Falls Clan

A Brydson Family New Year

2012-02-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

I adore my family and was so excited when they decided to come spend New Year's weekend with us so that I didn't have to travel and we could be together to complete the holiday season. Unfortunately, we weren't all together as we were missing Wayne, Melissa, Keelie and Westin.

Mom and Dad arrived on Wednesday, while B, Molly and crew came on Friday. It was a short weekend but so worth it and the kids went non-stop the entire time.

Bubba and Neno bonded over beer, fire, cooking out and shooting at stuff. B shot a prarie dog and Wills shot a crane. He was one happy kid as it was the first thing he ever shot! It is being mounted - who knows where it will go, but it is getting done.

I am continually in awe of these two people. They are Godly, amazing parents and so generous with their time, love, friendship, etc. Thanks B and Molly for making the trip. I know it was a long drive, but we loved every minute of you being here. I just wish we could do it more!!!

Have I mentioned in previous blogs that we love smores? It seems like they have become a staple when we are all together. I also think we all just love to sit and talk by a good fire.

The kids all rode Jose and Cadillac and had a ball until Jose got a little excited and decided to trot with AG and Marlee on him. AG quickly jerked the reigns and when Jose crow hopped (a little)...they quickly jumped off. It was a little more than they could handle.

Molly snapped this picture of me and my dad. Pretty cute and...look at the belly!!!

Of course, the weekend flew, but we made great memories, got to share a little of our world with our family and loved every minute of it!!!!

Pictures to go with Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

So I should have included these in the previous post, but after writing it, sitting on it of a few days and then thinking about what a pain it is to add pictures after the blog is written, I chose to go this route.

Reading with Granna

Adalyn's new ride

Loving presents

Reindeer food is a must

Snowball fight with daddy's new snowball throwers

Uncle MiMi and Aunt Bess gave AG this gear since they are taking her skiing in Feb.

Brothers with Brother-In-Laws. What a crew!!!

One of three trees. I loved all of them

AG helping with cheese balls

Pillow pet from Granna - love it!

2/3 of the Barron Family. So fun to have them in our home

Blessing the food and our home. Good thing I had that wall knocked out!!

Sweet Cousins and look how well they share

One final note to Santa. They were working so hard

Cousins putting on a play. They were all so cute and creative

Jerry reading the story of Jesus' birth. Wouldn't be Christmas without it, in more ways than one!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T13:21:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I have felt overwhelmed about all the things that I could write about from Christmas or if I have already shifted gears to January - birthdays, new baby, back to school, etc., either way, this post is way overdue and I am still not sure where to start. I haven't even gone through all the pictures and I know there are tons. We had at least 3 good cameras going the whole time which for the Falls family means hundreds of pictures. I am pretty sure I only ended up with mine on my computer so one day I will get to the rest.

No matter how you slice it, Christmas/New Years 2011 was amazing!!

I started saying in August that we would host the Falls family for Christmas. By the time the holidays rolled around, I would be well into this pregnancy (not fun to travel), we have a new house that we wanted to host everyone in and I wanted my kids to be home on Christmas day to play with their stuff. Plus, there are technically more Falls peeps in Ropesville/Meadow than there are in Sherman/Howe.

I never waivered on wanting everyone here and as it got closer, I got more and more excited. We finished projects, bought food, planned meals between Jeremy and Beth's and our house and even planned a day to spend with extended family that would also be in the area from Michigan.

After a record trip to the grocery store, Beth and I were ready to cook and host the whole crew!!

On the Thursday before Christmas, family started arriving and by Friday afternoon, everyone was here. PARTY!!! We cooked, played games, did crafts, played in the snow - pretty much whatever we wanted to do.

On Saturday, the Henson's and Noordyk's decended on our home. Here is the really fun part, Delinda and Mike (brother & sister), along with my mother-in-law, Carol, are grandkids of the original owners of the home Neno and I now live in... so fun to have them back in the house. I got to here more stories of time spent here and they helped us officially dedicate our home. Thank you for the blessings on our home and for your compliments on changes made. Pregnant or not, I am sure I would have cried either way from their words - and I did!! Oh, did I mention we all totalled 39. 39 people in my house is a lot!! But it was wonderful.

We ended the day by getting ready for Santa, sprinkling reindeer food and settling in with books read by Granna. It was a full day!

Sunday brought Santa and so many wonderful goodies. In Neno's family they love to stuff stockings (nothing actually fits in the stocking, but it is so fun!)! So we all spent a good hour going through our loot. Then it was on to a yummy breakfast, showers and getting ready for the day.

Here is where our day took an interesting and nasty turn... we have had some trouble in the last few months with plumbing on the living side of our house - 2 bathrooms. We had a plumber get his snake caught in our pipes trying to work out the issues, we had the waste pumped out and still on Christmas day, we have issues. Jeremy and Neno decided to tackle it so that we had use of toilets and showers. Really, on Christmas day???? They got the back-hoe, took the top off the tank (which was pretty much empty due to pumping the week before) and Neno climbed down in to see if he could see what the problem was. He found the end of the snake that the plumber had stuck 2 months before. He grabbed the end and started pulling. Once he got the snake out, here came the rest - YUCK!! Needless to say, drains started draining and we were back in business. Thanks babe for taking on that disgusting job, I am pretty sure I am burning those coveralls that are still in a heep on the garage floor.

After showers, we were back to celebrating Christmas!! As is tradition (and it should be), we read the Christmas story and were gladly reminded of what Christmas is about. We took time to go around the family and say one word that described our relationship with Jesus. Lots of amazing things were said and again, I cried. My word was "Plan", God has a plan for me, for my family and as long as I let him remain in control, it reveals itself in the most amazing ways. This year and this house have been proof positive of that!!

We continued with lots of great presents and a new trial of Chinese Christmas amongst the family. Neno and I got some great stuff and despite not being really sure how to run it with each of us bringing two presents, it worked out well.

It was another great day, full of fun, food and family. It doesn't get much better!!! I wasn't even worn out beyond belief. This baby cooperated and let me get some sleep and was rather kind to my feet and back since I did a lot of standing in the kitchen.

Sadly, it all came to an end on Monday when everyone headed back home, but I am already to host the next go around again in 2 years!!

Chuck-town Getaway

2011-12-22T11:19:00.000-06:00

The first weekend in December, Neno and I took a much needed weekend getaway to Charleston, SC. This was the first trip we had taken alone since our honeymoon in May 2004. It will also be the last that we will take for quite a while since #4 will be here very soon. We decided on Charleston since I love the South, we love to eat and it seemed to have some interesting history. Which it didn't disapoint in any of those categories. Though I didn't take pictures of the food, we ate some amazing meals. We decided after eating our way through the city, that we wouldn't need to eat for a week after our trip. Of course we did, but that is just because we have no discipline.

This was our first outing of our trip to Boone Plantation. The row of trees pictured above is the oldest row of oaks in the United States. It is also the most photographed. It was used in the Notebook. It lead to Allie's house. Pretty cool - Huh? It was amazing in person.

In fact all of the plants and life around the plantation were impressive. Check out this fern. I had Neno take this picture since I knew my mother-in-law would appreciate it. Plus we had to show the bump on the trip.

Neno hates these pictures. You know, the ones you take yourself, but there wasn't anyone else around and I wanted to try to get the plantation house in the back. Fail! It is not our best. Unfortunately, it is the only picture of us together on the whole trip.

We took a carriage ride tour of part of the city. They have the rides broken into 3 sections, so we had to go with the draw. It was so interesting and probably our favorite thing on the trip. This hotel above is where Robert E. Lee watched the harbor at the beginning of the Civil War. Story goes that his ghost still walks the porch, but because of some renovations since the war, he doesn't walk ON the balcony, he floats just above the floor.

This is a sitting porch and a very common thing in this town, but they aren't front porches, they are on the side of the house. This was for privacy. This is where the families would sit in the heat to try to get some relief and feel the cool air off of the ocean. Back then, apparently they wore 50 lbs of clothes and would undo some layers here on the porch. If the door, at the front of the porch (not pictured) was closed then the family wasn't decent. You either didn't knock or you did and knew to wait. You also knew not to step to the side, which was visible and take a look at the people on the porch. The first man arrested for doing such a thing was named Tom. We learned that is where a "Peeping Tom" came from.

Okay, so you are probably asking why I took this random picture of the balcony, but I am actually taking a picture of the blue ceiling. When slaves were shipped from Africa, they brought some of there cultural traditions with them to the South. One being that "Haint" paint keeps evil spirits out of the house. You will see it in all different shades throughout the city. I thought it was cool. Some go so far as to paint there window and door trim in this color.

Not as interesting as the history, but very pretty was the Folley Beach. We decided we would venture out there on our last night. We should've have taken another city tour. On our way, Neno got a speeding ticket. Really??? That cop apparently didn't like tourists. Then the park we were headed to, was still closed from Hurrican Ike damage. We finally found and pier and stairs to the beach so we went for a walk. No great shells, it was cold and the sun was going down. At least I got a pretty picture of that. We can say we went.

Did I mention that we ate a lot? We also walked a lot and never really got used to the time change. I guess this fun picture of Neno on the plane home is result of all of that. Hehehehe!!

We really had a great time! We enjoyed just focusing on each other. I always say that is important but not so easy with 3/4 kids. We really do have good time together and still love each other a lot. It is good to be reminded of that and to have each others undivided attention. I LOVED IT!! Thanks babe, for taking a trip with me and being so generous and attentive. You definitely made me feel loved and very special. Just what I needed after all of the house renovations and before our new addition. You are the best! I love you! (Even if you do sleep just like the picture above) Ha!

Thanksgiving in pictures... Finally!

2011-12-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for all of the following and so much more! This was a great Thanksgiving spent with my side of the family on Lake Buchanan. The kids love being with cousins and they can't get enough of being outside and chasing each other. It is preiceless!! Though I didn't get pictures of everyone in the family, I adore them all and feel so blessed to have been born a Brydson! I love you all and the times that we get to share!

Tea Party at Nana's doll table. Doesn't it look like it was made for her?

Golf cart rides, or just a good place to sit and talk...

So serious. Of course when it comes to baseball, who isn't?

Precious cousins, Keelie and Emma Beth.

Someone had a little too much Turkey.

Can you tell that these girls love each other?

Love these two!! I think this is such a good picture out by the firepit.

I think the smore attacked Marlee but she isn't complaining!

Forever with the Horns. Really, Emma Beth, that could break my camera!!

Annabelle couldn't get enough!

Neno has a birthday

2011-12-08T15:35:00.000-06:00

In mid-November, the 17th to be exact, we celebrated my sweet husband's birthday. Though it wasn't a milestone birthday, it is definitely one he won't forget.

I had searched for week's for a wood burning stove for our house. He had mentioned really wanting one since before we were sure we were buying this house. Anyway, I was on a mission - internet, Fireplaces, etc., Craigslist, Ebay. I was on a true hunt. I even told his mom to keep a look out at garage sales. Her response was, "Yeah, right!" Well, it was meant to be. The weekend before his birthday, I found one!! Exactly what we wanted on Craigslist. It was in Sherman, close to his parents, and his mom helped me with meeting the owner, getting it paid for and his sister helped us get it picked up. It was a true family effort and it was from all of us, so it worked out well. He was a happy man!

I couldn't let it stop there, though. On Wednesday, before his birthday on Thursday, I attended Holiday Happening's Sneak Peek event with a friend. Since last year, I knew what I wanted to get Neno for his birthday, this year. In fact, I was supposed to buy it last year and chickened out. We are now expecting baby number 4. For anyone unfamiliar with this story, the item was a Vasectomy, donated by a well-known physician, for the Junior League to use in the silent auction. I was a very deteremined lady. I kept my eye on the clipboard all night. I even bid a time or two, but when they announced 5 minutes remaining, I went to stand guard. Little did I know, there was a woman that wanted it as badly as I did. She placed a bid, I topped it, she topped mine and so on. Finally, I asked her what it would take for her to back off, what was her limit on bidding. She told me about her deductible and how it wasn't worth using insurance for the procedure, blah, blah, blah. To that, I responded with, "Really, I am pregnant with our 4th child, this will be my second by midwife (totally my choice, but also much cheaper) and we have NO insurance. Oh and did I mention that my husband was mad that I didn't buy this a year ago." She didn't have much to say after that and they called for 1 minute. I placed my bid and surprisingly, she didn't top it. She was off to the side texting. I am sure it was her husband or friend and they were hearing all about it. Little did I know, she was just trying to be sneaky. They called time and as they did, she tried to reach over the League member that was collecting the boards and trump my bid. I politely put my hand on her arm and let her know that she couldn't do that. Bidding was over!! I won!!!! The fun part was that I really could give it to Neno for his birthday. He knew I was going to bid on it this time, but I wanted to keep it a secret that I had won until the next day. It worked!! I put the certificate in his birthday card.

He isn't embarrassed to tell anyone about his gift. I think he is pretty proud of both of his presents. Happy Birthday, honey!! I am sure it will not soon be forgotten. I love you and I am thankful EVERYDAY that you were born.

We've got chicks

2011-12-08T15:12:00.000-06:00

Well, quite obviously, we have chicks, we have three daughters, but I am not referring to them this time. I am talking about the feathered kind. We have had them a little over a month. We got them a day after they hatched and we have watched them grow from cute and fuzzy to feathered and funny-looking. They now have the bump on their beeks and aren't nearly as cuddly for the girls, but we still find them interesting.

Here are all 32 that shipped to us in this tiny box. Sadly, we had a fatality and are down to 31. I still find that amazing with my children, our dog and 11 degree weather. Oh, did I mention they lived inside for the first few weeks. They were noisy and dirty little birds. I was glad to see them make the move outside.

Ava Grace loved getting to hold them. They were fun when they were fuzzy and you could easily catch them. Now, they are fast and not so loveable.

This is them still in their 4 ft. x 4 ft. box that Neno made, but moved outside to the coupe. The box now has a hole for them to come and go and get under the heat lamp.

Anyway, you might be asking why on earth we have 31 chicks. Well, we are in the country and my husband is all about country living, including farm-fresh eggs. In April-May, these sweet gals will start laying. They are what you call Laying Hens. We are an egg family and go through tons of eggs in a short time. They will definitely pay for themselves. Plus, it just adds to the country charm. Don't you think?

No. 4

2011-11-09T13:18:00.000-06:00

So I posted about it on Facebook in August and I am 29 weeks, so I have definitely talked about it, but sadly, I don't think I have posted a thing about expecting No. 4.

Yes, we really are having another kid! Yes, we know what causes it! And yes, we are crazy... about our kids! This one will be no different! We aren't finding out what this one is, but boy or girl, we will be just as crazy about him/her!

I have felt really good throughout this pregnancy, which is a blessing since for the first 3 weeks, we were living with Jeremy and Beth. Then, we moved into our house and started renovations. Plus, I am chasing 3 active girls. Maybe I felt great, because we were in denial for quite a while. So much for Taking Control of Your Own Fertility. I was not in control. God was and is!!

Anyway, I cannot believe how quickly this one has flown and how I really don't want to know until the delivery what this one is. Does that mean, subconciously, I know it is a girl and will adore her upon arrival no matter what or is it a boy and I want the grand surprise? Who knows.

At this point, I definitely feel pregnant, look pregnant (finally, I hate the transition where you just look like maybe and no one wants to ask), and feel this precious child move all of the time. In fact, this one is the most active of all. This one doesn't care if I am sitting, standing or walking (which is just a strange feeling).

I feel better now, I did so well at journaling about the other 3 pregnancies and doing some blogging (I think), but have totally dropped the ball on this one. Sorry, baby! I have a feeling I will be saying that or feeling that way a lot. I hope that means this one will be patient and layed back. I need that to be the case. I pray for that in this child.

February 2, will be here before I know it. That is crazy!!!!!

Oh, and to answer another question that might be looming in your brains... yes, I am using midwives again. We are having this one at home! Pray they make it this time. Though I love the thought of it just being Neno and I again, he would have a heart attack if it happened a second time. And since we have had the other three without family present, they are all hoping that they are here for this one's arrival. Here's hoping it all comes together, but we shall see.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

So I confess that I was going to let Halloween just go by this year without dressing up or trick or treating with the girls. I am aweful!! Luckily, they have an aunt that wasn't going to let that happen. Aunt CJ and Taylor took Annabelle and Ava Grace shopping on Saturday. They saved the day! They bought costumes, tights, make-up, etc. The girls were covered! I even got these funny pics sent to my phone to document the outing...

Once the girls were excited, I jumped on oboard, too. I even made treats for their classes at school. I stole this fun idea from one of my BFFs - Kristen. She had posted these on Facebook last week and I loved them. So, the girls took candy corn rice krispies to their friends. I thought they were too fun and the girls loved them!

Round pan with colored sections of rice krispies. Then cut it like a pie.

Voala! Candy Corn!

After school and dinner, it was time to rock and roll. Aunt CJ came over to do make-up and we set out for town. We got a late start so we didn't tackle to much. We stopped on a few streets and rang some door bells and the girls had a blast. That is what it is all about! So here are the pictures of my beautiful girls in their costumes.

Annabelle the mermaid. The colored hair was her favorite thing, I think.

Ava Grace made a great fairy and loved all the make-up and glitter.

Have you ever seen a cuter puppy? She even let us put black make-up on her nose, but somehow I didn't get that picture on my camera.

All in all, it was so fun! I am glad that Carrie took care of the costumes and that Taylor, Carrie and Beth were willing to set out with me to Trick or Treat. I like the ratio of 4 adults to 3 kiddos. I couldn't ask for greater Aunts/Uncles for my kids. Thanks again!

Best memories to take from the night:

Annabelle trying to take all of the candy out of the bucket.
Adalyn running full force from house to house - nevermind if there was a curb in the way.
Ava Grace being so excited to find houses with lights on and ringing the bell. I also loved how concerned she was that her sisters got to the door and got candy too.
Adalyn eating wrapper and all and being covered in chocolate.
My tub turning blue at bath time
The fact that my girls loved every bit and were ready to do it again the next day.

AB turns 3!

2011-10-19T12:11:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Annabelle's third birthday. I asked her if she would stay two forever for me and she said she promised. If only we could bottle some of the cutest things and times in their lives as children. We celebrated her for a second time with dinner and cake, with family.

Saturday, was the big celebration. I decided since we were out in the country and it was fair-time, we would have a fair of our own. We had Annabelle's County Fair.

This was my chance to go all out and have some fun with a theme. We had cotton candy for party favors, caramel popcorn, caramel with apples, frito pie and fresh, homeade corn dogs.

We also had lots of wonderful friends and family that helped us celebrate and play. Our day even included a hayride, horseback riding, shooting at balloon targets, jumping on the trampoline and getting really dirty (why is that so fun as a child?)

Looks like a happy girl to me. Party Success!!!!

We even managed a family picture before the day was done. Yay!!

Thanks Granna, Aunt Cheetah, Noah, Brynn, Caris, Camden and Uncle Bubba for making the trip to Lubbock and helping make the party special for Annabelle! We loved having all of you here! And to all that attended her party and helped celebrate her 3rd birthday...

These were the labels for AB's cotton candy favors. Are they not the cutest!!! Thanks Monica for such cute invites and favor labels!

A Front Row Seat

2011-10-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Can I just tell you how special this sweet child is...

Back in June, I tried to get tickets to Taylor Swift, with no luck. But this last week, her Aunt Bess came through in a big way and scored floor tickets to the concert.

We decided not to tell her where she was going and she would figure it out once she was at the Spirit Arena. We just told her that we had a big surprise planned just for her. On Friday, I told her she needed to take a shower and get all dressed up for a special date with Aunt Bess. She really had no clue. I think she thought it had something to do with volleyball. In fact, some others in the fam told her that is what it was. So I am pretty confused as to why it was such a big deal.

When they got to the arena, Beth gave her her ticket and asked if she could read it. She read Taylor Swift, but still had no real reaction. It wasn't until she came on stage that she lit up with excitement. Oh and by the way, those floor seats were FRONT ROW!!!

These pictures are Beth and Ava Grace's view of Taylor Swift. And this picture even has AG's head to show just how close she was. She even came home with a guitar pick that Taylor threw. What a lucky girl!!

Kitchen Update In Pictures

2011-09-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

Demo in progress

Door opening widened - cabinet on the right is gone!

Demo complete and we are ready for cabinets

Cabinets delivered

Everyone thought the uninstalled cabinets were fun to play in, including Homer!

Layout complete - cabinets in place

Priming for color

Painted cabinets - Heavy Cream with a tobacco glaze. It is really just in the creases and little nooks

Island primed blue

Island topcoat in Asparagus - HELLO GREEN! Let's pray the distressing and antiquing tones it down. A LOT!

We are hoping for all of the painting, including the texture and paint on walls/ceiling, will be done by Tuesday. If so, our countertops will go in, along with our appliances. I will be cooking in my new kitchen if all goes right, this week. I am sooooooo excited!! Stay tuned for the final cabinet pictures and floor install later this week!

A long ride home

2011-09-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

This happened in July , but it can't be forgotten...

Neno took Ava Grace to Uncle MeMe's to saddle up the horses for a ride from his house to ours, a little over 4 miles. They set out about 10 and made it to our house at 11:30 or so. It was a long, hot ride home, but I am pretty sure they all enjoyed it. They did decide not to make the trip back and instead went and picked up a trailer and came back for the horses.

I should also mention that Annabelle started the trip with them, but not long into it, I got a call to come pick her up. I found the most precious thing on the side of the dirt road (Neno was about 30 yards away), just waving me down. She didn't want to ride anymore. I thought maybe it was because it was too long or hot, but no, she wanted her own horse. Of course!!

What a great memory made!

Sassy 6 year old

2011-09-06T10:58:00.001-05:00

Like so many times before, this should have been posted long ago. Oh well, at least I am getting to it now.

Ava Grace turned 6 on July 30. I CANNOT believe my baby girl is 6 - WOW! We had talked about what kind of party she wanted to have to celebrate her birthday. I suggested swimming, roller skating and some others that are escaping me now, but she had her heart set on a Sweet & Sassy Party. Sweet & Sassy is this perfectly girly salon for kids. They do hair, nails, dress-up... you name it! So fun!

So, the two of us put our heads together and came up with a plan to celebrate her, all day!!! We decided to go to the movies (Tinseltown has a summer movie club for $1 a movie), Chick-fil A for lunch and Sweet & Sassy to cap off the day. Then we needed to invite friends. She chose 3 girlfriends to share her day with, Keeley, Kourtney and Chloe. When she decided on her friends she looked at me and said, "Mommy, I am the only one who's name doesn't start with the 'kuh' sound." Smart girl, if I do say so myself.

Our fabulous friend, Monica, created these perfect invitations with a day's notice. She is the best and can be found here at You're Invited.

We set out early to pick up friends and make the movie at 9:30. Here are the precious girls in the car before the movie.

At Chick-fil A we played, ate lunch and had ice cream and cupcakes. It was so fun to just have a few friends and really get to see the interaction between the girls. They were funny!!

We even had a little time to kill before Sweet & Sassy so we played at Legacy Play Village and opened AG's presents from her precious friends.

Then it was on to get pampered. The girls were all set to get manis, pedis and dance and play a bit on the runway. Well, wouldn't you know it that the birthday girl opens the door across the top of her foot and cuts her big toe and rips part of the nail. She held it together so well until it really started bleeding. I think she was more upset that she couldn't have that toe painted than from pain. Once we were over that, the girls had a blast. They all have such unique personalities and had definite opinions about their nails. When that was all done, they hit the runway. We have some hams in the group. My daughter definitely is one of them. Check them out...

Wallpaper Removal

2011-07-18T14:07:00.001-05:00

In order to remove this fabulous ivy wallpaper in my laundry room, I needed....

two of these..

each equiped with one of these.

How cute are my little laborers???

With their help, we managed to get all the wallpaper down. Now, I am left with the border to tackle. If only I trusted my kids on a ladder. Oh well, I appreciate them getting all the low stuff so that I didn't have to bend over.

Kitchen Remodel and a Little Fun Too!!

2011-07-15T17:04:00.001-05:00

So here are some current views of our kitchen...

Entire kitchen

Eating Area (former owners furniture, etc)

The wall to the left will be gone and the window will be covered with cabinets and my new double oven. Our island will extend into this area also.

View of current kitchen from the dining room

The peninsula that can be seen on the left will be gone and the island will run across here into the above eating area. The sink area will stay where it is, but we will repurpose the current oven space and lose the fan. Everything will be replaced or refaced as far as the cabinets and appliances. Now for the fun...

The cabinets have remained empty since we moved into the house in anticipation for demo/remodel, but it has provided for hours of fun for the girls. Adalyn especially LOVES them!!

And then here is my dream...

This kitchen has the same layout (once the wall is removed) that I am trying to achieve. I love the whole thing. The colors, the church pew and table (Neno isn't sold) and the fact that it is a huge open room all appeal to me. I just know it would be perfect for us forever or at least for a really long time!

Here is a view of the family room that it opens into just because. I love it too. If only I had the budget to achieve all of this. One day at a time; one project at a time. We will get there and it will have our own spin on it. But, this is great inspiration.

I think I might if start my own spin with a different color on the island. I love green!! I also love these floors.

These too!! I just love the antique pine look. It can just take a beating and look like it has been there forever. We will have something like this everywhere but the bedrooms, laundry and bathrooms. I cannot wait!! I was ready to start the day we moved in here. This is all just another lesson in patience.

Out of touch...

2011-07-08T16:27:00.001-05:00

We moved into this house almost three weeks ago...

in Meadow, Texas. It is Neno's great grandparents' farmhouse they built in 1965. It is 3 bedroom, 3 bath, with a basement and closed in backporch.

In this short time, I have been subject what rural life can hold, a scorpion, lots of bugs, well water (the things it can do to your kids - that is a whole other blog), quiet (I love it), hit or miss cell service and no internet for 3 weeks. I think the internet part is where I struggled the most (well, maybe Adalyn's bowel problems - thanks well water). I felt so out of touch - no blogging, no Facebook. Truth be told it was great for me, but I did miss it!

Anyway, in the meantime, we have been trying to settle in. We moved in bedroom essentials - beds; clothes. I am still grabbing stuff, as needed, out of kitchen boxes and we have our living room furniture in the house. We haven't done any other furniture due to the fact that we will soon be under construction and carpet still needs to be replaced, but here is where we are living...

Soon-to-be great room/kitchen - that wall will be knocked out in construction. YAY!

Will-be formal living, front room of the house. Currently serving as our TV room.

Dining room - we do have all the chairs around the table now

Neno on the other hand has busied himself with ALL of the outdoor to-dos (believe me there are a lot). To each there own, but sadly the previous owners neglected our beloved family home. We have heard plenty of what Daddy Barron (Neno's great grandfather) put into this house and now it needs lots of love again. Perfect, for my do-it-yourselfer husband. Here he is tackling the sprinkler system that hasn't been used in 12 years. BTW - he got it working!!! Only after he put a hole in our pressure tank - OOPS! Thanks to family and some welding, it is fixed (at least temporarily).

Neno digging for sprinkler heads

We have a long way to go, but we love a challenge and we love this family house. I never tire of hearing everyone's memories that they made here and I promise to do my best to make it our home, but preserve some of the most precious things about this house. What can I say, I am sentimental. I got excited about finding an old Folgers can that I know was Mother Barron's and the guys found the poles and discs to the shuffle board court that is under our patio. They will be displayed somehow in our home.

Just thought I would share a few extra pics...

Our backyard. Well, not really, but it is Barron family farmland that surrounds our house. Give it a little longer and the cotton will be taller and it will be much greener out there.

Cutest thing I have ever unpacked

In blogs to come, I will share about our kitchen remodel and things that I would love to do to this house. I welcome any and all suggestions and comments.Plus, I will do something on our bedrooms since this post deleted what I put up and wouldn't let me get it back (BOO).

One Year Old

2011-06-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen? Okay, so I am biased, but I did and still do think that Adalyn's invitations turned out so well. I shared the front in my last post, but this was the back. LOVE IT!!

As for my baby girl, she has been one for almost 2 weeks. I cannot believe it. Has it really been a year since we, Neno and I, delivered this precious child at home, by ourselves. Crazy!!

The midwives told me before I had her that she would be my atypical child and boy has she been.

She was 2 days late.

She crawled before the other 2.

She had teeth before her sisters did.

She doesn't look like Ava Grace or Annabelle. She IS Neno.

She cuddles and the other two weren't big cuddlers.

She is a thumbsucker.

She is really blonde.

She is our RUNT...

At her one year appointment:

Weight: 19lbs. 5oz. - 25%

Height: 30.5 in - 90%

Head: 18.?? - 95%

Just this week, she started taking steps. Out of no where, she let go of the chair in the kitchen and took 6 steps toward me. I was so excited!! Since then, she has taken steps here and there. It will be no time and she will be off and running with her sisters.

Oh, I almost forgot... though she has been babbling for a while now, this week, she was calling me Mama Mama. Melts my heart.

We adore you Adalyn Mae and our lives wouldn't be the same without. I look forward to watching your personality continue to develop. You definitely have you own way and are starting to hold your own with your sisters. I can't wait for all the years to come.

One Wild and Crazy Weekend

2011-06-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Not last weekend, though it was pretty crazy too, but the weekend before was NUTS! There was way too much going on, way too many places to be at once and way too much family to be able to catch up with. Family in town is never a bad thing, but I don’t think I really got to visit with anyone. That makes me sad.

On to the crazy run down… waterslides, branding, dancing and a birthday.

Family arrived Thursday and Friday for the festivities. This was the first year that we had our parents in town for branding weekend. Usually, it is reserved for friends and siblings/cousins (those our age), but this year we included the parents so that they were here for Ava Grace’s recital and Addie Mae’s first birthday.

My parents arrived on Thursday. So on Friday, I was able to go to Ava Grace’s end of the year party at school. They ate a picnic lunch and then spent the rest of the day in the water.

The boys got busy on Friday with their cows in Borden County and then started early on Saturday with all the cows in Ropes. Though it was their first year, my dad and Jerry (Neno's dad) jumped right in to help out the boys.

Branding the calves

Dad was in charge of the squirt bottle

Best line of the weekend- Annabelle: I lost my horny! (her horny toad)

Ava Grace and I, unfortunately, had to leave all the fun to go to her dress rehearsal for her recital. Can you say BEATING. I have participated in plenty of them in my life and I am pretty sure they are supposed to run just like the show. If that were the case, the dress rehearsal would have lasted 2.5 hours. At almost 4 hours we called it quits. Ava Grace was a trooper, but this momma was done. My sweet mom was at my house the whole time packing and watching the other girls while they napped. Love her!!

Sunday, it was time to party. We celebrated Adalyn’s first birthday and from the time she woke up, it was like she knew it was her special day. She smiled and danced (bounced) every time we sang Happy Birthday to her. She ate it up!

Addie Mae's Invitation made by sweet friend Monica

The Birthday Girl with her Uncle MiMi

Sadly, the party had to come to an end so that we could watch Ava Grace do her thing. She hadn’t been real sure about dance, but after being on the stage Saturday, she loved it and was ready to go! I think she had the largest crowd there. Her sweet teacher Mrs. Wood even came to watch her. It was so fun to see her up on that stage. But we already knew she was a STAR!

Our Star!

AG's cheering section minus the 4 that left early. I told you she had the biggest one there.

We packed in a lot, even a little bit of packing. It was an amazing weekend.

On an exciting, yet sad note, we said good-bye to our sweet brother-in-law and sister-in-law, the girls Uncle Seff and Aunt MA, during the intermission at Ava Grace’s recital. They are off to do God’s work in Africa, where they met. They are such a wonderful couple and God has great things in store for them. I am so excited to hear about it all. Seth took a job with Samaritan’s Purse and has already started working in Uganda. MariAnne will join him at the end of this month. Please help us send up prayers for them. Seth and MA, we love you very much and will miss you tons!!! You will be in our prayers everyday!!! You amaze me!

Seth and MariAnne

Miss Congeniality

2011-05-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that my baby, my first born, is one week away from being done with Kindergarten. I say it all the time and I it is why I blog, but time goes too fast and I don't want to miss super special moments that will be years behind us in no time.

Anyway, this morning, I attended Ava Grace's Kindergarten awards ceremony. All of the kids are awarded multiple awards for the year, like best smile, eager reader, citizenship, etc. I heard these several times for all of the sweet kindergarteners, but there is one that was only used once (I think - my attention was averted some for AB and AM) and it was Miss Congeniality. Guess to whom it went?

You got it, my precious Ava Grace! We have known for almost 6 years that she is not lacking in personality and it obviously stuck around through her first year of school. I pray she always has that sweet spirit that shines through in everything she does and that anyone that gets to share a day with her in school or in play has a brighter day just because of her. I know that we all do.

We are so proud of you Ava Grace. You have worked so hard this year to learn to read and write and it has been so fun to watch the light bulb come on as you have discovered that you know something new everyday.

Me and AG after the assembly. I am one proud Mama!

You also were awarded:

Bold Bowie Brave - You were selected as a Bold Bowie Brave every six weeks since school started so you received a certificate saying, "You are the cream of the crop!"

Awesome Writer Award - For being an AMAZING & TALENTED writer!!

WAY TO GO AVA GRACE!!! One school year down, 12 more to go!!!

A Day to Celebrate 7 Years

2011-05-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

Sunday was our 7 year anniversary!!! 7 years ago, I married this handsome man in my parents backyard. And other than the birth of our three beautiful girls, it was the greatest day of my life.

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from that amazing day...

To celebrate, I decided that I was going to make our plans. I always put an undo amount of pressure on my husband to deliver on big occasions, like this one. Though he always comes through and even surprises me, now and then, I thought I would take the reins on this one.

I have had a gift card to Woodhouse Spa for over 5 months that I have been dying to use. WE put it to use on Saturday. I treated my husband to his first massage and our first "Duet Massage". It was fabulous!! Neno felt a little awkward at first but by the time we were done, he thought it was awesome. I definitely think we will be doing that again!!

And since my wonderful bro-in-law and sis-in-law had taken our kiddos for the night - yes, you read that correctly - we took advantage of a quiet house, had our favorite pizza from Orlando's and watched a movie. It was perfect!! No crying, no kids getting out of bed, no worrying that they were watching the movie through the play room window (Ava Grace and Avatar - that should have been another post) and just plan peace and quiet. Thanks J & B!!! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as the girls did! They weren't ready to come home yesterday.

It was perfect! It was exactly what I wanted, without the pressure on Neno and I know he loved it too. It was his kind of romantic evening.

I love you, babe. Thank you for 7 amazing years of marriage and for 11 years of being my Prince Charming. I don't know where I would be without you!!

Packing Up

2011-05-06T13:10:00.005-05:00

I have packed our first box!!

We SOLD our house! We went under contract over Easter and our 10 day option period ended yesterday. We will close on June 3rd and then we are going country!!

I am so excited! God was involved in this plan, every step of the way! I wanted it to sell quickly, but I also wanted to wait until Ava Grace was out of school to have to move. We sold after about a month on the market and Ava Grace is out of school by May 27th. He is so good!

Now, I need to get back to it. I only have about 100 more boxes to go. In almost six years of living in this house we have accumulated a lot of stuff, not to mention that we have added two kiddos to our clan. This should be fun (Can you sense the sarcasm in my writing?).

Best of Easter 2011

2011-05-02T20:55:00.001-05:00

So I am a little late (surprise, surprise) in getting Easter pictures up but these are worth the wait...

Adalyn: I don't think I like this Easter business

MAKE HER LET GO AND GET ME OUT OF HERE!

These are definitely framers. Wouldn't you agree?

11 Months Old - Happy Easter

2011-04-22T17:02:00.002-05:00

Our Adalyn Mae is 11 Months old today. I cannot believe it. I sat down with my fabulous friend Monica today to start working on her invitations for her 1st birthday.

As of today:

You still smile a lot
You adore your sisters, except for when Beastie (Annabelle) makes you cry (she is still a little rough)
You are trying to stand up on your own. You have done it at least three times for about 2 seconds - I think it counts
You weigh 17 lbs 5 oz - you are tall but itty bitty
You love to be outside but bear crawl because you don't like the grass or rocks on your knees
You are still the most cuddly of the three Falls girls. You will just put your head on our shoulders and it just makes us melt

We love you Adalyn Mae and though we celebrate you being in our lives everyday, we can't wait to celebrate your birthday. My, oh my, how the year did fly!

Happy 11 month birthday - Adalyn Mae and Happy Easter to everyone!

Don't worry about me

2011-04-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

So this morning everyone was eating breakfast and I got yogurt out of the fridge for Adalyn. The conversation that took place between Annabelle and Ava Grace after I did that was priceless...

Annabelle: "Adalyn Mae eat O-gurt, Momma?"
Ava Grace: "Annabelle, it is YO-gurt"
Annabelle: "Don't worry about me, Ava!"

Neno and I started laughing immediately. We couldn't believe those words came out of Annabelle's mouth.

Spring Break

2011-04-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

Since Ava Grace is in Kindergarten, this was our first official Spring Break and I was determined to make the most of it. We packed our week full of friends, family and fun!!

Monday- Science Spectrum with the Gray's. I joined Groupon and they had a 6 month membership for $25 so I bought it. If we go one more time (which we will) it more than paid for itself. Anyway, this kids played, saw fish and snakes, climbed a rock wall and wore themselves out.

Tuesday- We went and played with some of our favorite boys, John, Braidy and Quin. We love the Curry boys and all of the kiddos play very well together. Adalyn and Quin are still too little but one day very soon, they will be right there with the rest of them.

Wednesday- We loaded up and went to play with Uncle MiMi and Aunt Bess. When we got to their house, it was cool outside so we hungout and waited for it to warm up before we went to check for baby calves on the Ranger. It was still pretty cool when we decided to head out so we put on jackets and took blankets. Adalyn stayed cuddled up with me the whole time and even fell asleep during the ride. I must say that I loved it! As for the bigger girls, they loved getting to look for new babies and watch Uncle MiMi work. Annabelle even got out to pet a calf.

After naps and packing, Neno got home and we headed to Granna and Grand Pappy's house. We have started traveling at night so that Neno can put in a full day of work and the girls will sleep most of the trip. On our way, we stopped in Dickens to cake cows and nearly got the van stuck trying to get out. My husband was so calm and talked me through getting unstuck. He then proceded to drive really fast up a steep cliffside so that it wouldn't happen again. We were out and on our way. I don't usually panic, but I must say that I did have a moment when I thought we were spending the night in the car. Ava Grace told Neno that he needed to call Uncle MiMi because he could get us out. Thank goodness neither of us were right! We finally arrived at 12:30 a.m.

Thursday- I woke up sick. I blame the Taco Bell from the night before, but whatever it was, it was miserable. Neno cancelled his plans to play golf so that he could take care of Adalyn and his mom set off on her own with four grandkids to the Discovery Gardens in Dallas. They had plans for the aquarium, but didn't quite make it. They did a craft, saw butterflies, had a picnic and played hard!! They had a full day and were super tired when they got home. I am pretty sure this is the night that Annabelle put herself to bed. She said, "By Caris (her cousin), my go nigh-nigh," and off she went.

Friday- I was recovered and we were off to the Dallas Zoo - along with everyone else on Spring Break. We didn't want to wait in line with cranky kids so we fed them a picnic lunch in the "overflow" parking lot. Once we got to the gate, there was no line. Our plan worked! The kids were so cute with there maps and where they wanted to go. We saw some really cool animals and had so much fun. I have to say that my kids are troopers. Annabelle crawled in and out of a stroller all day long so that she could get closer to animals. She wore me out just watching, but she didn't want any help - of course. Adalyn even went to the zoo with us so that Neno could play golf. She had about a 30 minute nap on the way there and not another one until 5 when we were headed home. She was happy the whole time! She even made a new friend. She really liked her Aunt CJ's boyfriend Taylor. I think he kind of liked her too!

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out at Granna and Grand Pappy's. Ava Grace was even brave enough to get in the pool on Saturday. Burrrr!!!! On our way home on Sunday, everyone crashed. They had played so hard the whole time that we were there and they are already asking when they get to go back to Granna's. This is just a glimpse of how worn out they were.

Bring in the Clown

2011-03-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

Adalyn is 10 Months old today!

2011-03-22T17:14:00.003-05:00

Look at my little drool machine. I cannot believe in 2 months we will be celebrating her first birthday. Ugh! That makes this momma want to cry!

Sweet Addie Mae, at 10 months you:

Have 6 big girl teeth. I just love when you smile big and show them all off. So cute!
Drool a ton! Just look at this picture. Your chin tells it all.
Can crawl across the house in nothing flat.
Love your daddy. You will pull up on his legs, dive out of my arms and reach for him whenever you see him.
I think you got over your clingy stage when we were with family over Spring break. I hope.
Pull up on all of the furniture and have started cruising all around it.
Love your sisters and they can sure make you laugh.
Are just so much fun! I can't believe you are already so big.

We love you!

For Sale!

2011-03-21T11:10:00.005-05:00

Over the past year, Neno and I have been talking about moving to the country. We were thinking in the next 2-5 years, we would make it happen. Then we were approached with a chance to buy Neno's great grandparents house in Ropesville (technically Meadow) that still sits on family land. We were so excited. We started looking at the house and making plans, etc. We finally decided it was what we wanted and got our house ready to sell. As of last week, it is on the market. We are hoping that it sells and that we can move by summer.

Of course, I have said it since we moved in that we would make this house ready for someone else and that is exactly what we have done. At least I will get to enjoy it for a little bit. Take a peek at our finished project!

Brydson Family

2011-03-14T14:29:00.007-05:00

For Christmas we got my mom a family photo session on the lake so that we could capture all of our family together. She has wanted this for so long and we were finally able to make it happen. I love the pictures and the video that the photographer put together. I thought I would share it.

Brydson Family from Alisa Falls on Vimeo.

9 months (and a few weeks) old

2011-03-14T14:21:00.003-05:00

I am behind - AGAIN! But I have a good excuse. 3 sick kiddos for almost a month straight will take it out of you and put you behind in the blogging department. Forgive me for cheating you all and Adalyn out of a 9 month scrapbook page. If you recall, this was also her valentine. I just tweaked it a little. Sorry.

At 9 months you:

Are crawling very fast and everywhere
Pulling up and cruising the furniture
Eating whatever we eat
Babbling like crazy
Smiling all the time
You also ran 103.5 fever this month (scary for a momma)
You have started clinging to your daddy and me when we try to pass you off to someone or leave you at church, etc.
You are totally favoring your daddy these days which makes a momma a little sad, but you still love me too!

We continue to love you more everyday and couldn't imagine our world without you in it!

What a week... okay, make that 2 weeks!

2011-02-26T12:35:00.005-06:00

After my post on Valentine's Day, kids around our house just got sick, sick, sick. I mentioned that Ava Grace had the flu, then Adalyn started running a fever. Then she woke up one morning looking like this...

So gross. Did I mention that it only got worse from there! There was so much of that nasty stuff that it had no where to go, but to start coming out of her eyes, too. She was sporting some serious eye boogers. I don't think I captured that fabulous photo. Take my word for it, it was disgusting. We took her to the doc on Thursday morning with 101 temp only to be told that she had the flu. Oh yeah, she isn't a year old and she cannot take TamiFlu - YAY! The stuff coming out of her nose and eyes was a secondary infection and it could be treated - antibiotics and eye drops for 10 days. My poor baby.

By Friday, AG went back to school and Adalyn was starting to act like her normal self. I forgot to mention that all she wanted to do was be held or sleep and sometimes sleep while being held. I truly didn't mind. Since she became mobile, she rarely wants me to hold her. I took advantage. Needless to say, not much got done around here that week. And before I forget, I had a sinus infection. So fun!!

Neno and Annabelle had avoided the dreaded flu and gunk that was going around our house so once we got to Friday, I was going to potty train AB. I had decided I week or so before that this was going to be the weekend. I started to blow it off since it had already been a crazy week, but this was one of the few open weekends that we had to tackle it. So homebound we were (not like that was any different than the rest of the week) and we were going to do it!!! We "threw" all of her diapers in the trash and pulled out the big-girl panties! About half-way through the day I thought - WHAT WAS I THINKING???, but we started and we were going to keep at it. On day 2, it clicked. She didn't want to tee-tee in her panties. These were some of my favorite lines.

When I would say: "Tell mommy if you need to potty"

AB - "No tee-tee my Ariel"

AB- "No tee-tee yours couch"

AB- "No tee-tee my bean bag"

AB- "No tee-tee my playroom"

I am glad it clicked when it did, because even though we thought she and Neno had escaped the flu, WE WERE WRONG! After her nap on that second day, she woke up with a fever and yucky nose/cough. Yippy! Can I just say that the good Lord knew what he was doing. I could handle AG/AM being sick together, but AB needed to be sick all by herself. I remind you, she is 2. Poor baby just didn't understand why she felt bad, but boy did she!

We skipped PDO on Monday since she was still running a fever, but I was glad to have one more day to work on going potty. On Wednesday, she went to school and I am happy to report that she didn't have on single accident! Way to go Annabelle.

Now that we have finally reached the end of this week, I can say that we are on the mend. We still have some runny noses, but I have my happy kiddos back. We don't do sick around here very well. Thank the Lord that we do not have to do it very often!!

On a side note, our sweet Adalyn Mae turned 9 months old on Tuesday!! I will post her 9 month picture later today or tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:23:00.010-06:00

It being Valentine's day, I thought I would share the love from our house to you. These are the Valentine's that I made for the girls school parties and for Addy Mae, just because.

Luckily, the girls had their parties last week because Ava Grace would be missing hers today. She is a sick little bug. She has the flu - YUCK!

Neno and I didn't have any plans for the evening so he was sweet enough to bring us lunch and love on us. Now, AG is snug in bed watching Toy Story 2. We will be doing a lot of movie watching since she can't go back to school until Friday.

Addy Mae - 8 Months Old

2011-01-24T16:14:00.002-06:00

Saturday, January 22nd, was Adalyn Mae's 8 month birthday, but it was a crazy day/weekend so I missed it by a few days. In fact, I didn't even take her picture until today. I was trying to squeeze it in between naps and picking up sisters so please excuse the sweet potatoes on her cheek. In fact, I think I have an 8 month pic like this of Annabelle, as well.

At 8 months, you...

Are officially a crawler - a very fast one!
Love big girl food more than your baby food. In fact, you had Chick-fil A for your 8 month birthday dinner and LOVED it!
You love to grunt at us when you eat. I think you are trying to tell us that we aren't going fast enough.
You babble a lot. My favorite is "ma, ma, ma, ma". I know you are really talking to me.
You stand up in your bed all the time and love to do it in the middle of naptime and just scream at us. Daddy is a sucker and comes straight to your rescue. I on the other hand, will come and lay you back down so that you can finish your nap (meal old mommy).
Between December and January, you gained 2 pounds, from 14-16. We switched your formula and though you still spit up a lot, it isn't nearly as bad as it was.

Uh Oh, Annabelle

2011-01-21T15:31:00.004-06:00

It was time to head to school to get Ava Grace, so like we do everyday, I put Addy Mae in her seat and told Annabelle it was time to go. Immediately she pushed the button for the garage door and headed out to the car. I grabbed AM and closed/locked the front door. As we were headed to the garage I heard Annabelle crying. I couldn't imagine what she had done in that little time until I walked out to find this...

No, I didn't run back in and get my camera, but I did ask her to do it again when we got home so that I could capture the moment. Does that make me a crazy mom? (You don't have to answer that)

She gladly accepted but I don't think she was too happy about it once she was up there. What do you think?

My Annabelle!

2011-01-20T13:39:00.007-06:00

I definitely don't want to forget this story and she will probably be so embarrassed (at some point in her life) that her daddy and I think it is so funny, but share I must.

As I was looking through family pics from Christmas, I came across Ava Grace's Christmas dance pictures. All of the parents and siblings were invited to her last dance class before Christmas for a small recital and reception.

We were watching all of the precious girls dance and Annabelle was becoming a bit of a distraction. Neno decided they should go to the lobby. She could run around, have a cookie, play with other kids, etc.

Anyway, there are a few toys in the lobby for kids to play with before class and for siblings during the class. As Neno tells it, there was little boy that kept nudging Annabelle back when she tried to join in. After a few times of that, she just politely stepped around him and went about her business. As the little recital was winding down, Annabelle ventured over to the door so that she could get a better look at her sister. This sweet young man felt the need to provoke my child yet again. Again, Annabelle tried to ignore him and go about her business, but Neno said that he could sense she had enough. The next time that he poked or elbowed or whatever he did to her, my child proceeded to take him down. Yes, my Annabelle shoved this boy through the door of the studio where the girls were dancing.

I was in Ava Grace mode, focused soley on her, while all of this was happening until I heard a child crying. I looked over to see a mother consoling her son. As I looked her direction, she was smiling at me. I thought is was just because she was embarrassed that her child was interrupting the class. As I found out later, she was probably looking at me thinking - your child did this.

In our defense, the little boys dad watched him provoke my child or was supposed to be watching him and truly wasn't. Neno knew something was about to happen and he just chose to watch it unfold.

My sweet Annabelle did try to be a lady and just let it slide, but when a girl has enough, a girl has enough. One day, she will know that sweet boy was just trying to get her attention. He just went about doing it the wrong way.

Christmas As Promised

2011-01-20T12:42:00.006-06:00

I promised Christmas and Christmas I shall deliver. It was a great year! Ava Grace totally got it and because she does, Annabelle acts like she does and Adalyn, well she is just cute.

But this year, we were with my family on the Lake. Neno and I took the girls on Thursday night after dinner. We were PACKED (not an inch remained) in the car with all the presents and kids. But they were sleepy and didn't care. Plus, we were just excited to be on our way!!

We slept late and just hung out Friday with Mom and Dad. It was nice to not have to rush or drive with any traffic.

The rest of my family was going to be at their own homes until after Christmas morning (they only live an hour from Mom/Dad - much easier for them to do that). We, on the other hand, asked Santa to come to Nana & PawPaw's house to leave our presents.

The girls made sugar cookies and since Nana was out of chocolate syrup, we use hot cocoa mix to jazz up Santa's milk. Ava Grace was convinced he would love it!!

She even put food in the yard for the reindeer! Have you ever seen a more excited 5 year old. Her smile says it all!

He must have loved that we took care of him and his reindeer, because we all made out like bandits. Santa was good to us!!

After all of the excitement of the morning, things just got better when the cousins arrived. The kids were all soooooo excited to see each other - who cares about gifts. They didn't need them. They ran and played and hid and wore themselves out. I loved watching every minute of it!!!

I knew the weekend would fly by so I decided to stay the week with the girls and Neno flew back for work. We were invited into Austin to stay and play with Molly, Emma Beth and Marlee. We also made a date to ice-skate with Mel, Keelie and Westin. Ava Grace had been asking to do this and her cousins were so sweet to let her pick the activity. We were all a little skeptical about how the kids would do, but they did great, I think Molly and I were more concerned about whether or not we would spend the day on our rears. We did not. We had so much fun!! (Molly and Mel took pictures on their phones, but I have yet to get a copy)

Ava Grace and the girls could not get enough of each other. Brandon and Molly were so sweet to let us stay so that they could soak up as much of each other as possible.

All I Want For Christmas...

2011-01-02T15:59:00.005-06:00

Is my two front teeth!

So I missed my post of Adalyn's 7 month b-day so I will role a few things into one. Here is her 7 months page and yes, over the last week, she has gotten her two bottom teeth. She has also learned to crawl. That makes this mommy so sad. She is way ahead of Ava Grace and Annabelle in both of those departments, they got teeth and crawled around 9 months. I just want Addy Mae to be a baby forever.

7 Months:

Up in the crawl position

Say "ba, ba, ba"

You can click your tongue on the roof of your mouth

Love to eat!

Take two great naps and sleep great at night

Have the greatest smile (I am going to miss the toothless grin)

More to come on Christmas and all of the great memories we made with family to come...

Ear Piercing Experience

2010-12-14T14:26:00.003-06:00

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

2010-12-05T21:32:00.004-06:00

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

2010-11-27T15:12:00.003-06:00

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

Adalyn is 5 Months Old

2010-10-24T20:33:00.003-05:00

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

Your smile lights up a room

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

You like to sleep on your tummy and your side.

You look a lot like your daddy as a baby.

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!

2010-10-18T20:32:00.007-05:00

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

2010-09-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-11T16:49:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-09-09T13:44:00.005-05:00

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

2010-09-03T18:47:00.005-05:00

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

2010-08-31T21:38:00.002-05:00

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

2010-08-31T16:13:00.004-05:00

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

2010-08-25T09:55:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-08-24T08:26:00.007-05:00

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!

2010-08-23T11:00:00.005-05:00

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!!

2010-08-03T16:44:00.003-05:00

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?

2010-07-24T22:08:00.003-05:00

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

2010-07-19T10:35:00.005-05:00

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

2010-07-15T21:45:00.003-05:00

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

2010-07-14T10:14:00.004-05:00

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!!

Family Comes to Town

2010-07-13T10:52:00.007-05:00

In my attempt to keep catching up, I am going back to Memorial Day Weekend...

Family came to town!! There was still plenty of family that hadn't met Adalyn so one week after her birth, another wave of family joined us. Her Aunts (Neno's Sisters) - Cheetah (Charity) and CJ (Carrie) and grandparents (my mom/dad) - Nana and Papaw, came to town.

Here are some of the sweet pics with them with Adalyn...

Her cousins Noah and Brynn also joined us to play with Ava Grace and Annabelle. They all have so much fun together.

In the midst of them being here, my husband decided to take on a home improvement project. We have been talking about extending our patio for a long time and instead of building a deck, we decided to use the remaining flagstone that used to cover our front yard. He and my parents tilled up the dirt, added dirt and leveled the ground. Then over the next few days/nights, we layed rock - well, I supervised! It looks so good and opened up room on the porch for us to actually enjoy sitting there.

Did I mention that Neno had a lot of help...

Ava Grace found a friend while we were working on the rocks. Apparently, a baby dove fell into our yard while learning to fly. He struggled and she thought she needed to love on him. I think she may have loved a little too much - if you know what I mean.

Way Behind...

2010-07-12T15:50:00.004-05:00

I was doing pretty well with the once a month post until Adalyn arrived, but I am going to make an attempt at getting back on track and possibly post more often from here on out. I think the key is to do a little everyday instead of the major posts of all events that I have previously done. Soooo... over the next few days, I will catch up on the last 7 weeks.

Starting with the week Neno took off after Adalyn was born...

My sweet husband got a glimpse of what my day is like and now has a new appreciation for what I do as a mom on a daily basis and what it is now like with three.

Here is a picture of what happens when daddy turns his back and Annabelle plays in the water while he mows the yard. She was soaking from head to toe and he said forget it and stripped her down...

She loved it... Obviously!!!!

This was also the same day that he attempted grocery shopping with a 19th month old. What should have been a 20 minute trip turned into over an hour. When I asked if she fought him on getting in the cart, he said he never tried and just let her walk around Wal-Mart with him. It is a wonder he got out of the store at all.

Did I metion that on this particular day, he was only responsible for one child since Ava Grace went to her last days of PDO.

What will happen if I ever leave him with all three????

Daddy Delivery

2010-05-25T10:40:00.004-05:00

Adalyn Mae Falls

Arrived May 22, 2010 at 11:27 a.m.

8 lbs. 5 oz.

20 1/4 in.

Since our last post in April, we have been anticipating the arrival of our third precious girl - Adalyn. Anticipating it so much so that we even had a few false alarms before her actual arrival.

On Monday, May 3rd, I was having contractions and was just convinced that I was going into labor. I called our midwives around 10 p.m. and they suggested that I take a hot bath and go to bed. I did and the contractions went away for about an hour. Around midnight, they took off again and I was really convinced this was it. I called the midwives and they got on the road from Midland. We blew up the birth pool and got ready for what we thought was Adalyn's arrival into the world. At 3 a.m. I looked at Neno and said, "I think they have stopped." Sure enough, they had just gone away. I was too embarrassed to call the midwife so I sent her a text and told her they stopped. She immediately called me laughing and told me to get it together that this was my third kid. They came on to the house and made sure all was okay and then went on back to Midland.

A week later, I had a prenatal visit and Shauna told me that I was dilated to 2 cm and 60% effaced and when Adalyn decided to join us, it would be fast. I called my parents and they decided that since they had missed the other two births that they would go ahead and come up the next day and wait it out. That is exactly what they did. For almost 10 days they waited!!! In the midst of it, I did have one more false alarm that caused Neno's mom to drive up and the midwives to make another trip to Lubbock.

So at this point, I was at my due date with no baby. That is so foreign to me since Ava Grace and Annabelle both arrived at 38 weeks. My parents decided at this point that they needed to go home because they had a busy weekend ahead which left Neno and I on our own.

I got through Friday without much to talk about - just a few contractions here and there, but nothing to get excited about. I did think I was having some more intense ones that night, but again, they went away.

Saturday is when the excitement started. I woke up about 6:30 with really intense contractions. They were falling about 10-12 minutes apart until I got out of bed around 7:45. At that point, they went to about 8 minutes. When I sat down to eat breakfast, I decided that this was it!! I called the midwives around 8:45 and they said they would get on the road. We also called our good friends, David and Joli, to come get the girls. I parked myself on the couch and just kept timing. Once the girls were gone, Neno sat down on the couch with me and started timing the contractions and how long they were lasting. I guess by laying down, they had slowed a bit. They were consistently falling at 8 minutes until I decided to go to the bathroom around 11 or so. All of sudden, I had a contraction hit at 3 minutes after the previous one. I walked myself to the girls playroom and knelt down on the floor to take some pressure off of my back. In the mean time, Neno had blown up the birth pool and started filling it with water. All I wanted was to get in, but I didn't know when I was supposed to do that and in filling it, we ran out of hot water and had to let it recharge.

Anyway, I am kneeling on the floor and trying to breathe through contractions that have now hit at 3 minutes, 2.5 minutes and then 6 minutes (strange, but I was glad for a small break). After I made it through that one another hit 2 minutes later. My instinct for some relief was to sit back on my heals on the floor. Bad idea... As soon as I did, my water broke!!!

I told Neno it broke and to find out where the midwife - Kelli- was. He started searching for my phone and when he got her, I heard him say, "Tell me you are close!" She was at least 30 minutes away, still. She told him to get me on the daybed in the playroom and lay me on my left side and tell me to breathe. They hung up after she told him to call back if things progressed quickly. That is exactly what they did. Within about 2 minutes, he had her back on the phone. I wanted in the pool so he asked if I could get in and while he was asking all I could feel was that I needed to push and so I screamed that I needed to push and Kelli heard me over the phone. Here is how that conversation went...

Neno: Can she get in the pool?

Kelli: Why is she yelling?

Neno: I don't know. I guess it hurts.

Kelli: No, I think you are having a baby.

Neno: Don't tell me that I am about to deliver a baby.

Kelli: Yes, you are! I need you to get the bulb suringe - that is all you will need right now. I also need you to check for the baby's head.

Neno: Do I need a glove?

She told him at that point to get me on my back and when he did, her head was right there ready to get out. I had to push!!

Kelli also told Neno to try to get his finger past her head and check for the cord, making sure it wasn't around her neck. Adalyn was coming out and his finger wasn't going in. She told him just DO IT! At that point, she popped right out and with another little push, our baby girl was in the world.

Neno checked to make sure her cord wasn't around anything and he placed her on my belly. She was purple, but absolutely calm and PERFECT. We wrapped her in a towel and started gently rubbing all over her body and she turned perfectly pink. Kelli was still on the phone telling Neno to check Adalyn's pulse and the pulse on the cord. Everything was exactly how it should be.

Neno hung up with Kelli and he and were in absolute shock. WE DID IT! We delivered our baby girl. Neno had never watched when the other two were delivered. He stayed as close to my head and shoulders as he could. This time, he did it all! He was amazing!

Kelli arrived about 20 minutes later and did everthing else that was need to make sure all was okay. Of course it was! God is so Good!

Since Saturday, we have had so many laughs about the whole thing - Neno shaking, telling me to flub my lips (it works by the way), relaying messages from Kelli to me

Kelli: Tell her she is doing good

Neno: Kelli says you are doing good

Kelli: Tell her to breathe

Neno: Kelli says to breathe.

We find this funny because I think she wanted the encouragement to come from him, but in the moment, he just couldn't use his own words.

From the beginning of this pregnancy when we decided to use a midwife, our fear was having to deliver on our own, but now that all is said and done, it was absolutely worth it!!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Adalyn got to meet her big sisters Saturday afternoon and they adore her as much as Neno and I do. We are so blessed with our 3 precious angels.

Adalyn Mae in 3D

2010-04-22T18:14:00.010-05:00

I am averaging a blog a month. I say that is pretty good for this pregnant momma.

This week, we ventured to Midland to meet with the midwife and go to Midland College for a free 3D-4D Sonogram. It was amazing. I have had them with the girls, but to see this little girl's chubby cheeks, still made me melt. And we did get confirmation that she is still a girl!!!
I was hoping the video would load, but I am apparently challenged!!

Bye Bye Boogies

2010-03-23T18:31:00.007-05:00

Eye Boogies that is!!

On March 11, we took Annabelle to Plainview to have Dr. Kopp operate on her blocked tear duct. She has had the problem since she was itty bitty, but it had gotten progressively worse. Our pediatrician said that if it wasn't gone by one year, she would need surgery. Dr. Kopp is a friend of my fabulous sister-in-law, Beth, and she got the ball rolling for us.

So, we had a few visits to Plainview and set the date for surgery. Here is her before shot...

This is how I would find her after a nap or waking from the night. Her eye would be glued shut with goo and it was so sad. Though, it never seemed to bother her.

This was just days before the surgery.

Here are a few pics from the day of surgery...

Her hospital gown.

Being wheeled to surgery.

Recovering in daddy's arms

And this is what we have seen everyday since...

Wide-eyed and beautiful! And she has to be happy that I am not digging at her eye all the time.

We went back to the doc today for a follow up and he said she looks perfect and that the surgery worked!

Praise God!!

Ahead of the Game

2010-02-03T13:37:00.005-06:00

So it seems that I have been behind in everything that I have done for the last 6 months. Oh yeah, I was at the beginning of my third pregnancy, but seeing some of the things that other bloggers are capable of, I have no excuses.

Take for instance why I am ahead of the game. I took an idea from a fabulous blogger - check out Controlling my Chaos - and made AG's valentine's cards with the help of my fabulous friend Monica. Valentine's Day is 11 days away, Ava Grace's party is on the 11th (8 days away) and I am done with her Valentine's. Sure, anyone could say that by just going to the store and buying the same old box of valentine cards. But, Not me!! Not this year!

We went to Ryan and Monica's for dinner last night and I told her I wanted her to help me with this project. After dinner, we snuck away to her computer and got right to work. Essentially, we were digital scrapbooking, but not for a book. We didn't quite finish last night so I went back this morning and thanks to her and one hour photo, they are done. Check'em out...

The first picture is the finished product in PhotoShop and the second is the printed (wallet-size) card with the sucker inserted. I punched holes with a handy scrapbooking tool that I have and it was perfect!

I hope Ava Grace is excited to give these to her friends. If not, at least I enjoyed making them and seeing them come to fruition.

Time To Catch Up!

2010-01-14T12:46:00.005-06:00

I will be the first to admit that I dropped the ball in the blogging department. In fact, I truly suck at it, but I will try to get you up to speed and then keep up from here (I hope!).

Recap 2009:

January - We celebrated the marriage of my fabulous brother-in-law, Jeremy, to his perfect bride, Beth! I celebrated my 30th birthday!

February - I began my role as full-time homemaker/mother! The greatest job ever!!! It took some time to adjust, but I wouldn't want to do anything else!

March - Us girls set out on our first road trip to mom and dad's house, all alone. We made it there and back just fine. My girls are great travelers!!

April - We hosted the family (all of Neno's and my mom/dad) for Easter. It was such fun weekend! We love when everyone comes to visit!

May - Neno and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!!

June - AG started summer camp/swim lessons at TEGA and loved it! Neno had his 10 year reunion and they still idolize him in Howe, TX.

July - We spent another fun-filled 4th on the lake (even without water behind the house) and AG turned 4!!

August - Apparently, I got pregnant with baby #3!!! Mom and I filed all of the official paperwork and opened a bank account for Sassy Rags. We are in business and have had steady jobs ever since. If you need anything for kiddos (bedding, blankets, burpies, bows, etc) you just call me!!

September - We found out we were pregnant with #3!! We also went to our only Red Raider game of 2009 in Austin with Brandon and Molly - what a fun weekend!

October - Annabelle began walking and turned 1!!!

November - Kicked off the holiday season - Thanksgiving with the Brydsons. Brandon (my brother) and I made a trip to Johnson City with AG, Marlee and Emma Beth to see the lights and make our first of many visits with Santa!! It was so fun to watch them play together and sing Hannah Montana songs the whole way there!!!

December - Christmas!!!! Santa!!! We kicked off the month with a ride on the Polar Express. Neno had to go it alone with both girls since I was sick that entire week. I took a trip to see one of my very best friends, Mendy, in Pittsburgh. It was so good to see her and get to catch up. Plus, a weekend away is always nice. Then it was on to cramming for Christmas - family phots, shopping, food, etc. Finally, it was off to the Falls' for Christmas and a 14. 5 hour drive on Christmas Eve. Yes, you read that right. A 5 hour trip took us that long with the snow/ice. Ava Grace was already at Granna's thanks to Beth and Jeremy, but poor Annabelle had to ride it out with us. I think it took a week for her to recover. It was well worth it though to make it in time to see Ava Grace's face on Christmas morning - I wasn't going to miss that!!!!!

Now, it is 2010 and I am going to work on keeping this more up-to-date...

So here is what I have so far for the year -
The Red Raiders have a new coach - Tommy Tuberville - and I couldn't be more excited!!! I loved him at Auburn and I will love him here.

Neno and I chose a midwife to deliver our baby at home!! They are out of Midland and we feel really good about them. We had our first visit to their birthing center last week. We also had our first ultrasound and it is a.... GIRL!!!

Yes, we were a little surprised, but she is perfect and healthy and obviously, we like girls!! Ava Grace and Annabelle are going to be great big sisters to this new baby (she still doesn't have a name).

I think that about covers it! Happy New Year!

ANNABELLE IS 1!!

2009-10-20T11:36:00.004-05:00

Time flies when you are having fun and this year has been a lot of fun!!! But I really cannot believe it went by so quickly that Annabelle has already had her first birthday.

October 18th was her first birthday and it was that time a year ago that we very quickly welcomed her into the world. I say quickly because my water broke at 12:30 a.m. and she was born at 1:10 a.m. It all happened so fast that the doctor almost didn't make it. He swooped in at the very end and caught her shoulders.

Regardless of how it happened, we were so glad to finally meet our sweet Annabelle. She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 21 inches long. She had the fattest little face that we instantly fell in love with.

A year later, she is almost 22 lbs and is 31 inches long. She is walking, talking, laughing, eating everything in sight and along with big sister Ava Grace, she lights up our world!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet Annabelle!! We love you!

My Lil Cheeseburger Pirate

2009-09-27T11:13:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago the girls and I got McDonald's and came home to watch a movie and have a carpet picnic. This is what happens if you turn your back even for a second!! Luckily, I had my camera handy. I would have hated to miss this momemt!!

ARGHH, I got me cheeseburger!!

Way too long between posts...

2009-09-27T11:12:00.002-05:00

August Update at the end of September...

Ava Grace's Party Recap -

Ava Grace had the best 4th birthday party - if I do say so myself. "Pony Rides and Water Slides". Thanks to Aunt Bess and Uncle MeMe, we were able to do just that. We set up a water slide borrowed from Uncle Bubba, Aunt Molly and crew and saddled up some horses out in MeMe's backyard. It was so much fun. We had a great turn out and the best hotdogs and ladybug cupcakes to top it off. AG came away with some pretty great gifts too. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends!!

After Ava Grace's party, our nephew Noah spent the week with us. We went non-stop the entire time. We went to the park, the movies, to Jump n Jungle, to friends, we played on the slip and slide and just absolutely had a blast!!! We even ended the week with Annabelle getting her first tooth!!

Ava Grace spent the next week with her Granna and Grand Pappy in Howe. They had a house full of unexpected guest, but they made the most of having young girls to play with AG, fix her hair and swim with her. They swam all week, went the the sprinkler park, swam some more, did crafts, went to the zoo, watched a Disney movie or two and just soaked up each others company. She had an awesome time there, as usual!! She even came home with a souvenir - a terrarium full of leaves, catepillars, cocoons - soon to be butterflies that we would let go. It was really a lot of fun watching their transformation.

The past two summers that AG stayed with them, I was so busy with work and getting ready for Annabelle that I didn't really have time to miss her. I missed her terribly this time. She is my entertainment around the house. Though I was glad for the break and got a lot done with only one, I must say I was glad to get her home on Saturday! She was so tan and looked like she had grown.

With Ava Grace gone, I finally took some time to just watch Annabelle. Ava Grace is always on the go and wants so badly to play with AB and get her attention that it was nice to just let her play. Don't get me wrong, they are the sweetest sisters, but a lot of times, AB will get a toy taken away or I am in the other room helping AG or making a meal or something. This time, I just stopped and took her all in. She is such a happy baby and wants to discover all that the world has to offer. She now pulls up on all of the furniture and my legs in order to get a better view and to take a few steps. She will be walking in no time. She also cleaned my floors quite a bit. We started construction on the front bath while AG was gone and Annabelle cleaned it up with her belly - she was still army crawling everywhere until about 2 weeks ago!! It made me crazy to change her clothes every couple of hours, but I don't think she seemed to mind being dirty.

As for the bathroom, we are well on our way to being finished and it looks amazing. Neno let me splurge a little and get granite from a local dealer that was sellling remnants. I love it!! Let me see if I can recap all that we have done in there....

1. Demo all walls in bathing/toilet area.

2. Remove countertop and sink

3. Drywall bath area

4. Put in granite vanity top

5. Remove cabinet doors and drawer fronts

6. Remove existing doors

7. Remove mirror

8. Move light fixture up

9. Have plumber install shower plumbing in wall

10. Drywall/Concrete backer board in bath area

11. Remove existing toilet

12. Tile floor and bath surround

13. Install beadboard in bath area

14. Texture

15. Paint

16. Grout tile

17. Seal grout/tile

18. Hang mirror

19. Trim out entire room

20. Hang doors

21. Reface cabinet

22. Paint cabinet (still need to finish painting these black)

Some of these things aren't completely done, but we are getting there and I am so excited about the outcome. Here are a few pics....

Happy 4th Birthday, Ava Grace!

2009-07-30T16:52:00.005-05:00

Here is your story....

You were born at 2:06 p.m. on Saturday, July 30th, 2005
You weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz and were 20 inches long

On Satureday, July 30th labor began at 3:15 a.m. It wasn’t until 6:45 a.m. that we went to Covenant Medical Center to for you to be born. I was observed for an hour or so with contractions 2-4 minutes apart and dilated 2 centimeters & Doctor Broslow started to send us home. The nurse checked my blood pressure as we were about to leave and it was high. The doctor decided it was best for me and you to get labor started right away. The doctor broke my water at 9:15 and petocin was started at 9:20 to speed things along. Finally, at 11:20 I gave in and wanted the Epidural. It was all down hill after that!

Your daddy was told to let me rest—to go home or get lunch—that it would still be several hours. WRONG! At 1:40 p.m. I was told to get him back to the hospital—you were ready to be born. So I called him to tell him and he was in the shower at home. When he entered the room, the nurses were all there and ready to go. Dr. Broslow was right behind daddy and you were born at 2:06 after about three really good pushes! You were perfect from the moment that you arrived. You were placed on my belly while daddy cut the umbilical cord. I will never forget that moment.

You were gorgeous then and you are gorgeous now. I cannot believe you are four. I am so blessed to be your mommy and to have watched you grow and make me smile and laugh. You are such a joy and I cannot wait to see what the years bring and what you will throw at us.

Happy Birthday, Ava Grace!! Daddy & I love you very much!!!!

Here you are at 2 weeks - posing for your announcements

Now, you are 4 and fabulous!!

Getting All Caught Up!

2009-07-22T11:50:00.012-05:00

Struck by Lightning -

This gave us the scare of our life. Last Saturday, Neno and I were watching TV after the girls had gone to bed and it began to rain. Neno went outside to listen to it under the covered patio and lightning hit so close and so hard that it send him running back inside. After settling in to watch a show that Neno and I both enjoy, it happened again, but this time it felt like it hit the house. No joke, we didn't just have a power surge, we had everything going nuts. The TV spazzed and then went off and our alarm that hasn't been tripped in 4 years starting going crazy. We had no idea how to turn it off and were sure that it was going to wake the girls, but they slept right through. We were sure that it hit the house so Neno set out with a flash light to make sure that nothing was on fire or smoking that was attached to the house. Once he made his rounds and with no TV to watch, we headed off to bed. Then, the doorbell rings - not a regular occurrence at 10 p.m. so we answered it to find our neighbors. They had come down to tell us that they saw the lightning strike close by and when the went to find out where, the bark from our oak tree was in the street. That lead them to our tree and the spot of the strike. Here are a few pics of the damage...

You can see the entrance and exit of the lightning!

Annabelle is 9 months -

AB turned 9 months on Saturday and I know I have said it before but I do not know where time goes. She is so much fun and I just love when she gets excited. Like Ava Grace, she has some great expressions. I have decided that she will probably not crawl like most babies. She could care less to get up on all fours and take off. The army crawl works for her and it gets her anywhere in the house that she wants to go. She has also started standing up in her bed occasionally. So, we had to drop it down so that we wouldn't find her on the floor one day. She is so proud when she gets all of the way up in the bed. She starts to get excited and bounces which puts her right back where she started from on her rear. She is getting too big!

She broke the mobile pretty much as soon as she grabbed it. Gorilla glue to the rescue!!

AG Swim Lessons-

On July 13th, Ava Grace started swimming lessons at Tech's new leisure pool (It is fabulous). I would have to say that our short stint at TEGA earlier in the summer got us off to a great start. She had no hesitations about getting in the water and taking off. She keeps telling her teacher, "I can do it by myself." And though we aren't quite there yet, she is getting really close. She wants to go under and get diving toys, she wants her teacher to back-up when she jumps and she is not afraid of holding her breath and staying under water for a while. I love it!! She is a little fish! I have also had the chance to play with my camera some when we have been out there and I captured a few good pics...

4th of July-

Over the 4th we ventured to Lake Buchanan (Nana & PawPaw's) to have some family time with my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. We also had some special visitors as my friend Kristen, her husband Brian and precious daughter Presleigh joined us for a day. We hiked down to the "Big River" as there isn't any water behind my mom and dad's house right now. It is so sad, but the hike was worth it. The kids loved picking up shells and swimming in the "big river" as Ava Grace would say.

The girls and I stayed behind for a few extra days so that we could play and mom and I could talk business. I even got to soak up a little sun while the girls were napping. That was fabulous. We met Molly, Emma Beth, Marlee, Janie, Pepper and Jackson at Chick Fil A in Austin one day for just a little extra cousin time and it was so fun to see all of them together. I am not going to rush it but I cannot wait to see all of them growing up together.

And Now, We Are All Caught Up...

Ava Grace - ism

2009-06-24T15:21:00.003-05:00

We were stopped at a light today and Ava Grace said "mommy, look at that truck it has HONK A HORN on it! Is this how Uncle Bubba does Honk A Horn???"

It all came together for me when she flashed me her horns symbol that my brother and his kids taught her. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was "Hook'em Horns."

Not that it matters. She won't ever need to know that anyway!!! Love ya, B!

Am I Cute?

2009-06-21T17:53:00.004-05:00

We have been working on consistency in disciplining Ava Grace. That includes holding to a promise made for punishment. So, that brings me to today's blog.

Before Church this morning, my darling angel was throwing a bit of a fit in the parking lot. She was whining and stomping her feet to get Neno to pick her up. I politely grabbed her by the arm and walked her between two cars in the parking lot. As I tried to talk to her about how she should be acting, she continued with the attitude to which I then promised a spanking when we got home.

I am going to credit the great message that we heard this morning and the celebration of Father's day with my memory loss of that spanking. Hours later, Neno remembered and asked me and Ava Grace about it.

When I asked her about that spanking and whether or not she remembered why she was to receive one, she responded with her stock answer of "I don't know." That was quickly followed with I don't need a spanking because "I AM CUTE!"

As Neno and I laughed, it continued. "Mommy am I cute?" "Daddy am I cute?"

I guess our discussions now will be to reassure her that she is awfully cute, but that does not get her out of punishment.

I love the innocence and logic of my almost 4 year old.

Back In Business

2009-06-20T22:45:00.002-05:00

After buying my mother-in-laws camera Easter weekend, it decided not to work in auto mode, a month later. Now, another month later, I have made my first really big purchase. Yes, I broke down and bought a new camera. But, I couldn't go back to any old camera. I had to get a GOOD one. After having a Canon Rebel, I couldn't settle for anything less. I promise to be blogging again with fabulous pictures taken with my new XSi!!!! And after my class in July, I will be a pro - or so we hope!

Two weeks, really???

2009-06-10T11:56:00.002-05:00

It has been two weeks since I last posted anything and even today, I am wondering what to write...

In the past two weeks, I helped host a baby shower, Ava Grace started camp at TEGA, we took at trip to Granna's and have been recovering from the trip to Granna's. Sadly, of all of these things, I have one picture to show for it. My camera had a part break Memorial day weekend so I don't just pull it out for everything. I have to manually focus and that is no fun!!!

Anyway, here are a few details from all of the items listed above.

My friend Alysia had a baby at the first of May and we had a "Sip and See" shower for her and her beautiful addition - Piper!! It was fun to get out and get around some other girls. Piper was 9 pounds, but she looked tiny compared to Annabelle. It is amazing how fast a child can grow in almost 8 months. I can hardly imagine her having been that little. Ahh, tear...

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to put AG in swimming lessons this summer and looking into it, I found TEGA. They offer swim lessons, but they also have Kid's Day Out or "Camp." I could chose how many days a week she attended and which days. During that time, she would get swim lessons, arts and craft time, gymnastics and rest time. So, I enrolled her and on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I drop her off at 8:15 and pick her up at 3:15. She LOVES it!! In fact, on the first day she took off and didn't even say good-bye to me. I should have been ecstatic but I was in shock all day. When I picked her up I told her hello and that I had missed her. Her response, "Mommy, I love camp!!" She had gotten nothing less than perfect reports from her teachers and has continued to love it. Her last day will be Thursday the 18th. I might have to get really creative with our activities after that. She is going to want to go back!

We set off last Wednesday for Granna's for some family time and Neno's 10 year reunion. Beth and I loaded up with the girls after AG got out of camp and were on our way to get some good pool-side girl time. The guys would join us on Friday night. We swam everyday, got good tans and got lots of good family time. Though, it never seems to be long enough. I did leave the crew on Friday for a Advisor Training for AXO, but joined Neno and Ava Grace at his reunion on Saturday afternoon. Annabelle got to stay at Granna and Grand Pappy's to nap. It was a fun event and I got to meet a lot of people that really think a lot of my husband - I loved it. I loved hearing all about him in his "Glory Days" - Mr. HHS, Mr. Touchdown and according to one of his friends, he still holds just about every record in football and track at Howe High School. That is right ladies, he is taken!!!

Now, about that recovery. I have mentioned in other post that it seems to take days for us to get on track after being gone or having family in town and this one is no exception. Annabelle and I have been fighting sinus infections and now that we have arrived back home, AG has one, too. YUCK! Lots of snot and crusty noses - MY FAVORITE!! It doesn't help the girls that I am that mother that cannot stand a crusty nose and I want to clean it constantly. AB has really learned to fight me off. AG on the other hand has decided that she doesn't like it either and runs for a Kleenex every time there is sign of a runny nose - GOOD GIRL!!

As for the rest of the week for us, AG will be back at camp tomorrow and I am off to talk to a friend about building a website for mine and my mom's new business venture. As I know more, I will post more, but please pray for us. I am very nervous to be putting it out there - finally. For those of you that don't know, my mom and I have started creating baby items since I became a mom and now we want to share them. I am the eyes and creator of most projects, but she is the one that has the know-how to put it together. Together, we make a great team. She has made the most amazing stuff and now you could get your hands on some of it too.

What Goes Around Comes Around...

2009-05-27T16:56:00.004-05:00

All of my life, my mother has said, "what goes around comes around" or "paybacks are hell." I have known that those sayings are oh so true, but I experienced it first hand last week!!

We traveled to Austin for my niece Marlee's 5th birthday and some family time at the lake. Marlee's party was on Wednesday and we stayed in Austin with my brother, sister-in-law and their three kiddos. Thursday was reserved for the girls to play together, but it started off with a little "payback."

When I was about six years old, my brothers were supposed to be watching me while my parents were at work. Needless to say, they were not!! So, I proceded to lock myself in my mom and dad's room and cut my bangs. I had watched mom do it before and was sure that I could too. NOT PRETTY!!! My mother was FURIOUS at me!!! I have heard the story numerous times over the past 24 years. So here it is "coming around"...

We, as in me, Molly, Emma Beth, Ava Grace and Marlee, were talking about how long AG's hair had gotten as the girls were sitting down to breakfast. I think I was feeding Annabelle when the next thing I heard was "Ava Grace, I don't think you should do that" come out of Emma Beth's mouth. I told AG to sit down for breakfast and as she re-entered the room, she was holding a handful of hair. She smiled at the girls and said that she changed her mind and wanted short hair. Yes, folks, she cut it herself - PAYBACK!!

She picked it up and whacked it!! I now have a baggy with her hair and we are not talking first haircut - inch. We are talking INCHES!!!

We did go today to try to have it fixed. Kacy tried to blend it by cutting some layers and feathering it so that it wasn't so obvious, but it is the first thing I see. It did look cute when we left the salon but after a nap, this is what we get...

7 Months, Already???

2009-05-18T14:54:00.005-05:00

Today, at lunch, Annabelle and I ventured outside so that I could document her 7 month marker. Here are some of my favorite pics. We love you sweet girl!!

FIVE Amazing Years

2009-05-15T08:20:00.004-05:00

Five years ago today, I married my very best friend. I don't say it enough but I truly consider myself the luckiest woman in the world. Neno is kind, giving, focused, loving, talented, an amazing father, a Godly man and he absolutely completes me.

When we started dating in 2000, we eventually chose our song "Keeper of the Stars" by Tracy Byrd and I must say that God definitely had a hand in putting us together and making us a family. I am thankful for that everyday.

Here is a glimpse at one of the most amazing days of my life. Most people think I am crazy when I say that I would go back and do it all again. I loved being engaged, I loved planning a wedding and most of all, I loved standing in front of our friends and family and marrying the man of my dreams.

To my husband, this remains one of the best days for me as it is a marker of the amazing 9 years that we have spent as a couple and the past 5 as man and wife. You are my best friend and all of the best parts of me. I love you!!!

And she's off...

2009-05-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

This is a very short video that took yesterday of Annabelle crawling. By no means is she up on all fours, but she can army crawl like a champ to get what she wants. I am sure she will be doing the real thing in no time.

What a Wonderful Weekend!

2009-05-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

We had a fabulous weekend with all of our family and friends, capped off by a sweet and sentimental Mother's Day. Here goes...

Friday - The girl's and I spent the morning with their Aunt Bess (Beth) and Aunt MariAnne. We went shopping and to Chick-fil A. I have to admit that I made the mistake a while back of telling Ava Grace that if she wanted something in a store that she should remember it for her birthday (July 30). That was my easy way of saying "you aren't getting it now". Now, all she does is go through stores saying, "I want this for my birthday". She was convinced on Friday that it is July and that should be taking these items home with her. I pray I can make it two more months and beyond, as I am sure it will continue past the actual birthday.

Friday night was spent out at Jeremy and Beth's with all of the other friends and family that ventured in for a cow-filled weekend. They had seven adults at their house and we had five adults plus five kiddos at ours. Sadly, I got lots of individual pictures but nothing of all of us together. Here are some cute pics of the kids from Friday night...

Saturday- Holly (Neno's cousin's wife), Carrie (Neno's sister) and I stayed in town with the kiddos until lunch time and then we headed out to Ropes to catch all the action. The guys had been hard at work since early that morning and by lunch, they looked a little worn out, but they still had a full afternoon ahead...

Here is the crew that put in all of the work on Saturday. They stopped long enough for a picture during their lunch break. The following photos are the guys at work...

Sayler and Ava Grace thought it was fun to be out in the dirt and hanging on the fence. They were too cute.
Aunt CJ, Aunt MariAnne and Annabelle taking part in the festivities.

Saturday night- They finished up around 6:30 and we were back at J&B's for dinner and some time to kick back for the guys.

Can anyone see how dirty Jeremy's face is??

Hebron and Holly used this time with all of us around to celebrate Barron's 1st birthday (he will be one on May 15). This was the funniest part of the evening. Barron had on overall's with no shirt, we put a match in his cupcake for a candle and when he wanted nothing to do with it, his daddy shoved some icing in his face - poor Barron. I just kept hearing Jeff Foxworthy - "You might be a redneck...."It was also Ava Grace's first experience with a mud fight. Kennedy decided it would be fun to put muddy water in a squirt gun and AG was at the other end. She thought it was hilarious and it made for a cute picture.

Sunday- MOTHER'S DAY- This was a great day from start to finish as my sweet hubby was the first to tell me Happy Mother's Day when he was on his way to start breakfast (eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy - it doesn't get much better). Then it was off to Church. We had both of the girls dedicated and AG has carried around her little pink bible ever since.

After Church, we headed out for lunch with all of the family - Carrie, Jeremy and Beth, Hebron, Holly and their kiddos. MariAnne and Seth didn't get to join us as she had to get back to Fort Worth to work, but we are so glad they joined us for the girls dedication - thank you!!!

Sunday also marked the start of a new series - "Raising Hellians". The challenge was to take the week and read a chapter of the bible or a bible story to your kids. We did just that with AG last night and she is especially fascinated with how the woman in the bible became a pillar of salt. She wasn't really sure whether or not she could believe it was because she didn't listen to God.

It really was a great weekend!!! We loved having everyone here!!

(I guess I will have to post the remainder of the weekend pics in another post as it doesn't want to let me add anymore).

What's Up, Wednesday!

2009-05-06T12:05:00.000-05:00

As I listen to Ava Grace playing in her room, I am reminded what a blessing it is that I get to be home with my girls. The past three months have flown by and time will continue to do so, I'm sure, but at least we are making priceless memories together.

Like today, we headed out to Jump'n Jungle. It is a big barn filled with jumping castles and slides and it is perfect for wearing AG out. She made two little friends and spent the morning chasing them down slides and through obstacle courses. She did stop to get a much needed drink and to lose her jacket. She was a little puddle of sweat. Annabelle just laid back and took it all in. I am sure that she will take off to catch her big sister as soon as she can.

By the way, this is now the face that we make all of the time - Tongue out!! As for this little cutie, she is going to spend her first night away from Mommy tonight. We asked Jeremy and Beth to babysit and since they live out in Ropesville (25 minutes away) we thought we would try it. AB goes down between 8-8:30 and has been sleeping until 9 a.m. I pray that she does that for them tonight. Neno and I are going on a date - YAY!! We have been doing game night and have been to friends' houses for dinner, but we haven't gone out by ourselves since before Christmas (YIKES!!). I cannot wait!

Not much else is going on with us. We are preparing for lots of company this weekend as the guys work their cows. If I haven't mentioned it before, Neno, Jeremy and their cousin Mike own cattle. MariAnne, Seth, Hebron, Holly and crew will all be joining us for the festivities. That's if you call castrating festivities??? Either way, it will be a lot of fun to have them here.

Other updates from the week:

I signed AG up for her first camp at TEGA - she will go 3 days a week starting June 1. She is so excited to get to swim, do gymnastics and probably just get away from me and AB for a little bit. She is way too social to spend all of her time with just us.
We are having the girls dedicated at Church this Sunday. They are doing it on Mother's Day - totally fitting!! This is something that we have wanted to do, but they only do it twice a year or so and the last one was right before AB was born. We decided to wait and do them both together.
AG has decided that she likes the show - "Dancing IN the Stars". She tries to dance and then wants me to critique her and let her talk into a microphone. Hopefully, I can get it on video to share. It is priceless!!

Garage Sale Gab!!

2009-04-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

Beth (my sweet sister-in-law) and I set out last weekend to clean house - both our houses. I have had stuff piling up since Neno and I got married 5 years ago and she and Jeremy had their fair shair of duplicates since they got married in January. We weren't sure how it was going to go, but we made out like bandits. Unfortunately, we got cheated on a few things - sad society we live in- but on the whole, it was really good. And by the way, Friday is the day to have a garage sale. We made a majority of our money then. I was even able to buy my new treasure - a oak dining room table - and finally got rid of the furniture that has plagued me since we moved into this house. I have a clean slate to get what I want for the fireplace room.

Anyway, back to the garage sale and the whole reason that I was writing...

We started our day on Friday at 7 a.m. with a posting on Craigslist that said NO EARLY BIRDS. Beth had bairly pulled up with our Chick Fil A for breakfast and we already had people coming up. We were so frazzled. We didn't have everything priced and thought we had an hour to get ready. So much for thinking!! Right off the bat, a lady put a bunch of jewelry in a bag and asked Beth how much for "3 watches" (Beth realized later that it was more than 3 watches). Beth told her $2. It wasn't until Friday night that she was just sick over all the things that lady made off with - 3 watches, some rings and a necklace (I think). The day did get better, though. The stuff we thought wouldn't sell did (little figurines and trinkets that Beth and I laughed at as we were setting up) and I finally got rid of decorations from my wedding 5 years ago. I really think I made this ladies day when I told her the price of the vases and mirrors. She even came back on Saturday for all of the marbles that I had in mason jars. I second guessed the price of all that stuff all weekend - oh well, it is gone now. And the whole idea was to clean out!!!

We really had a great time, reminiscing over old clothes and stuff that we were selling. Beth made fun of my leather pants. Yes, leather pants!!! And sadly, we got some good laughs over our clientele. The best had to have been when I was trying to get Ava Grace inside for a nap and she spotted a man with a pony tail. Before I could get her inside these words came out of her mouth...

"Mommy, that man looks like a girl!"

I immediately went into mommy-mode and told her that we don't say things like that because it hurts peoples feelings. Beth and I laughed about it for the remainder of the sale and anytime that a man with long hair came up we looked around for Ava Grace.

As much fun as it was, I have to get on my soap box a for a minute. I was appauled to see a young girl come shopping with her mother only to have her mother change out price stickers on our stuff. She even let the girl try to scam us with a ten-key calculator. We had $5 on it and I saw the young girl put a 25 cent sticker on and then replace it with a 10 cent sticker before she got to Beth. We aren't stupid!! Beth stood her ground and said it was marked at $5 and that the bathroom accessories that she was trying to buy were marked at $1 and not 25 cents (she compromised on that one at 50 cents). She even lied about a price that I quoted her on a shirt. I am not upset that we didn't get the money, because if she needed it that badly, I would have given it to her. I am upset that she was teaching her daughter that it is okay to cheat people and to lie. That is just wrong and that is part of what is wrong with our society today.

On Saturday, we had some extra helpers when Neno, Monica and Braidy joined us. The Curry clan had put a few things in our garage sale so they came on Saturday to lend a hand.

Saturday was a much slower day. We even ransacked our houses to find more stuff. Beth and I boasted a little about how great our stuff was because we were complimented on prices and we had repeat shoppers. We even had a sweet lady at the end of the day saying "I can't believe I missed this sale. I cannot believe that I missed it!!"

Overall, it was a huge success and Beth and I were more than satisfied with the outcome. We were also more than exhausted for the rest of the weekend. Garage sales are hard work and I won't consider it done until I get what was left out of our garage.

One last note, I was telling Neno on Sunday how glad I am that Jeremy married Beth. I wouldn't have been able to do that garage sale without her and I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone that Jeremy dated before her. She is wonderful and I am so glad that my sweet bother-in-law found the "perfect" woman for him and a fabulous sister-in-law for me.

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday, Annabelle!!

2009-04-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

Well, it is official. We have a 6 month old in our house!!! On Saturday, Annabelle turned 6 months old.

WHERE DOES TIME GO?? And I sware, it has gone faster with me at home that it did with me working.

Anyway, she had a big day....

She went to the Tech Red and Black Game - her first football experience - with all of her Red Raider gear on. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for the game, but we at least got one before she went down for her nap with all the red and black on...

She played her first game of footsie with Braidy (Ryan and Monica's precious boy that is 9 months)...

Then later, as Monica called it, lost her bathginity to Braidy. They are pretty cute together. I pray that they are as close as Ava Grace and Johnny (Braidy's big brother) . And if I remember correctly, AG lost her bathginity to John. We better watch out for those Curry boys.

Annabelle's 6 month milestones:

She is rolling anywhere that she wants to go.
She is eating big girl food and loves it.
She just discovered how to do the motor boat. This mommy's shoulder stays pretty wet with her spit, but she thinks it is fun.
She laughs out loud at Ava Grace and thinks that AG is the coolest thing ever!!

Easter Part II

2009-04-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so now it is Friday and I thought I would have the rest of the weekend's happenings posted by now - Not so Much!!!

I have found that after a full house and a full weekend of activities, it takes me, my girls and my house a week to recover. Plus, we are all fighting off sinus infections. Yuck!

As for the rest of the Easter weekend, I am just going to do a quick recap.

Saturday: I played with my new camera. I bought Carol's (Neno's Mom) camera - Canon Rebel. It is about 4 years old and looks like it just came out of the box, but all of us Falls know that is not the case.

Annabelle got to be my first subject.

Everyone came to our house for dinner and when it started to rain, the kids had to go play in it!!

Sunday brought all of our family together again for an amazing Easter Service at Experience Life. God is doing amazing things through E-Life. Check out Chris's blog (http://www.chrisgalanos.com/) to see some pics of the service and the beautiful crosses that Neno built for the service. I have such a talented husband.

After Church, it was back to our house for family pics, Easter egg hunt and lunch...

God is so Good!! I have to thank Him for sending his Son to die for us!! That is what Easter is all about, new life!! We are so blessed to get to celebrate that with family and friends!!!!

Easter Part I

2009-04-14T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well, it is Tuesday and we are on our way to recovery. No, no one was hurt or sick, just exhausted from a family-fun weekend.

My parents, Neno's parents and his oldest sister and her family joined us in Lubbock for Easter weekend. By Friday, everyone was here!!! We headed out to Jeremy and Beth's after naps and some yard work (thanks, Mom). So here is where the fun began...

Gotta love Silly String!!

And Cookie Dough!!

Ava Grace was having so much fun, that at one point, she came running down the hall saying "I Poo poo - tooted". In adult world, that is a Shart!! We were rolling laughing. She was playing so hard that she missed all the warning signs. But all the fun ended when Ava Grace bit her tongue. You would have thought the world was coming to an end. Then we told her that Daddy did that when he was little and the world was right again.

They had to compare his scar with her blood - Yuck!!

Hill Country Happiness

2009-03-20T10:28:00.001-05:00

Well, I officially survived my first trip alone with the girls. We set out on Monday for what is usually a 5 hour trip and we made it in about 5 1/2 hours. I was very proud. No major meltdowns from either child and my sanity was in tact.

We went to Lake Buchanan to visit my mom and dad, while mom was on her Spring break. I am so glad that we did! The drive down was very smooth and I actually had some quiet, while Annabelle was asleep and Ava Grace watched a movie, in which I could enjoy the scenary. Wild flowers are starting to pop up along the roadside down there and it just makes me happy. I love blue bonnets. If I had found a huge patch, I would have pulled over and stuck the girls in it for a picture - no such luck.

Once we got to Mom and Dad's, as usual Mom and I found a project to take on. She has had the itch to do something different to her cabinets in her kitchen and once the girls in were bed for their afternoon naps, we left them with their Papaw and headed to the paint store for black paint. For the next three days, we removed cabinet doors, sanded and painted. I wish I had a picture, because it looks so good. We were very proud of the finished product - a mix of oak - antique finished with black and black bottom cabinets. I think Mom is satisfied, for a while, at least. We all know that homes are ongoing projects and their house is no exception, but I think she really enjoys it that way. We had a great time!

We also snuck in some shopping on Wednesday. We set out early for the outlets in Round Rock with a mission to buy Ava Grace some new clothes - she isn't even four, but she needs 5T shirts. My kids don't stand a chance of not being tall. Anyway, both girls were troopers. We shopped hard and fast and after a Chick-fil A lunch, they both crashed in the car on the way back to the lake!

So Thursday, was our day to return home. Same story as Monday, I have amazing little travelers. They did great so we stopped in Sweet Water for lunch at McDonald's and had some play time for AG. I think she was really glad to get out of the car and even happier to get home and nap in her bed.

Long story short, I am confident now that I can do anything by myself if I can travel with a 5 month old and a 3 1/2 year old, we had a great time with Mom and Dad and Springtime in the Hill Country just makes me happy.

Falls Girls

2009-03-10T16:51:00.000-05:00

My Precious Girls - Annabelle & Ava Grace
Me & AG - Aren't we cute?

I can't get enough of that smile!!!

Game Day!!

2009-03-06T16:53:00.000-06:00

It is Friday!!! I am sure that some people would give me a hard time for being excited about a Friday since I am at home with my girls (everyday is Friday, right??), but Friday is Falls' Family game night!! We get together with Jeremy and Beth and any other friends that would like to join us and play dominoes or board games or something. I love it! It is a great end to the week and a great way to start the weekend with my hubby! Tonight, we are headed to J & B's with our friends Travis and Melissa and their sweet baby Jackson.

I am also a happy girl today because my husband came home at lunch with a new mattress. I had just come home from a play date with Amelia and Belle and he called to see if I was home and could help him unload it. Of course, I had to try it out so I took a 45 minute power nap this afternoon and it was amazing. We have been sleeping on the worst possible mattress for almost 5 years now. Neno finally agreed this week that we had to have a new one and man did he pick a good one. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

Anyway, Neno just got home and we are headed out!!!! Have a great weekend!

Very First Blog

2009-03-02T13:45:00.000-06:00

I think I am officially linked to all of the outside world (people not in Lubbock) through Facebook, MySpace, Kodak Gallery, Snap Fish and now our family blog. Blogging is the newest experience and it will take me a while to get used to adding pictures and posting things, but I do like to write.

So here goes...

Since February 12th, I have been a stay at home Mommy and I love it. Neno and I knew long ago, that this would be the best choice for our family once we had two children and we could not have been more right!!

After Annabelle was born, we weren't sure that we could do it and a week before I finished my maternity leave, Neno was given a raise that was significant enough for me to be able to stay at home. Obviously, he was doing well at his job (Diversified Lenders - started October 2008) and as much as he thinks this job is the right fit, they feel the same about him. So here we are! We put all of our faith and prayers in God's hands on this one and he provided!! He is so good!

So far, since I have been home, we have dealt with a sick kiddo (Annabelle had bronchitis), had our first play date at Legacy Play Village (thanks Belle and Amelia), attended two Life Tranformation lunches (my bible study) and made a trip to Granna's with Aunt Bess (Jeremy's new wife Beth).

The trip was last week and we had a great time with family. Beth and I set out Wednesday night with the girls. After a little detour, we arrived at 1:45 a.m. and then went on to stay up talking with Carol and Holly until 4 a.m. I haven't done that in a long time.

On Thursday, I ventured into Dallas for my 93 year-old grandfather's hernia surgery to sit with my mom and dad. All went well and he is back on his feet. I got some really great time with my parents just to talk and catch up.

After lots of playing and great conversation, Beth and I got back on the road Saturday to come home- no detours this time. So here we are at Monday and my new family blog. I make no promises how good I will be at keeping up with this but the girls are in bed for naps and I am off to a good start. We will see how it goes...