a month and one week later

Yeeaaahhh, sooooo, it has accidentally been over a month since you last heard from me. Whoops.

We've been quite the busy beavers this past month. Since December 7th we have celebrated Christmas three different times. One in Leander, one in TENNESSEE!!! and one in Waco.

AK and I both got new haircuts...hers hardly noticeable and mine very noticeable.

We got home from TN on Sunday and that Friday I made a trip to Waco to see my momma. I was "scheduled" to leave on Saturday but literally an hour or so before I was to leave we got a phone call that my Grandpa Buddy was in a car accident (if you go to the link, that's his car). Ten minutes later we got the call that he didn't survive. It was a very sad day. I left Sunday, unpacked, repacked and headed back this past Tuesday. The funeral was yesterday and I arrived back home today. My poor babies, they've slept in so many beds this past month.

Tomorrow we are going to Leander for Neenee to babysit so mommy and daddy can get a date night. Saturday morning we are all going to the circus. I'm so excited to see AK's face! Pictures to come, I promise.

After this weekend I am pretty sure we'll stay home for a while. We really need to toss in a trip to Victoria soon to visit hubby's grandparents. It'll happen. Eventually.

I'll update soon (I think soon) with all the details involving our trip to Tennessee. It truly was amazing and I can't wait to share pics. My girl loved the snow. We need to move further up north. Just for her.

OH and somewhere in there Isabelle Grace turned 11 months old and has six teeth. She'll be one in like two weeks. OH.MY.GOODNESS! Tell me it isn't so!!! This past year has gone by way way waaaaaaaaay too fast. No joke.

magical-ness :)

This past Friday night we took the girls to 'Sights & Sounds of Christmas' in our city...town...whatever. We were sooo excited but really didn't know much about what was going to be involved. All I knew is that there were going to be tons of Christmas lights, Santa Clause and a ferris wheel.

I was shocked to arrive and witness a mini fair going on before me. It was crazy, fun and way expensive! There indeed were Christmas lights here and there and everywhere. Beautiful!

There were also a great selection of carnival rides, funnel cakes, cotton candy, candy apples, a live nativity scene, a Christmas tree made of lights (no tree involved) with a "snow" machine attached, a bubble machine by the little make shift train ride, a Christmas movie playing on a projector and Santa and Mrs. Clause who arrived by motorcade! My girls were in amazement to say the least. It was so much fun.

Beware, picture overload :)

My girlie and I taking the bus from the car to the festivities

Issy being brave even though she probably felt like sleeping

Anna-Kate and Daddy...he was telling her she didn't have to be scared of the person dressed up like a reindeer :)

Preeeettttyyyy :)

AK was sooo exited about the snow machine.

In amazement :)

Doesn't it look sooo cold in this pic? I do have to say that the weather couldn't have been ANY better. Not too cold and not too hot!

The bridge that went over the river to the other side of all the greatness

Her safe place in chaos :)

That's the real deal right their folks ;)

Feeding the 8 month old camel in the live nativity scene

Feeding a baby goat. She loved this little feller.

Buuubbbbllleeeeessssss

Taking her first ferris wheel ride with Momma :)

The view from the top. So pretty!

Trying to spot Daddy and Isabelle

Riding the pirate ship with Daddy. I think this is one of my favorite pictures of the whole night. She was having SO much fun!

I am so thankful for super fun nights like that one and for getting to see such happiness on my little lady's face. I know it's crazy but the whole night just seemed magical. I think it was all of the Christmas lights :-).



My girl is so brave :).

looove me some Christmas

I have to be honest, I had all my stuff out alteast a week and a half before Thanksgiving. Teehee.

a REAL update w/ pics :)

I have mainly been doing pictures posts lately due to a 'blah to blogging' attitude. I just haven't had it in me to sit and type anything. PITIFUL, I know! I figured whoever reads this might deserve an actual update on us ;).

So, ever since we moved here like SIX months ago! neither of my kids have been well at the same time. It has been terrible. Persistent coughs that have lasted MONTHS, ear infections, respiratory crap, allergies, colds, stomach bug...always something. That might be one of the reasons for my 'blah to blogging' phase. That and maybe the fact that I haven't gotten a full nights sleep in oooooooooooh, about four months, maybe longer. It's been nuts. I'm tired and I'm SICK of my children being sick all the time. BLAH!

With all the recent sickness and sleepless nights I've come close to losing my noggin a few times. It's.so.hard! THANKFULLY my husband and I have FINALLY come to an agreement that I need a mommy night out once a week. I chose Wednesdays because for the first two days of the week I have something to really look forward to and then I get a boost to finish the next two days before my hubby is home for the weekend. It seems to be really helping and I am so thankful for that!

Here's a funny story about my last mommy night out. I ran to Sonic because I had a $.99 coupon for a Route 44! I was super excited about that. I went and got my DP and then drove to a really fun spot that I wanted to sit and read at. There was only one problem, it was dark. So I called my husband and asked his opinion and we decided it probably wasn't the best idea. So since that was out of the question I decided now would be a great time for me to go on a run...the run I have actually been "craving" to do for a while now. I know that seems CRAZY but I have really been wanting to do it. I came home, changed my clothes, got on my running shoes and off I went. THEN...............I almost DIED! Yeeeeahhhh, not the best idea I've ever had. It was cold and my throat felt like it was going to close at any second. It was not the glorious run I thought it was going to be. Needless to say, no more spontaneous runs in my near future....maybe a swift walk ;).

Our Thanksgiving was great. We went out of town and spent two nights with family. Much needed. AK enjoyed playing with her cousins. They were all so cute together. On our way home from Thanksgiving we stopped by a state park and I got this pic. I sure do love my babies :).

Also over Thanksgiving weekend I got this picture

Is it not the most adorable pic ever! I love my babies.

We are super busy traveling this December...except for this weekend :). AK did go stay the night with her Neenee though and she took her on a train ride. I know she doesn't looked too thrilled but I can imagine that she actually was. Next weekend it's to my hometown for two of my niece's birthday parties. The weekend after it's to my MIL's for Christmas with her. And THEN!, for Christmas we are going to Tennessee!!! I.AM.SO.EXCITED! ABOUT.IT. Oh my goodness. After we get back from TN we'll do Christmas with my side of the family. Lots and lots of packing and unpacking over and over again for the next month. I can imagine the future state of my home just thinking about it.

Isabelle is pulling up on EVERYTHING and she is even attempting to climb the stairs every now and then. Needless to say, she has taken a couple of smacks to the head lately. Poor child. I hate this stage of growing...where they constantly hurt themselves because they wanna be big so bad.

AK is a full fledged little girl now. No more baby. I mean, it's been this way for a while now but it's just now hitting me I think. We can sit and hold complete conversations with her. It's so crazy! When did this happen???

So that's us lately! More to come, soon!, on our recent family outings :).


((I have been making "hair pieces" lately. Stay tuned for some reveals.))

10 months old

Isabelle Grace,

You are 10 months old today.


1o months!


Can you please tell me how this happened?


You see all those pics up there?? Yeah...how did THAT happen?

How did you get so big, so happy, so precious and oh so active??

You are a constant joy and you leave me in amazement. When I say you are one of the most content babies I have ever met I really do mean it. You can roam around the house for hours on end in your own little world playing with all sorts of things. I love watching you figure stuff out. It's so sweet to watch.

You haven't slept through the night on a consistent basis in I don't know how long! I have no idea what's up with that. I have most recently (as in the past two nights) resorted in giving you cereal bottles with expressed milk. The first night you slept for 12 hours straight! The second night you only woke up once. We'll see how you do tonight. I really hope you get this sleeping at night thing down cause I've been one tired momma.

You nap GREAT!

You are still nursing. You don't care for baby food, you want the real stuff. Last week I let you have your first taste of Chick-fil-a chicken and you LOVED it. Since then you've had a waffle, garlic bread, a biscuit and toast. Obviously not full servings of those things but you've had them. You love to eat and it's so cute watching you do it yourself. Although you are loving all the solids you still like to cuddle up with mommy to quench your thirst and I wouldn't have it any other way, atleast yet.

You have four teeth. At first you weren't sure how to handle the two on top and you would grind them with the bottom teeth a lot. That drove me nuts. You finally don't do it anymore. Whew.

You light up like our Christmas tree still when Daddy comes home from work. It's pretty adorable. I need to get it on video one day.

You have totally mastered pulling up on EVERYTHING...and I do mean everything. Yesterday we were at Target and you turned out, while buckled in, and stood up to look at AK in the back. WHOA! You better chill out with all this growing stuff.

You absolutely LOVE bath time with your sister. You get so excited and splash splash splash! And you love it when AK splashes. You laugh.

And as all your 10 month pictures show, your tongue is pretty much ALWAYS in motion. It's so funny. You aren't really a drooler...you just keep that tongue going.

Well, happy 10 months baby girl. Mommy LOOOOOVES YOU!