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Another year flies by...

2012-01-18T01:42:00.004-06:00

My baby girl turns 4 today

The time... it really seriously does just pass you by.

I can't believe I'm the mother of a 4 year old.

That it has been four years since I gave birth to

& became 'Mama' of a beautiful little girl.

McKenzie is smart.
independent.
stubborn.
energetic.
sweet.
sneaky.
& outgoing.

McKenzie is usually willing to try any new food at least once.

I say she's a vegetarian though, cause if left up to her she'd eat mostly fruit and veggies...

[and candy!]

She loves stickers &

currently likes to 'write' letters and requires many envelopes.

She is a budding artist, and prefers a blank sheet of paper to a coloring book any day.

She loves going to awanas and refers to the others in her class as "my kids".

She enjoys telling knock knock jokes &

her favorite movie to watch these days is 'Up'.

She enjoys helping with the laundry & cooking.

[which is why we had a Chef party this year]

McKenzie loves with all her heart.

and she rarely meets a stranger.

& she smothers her new baby brother with

more love than I could have imagined she would have for him.

Happy 4th birthday baby girl!

You have truly blessed my life, so happy to be your mama!

Colby's Birth Story

2011-12-05T16:31:00.001-06:00

I spent lots of time thinking about the type of birth experience

I hoped to have this time around.

I didn't know whether I wanted an epidural or not

with Kenzie it started wearing off right before pushing.

I knew I didn't want to be induced unless necessary.

And I hoped I could labor at home for awhile and spend just a couple hours

actually laboring at the hospital.

I had lots of things i didn't and did want in my birth plan,

but knew to be ready for the plan to not go my way.

Well, at my 40 week appointment (I was 40 weeks 1 day)

I was still at a 3 where I had sat at 2 weeks already.

I joked that I was an elephant and would be pregnant still in 2012.

We had already made an appointment for an induction at the end of that week ( 11/11/11)

but I discussed it with my doctor and we decided we were both comfortable canceling it and seeing if he'd come on his own before 42 weeks.

I headed home assuming I'd probably have to get induced at 42 weeks.

I finished up my birth plan that evening but didn't print it out because

I thought I had plenty of time.

How very wrong I was...

At 2:45 am my labor began, but at the time I was unaware it was labor.

(remember I had not gone into labor on my own before)

Around 5 am or so I realized that this had to be it, that I really was in labor.

But I felt like I couldn't leave my bathroom.

We got in the car around 5:45 or so.

The hospital is roughly 25 minutes away.

There was already some early morning traffic

and it was a not so fun ride.

Kenzie was in the back seat and

I tried very very hard to control how I was laboring in front of her.

We arrived at the hospital sometime after 6

got into our room and was checked pretty much immediately.

I was fully dilated and my water had not yet broke.

They took McKenzie to the nurses station and she colored until Colby arrived.

I worked through a few contractions as they very quickly tried to get everything ready.

No time for drugs or anything.

(I had started to think I might try for an epidural if I couldn't handle the contractions anymore...

so much for that.)

My water broke while pushing and after about 15 minutes

Colby made his debut!!

There had been Meconium in the amniotic fluid

so he had to be checked over quickly instead

of being able to be put on my chest immediately

but his health was number 1 priority our bonding time could wait.

And I did eventually get my mama/son bonding and feeding time.

After awhile big sister came back in

and she was beyond thrilled.

Baby! Baby!

is what I heard when she first came in.

Then, "Colby's here!"

And then when she climbed up in bed with me

she said, "Mama he's not in your tummy anymore!"

She loved him instantly and didn't want to stop loving on him,

and still almost 4 weeks later, can't keep her hands off of him & wants to hold him nonstop.

so so happy that she adores him.

but sometimes her loving is a bit overwhelming.

Proud Daddy. He was truly amazing during labor and afterwards.
There aren't words to describe what he meant to me that day.

She loves him so much.

One of the fantastic nurses I had during my stay showed me how to tuck blankets around he and I so that we could bond and sleep and he wouldn't slip off me. It was so special, some of the best moments I had with him while in the hospital. perfect.

We fell in love with him instantly.

And he's been such a perfect addition.

I love having a son.

And all my fears about having a boy and not knowing what to do

have disappeared.

Bust a Gut!

2011-11-28T23:51:00.001-06:00

Check out the other entires at

Time flies so fast.

2011-11-20T22:26:00.000-06:00

Time is already flying by too fast.

I can't believe he's here & has been for more than a week,

but I can't imagine life without him either. crazy.

I have kids. Plural. KIDS.

I'm feeling so blessed, and my heart is so full.

Love these 2 more than words can say.

Happy babies.

2011-11-14T17:54:00.000-06:00

Love all the smiles in our new family of 4.

Happy Birthday!!

2011-11-10T20:42:00.001-06:00

He's here!

Mr. Colby Parker

November 9th 2011

6:41 am

6lbs 15 oz.

22 inches long

We're so in love & Big Sister can't get enough of him!

Just shy of 40 weeks.

2011-11-06T18:08:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is my due date.

Today we went out to First Mondays in Canton.

My very first visit.

Sporting my new headband & baby belly.

& my new coke crate in hand.

At the Arboretum

2011-11-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

Family Fun Day at the Arboretum.

We went last year and had a great time,

so went out again this year.

A beautiful day. A picnic. Some trick or treating
{they have people dressed up handing out candy to the kids at different spots}

39 weeks.

2011-10-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

Just one week until the official due date of baby boy!

Yesterday at the arboretum:

Photos by the hubby.

The 'Reading Nook'

2011-10-29T14:10:00.000-05:00

is now complete!

{minus the carpet replacement &

a 2nd dye bath for the chair cushion.. I need it darker}

She picked out flowers of her own yesterday.

It was a fun time watching her & seeing her opinions come out.

Dyed the cushion of her chair & added a cute lamp.

Her response when I showed it to her...

"Put it in the cart"

Some close ups. Old lanterns I spray painted. Sparkly fun knobs to hold the curtains back.

Full view & the book shelves.

2 Rooms...

2011-10-27T15:31:00.001-05:00

Cause we like to procrastinate.

And we ran into a few issues when we started Kenzie's room

after moving in almost 2 years ago.

We are now not only putting together a 'nursery'

but also trying to put together a 'big girl' room for Miss McKenzie.

It was a slow search for furniture for both rooms...

Craigslist takes time. lots of it.

We still need to replace the carpet... cause it has issues. Dirty Dirty issues.

And then finish up the furniture pieces.

But we've been working on as many things as we can

that won't require bringing in heavy pieces of furniture

just to move them back out for carpet replacement.

What I worked on today in Kenzie's room:

This is in her reading nook.

There are shelves on the other side with books

and once I add a few more things in this little corner, I'll grab a full view shot.

And this is baby boy's reading nook:

After having my mom ~~help~~ me do the curtains for the closet

I decided to tackle the ones for the window by myself.

I'm pretty proud of myself, and I'm sure it took me way too long,

but I did them and they don't look terrible

so hooray.

I need to hang some prints around the shelves &

I want to add what I'd like to call a 'little man' chair {a leatherette kids sized arm chair}

and a floor lamp.

I love when progress is being made.

It's good.

But slow progress makes me a little anxious.

14 days remain...

2011-10-24T10:13:00.001-05:00

(maybe a few less... or a few more.)

of it being just this little girl.

Where she has my undivided attention all day.

of just a one seat stroller.

of just the 3 of us walks.

{photo credit: the hubby}

{photo credit: the hubby}

of it being all about her

a whole lot of the time.

I wonder how she'll do.

I wonder how I'll do.

How we will all do.

I'm nervous & excited for all the changes that are to come.

Can't believe I'm 38 weeks today.

Feels like we just found out we were pregnant...

time surely does fly.

37 weeks

2011-10-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Forgot to get some shots on Monday.
But 2 days late is no biggie. At least I got them.

Thanks to hubby for these shots.

37 weeks 2 days.

Weekend.

2011-10-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

Woke up with a cold on Friday.

Started taking Tylenol Cold & doing my very best to ignore it.

(feeling much better today)

Got a few things accomplished around the house.

Super fun bridal session. Can't wait for December when I'll be able to share those!

But here's hubby and I goofing off before the gorgeous bride showed up...

Oma and Opa came to play with Kenzie while hubby assisted me with the bridal session & then we all watched the Rangers and had dinner together.

Hubby did some planting on Sunday, we took a walk and played at the park

just enjoying the beautiful weather we are having right now.

So much better than the 110 degree heat we had for much longer than I'd like to think about.

yuck.

Today I'm 37 weeks and just trying to get some things accomplished.

Editing from the bridal session.

Getting through pictures that date all the way back to our trip to disney world almost a year ago

that I have not looked at or done anything with since then.

Getting small projects done for both Kenzie's room and baby boy's room.

Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning.

Will make curtains with my mom this afternoon.

The car seat is in the car (seeing TWO car seats in there is so strange)

and though his room isn't done

and there are a million things I'd like to accomplish.

We've got the important things done and are ready for him

whenever he's ready to grace us with his presence :)

Squished.

2011-10-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

Baby boy is a little cramped in his living quarters.
He lets me know how he feels about it pretty much all day, every day
and this baby is a strong one. Definitely different than Kenzie was.

We had a sono yesterday cause the doctor wanted to check on his size.
I was measuring about a week behind, and she just wanted to be certain he was growing and doing well.
I welcomed the opportunity to get to see him again :)

Here's baby and you see his little smooshed nose...
poor thing. Sorry baby.

And there's no doubt about it, this baby is definitely a boy...

At my last appointment I was measuring a week behind (the appointment before that I was further than a week behind), but at this appointment I was right on target.
But baby boy, not so much. He's not small, though. He's big and measuring a few weeks ahead.
The estimate the sonographer had for us was 6lbs 11 oz.
Healthy big baby boy :)

Just about 35 weeks.

2011-10-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

After brunch @ my favorite place, Grand Luxe.
An early birthday celebration for me with my parents, sister & her hubby. (and of course my hubby and daughter).

Weekend Pictures.

2011-09-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

My camera was in my hand all weekend.
And I loved it.

Engagement session with some friends
They rocked their session & made it super easy for me.
So beautiful... inside and out.

My sweet girl reading to 'her kids'

And my sister's mother in law threw a 70th Anniversary party for her parents

& asked if I could come photograph the happenings.

She put together some meaningful and beautiful table decorations

using their special mementos.

The letter in the typewriter is one that her Dad actually wrote to her mom.

It reads: "To my dearest darling..." swoon.

Toasting.

Renewing vows. So sweet.

Doves awaiting their release.

It was such a fun, busy weekend.

As of yesterday, I'm 34 weeks!!

Only 6 more weeks till baby's due date.

Wow oh wow.

So I'm super busy this week trying to get so much done,

cause the days are just FLYING by.

Before the Shower.

2011-09-20T22:38:00.001-05:00

Kenzie and I before my baby shower.

My sister and I.

Just me & the baby belly

before the shower this past Saturday @ 32 weeks 5 days

30 Weeks.

2011-08-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

The weeks are just flying by.
Feeling overwhelmed by our to do list.
Maybe it'll magically all come together in the just 10 short weeks till my due date.

29 weeks.

2011-08-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

( 24 weeks. Jacksonville Beach, FL)

Today is week 29 of my 2nd pregnancy.

I think I say it almost every day... it's flying by too too fast.

I'm really enjoying being pregnant this time around, sure I could have

dealt without the horrible gag reflex, the 'morning' sickness, the heartburn

the aches... the texas heat.... But outside of those things, I've really loved it.

I love the baby bump. And I love feeling him move around in there.

Maybe it's how long it took to get pregnant this time around that's making me cherish it more...

I had my glucose test a week ago and got the results on saturday... I passed! whoo hoo.

Keep passing me those chocolate chip cookies.

But, they did find that I'm anemic and I need to add in an iron supplement. Easily done.

Names are difficult

2011-08-12T18:12:00.001-05:00

but we've decided!

Hooray!

Photos of me by my husband.

With McKenzie I had her name ready to go for as soon as the sono tech said it was a girl.

(I had absolutely no boy name options, so I got lucky when they said girl :) )

I think boy names are just more difficult than girl names... at least for me.

2nd Annual Road Trip

2011-07-21T15:25:00.002-05:00

to the OBX ( to meet up with David's side of the family for a week at the beach) was super.

We stopped at a few favorites from last year (pancake pantry in Nashville & a favorite vintage store of mine in Florida), but mostly stuck to seeing some new things and stopping in different cities this year.

Our crazy 3 year old did so well, considering the 60+ hours over all, that we were in the car.

Much thanks to the ipad and ipod for endless entertainment.

Obviously I took tons of pictures that I'm still going through...

but here's just a few till I get all the days separated out and choose my favorites.

Lunch stop: The Arcade Restuaraunt. The oldest cafe in Memphis, TN.

We drove the blue ridge parkway. It had been foggy on this morning and then the fog lifted and the sun shone through the trees in a way that was just so breathtakingly beautiful.

Along the parkway we stopped for some canoeing on the lake.
Mine and Kenzie's first time in a canoe.

This field/hill was next to a scenic overlook along the parkway.
Kenzie was in a great mood and did all her little 'cute girl' poses.

I've been basically obsessing over getting some pictures of Miss Kenzie with some hay bales, so when I saw some on the side of the Parkway, not fenced in, I made David pull over.

23 weeks on the beach in Outer Banks.

This one will be framed in baby boy's room.

Kenzie and her cousin having a blast.
Yes, there is a pool right there where David is, but the girls thought the pool was so overrated
once they discovered how fun a bucket filled with water could be.

Cousins & Bubbles.

We visited some sand dunes and Kenzie fully enjoyed it.

hiking back down the dunes.

adorable girls at the beach.

My gorgeous sister in law.

Charleston, South Carolina.

24 weeks in Charleston, SC.

24 weeks Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Lillian, Alabama @ The KOA Gulf Shores/ Pensacola
Playing in the bay.

We left Alabama around 7:30 am.
Stopped at Gulf Shores beach.
Rode on a Ferry.
Made some quick antique store stops.
Ate at a drive in place.
Grabbed delicious desserts at a bakery.
And ended the trip with a dinner at Cracker Barrel.
And pulled in our driveway somewhere around 1am.
Where I remembered how much I love our big king sized pillow top mattress.
It was a fantastic last vacation as a family of 3.

We also visited San Antonio with my parents, sister and brother in law,
the week before we left for our 2 week road trip.
Some day I'll post about that trip as well.
I'm horrible at getting pictures from their little iphoto home to anywhere else.
I've become better at slowly getting some actually printed and framed.
But I have more than I'd like to admit from months and months ago that I haven't even looked through.
Can't seem to figure out how to keep from doing that to myself.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

Parade time.

I love this one David took of us...

More to share. soon.

But now we've got some house projects to work on.

The BIG Sono...

2011-06-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

We're having a ....

(I apologize for my fast moving video... I was trying to catch reactions quickly.)

We had a 'gender' (sex) reveal shindig for our closest friends and family.

Uncle Mikey did the honors of cutting the cake.

(David and I already knew what it was... I just wanted us to find out and have our own moment first and then reveal it)

It was such fun and I'm so glad we shared it with everyone in this way!

Only wish I had known of these parties when I had Kenzie,

but the first time I ever heard of one was when I saw Heather's on her BLOG.

Summer is here.

2011-06-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

With temps soaring to 100 degrees daily.

We're spending a lot of the time in the water.

Multiple times a day.

Our new little pool is my sanity.

She LOVES it & I get to relax.

Win Win.

I also spent this weekend hanging around & in the pool

with a good friend who's headed to England to study for a few months.

Jealous.

Not only will bunches of friends miss her...

Her pooch is going to be very sad without her.

She'll be missed by this little one too.

Her adorable niece.

Pool Day.

2011-06-08T19:01:00.000-05:00

Went with Oma to have lunch and some time at the pool with Aunt Lala.

It was an eventful morning, but once we got out of the driveway it was a lovely afternoon.

I have many favorites to share...

Being 3 is rough. You should take some time to relax.

She occasionally will go under in the bath...

and she thought about it here, but it never actually happened.

Racing Lala. With Oma's help of course.

Oh she makes me giggle and my heart melts.

At a Distance

2011-06-06T20:16:00.001-05:00

An evening tricycle ride with her Daddy.

Check out the other fabulous "At a distance" photos at I Heart Faces

Daddy's are the best

2011-06-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

they teach you how to play ball.

Outdoors.

2011-05-26T15:55:00.001-05:00

She likes to make 'grass angels'.

She loves it out there.

Yellow.

2011-05-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

Check out the other happy yellow photos at I heart faces.

Graduate.

2011-05-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

My beautiful little sister has her masters.

Makes my heart happy.

2011-04-18T09:31:00.001-05:00

I love love love

Spring, Easter, bluebonnets

and these two girls....

My sister in law

Gorgeous.

and my favorite 3 year old, full of attitude and style

I'm still absolutely dying

over this dress.

A birthday present from her 'Aunt' Ro

Kenzie and I both have been impatiently waiting

since January

for the right time to do Easter pictures

...Well Kenzie didn't care why we put the dress on,

she just wanted to wear it very badly almost every day.

and the perfect jewelry for the occasion,

also a bday present from another special person, her 'Aunt' Shelly.

My friends sure do know how to spoil my little girly girl.

(and her girly girl mama... cause lets face it, i love everything she got more than she does)

Surprise!

2011-04-05T17:58:00.000-05:00

It was sort of a surprise

but not really

But I actually really was shocked.

Shocked.

We had been trying for 2 years,

then decided to stop trying...

and isn't that when everyone says that it will happen?

Well, it did....

When we returned from our trip

I was feeling exhausted...

like more than I just spent all day traveling exhausted.

And feeling kind of icky.

4 pee sticks

and a doctors appointment later

it's official....

We're expecting baby #2

My teeny 9 wk baby belly and our little one at 8 wks 4 days.

Our Saturday Evening

2011-04-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

A picnic.

Some tricycle riding.

And a stroll around the neighborhood.

It was perfect.

Love this weather...

2011-03-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

For the last week...

2011-03-23T18:12:00.000-05:00

I hung out with my favorite man...

and we woke up to this....

and watched beautiful sunsets like this one...

We had an amazing early 5 year anniversary trip

(our anniversary is in May) in Aruba, this past week!

And Kenzie enjoyed a week with Oma (who was on her spring break)

and Opa who took some days off work to spend extra time with Miss Kenzie.

We're so grateful to them for loving on her while we enjoyed a little time to ourselves!!

And even though,

The go anywhere, do whatever,

no stroller, no meltdown

(except for the one I may have had on the plane ride out, over leaving my little girl for a whole week, and all the mommy worry that goes with that)

trip was SUPER.

We missed our little girl a lot,

and are so SO glad to be home with her again.

Anything But a Face

2011-03-01T14:49:00.000-06:00

One of my favorites of my daughter and husband enjoying some play time.

Check out the other entries over at I heart Faces.

Happy Monday!

2011-02-28T08:27:00.000-06:00

I used to skip breakfast.

And only have a cola in the mornings.

Breakfast is so good.

(Oh and I've had no cola since Jan. 21st... yay!!)

Kenzie telling a secret to her Uncle this weekend,

while we were all with my parents

celebrating my Dad's birthday a little early.

Slightly random post, I know.

Just wanted to share my favorite things this morning.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

Hubby and I went out for a little just us dinner

on Saturday and beforehand he was nice enough

to humor me with taking some pictures together.

And of course, the other love of my life. The greatest gift I've been given.

My favorite 3 year old...

Hope and your loved ones have a special day :)

The Snow Days just keep on coming...

2011-02-09T11:10:00.001-06:00

As I sit here it is STILL snowing outside.

Big flakes. Swirling around in the wind.

It's been snowing for the last hour and a half or so.
It's built up a lot on the roads and sidewalks,
but I'm pretty sure that at least in our area,
there won't be much to play in this time.

All this snow is crazy.

I almost feel like I don't live in Texas anymore.

These are from last week's crazy snow...

Morning of the day we got about 7in. of snow...

Next day. So glad we went and played in the snow some more at both our parks.

because later on that day you could barely tell in some areas

that we had even had snow.

That's Texas for you.

Kenzie felt it was a little bright.

checking out the half frozen half flowing stream below...

listening to the woodpecker

This girl loves to swing.

Snow 2.

2011-02-04T09:18:00.001-06:00

We've had 4 days of freezing temps.

In Texas, -3 with the windchill is rough.

We just aren't used to that kind of cold.

They weren't predicting anymore accumulation.

But over the late night hours and early morning.

We've had 6+ inches of snow build up on the ground.

And underneath that snow is a nice layer of ice.

I almost busted my rear end out on our driveway.

I think it's safe to say that my cactus isn't going to make it.

It's never too late...

2011-02-01T13:26:00.019-06:00

to share a little about the fantastic workshop I attended in Cali.

I stayed with Julie.

Who was so kind to open her home to me,

chat with me, and even fed me breakfast the next morning.

The workshop i attended?

Put on by the FABULOUSLY talented

Tonya of Tonya Joy Photography.

This woman is just ridiculously talented,

in design, in photography, in life.

She's gorgeous, has one very beautiful family

and she's totally just as sweet as you'd expect.

I soaked in all her awesomeness

and learned so much

about photography and myself.

It was fantastic.

First a styled shoot with a sweet and beautiful family.

Isn't Kelsey stunning!?

In the late afternoon, the sun did not cooperate,

but we had a great couple who totally rocked it for us.

Mallory and Cody were so great.

And I've recently found out that they just got engaged!

So many great deals carried out by Tonya and her talented team!

While I was in Cali, I got to make a few sight seeing stops as well.

Santa Monica Pier.

Next up on the blog... a workshop with AshleyAnn.

I was so spoiled in 2010!

So much neglect.

2011-01-31T18:57:00.001-06:00

My poor blog.

I have neglected it so much.

not on purpose

and not really because

I don't have the time.

Just been putting my time

into other things recently, I guess.

So I wanted to pop in today

and share a few pictures that I took

of one of my very good friends the other day.

Her birthday is today.

And she is a beautiful person

both inside and out.

sweet, caring, hilarious.

Everybody needs a Shelly in their lives.

I made her take some with balloons too

but my hard drive died last night

Luckily I did a back up at the end of December.

And we should be able to recover most of january photos

from my memory cards.

Birthday Strawberries.

2011-01-19T18:44:00.000-06:00

We got chocolate covered strawberries

instead of cake.

They were Delish!

I loved the imprint the strawberry left on the chocolate :)

Three

2011-01-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my baby girl!

I can't believe you're three.

Time has flown so fast... too fast.

You are becoming such a funny, beautiful and smart little girl.

Kenzie: "I'm three!? I'm not two anymore?

Me: "Nope you're not two anymore"

Kenzie: "I'm three! I'm three! I'm three!"

Moments like these...

2011-01-17T12:20:00.000-06:00

I want to remember forever.
I love playing with and chatting it up
with my silly little girl.

This weekend we talked in bed one night,
and I asked what her favorite food was...
Her reply?
"Dessert!!"

The next day she came in and said,
"Can we talk about things?"
Sure Kenzie, what things do you want to talk about?
"Everything! Just want to talk"

She's growing up way too fast.
We had her party yesterday.

She turns 3 tomorrow.
3 going on 13.
I can't take it. My heart can't take it.

But i do love seeing the person she's becoming.
That part is fun :)

Just because...

2011-01-13T16:36:00.000-06:00

My hubby sent me flowers today.

just to say he loves me.

...and yes,

after I thanked the nice lady

who delivered them to my door

and set them on the table

... I did cry.

It was just exactly what I needed today.

First Snow 2011

2011-01-09T16:56:00.000-06:00

Our First Snow in Dallas this year...

I love snow.
Its magical and beautiful.
I'd love to go somewhere and learn to snowboard.

I love when snow comes for a visit.

Kenzie does too.

So much to do

2010-12-16T20:33:00.000-06:00

....so little time.

Um so how is it already December 16th?
Since when are there just mere days left til Christmas?
Why does it always sneak up like that.
I'm hoping to get lots done here in the next few days,
so that I can relax, spend time with my family and
enjoy and remember the reason for this season.

There's so much I haven't posted
& so much I've slacked on.
Shame.

I've gotta get back to addressing Christmas cards.
Get my child in bed.
do another load of laundry.
wrap many presents.
clean up this disaster of a house.
and find some time to sleep.

It's been so long.

2010-12-07T11:07:00.000-06:00

We've been busy.

My almost 3 year old has been crazy. CRAZY.

So I've neglected the blog a bit.

A few weeks ago David called me from work and asked

how I'd feel about going to Florida.

3 days later, we all hopped on a plane for Orlando.

Inbetween David's work schedule we fit in 4 Disney Parks

and Disney Quest/ Downtown Disney.

It was fun, crazy and wonderful.

Watching Toy Story on the plane.

We landed, checked in, and headed straight to our first Disney Park.

We stood in line forever for the Toy Story ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

So worth it. Great fun.

More to come.

I've got to attend to a cute

but very demanding little princess.

Christmas Card

2010-12-03T13:17:00.001-06:00

Merry Blossoms Christmas Card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Thankful on Paper.

2010-11-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

Rachel had a wonderful idea of telling people

how thankful we are for them on paper.

I started with my husband.

He's here around me everyday

and more often than not, I forget to say thankyou

for all the small and big things he does for me and our little family.

I am thankful for the dedication he has to his job,

all the hard work he does to

move forward there.

Which in return is good for our family.

I am thankful for all that he does around the house.

I am thankful for the cooking that he does for our family most nights.

(and yes he enjoys cooking & baking)

I am thankful for the care he gives to our doggies.

I am thankful for the handywork he does around the house.

I am thankful for the help he gives in cleaning

and occasionally doing laundry.

I am thankful for the kind of father he is.

He's a very hands on daddy.

And I know that not all are like that.

I am thankful for him doing his fair share of diaper changing.

I am thankful for the time he gives to our daughter.

I am thankful for all that he does for me.

I am thankful for the support he gives me

to follow whatever dream or crazy idea I may have.

I am thankful for the love he shows me everyday.

I am thankful for his forgiveness and his patience.

I am a very lucky girl.

My little bumblebee.

2010-11-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend with family and friends.

More to come...

as well as a much needed post or two maybe three...

on the awesome photography workshops

that I have had the great pleasure to be a part of.

I soaked in tons of inspiration.

T.R.O.U.B.L.E

2010-10-22T14:22:00.001-05:00

Oh man oh man.

Those eyes of hers.

On my doorstep.

2010-10-13T13:51:00.002-05:00

GOODIES!

They're so lovely,

and I know

that as soon as I open up the pages of either one,

I won't be able to put it down

until I've scoured through it at least two times.

Thanks to my mother in law

for the awesome amazon gift card.

The rest of it is burning a hole in my

'virtual pocket', so more goodies

may be showing up very soon :)

Twenty Seven on the 7th.

2010-10-07T00:09:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday.

I want to celebrate by eating these:

Adorable cupcake pops via Bakerella

too bad that isn't possible,

since I'm the one who makes cupcake pops around here.

And baking a bunch of cupcake pops on my birthday just for me, doesn't sound near

as fun as it would be to bake them for someone else.

Oh but just one of the awesome things to happen during my birthday month?

Bakerella will be signing her new book in Dallas.

SUPER!

And yes you will find me in line. Oh heck yes.

Happy 27th to me :)

I wanted to go backwards starting last year.

And end up being at 21 again for my 30th.

But I'm good with going forward.

I think we better with age.

And I wouldn't want to take back anything.

I like right where I'm at.

It may have been a little bit of a rocky road.

But this is just what God had planned for me.

Looking forward to the next year.

And where he's not only leading me...

but my family as well.

Cheers to that.

A little bit of this. A little of that.

2010-10-01T12:48:00.002-05:00

A shot I got of my sister and Kenzie

at my sister's rehearsal dinner.

Love McKenzie's little pink converse.

Shoes are 10 times cuter when they're tiny.

My sister in law's homecoming is today

and I did the garter and mum again this year.

Next year will be the last one for her, and it's going to be a little sad.

they're the mustangs, so every year I try to do something a little different

using some sort of 'horse type' item on the mum and garter.

Next year Caitie will have a four flower mum....

I think it's possible that she'll tip over from the weight of the thing.

She's a tiny girl.

And for her special boy

who plays soccer and is a senior this year....

We got season passes for the Fair.

Cause we love it oh so very much.

And Hubby actually had to check in with some clients

and make sure things were going smoothly for them, there.

So we were able to go along with him that day as well.

They have different singers and bands who come and perform at the Fair.

Last weekend was Brooke White (former american idol contestant).

I liked her on the show, and I like her even more after seeing her perform.

{This Saturday is the Eli Young Band...

super excited for a date night with my hubby!}

Big Tex.

& crazy Kenzie faces.

We took kenzie on the Ferris Wheel.

She loved it.

And asked to go again when we got off.

{from our Camping at the lake trip awhile back}

We've been thinking about our family vision recently.

What we want for our family.

What our goals are.

Etc.

We aren't sure where God is leading us.

But, we're praying and listening and talking about it.

There are two things I'm positive of and one of those

is that some of it will involve being outside of our comfort zone.

It makes me a little nervous, and I get those little flutters in my stomach

just thinking about what God has in store for us.

In the past I've felt 'not good enough'

or 'not christian enough'

so I feel I've ignored some of the things

I was supposed to be doing.

But, I'm wrestling with those feelings

and working on them.

So that those feelings don't interfere with

what God truly wants for us.

Miss Rea's Birthday Party {The animals}

2010-09-22T14:35:00.001-05:00

Birthday girl.

The mama of the birthday girl, The auntie and the grandma.

The hairiest bunny. EVER.

Backyard Petting Zoo.

2010-09-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

After church and lunch today

we headed to Miss. Rea's birthday party.

A backyard petting zoo, cake and presents.

We all had one stinkin good time.

And by the end of it, I'm pretty sure we all smelled

of sweat and animals.

So worth it.

My crazy face is saying, Hubby please hurry up and take this picture.

This pig is not smiling it is squealing LOUDLY.

And I wanted badly to put the poor thing down, but desperately wanted a picture.

He got some fun ones. :)

Be back with more....

Busy Hands, wandering mind.

2010-09-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

I've started 5+ necklaces

and have now just this morning started 3 pairs of earrings.

I can not seem to focus on just one from start directly to finish.

I somehow got one necklace finished yesterday evening.

And posted in the Stellajade shop.

And this morning managed to make myself focus

on getting just one more to full completion.

Thank Goodness.

And somehow I've managed to get started on 2 more necklaces.

Which leaves me back at 5 still unfinished but in the works.

Maybe I'll focus enough to finish all 8

waiting pieces.

But, odds are I'll start at least 4.5

more pieces before that happens.

Oh and I hate potty training.

Loathe.

The end.

Texas Tornados.

2010-09-08T19:11:00.000-05:00

Kenzie and I waited out the storm

in the closet.

She LOVED it.

So we had some fun...

A tornado hit around here,

but didn't actually touch down

in the city where we live.

So that's positive.

But my husband was sitting in traffic

watching the tornado that touched down.

SCARY. I'm glad he's safe. And I'm glad it wasn't me.

I surely would have peed my pants.

Glad we're all safe, and my family and friends in the area are safe.

But, prayers need to be said for those who were not as fortunate.

Labor Day 2010

2010-09-06T23:21:00.000-05:00

was a fun day that began with

a great time at the Labor Day Parade.

We went to watch my sister in law

march in the parade.

It's fun to go back and see our old

high school bands marching as well.

She made a new friend, who happened to be rocking the same cute little shirt

that we scored at Walmart for $1.

Loving the parade and all her beads.

Solo Road trip.

2010-09-03T17:00:00.003-05:00

A little peek at my

just me, myself and I

mini road trip.

Parts of my trip via my iphone...

I love this kind of ice. But this was NOT a yummy coke.

Something was wrong with it, and I sadly didn't taste before I left.

Hate when that happens.

Yes, I was that girl.

Taking pictures while driving.

The drink picture was taken while at a gas station.

So I wasn't moving in that one at least.

Judge me if you must.

I actually pulled over for this one. The sky was so amazingly beautiful.

This does not do it any kind of justice.

Being by yourself in a hotel room, doesn't leave much room for

exciting things to do...

I had just scarfed down some Delicious

funnel cake sticks from burger king.

Have you had them? SO good. so NOT healthy.

Should have gotten a picture of those yummy treats.

Instead you just get me.

Good morning.

Looked like a big fireball in the sky.

Dinner with the Newlyweds.

2010-08-31T23:55:00.001-05:00

My sister and Michael got back

from their honeymoon last week,

and this past weekend they had us over

to hang out, they made us dinner

and we all played Wii.

It was a great time

and that picture above

is now my most favorite of all of us.

I love the feeling I get every time I've looked at.

At their wedding to end my toast to them,

I said that I was looking forward to

sharing in the next chapter with them,

growing our families and growing old together.

This is the beautiful beginning of that shared part together...

Open again.

2010-08-30T13:54:00.000-05:00

After being closed for several months,

so that I could focus on spending time with my family.

my shop is reopening.

A peek at the pieces being added soon:

Move.

2010-08-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

The church we've been visiting for some time now

is in the midst of some amazing growth

and some big changes.

There has been an awesome series called Move.

The sermon this morning, spoke volumes to my heart.

Now it's just a matter of 'moving' and actually doing the things

I'm feeling led and called to do.

This song ended the service, it's beautiful, a new favorite.

We are your hands and feet.

We are free to change the world.

2 is a messy number.

2010-08-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

Care for a cup of tea?

2010-08-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

Morning Stroll.

2010-08-26T13:44:00.001-05:00

Last week, with the 100+ degree weather

that had been plaguing Texas for weeks

We took advantage of the 'cooler' morning hours

and took a little walk down to our neighborhood park.

Lucky us, it's mere feet away from our house.

Kenzie was sad she couldn't play on the playground

cause the sprinklers were going

but, she soon found happiness in the puddles.

Self Portrait.

2010-08-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

There are rarely photos of just me.
I hide behind my camera.
So I took a moment this week to put myself in front of the camera.
I did my best to pretend like my husband
wasn't peeking through the blinds watching my silliness
and that neighbors who were all out mowing lawns, riding bikes and such
couldn't see me at all.

Beach Fun Photo Challenge.

2010-08-23T17:57:00.000-05:00

I heart Faces

weekly photo challenge.

I love the beach.

And lucky for me we went to several of them

on our road trip this summer.

This one is from when we were in North Carolina
It's probably my most favorite one from our trip of
our little girl.

Check out all the other excellent entries at I Heart Faces.

Bridal Portrait Day.

2010-08-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

We'll start from the beginning

and work up to The Big Day!

The Hair Salon.

workin it.

pretty flowers.

Her photographer is a friend that she met in high school

and attended the same college with & he's super talented.

and no I didn't just take pictures of him taking pictures all day.

I wiped on bug spray, fixed lip gloss, carried the train of the dress around...

you know all of the stuff a good Lady of Honor does. ;)

Got to Wear shades

2010-08-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

I heart faces weekly photo challenge.

This week is Shades!

This one of my little girl back around Easter time.

When we spent the day at the arboretum.

Check out all the other great entries at I heart faces.

Great Wedding Weekend.

2010-08-16T12:20:00.000-05:00

A fun weekend

Celebrating my sister's marriage.

The wedding was wonderful

The bride was gorgeous.

The groom was handsome.

And at the end of the night

we sent them off in style

to their wonderful honeymoon to Cali.

I fell in love with this man

{calling me out to the dance floor}

over and over, all over again

this weekend.

I am a lucky girl.

He is one special guy.

Thank you babe for all that you did.

For the special things you did for Michael

and the help you gave me to make some fun things

happen for the special couple.

You rock my world! :)

THE weekend is upon us.

2010-08-11T14:08:00.001-05:00

My little sister gets married this weekend!

Months ago it felt like we had all the planning done

and the day might never arrive.

But it's just days away... and it feels so crazy that it's here.

I am so thrilled for my sister,

she's marrying a great guy,

she's going to be a GORGEOUS bride,

and the day is going to be just perfect for them.

And it's going to be super emotional for me.

Don't worry though,

I've got plenty of tissues packed

in this 'wedding day kit' bag:

{there's 3 more packages of tissue in the 'hidden' pocket}

I'm finishing up last minute things that I can't quite share yet.

But these are the invites I made for the

bachelorette party this Friday:

And the invites I did for my sister

for the 'thank you for being my bridesmaid' pampering party:

Oh, and Kenzie is the flower girl
(which is going to make me cry EVEN more..gah.)

so she did some practicing this past week

at Oma's house... with ripped up pieces of paper.

And now... it's back to my 'to do list'.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Potty Training.

2010-07-28T12:39:00.003-05:00

After some trial and failure a few months back.

We put potty training on hold.

And we are now on full swing

after getting tips from a few people

I decided to start out trying Megan's advice...

Nakedness.

Last night it worked,

she pooped in the potty

and tried to make it there to pee.

I was proud of her, very proud.

And today...

...naked again.

Only it's not going as well

It's just past noon

and we've had two accidents

she didn't even try to make it to the potty

just stood there yelling "No No No"

as she peed all over the floor.

It's going to take some time, I know.

luckily we've got new

hardwood flooring, easily cleaned

A Craigslist Purchase.

2010-07-27T11:18:00.004-05:00

.the best one I've ever made.

During the process of painting....

Valspar in Mediterranean

Finished.

Best Chairs. Ever.

Chairs: $25

Paint: $15 (two cans per chair)

Total: best $40 ever spent

The maroon chair pads came with the chairs

and were brand new, the owners bought them right before they moved

and then found they didn't have space for the chairs.

The pillows were made by me

and had been just sitting around

waiting for a perfect spot.

and now I just need to find a fun table to replace

the boring white one.

I heart Faces. "Purple"

2010-07-26T11:17:00.001-05:00

This week's theme is the color purple.

And as I thought about it, I remembered

this picture of my little girl on the stairs

in her purple and butterflies pjs.

Check out the other awesome entries

here at I Heart Faces.

A Summery Shower.

2010-07-22T13:41:00.000-05:00

My little {and only} sister

gets married in just a few weeks.

Which makes me all kinds of emotional

just to think about it.

We {the bridesmaids} threw her a shower

a few weeks ago.

{I'm terrible about posting things in a timely fashion}

The invite:

{idea sourced here}

The shower:

{ordered pom poms from this etsy shop}

This was done by one of Elizabeth's oldest friends, Allison.

The picture is one my mom took of Elizabeth and her fiance Michael

at an aquarium on a trip to Virginia.

Isn't it AMAZING!

Playtime.

2010-07-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

oh she is a silly one.

An off kind of a day.

2010-07-19T18:01:00.001-05:00

It's just one of those days.

I feel a bit off...

But here's a little look at what I did this weekend...

Sunset at Hobby Hill

2010-07-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

Scrapbooking weekend with
my lovely friend Shells.

Sunset this evening.
Beautiful. Serene. Peaceful.

A cold day in July.

2010-07-06T01:11:00.001-05:00

Or at least in Kenzie's world.

She could have cared less about

the actual upper 90s-100 degree weather

she wanted to wear her fur lined hooded vest,

and drive her car.

Luckily, we drove indoors.

She looks so much older here.

Makes me sad a little bit.

Freedom.

2010-07-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!

We are so blessed by our freedoms.

I hope I remember that every day from now on.

Not just on a day like today.

Chimney Rock. Summer 2010.

Engagement Session

2010-06-29T10:48:00.002-05:00

A good friend recommended me

to one of her friends.

And on Sunday I had the

privilege of taking Amanda and Derrick's

engagement photos.

Isn't Amanda just stunning?!!

So pretty.

In all honesty, I was pretty nervous.

But Amanda and Derrick were so wonderful.

Couldn't have had a better first couple to photograph :)

I heart faces. "Pet Week"

2010-06-28T13:04:00.001-05:00

It's 'pet week' at I heart faces.

This is my soon-to-be

brother in law's puppy.

Isn't he handsome?

and oh so adorable?!

This is Sammy:

He was a bit unsure about my camera...

check out more of the pets, many who are not camera shy at all, here:

The places we shall go, and all the faces she'll make...

2010-06-25T00:21:00.000-05:00

This little girl warms my heart

and cracks me up.

We took a road trip

these last two weeks

and these are the faces of McKenzie

that I captured the first day.

I heart faces. "Celebrating Teens"

2010-06-22T00:05:00.003-05:00

I've known this teen since she was about 4...

that's when I started dating her brother ;)

She's wonderful with my daughter.

Super gorgeous.

And I'm so happy she's my sister in law.

Meet Miss Caitlin...

and see all the other entries at I heart faces.

Happy Daddy's Day.

2010-06-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

Hubby, you are amazing.

Loving.

Forgiving.

Patient.

Kind.

Selfless.

You are an awesome father,

and it warms my heart

when I watch you with our daughter.

I always knew you'd be great at being a daddy.

There's nothing, not anything more sexy

than the man you love

loving your child

... or your niece.

I loved watching you with these

precious girls this past week.

And I look forward to all the years to follow

watching you be a father.

At the beach..

2010-06-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

there were these adorable little girls:

and my gorgeous sister in law

who was so great with these little girls all week :)

I heart faces. All about Babies.

2010-06-14T17:39:00.001-05:00

Meeting our niece this week has been

one of the great highlights of our vacation!

Here's my shot for all about babies week:

2010-06-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

We're on the road....

at a rest stop, having a picnic:

I finally got to meet my niece, Chelsea.

Us spending time together this morning:

Play

2010-06-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Photo Challenge @ I heart Faces.

Melt my heart happiness.

2010-06-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day we bought a little pool

threw out a blanket and towels and had a picnic.

Barefoot Week.

2010-06-01T21:25:00.001-05:00

This week is barefoot week at

Helping to raise awareness of Soles4souls

Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes free of charge to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently donating one pair every 9 seconds.) The shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States.

My entries for this week:

Happy Memorial Day.

2010-05-31T12:33:00.001-05:00

So blessed by our freedom,

Thank You,

to all who have served or are serving.

a couple pictures from this past weekend

of fun:

The family shower for my sister and her fiance Michael.

Beautiful bride Erica got married Saturday.

Myself, Erica and Alicia.

4 Years.

2010-05-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

Happy 4th Anniversary to my husband!

I am happy to be enjoying each day He has given us

as your wife!

A goody from our San Antonio Trip.

2010-05-26T18:45:00.001-05:00

Couldn't pass up sharing this.

From Sea World.

McKenzie loved this girl

and she loved McKenzie.

I should have got a shot of them together

after she was finished.

Camera Bag Purse

2010-05-25T08:52:00.004-05:00

I loved THIS camera bag

from Epiphanie.

Oh and THIS one too.

I wish they had the turquoise one

with a hot pink interior like the black one.

And maybe for my birthday

they'll be back in stock and someone

nice will gift me one of these beauties.

But for now, I fashioned my own.

I bought a purse that struck my fancy

at Marshalls

Just $24.99

I LOVE the color.

and it has the perfect number of pockets.

plus easier on the wallet

than one of the fancier Epiphanie bags.

Then I purchased some foam & pretty fabric.

$10

Not that I couldn't have just picked a fabric

from my growing collection here at home.

Sewed the fabric around the foam

and ta dah! Camera bag purse. for less than 40 bucks.

(still need to add a divider piece so I can carry an extra lens)

I decided not to stitch it to the lining,

so that I could remove the pieces and use it just as a purse

if I ever wanted.