Monday, March 28, 2011

Loving this Beautiful Weather

Minus the past couple days...we have really been enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having! We can't wait for the rain to go away so we can continue our outside endeavors :) Here is my new family favorite pic...not too bad for being taken by ourselves. We just fit :)

enjoying some patio time with the girlies

our hair is growing...no more bald spot!

this chick's smile and laughter is infectious


chasing after bubbles. who knew this could provide hours of entertainment. ella couldn't stop following them with her eyes either

kisses for daddy

big ol' brown eyes just like avery. they take everything in! and, i'll stick my tongue out right back at ya girlie! she may be able to do the tongue to the nose trick :)


tim takes the girls to the park every weekend and has had ella in the swing there but i have never seen her. i think she likes it :)





all of my crew swinging together


avery is really into counting right now...everything!! here she is counting the ducks in the pond


me and my big girl

It's a Girl's Night Out!!

every year or more if we can, my girlfriends get together for a night of good food, drinks, girl-time with no kiddos or hubbies...love you guys though!! this year we went back to hotel zaza and got a great room with a balcony. went to nick and sam's grill for some yummy food, the park for some after dinner drinks and music and back to our balcony overlooking the pool. it was great and i can't wait for next year :)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Happy 30th Birthday to My Baby Brother

I can't believe Brian is in the 30's club now...WELCOME!

It was so perfect that he turned 30 on Saturday this year because on Friday night, I had gone out with my girls down in Dallas for our annual overnight (more on that later). So, on Saturday, I stayed downtown and hung out with Brian and Mollye for his b-day! We had so much fun! He wanted to go to one of his favorite spots to play games - Dave and Busters, so we went there 1st and had so much fun. I haven't been there in forever and it was like being a kid again :) Then we ran a few errands and headed back to their place where we spent some quality time relaxing at the pool. Just drinking, reading and chatting!

That night we headed to Gloria's, yum, yum, yum, with Brian and Mollye before meeting all his friends at a new piano bar right by their house.

Such a cute couple!





Had to get a pick with the birthday boy!


When we got to the piano bar we were early to reserve our seats and their were several bachelorette parties there and more to come. There were girls everywhere!!! Boys, here's your chance!


Bri with his party-goers


Mike...you crazy!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Kick, Kick, Kick

kick, kick, kick...watch out, this chick is going places! i'm kind of scared ;)


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We hope you had a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Avery & Ella in their Green Garb...no pinching these 2!


Smiley girl


2 things to check out in this pic:
1) super-cute bum
2) look at her hair coming in - no more bald spot in the back :)


avery and i were trying to take a pic together but they kept coming out so posed. so here we are pretending we are laughing


crazy and calm :)


buddies!


we had the most delicious dinner at nana and papa's...she is seriously an amazing cook!
menu:
appetizer: steamed artichoke dipped in butter
main course: shepherd's pie and homemade rye bread, delish
dessert: melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cupcakes with bailey's spiked vanilla icing, died and gone to heaven greatness
after-dinner-drink: coffee with bailey's and whipped cream
i'm stuffed...thanks kitty and rich!!

the girls were great. avery played and ella rolled around on the blanket with her toys while we enjoyed our meal


ella's turn to "get" avery


our "green" family









Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Best Sound in the World...

my children's laughter!!! hearing them laugh and giggle makes me smile so big - it's infectious!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday Funny!

while driving home from school today on bethany, avery said "on this street, there are a lot of those things that dogs go potty on".

thinking i didn't hear her correctly, i asked her what "things" she was talking about??

she said those things on the side of the road in the grass. and i said, "what do dogs do on them??" and she said, "they go potty on them??"

me: what are you talking about avery??

avery: those things mommy!!

me: oh, the fire hydrants??

avery: yes

me: where did you see a dog going potty on a fire hydrant??

avery: i don't know...but i know they go potty on them!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

So Sour!

more lemons please...that's what avery asked for at lunch today! and the waiter so nicely obliged!



you're mine-


and, lick


scrunchy face...


so sour!


loving it!

Turkey Burgers & Grilled Chicken Strips

avery is such a picky eater normally so the other night i was making stuffed turkey burgers and i had her help me. from the very beginning of adding all the ingredients together, to rolling and smashing our burgers to give to tim to grill she helped. she had such a great time too! when we asked how much cheese she wanted on her burger, she said 2 pieces and i didn't even care as long as she would attempt to eat it. well, she not only attempted, but ate a whole half of her burger before she even touched her fries. she said it was soooo delicious! 1st time to ever have a hamburger in her life!



then, last night around dinner time she got her stool back out and asked what we were making. i pulled out the chicken, barbecue sauce and basting brush and let her paint away on the chicken breasts. then, after tim grilled them we sliced her a few grilled chicken strips and she ate them all up with ketchup.

i am loving it!!! i'm sure we will hit some bumps in the road on some of the food, but a whole new world is opening up for us in the food department! all this after having told tim the night before that i was done doing the food battle with her. keep your fingers crossed it lasts :)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Days of the Week

ahhh, learning the days of the week. if only every day was friday so we could enjoy the coming weekend!


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

6 Months Baby!!

1/2 a year this one has been hanging around our house!! wow, 6 months - it's hard to believe! i feel like she just joined our family!

she is such a fun baby and i think the most chill baby too! it's crazy how laid-back she is!

fun facts about ella right now:

the past 2 days we've been crying it out at her naps and at night without her swaddle at all...heartbreaking, but so good in the long run. i'm looking forward to uninterrupted sleep :) plus, as long as i get a smile when she wakes up, it's all good!

she wants to grab onto everything and then put it right in her mouth. we've tried out bananas and avocados so far. big fan of the bananas, not so much on the avocados. sweet potatoes here we come. and, i've got to get this girl a sippy cup! she can't get enough of drinking out of our cups.

her legs are kicking and going 100 miles an hour when she is on her back...she is ready to go!

now that she's rolling, she likes to sleep on her tummy with her new lovey

she is in love with her daddy and her sister! she will stop whatever she is doing and look for them when she hears one of them come into the room and talk. and once she finds them, she gives them one her gummy smiles and gets really excited.

i love her so much!! i look at her and feel so blessed and happy to have her as my daughter! i can't wait to see her grow in the next 6 months and watch her relationship with avery blossom. she is such a joy to have in our lives...thanks sweet ella bella!


look at ms. thing!


sitting momentarily...quick shot before she fell over :)


someone has found her feet!




Sunday, March 6, 2011

Lately...

This is what we've been doing lately...

Celebrating this Amazing Woman's birthday! Our family is so blessed to have Kitty in our lives! She is such a beautiful person inside and out - lucky us!


surrounded by her kids and grandkids


how cute is this cake molly made for her. she is so crafty with her new cricket!!


i still haven't gotten a new portable camera so i've been using my parents and found this little gem on there from awhile back. aargh!


avery had donut day at school the other morning...yummy!


kinley and kale stopped by for a playdate. here they are watching the new pirate show on disney junior. they have such a fun time playing with each other. i can't wait for ella to join them


where's my munchkin?? will the laundry ever stop :(


what you lookin' at willis? i don't know why this pic makes me think of that line?


i had to pick avery up at the pond the other night when she was on a walk with tim and ella - someone had to go potty. had her grab our mail...she thought this was sooo fun! kind of reminds me of the scene from footloose where she transfers cars in the middle of the highway. it's a stretch, i know!





darmi watched the girls for me the other afternoon while i took photos and i was way out in BFE or as I like to call it, Sachse! anyways, i was really close to this yummy bakery in downtown Wylie that has delicious cupcakes so I grabbed a few for us. OMG...they were gone that day!




check out the girl who used to cry and cry and cry if you put her on her stomach:






tim and i have kids with really big heads...more room to store those smarts! it's an effort for her to roll because she has to whip that noggin around :)




here she goes:


ella has some growing to do







Last weekend, the girls from Big D went down to Austin to meet Kristen's Mom and sisters and see the places they are having their wedding festivities. We ate a lot of yummy food, shopped, relaxed and went all over the city! I even got to grab a scoop at my favorite ice cream shop, Amy's, while down there. Good thing they don't have one here...I would be Giant!! I love, love, love the place they are having their rehearsal dinner at and the place where they are having their wedding is such a a beautiful location and perfect for Kristen and Kevin. I can't wait to see them get married next March! We had such a great time getting to know her sweet family and it was so nice to get away for a night.

Kitty and I getting ready to go to dinner:

At brunch on Sunday: