Maas Moments

Beach Day

2011-06-06T15:48:00.004-05:00

Jason had last week off from work, so we headed down to the beach one day! This was Brayden's first time going to the beach, since we pretty much stayed inside with our newborn last summer:) Of course it was super hot and there was seaweed everywhere, but it was so much fun! Ashlyn managed to find a few seashells and Brayden loved playing in sand!

After washing all the sand off, we took Ashlyn to Moody Gardens to see the 4D Imax of Dora and Diego. She has actually never been to a movie before....crazy! She freaked out a little in the middle of the movie when the seats started shaking, but by the end she was loving it!

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

Ashlyn had her preschool graduation a few weeks ago. The whole school did a little performance where each class came out dressed in a certain color and then sang a song about that color. When all the kids where on the stage, they looked like a big rainbow:) It was very cute! Ashlyn's class was the color green. She did such a great job! I could hear her over everyone....I guess that's what happens when I tell her to sing loudly:) After that, they had a little graduation ceremony for the kids that are going into Kindergarten next year. When they called the kids name out, they would also say what they wanted to be when they grow up.....Ashlyn said she wants to be a soccer player. I guess we should sign her up for soccer in the Fall:)

We are so proud of Ashlyn! She has grown up so much over the past year! She is super smart and very social! I think she is going to do great in Kindergarten next year!

Ashlyn and her teacher, Ms. Suzanne

Ashlyn and a few of her classmates

Singing the "Green" song

Getting her diploma

The Graduate:)

Daddy bough her some pretty daisies:)

1st Birthday Party

2011-06-06T15:04:00.005-05:00

We invited a few friends and family over to celebrate Brayden's birthday. I had this whole themed party planned out, but decided I would save it for when Brayden gets older. So his little blue and green party turned out perfectly:) We made some yummy fajitas and had cupcakes for desserts. Brayden didn't like his cake very much (just like his big sister), but that didn't stop him from decorating himself with icing:)

Here are a few pictures from the party...

Happy Birthday Brayden!!!

2011-05-21T16:51:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my little Bubba Bear is one! I have had bittersweet feelings all day! I'm so happy he is becoming a big boy and doing so many things, but I miss my baby! It has been such a blessing being the mother of a little boy! I don't think I could have imagine a more perfect little man to be part of our family! He is very laid back, loves his big sissy, and has the sweetest little personality! God really did have perfect plan for us by adding a little boy to our family! Ashlyn loves being Brayden's big sister so much! I love hearing them laugh and play together...so sweet! I can't wait to see what the next year brings! Brayden, we love you so much! I can't imagine life without you!

Happy 1st Birthday Brayden!!!

Brayden - 11/12 months

2011-05-21T16:31:00.003-05:00

First of all....Happy Birthday Brayden!!!

I do realize that I totally missed posting a blog for Brayden's 11th month....but to be honest, he didn't really do too many different things that month. He did say his first word..."Ball"!

For Brayden's 12 month post....

We celebrated Brayden's first Easter this month! He loved playing with all the plastic eggs:) We also took a trip to Dallas to visit Auntie Rachie.....Brayden did not nap well the whole trip! I guess he likes his own bed:) It was nice to get away from the usual though.

This is what he's doing now....

standing alone every now and then
taking a few steps in between to close objects (jason and me:))
eating a lot of different table foods....some favorites are: whole wheat Ritz crackers, grilled cheese, grapes
saying several words....ball, hi, bye, more, mama, dada, Brayden
pointing at himself and other things
waiving
his 4th and 5th teeth are coming in
mimicking lots of sounds....coughs, sneezes, squeals
Drinks water really well from his straw cup

And here are a few pics...

Man, this year flew by fast!!!

Brayden - 10 Month

2011-03-28T10:20:00.003-05:00

We are getting so close to Brayden's first birthday! Brayden is a lot of fun these days! I feel like he has done so much over the past month! Here's what he's doing now...

sitting up all by himself
Crawling
pulling himself up
Cruising
trying table food (and he likes CHEESE!!!)(side note-my husband and daughter do NOT like cheese)
sleeping good
no bottle, but drinks a little water from a sippy cup
loves to crawl after a ball around the room

Here are some pics...

We'll see what the next month brings:)......

Brayden - 9 Months

2011-02-25T22:54:00.004-06:00

Brayden is quite the busybody these days! He's getting quicker and so much more curious about things. I really have to watch his every move now! He and Ashlyn adore each other! There is nothing better than watching your kids play and laugh together! Here's what Brayden is doing now....

pulls up to his knees
army crawling
has 3 teeth
loves eating puffs, banana, and yogurt melts
makes lots of sounds
uses the pincher grasp very well
turns the pages of books

And here he is...

Ashlyn is 5!!!

2011-01-23T10:55:00.003-06:00

This is definitely a special post! Not only is it my post about Ashlyn turning 5, but it is also my 100th post!!! I started this blog about a month before Ashlyn turned 2, and I'm so glad I did! I love going back and looking at old blog posts! It is just a reminder of why I am doing this blog...a way of recording great memories that I can go and look back on!

So my baby girl is now a BIG 5 YEAR OLD! I love so much that God chose ME to be Ashlyn's mommy! She is such an amazing little girl...so smart, so sweet, and so silly! I love seeing how excited she is to learn new things and make new friends! She is such an amazing big sister! Brayden is so lucky to have her as someone to look up to as he gets bigger! I love that she loves God so much at such a young age! Ashlyn has such a kind heart and loves making others happy!

Thank you, God, for giving me this sweet girl 5 years ago today!

Brayden - 8 Months

2011-01-23T10:33:00.003-06:00

I feel like I just posted about him being 7 months! Time flies!

Here is what Brayden is doing now...

Giving baby kisses...you know...the big, open mouth, slobbery ones:) (I forgot to post this last month)
getting closer to crawling...doing this scoot roll thing
eating lots of different baby foods
eating puffs and mum mums....and feeding himself these things!
mumbling lots of different sounds
reaching up to be picked up
banging things together
trying to pull up on things, but usually just falls over:)
loves chewing on socks:)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T22:22:00.004-06:00

We had such an amazing Christmas this year! We were able to celebrate Brayden's first Christmas with so much family! On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with Jason's family. On Christmas day, after opening presents from Santa, we headed over to my sister's house for a great Christmas lunch! Needless to say, Brayden and Ashlyn got plenty of toys this year! Brayden also got his first two teeth for Christmas so he was a bit cranky, but we made it through the day:)

Brayden - 7 Months

2010-12-31T22:05:00.003-06:00

7 months have just flown by! Brayden is becoming a lot more active these days! If you leave the room for one minute, he might be on the other side of the room when you get back! He isn't crawling yet, but he sure knows how to get around:) Brayden continues to be such a happy little baby! He just loves his sister so much! If he gets a little cranky, all I have to do is get Ashlyn to come in the room and he lights up! I can't wait to see them grow together! It just melts my heart to see them laughing with each other! Here's what Brayden is doing now....

very quick roller now!
sits all by himself
still sleeps pretty much the same as last month
eats all kinds of baby food now (apples, bananas, and green beans seem to be his favorite)
loves to play with, chew on, and shake all his toys
loves to flip over while I'm trying to change him....at least he's not screaming or crying:)
says, "dah" and "bah"

Brayden's First Trip to the Zoo

2010-12-29T22:54:00.004-06:00

One of our Family Advent Calendar Activities was "Go the the Zoo!" It happened to be perfect December weather in Houston that day for an outdoor activity. This was Brayden's first trip to the zoo. We didn't know if he would even understand what we were doing, but he was looking around quite a bit. We happened to be there the weekend they opened the new African exhibit for members only to preview, so we got to go in! It was very exciting getting to be some of the first to preview the area!

Brayden - 6 months

2010-11-27T22:25:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Brayden has been in our lives for half a year now! I looked back at some of his newborn pictures a few days ago and I can't believe how he's changed! He has quite the personality now! His daddy especially knows how to make his smile and laugh! It is so sweet seeing Ashlyn and him starting to "play" together now....which mostly consists of rolling around on the floor together:) Here is what he's doing now....

rolling all over the place
loves to be in his door bouncer
eating rice cereal (that's all we've tried so far)
great sleeper
grabs everything now...especially my hair:)
has his hand in his mouth almost all day
assisted sitter
still not taking a bottle, but taken a few sips from a sippy cup

And here are a few pics....

Christmas Crafts

2010-11-27T21:42:00.003-06:00

I realize that I mostly post blogs of family stuff and pictures of the kids.....so I am finally doing a blog post just on some of my recent crafting:)

A friend of mine asked if I would make her an Advent Calendar for their family. Not only did I make her one, but I also made one for our family too! It took a lot of work and I am very happy with how it turned out! We are going to put a different family activity to do together on each day of the calendar! I can only imagine all the fun we will have over the next month!

Also, I made some Christmas bibs for a friend and made some extras for Brayden. They turned out so cute!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T21:00:00.005-06:00

What a great Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year! We made our annual trip to Austin for Thanksgiving. It is so fun seeing so many people in my family in one day! It was definitely a bittersweet year, because my Aunt, whose house we go to, passed away about a month ago. So much of the day reminded us of her!

We always take a little photo shoot outside after we have lunch. Right before we took the pictures a cold front blew through (literally!) and it got really windy and cold. It definitely made taking pictures a little more challenging, but we got some good ones!

Brayden with Aunt "Jeca" Jessica

Ashlyn, Brayden and Auntie Rachel

Brayden with his Great-Grandmother

This picture was taken a few months ago when my Aunt came down to visit and got to meet Brayden

My Best Friend's Wedding Reception

2010-11-27T20:36:00.004-06:00

One of my best friends, Laura, got married in Panama (yes, the country) on 10-10-10 (what a cool date to get married on!!). I, unfortunately could not go because Brayden was still so young. I definitely know that I missed out, but I got to see lots of pictures and some video from that day and I know it was great! A few weeks later they came to Sugar Land and had a reception to celebrate with everyone who didn't go to Panama. Ashlyn got to be the flower girl as they walked into the reception....she did so great! I also got to see many of my high school friends that I haven't seen in a long time! I was so fun catching up with everyone! Laura married the perfect man for her (Aaron) and now they are traveling the world together!

Congratulations Aaron and Laura!

Aaron and Laura

Flower Girl

Me, Kelly, Laura, and Allison

High School Friends (and a few extras:))

Halloween 2010

2010-11-27T20:24:00.003-06:00

I know I am a little late posting this, but I had to at least post a few pics of Halloween:) Our community group at church had a block party in our neighborhood and had lots of fun! Here are a few pics...

Little Red Riding Hood

Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown and Hooty the Owl

Dewberry Farm

2010-11-03T09:53:00.003-05:00

Ashlyn's school took a field trip to Dewberry Farm! Jason took the morning off of work so we could all go together. We had a great time, although they didn't have everything open during the week (I didn't get my yummy kettle corn popcorn). There were a ton of kids there on field trips, but it still wasn't as busy as it would have been on the weekend. Brayden was a trooper and made it through the morning ok. Here are some pictures from the day...

Brayden - 4 and 5 Months

2010-11-03T09:27:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it has almost been 2 months since I last posted. I guess you can say that I've been busy, but I was really just too lazy to put the pictures on the computer and sit down and actually write. So now I need to play catch up!

First, just a little update of what Brayden has been up to:) Brayden has grown so much over the past 2 months! He is completely off of his reflux medicine now and all vomiting issues have stopped!!! Yay! Ashlyn just adores her little brother so much! He has such a sweet personality and we just love to make him laugh. We dedicated Brayden at church on 10-10-10....meaning....we will raise Brayden to know and love God!

Here is what he is doing now:

he has a very consistent schedule
rolls both ways...but no barrel rolling yet
drooling like crazy!
loves to hear him scream
makes the "d" sound sometimes
blows raspberries
likes to suck on his fingers...especially his thumb:)
NOT taking a bottle AT ALL
pushes his chest completely off the ground when on his tummy
sits up by himself for a short time
loves his door bouncer and exersaucer
still taking 3 naps

And here are a few pictures from the past 2 months

Splish Splash

2010-09-09T15:28:00.002-05:00

Brayden got to go swimming with his big sissy! I can't say that he much liked it...really...we just put him in the pool so he could use the swim suit we bought for him at least one time...and for the cute pictures:)

Brayden - 3 Months

2010-09-09T15:00:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how big Brayden has gotten! It's all going by so fast! He is such a sweet and content little boy. He smiles all the time and loves to laugh at his Daddy and Sissy! He just has the sweetest little personality!

We thought he had a milk allergy, but....he DOESN'T!!! After being on a dairy free diet for 6 weeks, he was still having projectile vomiting issues. We met with his pediatrician to talk about it and decided this we definitely not milk related! Thank God! I did not like eliminating all dairy out of my diet...I was really missing ice cream!!! So after putting him on a different medication and just letting him develop a little more, his projectile vomiting issues are almost completely gone!

Here's what Brayden is doing now:

lifts his head and chest up during tummy time
loves to "talk" and make lots of sounds
rolls from his tummy to his back (every now and then)
sleeps 9-10 hours in a row at night
takes 3 naps
reaches to play with toys hanging down in front of him
grabs toys
pulls mommy's hair:)
loves looking at his mobile

And here's the little man:)

1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-06T22:35:00.004-05:00

Ashlyn had her very first day of preschool last week! She was so excited to go to school and loves it! She was ready to go with her butterfly backpack! She really likes her teacher, Ms. Suzanne! By the first day, her teacher already knew that she is super smart, is sensitive sometimes, and likes to talk A LOT! Ashlyn is so excited to learn new things and make lots of new friends! I know she is going to have such a great year!

showing off her outfit

Ready to go!

Brayden Update

2010-07-27T13:32:00.003-05:00

Well, we made it through the first 2 months! Brayden is getting so big! He is such a great baby!

Here's what Brayden does now....

smiles
laughs
coos and makes happy noises
sleeps a 7-8 hour stretch at night
falls asleep on his own
bats at the toys on his play mat
holds his head pretty steady
sucks on his hand when he is hungry
has a more consistent schedule during the day

And here are some great pictures of my little bubba bear:)

I'm Back!

2010-07-27T11:37:00.002-05:00

Wow! It sure has been a while since I sat down to blog. The past 2 months have been super busy, crazy, and just flown by so fast! Where do I begin on what's been going on....

Staph invaded our house when Brayden was about 2 weeks old. Jason got it first under his arm and then I got it. I thought I had clogged milk ducts/mastitis, but it ended up that I had a staph infection in my breast....yuck! I couldn't nurse Brayden on that side for a week....not fun....but we made it through it! Somehow, Ashlyn and Brayden did not get staph...thank the Lord!
When Brayden was about 5 weeks old, he started projectile vomiting after some of his feedings. We are talking about a 4 oz. bottle coming back out all over me! We had to go get some tests run to make sure it wasn't something serious that was causing him to throw up....he passed with flying colors. We started him on reflux medicine and there was really no change. Long story short....he has a milk allergy! What does that mean, you ask....well, mommy cannot have ANY milk products or anything made with milk as long as I am nursing him. NOT FUN! Milk/milk products are in so many things! And Brayden is super sensitive, so I have to be really careful! It's not too bad just eating at home, but trying to eat out anywhere is super hard! The formula the pediatrician recommended him to be on if I don't want to nurse anymore is super expensive, so that is motivation enough to just change my diet. I have been on the dairy-free diet going on 3 weeks now, and the positive...the baby weight is just falling off of me...I'm already below my pre-pregnancy weight!!!
After Brayden was about a month old, Ashlyn decided she was going to go through the terrible 2 stage (she did not have the terrible 2s when she was actually 2). I couldn't figure out where my sweet little Ashlyn had gone. Needless to say, she just needed some time to adjust to having to share mommy and daddy with someone else. She sure does love her baby brother so much! She just loves to make him smile everyday! She is a great big sister!

Things are slowly getting back to normal around here. We are loving our little family of 4!

Brayden Andrew Maas - Birth Story

2010-05-31T17:18:00.007-05:00

Brayden made his arrival into the world on Friday, May 21, 2010 (about a week and a half early). Here is the story of how it happened...

I was having contractions all day on Thursday, but nothing too consistently close together. By the time we were sitting down for dinner, my contractions had gotten to be about 8 - 10 minutes apart, but not hurting. We went on a long walk after dinner:) When we got home, my contractions stopped for about an hour. When they picked back up, they were about 5-7 minutes apart. From there, they consistently got closer together.

At 1:45 in the morning (I had not slept yet), I woke Jason up and told him we better call the doctor because my contractions had been about 2-4 minutes apart for the last hour. I was so hesitant to go to the hospital because I didn't want them to send me home, and it was the middle of the night and I had to wake my sister up to come over to stay with Ashlyn. But I had a good feeling that I was in labor:)

When we got to the hospital (4 am), they checked me and I was 3 cm and 50% effaced and having regular contractions (that still didn't hurt). They had me walk around for 30 minutes to see if I would have any changes, and if I did, then they would admit me, if not, they would send me home. I was PRAYING something would change so that I would not have to go home! After 30 min. of walking (still no sleep), I was still 3 cm and 50% effaced, but my contractions had gotten stronger (hurt a little) and were consistently 2 min. apart, so they admitted me! Yay!

I got to my room at 6:00 am (still no sleep). I ended up in the same room that I delivered Ashlyn...what are the chances! From there I progressed pretty slowly. I got my epidural and they broke my water around 8:30 am. They gave me some pitocin to help speed things up. By noon, I was only 4 cm and about 90% effaced...and very frustrated that I wasn't dilating faster!

About 1 1/2 hours later, I started feeling pressure. They checked me and I was 9 1/2 cm!!! By the next contraction, I was fully dilated and ready to push! I couldn't believe it! 3 contractions later, Brayden Andrew Maas entered into this world at 2:00 pm! He looked just like his big sister (except with really blonde hair).

God has blessed us so much with this healthy little boy! He has such a calm, mellow personality (well, so far at least:)). He's a great eater and sleeper...which mommy loves! I just love him so much! Big sister, Ashlyn, loves to hold him and sing him songs and draw him pictures! She is such a good helper! Jason and I are just so overjoyed to have our Family of 4 together now!

All out there:)

2010-05-08T14:52:00.005-05:00

This is totally out of my comfort zone to put a bare belly picture on my blog, but this is my Mother's Day gift:) We had a little photo shoot today. I think it turned out really great! I have been looking at maternity pictures online to see what we could try and re-enact, and we didn't do such a bad job. The belly pic is hanging in Brayden's room now (at least for awhile until he gets embarrassed...or I do for that matter:)). These are my favorite pictures!

Can I be done yet!?!

2010-05-07T22:52:00.003-05:00

As you can tell from the title of this blog...I am done being pregnant! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, yet it still seems so far away! My back hurts, my belly hurts, reflux is getting worse, I can't sleep...I'm sure I can keep going, but I won't. I know that this is all worth it when I have my little boy in my arms! I just tell myself that several times a day.

About a week ago, I started a list of things I want to get done before Brayden arrives (sewing, cleaning, shopping, packing, etc.). I am happy to say that everything is crossed off the list, except for packing my bag. I have started but I still have a few things I need to get in there. I am so happy that I am finished with the list, because all I feel like doing is sitting on the couch now:)

I didn't get to go to the doctor this week (she is on vacation in Belize...at least it's not a few weeks from now!), but last week my body had already started making some progress...I've dilated a little and his head is in my pelvis. I'm praying that I continue to progress on my own so that Brayden will arrive when he wants to and I won't have to be induced. I was induced with Ashlyn and I really want to experience the excitement of going into labor on my own:) You know...my water breaking...throwing the bags in the car and rushing to the hospital....getting there just in time to deliver the baby:) Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but you know what I mean:) I can't wait for Brayden to get here!!!

I will keep you updated.....

Baby Shower

2010-04-21T20:48:00.002-05:00

I know I have been blogging a lot today, but I am trying to catch up:) Some of my good friends and sister threw me an amazing baby shower this last weekend! It had a carnival theme that was oh so cute! I must say that they out did themselves. There were nachos, "corn dogs", sodas in glass bottles, an ice cream bar, and very cute decorations! There was also a clown dress up game and Ashlyn got to pick her favorite clown....or course, she picked the one with the big pink sunglasses:) I had such a great time with my family and friends, and was so blessed by all the gifts that were given to me! I am starting to get use to all the blue stuff in my house:) Ashlyn is just loving playing with all the baby toys:) Here's a few pics from the shower...

Me and the hostesses (Dixie, Rachel, Casey, and Cassie)

Mommy-to-be and Big Sister

Me with my Mom, Mom-in-law, and sisters

Decorations and food

Ashlyn picking the winner of the clown game

All the pregnant girls at the shower (in order)

Picking Strawberries

2010-04-21T14:38:00.005-05:00

Today, we went to Froberg Vegetable and Fruit Farm in Alvin to pick some strawberries. We went with several other mommies and kiddos from church. It was perfect weather outside...bright and sunny but not too hot! Ashlyn and I both had a great time! I have never done this before, but I have wanted to take Ashlyn. We only came home with about 5 lbs of strawberries. I'm sure between Ashlyn and me, we will have them all eaten by the end of the week:)

Ready to pick some strawberries!

Ashlyn and Evelyn

Trying to find some good strawberries

Casey and Noah, Morgan and Bobby

Brayden's Room Pics

2010-04-21T14:30:00.003-05:00

I am finally posting pictures of Brayden's room. There are still a few more items to get to complete the room, but we love what it looks like so far! Enjoy!

Sewing Projects

2010-04-21T14:22:00.003-05:00

With all the other gifts I have made for the other lovely ladies having babies, I have somehow managed to make some things for Brayden. I learned how to sew when Ashlyn was about 2 years old, so many of the things I know how to make, she was too old for, so I pretty much made them as gifts for other people. Now, I finally got to make things for my own child! Here is all the stuff I have made so far (I'm sure I will make more:))......

(9 burp clothes, 6 bibs, 2 swaddling blankets, 1 taggy blanket, 2 nursing covers, and car seat strap covers)

Getting Closer!

2010-04-06T18:46:00.003-05:00

Baby Carrier

2010-03-18T11:32:00.003-05:00

Look what I just bought! This cute baby wrap is made by Loveyduds on Etsy. I usually see these type of baby wraps in only solid colors, but she makes them with a super cute patterned fabric! There are so many different ones to choose from! All you recent or soon-to-be mommies should check them out!

Brayden

2010-03-15T13:42:00.003-05:00

We got some new pictures of our little man last week. I had another ultrasound done because they were worried my placenta was too low. I haven't gotten the definite ok yet, but the technician said she thought it looked like it had moved some. I go back to the doctor tomorrow to find out the results and take the fun glucose test:) Brayden was measuring big again...about another week ahead of where he should be. Maybe he will come a little early:) It was so fun to get to see him again and see how much bigger he has grown. He gave us a couple of cute shots...

I can't wait to see what he looks like! I'm sure he will be here before I know it!

The Growing Bump

2010-03-15T13:29:00.004-05:00

I have been taking pictures of my growing belly every few weeks, so I can truly see how it is growing. I did the same thing when I was pregnant with Ashlyn, although I would say this pregnancy is very different with belly growth. I can't believe I am almost already 29 weeks (tomorrow)! This pregnancy has been flying by....which I am a little happy about because I am so much more uncomfortable this time around. Last weekend, we moved Ashlyn to the playroom and painted it pink/brown and painted Ashlyn's old room blue/dark blue for Brayden (pics will be posted soon). I think it turned out great! Here is the growing belly...

Ashlyn 4th Birthday

2010-01-23T20:49:00.005-06:00

Today my baby girl...I mean, BIG girl, turned 4! I can't even believe she is 4 already! Its seems like just yesterday she was a tiny little baby and now she is such a big girl! We have been so blessed to have her in our lives for 4 years! We could not have asked for a better little girl! She is so full of life and just makes me smile everyday! Before we know it, she is going to be a teenager....ahhhhh! Here are some pictures of our birthday photo shoot:)

We had such a great day with her today! She opened up her present from us...a new kitchen (the old one was not going to fit anymore when we move her into the other room) Then, we started off with her favorite breakfast, pink doughnut with sprinkles and chocolate milk. Next, we took her to Incredible Pizza Company to play a bunch of games and have lunch. And then, we took her to paint pottery, which she had never done before and loved! Of course, she painted a little puppy! We loved making the day so fun for her and I hope she remembers it for a long time!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Ashlyn! We love you so much!

Boys Boys Boys!

2010-01-22T11:04:00.003-06:00

So many of my friends are having/had boys. These pictures are of me and two of my closest friends, Casey and Liz, that I've grown up with and known for almost 20 years. We all are having/had boys!!! We took the pictures together around Thanksgiving while all of us were still pregnant. Casey has already had her little one and Liz is due in a couple of weeks. It will be so great watching all of our sons grow up together like we did!

We're having a......

2010-01-21T18:57:00.006-06:00

BOY!!! I really can't believe it! I was almost positive we were having a girl....but I was totally wrong. Jason and I are still a little shocked, but also very excited! Ashlyn is so excited that she is going to have a little brother! A lot of my close friends that are pregnant or have just had a baby are having/had boys so our little man is going to have a lot of friends. Oh and by the way...his name is going to be Brayden...not sure about the middle name yet. This is definitely going to start a new/different chapter in our lives, and we are truly blessed that God is giving us this little boy! Can't wait to see what he looks like!

This is how we told Ashlyn....

We were gonna wait til her birthday on Saturday, but I guess she got an early birthday present because we couldn't wait!

SNOW DAY!

2009-12-04T15:14:00.004-06:00

We haven't seen snow like this in a long time! It snowed a little last year, so Ashlyn got to experience it a little, but nothing like this! We have been outside as much as possible today enjoying the snow! I know Ashlyn will remember this day for a long time!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T22:05:00.003-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We took our annual trip up to Austin to visit with family for the day. There we such an amazing spread of food! It was a great time to catch up with all my cousins that I usually only see on Thanksgiving. This was our first Thanksgiving without my grandfather, but it brought back so many memories of him being there with my family.

After we all ate, we took our annual family picture. Then, my cousin, Casey, took some pics of us. She is such an amazing photographer...you should check out her blog! These pics were all taken by her...mine don't even compare. Thanks for the pictures, Casey!

Halloween

2009-11-02T16:26:00.003-06:00

Halloween was great this year! We got to hang out with friends, enjoy the cooler weather, and of course, eat lots of yummy candy! Ashlyn was a Cheerleader this year! I took her outside to do a little photo session before trick or treating and she was totally hamming it up! She was such a great cheerleader!

20 Clean Teeth:)

2009-10-07T13:59:00.005-05:00

Ashlyn had her first dentist appointment today! She did absolutely amazing! I thought she would have been scared of the spit sucker "Mr. Thirsty" but she wasn't at all. She learned that she has 20 teeth and how to keep them clean. She was pretty much the hit of the dentist office. All the hygienist kept coming in and talking to her because she kept cracking them up. What a great patient!

Laura and Aaron

2009-09-21T20:00:00.004-05:00

My long time friend, Laura, came to town this weekend to visit her family, but to also celebrate her recent engagement to Aaron! I got to hang out with them several times this weekend and I think they are just perfect for each other! I got to go wedding dress shopping with Laura, which was so much fun! Laura and Aaron are about to head off to Panama for a year to run a hostel in Panama city....oh the adventures they get to go on together:)

Last night, they had an engagement party at Amici in Sugar Land Townsqare. It was so nice to visit with people I hadn't seen in quite a while. It is so great to celebrate such an amazing couple, that you know will go on so many adventures in their lives together! Oh...and they are getting married 10/10/10...which I think is so cool!

Congratulations Aaron and Laura!

Big 30!

2009-09-01T18:59:00.004-05:00

This past weekend (Aug. 28th to be exact), Jason celebrated his 30th birthday! We had a really busy weekend traveling around to celebrate with different family members and friends. Friday, we went bowling with some friends. It was Ashlyn's first time bowling and she had a blast! She got to wear the cutest little bowling shoes:)

Saturday, we went and had lunch with Jason's family. Then, we had dinner with my family to celebrate Jason's and my dad's bday. Not only do they share a bday, but my cousin also had her baby girl Friday on their bday, so now I have 3 family members with the same birthday....crazy! We had such a fun weekend and now Jason is 30! He kept going around quoting Joey from FRIENDS when he turned 30..."Why God, Why! We had a deal...let the others grow old, not me!" Funny stuff:)

Happy Birthday!

M.I.A.

2009-08-18T19:53:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I know I have been horrible at posting blogs this summer. I will try to be better about that now that things are winding down and summer is almost over. We have been plenty busy this summer with playgroup and playdates and lots of other activities. Without going into too much detail, I have decide to show you what we have been doing with pictures....so here we go.

Summer Weddings

Palm Beach Moody Gardens

Fourth of July

Swimming

Outdoor Fun

Couples Retreat

Astros Game

Children's Museum

That is definitely not all that we have done, but for the most part, you can see we've had plenty to do!

5 Years Baby!

2009-06-26T13:52:00.006-05:00

Today, Jason and I celebrate our 5th Anniversary! It has been such an amazing 5 years! Someone asked me this morning if it feels like its been that long and I said it feels like I've been with him my whole life. I thank God everyday that he brought me such a great husband! He is my perfect match, my soul mate, and the love of my life! I also could not have asked for a better man to be the father of my child/children. I look forward to many more years! I love you so much! Happy Anniversay!!

Ashlyn "The Comedian"

2009-06-19T21:31:00.004-05:00

Ashlyn told me this joke today.....she's so silly!
(don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of my blog)

I Have to Brag:)

2009-06-04T21:45:00.004-05:00

Ashlyn wrote her name all by herself for the first time tonight!

San Antonio

2009-05-22T17:54:00.016-05:00

We went on a little family vacation this week to San Antonio. It hasn't even been a year since we took Ashlyn to Sea World, but there is plenty of family fun activities there, so we headed back.

Our first stop was the Japanese Tea Garden. I never even knew this place was there, but it was so cool! It is right by the San Antonio Zoo. I saw some info about it and thought it would be cool to go walk around...and it is FREE! There are lots of little walking trails and stairs, a waterfall, a pagoda, what use to be little huts where they had a market, lots of beautiful vegetation, and a big Koi pond. There is actually a lot of history to the place, and you can go to the link above and check it out. Ashlyn really liked "hiking" around the place and looking at everything.

Next, we headed over to ride the train, which was close by. I know we have one of these by our Houston Zoo, but Ashlyn has never ridden on it. She had a good time, but we made the mistake of giving her popcorn while we were riding the train, and she was so into that I don't think she really paid much attention to the ride.

Then we headed to our hotel. We stayed in the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk, the same one we stayed at last time we were in San Antonio. This time we had an Alamo view....it was great! After we dropped off our stuff, we headed over to the Alamo. It was a quick little tour, more for us than for Ashlyn, but it was cool to see the history there.

We walked around the Riverwalk for awhile and tried to decide where we would eat. I don't think I've eaten at one place on the Riverwalk that I have actually really liked. We tried a Mexican food restaurant...that meal did not change my mind about the food there:(

After dinner, we made it back in time to see the next American Idol crowned.....Kris Allen!!! Oh Yeah!!!! I was sooooo glad that he won!!!

The next day went spent the day at Fiesta Texas. They just opened a new part of the park called Wiggles World. It was so great! All these little rides and Ashlyn could go on all of them. She had soooo much fun! Her favorite was the Romp Bomp A Stomp rollercoaster. She even got to see a Wiggles show and danced and sang to a lot of her favorite songs! So cute!

We took her on the...well I forget the actual name of it, but it is basically the Log Ride. She unfortunately did not like that one. The child just didn't want to get wet. Mommy and Daddy had fun:)

It was a quick vacation, but we had a lot of family fun!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:24:00.001-05:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Zoo

2009-04-13T20:10:00.004-05:00

What a great day it was today! We got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather today at the Zoo! The animals were out playing and it was great! My friend, Cassie, had a connection and got us on an upclose encounter with some animals, like an anteater, makaw, tortoise, snake, lizards, and some little hedge hog lookin thing....it was so cool! I have been to the Houston Zoo so many times and have never gotten to do anything like that! Needless to say, we had a wonderful day!

Cassie and Cooper checking out the monkeys

Loving the Merry-Go-Round!

Anteater from the upclose encounter

Easter

2009-04-12T21:17:00.007-05:00

We had a great Easter today! Not only did we get to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but we also got to spend time with family, have an Easter egg hunt, and have some good quality time with my friend, Cassie and her little man, Cooper! What a great day!

We waited to give Ashlyn her Easter basket until we got home from lunch. While she examined her goodies, Jason hid the Easter eggs in the front yard (there were more places to actually hide the eggs there). Notice the little polka dot purse in her basket...well, I guess you can't really see it...anyways....I made that! It is the Buttercup bag, but a smaller version. It turned out great!

Here is an upclose picture of it:)

Ashlyn had so much fun looking for the eggs and found them very quickly! I decided to forgo packing them full of candy (that I end up eating) and put pretzel goldfish, MnM's, peanuts, and cheerios, which she actually was really excited about. Now we have a bag filled with snacks for the next week!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Buttercup Bag

2009-03-08T18:52:00.004-05:00

I found a new pattern on Made by Rae that I just have to try...and it's free!!! Check out how cute this bag is! I think it will be my next sewing project!

Quiznos: Free Sub Sandwich

2009-02-23T16:24:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that right now Quiznos is giving away a free sub sandwich to the first one million people who register here. What a great deal! So far they've given away over 100,000 so you better hurry! Enjoy!

Old Video

2009-02-15T16:10:00.003-06:00

Jason and I were looking through old videos of Ashlyn today. It is so crazy how quickly you can forget things. I barely even remember what she was like when she couldn't form complete sentences. It was also a reminder of how big she is now (tear). But boy was she a cutie at this age. Just thought I would share one of my favorite videos of her. She is about 1 1/2 years in this video.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T17:46:00.005-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We don't usually do a lot on Valentine's Day. We like to just spend some good quality time together as a family instead of buying each other presents. So today, we planned to go to the Discovery Green Park downtown and have a picnic. We had never been before and heard that it was great! We weren't sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but it showed us a small window without rain, so we took a chance and headed to the park.

First we sat down and ate. We brought a picnic blanket and everything, but seeing that there were nice little tables and chairs there to sit at, we decided that would be better. Ashlyn enjoyed her heart PB&J sandwich!

Then, we walked around and enjoyed the park and playground. I loved the playground there because it was different from most neighborhood parks. Of course there were slides, but there was also this netted thing to jump on and things to bang on and play music. Ashlyn, of course, made some friends with these older girls that were so sweet and played ring-around-the-rosy with her. It was very cute! Ashlyn loved it!

Oh and I did make Ashlyn a little ladybug, which she loved! I got the pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches sewing book. Very cute! I thought it turned out pretty good!

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!

Recent Sewing Projects

2009-02-11T15:14:00.003-06:00

I haven't been posting much about the things that I sew. I figure it is about time that I show off some of my stuff. I really spend my time sewing things that are gifts for others. I make a lot of different baby items now....which comes in handy because I know so many people having babies! Just thought I would share!

baby shoes

burp cloths

bibs

nursing cover

I made this "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLYN" banner for a decoration at her 3rd birthday party! I think it turned out pretty good, considering I made it without a pattern!

The next thing I'm working on is a Valentine's Day present for Ashlyn....I'll show pics after its finished!

Visiting Dallas

2009-02-02T09:58:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend, we went up to Dallas to visit my sister Rachel. Well, I can't say we just went up to see her...we have a lot of family and friends up there. Just to name a few....my grandmother, great aunt, aunt and uncle on my dad's side, aunt, uncle and cousins from my mom's side, and good friend Kendra. There are several other friends up there, but we find it really hard to see everyone in just one weekend. Needless to say, the weekend went by fast because we were visiting everyone.

Another one of our missions in going up there, was to help my sister with her apartment. She was upgrading her furniture and tv (you know when you have to turn a tv on by sticking a pencil in it that you are in need of a new one). Jason is always a really big help to my sister when it comes to putting things together. I wish I had taken a picture of her apartment, because it looked great after we were finished.

After we finished with her apartment, we starting visiting everyone. First stop was my Grandma....

And then my great aunt (she just turned 101)....

Then we drove to Fort Worth met up with Kendra! Sorry no pictures....

And last, we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Fort Worth. My cousin, Casey, was visiting from North Carolina with her new little one, Zoe, who she recently adopted. Zoe was so sweet and just so adorable. And her mother is definitely in love with her! It was fun to get to love on her when she is still so little. We usually only see my cousin over Thanksgiving, so Zoe would have been a lot bigger. It was such a wonderful visit!

Ashlyn is 3!

2009-01-23T09:11:00.005-06:00

Today is Ashlyn's 3rd Birthday! I can't believe it has been 3 whole years since God has blessed us with this little girl! She is one amazing little girl! I am definitely a little bitter-sweet about today. I am so happy that I get to watch Ashlyn get older and see the beautiful little girl she is becoming, but at the same time I am sad to lose my baby. She is "a big girl" as she calls herself now. So in celebration of her birthday, I wanted to share the 3 things I love most about her! Here we go...

1. She is the sweetest little girl! She loves to say hi and make friends with everyone, everywhere we go! (we might have to have the don't talk to strangers talk soon).

2. She truly lights up a room when she walks in! She loves to entertain (singing, dancing, or just talking) and make people smile.

3. She really shows me how much she loves me now! She has been saying "I love you" for a while now, but now she just tells me out of nowhere and gives me a hug and tries to make me smile when I am not. She just melts my heart!

The day Ashlyn was born

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

Today, on her 3rd Birthday!

I love you, Ashlyn!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last Day of The Little Gym

2009-01-18T18:42:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Ashlyn's last day at The Little Gym....at least for this semester:) We are taking a break from that and going to focus on swimming lessons in the next few months. Anyways...she really enjoyed The Little Gym (although she was scared to do a few things). After the kids showed off all the tricks they learned over the last semester, they had a little award ceremony for the kids and they got little ribbons. Ashlyn got her first award! She is getting so bid! Ummm....did I mention she will be THREE on Friday! I can't believe it!

Rolling!

Flipping over the bar

Walking on the beam

Under the parachute

Ashlyn getting her award!

Mama's Money Savers: Win a 30 ct. box of Personalized Fruit Roll Ups!!!! (Ends Jan. 9th)

2009-01-07T08:37:00.000-06:00

I saw this really cool give-a-way! This is where you can check it out: Mama's Money Savers: Win a 30 ct. box of Personalized Fruit Roll Ups!!!! (Ends Jan. 9th)

I thought these could be really cute party favors for a birthday party!

Christmas

2008-12-26T11:36:00.004-06:00

CHRISTMAS EVE

The past few days seem like they were a blur....we had so much going on! I'll start with Christmas Eve. We spent much of the morning getting the house ready for Christmas day. We grabbed a quick lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Thai Cottage....thanks for the gift card JP and Dixie! We made a few other stops and then headed home.

Ashlyn and I started making some yummy cookies for Santa. Santa was very particular this year...he told me he wanted sugar cookies with icing and decorations (break and bake chocolate chip would not do).

Before we started decorating the cookies, we had to stop and head over the Sugar Creek for the Christmas service with my family. Ashlyn went on the stage (with Daddy) to hear the Christmas story from the pastor. She loved it and got a little ornament also.

We left the service and grabbed something to eat on the way to the Crossbridge Christmas Eve gathering where we handed out donuts to the workers of different places that had to work on Christmas Eve. We went to a nursing home and the Methodist Emergency Room to give them donuts and sing a few carols. I thought this would be a good experience for Ashlyn to see that Christmas is not just a time for her to get presents, but to also give to others.

After that, we came home and decorated the cookies before Ashlyn went to bed. We put the cookies and milk out for Santa and put Ashlyn to bed.

Then we started our preparations for Christmas Day. We set the table and I made my yummy mac and cheese.

CHRISTMAS DAY

We got up early to get the turkey in the oven. We tried to go back to sleep, but I think the excitement of Christmas and all the other stuff we had to do for the day kept us awake. We got Ashlyn up and, of course, video taped her coming out to see what Santa brought for her. She was so excited! After the gifts were opened, we got ready for all the family coming over. Both of our families were coming over for lunch. Everyone arrived and the house was packed with people, presents, and food. We ate a very delicious lunch, cleared everything out, and started opening all the other presents. All I have to say is my child is spoiled to have her grandparents and aunts and uncle so close. She got so much stuff! I feel like we have a toy store in our house. I have secretly put a few things away that I can bring out later when she starts to get bored with some of the stuff she has now. Everyone just hung around the rest of the day and played with Ashlyn or watched basketball. It was such a wonderful Christmas! Here are a few pics from the day! I hope you had a great Christmas also!

Ashlyn's new bike!

Yes, there is a huge ball pit in our living room...Thanks Aunt Jessica!

She's hitting the rode now!

Tea Time with Aunties!

Secret Santa Party

2008-12-26T09:19:00.004-06:00

So a few of my friends and I get together each year for a Secret Santa Party. We have been doing this since we were in the 3rd or 4th grade, so it has become a tradition. This year was a little different because 2 out-of-towners could not make it at the last minute:( We missed you girls!

We had lunch over at my friend Casey's house and then exchanged gifts. I was Liz's Secret Santa this year and Casey was mine. I got a great gift from Casey! She got me a sewing book, made me some tags to put on sewing gifts I make, and she gave me a beautiful calendar that she made and will be selling in her etsy shop when it opens! Thanks Casey! It is always fun to be surprised each year! Here are a few pics from our party!

All the girls this year

Liz opening her gift from ME

My gift from Casey! (I loved it!)

Visiting Santa

2008-12-15T14:38:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, we took Ashlyn to see Santa! We were hoping that this year she would be excited to see him, instead of terrified (like the past two Christmases). She understands the concept of Santa this year and that he is going to bring her presents, so we figured she would be happy this year. She was happy to see him and told him she wanted a sparkle bouncy ball and a bike. She's been a good little girl, so I'm sure Santa will bring her what she wants! Here is the fabulous picture we got of her this year!

And this is last year....

SNOW

2008-12-11T08:43:00.005-06:00

Yes, as many of you know, Houston got an early Christmas present of SNOW yesterday! I was very excited when I heard we had a chance of snow because Ashlyn had never seen snow! I kept my eye on the radar all day to see when we might have the best chance of some snow flurries. Starting about at 3PM, I started getting texts from people saying they were getting snow. Finally, as it was getting dark outside, we saw a few snow flurries here and there. I was a little disappointed, but excited that Ashlyn got to see a little. Around 7PM, Jason went to help a friend with something down towards Sugar Land and he called me saying that the snow was really coming down over there. As soon as he got back home, we hopped in the car to go down towards Sugar Land, to see if we could find some better snow for Ashlyn to see. Yes, I know we might sound crazy, but how often does snow actually fall in Houston! So we headed over to the Sugar Land town center (so I could get a Starbucks too!) and the snow was definitely coming down more over there. I was so excited! Town center was decorated with Christmas lights and the Christmas tree was up....what a great back drop for some amazing pictures! I grabbed my camera, started to take a picture, and to much dismay....my camera's battery was DEAD!!! Could that have happened at a worse time! I was so upset! But Jason said that the important thing was that Ashlyn got to see it. I know he's right, but those would have been some great pictures!

Well, here are some of the pictures I took in my backyard, and if you squint just right, you might see some of the snow flurries in the pictures.

Here is the one picture of Town Center before my camera died:(

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-04T09:56:00.007-06:00

I guess I should probably post about our Thanksgiving before Christmas gets here. We had a great time. My twin sister, Rachel, came Tuesday night and spent the week with us. On Wednesday, we spent the afternoon putting up our Christmas lights on the house. Yes, I know I said we don't put anything up before Christmas, but the weather report said it was suppose to rain on Friday and Saturday, so I thought Jason would be more safe climbing on the roof when it wasn't wet! The lights turned out great this year (pics to come soon)! We went up to Austin on Thanksgiving to see all of my mom's side of the family, like we do every year. The food was excellent as usual, and my mac n cheese was a hit! We took our annual huge family picture after lunch.

Of course Ashlyn thought it would be the appropriate time to flash the camera.

Ashlyn loved playing in all the leaves!

And she got to play with my cousin's beautiful girls!

My sisters and Me (can you guess which one is my twin)

When we got back on Thursday night, Rachel and I heard that Katy Mills Mall was going to open at midnight, so we decided to go. The first store we went to wasn't bad, but by the time we left that store all the other stores were so packed, so we just looked around and then left. On Friday, we decorated for Christmas inside our house. I was very pleased about how everything turned out. I need to take pics of everything, but here is a picture of our tree.

Well, I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T09:49:00.003-06:00

On the Sew, Mama, Sew blog today, you can enter alot of free give-a-ways! There is a huge list of different ones you can enter! I would definitely check it out! I am, of course, going for another camera strap cover found at Shealynn's blog (I didn't win the last one I tried to win:( ) I also entered to win a purse at the Simply Vintagegirl blog. So check it out...There are so many give-a-ways that I'm sure you will find something you like!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2008-11-29T00:00:00.002-06:00

We hope you have a great birthday! Happy 27th!

The Holiday Spirit

2008-11-24T09:46:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, Jason and I were talking how we are already ready for Christmas and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. We did a lot of our Christmas shopping yesterday, before the "Holiday shopping traffic" hits. I for one don't mind that it takes 1/2 and hour to find a parking spot or that a quick trip to the store might take you at least an hour. I think it is all part of the holiday season, but if I want Jason to join me, then it had to happen now before Thanksgiving:) Nothing bothers him more than long lines! So anyways, we got most of our shopping done yesterday, while my parents watched Ashlyn. We are going to do Santa with Ashlyn this year, so we didn't want her to see anything we were buying for her. Ashlyn has cried every year so far when we took her to see Santa, so hopefully this year she will be happy to see him!

Thanksgiving is, of course, this Thursday! We love Thanksgiving in our family! We always go up to Austin for the day to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. There usually averages about 30 people packed into my Aunt's house with more food than you can even think of! This year, I am going to bring my homemade mac n cheese....hopefully it will be a hit!

We also try to take a big family picture while everyone is together. This is a picture from last year.

It is so fun seeing all of my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. This is usually the only time of the year I see some of my family.

Jason and I have made a rule that we won't decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. I love decorating for the holidays, so Jason is usually holding me back from putting any decorations out. He reminds me that he will make fun of me if I put anything out too early! So the Friday after Thanksgiving, I do a little shopping early in the morning for some of those great deals and then we decorate the rest of the day! It is so fun!

Also, my birthday is this Saturday! My twin sister, Rachel, will be in town for Thanksgiving, so I will actually get to celebrate with her this year! It has been a while since we have been together on our birthdays. Usually, our birthday is a week or so after Thanksgiving so she is already back in Dallas, but every several years it is really close to Thanksgiving. It will be great to be with her!

I hope everyone has a safe and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-19T09:17:00.001-06:00

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

How great are these camera strap covers! They are so cute! If I don't win this one, I may have to try and make one myself!

Halloween

2008-11-01T13:54:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to share a few Halloween pics with everyone. Our community group hosted a block party in our neighborhood, so we helped with that and also went trick or treating. Ashlyn had a lot of fun and was very into trick or treating this year!

Little Ladybug

Trick or Treating

Ladybug trying to kiss a turtle (Cooper)

Bean bag toss

Fishing for a prize

Halloween Bunco

2008-10-23T09:43:00.002-05:00

A week ago, I hosted Halloween Bunco at my house. To get into the spirit, everyone dressed up in costumes:) I always look forward to see how creative people can be! We had a punk rock star, super girl, Sarah Palin, a couple of 50s girls, a pumpkin, a paramedic, and more. It was great! So I have been asked by several people to post a picture on my blog. So here it is:)

So many things you can do with a pumpkin!

2008-10-19T22:01:00.005-05:00

Today, I guess you could say, was our pumpkin day! We bought some pumpkins yesterday at Dewberry Farm, so today we decided to get to work on them! Jason and I cleaned out and carved the pumpkins.

Happy Halloween

Boo!

We put an old shirt on Ashlyn and let her paint a pumpkin.

And then we gathered up and cleaned the pumpkin seeds and made some yummy treats. We did the traditional toasted pumpkin seeds with salt. Also, I decided to try a new little recipe for pumpkin seeds I found here. If you love sweet stuff, this is a good recipe for you, so check it out!

So what are your favorite things to do with a pumpkin?

Dewberry Farm

2008-10-18T16:54:00.005-05:00

The weather was beautiful today, so we headed over to Dewberry Farm after Ashlyn's Little Gym class. We had so much fun last year and knew it would be even better this year now that Ashlyn is a little older. We played in the little kids' play area, rode on a tractor train, went down a giant slide, played in some flowers, ate snow cones and kettle corn (yum!), and picked out some pumpkins. It was such a fun family day! Here are some of my favorite pics from today:) You can see more in my flickr account.

Super Princess

2008-10-06T09:45:00.003-05:00

Lately, Ashlyn is starting to pretend a lot more. She keeps wanting me to tie a blanket around her neck so she can be Super Bunny (from Max and Ruby). So I decided to whip her up a little cape yesterday. Here's how it turned out:)

Jason is showing us that it can also be a big person's bib:)

Race for the Cure

2008-10-06T09:22:00.005-05:00

On Saturday morning, Jason, Ashlyn, and I got up really early to go to the 5K Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It raises money for the fight against breast cancer. It was our first time attending this event. The weather was perfect and there were a ton of people there. There were lots of funny signs that people made...for example...Save Second Base:) Or there team names were things like....the Double D's:) And there were some ladies who made hats out of pink bras...very funny! Somehow in the 30,000 or so people there we were able to find Jason and Casey:) We walked with them most of the way, then the took off to jog the last mile. We probably only jogged half a mile. There were just too many people there to try and maneuver a jogging stroller around. But we had a great time and it is such a good cause!

ABC Baby Shower

2008-09-29T14:46:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, I went to a baby shower for my friend, Morgan. I hosted a shower for her a while back at my house, but this time I was just one of the guests. Her sister, Casey, and her mom threw her this shower. The shower was so beautiful. The theme was ABC and it turned out super cute! There were letter blocks as decorations, we also had to write a word of advice for the mother to be starting with a certain letter that was on cards, and there were some yummy alphabet letter cookies. The weather was also beautiful, which made the shower even better because most of the shower was outside. We ate boxed lunches made by Casey. It was all just so creative! Morgan received a lot of great gifts including some handmade ones. The girl is so crafty herself, I found it hard to think of very many things you could possible make her because she made it all herself. I did find time to make her some burp cloths and bibs. She also got these really cute baby shoes made by Jen. I want to learn to make them when I have another baby! It was a very fun shower! Now it is only 2 weeks from Morgan's due date! Can't wait to meet little Bobby!

My Seattle Trip

2008-09-29T10:28:00.005-05:00

I have been so lazy lately! It has been over a week now since I returned from Seattle and I haven't blogged about it yet....what is wrong with me:) Well, I had so much fun visiting Laura and her boyfriend, Aaron! She is my best friend from high school. I usually just get to see her when she comes home to visit because she has been living in other countries since we graduated from college. Now that she has settled in Seattle...at least for the time being...I decided to go visit her.

Me and Laura

Aaron and Laura

Laura, Autumn, David, Me

Since I was only there for a few days, we tried to pack in as much sightseeing and fun as possible. Of course I missed the beautiful weather by about 3 days...it rained almost the whole time! But we still had fun! Aaron is from Seattle, so he knew the best places to go sightseeing. Her brother, David, also lives in Seattle, and he and his girlfriend got back Saturday morning from an Alaskan cruise, so we picked them up from their port and spent most of the day with them also. We stopped by the Starbucks headquarters and we went to the original Starbucks. We went to the Ballard Locks where boats pass through and they built a salmon ladder in which you can go under and watch the salmon swim up. We also got to see the salmon jump out of the water:) We went to the Public Market where we saw people throwing fish and crabs, beautiful flowers, and other yummy food we got to sample. There was so much beautiful vegetation there! The flowers were amazing! We also ate some yummy fish while we were there:)

The last day I was in Seattle, I got to go meet Laura's boyfriend's family. They were all so nice and they had a beautiful home and an amazing garden. I had so much fun spending time with Laura! She has always been such a good friend to me and it was nice to get to visit a different place where she is living.

Are There Any Starbucks Around Here?

2008-09-19T21:26:00.006-05:00

This post is from Jason. I'm sure "wow!", "what the...", and "there's something new..." are popping up in everyone's mind.

My wife is 9 minutes away from landing in Seattle, Washington to visit Laura and Aaron. I have been tracking her entire flight on FlyteComm.com. She endured a small thunderstorm along the way that the pilot looked like avoided by traveling a little further north. I am praying it was a smooth flight for her. I have prayed for her flight since I booked it last month and have prayed many times this week. God's angels are surrounding her plane and keeping them safe!

One of the worst parts of Sarah being gone is explaining to Ashlyn why it's daddy reading books to her before bed...why it's daddy singing Mockingbird, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle, and whatever else postpones sleep. She wants her routine of Mama and doesn't really care what excuses I give her. I told her that Mama would talk to her on the phone tomorrow after her Little Gym class and that would not do. She wanted to call right then! So we left an "I Love You, Goodnight" message just so Ashlyn (and Daddy) could her Mommie's voice before bed. It's nights like tonight where I feel truly blessed to have Sarah at home with Ashlyn. I can see the deep bond that they have with each other in such a short 2.5 years. I know Ashlyn loves me, but it pales in comparison to how she feels for her mama.

Anyways, we both miss you tonight and, even though we want you to have an awesome trip to Seattle, want Sunday night to get her ASAP!

P.S. Remember to ask Laura and Aaron our very important question when you arrive (which is about 2 more minutes from now). We love you!

Update

2008-09-15T12:57:00.002-05:00

We are fine! Our house had no damage....just no power for a few days. The power came back yesterday evening. We had been staying at my parents' house b/c they had power. I will update again later with pics from the storm. I hope everyone else is ok!

Family Vacation

2008-09-08T10:49:00.005-05:00

Over the weekend, we went to San Antonio for a little family vacation. We stayed at the Hyatt hotel right on the Riverwalk. It was so beautiful and so fun! When we got there on Friday, we walked up and down the Riverwalk and looked at all the beautiful scenery. We also went to check out the Alamo. It was closed so we just got to see it from the outside, but it was still a wonderful sight to see. When we finally settled down for the night, we were interested to see how Ashlyn would do sleeping in the same room as us. After saying goodnight to us about 10 times and say over and over again that mommy and daddy were sleeping, she finally laid down herself and went to bed.

The next morning we woke up and headed to Sea World. Jason and Ashlyn had never been there, so we were all very excited! We started out feeding the dolphins which was very cool! Then we looked at the stingrays and sharks. Then we headed over to the toddler area. Ashlyn got to go on her first real ride, it took you up high and then dropped and bounced. She really liked it. We played in that area for a while, because we couldn't go on any of the big rides and we were waiting for the shows to start. We saw the dolphin show and shamu, which Ashlyn loved! We swung by and saw the penguins, bought Ashlyn a few stuffed animals, and we were done for the day! It was so hot! She passed out in the stroller before we could even get back to the car.

We went back to the hotel for a quick rest and then headed back out. We check out the children's museum and went back to the Riverwalk. We went in a few shops to look around and I found the really cute shop called Jake's Place. We ended up finding a cute little shirt for Ashlyn and when we went up to pay Nakomis, from Big Brother 5/Allstars, was checking us out. We said we recognized her and she told us who she was. She was very nice and seemed to be doing well. It was so random to see her:)

That was pretty much it. We stopped by and saw my grandparents on the way home. My grandmother just turned 90! It was a fun little vacation! Here are some pics and you can see more on my flickr account.

Birthdays!

2008-08-28T10:07:00.003-05:00

So today is Jason's birthday and it is also my dad's birthday! Yes, they have to share their birthdays now, but it is kinda crazy that they actually have the same birthday! I won't reveal my dad's age...but Jason is celebrating his last year in his 20s...yes, he's 29! I know this may come as a surprise to many of you, speaking of, the other day the pizza delivery guy asked if he was the owner of the house because he looked so young:) I guess that is a compliment, right? So this might just be the last birthday Jason wants to celebrate:) We'll see! So I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the 2 men in my life!

New Camera!

2008-08-26T17:43:00.002-05:00

So Jason brought home a nice new bright shiney Nikon D80 camera yesterday! I was very excited! I've been wanting this camera for months now. I've been playing with the camera ALOT and becoming familiar with all of its features. I still don't understand most of it, but boy does it take amazing pictures! So I set up a flickr account so I could share the photos without having to do a blog post each time I want to share a picture. You will find the link to the right-->
Hope you enjoy them....oh and I am still an amateur, so don't judge too harshly:)

Galveston

2008-08-25T10:56:00.005-05:00

We took a quick spontaneous trip to Galveston and Moody Gardens yesterday. We took Ashlyn to the Moody Gardens' beach last year, but she had never actually been to the real ocean before. The weather was beautiful and we got to see some pretty cool things at the Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid. As Ashlyn says it was "the best beach day ever"!

Things you might not know about me:)

2008-08-22T09:30:00.002-05:00

I got tagged by my mommy friend Karen! So I guess I will dive deep into who Sarah really is and things that might be a little interesting about her. Ok....I'll stop talking in the 3rd person now:) Here goes...

Here are the tagging rules:
Post the rules on your blog
Write 6 random things about yourself
Tag 6 people at the end of your post
If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

1. I am an avid reality show/competition watcher! I can't help it...I just have to know what happens next. Even if the show is very shallow and absolutely ridiculous. Big Brother, The Mole, The Hills, America's Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Project Runway, American Idol, Bachelor/Bachelorette, and the list goes on. Some of the shows I think are worth watching, but come on...Beauty and the Geek...what is wrong with me! I am making an effort to cut back this year!

2. Most of you know that I am a twin, but did you know that my twin sister and I really did not like each other growing up. I know...most twins are like best friends, but we were far from that! I don't know what caused us to be like that...except for the fact that we were totally different and looked nothing alike and were still called "the twins" and people got us mixed up all the time. But now we are the best of friends!

3. Yes, I played volleyball in college, most of you know that. But, when I was a junior in high school, my friend and I entered a sand volleyball competition for fun in Houston. We ended up winning that, went to Corpus Christi and won that tournament, and won a free trip to California to play in the Junior National Sand Volleyball Tournament. It was an amazing trip and we ended up placing 3rd in the Nation, losing to 2 California teams. It was a crazy experience!

4. When I was in elementary school I did gymnastics. I actually did competitions and stuff where I won medals! Now I was definitely no Nastia Lukin or Shawn Johnson! But I could do a cartwheel on the balance beam! And I did not quit gymnastics because I moved on to bigger and better things, I quit because I was doing a back handspring and landed on my head...ouch! I was too chicken to do many things after that, so I knew my gymnastics career was over:(

hmmm...I'm running out of interesting things...

5. I really do not like reading books. When someone recommends a book to me, I just wonder if it is a movie yet. I really have never liked to read...even growing up. I only read just what I had to get by in school. I do on the other hand, read for information, like when I was pregnant, I read a few books on pregnancy. The other things I like to read are emails, blogs, pottery barn catalogs, and the newspaper:)

6. I am somewhat of a germ-a-phob! Ever since I had Ashlyn I am just paranoid about germs! I use hand sanitizer all the time and use clorox wipes to clean everything! After getting a stomach virus from eating raw brownie mix and getting strep throat from walking around Walmart, I can't help but be anti germ lady. And don't worry, I don't go overboard and not shake other peoples hands and stuff like that...I try to control myself a little, but don't think I don't notice when you sneeze or cough on your hand and then open a door or touch something I'm about to touch. I just get my trusty hand sanitizer out after you're gone:) I know I'm too paranoid!

Well, that's enough info about me...I probably shared too much!

So now I tag:

1. Casey
2. Monique
3. Kasey
4. Catherine
5. Rebecca D
6. Sarah C.

Polka Dot Shower

2008-08-19T10:13:00.003-05:00

We had a baby shower for my good friend, Morgan, at my house last weekend. We did a polka dot theme that matched the decor of baby bobby's room. I think it turned out great! We had polka dot food (fruit kabobs) and a yummy polka dot cake that Karen made. We also had lots of balloons, two polka dot mobiles that Erin made, and a yummy candy bar so the guest could take some yummy treats home with them. We all had a great time and Morgan got some great gifts!

Yummy polka dot cake!

Candy bar and bags

Mommy-to-be and the hostesses

Some fun girls at the shower

Check out this GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-18T21:37:00.000-05:00

Check out this cute dress! And there is a free giveaway!Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Nantucket Weekend GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Nantucket Weekend GIVEAWAY!!!!

Another Wedding Weekend!

2008-08-11T11:21:00.004-05:00

Congratulations Liz and Chris!

This past weekend, my good friend Liz married the love of her life, Chris Dammel. I got to be a part of their big day. My sister Rachel and my other good friend, Casey, were bridesmaids in the wedding and I got to be the wedding videographer. It was so fun to be a part of their big day! The wedding was at Ashelynn Manor in Magnolia, TX. It was so beautiful and everything went smoothly. Here are a few pics from the wedding:

The happy couple

The bridesmaids

Eating cake!

First dance!

All my good friends growing up!

Me and Jason

Blog Makeover

2008-07-25T12:29:00.002-05:00

I thought that my blog could use a little makeover! I found this cute little site that had cute backgrounds for blogs. It is still a work in progress, but I think it looks much better!

Wedding Weekend

2008-07-14T10:30:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, my older sister got married to my husband's long time childhood friend. It was a beautiful wedding held at Sugar Creek Baptist Church and the reception at the Sugar Land Ballroom. Everything went smoothly! Jason and I were both in the wedding and Ashlyn was one of the flower girls. I admit that I got a little teary-eyed when she was coming down the isle...she was so cute....and did a great job! It was fun to see so many family and friends, some of which I had not seen in a while.

Congratulations Jessica and Craig!

Crazy Day!

2008-06-10T21:14:00.003-05:00

Jason and I are both off from work this week! So, today Jason had an appointment to get a physical done for his new job starting next week. He was going to be going down by the Galleria for the appointment, so we thought it would be fun for Ashlyn and I to go along and we would go have a picnic lunch at the Waterwall after he was done. Ashlyn loves picnics, so she was very excited about going. Jason wasn't sure how long it would take for his appointment, but I figured that the Galleria was right there and that Ashlyn and I would just go walk around until he was finished.

We dropped Jason off around 10 a.m. and headed to the Galleria. After about an hour of walking around, Ashlyn was already tired of doing that and getting hungry....Daddy was not finished yet. So we headed to Pottery Barn Kids...she loves playing with the toys there while mommy looks around. I should have known it was probably a mistake bringing her in there b/c when we walked in another mom was coming out with her crying daughter, who was about Ashlyn age, who wanted to stay and play. And after letting her play for a little while, I was walking out of the store with a crying daughter who just wanted to stay and play. Oh well...it killed some time. Now both of us are hungry and ready for a picnic....Daddy was still not finished....but we headed over to the doctor's office to just sit and wait for him. I mean come on, he had been there for about 2 hours already.

After sitting in the parking lot for a little while, Jason came walking out (a little irritated)...still not finished b/c the lady who needed to do part of the physical had gone for lunch (hmmmmm that was nice), so now we would have to come back after our picnic.

Off to the Waterwall! We finally made it and set up our picnic. We were a little disappointed b/c the Waterwall wasn't even on! After a few minutes, Jason looked up and pointed to some dark clouds. It didn't look that bad, so we continued eating. Within a few minutes the clouds were getting closer and the wind was picking up. Suddenly the wind got really strong. We threw all of our stuff back into the cooler and tried to make a judgement call of whether or not it was going to start pouring. We went ahead and started heading back to the car. As we were walking, the wind started blowing REALLY hard. We actually had to stop and turn our backs to the wind b/c it was blowing leaves and dirt so hard that it was hurting. Ashlyn was crying and I was freaking out! I was dropping all the stuff I was carrying and Jason was chasing after it. The wind would calm down for a few seconds and then blow reallly hard again and we would have to stop again. It was the craziest thing! When we finally got back to the car, I felt like I was covered in dirt and Ashlyn kept saying that she was a mess. At least we made it to the car before it started raining!

We took Jason back to the doctor's to finish his appointment, while Ashlyn and I finished our picnic in the car. Maybe we will just stick to picnics in our backyard:)

The only picture I had time to take!

First Haircut!

2008-05-26T17:20:00.004-05:00

I finally took Ashlyn to get her very first haircut! It actually took a lot of persuading to get Jason to allow this to happen. But after we had heard a few different friends of ours make a few comments...."it looks like she's kinda got a mullet" or "it looks like she's growing a tail"....Jason and I both decided it was a good time to take her. No kid of mine is going to have a mullet!!! I heard a friend mention a cute new kids haircutting place called Snip Its, so I decided to try it out! The place is great! It is very kid friendly! I didn't think we would be able to get Ashlyn to sit still long enough to cut her hair, but she didn't cause one problem. They have a little TV at each station for the kids to watch and of course lollipops! At the end, Ashlyn got to take some of the hair they cut off and stick it in a machine that sucked it up and spit out a prize....she loved it! I definitely recommend this place...and...I have a $5 off referal coupon for anyone who wants it.

You'll have to excuse the big red blotch...she got attacked by a mosquito :(

A Great Find!

2008-04-18T10:17:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to a great little sticker. My friend's sister had these great little stickers from Mabel's Labels on her son's food container. Some moms came up with these stickers that are extra tough! They are microwave and dishwasher safe! Now I know this may not seem like a big deal, but when I find myself using a permanent marker (I thought permanent was suppose to be permanent?) to write Ashlyn's name on her sippy cup once a week for church, I think this is a great invention! You can go here to find them! I just received them the other day and have already started putting them on Ashlyn's things (sippy cups, snack containers, wipes holder, etc.). They also make them for clothes and other things and in a few different sizes and colors. It cost about $20 for 45 labels. I just thought I'd share this great product!

Easter

2008-03-23T16:31:00.004-05:00

We had a lot of Easter fun this year! We took Ashlyn to an Easter egg hunt last weekend, the Crossbridge Easter egg drop, and the Easter Bunny came after church today to bring her more eggs:) It was so fun watching her get so excited to pick up all the eggs and then getting really excited again when she opened the eggs and found candy and stickers inside! Here are a few pictures from all the different Easter egg hunts she did.

Zoo

2008-03-23T16:13:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday was a beautiful day, so we decided to take Ashlyn to the Houston Zoo. Jason was on Spring Break and I had the day off, so we packed up the wagon and headed for the zoo. Ashlyn was very excited! We took her last year, but at that point I don't think she really comprehended what she was looking at. When we finally arrived to the zoo it was so crazy! There were so many people taking advantage of the beautiful weather! We had to park a mile away from the zoo! Many of the animals were out and playing. Ashlyn really liked the giraffes, elephants, and the orangutans. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Success!

2008-02-22T15:30:00.004-06:00

So now that Ashlyn is 2, I have been preparing myself for potty training. I must say I have been kinda lazy, because I know Ashlyn is probably ready to be a "big girl." I just know that once it begins that it will take a lot of effort on my part to take her to the potty throughout the day. And then there's also the dreaded "taking her to the store and praying that she will not have an accident." All of this has kept me from really getting excited about potty training her. Inevitably, I know it must be done.

So, Jason and I have decided to take it slow. We have just been waiting for her to say she wants to go sit on the potty. She has asked a number of times over the past few weeks ,but every time we take her she just wants to play with the toilet paper or flush the potty and nothing else.

So today, she came up to me and said she was stinky. When I checked, she wasn't, so I said, "Do you want to go sit on the potty?" And she said YES! Now I didn't get my expectations up to high, but I thought there might be a chance this time! And when I sat her down, she actually went potty on the potty!!! I praised her and told her what a good job she did!

Now I don't know what will happen next...will she ask to go every time? Probably not:( But we are on the right track! If any of you potty training experts out there have any advice for me, please share! But for now...I will be a proud mama that we have gotten this far:)

I Love Her

2008-02-19T20:21:00.003-06:00

Our God really poured Himself into this one.

Out of the shadows of teaching 3rd graders, self expectations, and the rigors of living life, grows my two year old miracle. We enjoyed about 20 minutes of Daddy-Ashlyn time after school today. We picked flowers that are starting to grow in our flower bed, kicked the soccer ball around, and just sat together. She is amazed by everything: a bird in the air, a butterfly passing by, the moon, grass, flowers... I find myself in amazement of her.

Today reminded me of the book I read to her almost every time I put her to bed at night -- "Guess How Much I Love You." A really sweet book about a baby rabbit and it's mother or father talking together about how each loves the other more. They go throughout the book enjoying just being together. That's how today was. I kept telling her to tell me she loved me when we took pictures...and she always responded, "I love you, daddy."

My Big Sewing Project

2008-02-16T23:50:00.003-06:00

When I first decided that I wanted to start sewing, a shopping cart/highchair cover was one of my big projects that I knew I wanted to try my hand in. I own one of these myself that I bought off of ebay, and I love it and use it all the time! I could tell by looking at it that it was going to be a big project. I knew I needed to start with more simple projects first and build up to it. Now I would still call myself a "beginner" at sewing, but I decided to just go for it on this project. Last weekend, I found a pattern that I liked and started buying all the necessary supplies.

I really feel like I spent half the day working on it....I think it took me a total of 5-6 hours working on it. Now that I have done it once, I'm sure I can speed it up a little. I am so proud of myself for actually finishing it with very few stags....and I think it turned out great!

It comes complete with: a front pocket w/toy loops, a side pocket, and slots to put a safety belt through.

The finished project!!!

Just another view

Side pocket

Front pocket w/toy loops

I hope to perfect this a little bit and make it my own and one day maybe sell these....and it would even make a great baby gift!!!

Sew Fun!

2008-02-05T18:44:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, a few of us girls got together and had a little sewing party. It started off with us just hanging out and talking, but we soon we broke out the sewing machines and got busy. There were a few there that hadn't really even touched their sewing machine before, a few who had a little experience, and then the sewing "masters" Morgan and Erin. We all had so much fun learning and making things together. It was especially fun to watch the few (Casey, Mel, and Catherine) who had not sewn anything before, make something for the first time.

I was going to try to make a baby sling (with the help of Morgan), but unfortunately I purchased the wrong kind of material:) So, I (along with Mel) made a nursing cover....not for me!....I just think they are great baby gifts, so I wanted to know how to make it.

Then, when I got home, I wanted to continue my sewing adventure, so I attempted to make a checkbook cover I found in a sewing book I have. I think it turned out great for my first attempt.

Who thought sewing could be "sew fun"!