Happy 10th Anniversary to Us!

10 years ago today, I married my sweet husband.  When we woke up, there was at least 2" of ice on th ground and the high for the day was 18 degrees.  In Dallas, Texas.  On March 2.  I remember the minister saying something about the weather.  But even at 18 degrees, with a sleeveless wedding dress, I didn't get cold--I was so excited that I was floating!  I didn't feel a thing!  I can't say the same for my bridesmaids, however, who also had on sleeveless dresses!  Sorry, friends!

Anyway--10 years and two children later, Mike is still my love--I trust him, admire him, love him, get irritated with him, respect him, laugh with him, and still get excited when I hear his voice on the other end of the phone.  I LOVE YOU, Mike!  Happy Anniversary!  XOXOXOX

Baby Love

There is a new love in our lives. My niece, Addie, has stolen more than one heart in this house. We're pretty much all in the same boat, in fact. But this picture just says it all. Addie, we love you!

You'll shoot your eye out

We spent the weekend in Shamrock celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family--a tradition that we look forward to every year.  This year was exceptionally enjoyable because all of the kids were old enough to really enjoy everything--and they were all so good!  There was not one single disagreement the entire weekend! 
Anywho...the kids all had a great time wielding their weapons (or, Christmas gifts)...

Saturday afternoon, we got really brave and took them all out to shoot bb guns.  They had so much fun!  And yes, they were shooting the genuine Red Ryder BB gun!

Aiden went first and was the first to hit the target (balloons).

Matthew did great and loved every minute of it.

I love the big congratulatory hug Matthew got from Caden when he hit his first balloon!  Caden was so happy for him!

Of course, I had to try my luck, too.  And I did not embarrass myself--at least not this time!

Sharpshooter Caden did just great!

And even Molly got in on the action. She was definitely irritated that Daddy kept helping her!

And on a different note, if you read my last post about Pinterest, here are my finished products!  I made oven mitts!  I'm very proud of myself, but it was much more time consuming than I thought it would be.  But I think it was worth it!

How Very Pinteresting!

Well, if you know Pinterest like I think you do, then you will know how very excited I am to share my very first Pinterest project!  Behold:  the ribbon Christmas tree t-shirt! (Please ignore the blur and focus on how adorable both my shirt and my baby girl are)! And that ribbon is not crooked in person...whatev.

Next, and equally as exciting, if I may say so (and I may, since it's my blog) is my very first Pinterest gift that I received!!!  Yes, it's true!  My amazing friend, Andrea, made moi a Pinterest giftie!  Well, it may have actually been Andrea's mother, but I digress...

And this is my next Pinterest craft, which I am starting on right after I finish posting this blog entry--and which will most definitely deserve a follow-up blog post in the very near future.

Finally, this is what I made this afternoon, which will be tucked lovingly into sweet little treat bags, and dispersed tomorrow morning to various places (that is, if I can keep Mike and the kids out of them...oh, who am I kidding?  And keep ME out of them, too)!  If you have not ever had these little Pampered Chef version of S'mores, you have not yet lived.  They are To. Die. For. 

Love you!

Uno...4 year old style

I'm so lucky to have Miss Molly all to myself on Mondays and Fridays while Matthew is at school. We love our girl days, and with Kindergarten looming for my baby, I'm cherishing them more and more.

Last Friday, she set up Uno for us to play on the floor. How could I resist? Especially since Uno has played a HUGE part in my childhood gaming life with my family. Since we were located close to my computer, my camera was within reach (thanks to hours of time on the computer editing lately).

Notice the look of intense concentration.  She is a serious competitor.

Pause the game, while Molly does a quick gymnastics move on the wall...

She beat me. I know it's out of focus, thanks to my grab-the-camera-and-take-the-picture-quick-while-her-reaction-is-genuine-reflexes (that did not include taking the time to focus. ; )

This would be the "mom, enough taking pictures already...just play another round!"

And this is me in my Uno-playing-glory. No makeup. Trying not to be visibly shaken and go all crazy-mom, while my 4 year old is taking my picture with my Canon 5D Mk II. I managed. And her photo was in focus, at least! (Note--I almost didn't post this, as it's not the best picture of me for many reasons, so yay me for posting it anyway).

Who knows what fun our girl day will bring today? Yippee!

My Favorites

I've been working on our family Christmas card this week. Last year, the inside of our Christmas card was filled with little pictures of our family from throughout the past year. So many people loved it that I decided to do it again this year. So, after going through tons of family photos from the past year, I've decided that these are my two favorites of the kids. And since it's been, um, well, a while since I last blogged, I thought it seemed like a good post! So here you go, my loves:

Quickie

I'm feeling blog guilt and just talked to my BFF yesterday about how boring/lame/ridiculous it is to say "I've been busy/I'm busy/BUSY."  Yuck!  I've got to find something else to say about my ridiculously blessed life other than "busy!"  So, while I have a lot on  my plate, I'm slowing down to smell the roses, or the pumpkin pie, or whatever it is that I can smell. 
On a side note, I'm super excited to be going to the Midnight showing of Breaking Dawn tomorrow night.  Yes, I'm admitting it.  Love me anyway!  But even more excited about the amazing group of friends that I'm going with!  Blessed again!
Anywho...happy Wednesday and here's to no more busyness!
(And for the record, I just heard a sweet tiny voice say "Mommy, I want more Nana bread!"  (Even though she means Raisin Bread).  I love my sweet children so much my heart might explode!

The Blink of an Eye

October flew by in the blink of an eye.  I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted.  Here's a taste of what we've been up to (I love this photo for so many reasons).  Hopefull I will make time this weekend for a full update!  But for now, just "hi, how are you? talk to you soon!"  Love and hugs!

Random Thoughts

1.  Molly is so much better!  Thanks for all of the well-wishes, prayers, and messages!  It was amazing how quickly she got better once they found which antibiotic would work! 

2.  Molly is starting to use expressions when she talks.  Yesterday, she actually said "And so I was like....what's her deal?" Hilarious.

3.  Molly was Bible Verse helper at Pre-School this week.  That means that she learned her bible verse, and then went up on stage during chapel time to say it in front of everyone.  "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31  (Absolutely precious when said in her little 4 year old voice).

4.  Molly is loving her ice skating lessons!  She is now going to be in a big show when Santa arrives at the mall (he'll come in on the zamboni) and she is performing.  OMG.  Presh!

5.  Can you tell that Molly and I have been spending a lot of time together lately?

6.  I colored my hair Medium Brown.  That means that right now, my hair is one shade lighter than black.  How is that possible?  I'm glad I didn't go with Dark Brown!  I'm looking forward to next week, when it lightens up a bit!

7.  Matthew is loving Second grade!  He loves doing his homework all on his own, and loves organizing it in his binder (he got that from me).  Yesterday was library day, and he brought home a Chapter Book for the first time.  He had all 12 chapters finished by bed time.  Thank you, God, for the library! 

8.  My laundry is all done and Mike has 14 socks that don't have a match.  14.  I'm not exaggerating.

9.  I'm looking forward to my photography busy season!  I have lots of family photo shoots coming up, a Girl Scout Father/Daughter Costume Ball, several sessions with just kiddos, and I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first neice!  Can't wait to take baby pictures!

10.  Pinterest.  O.M.G.  Love!

My Littlest Patient

My sweet girl is sick.  She has an infection, but the antibiotics aren't working as quickly as they should, or they are not the right antibiotics.  We are waiting on test results to see what we need to do.  Her fever has been up (the highest was 105.5) and down (while alternating Motrin/Tylenol).  We took her to the ER last night, where they ran some tests.  The good news is that the test results will be back today, and she is continuing to drink a good amount of fluids.  Right now, her fever is down, and she is coloring (although not her spunky self).  This momma is ready for answers and relief for sweetness. Prayers, please!

Donuts with Dad

This week at school, Molly's class is studying the letter "D." Naturally, two big "D-words" in the life of a 4 year old are "Dad" and "Donuts." So, this morning, the Preschool 4's hosted "Donutes with Dad's!" Molly was so excited for this day! She's been practicing her songs and picked out a special shirt to wear (that says "Mad about Dad)!  And I was that mom--the one hiding in the background taking pictures of everything (yes, the mom trying to blend into a sea of gleaming-with-pride Daddies).

Here she is before the program, trying to peek around the corner to see her Daddy.

Enough to make me cry!

There she is on the front row, beaming at her Daddy, in her orange shirt.

I love this picture even with the giant blurry head in the foreground. Look how happy they both are!

Isn't that the sweetest look she's giving him?  She adores him!

Molly's ABC Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Thought Filled Thursday

1.  Oh, how I would love to say some of the things I actually think.  I am quite good at entertaining myself.  Silently.  I don't know how other people would take it. ; )

2.  I will be Scrapbooking in one week.  Woo!  Hoo!

3.  Mike and Matthew have gone to their Cub Scout Rally.  Which means Molly is coloring at the kitchen table waiting for her macaroni to cool off while I am doing laundry and blogging.  I think I'm going to love Cub Scouts.

4.  I brushed our lab outside today and I think there was enough hair to make an entire small dog.

5.  I'm going to my SIL's baby shower this weekend and I haven't been this excited about a baby shower since my very own.  The downside is that Mike is going, too, so I can't hide how many things I've bought for the shower, as he will see her open the gifts. : )

6.  I'm thinking about entering this photo in a contest about summer.  I love it.  And the girls in it!

7.  My MIL is coming for my SIL's baby shower, too.  She is staying with us and the kids are thrilled!  We usually go out to eat a bunch when my MIL is here.  Yay for MIL!  Yay for happy kids! Yay for clean kitchens!!!!

8.  I straightened my hair today. 

9.  I got a pedicure a week ago and my feet are already looking dry.  Um, can I have my money back? 

10.  Have you seen that YouTube video of the old people and the web cam?  It is HILARIOUS. You know...this one:

Mr. Sillypants

Right after I took these, he said . . .

"Don't put these in my scrapbook!"

He didn't say anything about my blog.

Molly's newest love!

First of all, you may be asking yourself why she is wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and glovies in Dallas in the warm weather. If you're not asking yourself that, you should be, because if you don't, my story isn't as good.

She's wearing all of that, so that she can learn to do this:

And I think she likes it!

I love her sweet face!

We're Cool Like That

A couple of Saturday's ago, I arranged a super-cool surprise for the fam, you know, since I'm a super cool mom.
I got everyone up on Saturday morning and told them to get dressed, that I had a PLAN. After a little protest (probably thinking I was going to make them clean house), I got them all loaded up into the car and we headed downtown. In the car, I let them in on my secret (because I wanted them to have a little time to be excited about what we were going to do, and also because I wanted to prep the kids for what manners they were going to need in advance). We were going to go for a super cool, behind the scenes tour of the World Champion Dallas Mavericks locker room guided by Donnie Nelson (General Manager of the team). Yep. I've got connections. Or...I know someone who has connections. Or something.

Matthew listening to a little pre-tour info from Donnie Nelson.  (He's awesome with kids).

Molly working out in the locker room (even the weights had the Mavericks logo on them).

Mike hanging out in the media room (aka--where the players chill).

Matthew wearing the official practice jersey and hanging out by Jason Terry's locker.

The middle of the locker room.

And the whole fam

The lights in the locker room.  Matthew would like his room to look like this.  I'll get right on that.

Super Coolness.  The chair to the immediate left of the white board cabinets leads to the court in the AA Arena.

Matthew goofing around in the Maverick's practice court.

The boy doing what he loves.

All of us with Donnie Nelson after an awesome suprise!

To be 7

Matthew brought home the "Me Bag" on Friday with instructions to bring it back on Monday morning. He had to draw his self portrait, fill out a page about himself and include 6-8 small items that tell about him. Priceless!

What he included in his bag:

His Texas Legends Lanyard (to show how he loves Basketball)--an actual basketball wouldn't fit in the bag

A paper hat from In-n-Out--his fave restaurant

A picture of his kitty, Miss Ginger Bell

7 pencils to demonstrate the awesomeness of his pencil collection

A monster truck

A case from a wii game

That pretty much sums it up!  I loved this homework!

Boy Love

I was going through pictures for an upcoming post and fell in love with this one.  I seriously think this may be my current favorite of my sweet boy.  I am a momma who loves her kids--this is just his sweet heart showing through in a picture!