HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, JULIA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET GIRL!!!

A sweet little angel was brought to my arms one year ago today. It has been a real hard year on us, but this little doll has brought nothing but smiles and laughter. Julia has been the easiest baby I've been around and for that I'm very grateful. Her quick smile, black eyes, and to-die-for eyelashes draw you in. Then she laughs, crinkles her nose, and cuddles with you and you melt instantly. She loves Daddy so much and watches Audrey's every move. I'm sure I'm in her list of favorite people, but I'm just glad I get to spend my days with this joyful spirit. She's easy-going almost to a fault (slow developer), but that just makes this family run more smoothly. Her shrieks of delight when Daddy walks in the door or when she's crawling after Audrey makes this momma's heart bust. LOVE HER!!!

The Last Day of Julia's First Year

I won't allow to let myself get too emotional yet. I made a video of Audrey's first year and just had to do one for Julia too. The song for Audrey fit her perfectly. I had to search around for awhile to find one I really liked for Julia. Allison Kraus has always been a favorite of mine, so I went with her. I hope you enjoy!

Julia, we love you so much! You make our lives so full of joy, love, and happiness. God sent a little angel to us last year.

Photo Project - Planning

Last week's photo project theme was planning. Boy, have I been planning! Julia's first birthday party is this weekend. I've been making, creating, and buying. My house is a wreck because of this party. The pictures aren't great, but it will give you a little glimpse of what the party will be like.

I am a Excel nut. I plan almost everything this way, including my children's names.

I copied and pasted my recipes. Then I combined all the ingredients into one list so I'll know what I'll need and what I'll need to buy. The Find feature insures me that I didn't miss any ingredient.

You wanna know what I'll be baking? Squint and see if you can read the screen. If not, you'll have to wait for the party pictures. :)

And can you tell what I'm making here? Hmmm....

What did moms do before blogging? I have gotten most of my ideas from blogs for this party. I got my theme, recipes, instructions, creative ideas, etc. from the talented people out there in Blogland. So thanks, y'all!

Great Weekend!

There were some wonderful people that spent time with either one or both of my daughters this weekend and allowed me to do things all by myself or with just one girl this weekend. I huge shout goes to the people below.

Poppy flying a kite with Audrey. Ma didn't get her picture taken.

Michael stepped up big time this weekend too. He allowed me to go to a Korean Karaoke Bar and to a wedding shower. Thanks, Babe!

Mimi came over so that I could get my hair cut!

Papa came over and offered to keep the girls, but it wasn't needed at the time.

Embrace the Camera 3.24.11

Happy Thursday, y'all! I don't know why, but I really like Thursdays. I guess I can just feel the weekend coming and that means we're about to see my husband a bit more and that's always good for the soul.

I've got internet access FINALLY. I haven't had it for awhile due to a broken tower of some sort. I got it back just in time to ramp up my celebration of my baby turning one year old next Thursday. Currently, we're dealing with allergies, especially poor Audrey. Her eyes tend to turn red and swell (and even blister) when the pollen is bad. So, we won't be taking pictures today. Instead, I will look back at when Julia was born and show you the first picture of us girls together. I cherish it!

Five Question Friday - 3.18.11

I am soooooo tired! I don't see how my husband is functioning. He's gotten about 6 hours of sleep the past two nights and he was pretty low on fuel before then as well. It's just not right to go to bed at 11:30pm and set your alarm for 2:00am. He was out the door before 4:30am. I may not see him tonight and he'll work this weekend. Hey busy season - you have overstayed your welcome. Now scram!

1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?

Nope.

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?

Yes, I sure do. It's hanging in Audrey's closet. I'm sure that will need to change soon because she'll become a little girl who wants her closet space. Or, if we ever have another child, she'll be sharing that closet with Julia. So, where do you take a dress to be treated so it won't turn yellow? I'm not really trusting my dry cleaners at the moment.

3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc.?

I either want to be alone or in the arms of my husband when sad or stressed. Being a mom and being a wife of the hardest working man I know, I haven't had either in awhile.

4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? If you don't have kids...will you let your kids sleep with you when/if you have them?

They don't sleep with me. I'd love it if Audrey would just lay down next to me in the mornings so that I could catch some extra z's, but I don't ever see that happening.

5. Do you watch late night TV?

We don't have cable and that has gotten us out of the habit of watching tv. If Michael and I do watch some tv at night, we will pull up something on Netflix. I guess it's not considered late night tv if it aired earlier and you're just watching it late at night, huh?

Embrace the Camera 3.17.11

Happy St Patty's Day y'all! Michael is always making fun of me for being Irish because of some temper that he says I have. Where he got that, I'll never know. Ha! I'm using ancestry.com to trace our genealogy and I'm finding more Irish on his side than on mine. He may be half Hispanic, but he may be more Irish than me!

Last Friday night, I got a call from a dear friend who lives in San Antonio, Caley. She was on her way to Ft. Worth and was going to be bringing her mom to Dallas in the morning and she was wondering if she could see me. Ummm...let me check my calendar, um....Caley, get your rear over here NOW! I love this girl! She was in my wedding. In fact, she and I shared a bed the night before my wedding. Who knows what kind of conversations we had before my big leap in life. We were planning on having a family picnic at the park on Saturday and she just joined us. Audrey is almost always hesitant around people, but never Caley. That says a lot about how comfortable Caley makes people feel. Love ya Cakes!

Caley

Julia

Audrey

Caley and me

Us, all in blue. Ha!

LDN

I had the honor to be a guest blogger for Today's Housewife. Click on the button above to see their great site.

I wrote about the drug I've been researching the last several months, Low Dose Naltrexone. I will hopefully take this drug if I ever get pregnant again to keep my Pemphigoid Gestationis away. Michael and I are still prayfully considering how to go forward with our family. Even as my confidence in this drug grows, so does my peace for having just our two girls. God knows what our family will look like years from now and we just have to trust Him as we wrestle with making this hard decision.

Please take a look at the post and think about telling others that you know with an autoimmune disease about the drug. Even if I never take it, I will always be an advocate for the drug.

How many things can I fit on my head?

• A bow
• A paci
• Sunglasses

Michael sent me this picture today. He had placed the glasses over her eyes, but Julia thought, "Good grief Dad, I'm still inside!" and moved them up.

Spring

Spring is the theme this week for the photo project. We had a family day at the park on Saturday. We had the added bonus of having a dear friend come with us! I was glad to see a lot of flowers that I could photograph while Michael and the girls played. Did you take pictures? I would live to see spring in your life too!

Five Question Friday - 3.11.11

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

I know my true hair color and so do you! What you see is the real deal.

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

Mostly fly by the seat of our pants. We have weddings and a birthday trip planned, but that's about it.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

I don't like cooking, so I'll go with what Michael likes to eat the best. Chicken Marsala. I'm proud of it because I came up with it myself instead of following a recipe and he loves it.

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

No! I often say not to write a thank you note when I give the gift, but then I think that makes them want to write a note more. I almost always write one because I don't want to offend someone. I once read a post from a person that has gifted me before about how rude it is not to send a thank you note. I ALWAYS write her one! It is the polite thing to do since someone spent time, money, and energy on you, but I don't need a note.

So, friends, if I give you something, there is no need to write me!

5. How did you meet your best friend?

I met Lori because I was looking for a college roommate. My future sister-in-law's friend knew someone that needed a roomie as well. I called her, but she had found someone already. She gave me another friend's info. That friend was Lori. She's from Austin and I'm from Dallas. We met at an event in Abilene our senior year in high school. We weren't thrilled with what we saw, but figured it was better than pot luck. When we actually got to college, we clicked immediately. We roomed all 4 years and were basically inseparable. Same classes, double dates, everything. We live in different cities now, but hopefully we'll live close by one day!

I am quickly becoming good friends with Ruth. My husband was really good friends with her husband in college. They moved to our area and they have really been there for us. She is gorgeous on the outside but even prettier on the inside. True woman of God.

Embrace the Camera 3.10.11 Daddy edition

One of Michael's clients is in the Galleria. Often, when Michael sees this client, he stops by Old Navy and picks up something for the girls. This week, it was matching pj's that say Fairy Princess and have a little skirt on them. They loved their gifts and immediately switched pj's before going to bed. They love their Daddy and were so glad to see him!

The Tale of Two Girls

First off, I have big news! Julia learned how to crawl today! Aaaaaaannnndddd she's already gotten into trouble! Uhoh! I liked my baby girl and she's crawling away from me now. :(

Below is footage from this morning as she was figuring it out. I used crackers for motivation. I, on the other hand, don't have any motivation to get up and get out the good cameras because I got up about ten times last night. I'm pooped.

She's a bit faster now and wants to go everywhere.

Audrey came to me today and told me that she straightened up her bathroom. Her bathroom is a constant mess because she loves to brush her teeth and wash her hands all of the time. A 3 year old just can't help but make a mess while she gets clean. Meanwhile, my other daughter was doing this...

I figure I don't have any male readers, at least I hope not! And yes, I keep the box in the floor during this time of the month because there is not a convenient place to put them in my bathroom. I knew what she was up to, but I let her have fun. I did have her place each one back into the box. One daughter cleans while the other makes a mess.

Double Whammy

Remember that monster of a cold Julia had last week? Well, it morphed into a double ear infection. Thankfully, it's her first ear infection. She has decided to join Audrey in the Doctors are no fun AT ALL routine. Doesn't help that we've been to his office each week the past three weeks and we have her well check scheduled real soon too. At least I like him! He reminds me of Mr. Rogers and almost everyone likes Mr. Rogers!

Underneath

...the blooming pear tree.

Underneath is this week's theme. Too bad it is so cloudy today. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and if I wait longer, those blooms may be gone. I love how God makes new life so beautiful. Spring. It rejuvenates the soul, doesn't it? Next week's project is Spring and I am looking forward to find spring sprouting all about me. Please join me for Spring Week. I'd love to see all of your pictures! Leave a comment on my blog if you take a picture of Spring so we can all see!

Five Question Friday - 3.4.11

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school?

Nope. But I have forgotten someone else's kid at school! When I was in either junior high or high school, we often took my neighbor, Matt home. We went to a private school and weren't really near our homes at all. One day, my Dad picked me up. Not in a fancy car like all those rich kids were being picked up in, but in a big, yellow, Dallas County school bus. I was mortified. I ran in and probably told him to put the pedal to the medal, totally forgetting to pick up Matt. I wonder if Matt was grateful we forgot him?

2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!)

Hmmm...I went on a double date with Dee Dee and Beau and my date was Brian. It was a club social thing. I have no idea what the social was, but we went to TGIFridays afterwards. Now, when it came to a date where I was the one actually asked out, you have to fast-foward to after high school graduation. A guy named Cade asked me out while I was at my summer job and he took me to lunch somewhere. My first dates vastly improved until I found the winner in my husband. He won the prize for best first date (Three Forks). He won all the prizes in fact. :)

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)

I asked Michael and he said bugs. That's not a silly fear! Hmmm...I don't know. I think all of my fears are legit.

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away?

I hate confrontation. If you're friends with me on facebook, you saw that I just had to confront the dry cleaners about a mark they put on my comforter. They went back and forth on what it was and if it would come out. They never admitted that the spot come from them and they were placing the blame on me, and even my girls. I stood my ground and they removed the spot for free. I was nauseous the entire day after talking with them because I hate arguing with people like that.

5. Wood floors or carpet?

Michael put some wood floors in our house and we still have some carpet. I love just about everything about the wood floors. But my girls love going to someone's house that has fluffy carpet. They love how soft and cushiony it is. Since Audrey has so many allergies, I'm glad we got the wood floors because who knows what is in carpet after awhile. Audrey is also scared of the vacuum cleaner, so that another plus for the wood floors.

Have a great weekend!