Embrace the Camera - Curious George Live!

My sweet Audrey had her first Daddy/Daughter date with her most favorite person around, Dad! They got to see her most favorite talking animal, Curious George. Really, this day could not go wrong for her.

Love this picture! She wasn't expecting the flash, obviously. :)

Notice that she had to wear her monkey shirt for Curious George.

Daddy and Audrey

She wasn't going to let a little rain slow her down!

She has arrived!

The excitement builds!

Let's see. Daddy has already bought her a doll and cotton candy. What a pushover!

Video after the show.

She came home with a whole lot of loot.

What did Julia and I do? We did sleep, but we also went shopping at Sam Moons! Is Sam Moons just a Dallas thing? It's just a little bit of heaven on earth. You must go. Julia wore her "Born to Shop" outfit an old roomie of mine gave her. Thanks, Lori!

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!

Michael and I finally got to see some friends of ours this weekend. Jake is a friend from college and he and Michael roomed together while we were dating. Amanda is someone we know from church. In fact, I was her youth intern one summer.

A few years ago, these two were working for the same company. We thought it would be funny if one day they met and liked each other. Well, it didn't happen and Amanda began a job with another company.

We still thought that they might make a good couple. We talked about it almost every week. We finally talked to them about it. They met for a date and it went well! On our 5th wedding anniversary, Jake proposed to an agreeing Amanda!

I believe God brings two people together. It's weird that he used us and probably pushed us to talk about them. It was like we couldn't let it go! This makes me wonder what other conversations are God-driven.

So, I'm 1 for 1 on setups and Michael is 2 for 2!

I forgot to take a picture of the happy couple Friday, but here's their facebook profile picture! (Hope y'all don't mind, J and A!)

My Big Day Thursday

So Thursday was a big day for me. It started off with me finding out about a drug that I might be able to use to treat my autoimmune disease if I were to get pregnant again. It sounds a thousand times better than prednisone. Now, I'm very thankful for prednisone, but I never want to take the stuff again! I'm going to do more research on the drug I found and talk to doctors about it. It sounds promising, though! I'm so glad God has left the book of my mothering life opened and has not locked it closed like I had thought! I was beginning to be pretty convincing to myself on why we're better off with just two children, so we may still choose to go that route. Only the future will tell!

So, I was on cloud nine about this whole baby thing when I went to pick up Audrey from school. On the way there, a big truck came over into my lane and I had no where to go. I won't get into all of the details, but basically neither speeding up nor slamming on the brakes would have saved me. I went off-roading and caused some damage to my car. The truck driver had no clue. So now my car is in the shop and I get to drive the vehicle pictured below. I know I look ridiculous in it, but it is fun to drive! Michael says I'm channeling my inner Paris Hilton when I drive this! Ha!

Getting Nothing Done Today...

...because people are posting pictures from 1st grade through high school of my classmates and me on facebook. The pictures are funny enough, but every five seconds someone has a funny comment to add. I can not get away! Someone please - take the computer and phone away from me!

p.s. There will be no posting of pictures from the past on this blog, so don't ask! :)

p.s.s I feel old now.

5 Question Friday!

Please join us by copying the questions into your own blog and linking up with Mama M's blog above. Or you can just answer the questions in the comments section.

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)

3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?

Well, I have a Texan accent so just about anything would be better. I have always thought that British accents made people sound smarter. I loved listening to Desmond on LOST with his Australian accent. If I had to choose, I would go with Desmond and choose the Australian accent.

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)

Probably. Are you offering sleep, because I'll take it wherever! My baby has regressed in sleeping and will learn who Dr. Ferber is this weekend. And it's a busy weekend, so watch out world, I might be cranky!

3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?

When you gotta go, you gotta go, right? I am not a germ-a-phobe. I sit on that toilet unless it's just visibly disgusting. This reminds me of a time my mom and I used the facilities at a rest stop in the middle of winter. We hadn't realized that the ceiling was only a partial ceiling. I guess it was designed that way to ventilate the restroom. Anyways, we sat on the toilets at the same moment and let out yells of discomfort. Have you ever sat on porcelain in below freezing temperatures? C-O-L-D!!! Just glad our bums didn't freeze to them!

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?

I just read a blog about George Clooney. He wouldn't be bad. Good looking, funny guy. But, my top choice is Bill Cosby. I bet those 24 hours would go by just like that *snap*!

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?

My honey outdid himself here. A partner at his firm gave him a gift certificate to III Forks. He used that as the perfect excuse to ask me out. It was the perfect way to begin our life together.

Embrace the Camera 9.23.10 - Zoo Edition

If you haven't checked out The Anderson Crew blog (click the button above), then you're missing out. She's a fun, spunky, Christian woman with four precious kiddos and is planning to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. She is the one who is challenging us to step from behind the camera and get into the pictures with our kids.

So, as you may already know from my previous post, my family and I went to the zoo Saturday. These are some of the pictures of my husband and I with our girls.

Too cool for school.

2 yr old hasn't figured out that you're supposed to look at the camera. And she's eating.

One of only two family pictures. We have got to do a better job getting all four of us in a picture!

No Duh!

Study: Teacher bonuses fail to boost test scores

The article linked above just makes me shake my head. For the most part, teachers are not the problem with education in America. I have a few years of teaching under my belt and I have worked with wonderful teachers at each school. The schools I taught at weren't the cream of crop, but rather the black sheep of the districts. One year, I did receive a bonus for test scores. I was not going to turn that down; teachers are very much underpaid. The year I received the bonus, my students performed the same way as they would have if there had been no bonus involved. My students could care less about my finances. I, along with all of the other teachers, do their best year after year. Teachers will always accept more money, but it's not going to change things.

I did see on the news today that Dallas ISD is handing out money to both students and teachers. Now THAT might actually work. Maybe not. $100 may not be enough to motivate some students for an entire school year.

In the end, this country will realize that money doesn't solve all the problems. You must first get to the root of the problem before it can be fixed.

My Scary Trip to the Zoo

Last Saturday, we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo with Mike, Ruth, and Baby Joshua (although he's not much a baby anymore!). It was a lot of fun! Audrey got to see all of her favorite animals up close and personal. I got a little a lot too personal with one creature at the zoo.

We had just met up with our friends and were walking to go see the elephants when I saw something flying in the air. Michael said he saw it about 20 feet away. I thought it was a large moth. I could not have been more wrong. It flew into the walking area, turned, and headed straight towards me! I stopped walking and began to turn away. It continued on its path to get me! And got me it did! The creature landed on my chest, by my neck, where there was no clothing, just my crawling skin. I look down to see it was a roach! I knocked it off and my dearest friend, Mike, stepped on that sucker! Of course, I screamed like a little girl and did an Elaine Benes dance move that pulled a stomach muscle. I'm just so glad that Julia was still in the stroller at this point and not being carried in the Baby Bjorn!

"I saw the whole thing. It was something to behold!" - Julia

"I missed it, but I'm laughing just thinking about Mommy dancing!" - Audrey

We did get to see animals that were farther away and secured. Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

We got to see this hippo dive in to eat an apple.

Audrey loved it! She said this was her favorite part of the zoo.

Just look at this zebra! So beautiful!

And of course, the pretty flamingos!

One Lovely Blog Award

I won "One Lovely Blog" award. I didn't know that there were awards like this out there! The Price Family blog honored me with this award. Thanks!

So there are rules to accepting an award like this. See below. Then be sure to see who I rewarded!

Rules for accepting the award:
1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.
3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.
OR

1. Put the One Lovely Blog award logo on your blog and/or in a new post.
2. In a new post, share 3 things you think are lovely
3. Pass the award on to 3 fellow bloggers.
4. Link the nominees within your post.
5. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
6. Share the love and link to the person whom you received the award.
There are two sets of rules for this award. So choose the one you like and go for it!

Three things I think are lovely:

I looked up lovely just to help me out narrow things down - Appealing to the emotions as well as the eye.

1. In the mornings when I go to pick up Julia and her pacifier drops out of her mouth because she's smiling so big.
2. Seeing a family gathered around a dinner table smiling and sharing stories.
3. The typical scenes of fall - fiery leaves, carved pumpkins, kids walking to school...

Three blogs that I am giving this award to:

1. Kristina Cackles: I love reading Kristina's blog! I find her to be funny, charming, and honest. She also has made a bunch of pretty bows for Audrey. So be sure to check out KK's Bowtique.
2. Aspiring Kennedy: So I thought Lauren was living the life before, but now she REALLY is after recently moving to England. She's currently a globetrotter; not too shabby! There should be a reality show based on her life.
3. Pieces of Me: Oh my goodness, Bethany is such a great writer! She really, REALLY, needs to write a book - hint hint ;). She challenges herself in her faith and, in turn, challenges me.

Five Question Friday 9.17.10

It's Friday! This has been a looooooong week! It's time to get to know each other better and answer some questions Mama M. picked out. You can answer on your own blog or you can answer in the comments. To really get involved, click on the button above to see Mama M.'s blog and link up!

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?

4. Did you make good grades in school?

5. What magazines do you subscribe to?

------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?

I was about four or five years old when I began having a recurring dream. It was so strange. I slept in a queen size bed and I would dream about a whole bunch of elves that would come into my room, pick up my bed, and spin it around. These weren't Christmas elves; more like Keebler elves. And I did NOT like them!

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?

I absolutely LOVE watching hockey. Rare for a Texas girl, but it's great.

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?

I think scarves are so cute on others. I won't even buy one because I know that I won't pull it off right.

4. Did you make good grades in school?

Yes, I did. I graduated 3rd in my class in high school. I was on the Dean's List each semester in college and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Go ahead and call me a nerd.

5. What magazines do you subscribe to?

I don't pay for any magazines, but I somehow get Parenting magazine.

Embrace the Camera 9.16.10

Time to embrace that camera!Julia and I hanging out Sunday while hubby and sister nap.

I'm lovin on my family this week and in return we've been getting each other sick. Lovely. I've been getting devastating news about friends lately: miscarriage, broken marriage, and child with a sad disease. But there are reasons to be thankful: a friend given the label "cancer survivor" and friends having babies. This life can be such a roller coaster of emotions at times and I'm not a fan of roller coasters. Won't "life" be grand when this ride is over and we're with our Maker?

Julia

My sweet sweet Julia. Really, what is there not to love about this baby? This dark-haired angel has brightened my life so much! She loves to cuddle. She shrieks with glee when you love on her. She laughs. She sleeps. She coos. She only fusses a bit to let you know she's ready for a nap. Really, she's a dream baby for me.

I think she's pretty smart too. When I was dropping her off at my parents before Michael and I left for Colorado, she knew I was leaving her. While I was unloading the car, my dad placed her on her playmat and she started to cry - hard. She knew that her playmat should be at her house, not at Mimi and Papa's house. I was able to settle her down and Mimi held her. Then Julia saw me put her mobile on Mimi's crib and lost it again. She wouldn't nurse from me and I had to leave her crying in a strange crib. She eventually figured out that staying alone with Mimi and Papa wasn't such a bad thing and went back to her usual self. I couldn't believe that a 5 month old could be that perceptive!

She loves to watch her older sister. I can't wait for them to interact more. She loves it when her Daddy plays with her. You never heard squeals so loud!

God blessed me with an easy baby this time around. He knew what He was doing because April was such a terribly hard month for me. I had a very sick toddler and I was going through my own hardships that a typical newborn would have sent me over the edge. So thankful that one of her first nights of fantastic sleep occurred when we were in the ER with Audrey. And then she gave this mommy a full nights rest the next night so that our family could function again.

What is there not to love?

Audrey

My Audrey girl!

Audrey is full of laughter and energy. I am amazed how much fun she can have on such little food and little sleep! ;)

This girl has been so easy since she became a toddler. I am so proud of how she has handled some big changes in her life.

She basically taught her self how to use the potty. Really. One week I was reluctantly potty training her. In almost the next week, she was going all by herself. I would be in another room and hear the toilet flush and hear her wash her hands. I spied on her once and she had done everything correctly! I'm not expecting it to be that easy with Julia!

Then she picked out everything for her big girl room. I think it came out quite well! She may become my interior designer. We didn't push her into her new room because we had some time before Julia was born. One night, she decided that was where she wanted to sleep and the rest is history.

Then Julia came along. Life was never going to be the same for Audrey after Julia. She has done so well being a big sister! Audrey helps out in so many ways. The only signs of jealousy I see are small ones. Such as asking for chocolate milk when Julia is getting Mom's milk, wanting to take a bath when I'm giving Julia a bath, or wanting to be held when Julia is held. She talks to Julia, plays with her, sings to her, and shows her things. I love it!

The most recent thing has been preschool. If you know Audrey at all, you know that she is a shy girl with a lot of fears. She has talked to random adults at the school while I've been there. She's nervous, but she does it! She walks in the classroom and embraces the challenges in front of her. She hasn't cried yet, but I know she probably has wanted to cry. I'm just so proud of how brave she has been. This girl will be able to do great things with that kind of strength.

What I love about her is how sweet she is. She becomes really sad when she sees others in pain or upset. She also has become a cuddler. When she was nursing, she never wanted me to hold her during any other time. Now she loves to be held. I get to rock her every night and I'm loving it.

I also think she's very funny. I don't know if all two year olds are like this, but it sure is entertaining to be around her! Hopefully one day the outside world will be able to see this humorous side of her personality.

Michael

This week I am going to write about my three most favorite people in the world. Of course, that's my husband and children!

Michael is such a giving person! He is a wonderful man of God. Michael does everything in his power to make life for our family go smoothly. He is a very active father and husband. He really has made marriage an easy thing.

He does things like gets me Ruth's Chris sweet potatoes on hard days, lets me take naps, buys ME things when HE gets a promotion, plans a getaway for our anniversary and countless other sweet things.

He is always looking for ways to save our family money. It can be through 401Ks, utilities, groceries, or house payments.

He is the best father my girls could have! He gives them so much time and attention. He teaches Audrey about God and how to be kind. He is super fun too!

He works so hard! I know his coworkers appreciate his hard work. I appreciate how he does his best to balance a tough job with family life.

He surrounds himself with good friends. I also benefit from this because those men have chosen amazing, beautiful, Godly women that I admire and learn from.

He's my best friend and my teammate in this life. I'm better because of him. I consider myself very blessed to have him in my life.

I know that some of you think that someone isn't being authentic when they speak like this about their spouse. Everything I've written is true. We do have our hard times, but they are few and far between. I enjoy spending time with him. When we do argue, we argue with respect and do it privately. Marriage is a give and take process. He does it well; I'm still learning.

5 Question Friday

Copy and paste the questions below onto your own blog and link up by clicking on the button above.

1. Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself?

2. How well do you know your neighbors?

3. What age are you looking forward to being?

4. Do you get excited when the mail comes? Why?

5. What is your earliest childhood memory?

------------------------------------------------

1. Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself?

It doesn't happen very often, so I don't feel guilty about it. I'm a low maintenance kind of a girl.

2. How well do you know your neighbors?

Not well at all. Our next door neighbors have really tried and we know their names and talk to them when we see them, but that's about it. Our across the street neighbors may not live there anymore. I have no idea if they do or not. They snubbed us more than once and that was after we helped them out by potentially stopping a break-in.

3. What age are you looking forward to being?

When I was younger I thought that being a stay-at-home mom or retired would be nice. I'm kinda both now, so I guess I'm living the life.

4. Do you get excited when the mail comes? Why?

Not anymore, unfortunately. We have geckos that run into the house when I open the front door. Audrey and I are not fans - AT ALL!

5. What is your earliest childhood memory?

I remember my brother letting go of a metal bat after swinging it. It hit my neighbor in the face. He was a big bloody mess. Really hard to see something like that. My parents rushed the neighbor back to his house so his parents could take him to the hospital. I thought that I was around 5 years old, but my mom said I was more like 1 or 2 years old.

Embrace the Camera - 1st Day of School

Click on the button above to learn about Embrace the Camera Thursdays.

I'm a happy gal this morning! I got to sleep through the night for the first time since Fathers Day! That's how long it has been since both girls have slept the entire time I've been in bed. Goodness it felt good!

Audrey had her first day of school Tuesday. No tears were shed by her or me. She had a good day. I did get a call from the school in the middle of the day though. Her eyes tend to swell up and they did Tuesday, right after lunch. She has to have an epi pen for a peanut allergy. They were worried that her eyes swelling might be the beginning of a severe reaction. By the time I picked her up, her eyes had gone back down to normal. Let's just hope that today goes well too. Her breathing was labored a bit last night and we gave her some wheezing medicine. She sounded good by the time she went to bed. This child and her issues. Usually, we go through most days without any hitches. I would hate for her teachers to deal with two issues on the first two days of school!

And aren't we Dallas folks glad to still be around after all of those tornadoes Hermine produced!?