Vacation to Waxahachie, TX! Woo-Hoo!

We went our first official family vacation to Waxahachie, TX, on June 1-4.  We had a blast!  Jody's best friend from high school was getting married and Jody was a groomsman.  We decided that it would be fun to go down a little early and just spend a few days making fun memories.  Boy, did we ever!  On the way down, we stopped at Bass Pro to do a little shopping and let Brailyn stretch her legs.  Jody and I both like the store, and Brailyn had a blast watching the turtles swim around in the humongous waterfall!  I think the scariest, craziest, funniest, and most memorable part of the trip was the traffic through Dallas!  We might have been stressed, but we laughed our heads off through it!  That's a whole lot better than screaming at each other I would say!  Josh, the groom, came to see us when we got there.  He was busy that night, but wanted to visit for a minute.  Brailyn loves him!  When he left, Brailyn looked out the window, threw her hands up by her face and said "Where 'Goshy' go?"  It was the sweetest thing.  She proceeded to wake up every morning, and from every nap, asking that same question.  She even muttered it during the wedding! One fun experience was bath time.  We got there and I checked out the bathroom, to find that there was no bathtub, just a huge walk-in shower!  How was that going to work?!?  Brailyn loved it!  She never got fully under the water, but she squaeled and played in it.  It was a battle to get her out!  I also rocked her in the computer chair!  It was a life saver! Just saying!

We headed to the Ft. Worth Zoo the next day and that was a lot of fun!  It was hot, but we had a blast!  Brailyn's favorite part was the monkeys.  She got so excited watching them play!  However, we barely dragged her away from the rhinos at first.  She also loved the amphibian/reptile exhibit!  We ran straight up to the glass while daddy stayed safely in the middle of the room!  Love you honey! :)  It was pretty warm that day, but we had a good time.



All the animals were a little lethargic that day, but we still had fun watching them!



The rhino we couldn't drag Brailyn away from!



"Let's go over there daddy!  We don't have time for picture breaks!"





Isn't he cute!  I couldn't quit thinking of Timon!



He was a little intimidating!



The monkeys were chasing each other!  She got so excited!



That's my sweet girl!



Kudos!  They were so pretty!



"I still don't have time for this mommy!"



These were crazy!



Ick! But so cool!



Eating lunch like a big girl!  They had little picnic areas.  It was nice because you could bring your own lunch!



Relaxing in the shade!  I wanted to join him!



Pretty pink flamingo!



Zebras!  They were gorgeous!



A very old elephant!



Amazing!



The next day we headed to Arlington to see the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and the Ranger Stadium.  Brailyn was not having a good day.  She cried through breakfast, and all the way to Arlington.  "Dot Dog" and Minnie didn't even help.  We bought tickets to tour the Cowboys' stadium(Jody's absolute dream), but we quickly got our money back and headed back to the hotel to get a good nap!  We all three did!



So close, but so far away! 



 Brailyn had a blast at the rehearsal dinner that night, but at rehearsal she did not like her daddy walking past her, and down the aisle!  She didn't like it during the wedding either, but it was nothing a little snack wouldn't fix!  The wedding was beautiful, and so was the reception.  We had to leave a little early because it was outside and very hot.  Brailyn was absolutely miserable!  We had a great time though, and we are so happy for Josh and Rachel!  We are already talking abut our next vacation, and some traditions we want to start down the road!  I can't wait!



Love this picture!  Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Josh Brown!



Rachel, Josh, and Jody!



Mother's Day 2011

We celebrated Mother's Day at home this year.  We usually try to rotate to my parents and his parents, but last year we messed it all up so we have been here for two years!  It's okay though cause my mommy knows I love her!  We had a wonderful day!  Brailyn got me two new slides for my Pandora bracelet and a "mom" t-shirt!  I absolutely love both of my gifts!  I'm supposed to have two more slides coming if somebody doesn't forget(hint-hint (: )!  After church and nap time, we headed down to Mr. Dale and Mrs. Donita's.  We told her we were going to cook for her, and then we surprised her by Andy and Jennifer and Madi showing up!  I think she was pleasantly surprised! :)  We had a great time together.  The girls got to play and have fun!  We got to have fun watching them, and then Andy, Jennifer, Jody and I got on the 4-wheelers and went for a ride! Fun, Fun!  I love my family, and feel so blessed to celebrate this day as a daughter and mommy now!

My sweet baby!  Now you see why I LOVE being a mommy!



Neena and her girls!  Pretty sure this is the best pic we got! HA! Sorry everybody!



The girls were matching, so of course we had to take a picture!  They weren't really in the mood for a photo shoot but we tried!



Taking turns on the slide!



APRIL Birthdays!

Well, we definitely know that it is not April anymore with the 100 degree temps we have been having, so I guess I may be a little behind on posting!  That's okay!  I just want to make sure it gets on here.  We have two birthdays to celebrate in April.  My nephew Samuel's birthday is on the 18th and Neena's birthday is the 20th!

My sister gave Samuel a Pirate Birthday and she did an amazing job! She made the cake and it was delicious along with being absolutely adorable.  She always does a good job!  We had it outside since the weather was nice and the kids had a blast!  They had just done some work in the yard so one big section was nothing but dirt!  The little ones had a good ol' time digging and playing!  After the cake and presents, we hid gold coins for the kids to find!  Boy, was that fun!  Kids were running all over the place looking for the 200+  coins I think we hid!  It was a really fun day and it is always fun when we get the cousins together!

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY SAMUEL!  WE LOVE YOU!



The big 5 year old! 

His cake!  A pirate on a deserted island!



Fun girls! 

I absolutely love this picture of my nephew James!  He looks like a grown man holding his cup and his hand, you women know that all men stand like this!

Most of the men in my life!  I love them all to pieces!  That's my dad in the green, then Jody and Brailyn, my grandaddy, and my brother!



Getting good and dirty!



The girls playing a little ball!



Swingin' with cousin Anna!



We met Andy, Jennifer, and Madi in Arkadelphia to celebrate Mrs. Donita's birthday.  We ate at Western Sizzlin and it was delicious. Unfortunately this was the night ti stormed pretty bad.  We ended up rushing through dinner and drove as fast as we could to Henderson. We went to the basement in Andy's building to ride out the storm.  The girls had a blast running and playing!  The lights ended up going out, but it didn't phase the girls at all. In fact, they started playing and having more fun than when the lights were on.  They are really getting in a stage where they are beginning to play more together and it is so fun and exciting to watch!  i know they will be best buds!  So it wasn't the best birthday celebration ever, but we sure had fun and it will be one of the most memorable!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEENA!  WE LOVE YOU TOO!

18 Months and It's Time to Stop Counting!



Our beautiful 18 month old "baby" girl!  May 7, 2011

My precious tiny baby girl turned 18 months old on May 7th!  I think it is about time for time to stand still!  I say this every time, but I can't believe how fast time has flown!  It seems like yesterday we brought her home and just sat and stared at her all day, and slept every chance we got! HA!  Now we run around all day chasing her, reading to her, and falling in bed at the end of the night from pure exhaustion!  We are loving this age though!  Each day is a new adventure.  She seems to learn new words every second!  It is  simply amazing!  Just yesterday I was putting the rug back down after mopping.  She loves to help me roll it back out.  She ran to it, got down on her hands and knees and started helping.  I started saying "Roll it, Roll it!"  Then she pushed and and started saying, "Row-wit!"  She is just so sweet, and so full of energy and the best little personality!  She loves to hug and kiss now and say "Oh ma-ma!" or "Oh, daddy!"  Her favorite thing to say right now is "Where______ go?"  She fills in the blank with whatever she needs or hides!  I here this question constantly!  "Where  daddy go?",  "Where dog go?"  And repeating the question is not good enough, she needs an answer!  I absolutely do not mind answering though!  I love being able to have little conversations with my baby!  Here are a few other things she is up to now:

• At her 18 month check up she was 26 13.5 lbs(85%) and was 31 1/4 in.(40%) long.
• One of our biggest accomplishments since being 18 months is that we are PACI FREE!  We tried for about 2 weeks before she turned 18 mos. She was not having it, so during those weeks, she only got it at nap time and bed time.  Then one night I decided to just not give it to her, and she went right to sleep and hasn't had it since!  She goes to sleep with her bear.  She actually calls it her "bear-pac" now!  She will chew on it for a little bit and then go to sleep.
• She knows the colors: orange, red, blue, pink, and sometimes purple!  When you first ask her what color something is, her immediate answer is pink!  I think she sees a lot of pink!  Then, we ask her again and she gives the right color.
• She likes to sit on the "pot-ty!"  She started showing interest so I bought her the potty seat that just sits on top of toilet.  She loves it!  She backs up to it and say "pee-pee."  We have yet to do anything yet, but she likes to sit there!  When she gets down she says "bye-bye, pot-ty!"  The other night I was in there and she came in, then went to find her daddy in the living and said "Mommy pot-ty!"  I'm just waiting on that one to come out while in public!
• She knows most if not all of her body parts!
• She will eat everything under the sun, but her favorite thing is fruit!  She loves fresh fruit and will eat anything you give her!
• She has mastered the art of climbing.  Oh joy!
• She names nearly everybody in our family, and has started remembering people's names at church!
• She makes all of her animal sounds, and has started naming most of them now. 
• She still loves her "Dot dog" and Minnie!  She knows all the characters by name, but still calls Mickey "Dot dog!"  I never want her to stop!
• Instead of just naming things like chairs and shoes, she now says "Daddy's chair" or "mommy's shoes!"  She knows what belongs to each of us!  If she is naming of body parts on her toys, she will say "bunny's ears" or "bunny's eyes!"  Whatever she is pointing at!

So I said a few more things! HA  She does everything she is supposed to be doing right now.  I won't post it all!  She keeps us laughing and on our toes constantly!  We are absolutely loving this age!  Although we may want to keep her like this forever, we also can't wait to see what the other ages bring!  Right now though, we are savoring every day!  We love you sweet baby girl!  You are our pride and joy!


At her check-up!  May 9, 2011!  This is the best pick I got!  I asked her to look at mommy and she looked up and said "Cheese!"  She's a mess!



"I don't want to look right now mom!"



Easter 2011

We had a wonderful Easter!  We got to spend time with family, watch Brailyn thoroughly enjoy hunting Easter eggs, and most importantly, we got to celebrate our Risen Lord!  Brailyn was a little young this year to understand the real reason we celebrate Easter, but I plan on starting traditions with her next year to teach her and help her understand Easter.  I plan to but resurrection eggs and do the Easter cookies with her.  I can't wait!  I think they are great tools for helping children understand!  I don't think any of us, no matter how old, can fully grasp what happened on that glorious day, but we learn to accept it with faith, and an abundance of gratefulness!  I hope to help instill that in Brailyn over the years! 

 Anyway, we always have a busy, busy Easter Sunday!  It works out perfectly though.  Since our church does Sonrise service, and then worship service at 8:30, we get to make it to my family's Easter lunch.  My mom's side of the family has gotten together since before I was born.  This is basically like a family reunion, and this is about the only time I get to see that side every year.  We eat a wonderful lunch, and then the big kids hide eggs for the little ones.  I remember growing up and moving into the different stages, and now I get to watch Brailyn do it!  We have a lot of fun, and I just love it!  It makes for a long tiring day, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!  So here is our Easter in pictures!  I know most would rather see those than read my ramblings anyway!  :)



Me, Brailym, Cathy, and Hannah at the church's Easter egg hunt!  Brailyn loves "baby anna!"



That's a big group of kids to hide eggs for, and I think they had plenty and then some!





Heading out to find some eggs!  The little ones had their own closed off area to hunt in!



Such a big girl!



I did most of the hunting, but she did all of the picking up and putting them in the basket!  She caught on fast! She had a ball!



The Easter bunny came!  I think he left a little to much stuff! Hehe



Poor baby had to get up at 6:30!  She was still ready to check out what she got!



Her favorite by far!  She looks a little rough in this one, but she had been up for about 3 minutes maybe!  Just enough for me to get her dressed!



She passed out on the way to Woodlawn!  She slept the entire hour and 45 minutes!  When we got to my Aunt's house, Brailyn woke up when we pulled in her driveway.  The driveway is long and lined by trees.  Brailyn woke up and said "Whoa!"  HA!



Hunting again!



We go to great lengths to find the eggs!



My family!  My sister and her family on the left side, mom and dad, in the middle, us, then my brother and his family on the right! 

Happy Easter Everyone!