Kirkland Kountry

To-Do Inspired

2012-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

I have a new friend who I got a GREAT idea from. Cheryl over at http://teamclarktx.blogspot.com/ has chosen to do a very cool idea each month. She chooses, randomly a few things that she'd like to accomplish over the course of a month. It can be a new recipe to try, de-cluttering or redecorating an area in her house, doing something new and fun with her little girl Carly, and countless other things. She calls these things her "To-Do" list. It's a fun twist on the already easy concept of a to-do. There are all sorts of things we'd like to do each month, and then time slips away from us and we pass it by once again. I want to take on this challenge and if you read my blog, then it might be fun for you to take on the challenge too! Since January is already half-way over, I'm only going to choose two "to-do's" and then add more next month. Here are my two chosen activities to complete this month.

1. Take Lainey to the Stock Show and Rodeo in Fort Worth

2. Find at least one master bathroom decoration so I can finally start making the bathroom look like I want it.

If I don't do these two things then they carry over to the next month and I'll have that much more to take on for that month, so I better get to planning!

Half-Marathon Training

2011-12-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

When Laine was born I realized that I probably wouldn't be using my gym membership very often anymore since I wasn't going to take her to a gym daycare or leave her at home with her daddy after being gone from her all day at work, so I had to pick a new workout routine. I tried Insanity about 10 months after she was born and did the whole thing like it said to, but I just didn't like all of the squats and plyo stuff. After I realized Insanity wasn't the workout for me I was on the lookout for something else...

I decided one day to try out running and it was basically no looking back from there on out. We bought a jogging stroller so Laine could go with me and I started running a couple of miles a couple times a week. I think my longest run with her in the stroller was 4 miles. After a few months of running with her, I decided to really take up running and making it my workout. Once Laine was a little older, I didn't feel so horrible about leaving her for a while after work a couple of times a week. I wanted to start running further distances and with the jogging stroller it's sort of hard to run 6 miles, so I would run with her once a week and then twice a week (once on Saturday while she was asleep) I'd make a longer route and try and push my distance. I think my farthest run in the old house was about 7 miles. Once I could run that far with no problem, I decided to register for a 10K. The one that happened to be coming up next was the Cowtown, so the Cowtown 10K it was. You too can re-live that experience by going to this post. When that race was over I told myself that I wanted to run the half the next year, so that puts me up to date with where I am now.

I am currently training to run the 13.1 miles and complete my first half marathon. I can't believe I'm actually doing this, but at the same time I extra excited to check an accomplishment such as this off my "bucket list". Today was an 8.4 mile run and it was very smooth, probably thanks to Mike at Luke's Locker for fitting me in the MOST comfortable running shoes on the planet, the Brooks Ghost III or IIII (I can't remember). I can't wait to share my finish time and experience with my blog readers once this is over. The run is Feb. 26th, so say a little prayer for me that morning that things go well :)))

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Checking out what Santa brought her :)

Jackson's mom and I laughed at this because we asked her to go stand by the tree and smile and she gave us this little sassy pose. Funny girl!

cousins: Jackson, Mason, Kaden and Laine

Enjoying some hot chocolate

Jackson's cousin Dani and her family

Jackson's sister, Kristin and her husband and baby

Jackson's parents, Lainey and Kaden on Christmas Eve

This year Christmas was so fun because Laine really understood the concept of getting gifts and that Santa would come on Christmas Eve to bring her presents. I always build up so much anticipation for the holiday season and part of me is sort of sad once it passes. I just think it's so fun to drive around different parts of town and see the decorations and the mall is always bustling with people trying to get their Christmas shopping done. Even school is fun during the holidays because we're all doing fun holiday projects and decorating our halls for the season. Once that's all over, we're back to the "normalcy" of life and all of the things that come with that.

I wanted to make this Christmas really fun for Laine and myself, so we did some really fun things. We rode the North Pole Express and had a Christmas craft party at our house to gear up for the holidays. I hope to make new traditions next year like maybe paying to go see one of the light displays or go back to Northpark or the Galleria. We normally go to one of those malls during the holidays, but didn't get to them this year.

Christmas Eve is always spent at Jackson's parents' house. Before Jackson's grandma passed away she liked to get together on Christmas Eve and exchange presents and have a big dinner. We just sort of stuck with that tradition because Christmas Eve at my parents' house has never been a huge deal. Jackson's cousin and her husband and boys always spend that evening with us and we play games, eat and open presents. Laine had been sick the night before, but she recovered quickly so she wouldn't miss out on the fun! Normally after we spend the evening with Jackson's parents we go and spend the night with my mom and dad. My brothers are always there and we open gifts the next morning over there, but since Laine is getting older we wanted to start the tradition of them coming to our house and having Christmas morning at home instead. It was nice because we didn't have to pack up all our gifts twice (the first would be his parents' house) and Laine was able to play with her new toys before we we had to get ready and go to our third Christmas. Santa brought her a new table and chairs with new crayons, markers and paints. He also brought her a cute daisy floor pillow for her to read her books on in her room. She loved the items Santa brought her in her stocking and had a blast opening her bazillion gifts! My mom got sick during the night so she wasn't feeling great on Christmas day, but other than that it was a great morning.

Then, we pack up the car with the last load of gifts and head over to Jackson's grandparents' house. His family normally gets there bright and early, but since we spend the morning with my family we get there after they've opened gifts and eaten breakfast. When we got there we exchanged gifts and then hung out and watched Laine dance to Taylor Swift (her favorite singer). Our last stop is always back out to Weatherford to my aunt and uncle's house. Every other Christmas one of my cousin's and her husband go to Missouri to visit his family and this Christmas was their year to be gone, so it was just my family and my other cousin, her husband and their boys and aunt and uncle. It was fun to see them and play a Chinese gift exchange with them. We stayed there til about 6 and then finally headed home after a long weekend of gift giving, eating and spending precious time with family. I hope your family had an amazing holiday and I look forward to great things to come in 2012!

Kids' Christmas Craft Party

2011-12-21T11:51:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the kids making their reindeer food :)

Tree decorating!

I have found such fun things off Pinterest and some of them are crafty activities to do with young kids. I really wanted to have a few mommies/kids over before Christmas to make a few of the fun crafts I found, so I made a quick evite one day at school for this morning and invited some fun girls and their little ones over for a craft party! I wanted to do two things primarily. First, make reindeer food to leave out with the cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. Second, I wanted the kids to decorate sugar cones covered in icing with fun candies. I guess it's the alternative to a whole gingerbread house, which I do want to do but not for a couple more years.

Once all the little ones and their mommies got there we played for a little bit and then half the kids did the first craft while the others were doing the second one. I bought a cheap tablecloth so I could throw it away once they were finished decorating their tress and then the reindeer food I just had the kids do on a blanket and then shook it out after the party. After the first "station" we all ate and the kids played more and then we rotated. I think they had fun, but again some of them are still a little young for crafts. Mainly, it was an excuse to get together before Christmas to play and hangout! I'm so glad to have such fun friends and for all of our kids to be around the same age!!

Toot Toot..Climb Aboard the North Pole Express!

2011-12-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

She's making her star ornament!

Carly and Lainey on the train cart

Here's her bell around her neck that Santa gave her!

Laine and I invited our new friends from gymnastics, Cheryl and her daughter Carly to go with us and ride the choo-choo train in Grapevine called the North Pole Express Tuesday afternoon. I've heard good things about it and thought this year Laine would be interested enough to spend the money and go.

When we got there, I realized I left Laine's jacket at home and the wind chill outside put the temp around 40 degrees! She literally was the only child there with no jacket. I felt horrible. Thankfully the train itself was heated and Cheryl brought blanket just in case. Once we rode the trolley to the train area, the girls got to make an ornament in a heated area. Then, we waited for awhile inside a tent for the stage show to start. Some cute young kids came on stage and did a couple of songs to get the kids geared up for the train ride and then we all boarded.

On the train car there were two elves who were very entertaining. They sang songs with the kids and walked around and asked what they all wanted from Santa so they could report back to him once the got back to the North Pole. Santa himself made an appearance too and gave each kiddo a bell to wear around their necks. Laine loved all of the songs and she kept asking for Santa to come back. It was so cute to see her exicted and am glad we made the trip!

I'm Thankful For..

2011-11-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

A LOT! It's so easy to think of the things we don't have or the places we want to visit, but never go..but this post is about the things I'm thankful for that I do have and for the people who are in my life. These are in no particular order, so enjoy..

1. I'm thankful for my husband who works hard and does his best (most days) to be a loving daddy and husband.

2. My healthy and spunky two year old is at the tip top of the list as well. She is truly a blessing to our lives and I can't imagine my life without her bubbly, independent, loving body!

3. I'm thankful for my precious little family and that we've already in this short time as a family of three have shared so many wonderful memories. It may possibly be that this time next year, we're a family of four!

4. I'm so incredibly thankful for my parents! My mom is honestly the best mother any person could ask for. She loves my baby, loves me and loves the rest of our family so much. I can't imagine my life without her either! My dad is a quiet man, but he loves my mom very much and also loves his children.

5. My job teaching wonderful children is another reason I'm thankful. I teach at a school where the kids value education and truly want to do their best daily. Don't get me wrong, they have their days but overall they're great kids and I really do love going to work everyday.

6. I'm thankful for my brothers. They both have turned in to such great young men and they too have formed great relationships with their niece.

7. Our dogs are like people in our family. They're so loving and the most wonderful thing about them is that they love Laine and put up with her climbing all over them and yelling in their faces. There are times when I want to throw them out back and not let them back in, but for the most part they're good dogs.

8. I'm so incredibly thankful for my in-laws. They are such loving people and would do anything for our family. They love Lainey and it's so fun to see Kristin's little boy Kaden form a relationship with his cousin!

9. I'm so thankful for my wonderful girlfriends. It's so important to have a close group of girlfriends who can trust one another and who are there for each other for whatever the reason may be. I want Laine to see my relationship with my girlfriends and know from an early age, that it's important to form strong bonds with girls who she can trust!

*I can't seem to find any pics on my comp of my wonderful high school friends, but know this particular message if for you too :)

10. I'm very thankful for my extended family as well. We always have such fun together and I feel so blessed that we all love being around each other so much! The only person I could find a pic of was Leah, so everyone else you're included in the message too!

11. I'm so thankful that even at two years old, my little girl LOVES a hobby and school so much already. Gymnastics is something Laine looks forward to each week and it makes me so happy that she loves both of these very important things so much!

12. I'm thankful for MANY other things too: Tristen and her family who have taken Laine in to their family like one of their own. My wonderful team at school that have formed a special bond after working together for years. I'm thankful for my co-workers and for the fact that we all have young kids who get to spend fun play dates with each other in the summers. Im thankful for my life and the people who are in it!!

Boo Bash 2011

2011-10-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

My sweet little family!

Mimi and her bug!

Here's her honorable mention pumpkin!

Laine on the hayride with Mimi

Every year my mom's side of the family throws a HUGE Halloween party at their house in Weatherford. My cousin and her family share land with my aunt and uncle and they have such a great set-up. They have a creek that flows through their property and my cousin's husband, Darryl has built the boys a fabulous treehouse complete with electricity. I know my brothers would've died for a treehouse like that! For the party they had a pumpkin decorating contest in my aunt's art studio, a hayride around their property, a weenie roast in their front lawn and a bunch of yummy Halloween desserts. They also had the kids compete in a costume contest and Laine won second place!! She did look very cute in her Uniqua costume! She also won the honorable mention prize for the pumpkin she decorated. It's quite a masterpiece :)

We had a great time watching all of the fun through Laine's eyes and the majority of what we do during the holidays will be for her. I can't wait to see her trick-or-treat tomorrow night and hopefully she's not too shy when she goes up to peoples' doors to get her candy.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

Laine posing by the cute piggies.

I thought it was funny where these goats were hanging out.

Peeking through the window in the hay-house.

Last weekend my mom and I took Laine to the pumpkin patch off Hall-Johnson in Grapevine. I like this one because it has more than just a bunch of pumpkins. It has a petting zoo, slides for the kids, a few train tricycle things, a hayhouse along with an assortment of different picture taking opps. Just like last year, this year was a tad warm so it wasn't quite as fun as if it were cold. Laine didn't mind though and had a great time running around and going down the slide. We also bought a big pumpkin that we carved on Sunday night with my brother and his girlfriend. I don't have any pics from that though because Laine wouldn't have anything to do with the carving process. She was grossed out by the gooey pumpkin insides and wouldn't go near it. I did get one of her sitting outside with it once it was carved into a Jack-O-Lantern and all lit up. I guess she needs to be a little older to really understand the whole carving concept. Lol.

Lately..

2011-09-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

New house!

Our first house
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We have been super busy around here, but the blogging world wouldn't know because I haven't updated in forever. We are in the middle of moving out of our first house and in to our second and semi-final house. We plan on raising Laine and the next little one, whenever that might be in the new house and sending her off to college from there. I can't believe we actually are moving, but today was a finality. Closing on this house we are currently in was today at 1:30. We are having to lease back from the buyers for 5 days until we close on our new house. I don't think it's sunk in yet, but it's starting to because our house is full of boxes and we no longer own it!

There are a few things we want to do to the new house, but most of it consists of painting. The living/dining room is currently a dark shade of purple, and the den is a tuscan orange color. I also want to add some storage and coat hooks in our new laundry room and change the faucets at some point. The most exciting part of our house is the pool. It's been recently resurfaced with pebbletec finish and converted to a saltwater pool! We also have grass in addition to the pool which is something we would NOT give up. Last weekend we purchased two new couches for the main living area and gameroom upstairs and can't wait to get those delivered. I'm anxious to post pics of the house once we're in and settled. We are so excited to start making new family memories in our new house!!

MDO 2011

2011-09-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Bug and me on her first day of preschool this year!

Here she is with all her gear!

WC and Lainey before class. They aren't in the same room this year, but just down the hall from one another!

Cheesin for me at her little table in her class :)

Here she is walking in to the sanctuary of the church.

Laine started Mother's Day Out again this week at Southlake Christian. I took the morning off so I could meet her teachers and take her on her first day. She was so excited and knew exactly where to go (she went with her babysitter to Meet the Teacher a couple of days before). When we walked in I assumed that her class was on the same floor as her class last year and she kept telling me that we needed to go downstairs. Once I figured out that the 2's classes were downstairs I told her I was sorry and she said, "mommy not listen to Lainey". It was hilarious. When we finally found her room I introduced myself, hung her stuff up and she went right over to the table and started playing with playdough. I was so proud of her but a little sad at the same time because she looked like such a big girl. I hope she felt more comfortable this year since it is her second year at the same preschool! Her new sitter used to be a sub there so it's that she knows many of the teachers and her own children were students of SC before they went to elementary. I can't wait for her to learn new things and enjoy another year at a great preschool!

NrH2O

2011-08-06T19:31:00.001-07:00

Mommy and Lainey!

Going down on her tummy!! What a BRAVE baby!

Mimi and her love bug

Going down the slide alone!

Today my mom and I took Laine to NrH2O in North Richland Hills. My mom wanted to do one last waterpark day before I start back to work in a week. Laine of course had a great time, but mostly wanted to stay in the area for littler ones that had 3 fun slides. She did like the lazy river, because I brought her floaties and she was able to "swim" alone. She's gotten so brave in the water this summer and I'm sure next summer she'll be ready for some swimming lessons :)

We found a good spot on the ground behind some chairs that were in use and we were thinking we'd snag them when the people left. It ended up that we did get the chairs, but then another family that was set up behind us pushed us off our chairs while we were swimming and said that they were already there when we got back. It was really strange, but we just took our stuff and moved to another empty chair. The only thing I would recommend to someone who hasn't been before is to wear your shoes around the park because the concrete literally fried our feet (it could be the fact that it's been over 100 degrees for 30+ days). We had a good time and the best part was when we got home Laine just lounged around for the rest of the night and actually agreed to cuddle with me :)))

Bathroom Remodel COMPLETE!!

2011-08-03T07:07:00.001-07:00

Old paint, brass fixtures and blah decor doesn't do this bathroom much good!

These are the original sinks and brass fixtures. You can also see the peach formica..not very pretty.

New tilework around the tub (no more navy and white) and a new towel rack as well as a fresh coat of paint throughout the bathroom. I am also very proud of my flower arrangement which pulls out the teal color I have going on :)

New cultured marble countertops with molded sinks. We also bought new lighting and faucets that are oil-rubbed bronze.

We have been in the process of remodeling our bathroom since March!! Jackson and his uncle and grandpa completely demo-d and remodeled the tub, floor and shower. The results are beautiful! I don't think I ever posted pics of our bathroom before we started the process, but the original tile-work was navy and white checkered. We also had carpet in our bathroom which dated it significantly! I do however have a pic of our peach formica countertop and brass fixtures to show you :) We are VERY happy with the renovation and hope that the new bathroom that earned so much of our time and hardwork will be just as pleasing to the eye for a new buyer :)

Crafty Crate Seating

2011-07-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well my life has been changed in a wonderful way! Pinterest is my new obsession for GOOD reason! This site has the most amazing inspirations on lots of different types of things. Pinterest allows you to find really great ideas and "pin" them to "boards" you create and name. One of my boards is titled "Classroom Stuff" (unique and original..I know) and I have found some great ideas to add or change in my classroom. One of the things I found (actually Carlie found it and I repinned it on my board) is a type of seating created out of crates, plywood, fabric and batting. You simply cut (well Jackson cuts) the plywood and then use a staple gun to secure the batting and fabric, flip the wood over and presto..You have a seat!! Inside the crate I'll store things used for guided reading in my room!! I am SO excited to get these seats to my room and have the kiddos see them :))) Yay for Pinterest!

Right now I can't seem to get my pic to download properly so I'll post pics later :)

1212 Donna Lane...

2011-07-17T18:38:00.001-07:00

...is officially on the market as of tomorrow morning! We have been wanting to list the house for a few months now, but we were waiting on I guess the "right time". I wrote in an earlier blog that we wanted to be in a neighborhood that has younger families and more amenities and is a little further north. We've decided on Trophy Club and I can't WAIT until we can actually start really looking for our new home. This home will be where we will eventually bring a second baby home to and where our kiddos will grow up! My uncle has a company called netoffer.com and basically it's a site where you can go if you're a business owner and you want to network with companies that may benefit yours OR you can list your house through them. He helped us buy this home and we are excited that he's offered to help us sell this home and buy a new one! If you know anyone who's looking to move to the Bedford area, send them our way ;)

Summer Swimming

2011-07-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

The hostess, Traci and her lil man, William! Thanks Traci for such a fun day :)))

Her parents have a cute little kiddo table with an umbrella that the bigger kids ate at.

Jessica and her son Jasper, Jen and her daughter Sydney and Lauren and Cash

Chan her newest, Micah!

Cash didn't last very long after we left :)

We have done LOTS of swimming this summer, whether it's a a waterpark or a friend's pool! Laine absolutely loves the water this summer and LOVES her floaties. She is so more independent and brave when she has those on. She wants me to let go of her and she'll just splash around on her own with those on. She's also braver about going under water for a second while I'm holding her and is also getting better at kicking her legs to go. Today we went over to Traci's parents' house and had a blast. They have a beautiful home and pool, so it was a lot of fun to hangout there. The kiddos played and swam and then we all ate lunch by the pool. We stayed about 3 hours and when we got home Laine took a 2 1/2 hour nap. I love that we've gone to the pool so much this year and hope to go LOTS more in the next month before school starts!

4 Years!

2011-07-10T19:44:00.001-07:00

LOVE :)

Riverwalk Cantina

On Thursday Jackson and I will celebrate our 4 year anniversary. We've been together for 7 years altogether :) If you know Jackson at all then you know that he's a long shot from a hopeless romantic or even the least bit affectionate. What a lot of people see on the outside is just a big, tough guy who "doesn't care" what people think about him. Part of that is true, don't get me wrong but he REALLY is a caring, loving person who LOVES his wife and baby dearly. I pretty much have to tell him what is "right" and "wrong" to say still, but he protects us and provides for us and if there's one thing I never, ever worry about is his faithfulness to me and to the family he's created. Laine and I love him dearly and are very happy that we get to call him ours :)

Friday night we stayed at the Gaylord to celebrate our 4 year anniversary and it was very relaxing. We laid out by the pool for awhile and then got ready and went to the Riverwalk Cantina for dinner. After dinner we walked around and I showed him the Gaylord...He's only been to certain parts of it. Then we went to the Texan Station and had a couple of drinks...We both looked at each other and decided we were too tired to hang out anymore and it was only 9pm. We went up to the room and rented "Love and Other Drugs" (adorable movie) and were asleep by 11! Ha! It was nice to get away for the evening, but even nicer to come home to our precious, adorable, angel baby! Happy 4 years honey!!

Going Bonkers

2011-07-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

I could only get a pic of Jackson sinc the boys were so busy! He turned 4!!

Saturday Barbara, Kristin, Kaden, Laine and I drove out the Lewisville to attend the Kirkland kids' cousin's kids' birthday (phew). Jackson and Mason are two adorable kiddos and we were excited to go help them celebrate their 4th and 7th birthdays. They had it at this huge bounce house place called Going Bonkers. It was very crowded, but the kids had fun and Laine had a blast in the "3 and Under" area. The had a little trampoline area, a slide and a tunnel for the little ones to crawl through. She had fun singing "Happy Birthday" and of course eating some cake! We don't see the boys very often so it was a good chance for us to see the Morales' family :)

First Movie

2011-07-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ready for "Despicable Me" to start!

Getting antsy and walking around on the stairs towards the end...

Last Friday morning Laine and I went to the movie with Traci and WC. Both of the kids go to Southlake Christian MDO together and at the end of the year the school was doing a fundraiser and offered 10 movies for $5. If it had been any more expensive I wouldn't have purchased the tix, but I couldn't pass up the deal. I know Laine doesn't fully comprehend the movies, but it's fun to get out and do something different every now and then. We saw "Despicable Me" and Laine actually enjoyed it for the most part. She watched intently for about 30 minutes and then got a little fidgety towards the end. Since the kiddos did so well, Traci and I took them over to the fountain after the movie and let them toss some pennies in for good luck ;). There are a few more animated films that I'll take her to see before the summer's over!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Her first time seeing the fireworks show!

This year the 4th was much more fun because Lainey witnessed her first firework show!My mom, Laine, Carlie, Patty, Avery, Josh and myself went to dowtown Arlington's Levitt Pavilion for their firework show on the 3rd. Jackson didn't go because he was still tired from the long drive back from the beach. We had lots of fun listening to the bands and watching the girls dance and play. Their firework show was awesome and lasted forever. Laine wasn't afraid at all and watched the entire thing even though she was up WAY past her bedtime and was exhausted.

On the fourth we went over the Jackson's parents' house and hung out with his family for the afternoon. Because of the burn ban we couldn't light off any fireworks like we normally can out in Weatherford, but we still had a good time and enjoyed lots of yummy food. Jackson's second cousin who I've never met and his wife and kids came over and we all had a great time. They have 6 kids (four are from previous marriages) and four of them were with them. The two girls were really sweet and played with Laine which she loved. Grandma bought a small pool and filled it up for the kids which was a nice way to cool down in this extreme heat :) We are very thankful for the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday for our country and for the fact that we are able to celebrate our freedom. I think about the families who have lost loved ones due to protecting our country and my heart goes out to them on this day! Thank you for everything you do and for loving your country so much that you'll risk your life for us :)

Port Aransas 2011

2011-07-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

On the boat going to St. Jo Island

Beth and me at Bernie's Beach Bar

About to head to the beach

At the marina near the restaurant we ate at the first night

My brother and Beth

View of ocean from our balcony

Pool area looking down off our balcony

A view of the beach near our condo

The bay area coming in to Aransas Pass

Before school was out my mom really wanted to plan a trip to the beach over the summer, so we decided to try out Port A. My brother has been a few times and said that many people consider Port A to have the nicest beaches in TX, so we thought we'd try it out. I'm really glad we did, b/c we had tons of fun. Of course you don't get the beautiful white sand, or the crystal clear water, but you do get the beachy feel and it's fun to just be at the beach. Port A is an island so you have to ride a ferry in your car across the ocean (it's only like a 3 minute ride), so that part was a little scary, but once we saw the island we were super excited. Jackson and I hadn't ever been to the beach together and it was Laine's first time to go too, so we were pretty excited to have our first family trip to the coast. My mom, brother and his girlfriend, Beth came along as well.

We left on Wednesday morning around 6:30 and made it to the ferry at like 2:30, and we stopped at the Walmart in Aransas Pass to get some groceries for the weekend. I think we made it in such good time because Jackson has no fear of going almost 90 the entire way :). We took the backroads so we saw lots of the hill country and some cute little towns along the way. We stayed in some mid-range condos, but they had everything we needed so it worked out. Our balcony looked out to the ocean and was right above the pool area. Once we got our stuff situated, we headed down to the beach. Now, we've been to the beach before (my family), but it has been awhile, so I suppose we also forgot about the necessary things we'd need at the beach. We went down there without any chairs or a tent, just our towels and a few things in a bag (along with a cooler). We figured since we were only going to be down there that afternoon for a bit, we'd wait til the next day to rent chairs. I'm so glad we did the next day though because we would've been miserable sitting on sand-filled towels all day. Thankfully the second day was a bit overcast otherwise we would've needed a tent as well. We spent the entire second day at the beach and had a great time. Laine LOVED the water and was pretty fearless when it came to going in. We rented two boogy-boards too and had a lot of fun on those also. The first night we ate at the condo and the second and third nights we went to a seafood restaurant. On the second night after dinner, my mom and Laine went back to the condo and my brother, his girlfriend, Jackson and I went to a local bar and listened to some good ol Texas Country for awhile.

The last day we were there we decided to go over to St. Jo Island and check it out. The boat that takes you over there only picks you up from the island at 12 and 2, unless someone wants to come over before that. We went over at 10 and when we got there we were pretty disappointed in it, so we were hoping that more people were coming over at 11 so we could go back and not wait another hour. The island was seriously deserted and was actually kind of scary. There wasn't a chance we'd swim in the water over there because there were NO other people and the only people who were there were fishing off the jetty, which meant that fish were around that area. Thankfully others came at 11 and we were able to go back to the main island and spend the majority of the day at the regular beach. Laine by the third day was sort of over the beach and wanted to spend the time we had left after her nap at the pool which was fine because she could splash on the steps and we could sit around and lounge while she did that.

I think some of our extended family is going to try and go back with us next year, so that will be lots of fun. I think we'll make it a yearly trip (along with something else) because it's nice to just get away even if it's not the nicest beach ever...

Daddy, Pop-Pop and Papa Jack's Day!

2011-06-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

The number 1 man and daddy in Laine's and my life!!

My daddy and his kiddos :)

Jacky and his kiddos :)

Pop-Pop and Lainey Bug

Papa Jack and Lainey bug

Today was a celebration for all the dad's that make life so special! Our family had three amazing daddies to celebrate today and we spent the entire day showering them with love! To start off the morning, I went and bought donuts for us and let Jackson lay in bed for a little longer with Lainey while they watched Shrek. Yesterday Jackson and I went to Best Buy to look at IPads but left with a new TV! We about stole the TV and couldn't wait to get it home and replace it with the HUGE outdated TV we've had in bedroom for 4 years. So..Jackson and Lainey enjoyed Shrek on our new TV and Jackson agreed that that could be his Father's Day gift! Easy enough.

Once breakfast was over, I went on a run (had to get it out of the way because of all the food I knew I'd be eating today) and then we got ready and headed to my parents' house. We enjoyed fajitas and chocolate poundcake and watched the Rangers game. Laine had a blast with my brother, Brian's dog, Maggie so we just hung out and watched them play. At about 3 we drove out to Weatherford to spend the afternoon with Jackson's family. We had steaks and baked potatoes and hung out with his family and the newest addition, Kaden Lee. he's growing so big and actually gave me a little smile today :) The day was about showing how much we appreciate our fathers and hopefully they enjoyed their day!!

Changes

2011-06-13T19:06:00.001-07:00

Well the summer is full swing and Laine and I have enjoyed spending every day together doing whatever we want! I am so thrilled to have a job that allows me to spend 2 months with my baby and it is always sad when it ends...This next year will bring some major changes to the Kirkland clan and hopefully everything works out well.

First thing is Laine's babysitter and her family have decided to move back to California. That's where they are from and her husband's job brought them here a few years back. Well, now her husband's job is relocating them back home. Their kids are not thrilled about moving, but they have such a close knit family I know they'll be fine. Plus, they have a lot of family back home so the adjustment might not be so hard. The hard part will be saying good-bye to a family who has become like family to us. Michele's kids have fallen in love with Laine as much as she has and Laine absolutely adores them. When they do leave I'll do a farewell post to her and talk more about her amazing-ness then! Luckily for us I had a parent whose daughter I had in my class this year offer to take care of Laine next year. This family is great as well and the mom, Tristen used to be a sub at Laine's MDO, so it won't be a new face for them to get used to either! They have three kids and the youngest is a little girl who will be in first grade at my school and Laine has actually been to their house to play before and LOVED Kaydee's room, so hopefully she adjust fine. I'm so thankful for the Towle family to have stepped up and offered to keep my angel, but at the same time I'm sad to see the Lewis family go.

Second thing on our change list is that we are really thinking about listing our house and moving further north. When Jackson and I bought our house we fully intended on staying three years and moving and that's still our hope. The district we live in is great, but the elementary that Laine would go to is not ideal in my mind. I also love our neighbors, they're all retired, but all very sweet. I want more for Laine though, so moving is on the "things to do" list. I want a home that is in a neighborhood with young families and either has a pool or an HOA that has community pools. We have a really big backyard and I do not want to sacrifice that, but if we do have go with something smaller I'm ok with it as long as we have jogging paths, parks and a pool in the area. An older home is ok too, but we'd have to get it for a low enough price that the updates wouldn't cost us money we don't have. We've narrowed our search to these areas: Trophy Club, Roanoke and I've actually found some houses in our price range in Colleyville. The only thing we don't like about that is that it's in Tarrant county, the other two are not and the property taxes are higher here. So wish us luck in our house-hunting process!

The third major change that hasn't actually happened yet, but will in the near future is adding to our family of three. We want another baby and have planned on starting to try again for a second in August! It's not up to me how long it takes, but hopefully we aren't trying for months. It took two tries with Laine, so maybe it will not take long this time either. I don't nreally want to have another baby in this house because I don't want to have to paint our guest bedroom blue or pink. I don't think buyers are turned on to baby room colors. If our house sells in the next year then maybe we'll be out in time so that I won't have to paint another room, but we'll have to wait and see. Our family has a lot going on in the next few months and I'm so excited to see what happens!

School Program

2011-05-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tired baby after her performance :)

Laine had her first school program a few weeks ago. Each class came out and performed a cute biblical song and had little dance motions for their songs. Laine was in the youngest class to perform so they went first. Her class sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" and did the hand motions that go with it. She did most of what she was supposed to do, but the music was playing along in the background so it was kind of hard to hear them singing. Both sets of grandparents came to watch the little angel do her thing!

Easter

2011-05-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

This year we had a few celebrations for Easter. First I took off to go to Laine's Easter egg hunt at her school. It was rainy that day so we the hunt was moved in doors, but the kids didn't know the difference and had fun anyway. Laine acted like she'd hunted for eggs a million times because once she figured out they were placed strategically on the pews she started bull-dozing through them and putting them in her basket. I think she ended up with about 15 eggs while most of the other kids got 5 or so...She has her dad's competitive nature for sure!

Then, the day before Easter Carlie, Patty, Avery, my mom, Laine and I took the girls to Pantego Bible Church for the Easter festivities. We let the girls play some games, eat a hotdog, get their faces painted and then hunt for eggs again. We didn't expect to do all the things before the hunt, so it was a nice surprise to be able to let the girls have some fun! There were SO many kids who hunted in the girls' age group so we were plastered up against the fence waiting to be able to go hunt in their fenced off area and that part wasn't too fun. Moms were pushing their way to the front while dragging their kids behind them. I guess you can't always guarantee kind Christian people even at a church event!

On Easter we had both sides of the family over to watch Laine do a third hunt in our front yard. The Easter bunny came that morning and brought her some goodies and then we let her go hunt for the eggs he hid once all the family was there to watch. We had a good lunch and just laid low the rest of the day! Fun times and hopefully I'll be big and pregnant next Easter :)

Babysitting

2011-05-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Jackson and I offered to keep Michele and Stewart's kiddos while they went to the Kenny Chesney concert at Cowboys Stadium. We went and picked the kids up and brought them back to our house so they could put their stuff up and see the house. Then, we took them to Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then to Main Event for some bowling and games! We had so much fun bowling..Jackson and Madie about tied (Madie just had bumpers to help her out alittle). Then, we bought them some game tokens and let them play while we chased Lainey around. After they got some prizes with their earnings we brought them back to our house and watched and movie! It was a lot of fun and I hope we get to spend more time with them this summer!

Lainey's 2!

2011-03-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Mimi and Bug

Laine turned two on March 11th at 4:07 am. I thought 4 in the morning was a tad early to start celebrating, so we waited until I got her up for school and continued celebrating until Sunday night! I decided to not take off on her actual birthday, because I had the whole next week of for spring break. Instead, I bought iced sugar cookies and Laine's sitter Michele brought her to school in her "2" shirt so we could celebrate with my class. We all sang her happy birthday and ate cookies. Then, after school Jackson and I took her shopping at Toys R Us for something. We decided to just get her this pink pushing lawnmower and we're going to order a mini trampoline soon. After dinner, Jackson went home and Laine and I met my mom over at the Carter's store so we could buy her a few spring clothes and kill time until we were supposed to meet Carlie, Patty and Little A for dinner. After our shopping spree, we headed across the street to Red Robin for a some yummy fries and fun! Laine LOVES fries so we thought that would be a fun place. Let me cut in and add that my mom and Laine share a birthday, so it's even that more special! My mom also loves Red Robin, so it worked out well.

Saturday, I got up early and got my hair done and then came home and then hung out for the afternoon. That night, we went over to my parents' house so we could celebrate Laine and mom's birthdays again. My brother grilled some wonderful tenderloin and my mom made a twice-baked potato casserole. One of our favorite desserts is Black Forest Cake from the Swiss Pastry Shop, so my mom got one and had it decorated with, "Happy Birthday Bug and Mimi". It was so cute! After dinner, we let my mom and Laine open gifts. I did a basket full of goodies for my mom and my brother's girlfriend and parents gave Laine some gifts. She got an adorable outfit from Baby Gap from Beth and my mom gave her some clothes from there too. She also got her a new rocking chair, baby bed, easel and a Little People dump truck! She's quite the spoiled baby.

The next day was Laine's birthday party at Gymboree and we had a great time. There were probably about 50 people in there who came to help celebrate Laine turning 2, but it was comfortable and everyone loved watching Laine have so much fun. My mother-in-law has been taking baking classes recently so she made Laine's cupcakes. She and Aunt Becca slaved in the kitchen for about 24 hours to get them iced and baked in time for her party. We are so thankful for your hard work! They were delicious. They baked them and then added some pudding in the middle for some extra gooiness! Everyone Laine loves came to her party and it couldn't have been any more perfect. She is such a loved little girl and we feel blessed beyond belief to have such an amazing little girl. We love you to the moon and back, Laine Elizabeth!

Japanese Gardens and Trinity Park Train

2011-03-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today turned out to be a very special day. I have been keeping up with a darling couple who recently lost their baby girl, Maddie. She was 4 months old and she just stopped breathing at her sitter's house one day and never woke up. Her mommy is a teacher just like me and both mommy and daddy are heartbroken to say the least. I didn't check her blog this morning, but I just did and the post was very fitting for what we did today. She asked that today mommies and daddies take their sweet beloved angels to a park and play in remembrance that today marks the one month anniversary since Maddie went to live with Jesus, and that's JUST what we did today. The only difference is it was my mom and me instead of Jackson and me (he's currently remodeling our master bath..that'll be a WHOLE other post).

My mom and I drove to Fort Worth to take Lainey to run around the Japanese Gardens. It's SUCH a great place for kids to just run and play, pluse it has a very tranquil feel to it. We fed to Koi fish and looked at all the beautiful plants, and all the while without knowing it we were honoring an angel above, Maddie. After the gardens, we drove across the street in just the knick of time to catch the train that goes from Trinity Park to the zoo. Laine had such a blast riding the train! We got to see turtles sunning and kids waving once we got closer to the zoo. What a great way to spend such a beautiful day and it's very fulfilling to know that we were having ALL that fun in honor of sweet baby Maddie.

Kristin's Baby Shower

2011-03-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend a few family members and I threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Kristin who is having a baby boy in April. We had a great turnout and she got some really cute stuff. I decided since I was in charge of getting the cake that instead of a cake, I'd order cakeballs from a girl that Jackson was good friends with in high school. She has a great site on FB called "Have a Ball, Cake Ball" and the cakeballs turned out fabulous! Baby Kaden got some cute stuff and she has another shower in a couple of weeks so I'm sure she'll get even more. Pray for her though because she's about 32 weeks and went to the doctor today because she was contracting. Thankfully they were just Braxton Hicks contractions, but she is on bedrest for 24 hours. I'm so excited to meet my nephew in a few short weeks!

Cowtown 10K

2011-02-26T07:29:00.001-08:00

Today was the Cowtown 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon! Well actually the last two are tomorrow, but the 5 and 10K's were today. I ran in the 10K and it was SO fun. I've been running for about a year now and am slowly training for a half. I'm sure if I had been really training I could've done the half today, but teaching and being a mom sometimes gets in the way :) My longest run was 8 miles and people say that if you can do that you can do a half, but I didn't want to chance it. I plan on running in a half in the next couple of months because after that we want to start trying for another baby! The run was really pretty because we ran through some really nice neighborhoods and next to the Trinity River. I finished the 6.3 miles in exactly one hour! I wanted to come in under an hour, but I guess right at is fine too. It was a great accomplishment considering over a year ago I couldn't run 2 miles without stopping. I look forward to running a half and then doing the half Cowtown next year!

Interviewing Lainey Bug

2011-02-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from Paige Walker to interview Laine on some questions that would be easy enough for her to answer. She'll be two in less than a month and I have never done an interview with her before. She says TONS of funny stuff daily, so I went ahead and got some documentation of some of it.

Ok..

Me: "Laine, what's your favoirte color?"
Laine: "blue" (until recently that's the only color she'd acknowledge)
Me: "Laine, what's your favorite drink?"
Laine: "tea" (she's only had tea at my mom's house and yes she LOVES it)
Me: "Ok, what's your favorite food?"
Laine" "ice seam" (ice cream, true).
Me: "What's your favorite animal?" Thinking she'd say, dog I was ready for her answer...She ended up answering
Laine: "Aunty Shell" (her sitter)

Silly girl! I love her so much and I'm going to make a better effort of interviewing her more often!

ASI Gymnastics

2011-02-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here she is at the end of her class waiting to get her completion sticker!

I've been waiting for this moment since Lainey was born! We finally got to take her to gymnastics. I checked around and litened to some reviews and figured out ASI would be a great place to start Laine in gymnastics. They have a toddler class for 2 year olds that sounded perfect. Today we went for our trial class and once things slow down a bit around here, I'm going to enroll her for sure. It's very well structured and the teacher was very patient with the little ones. They got to swing into a foam pit, jump on trampolines, slide, do a circuit thing with forward rolls and handstands and dance and sing! The time was just enough and the price couldn't be more cost effective! Gymboree was fun last summer, but I think she's ready for a more structured learning based sort of class. For the most part she really listened and did what she was asked..Of course she wanted to play on things she shouldn't and run from me at times, but overall she did great. I hope gymnastics is something she grows to love, because it was always so fun to me!

Snowed In..

2011-02-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

Well for memories sake I'm going to detail this post to the "t". It all started on Monday night when the lead teacher on my team called and said school was cancelled for Tuesday!! It was about 10 pm and I did what some call a "happy dance" and went to sleep. When we woke up the next morning the outside conditions were not so great to say the least. Jackson didn't even have to go to work. The ice was coming down pretty thick and it was clear that school wouldn't be in session the next day. During that first day, Jackson, Laine and I went on an adventure to the mall. It was a ghost town because there were only about 5 stores open in the whole mall. I did however get Lainey some cute sale stuff at Baby GAP. Sure enough that night, Melinda called again and the "no school" phrase came out of her mouth. I was looking forward to staying home again the next day, but was for sure that we'd be back in class on Thursday. I got pretty bored, so I made some sugar cookies which I never do because I am such a stickler about counting calories, but these past few days I've kind of given up on that. When the call on Wed. night came and Melinda said we'd be out of school for a third day I got sort of panicked. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying home with Laine but the teacher in me started to show and I was beginning to wonder how we'd make up all the missed work. Thursday, Laine begged for me to take her somewhere so we went to pick up my sister-in-law's baby shower invites and to Walmart. The streets really didn't seem all that bad and I was certain we'd be back in school the next day..Until I came back home and watched the weather forecast for Friday. The weather said that we'd be getting around another 2 inches of snow throughout the night but no more than that. Well, what a wrong statement that was! I woke up that next morning, looked out the window and automatically knew that we go more than 2 inches. The pics will show just how much we did get and at 7:30am it was still falling. The snow continued to fall throughout the day and Laine and I couldn't wait for Jackson to come home so we could go out and play in it! Snowstorm 2011 definitely followed in the same footsteps as Snowstorm 2010!

Fort Worth Stock Show

2011-01-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Haley with Lainey petting her cows!

I thought these little guys were pretty cute! I love the one of him drinking from his water bottle!!

Laine and Avery riding the ponies.

This mama had just had her baby when we walked by! It was so sweet!!

Saturday the Lewis', Patty, my mom and us decided to take the girls down to the Fort Worth Stock Show. It was a really fun time because the girls were old enough to really enjoy the animals and all the fun activities they had for kids. Haley Harris was out there with her high school kids getting ready for the show today and she took us to where her cows were so the girls could pet them. It was great to see her and she was really cute with the girls. We walked through the pig and sheep barns before we went and stood in line, but never made it to the front of the petting zoo. We thought it would take forever, but once we got out of line and waited for Haley to meet us we looked back and noticed the people behind us had made it to the front..oh well, next year. The girls were very good and they were interested in looking at the livestock. It started to get pretty chilly by about 5:45 so we went ahead and called it a day, but for sure next year we'll go out there again just a little earlier!

Modeling Gig

2011-01-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Carlie and I took the girls over to Paige Walker's house for a little modeling shoot. She got together with a hair boutique called, Bambaroos and they sent her tons of hairpieces to model for her Etsy and FB site. It was so fun because we took tons of outfits and got to pick out cute headbands and hats with big flowers for the girls to model. One of the segments, A and Laine got to wear matching outfits and similar headbands and were pictured together. Laine did pretty well, but we did have to take frequent breaks so she could go see the dog or play in Blake's room. Blake was very generous to allow Avery and Laine to play in her room while we were there. Paige has so many fun backdrops and props that I think the pics will turn out great! I'm not sure when she'll have them posted on FB, but as soon as she does I'll get them on here!!

Avery's 2!!

2011-01-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

Carlie and Josh had Avery's 2nd birthday tonight at the Little Gym in the Highlands. It was a lot of fun and of course Gracie look precious. The girls who were in charge of the party did a good job of entertaining the little ones and Lainey really liked all the activities. They played a game with a parachute where the sung the "Wheels on the Bus" and had the kids sit in the middle of the parachute. The parents held the outer part and did different motions with the different verses in the song. Laine just watched and sat real quietly while we sung, it was very cute. Laine would watch what the bigger kids were doing and then she'd try to mock them, but usually she'd just end up screaming and running around. We're thinking about having Laine's 2nd birthday at Gymboree and hopefully it's as much fun :)

New Years Eve/Day 2011

2011-01-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

This year for New Years we actually went out..Carlie, Josh, Jackson and I went and ate at Sushi Axiom in Forth Worth and it was delish. Then, we went to a low key bar for awhile and enjoyed ourselves. We were home by midnight and actually left Fort Worth around 10:30, but hung out at Josh and Carlie's until the ball dropped. We figured that next year both of us might be pregnant again and then after that it's going to be difficult to get a sitter for two babies. Our moms both watched the girls and we decided to go out and enjoy the night!

Then, New Years Day we went over to my parents' house and ate a delicious meal with black-eyed peas of course. It was nice to be able to relax and not have to cook. Both of my brothers were there and we brought the dogs so they didn't have spend the first day of 2011 in the backyard alone :) Happy 2011!

Cookie Decorating!

2010-12-20T18:12:00.001-08:00

Sunday evening, Jackson, Laine and I went over to Michele and Stewart's house to decoate Christmas cookies. The recipe we used is one that my mom and mammaw made when my brothers and I were little. I remember them being SO good and I couldn't wait to make some with Laine this year. When I told Michele about the recipe and how fun they are to decorate we decided that her kids would enjoy it too so we all made them together! It was a blast and Laine actually painted some and played around in the powdered sugar.

Of course it got old to the kids after about 2 batches of painting, so the adults were left to paint about 12 batches! I remember that being the case when we were little..My mom and mammaw would have to paint the remaining cookies that we lost interest in. After the kids stopped they all (including Laine) went upstairs and played in their media room (which right now is one big cushion because of all the couch cushions and mattresses in there. Laine held her own. Her daddy wasn't far away playing shuffleboard with Stewart, so I knew she'd be fine. I would come up every now and then and check on her and she'd be jumping around on the cushions like the big kids! We LOVE hanging out with the Lewis' and can't wait for next Christmas to do it again :)

Laine's Christmas Party!

2010-12-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

She's taking a break from her book to help a buddy read his :)

Today I took off a half day to go to the Christmas party at Laine's MDO. The party wasn't until 1:30 so another teacher at my school who has a little boy in Laine's class went and enjoyed Corner Bakery and then shopped around a little until the party. When we got there all the babies were still asleep so we waited for their teachers to turn on the lights and music before we went in. Laine was up instantly and dancing before any of the others had even opened their eyes..Go figure.

Once they were all awake, they enjoyed some cookies (well actually Laine enjoyed 4 cookies) and a juice box. Then, they had their book "gift exchange". Most of the kids wouldn't go up and choose their own book, but of course Laine would. She picked a really cute Curious George book that we actually read tonight before bed :) We then said Merry Christmas to her teachers because today was the last day of school until the new year! I'm so glad I decided to enroll Laine in MDO, she LOVES her teachers!

ICE...

2010-11-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas :)

One of the only times Laine walked in the whole exhibit.

I managed to snap a few pics of the Charlie Brown characters.

Her face pretty much sums up our trip.

Brian and his adorable girlfriend, Beth.

This year my family wanted to all go to ICE at the Gaylord Texan, so Friday morning I called and made reservations for the 4:00 show. The lady on the phone said to arrive about 45 minutes early to insure parking time and getting our tickets from will call on time. We did as she said and were ready for the show at about 3:50. Thankfully we didn't rush because the 3:30 show was running late and we didn't get called until about 4:15. We then waited in what would be the first of about 6 different lines. Let's have a quick backflash to last year...Jackson and I went to ICE with some people from his work and we honestly bought tickets and walked STRAIGHT in to the exhibit. Back to the now...Once they called us in to the first line, we waited about half an hour to walk in to a second room where they made us watch a video about how the exhibit was made...That was all great and then they had us stand in another line to get a parka. It seems like this would have taken about 10 minutes, but instead it turned in to another hour long wait. Now it's about 5:15 and Laine understandbly is getting hungry, tired and BORED! She did really well given the situation. Once we got our parkas, we waited in another..wait for it..LINE! Now it's about 5:30 and everyone is pretty much ready to get out of there. We finally made it in to the exhibit..

Once we were inside, Laine was crying because the parka they gave her was made for an 8 year old, it was really loud because of the generators keeping the ice frozen and don't forget we've been waiting in line for about an hour and a half now. As we make our way through we were literally standing on top of other people. At one point two men got in a fist fight over God knows what and Laine now was pretty miserable and her hands were bright red because they were so cold. We made our way through and towards the end the people were more spread out...although there were still LOTS of them around so Laine chilled out a little and we tolerated the rest of the experience. I forced her to go through the doghouse so I could get a picture of her pretending to have fun, but really we all just wanted to make our way out the door! Our lesson we learned was absolutely, under no circumstance would go to another ICE exhibit as long as we live the day after Thanksgiving..

Thanksgiving Feast!

2010-11-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

The only two pictures I could get her to half-way smile for are the two below...All the other ones she looked really mad in..

Today my mom and I went to Laine's school for their annual Thanksgiving feast. I took the day off and my mom took a long lunch so we could be there with bug! Jackson ended up having to work so he couldn't make it. I took her at the normal time and then went and did some shopping...ALONE! It was very nice! Then, we met at her school and walked down with her to the auditorium to enjoy a nice lunch. Laine was beyond excited to see us walk in her classroom. I of course already planned on taking her with me after the lunch, but even if I hadn't I wouldn't have been able to leave her because she clung to my mom or me the whole time. It was nice to talk with the other moms of kids in her class since Michele is normally the one to take and pick her up. She's almost been in school for one semester and as far as I can tell her teachers love her and she loves her teachers!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T17:50:00.001-07:00

Aunt Marti's house for Halloween party!

This year Halloween took on a whole new meaning. Laine is old enough to enjoy more of the festivities and that makes celebrating holidays so much more fun. A couple of weekends ago, my mom and I took Laine out to my cousin's and aunt and uncle's houses in Weatherford where they had a Halloween party. It was the weekend when it stormed so much and we thought we weren't going to be able to have the party. Some of the outdoor stuff had to be cancelled, but they still had lots going on. Laine and my mom went on a hayride, while I got to stay back and enjoy a cold beverage. I didn't really feel like getting on a tractor full of rowdy boys, but my mom was all for it! We also judged a pumpkin decorating contest and ate some yummy food.

Then, this past weekend for Halloween we went over to Josh and Carlie's for a party. Their neighborhood put on a little parade and had some kiddie games around the pond for the younger ones. Laine and Avery got to pick a duck out of the play pool and win a prize and then they dug for "treasure" in a sandbox. They had a blast and it was fun to watch. After we went down to the pond, we took the girls back to get drinks and then we headed out to a few houses to trick or treat. Laine was a little unsure of going to people's doors and asking for candy, but if I was with her she did it. It was funny because she would only whisper "trick or treat" and "thank you", so people could barely hear her. She's a funny girl. When we were finished at their house, we took Laine to a couple of houses on our street and then called it a night. We bought candy to hand out, but didn't even get to do that because we didn't come in until around 7:30 and I had to bathe and put Laine to bed. Not to mention, our front porch light went out the night before and I didn't tell Jackson until we were on our way back in to our house...He wasn't too happy about that. We had a great Halloween and can't wait for more holiday fun!

JDRF Walk!

2010-10-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

All of us (minus Jackson who was the photo taker and Michele's mom)

Lainey waving on the walk.

Laine and her friend, William. His mommy and daddy were there in support as well.

This is Marissa (holding the sign) and her friend Claire on the walk.

Close to two years ago, my family became instant friends with the Lewis family. It all started when the nurse at my school was talking with Michele Lewis about how Michele wanted to watch a baby. When I had Laine, Nurse Jennie told me to call Michele and see if she was still interested. When Jackson and I took Laine over there for the first time, the whole family was there and they all seemed so nice. Since then, we have been great friends. Not only does Michele watch our precious Lainey everyday, but her third child Marissa is in my class this year.

Riss and Madie are their two middle children. They look so much alike, but couldn't be more different...Except for one thing. Both of these beautiful girls struggle with a disease daily, Diabetes. They were diagnosed within one year of each other and each time was a huge devastation to their family. They each have Type I Diabetes, which is the most serious type. Their bodies depend on insulin to survive. Our bodies naturally produce insulin, but for them to get the needed amount, they have to have a continuous insulin drip. Every time they eat, they have to "bolus" for their meals. This means, they have to add more insulin to their bodies so that the sugar in the foods do not send them high or low. It's a VERY confusing disease and to watch these girls know exactly how to work their pump is amazing to watch. There's no doubt that they struggle and at times feel like their disease is taking over, but with the support from their friends and family, they're able to manage it. It won't ever go away, but as they get older the disease will be more predictable and less threatening.

That's why we were so honored that they asked us to walk with them today. Their family donates and helps raise money for the JDRF because about 90% of their donations go to reasearching ways to cure the disease. Michele made t-shirts that say, "Sassy Sisters" and we all met at Trinity Park this morning to make the 5K walk. It was so fun to see Riss and Madie on the weekend and we will for sure do the walk with them each year here on out! We LOVE you Lewis family and are so blessed you're in our lives!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today Jackson, my mom and I took Laine to the pumpkin patch in Grapevine. We went to two last year, this one and the one in Flower Mound and decided with Laine not even two yet Hall's was much more age-appropriate. They have great picture spots and a cute little hay house with a maze. The admission is free with the only cost being the pumpkin you can opt to buy! We got a pumpkin and I want to let Laine paint it! The only downside to the pumpkin patch today was the fact that it was almost 90 degrees! We were talking and last year only one weekend earlier it was very chilly at the patch! My brother was in town and we were in our fleeces and Laine had on a beenie! I wish it were chilly like that today, but we had fun anyway! After we took pics we took her up the hill to the petting zoo. She LOVED the goats and chickens. She would go around waving her arms like she does when she gets excited! I just love that little girl so much and can't wait for more holiday fun!!

Hello Blog World...

2010-10-08T18:52:00.001-07:00

I've been out of the loop this school year because we've been SO busy! School itself is great but I feel like any time I'm home I'm spending it playing with Laine or cleaning. I really want Jackson to cave and let me get a cleaning lady at least just twice a month. I really think it would help just because I wouldn't be stressed out by the middle of the week because my house is a mess. Laine has been adjusting well to MDO and I'm glad because I hate thinking about her not liking it! She makes precious crafts each day and just looking at them make me smile. I imagine her little hands working so hard to make her craft look good. She's doing a lot lately like: singing and dancing, waving to EVERYONE she passes, saying lots of words and starting to put two word sentences together. The latest is "I see" and "all gone". She also loves to look at planes and trucks and cars...Hmmm..Isn't that what little boys are interested in? Haha. We went for her 18 month check-up last week (even though she's almost 19 months) and she was in the 70% for height, 30% for weight and 85% for head circumfrence.

We don't go out much on the weekends unless we are going somewhere with Laine just because we already spend lots of time away from her during the week. This passed weekend we went to Jackson's aunt and uncle's house for a fish fry because they renovated their house in Ft. Worth. It looks really good and most of it was done themselves. We have a one year old birthday party to go to tomorrow, so that will be fun and Laine LOVES birthday parties :) I can't believe in a few months I'll be planning her second!! See...our lives are not very interesting right now. Hopefully with the holidays coming up I'll have some good pics to add and things to blog about!

Grapefest 2010

2010-09-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

In front of the Gaylord Texan stage.

Carlie being silly at Tap-In!

Jackson and I went to Grapefest with Carlie and Josh this past weekend. We met up with a guy Jackson works with and his wife, Brian and Courtney and had a great time. We walked the entire strip and there were millions of people there. Originally, we thought about bringing the girls out there with us and we agreed that that would have been a horrible idea. All the kids we saw out there were either crying or whining and you could tell the parents were NOT enjoying themselves. Our little ones were with their grandmas and inside a cool house and that's where they needed to be. We then found the Gaylord stage and watched an AC/DC cover band, who were actually pretty good. After that, we walked down the strip again and stopped in a bar called, Tap-In and had a couple of drinks. They had a band in there too and we listened and watched people dance. At about 11, we were all tired and ready to get in our beds! Wow, times have changed for sure. We had a great time though and it was nice to have an evening out with friends!

18 Months!

2010-09-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Carlie did her 18 month pics at this spot near our houses and they turned out great. I'm waiting for the CD, so I can get some prints of her cute little self!

Laine turned one and a half on Saturday, September 11. I can't believe how fast she's growing and that in another couple of months I'll start the planning for her 2nd birthday! I don't even know if I can handle that right now! I say this every month, but she is just a joy to have as a baby. Honestly, she has something about her that sort of sucks you in and you just immediately fall in love. The ladies in the office at school just LOVE her and they say it brightens their day when they see her. Thankfully, she's at school often and I get to see her smiling face too! I'll take her to the store and people just stop and comment on how cute she is or whatever she's doing is adorable or funny. She loves to push the grocery cart at the store and people think that is hilarious. Most babies ride in the seat of the cart, but Laine isn't too interested in sitting and looking around. She needs to be helping me by pushing the cart. Really all that does is slow me down, but it keeps her smiling so I do it :)

She will TRY and mimic words we say and sometimes does a great job at it. Other times, I look at her and really have to think about what she's trying to tell me because it doesn't sound at all like what she's trying to say. She doesn't do a whole lot of two or three word phrases yet, but she's starting to. She does, "thank you" and "pop pop", but not really two different words like a simple sentence. Until she's two, they still consider her a preemie though, so really right now she's like an average 16 month old. She's still a great eater, although at MDO she doesn't eat a whole lot. I'm sure once she's more comfortable there she'll show them what a great eater she is!

In the fall, I'm going to enroll her in her first 'tumbling' class and I can't wait to see her little body try and balance and do front rolls and stuff. I've looked in to a few places and think I might try to local rec center first. Lots of places don't actually start classes until they're 2 years old, but the rec center has a class for 18 month olds, so I might try. If I wait until she's closer to 2, then maybe the 'real' gym will enroll her since she's so close. If I want a cordinated, cheerleader type then I have to start her early :) I have SO many dreams and ambitions, as do all moms for her and just can't wait to see what kind of little girl she grows to be!

Angel Baby's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Lainey Bug started preschool today and I was very anxious to see how she would do. Her sitter, Michele is SO wonderful and offered to take and pick Laine up from MDO while I was at work. I wanted to give Michele some free time during the day since her 4 kids are all in full day school this year. I know she LOVES keeping Laine, but she also wants to do some things for her kids' schools and for the foundation that they donate to for her kids' Diabetes. I had heard great things about Southlake Christian preschool and decided to enroll Laine back in early summer. One of the other teacher's at my school's baby goes there and she's heard great things about it too. When I toured back in July, I really loved it and loved the director so wanted to get Lainey on the list ASAP.

There are 8 kids in her class and she is one of only 2 girls. Right now she has no idea what the difference is, so it's fine that she's outnumbered. Jackson and I took off this morning so we could take her on her first day and meet her teachers. Michele met us there so she could meet the teachers too and see where the school was. We walked in and all the parents and kids were waiting in the foyer until we could get to the classrooms. It was VERY weird being on the parent side of the "first day" and I sort of felt out of place. The teachers were all out of their rooms greeting us and guiding us down the hall and it really made me realize how MUCH my parents just want the best for their students. Once we reached her room (she's an elephant by the way) the split door was closed on the bottom and we were to just hand over their stuff and then pass the kids over as well. It's the most logical way to make sure parents don't linger around forever, but it was also hard to just pass her off. Once she was in the room, I told her I loved her again and she just nodded her head like, "ok, mommy..bye bye". We stayed around for a few minutes to watch what they all did and she mostly sat down in the chairs and watched. The teachers did get out some colors and paper and she colored for about 2 seconds and then lost interest. We left around that point, but I could've stayed and watched her all day. Michele took me to Starbucks and we had coffee and talked until I had to be at work at 11:30. I think next week, she'll be a little more hesitant of going but then she'll LOVE it.

Claire's First Birthday :)

2010-09-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

One of my good teacher friend's baby had her first birthday party on Sunday and Laine and I were excited to celelbrate with them. Chantelle stays at home now and keeps another one of our teacher friend's baby so we don't see each other all too often anymore. Claire is so sweet and was such a good baby throughout her whole party. Chantelle had good food and some fun games for the older kids while the younger kids ran around and played. Claire's smash cake was very cute (I didn't get a single picture because I forgot my camera) and she did a good job of digging in. It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends outside of school and we are talking about another "Mommy Night Out" very soon!

Lightcatcher Winery and Girls Night

2010-08-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday night my mom, Laine and I went to my cousin's house for a Premier Jewelry party. My other cousin's friend just started selling Premier and wanted to get some practice. I always love direct sales parties and have been to 2 Premier parties before. We got to try on and buy some pretty fun fashion jewelry and have some yummy food. Then, I took Laine to Jackson's parents' house which is just down the street and then the grown ups went to a winery in Azle. I've only been to one other winery in Fredricksburg and have wanted to do wine tasting all summer. I usually drink Pinot Grigio or Beringer (Zinfandel) which was explained to me last night to have a lot of sugar in it. After tasting some wine at this place, I clearly have not been drinking "good" wine. Of course the wine that is sold there is also made there and they don't sale to major grocery stores or anything, so I won't be buying this wine too often. I did get a bottle of "Happy Cat" though. It's a mix between a fruity, but not too sweet wine. The place was called Lightcatcher and they have a little bistro in there too. We bought our favorite glass and went out on the pavillion to drink our glass and talk. It was nice to have a relaxing night with family before I go back to work. I forgot my camera, but did find a picture of the bottle of wine I bought. I took one pic on my phone of my mom and me, but have never actually uploaded pics from my phone to the computer so it's not in this post. I am going to try different wineries every now and then so I can have good, quality wine!

These are a Few of HER Favorite Things..

2010-07-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

To start off..I hope Laine likes to watch the musical "The Sound of Music" with me when she's older as much as I enjoyed watching it with my mom..My favorite song is the one titled "These are a Few of My Favorite Things". Anyway, Laine has developed a love of a few things. She plays with a lot of stuff, but always goes back to these things..

This my friends is Bun-Bun. Bun-Bun is equivalent to a paci or blankey for other kids. She takes this little bunny EVERYWHERE. It's like packing diapers for her ..I don't leave home without it! I honestly can't even remember who bought her Bun, but for some reason out of all her stuffed animals this bunny has become her security object. I'm nervous that somehow we'll lose Bun and I won't be able to find a replacement. I do know it's from the Carter's store, so maybe around Easter I'll be able to find another one just in case!

Princess car! Jackson's parents bought this car for her first birthday and it's been a hit since. It has little piano keys on it that make sounds and has buttons that sing Disney tunes. She can push this and she likes to sit on it and pretend to be going "bye bye".

Her pillow pet! My mom found this cute little creature at a Hallmark when Laine was like 6 months old. She used it then and still loves to carry it around and hug on it now. They are too cute and if your little one doesn't have one..GET them one! They have them at a kiosk in the Northeast mall by Gymboree if you are looking for one. Next, I want her to have the Zippity Zebra. You can also find them at mypillowpets.com

Her PB chair..I hesitated on whether or not to post a picture of this because it's nasty dirty, but she spends a lot of time in this chair. I thought I'd post a picture of it dirty, so you'll really understand how much she uses it. She feeds her babies, climbs, puts toys in, pushes us out of this chair all day long!

She wants to push this car around the house at least a few times a day. Used to, she couldn't push it herself so we had to guide her around the house while she tried to push it. Yes, I know the car is for riding in, but our little angel would rather push it around the house. Thankfully now she can make her way around the house without bumping herself into a wall and getting upset. It's nice to be able to sit back and watch her push, instead of bending down and pushing it with her ;)

She loves, loves, loves books! She prefers me to read them to her, but will gladly sit on her rug and read them to herself. I love to listen to her try and tell the story..

Bathroom Coming Together...

2010-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well Jackson and I have officially been in our house two years in September and we have put off and put off renovating our bathrooms. Right now we have peach colored countertops, gold fixtures and yes...NAVY accent tile around our tub and in our shower. SO, we have been really wanting/needing to fix that hideousness! Jackson has been watching DIY forever to figure out how to exactly lay the tile and lay it effectively. I explained that we can't sell our house at some point with a half *ss tile job..especially in the master bathroom. We've gotten some quotes to have someone lay it and they are outrageous, plus Jackson's grandpa laid tile for 30 some odd years and has done the bathrooms in his house which look great so I trust that with his Pop's help they can get it done right. He finally found some accent glass tile for a good price on Overstock and bought it today!! Finally, we are starting the renovation process and will have a bathroom that are not embarassed to show! Here is the pic of the glass accent tile we'll be using in the shower and tub area!!

Peachy Birthday!

2010-07-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Picking Peaches..

Grandma just got back from Cancun and brought back some fun Mexico toys for Lainey..This one is a top that Laine wasn't too sure about. She would watch it spin on the floor and and look at it really concerned. We'll have to use it more for her to understand that it won't hurt her :)

Playing on the pink rabbit that stays at Grandma and Papa Jack's.

Birthday girl, Kristen!

Today we went out to Jackson's parents' house to celebrate his sister's 26th birthday. We planned on taking Laine down to the lake area and letting her swim in the beach section, but she took an extra long nap so we decided her sleep was more important than swimming...We'll go back. It was fun to just hang out and eat burgers and watch Laine put on her normal show for everyone. She LOVES sweets and Jackson's grandma makes wonderful homemade ice cream. This time, it was peach ice cream and Laine of course wanted to eat the whole thing. She'd go around to people and just stand there until they gave her a bite. She'd then crouch down and open and clinch her fists and close her eyes real tight while she ate the bite. She'd go to the next person and do it all over again..Very amusing.

Then, we went out to Barbara and Jacky's peach tree and picked some fresh peaches. Laine liked it for about a minute and then wanted to follow the dogs around the yard. The peaches look wonderful though and I found a recipe in the Paula Deen magazine for a peaches and cream popsicle! It calls for lemon-lime soda (sprite), vanilla yogurt and fresh peaches. You're supposed to mix that in a blender and then put the mixture in popsicl molds and let them freeze overnight. I'm going to make them for our mommy/baby playdate on Tuesday!

San Antonio/Sea World

2010-07-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

The drive down to San Antonio!

Shark Tank, Lost Lagoon, and playground

Dolphin Cove

Dinner and the Marketplace

Carlie and I decided to take a little trip with the girls to San Antonio this passed week. It was sort of a last minute decision, but overall it was a fun trip. We stayed at the Hilton resort right by Sea World and for the most part it was very nice. When we checked in we wanted to make sure we were actually next to each other like we requested and that at least one of the rooms had a balcony. The lady explained that because we got the sale package we didn't qualify for a room with a balcony..Okay, fine..we still wanted adjacent rooms though. The lady assured us that we had rooms right by each other, but when we got up to our rooms they were not right by each other. Our husbands talked us out of arguing with the front desk and that we wouldn't be spending much time in our rooms anyway. For the record, next time we'll make sure the rooms are connected as well as having a balcony..Well worth the extra money.

Once we were settled in, we headed down to the pool with the girls. They had 3 pools: one was a beach entry for the toddlers, one was an adult pool and then a lap pool. We stayed in the toddler pool and were the only ones there for the hour that we spent down there. It was very nice. We talked about what we were going to do for dinner and decided to go down to the marketplace and try out a restaurant that we were told about. The market was very cute and had stores that sold only Mexican style stuff. The restaurant was pretty good and had a cute mariachi band there and that kept the girls busy. Laine loved the music. After dinner, we walked around the market and Laine and Avery loved chasing the pigeons. Laine got pretty close to catching one a couple of times. That night we went back to the hotel and the girls ran around while the guys drank beer at the bar..Classy!

The next morning we all got up and ate breakfast and changed to get ready for Sea World. We made two trips to Sea World that day because we knew the girls would need a nap in between. The first round we went and saw the penguins and it was kind of dark in there, so I'm not sure that Laine knew exactly what to look at. You get on this belt that takes you passed the penguins and Laine was much more interested in walking on the belt than looking at penguins. Then we walked to the playground and the girls ran around while the guys made a "plan". Of course Carlie and I hated their plan and changed it. We walked to the other side of the park and went to Dolphin Cove. By the time we got there, Avery had fallen asleep. We decided to go back to the hotel and take naps and recharge.

Our second trip was much more successful. We saw the Shamu "Believe" show and watched the Sea Lion show. We also went back to the dolphins so Avery could see them. We went to the shark tank and Laine LOVED the sharks and fish. She kept running around saying, "ish". So cute. Before all of that though, we went to Lost Lagoon, the waterpark out there. The boys went and rode some rides while Carlie and I stayed in the toddler pool and the girls of course loved playing in the water. By the time the second show as over, the girls pretty much decided for us that our day at Sea World needed to end. We headed back to the hotel and waited an hour and a half for our pizza...Yes, it took them that long and they said it would take 40 minutes. We were STARVING and Laine didn't eat dinner until almost 9:00..Oops. I took her up to the room and she immediately passed out. That next morning we all went down to breakfast again and then packed up and headed out. On the way back Jackson surprisingly agreed to let me shop at the Round Rock outlets (I wanted to stop in San Marcos, but he wouldn't). I got Laine some "school" clothes and a pair of fall tennis shoes at the Stride Rite outlet. The shoes were a steal..$14.99 and they were originally $40.00! We made it home and our dogs had really missed us! My brother stayed at the house while we were gone, but they still needed their mom and dady! It was a great trip, but we probably won't take trips that create memories like that anymore until Laine is over 3.

Scentsy Partay

2010-07-09T13:12:00.001-07:00

The candle in the middle is obviously not one of Scentsy, but the warmers on the side are.

Last night I had a few of my favorite girls over to check out the newest Scentsy products. I've actually never owned anything Scentsy before until a mom from this passed year gave me a package of goodies from Scentsy for an end of the year teacher gift. It's a plug-in and I have it right now in my kitchen. She gave me the scent, "Cherry Limeade" and it actually smells pretty good. After having the product, I contacted the lady whose name was on the card from the catalog I got and organized a party. She brought over all the current scents that they have and displayed some of the warmers. We got to go around to "stations" and test each scent and then mark them on a sheet of paper the ones we liked. The warmers are really cute and actually it's kind of hard to choose between some of them. I got three different bars for hosting the party for free along with a cute Scentsy water bottle. Most everyone purchased something, so the turnout of the party was pretty good! I think that the product is great and all of the people who I've spoken with who have owned Scentsy stuff, really love it!

Bass Pro Shop

2010-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Jackson and I wanted to go do something today that didn't cost any money, so we decided to venture out to the Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine. It's a huge store, so we thought we'd let Laine run around and look at the fish tank, boats, animals and stuff. She did great, but Jackson was nervous the entire time I guess that she'd get lost of fall down and cry or something. We put her on some boats and she loved it. She would look at the fish and point and say "ish". She waved to a stuffed goat and said, "hi". She's pretty darn cute. Jackson looked around at some guns and hunting stuff, but we didn't buy anything. We did however pick out a boat that someday we'd like to buy. Other than that, we just walked around and chased after little bit!

The 4th!

2010-07-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July our plans changed about 10 times! First we were going to go downtown with Carlie, Patty and Avery to watch fireworks in Arlington on Friday night. Then, we decided to go to a family friends' house instead and lay low. Then, Saturday we planned on going to the Bedford Boys' Ranch to watch fireworks and walk around, but once we figured out that we'd have to ride a shuttle that would have taken longer than for us to drive we decided against that too. Maybe when Laine's a little older. We ended up grilling k'bobs and having 7 layer dip with my parents. At the last minute, my dad, Jackson and I decided to go to the Ranger game. Thankfully we got to use our half price tickets, because it said that the 4th was a "black-out" day. My mom took Laine to her house and we went and sat in the heat and watched the Rangers LOSE!

Laine's a little too young to enjoy the fireworks still, so we thought it would just be easier to let her go with my mom and we'd watch the fireworks after the game. Little did we know that we'd be sitting by the foul pole and wouldn't actually be able to see the show. We tried moving closer to center field, but the attendants told us that we couldn't stand in the aisle. We ended up just leaving the stadium and watching the fireworks from the street. We saw a good portion of the show and they were pretty good. Next year hopefully we'll be able to find a place to watch the fireworks and not worry about keeping Laine up until 10:00.

Like Mommy, Like Baby Girl..

2010-06-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

This evening I asked Laine to help my put away my shoes (she loves any job I give her) and when she got to my closet she found a headband laying on the ground. I think she was playing in my closet yesterday while I was getting ready and left it there. She got excited and picked it up and tried to put it on her head. I wear headbands a lot, so I guess she has been watching me put them in. She couldn't get it on her head like she wanted so I helped the girl out. It was so cute because she wore it around the house for about 10 minutes like it was completely normal. I got a couple of cute pics in her big girl headband!

I Must Be Insane!

2010-06-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

I started the Insanity workout program and it is pretty difficult. My body definitely is sore even from just the Fit Test I did yesterday. You're supposed to do the fit test every 2 weeks to see your improvements. I guess it's really a way to motivate you to continue to do the workout for the full 60 days. I normally wouldn't have spent the money and bought this workout, but some people at Jackson's work did it and let me borrow the CD's, which I thought was very nice. I've been running 3-4 miles for about 6 months now, so the intensity of it doesn't necessarily bother me. It's the squatting and pushups that really get me. I love to feel sore after a workout and since I've been running for what seems like forever I don't really ever get sore anymore. This program will definitely keep me sore until I've done each CD at least once. I'm excited to track my progress and see the Insane results you're supposed to get from doing Insanity!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

This was Jackson's second Father's Day and I'm sure it hasn't been the better one of the two. Jackson's grandma has been in and out of the hospital for about a month now and things haven't been getting all that much better. She's battling congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and low oxygen levels due to the many years of chronic smoking. She is such an amazing woman and really has surpassed the life expectancy that she should have had due to her smoking. With that said, Jackson and I have been at the hospital over the passed few days much more than home and I know because of personal experience, it's not fun to prepare yourself to have to say good-bye to a loved one. Today, he has been up there because grandma has taken a turn for the worse and they really don't know how many days she has left here, so they're spending as much time with her and they can (they means Jackson and his family). When I got off the phone with him about 30 minutes ago, hospice was coming in to do an evaluation on her to see if she qualifies to stay there until she does pass. No one likes to know that they are going to die, and most people who die in the their elderly years also have lost much of their comprehension and brain power, not grandma. She is sharp as a tac to this point, unless she's on her morphene because of her constant extreme pain and she knows everything going on around her. What is going to take her is NOT her mind, it's her body. We now dread when the phone rings and it's someone from his family, because we don't want to hear that she is gone, but one thing is for sure..She's lived an amazing life and has provided for EVERYONE in her family at some point. If and when she does die, we will grieve and mourn her death, but we will know with all of our hearts that she knew how much we love her and how much we appreciate everything she's done. The pictures are at Jackson's other grandparents' house, where we went for a brief while this morning so we could somewhat celebrate our wonderful daddy, and thank Jacky for being a wonderful father-in-law.

Jackson has been so strong in all of this, and he really is like a rock. He is by no means the most affectionate man and doesn't always do thoughtful romantic things, but he is by far the strongest, most reliable man I know. He definitely puts me to shame in situations like this...I am a basket case and he for the most part is stronger than anyone else. I'm certain that his heart is breaking, but around the family he doesn't let that show. I know he said when Laine was in ICU, he cried the entire way to the hospital in his truck, alone..I'm guessing that's what's going to happen this time too. I'm not going to do a tribute to grandma yet because at this moment, she is still here :) I love you Jackson and you are my rock and my best friend. I LOVE you! Ok, I love you too dad, and you are great, but this post was taken up by your son-in-law.

Clifford the Big, Red Dog!

2010-06-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

One of her friends, William and Laine standing outside Barnes and Nobles

Slapping Clifford's hand over and over again.

Being held by her new friend!

She was throwing a mini fit right here, because I made her back off Clifford.

Our big, red, furry friend!

I was looking for something I could take Laine to that didn't cost a lot of money and found that Barnes and Nobles does weekly costume character readings. I checked the website last night and then found that today they had the guest character, Clifford at the Barnes and Nobles in Southlake! I invited a couple girlfriends from work and their baby boys and we all made the trek out to the Barnes and Nobles to see Clifford! I was surprised at how much Laine loved Clifford. As soon as he came out, she was screeching and laughing and clapping. She climbed down out of my lap and ran straight up to him smiling and laughing all the while. She was pulling on his tail and slapping his leg and I of course was over on the side laughing hysterically and couldn't go up and get her. Needless to say, she was pretty entertaining to the whole group! I loved watching her watch Clifford and smile up at him. She didn't really listen to the story, but it was fun to get out and do something that didn't take a debit card!

After the story, they allowed parents to take pictures of their kiddo with Clifford. We waited around for our turn and Laine didn't really want to let Clifford hold her, but she did make this funny noise and slap his paw over and over. He eventually picked her up and she didn't seem to mind that much. I got a few cute pics and then we were on our way!

15 Month Well-Check

2010-06-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

I already posted what she's doing at 15 months, so this will be short and sweet. We went for her well check today and she's:
21.12 lbs-35%
32 in.-90%

I guess we have a long and lean little girl! She did get a shot, but did fine and absolutely hated when the doctor was checking her out. She climbed all over me and cried the entire time. Other than that, she's on target and doing great!

Graduation Day!

2010-06-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jackson's sister graduated from Columbia University on Saturday afternoon. She's worked really hard and sacrificed a lot to get this degree. The awesome part is that she was also accepted to Texas Wesleyn for their master's program. She graduated with an BA in Psychology and then she'll get her masters in that too. She thought she might want to go into teaching, and then decided to continue working for the university and get her masters and go into counseling. The whole family came to watch her walk across the stage, but Laine and I spent most of the time out in the lobby so she could run around. It looked like a daycare out there, because either a mom, dad, grandma or grandpa were watching all the wee ones...We all know that babies can NOT sit through an hour and a half graduation quietly. Laine ran up and down the hall, ate some cake looked over a very scary and tall banister and tried to go down the escalator numerous times. Let's just say that I was thankful when everyone started exiting the ballroom! Congrats Aunt Kristin, we love you!

15 Months..

2010-06-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Our little bug turned 15 months today! Once again, I'm posting about how amazing she is and what a joy she is in our lives. We couldn't and would NEVER want to imagine our lives without this little toot, she is a mess but we LOVE her.

LOVES:
*talking and singing
*her dogs
*her mommy...she's been very clingy since summer started
*her daddy when he gets home from work. she gets right up in his face and just smiles and hugs him.
*her necklaces aka: "pretties"
*her mimi and grandma
*her bottle still...we are working on this though, she's down to only 2 a day.
*outside
*swimming! i'm so glad she loves to swim, we've been taking full advantage of the waterpark!
*sweets
*running
*playing with other kids..this is a new one..
*her crib. she'll lay in there for about 15 minutes before she goes to sleep just talking away.

HATES:
*not being held right after her nap. she can be grumpy when she wakes up and wants to be held.
*things being taken away from her.
*waiting too long in her highchair without food. if i'm taking to long to prepare her meal, she loses it!
*having to come inside...
*being in her stroller, normally she wants to just push it. unless we are jogging, then she LOVES it.
*wearing bows!

She's pretty easygoing, but when she's unhappy it's pretty miserable. I'm working on stopping the "annoying" habits before they start with a little help from my book, "Happiest Toddler on the Block". She's so fun and can communicate much better now! Love you baby girl :)

Friends!

2010-06-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little monkeys!!

Lauren and Laine..she just got out of the bath and apparently had an itch on her nose as soon as I snapped the pic!

Cash Man, just chillin'

Tonight, Chris, Lauren and Cash came over for dinner. Jackson grilled hamburgers and we ate and hung out and talked. We LOVE our friends, the Holland's and are super happy that they have such a sweet, healthy, chunky little man! Cash is so good, he just hangs out and is either sleeping or eating! He does smile a lot and he did enjoy laying under one of Laine's old infant toys. Laine doesn't pay him too much attention, but we did get one good picture of her and Cash in Lauren's lap. Laine was mostly concerned with rocking his carrier, than really paying attention to him.

On a side note: Laine was playing and wasn't watching where she was going and ran smack into one of our brick pillars in the living room. I think I might need to find some type of protective guard thing because she got a nasty bump on her little head :(

Gymboree Music

2010-06-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Having a blast with the scarf!

Lovin' the bubbles.

Avery using her scarf during the Peek a Boo song!

Laine and Avery in the ball bin.

Today, Carlie and I took the girls for a music preview class at Gymboree. We'd already taken the girls to one of the play classes a few months ago, so we thought we would try out the music class today. They really liked it, so we signed them up to go each week on Thursdays. They started the class by beating on a drum and introdcuing everyone who was there. Then, Miss April got out the maracas and showed the kids how to keep a beat with them by beating them on the ground. Laine just shook hers in the air and Avery attempted to keep the beat. It was cute! Then, she dumped out a big tub of instruments and let the kids have "free time" for a couple of songs. Laine liked that part, but mostly she was interested in the balls to the side. After that, they played with some scarves and sang a Peek-A-Boo song, which was also cute. Laine a huge smile on her face the entire class. Then, they got to catch bubbles and play with these little bell things. At the end she had each child try and use a microphone by saying a combination of sounds. Laine didn't do either of the sound combinations, but she did smile and look at me when I held the microphone to her face.

We had a lot of fun and the cool part about Gymboree is that included in your membership you get to come on Sundays to an open gym type thing, so Jackson and my mom will be able to come see her play then. They also have an art class that starts at 16 months, so we might try that next month! Overall, they had a blast and we can't wait to go back next week!

Year 4 Down

2010-06-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here's half of my team. There are 8 of us and 5 graduated on one night, while the other 3 graduated the next night. One of the 5 was not in this picture.

Here is the table that was set up for my class. It has graduation cards and a wrapped treat for each of them.

This is the refreshments table that was set up for the students and parents after the 4th grade graduation.

I have successfuly completed another year of teaching. This year was obviously different, because not only did I complete another year of teaching but with a baby. I couldn't have done it without Laine's babysitter, Michele. She made everyday perfect and I could go to work knowing that my angel was taken care of 100%. As far as for my year as a teacher, I think it went really well. I didn't have the same kinds of issues that I faced last year. I think last year, parents were really skeptical because I was new at HL and I was also going to be out almost half the year on maternity leave. This year, I'd proved myself worthy to teach these kids and I wasn't going to leave them for a good chunk of the year. I always miss my babies at the end, but again I'm always ready to see them move on.

I never think I'm going to love my kids as much as I did the previous year, but I always do. It's going to be a transition going from being with them everyday, 7 hours a day to not seeing them at all. Some of them, I may never see again. I just hope that I made some sort of impression on them, that they won't forget their 4th grade teacher! It's a bittersweet time, but the fact is that I'm ready to spend the summer with my #1 baby!!

Letters Make Sounds, Sounds Make Words...

2010-06-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

and Lainey is saying lots of them these days...I wanted to blog about a few of the new words she's saying!

mama (different versions)
dada (again versions)
fish
uh-oh
ow
meow
ba-ba
juice
hush
hot
cold
up
Ry Ry (babysitter's son)
Liz Liz (Lizzie)
doggie
balloon (sounds more like la-loon)
yellow (lellow)
bun bun (her bunny that goes EVERYWHERE she does)
hi
bye
ball
eyes

Each day it seems like she is saying a new word! 15 months is approaching soon and so is SUMMER!! Love it!

Enjoying the First of Many..

2010-05-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I wanted to try out the Aquatic center at the Randol Mill park. My mom had taken Laine yesterday while we were driving back from LA to the waterpark over in Bedford and she said Laine loved it. I think we'll get season passes there for the summer. Anyway, I was over in my mom's neck of the woods today, so we decided to try another waterpark and again Laine had a ball. She went straight in the water with no problem. I thought it might be a different story because I try and get her to swim in her little pool during the summer and she hates it. That was not the case today! They had a little wading pool for babies, a lazy river, some water toys and a few waterfalls and Laine LOVED it all. We took a break halfway through to enjoy a snack and some water and then she was back at it. I am now going to invest in one of those cute intertube type toys, so she can wade in the pool without having to hold onto me. This is going to be a fun summer!!

Wedding Bells and Burboun St.

2010-05-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

Greg and Heather, man and wife!

One of the groomsmen, Sutton's girlfriend, Laura! She was so sweet.

Us at the wedding reception.

Us at the rehearsal dinner. Royal House on Royal St.

Jackson and a couple of other guys at rehearsal..

Heather and Greg at rehearsal...Burboun Orleans Hotel

Thursday afternoon Jackson and I began our roadtrip to New Orleans, LA! Jackson's friend from Jr. Co. ball was getting married and he was a groomsman. We stayed the night in Alexandria and then woke up on Friday morning and drove the rest of the way to New Orleans. We had a great time! Friday afternoon, Jackson and I walked around the French Quarter and Burboun St. It was both our second time to be there, but it was still fun to experience the culture and traditions of New Orleans. Then, Friday night we did the rehearsal at the hotel and then went and ate delicious food at one of the restaurants around the French Quarter.

Saturday was the big day, so Jackson had to go play golf and then hang out with Greg and all the other groomsmen. I decided to take advantage of my alone time and spent the day people watching at the pool. It was more than relaxing! After a day at the pool, I walked around the corner to a deli and had a glass of sangria and watched more people! It was so fun and relaxing. I got ready and then met up with one of the other girls whose boyfriend was also in the wedding and we went up to the ceremony together. The ceremony was truly beautiful and their story is amazing. We then celebrated at the reception and had a great time. Jackson and I wanted to get up early to get back home so we skipped going out with everyone else on Burboun, but we hope to get together with those guys again sometime soon! Congrats Heather and Greg! Your wedding was so special and you two are a sweet, happy couple!! See you in Mexico ;).

14 Months

2010-05-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

Not a great picture of her, but it shows one of her favorite hobbies.

Laine turned 14 months a couple of days ago! Just in the last couple of days she's really started to communicate more and mimic a lot of what I do. Jackson has been out of town, so I am really excited for him to get back and see all the new things she's doing. She is really curious now and watches everything I do. Just tonight she came up to me and bonked me on the head and said, "Ow". Her favorite words right now are ow, and uh-oh. She's been saying uh-oh forever, but she's really been saying it here lately. Also, tonight she saw me pull some hair out of my dog that was about to fall out and then she went over and pulled a huge clump of hair out of her and showed it to me with this big grin on her face. I guess I can't pull my dog's hair out anymore in front of her...

She also says: mama, dada, doggie, no and mine. I love to hear her talk and see what she's going to try and say next. She's really got down the s sound too. I bought her some flashcards with pictures of animals on them, so once school's out we'll work on animals too! She loves to push things, mostly her cozy coupe car, but she'll settle for most anything. I weighed her tonight and she weighed 21.2 lbs, and she's in 12-18 month clothes. She really loves mexican food and will do most anything to get her hands on guacomole. She's an awesome sleeper and she really doesn't fight naps all that much either.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mom, Laine and myself at Rosa's

Cousin Leah playing with Laine

This year for Mother's Day was a little bit different. Jackson has been out of town for a little over a week at a training, so it's been me and the babe by ourselves now for awhile. Mother's Day was no different. Saturday, Laine and I went out to Weatherford to spend some time with Jackson's family and then we went and ate at Red Lobster for Rebecca's birthday. Laine did really well at the restaurant until the end which is completely expected. It was nice to hang out with his family and I know they all loved seeing Laine, but missed their boy!

Sunday, Laine and I went over to my mom and dad's house and then we all went to Rosa's in Fort Worth to meet my aunt, cousins and their families for lunch. We ended up getting the back room so it was nice. Laine did well again and ate a whole cup full of rice and beans. She did however get grease from the rice all over her white Gymboree pants. I washed them after I soaked them in Dreft but you can still see a couple of spots. They're 6-12 months, so she'll probably grow out of them soon anyway. After we ate, we went over to the Old Navy across the street and shopped a little.

It was hard not having Jackson here and not that I didn't appreciate him before, but now I REALLY do! I never really realized how much he DOES do until he's not here. He's a good guy and he really cares about his family, which is one of the reasons I married him! Before he left, we bought the jogging stroller I've wanted forever because I knew I wouldn't be able to go to the gym as much with him not here. Laine and I have taken advantage of the nice days we've had (until the passed few) and taken the stroller out for long jogs. It was a nice Mother's Day, but I can't wait for life to get back to normal when J gets back home!

Lately...

2010-05-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

This one cracks me up because she is sitting in her seat, like "What, doesn't every baby sit like this?"

It seems like we've been so busy thes passed few weeks that I haven't taken the time to sit down and blog. I really need to order my book from last year (yes, I know it's now May) but that again takes time that I don't seem to have right now. I keep saying, "Oh, I'll do that as soon as school's over", but I know that some of those things won't get done this summer even!

Jackson and I really want to redo our patio/deck area outside and we are going to start looking around at stone and furniture once he gets back from this training he's at. I'm excited about that because I want to flagstone the area where there is red brick right now and then get a new grill and new furniture. With Laine, I know we'll be spending lots of time outside and I want to enjoy what I'm looking at while I'm out there playing with her.

School is out in 4 1/2 weeks and I couldn't be more excited to spend time with Laine and just relax! This year has flown by and I am really thankful for the class I've been given this year. They are such joys to be around and really make my job so easy. I've been blessed with great kids and great parents for this school year!

Laine has been growing and learning so much these days. She's almost 14 months and brings more love and joy to our lives daily. She is saying all sorts of things and her facial expressions crack us up. She finally is saying "mama" now! For so long, she would only say "dada" and use it correctly and now she's added "mama" to her vocabulary! She has so many facial expressions and likes to give us a run for our money. I wanted a girl, and boy did I get one! She is a bit high maintenance and definitely is sassy, but we love her so much! I love the pics from above because for one: her outfit is adorable and for two: her poses crack me up!

Leah's 30th!

2010-04-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Jackson, my brother and I went to Don Carter's bowling alley in Fort Worth for my cousin Leah's 30th birthday. Leah and I have always been close and we are two years apart. She and her husband got married two years ago and live in Fort Worth in an adorable house by TCU. We all gathered together to do alittle bowling after a minor disaster with my other cousin's car. She and her husband were waiting to turn right at a light behind another car and a car behind them rear-ended them and smashed them into the car in front of them. Needless to say their car was totaled and not to mention they both had a bit of whiplash. Nicky was such a good sport though and came to the party ready to party :). We had fun drinking beer, eating pizza and bowling. Laine and my mom were going to come for awhile, but Laine's been kinda snotty lately so they decided to stay home and rest. I AM by far the worst bowler on the planet. I think I got like 10 gutter balls and never had a strike all night. Jackson got an award later for highest points in a game, so of course he did well.

After bowling, we went over to Leah's to have some hotdogs and really good cupcakes from a bakery in Weatherford. We told stories and watched Leah open gifts before we headed home for the night. It was fun to hang out with my family and spend Leah's birthday with her!

Spring Fun at Miss Michele's

2010-04-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Laine LOVES going to her sitter's house and the next few pics will probably explain why! She gets to mimic what Michele does, play in the slip n slide when it's not really summer yet and hangout with a friend all day! Needless to say, we'll have to see Michele and her family at least once a week this summer!

Cason's First Birthday Party

2010-04-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Cason, the birthday boy!

Another teacher's daughter, Gabi had fun pushing Laine around in the little car.

Last weekend my mom and Laine and I went out to Justin, Texas for Cason's first birthday. Chelsea teaches 3rd grade at our school and we've gotten to be friends because of mommy/baby lunches and having kids around the same age. Chelsea is so sweet and her little man, Cason is too cute. His birthday was outside on their land and she had a bounce house, food and lots of toys to keep the adults and kids happy. The bounce house was a particular hit, but thankfully we got there early enough where Cason and Laine could explore it without the big kids. They both kind of rolled around and played for a minute, but then like with all things Laine got a bit scared and wanted out. It was cute to watch her play though. Then, we all ate grilled hotdogs and ate some great fresh fruit! Laine loved the hotdog and fruit. We couldn't stay the whole time because my dad's birthday was the same night so we had to drive back into town to meet up with my brother and my dad at BBW. It was a fun party and I can't wait to hangout more with them over summer!!

Lauren's Shower

2010-04-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

These are the baseball cupcakes that a lady whose kids go to HL made for Lauren's shower. Aren't they too cute?!

Well, tonight for some reason my camera cord worked again so I thought I'd try and catch up on my blogging!

A few weeks ago, I helped hostess a shower for Lauren and Cash! Cash is almost a month old, but since my camera cord hasn't let me upload photos I'm just now getting around to posting this. The shower was very cute and fun. It was at her best friend's mom's house and they had tons of cute decorations and good food. Lauren is more than prepared for the stages she's about to encounter with Cash Man. Right now he pretty much just hangs out in his swing, on the ground under his activity gym or in someone's lap (this one mostly) so she hasn't gotten to try out any of her cool stuff. Lauren is a great friend and I can't wait for our babies to grow up together and eventually cause some major trouble :).

13 Months!

2010-04-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Even if I can post pictures right now it shouldn't stop me from blogging the memories of my sweet baby girl. Laine has really blossomed lately in the fact that she loves to "play" with her toys. It has taken forever for her to really take a liking to her toys, and Jackson and I thought we'd be entertaining her forever. I have to remember that even though age wise, Laine is 13 months but developmentally she's still just about one. It's hard to keep that in mind when I'm reading developmental milestones that she should be reaching at her age. Some things she's doing now are:
-almost running (she really just speed walks)
-giving her babies/stuffed animals kisses
-she really observes her toys and finds just the right one to entertain her at that time
-she loves her car and her alphabet train. She's figured out how to get in and close the door and wait for one of us to come over and push her around the house. With the train, she knows how to push the block into the hole and watch it pop out the bottom.
-she can say: baby, eyes, fish, duck (sometimes), hi, bye, up, cold, hot, uh-oh (her first word)
-she hasn't said mommy or daddy yet, so we are waiting for those two!
-she eats pretty much anything, but LOVES any fruit..tonight we gave her a clementine orange and she devoured it.
-as for her perosnality: Laine is standoffish until she gets to know you or feels comfortable with her surroundings. She isn't one of those kids who jumps into any situation full force. She isn't too comfortable going to people she doesn't know. She is a much more observant child (my mom said I was the same way).

We are in head over heels love with our little girl and I can't WAIT for summer to spend every waking second with her :)

Easter and Such

2010-04-05T18:40:00.001-07:00

These pictures I was able to put up because they were taken with my phone and I just saved them from FB.

Lately I haven't been blogging as much because our camera cord thing doesn't work anymore. I can't upload pics right now, and I feel like with no pictures bloggins isn't half the fun. LOTS has been going on, I just haven't been documenting it because of my lack of camera equipment.

Anyway, Easter this year was sort of chill for us. We didn't do any major Easter egg hunt and we didn't take Laine's picture with the Easter bunny. I feel like it's more of a chore for me and and added stress, then it is enjoyment and fun for Laine this year. Laine isn't one of those go-getter babies, so I think she would have been more stand-offish at any egg hunt, so we just opted out of it. Saturday we got out her water table and watched her play in it and Jackson planted a new shrub in our garden and added new cedar mulch. Laine loved her table and also loved just being outside.

Sunday, the Easter bunny did come and brought Laine some Baby Einstein stuff and a couple of candy filled eggs. I guess he knew momma was craving some candy this year :). Then, we all got ready and headed over to Jackson's grandma and pops' house for homemade breakfast. We hung out there and watched Laine play and then headed over to my parents' house for lunch. Laine took a nap over there and we ate and then came home! It was very low-key and that's the way we like it!! I'm not one who really likes huge crowds and if I were stressed then it would make us all stressed...The saying goes "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"..so we didn't go to any big hunt this year. Next year, that's a different story because I think Laine will be more independent and enjoy it more!

Trevor Cash Holland

2010-03-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

One of my very best friends had her little man today at Baylor in Grapevine. Chris and Lauren Holland welcomed baby Trevor Cash Holland into the world at 1:01 pm. Little Cash weighed a whopping 9 lbs 1 oz and stretched out at 22 inches long! You would have thought that Lauren would have to have pushed for days to get that big boy out, but she only pushed for 45 minutes! They will be in the hospital until Saturday and then they'll start their lives with Cash at home!! Congrats you two, we love all 3 of you!

Laine's First Birthday Party!

2010-03-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

My brothers and Laine :)

This plate was given to her by her babysitter and her family. It has her little footprint on it and on the back it says what month that was done in and who it was from! So sweet!

Last Sunday we got family and friends together to help celebrate our angel turning one! It was a great party and I'm glad everyone came to help make her day special. Laine was very fussy because I she was cutting her top teeth, but we just made the best of it anyway. Once everyone got there, we ate queso, guac and chips and talked for awhile. Then, the people who were standing around inside got to watch the video my cousin made for us!! I sent her a picture album and she scanned in ALL of the pictures and turned it into a beautiful slideshow. She had all the pics categorized and labeled. It was so sweet to get to see her little life replayed for us. All of her hospital pictures all the way up till the last month were included. She also did a "Chair Pic" segment which showed her growth each month in her PB chair.

After we watched the slideshow is was time to open gifts. At this point, Laine was a bit fussy. I think she was sort of overwhelmed at the fact that all the people in her house were there to see and hold and love on her. We did have about 50 people in our house and I can only imagine her confusion. She did sit with me and opened about half of her gifts, but then my mom held her on the floor for the second half and fed her a bottle. Once we were through with the gifts, we headed into the kitched to sing happy birthday and watch her dig into her cupcake. She handled that part of the party like a champ. She didn't waste any time digging into and making a mess of herself with the cupcake. It was so cute to watch her smile while we sang happy birthday to her. We served cupcakes in the shape of daisies and ice cream to the guests and after that was over and done with some of the people began to leave. My family and Jackson's parents stayed after to help put together all of her toys and it was very helpful considering she gots lots of toys that were in need of assembly.

Overall, it was a great first birthday and I hope she can look back on pictures and see how much she's loved :)

CAbi Party

2010-03-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you like designer clothes but don't so much like going to the mall, listen up. If you like the quality of desinger clothes, but not the out of the roof prices, then listen up! Erin Hill has started selling CAbi (Carol Anderson by invitation). These clothes really ARE amazing. I've hosted two parties for her now and I couldn't be happier with the choices I've made! I can't even begin to explain how adorable everything that Carol Anderson makes is. These clothes are quality and unique. You're not going to see someone else in the same $200 bomber jacket or jeans that you just bought from Neiman's or Nordstrom!! Honestly, if you have a minute check out her website, erinhill.cabionline.com (I don't know how to do that linky thing). If you go to the icon "look book" you can check out the clothes in the spring line. I will tell you though, the look book doesn't do justice to what the clothes look like in person. If you're interested, I can get you Erin's contact information and you can get in touch with her and let her know you're interested in hosting a party. The hostess gets a GREAT deal too. I just got 6 items at 50% off and then another $60.00 off my entire order!! It's all based on the total of the sales at the party, but it's NOT hard to sell these clothes, they sale themselves! Let me know if you're interested and I'll get you in touch with her!

Playroom

2010-03-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

After Laine's birthday party we decided that her room was no longer big enough to house all of her new and old toys. Used to, we had a lot of her toys in the main living area, but when she got more for her birthday we thought that it would take over. We have a formal dining right off of the living area and we don't have a table in there so it only seemed right to convert it into her playroom. Jackson and I went to Garden Ridge today and got a big carpet rug (nothing special) and then put all of her toys over there that were orginally in the living room. It's so cozy because we have a big window in that room and she can look out while she plays. Eventually when we have a second baby, we'll have to think about moving into a bigger home, but with just her the dining area serves as a great playroom!

Year of the Angel

2010-03-10T17:32:00.001-08:00

March 11, 2009 4:07 am. 5lbs 11oz

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months (I guess I never put a 4 month chair pic on the computer)

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

Tomorrow is Laine' first birthday! I can't believe a year has gone by already. She has been the most joyous gift that God can give and I thank my lucky stars daily to be blessed with such a child! Laine has been changing so much lately. I really would love to write a novel on my undying unconditional love for our Bug, but I think I'll just post a few pics of her birth to now and have those for memories and words. I do want to update for memory purposes what she's doing now:
*She is definitely walking and only crawls if for some reason she's to lazy to stand up again right away after she falls.
*She can say: hot, cold (random, I know), uh-oh, bu (bye), he (short e sound for "hi"), no sometimes, and da-da..I don't get recognized quite yet with words, she just points in my direction when she wants me.
*She eats EVERYTHING. I swear, she'd eat until she popped if I'd let her.
*She loves her dogs and they can be a guaranteed form of laughter for her!
*She isn't afraid of other kids anymore, thankfully. I think it's because she is mobile now and can get away from them if she wants.
*She loves to be outside and will cry and beat on the door when I won't let her go out there.
*She LOVES her pink bunny (bun bun) and sleeps with it every night.
*Loves ALL stuffed animals really and lays her head down on them and pats them when we say "awww".
*She likes when I vaccuum and will walk all around the house following me yelling, it's quite funny.
*She's in 6-12 month clothes, but can fit into 12-18 so I don't think it'll be long before she grows out of her 6-12.
*I weighed her tonight and she weighs 21 lbs on our scale at home (she goes for her one month check-up on the 15th).

This year has been the best year of our lives Laine Elizabeth. Thank you for blessing us with your laughter, beauty and smile daily. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you weren't in my life!! We love you to then end of the Earth and back!

One Year Pictures

2010-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

Carlie offered to take Laine's first birthday pictures on Saturday. We chose a great day, because it was just enough overcast that we didn't have to squint. I wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens so we could have her pics done outdoors. We found a bunch of great little spots to snap some pics of her. Carlie is tyring to start up a photography business and let me tell you, she's really good! She is very patient and definitely understands the idea of "action" shots. If you ever need anyone who is flexible in schedules, doesn't require a "package" buy and really enjoys taking pics, then she's your girl! I know she was worried about them not turning out well, but they were GREAT!

I got Laine's outfit made a couple of weekends before and I couldn't wait to get her in it. I got the tutu from Abby's Tutu Factory and it turned out the exact way I envisioned. I got her onesie made by Josh's cousin's wife and she did a great job. Laine's babysitter found the converse at Rack Room and my mom went on her lunch break one day and got them. The bow is from Brownstone Village. I wanted a different look for her bow and the crinkled effect really turned out cute. The outfit came together exactly how I wanted it and I couldn't be happier with the pictures and the outfit! These are some of the shots, enjoy!

Pop and Aunt Tammy's Birthdays

2010-03-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Aunt Tammy and Laine

Pop and Laine

Laine in the rocking chair that has been used by all of the grandchildren!

Last Sunday Jackson, Laine and I met Jackson's family over at his grandparents' house to celebrate Pop and Aunt Tammy's birthday. Grandma makes her fried chicken once a year and we all jump at the chance to eat it! It's fun to get to hang out with Jackson's family and especially when EVERYONE is there. Both of his sisters and on of their husbands, as well as his parents and uncle and cousins. Laine of course was the center of attention like she always is. Everyone was impressed at how well she's walking, which we are too. Grandma got out Jacky's old rocking chair and Laine LOVED it. It was just her size! All of the grandchildren have played in that chair and it was sweet to see her enjoy it so much. I think she'd really love a rocking chair of her own because she loves to play in her PB Kids chair that we take her monthly pictures in. It's wonderful to have such a great family and everyone is just crazy about this little girl! Next birthday, is Lainey Bug's!!

Fit Thrower

2010-02-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

Lately we've been noticing that Laine is throwing fit after fit in the evening. I've been struggling a great deal lately with the fact that I am not with Laine all day and she spends the majority of her little life with Michele. Granted, there is no other person besides my family that I'd rather watch Laine than Michele but I have to admit it stings to see her want Michele over me! In the passed few days, Michele will bring Laine up to school and bring her to my room and honestly she'll cry when I reach for her and she turns and clutches on to Michele's shoulders. I could cry right now just thinking about it. I'll go and grab her and she'll turn around and try and force herself out of my arms and back in to Michele's. Then, when we get home at night she sometimes is in the WORST mood. She'll cry at anything and I just have now convinced myself that she hates me. Deep down I know her little brain is not complex enough to reason like that, but it hurts bad. When she doesn't want to come to me I just have flashbacks of all the endless nights I've spent with her and how I was by her side when she spent those 2 weeks in the hospital when she was born. I am the one who loves her to the end of the world and back and it feels like she doesn't really need me. I feel like I owe her my every waking minute when I'm home and I have a hard time juggling my personal life with spending time with her. For example: tomorrow morning I'm supposed to have my hair colored (I've gone MONTHS without doing this) and I feel so guilty for spending more time away from her than I do already. I asked my mom to bring her up to the salon while I was having my hair done just so she can be with me.

Tonight Jackson and I had a talk and if he gets the promotion we've been waiting to get then I don't have to work next year. I need all of your prayers that we'll be lead in the right direction because I really want to be able to stay home with Laine. The next few years are crucial for our relationship and I desperately want to be the one essentially raising her! I Know there are working moms out there who juggle their careers and personal life just fine, but for me and my personality I think I'd be much happier at home with my babe.

**Sidenote: The picture of her fit is extremely funny and some of her little outbursts just make me laugh!

Snow Day to Say the Least!

2010-02-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

As everyone who lives in North Texas knows it has snowed it's tail off here today! I loved waking up to beautiful white snow and watching it fall all day long. It was an interesting day in Keller ISD today. We started the morning off normally (well as normally as one can start a morning with a class full of 4th graders who desperately want to be playing in the snow) and then it changed dramatically right before lunch. Our principal came over the intercom to inform us that we'd be dismissing an hour earlier and to stay by our phones in our rooms so that they could dismiss students whose parents were coming earlier than the dismissal time. By about 1:30 I had only about 7 students left in class and we ended up just playing a telephone type game until 2:00. How much can you really teach when 1/2 of the class is gone?! I was out there around 2:20 and went to pick up Laine from Michele's and we were on our way home!

When we got home, Jackson and I bundled up Laine and took her out to "play" in the snow for a bit. Jackson built us a snowman and Laine "helped". I know her little feet were probably not as warm as they should've been, but it really wasn't that cold out. We only stayed out for about 10 minutes and then I took her in. I wanted a few good pics for memories and after I got those, we came in. As day turned to night, we still watched the snow pile up on the lawn, houses, cars, wherever it landed and at this moment I still see snow falling. My mom told me that a limb fell on her house and the electrical wire was sparking because of a tree limb that landed on it, so I hope nothing too terrible comes of that! I really hope we don't lose power overnight, but if we do then I'll just put Laine in bed with us. I'm interested to hear what the total snowfall is in the morning! Enjoy my pics and the snow!

11 Months!

2010-02-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Pretty much on her own!

Our bug is 11 months old today! She turned 11 months old on the day that Texas had it's most snowfall within a 24 hour period EVER!! I couldn't believe the amount of snow that fell today, it was definitely a sight to see! Anyway, our Lainey has brought us so much joy and has taught us so much! We are so blessed to have such a happy, fun, beautiful toddler! Here are some things that Laine's accomplished:

*She has ALMOST mastered walking. She can do it on her own, but isn't quite brave enough yet. She can turn and keep her balance and walk around things, but she won't do it 100% of the time yet.
*She eats a lot more adult food than baby food now, but still really likes her baby food too. She eats mostly meat sticks, cheese, brocoli, bananas, bread, tortillas..She does still usually once or twice a day have a stage 3 baby food item, just because I feel like she's getting more nutrients when she eats the baby food.
*Only 2 more weeks or so and we will NEVER have to buy formula again (hopefully I hope to successfully nurse the 2nd baby).
*She can say: ma ma, da da, uh-oh, meow, and it really seems that she tries to put syllables together to form "I love you". She "talks" constantly, but still hasn't formed many "real" words.
*She doesn't seem to be as afraid of babies as she used to be, but definitely still favors big kids.
*She loves everyone and will go to most anyone. I credit that to her being at Michele's all day and meeting new people often.
*She LOVES her dogs and wants to pat them and pull their hair constantly.
* She pats us and hugs us now and does it at the right times.
*She loves her blankets, baby dolls and stuffed animals. She'll hug them and pat them and lay her head down on them. Pretty much the cutest thing EVER.
*She's wearing mostly 12 month clothes, but I think she could even pull off some 12-18 month stuff.
*She still takes 2 naps a day, but are not as long as they used to be...Sorry Michele :)

I know there's more, but that's the majority of the new stuff and in one more month our tiny preemie will be 1!!

Laine in her "Box Car"

2010-02-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is just one more example of why Laine LOVES her "2nd home". Marissa made Laine a 'box car' and put her in it and pushed her around today. Marissa plans on making this 'box car' a real toy and wants to paint it and put stickers on it for decoration. Laine absolutely adores the Lewis family and they really make her feel like she's one of them while I'm working during the day. I feel so happy knowing that each morning, I drop her off at a home where she is loved and taken care of just as well as Jackson and I would at home. We love you Lewis family!

Lately

2010-01-30T18:42:00.001-08:00

I haven't been very good about blogging these past couple of weeks and some semi-important stuff has been going on. First of all, we had to buy a new dryer because the heating element in ours went out and we just really wanted a new one. Our old one wasn't very big and the lint thing always got stuck. We ended up getting one from Lowe's with a discount becuase Jackson's friend Nick hooked us up :) Our new one has a light in it and the lint changer is in the door AND it's much bigger. We are really moving up in the world!

Second big thing that's happened is our computer has a massive virus and is no longer useable. We had to buy a new laptop and I've been lazy with adding new pics to it. I'm hoping we can still easily retrieve our old pics from our desktop so I don't lose ALL the pics I have of Laine!! I have a photo album that goes up to 9 months, but other than those pictures they are ALL on the desktop!! I guess when it rains, it pours!

Third thing, Laine has been taking multiple steps lately which leads me to believe that she is just around the corner from walking! It's a bittersweet feeling because everyone says once they begin walking life is very different. I'm okay with the business of dealing with a toddler because right now she still holds our finger. We honestly spend hours walking around the house while she holds on to our finger. She is really not interested in a walker, bouncy thing or crawling (even though she is fully capable). She'll crawl for a minute, pull herself up on something and then cry for someone to come and hold her hand so she can walk! Of course we meet her needs and walk around aimlessly for hours, but come on, it gets old FAST!! We'll see, maybe by her birthday (6 weeks) she'll be a walker.

Last thing that's been going on is I finally got a new phone today!! I've had the BlackJack II for 2 years and have been dealing with all the hype of the IPhone and haven't been able to participate. Jackson got one over a year ago and I've played with his, so I thought well maybe I want something else. We went to the AT&T store today and I looked at Blackberrys and just couldn't seem to make myself buy it. So, I joined the other billion people on the earth and bought an IPhone. I'm glad I did, because I already am addicted!

I'll hope to be blogging along with pictures here soon, I just have to muster up the energy to size them and stuff!

Double Ear Infection

2010-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Our little Lainey has been feeling pretty yucky for the past few days. It all started with a runny nose and then led to a horrific sounding cough. I knew that RSV was going around, so I wanted to take her into the doctor this afternoon just to make sure. I love Laine's doctor, but the office is so busy that it's hard to get anyone to even answer the phone. I called this morning right at 8:00 and was put on hold for 5 minutes before I had to hang up to tend to my class. Then, I called back at 8:30 and it was busy for like an hour it seemed like. Finally I got ahold of a lady and she scheduled us for 3:30 which was perfect. Dr. Nash listened to her chest and said her lungs sounded clear, so she wasn't concerned with RSV. When she looked in her ears she found that the right ear was a full-blown ear infection and the left had fluid built up which leads to an ear infection. Thankfully we caught it early and Dr. Nash felt like she wasn't suffering too much from it yet. We got an antibiotic and filled it tonight so hopefully by Friday she feels better. It stinks because you can't give a baby under 2 meds for coughs, so she just has to ride that out but hopefully Tylenol will help ease the pain. It's funny because I was just bragging how Laine hasn't had a fever yet and of course not a week later she ends up being pretty sick!! I guess I jinxed myself, sorry baby girl!

10 Months!

2010-01-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

Lainey bug is now 10 months old! That means in 8 weeks, she'll be a toddler instead of an infant!! She's doing SO many things right now:
*says 'mama' and 'dada' indiscriminately
*says 'eow' for 'meow'..You can just ask her what a kitty says and she'll say "eow"
*She can say uh-oh and I make her say it ALL the time.
*She's tried LOTS of adult food and seems to like most of it.
*She cruises on all the furniture and wants to walk SO bad.
*Just recently, she's started crawling a lot more. She seemed to not really get that it was getting her places and now she's figuring that out and seems to enjoy crawling more.
*To date (knock on wood) she has not had a fever of any degree!!
*She gives kisses with an open mouth.
*She LOVES her bath and gets really after I take her out. It seems to make her a little hyper.
*She is pretty scared of most babies her size. She loves kids and watches them intently, but babies her own age terrify her. I'm still trying to figure this one out. She cries when they yell (you know just talking) and gets to me as fast as she can when they try to come up to her. I really hope she outgrows this!!
*One weird thing she's started doing is shaking her head back and forth. I read in one of my books that she might be trying to cope with teething pain, or she likes the rhythmic feeling..who knows, but it's sort of creepy looking.
*She weighs: 18 lbs 9oz (at 9 months) and is 28 in. long.

I know I'm forgetting stuff! We love you Lainey Bug!!

Avery's One!

2010-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

Laine is proud of Avery turning one!!

Cute cake table!

Carlie and Avery opening gifts.

Saturday was Avery's first birthday party!! Carlie did a great job at preparing for her party! Josh and his mom decorated the whole garage in an outdoor theme. Carlie had an adorable cake made and the decorations were precious. Avery received many awesome gifts and she was so cute while she opened them. She actually stayed focused for more time than I thought she'd be able to while opening them. Carlie and Josh's family were all there along with Jackson, Laine, me, my mom, Jessica and Jason. Carlie had Josh's cousin take some professional pics which I'm sure she'll soon have posted on FB. I took a few and am glad to share!

Taking a stroll on Sunday

2010-01-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

My parents and brother came over today and my mom and I bundled up Laine to go on a walk. She needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air, so we decided to take her on a walk before the Cowboy game! By the way, awesome game!

Last Christmas of 2009

2010-01-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

I finally got a couple pics with my sweetie!

being adventurous and playing with a stick..the cute flower in her hair matched her outfit perfectly. Leah bought her that bow along with another really cute flower headband that she might wear for her first birthday pics!

Nicky and Laine

playing with her second cousin, Duncan!

Not so great of Laine, but pretty of my cousin Leah!

My extended family met out in Weatherford at my aunt and uncle's house to celebrate Christmas a little late this year. My cousin Leah and her husband spent Christmas in St. Louis this year, so we went ahead and waited on their return to celebrate Christmas on my side of the family. They live on a bunch of land and share land with my other cousin Nicky and her family. Nicky and her husband Darryl have two boys, Duncan and Brody and they are in the process of building the MOST awesome treehouse ever. It even has a zip-line included and is tucked away in a little foresty area on their land. I didn't snap any pics, but totally should have. I guess Lainey can venture out there once she's big enough to play on something so cool!

We had great food and fun conversation. We had a Chinese gift exchange and Jackson and I came away with some pretty cool stuff. He got a money counting jar, which is great for him because he kept all his spare change in a big mug. He came right home last night and started dropping each coin into the jar, right now he has collected almost $40.00 in his mug! I got a cool hand statue that's in a shape of an 'okay' sign. I also was given one thing back from a present that was stolen from me..a car vaccuum! I really could use something like that with a growing little one! It was much fun and love spending time with the fam.

Bouncing, Clapping and Fishface

2009-12-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

These are things Laine enjoys doing now..she likes the bouncer thing that hangs in the doorway. I think she finally gets what the intent of the toy is. Also, she can clap now!! She loves to clap and look at me for praise! It's too cute. She like riding on her Tiger she got from Mimi for Christmas and she also likes to make a fishface that Pops taught her while making a kissing sound!! She's just too precious for words!

Christmas Day

2009-12-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

I managed to get lots of shots with Jackson and Laine, but had no one take a pic of me and my baby on Christmas :(

Christmas morning gifts for Bug

the aftermath of gift opening

Christmas Day was another interesting adventure..Again, it started out nice and normal with coffee, Christmas music and the exchanging of gifts. Laine woke up at like 6:30 so we all got up and started our Christmas morning festivities. It's a tradition at our house to do stockings, then cards, then gifts. This year, Santa came to visit Laine so we watched her "experience" that first. We all got great things and of course Laine made out with the most stuff this year!!

We decided to make a fire and at first everything was going great. My mom bought a Dura-Flame log and asked my brother to add it to the fire. Well, she forgot to mention that it couldn't burn with any real logs, so the ones that were already in the fire had to wait to burn-out before he could add the Dura-Flame log. Since that important bit of information was never relayed to my bro, he went ahead and added the log to the already existing fire. After we all opened our presents and started doing other things, we walked back into the living room to notice that the smoke was billowing out of the fireplace which of course didn't seem normal. About 10 minutes later, we all started to panic because the whole front part of the house started to get really smokey and we weren't really sure how to stop it. Jackson decided the only way to cease the smoke was to put it out with a fire extinguisher, which naturally only made the situation worse. There really was no other option though. I had taken Laine to the back of the house before any of it got really bad, so I missed a lot of the action. Apparently, the house was just filled with smoke and the thought of calling the fire department was tossed around. They opened all the doors and windows and Jackson put a fan on the fireplace to try and get the smoke to trail out of the house. My brother used a shovel to take all the ashy pieces out into the backyard so the snow could put out any leftover fire. My mom was completely distraught and she really thought her house and Chrismtas were ruined. Once things started to calm down a bit, Jackson, Laine and I high-tailed it out of there so she wouldn't inhale any smoke and went over to Jackson's other grandparents' house. Unfortunately I didn't snap any pics of the event, but I'm sure it won't be forgotten about in the Byrd house for many years to come!