayer partners and just asked them to pray for guidance, confidence, and faith. I have wanted this for so long. I have used so many things to try and make working and schooling Abby feel right and it just never has. My motivation at work is low. My mornings with Abby were getting sadder. She suddenly became a Momma's girl after being all about her Daddy for 2 years. It was just more reassurance.

April 25: The day after Easter, Abby is accidentally given a peanut while at school and goes into anaphylactic shock. As scary as it was, it also told me that we can't control her environment when we are not there. No matter how much everyone else is watching out for her- she needs her parents. I was so grateful to have this plan already in place when this happened.

During the month of May, we spent time tweaking our budget. Cutting expenses out, learning to shop at Wal-Mart and learning that the Great Value brand is just that, a great value! I've taken extra cash and we've purchased items we know we will need in the fall just to help ease the burden of a reduced income. I have purchased things for so long to make me happy that I am honestly excited to change direction and enjoy my time more than my things. During all this tweaking, God also showed us more income in three different ways that will give us a safety net in the fall. Honestly, He has shown Himself in this decision more than in anything I've ever witnessed, including IVF. I stand in awe!

So, what will I be doing and what is Abby doing when this takes effect? I'll share those details soon! It is a fun adventure for us both!

Summertime Fun with K&C

While Kyleigh and Cohen were visiting for photos this weekend, we tried to also spend some time with them just having fun! Mom put Abby to bed for us on Saturday night and we took K&C swimming! Marcus threw them in the air countless times and they never tired of it. I threw the football to them as they tried to catch it in mid-air over and over again!

Sunday morning before church we all had doughnuts. Nothing like filling kids with sugar and dropping them off at church with volunteers ;)

I love that we all live close enough for the cousins to play together and K&C are both so sweet to Abby and want to take care of her. On the other hand, three kids are exhausting!

Mother's Day Photos

My Mom always wants pictures of her 3 grandkids when we are together and they never turn out right! We think about it at the end of a long day, when she doesn't have on makeup or when the kids are dirty from eating and playing. So, for Mother's Day, I made us an appointment to have pictures taken. I bought Kyleigh and Cohen blue outfits to match a dress my Mom had recently made Abby.

On Mother's Day, I told her the plan and she had 2 weeks to decide what to wear, get a pedicure, and come back for photos. Picture People did a great job and luckily all three kids did great as well. Mom loved so many of the pictures, she ended up buying more than what I gifted her. We also took a 3 generations photo of just Mom, Abby and I.

While waiting to view our pictures, we let the kids go crazy at the mall playground and carousel. They all wanted to ride the train and bungee jump, too! We did not do that... this time around.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I hope you enjoy looking at your pictures for many years.

Pancakes with Pals

We had a busy weekend filled with family and friends!

We missed our usual story time on Saturday morning to have pancakes with our church friends. I can not tell you how much richer these families have made our lives and our marriage. I know I can call on them for anything. They give me such wonderful parenting encouragement- by the actions of their children more than anything. I love having role models in parenting- we all need them!

Our church reorganization placed many of these families in different schedules and thus different classes, but on Saturday morning we all fellowshipped together. It reminded me why God placed us at Great Hills! They truly mean the world to me.

I just know these little girls will be taking pictures together for many years. I love that Abby's friends are children of our friends. She gets so excited knowing we are going to see them and loves giving hugs and kisses to her friends. These kids will become more important to Abby as she grows- we know their hearts, their morals, and their values. Isn't that what we all want in our kids friendships?

I'm grateful.

Sno Cones!

Thursday night we ate dinner a little early so we could drive over to the best sno cone place in our area- Kawaii in Round Rock. Abby had never had a sno cone, but we convinced her they are better that popsicles! I let her pick her color- she wanted blue. So, we ordered her blue bubble gum. I had Tiger's Blood (which was not like it normally tastes) and Marcus had margarita.

When we were almost there we realized we had jumped up and left the house without even thinking about a diaper bag! Yea for a potty trained girl! She hasn't had an accident in weeks and goes on her own without prompting most of the time. We were a little scared since they don't have a restroom at Kawaii :)

We had so much fun- I look forward to more sno cones this summer!

Move Over Yo Gabba Gabba

The day has finally come- we haven't watched Yo Gabba Gabba in over a week and while Marcus and I love the show, we are excited to have something new to watch! For a short stint, we watched Elmo's World at the end of Sesame Street, but our new love is Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse!

Monday afternoon we went to the mall and when we got near the Disney store it hit me, she will recognize this! Marcus suddenly feared for our budget! Abby was in love and overwhelmed. She wanted to touch all of the animals! We gave her the option of one medium animal or two small. She wanted one big one and much to our surprise, she selected Daisy Duck! I would have picked so many others ahead of Daisy. But, she loves her and has carried her everywhere since. Daisy sleeps with Abby, goes potty when Abby does and eats with us. Watch out Foofa!

While at the mall, I happened upon a Gymboree sale- the entire store was $12.99 and under! I got 2 dresses for $12.99 each and these 3 shirts for less than that! Some fit now and some are for next year. You can't beat $12.99 dresses at Gymboree! I also bought Abby blue jeans for the next 2 years at Crazy 8. They were $6.99 each!

We have a fun weekend planned with a big pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, pictures with family on Saturday afternoon, and two lunchtime parties to attend on Sunday!

Dinner Date

Marcus had a business dinner one night last week so I met up with my friend Natalie (whose husband was out of town on business) and her 3 kids. Two adults and 4 kids- we had a fun evening! ha!

After dinner at Chick-fil-A including at least one ice cream cone on the ground and one clingy child who wanted to sit in her Mom's lap in the play area (yea, that would be mine!), we all ran into Target. Abby and I needed a few things and were happy to have friends with us.

We bought the kids some sour squirt fruit snacks hoping to get silly faces from them, but they just ate them and asked for more.

Blythe thought they were a little sour!

And then, we had the most fun trying to teach Abby how to drink from a water fountain- hilarious! Michael had it mastered- he is 3 months older than Abby. I guess having older siblings helps in cases like this.

Abby wanted to play in the water, wash her hands in it, get her face wet and then finally started trying to lick the water! Natalie was teaching her to slurp and she'd slurp and bob her head 6 inches from the water. We were laughing so hard at her!

It sure was fun to see friends during the week and have a dinner date!