Ear Piercing Experience

About two weeks ago, we started talking about getting Ava Grace's ears pierced. She has done great at school and we recently started a "responsibility chart" at home that she keeps up with, as well. We thought this would be a good reward. A few of her friends have theirs pierced and she has asked a few times, so why not.

We set out for Clare's in the mall and all the way to the store, she was ready. We arrive at the store and suddenly it isn't such a great idea. She starts acting shy and scared and that is very uncharacteristic of my child. She asked if we could get a drink first and then come back. I took her to buy a lemonade and we returned to the store. No more did we get back and she had to go to the bathroom. As we were making our way back, I sat her down and told her that she did not have to do this and if we left the store again, we were just going to go home.

When we walked back in, she got in the chair and said she was ready. The lady that was going to do the piercing, cleaned her ears and made the little dots where the earrings would go and then when it was time, Ava Grace put her hands over her ears. I picked her up and climbed in the chair with her, thinking that would make it better.

It made it better for a little bit. The store clerk tried to help by giving her a sucker and it definitely worked until she cut her tongue with it. At that point, I told the store clerks (yes, I mean plural since it was going to take 2 to do it) that it was time to do it. I put my arms around Ava Grace held her still with one hand and held her head straight. They counted and on 3 it was done.

She was crying when we left the store, but not because her ear hurt, but her tongue was still bleeding.

Traumatizing or not, the earrings look fabulous and she loves them!!

The Polar Express

I guess it is becoming a family tradition and it is one that I love, taking our girls on the Polar Express. For the third year, we have put on our PJs and hopped on a train for a ride to the North Pole. It is a short little ride with hot chocolate and cookies and my girls love it!!




Ava Grace patiently waiting to have her ticket punched.







Annabelle not so patiently waiting to get to the elves.

Annabelle and her sweet friend Jackson playing peek-a-boo over the seats.

Finally getting to see SANTA!!!

6 Months Old

Almost a week late, but she is already 1/2 a year old!!!

Adalyn is 5 Months Old

Friday was Adalyn's 5 month birthday!! So here is a little update on our sweet baby girl...

1. Your smile lights up a room


2. You are eating cereal and have had your first taste of some veggies - not sure if you and peas get along or not. Yuck!


3. You like to sleep on your tummy and your side.


4. You look a lot like your daddy as a baby.


5. We dedicated you to the Lord today!

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Our Lil Pumkin is 2!

Annabelle is 2! Our precious girl had a birthday today, though we have been celebrating her all weekend!

Saturday, was her party out at The Maize. My friend Monica made these precious invitations (I started to put the backside, but it had my phone #) and I made the matching outfits that you will see in all the pictures (I was very proud of myself)...

We rode a cow train, did a mini-maize, saw some farm animals and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch so that the kiddos could pick a pumpkin.

How cute are John and Ava Grace? I just had to throw that in there!

(Side note: At'l Do Farms made it a great experience. We will definitely be partying there in the future.)

How about that, I some cute pictures with my girls - that almost never happens since I am usually behind the lens.

Annabelle had so much fun and wore herself out so much that she couldn't get out of the parking lot before she was asleep. After she finally woke up from her nap, we opened some presents at home, though I got zero pictures of that. She got some great stuff. We have such generous family and friends. Thanks everyone!

My parents and Neno's sister Carrie were in town for the weekend. We loved having them here!

Today... the actual birthday was a little less eventful, but Annabelle still had a great day! We started telling her happy birthday first thing and her response was happy birthday! She took treats to school for her friends and they sang happy birthday during snack time. When we sang happy birthday and she started singing happy to you. In fact, she went to bed singing it. So cute!

Our sweet pumpkin - I cannot believe that you have already been with us for two years!!! Don't let everyone fool you with their teasing about you being tempermental or for lack of a better term, a turd. We all adore you! You make the best faces and have the cutest little voice - I will get it on tape at some point. We love you so much and our lives would not be the same without you. Happy Birthday!!!

Addy Mae - 4 Months

4 months have gone by in a blink! Adalyn Mae, our smiley girl, you have grown so much and you are just starting to discover the world. You roll from your tummy to your back and from your back to your side. You just started eating rice cereal and you like it more and more each day. You are different from your sisters in that you look like daddy and you don't want to sleep in the evenings (it makes mommy a little crazy), but you do sleep great the rest of the day. You are so sweet and so cute! We adore you!

No More Training Wheels

I went to a meeting on Thursday at Ava Grace's school and while I was sitting in her classroom I received a text that said...

Ava Grace can ride her bike with no training wheels!

My response was - NO WAY!!!

This is what I returned home to find...

She called both sets of grandparents before she went to bed and was so excited to tell them of her new accomplishment.

The funniest part was her leaving a message for her PawPaw - she rattled on about how she rode her bike all by herself without training wheels and that she loved him. She must have repeated herself at least three times before she decided she was done. And to top it off, she almost said Amen in there somewhere. She was so excited. I think she forgot that she was talking to Nana and PawPaw's machine and not Jesus. Sweet girl!

Just Dance!

Yesterday was another first for us...

Ava Grace started dance!!
We signed up for a combo class at Christmann Academy of Dance about a month ago. It is tap, ballet and gymnastics all in one. A great starter class to see what it is that she likes. Of course, she loved it all!!!!

We even have a friend in class, Anastyn Greaser. She is the daughter of my sweet friend Adrienne. I love having someone to talk to during class and it is fun to watch Ava Grace with a girlfriend. She is usually surrounded by boys.

I am so excited to watch her learn and I can't wait until May to see her at her recital. She will light up the stage!!!

My Darlings in Silhouette

I have decided that I LOVE silhouettes! I am going to hang these over my bed.

I just followed the easy steps on http://jonesdesigncompany.com/ (my new favorite blog - by the way)

I had this digital scrap paper from other projects and there you go!! Now I just need to upload these to a photo site and done!

New Picture

So, Neno was ragging me, the other night, that I needed to change our main picture on our blog because it didn't include Adalyn (technically it did, but details, details). Since then, I have been trying to figure out what to do, because the only family pics I have are one of all of us at AG's swim party and Adalyn's newborn pics. I pulled out my digital scrapbooking skills and threw this new one together. I was so proud so I decided to show it to Neno. I thought he would say, good job, about time, I like it, etc. His comment - "what about us??" Are you kidding me? He is just going to have to live with it for a while!!

Walking Home From School

So today, I loaded up the double stroller and headed to school to get Ava Grace. Walking away from the school she told me she wanted to push the stroller, but she was thirsty. I gave her my glass of water and not 60 yards from the school she tells me she is tired and wants to ride too.


I am guessing that this is what we looked like minus the out-of-shape mommy that was pushing.


The look on Adalyn's face is totally Neno and it just makes me laugh. She must be thinking - what was God thinking when he made me the baby sister of these two?? You can't help but smile, laugh or maybe cry (I guess if you feel sorry for her and some days I really do).

3 Months

So with all of the school excitement, I didn't get around to posting pictures of our sweet 3 month old on Sunday. I know I say it all the time but where does time go? In three months, we have packed in a lot of stuff. Our sweet Adalyn has grown so much. She is the smiliest baby and in the last week, she has found her voice. She just sings and coos. I have even gotten her to laugh a time or two. It will absolutely melt your heart.

Annabelle goes to school, too!

I obviously made a big deal of Ava Grace going to Kindergarten yesterday - understandably! But, what I didn't mention is that Annabelle got to go to school, too! She started PDO yesterday. She will go every Monday and Wednesday. It is a good thing, too, since this is what she looked like when Ava Grace headed out yesterday!

























Of course, she had all the gear too! I appliqued her backpack with a cow - we love cows!!! Her Nana made her a nap mat cover, too and she had her very own lunch bag. She was set.

























I dropped her off at 9 and she was ready!! I told her I was going bye-bye so she gave me a kiss and this is what I heard as I walked out the door:

"Bye-Bye, Mommy" "Lub ooo (love you)" "Bye-bye, Mommy" "Lub ooo, Mommy"

I took this as Annabelle speak for see ya, go away, I got this! She is so big!

She had a great day, but I did get a little note that she didn't always get along with the other girls in the class. We gotta work on that. She might just be putting her sister aggression off on those poor girls. We will see how that goes.


Ava Grace"s first day report:

Me: How's was school today?

Ava Grace: Mrs. Wood asked me to stop whistling and I promise that I stopped.



Me: Did you fall asleep during rest time?

Ava Grace: Nap time is too quick. I might not got to school tomorrow so that I can rest. It was just too quick and I was super duper tired.



Neno: Did you make new friends at school?

Ava Grace: I met Hunter, Lucas, Joshua... (does anyone else see a pattern)

Neno: What about the girls?

Ava Grace: Oh yeah, I met Ellen and Keeli, too.



It was a great day for both girls and for this mommy, too. There just wasn't enough time for me to get my list of to-dos taken care of. There is always Wednesday.

Kindergarten!

Today was Ava Grace's first day of school!! She has been looking forward to this day for so long!!

We live only a few blocks from her elementary school so for the last year, she has been asking when she gets to go there... today was the day!

We have been getting ready since her birthday. We bought her school supplies, new clothes, new shoes and all of the stuff you need to head off to kindergarten. She got a fabulous backpack from her cousins and Aunt Molly and Uncle Bubba. Nana even made her a nap mat cover that is uniquely hers. She was set!

Last Thursday, was back to school night so Neno and I took her to meet Mrs. Wood. I have prayed since last Spring that she would be Ava Grace's teacher. We are so excited to have her in Ava Grace's life. She seems to have an amazing touch with the kiddos. Anyway, after meet the teacher and a few kids in her class, Neno and I took Ava Grace on a date. We talked all about how she needed to act in class and the things that she would get to do in school. It was such a special night. Thanks Aunt Bess for watching Annabelle and Adalyn!

She has known since last week that she would start school on Monday. So, last night, she knew what today would bring. After her bath, we finished packing her bag, picked out clothes for today and talked about what she wanted in her lunch.

6 a.m. came awfully early for me, but I think I was so excited that I didn't even think twice about hitting snooze. I jumped up, showered, started breakfast, fixed coffee (which I don't even drink), made lunches, switched around laundry and all before 7 a.m. We woke Ava Grace up at 7. Without any hesitation, she got up and got dressed!

We made breakfast casserole, pancakes and cut-up fruit for her first-day breakfast. Jeremy and Beth joined us to help send Ava Grace off to school. I was so glad that they were here. I know it made Ava Grace feel special and they kept Annabelle and Adalyn at home so Neno and I could walk AG to school.

I think she was a little overwhelmed by all of the people in the classroom when we arrived - parents, kids, brothers and sisters. But she grabbed a chocolate milk from the teacher and found a seat. It wasn't until I hugged her good-bye that I began to tear up. I managed to take a few deep breathes and hold it together for her. Only now, are the tears falling as I think about the tight hug that she gave me. I don't know if it was Mommy don't leave hug or a hug to reassure me that she would be okay. I know she will be okay. My social child will eat it up!

We are so proud of our sweet Ava Grace. Today is a big day!

Ava Grace is Officially 5!!

Last Friday, our sweet Ava Grace turned 5!! She has been so excited about this birthday for lots of reasons that I will get to, but first we had to celebrate - all weekend!!

She had spent the week with Neno's parents - Granna and Grand Pappy and her cousins Noah and Brynn. She came home on her birthday. We were waiting with hugs, kisses, presents and cupcakes. Her daddy also made her an extra special gift that will be a blog all its own.

On Saturday, we got up early so that we could PARTY!!

You can see by the invite (that my fabulous friend Monica made) that we had a pool party on Saturday morning so instead of cake or cupcakes, this mom served donuts. I would say they were a huge hit, because not many were left!!

She had a great time and got lots of great gifts.

But, the fun didn't end there. We went back to our house with all of our family, rested a little and then played somemore. Oh, and opened more gifts.

Sadly, everyone went home on Sunday and the birthday weekend came to an end. But now, she is looking forward to KINDERGARTEN - - EEEEEKKKKKKK!!! She has wanted to be five all year so that she could go to the school by our house. Well, sweet girl, much to this mother's dismay, you will start in about 20 days and yes, I will cry!!

To our sweet 5 year old girl - you are the sunshine of our lives. God put you in our lives and we thank him everyday for you. You are a wonderful big sister, full of life and personality and you have the most fabulous expressions. You amaze us everyday!! We are so proud and blessed to call you ours.

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Where has 2 months gone?

I am a little behind in Adalyn updates so here is her announcement and my digital scrapbook pages from 1 month and 2 months. She was two months on the 22nd. Time goes way too fast.

Beach Bums

We were invited to join my family for a little beach vacation this year in Galveston. My sister-in-laws family has a beach house there and it was there week to have it and they included us. We love and thank them for including us because we had a blast!!

We left Mom and Dad's house on Tuesday morning - July 6th - also my oldest brother Wayne's 40th birthday!! We arrived around 12:30, ate lunch and hit the beach. We took full advantage of all the sun and waves that we could get. We thought we were going to be rained out all day on Thursday, but the sun finally broke through late that afternoon and we were off.

On Friday, before we left, one of my very best friends, Kristen and her sweet daughter, Presleigh, came over from the Woodlands to play. I am so glad that they did. I don't get to see Kristen nearly enough and we loved getting the girls together.

We left the beach Friday afternoon and decided we were going to go all the way home that day!! But first, we made a stop in Austin to see some other great friends - JP/Dena and there kiddos, Trace/Elizabeth. We had dinner with them and visited for a little while. Then we put the girls in their PJs and threw them in the car. There was no turning back. We were Lubbock bound!!! The girls were really great and I was so impressed with Neno being able to stay awake and get us home safe. I even got to sleep most of the way home. We finally pulled in the driveway at 2:45 a.m. Though it was a long trip, we were so glad that we came on home. I think the girls had missed there beds.

July 4th

Just like every July 4th, at least since Neno and I have been together, we headed to Lake Buchanan - home of my mom and dad. We arrived Friday night late. We thought the girls would sleep in the car on the way - we thought wrong. They fell asleep 3 minutes from mom and dad's. We took them in and put them straight to bed.

Saturday morning, the Cassie neighborhood had its July 4th parade. Last year, Ava Grace and I rode on someone's trailor, but this year, Papaw had a new toy. He bought a golf cart!!! The girls love it! So, Nana, Papaw, Ava Grace, Annabelle and Neno all jumped on to take part in the parade. They were so cute!

I stayed behind since Adalyn was napping, but I got to hear all about it when they returned. Ava Grace thought the best part was getting to through candy to the onlookers and Annabelle thought the best part was eating the candy - surprise, surprise!

On Sunday, we set out on the golf cart to find the deer that live in the neighborhood. The one in the photo is named Sugar and she apparently will walk into the home that we were in front of and she will eat out of anyone's hand - obviously! Ava Grace loved it and hated when we ran out of bread. Annabelle just kept yelling "DEER", "DEER" - so cute!!

Ava Grace @ VBS

This was the first year that Ava Grace could go to Vacation Bible School with her cousins in Austin. We had been talking about it for a few months and she was so excited to go, but before I shipped her off, I had some preparing to do. No, I wasn't worried about her being gone for a week, but more concerned with the fact that my nieces are on swim team and AG was not a great swimmer. She would've told her Aunt Molly that she could because in her mind, she is every bit as good as Marlee - not so much.

Anyway, I decided to put her in swim lessons at the YWCA. Neno took her to the lessons in the evenings and we weren't seeing much progress over the two weeks she was there. So, I decided we had a little more time before she shipped out to take more lessons. Luckily, some other parents at the Y told me about another pool that pretty much guaranteed that your child would swim before their 9 lessons were up. They weren't kidding. We only finished 8 of the 9 and she is a fish that can go anywhere in the pool that she wants.

On June 11, we sent her with Aunt Bess and Uncle MeMe to meet my mom. She played at there house for the weekend and headed to Aunt Molly and Uncle Bubba's on Sunday. Then the crazy week began. Molly kept the girls going non-stop. They swam almost everyday, went to the sprinkler park, went to Zilker park, got ice cream, read books, played dress up and went to VBS ever evening.

Ava Grace was so busy that I talked to her only once that whole week. Molly was so sweet to send update pics of what they were doing.

We went down on Friday for the weekend for my Big Dad's memorial service, Father's day and to get our sweet girl. I missed her!! I think Annabelle missed her too. Ava Grace keeps her corralled and entertained more than I ever realized. I definitely needed AG the day that I was nursing and Annabelle decided she needed to mop the house with the toilet brush and toilet water!!