1.31.2011

Simple Pleasures: Cousins & Cupcakes

This weekend, my entire family gathered to celebrate half a year's worth of birthdays. October through February in one swoop.

Since Ava's birthday was in the mix, she received a special card from the next youngest cousin (7.5 years young).

This is what it said...

What a SWEET little guy, huh?
And I love his rendition of me and my sister's family, in the form of stick people.
(Brian, Scott, Me, My Sister Tonya, Duckie, Katie, Ryan, Hollie & Justin)

And can we just assume that Sprinkles Cupcakes are actually made in heaven??
(Uh, yeah we can!) MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

1.28.2011

Learn to Speak Duckie!


Isn't she the most angelic little thing you've ever laid eyes on?!.... I think so too!
Here are some of my favorite things Duckie says:

tah-da ... daddy
ah-hep-youuu ... i'll help you (which actually means can you help me?)
kig ... pig
urpah ... purple
bah-bah ... bar bar (granola bar or fruit cereal bar)
kink ... pink
pip ... chip
bmmm ... blue
gu-guh ... sticker
a hot ... anything that comes from a drive-thru window
boop ... boots

1.27.2011

Duckie Pic!

Because I don't have much to say today, I'm just posting pix of Duckie! (these never get old, right?!)

I love the fact that I NEVER know what she is going to discover next... Or seeing what fabulous outfit she puts together...

Doesn't she look like Buddy the Elf in this??...
Bahahaha!!


Since when did she lose all the baby fat??? :(




I really wish the iPhone camera took better low light pictures... Grrr...

1.26.2011

Ba-Bye Super-size Diaper Bag!

As much as I have loved carrying this beautiful diaper bag for the past two years, it's time to retire this monster for something lighter and easier to carry!

I am so excited about this new purchase and even more thrilled about the reasonable price! I have recently uncovered a fondness for Vera Bradley. I know, I know, how out of touch am I to just now be into this. BUT - check this out... I'm using the "Let's Do Lunch" as a mini diaper bag! It is perfect for a few diapers, wipes, a cup, some snacks, has an interior pocket BUT the most important feature of all is that it's fully lined with a wipeable material so that you don't have to worry about it getting all nasty on the inside! And Duckie LOVES to carry this all by herself. Even better!

Hello Vera!!


Goodbye Petunia!!

1.25.2011

Verse of the Week {4} 2 Corinthians 4:16


This verse spoke to me quite clearly this week. Last week was tough for me. Nothing groundbreaking enough to mention but I was struggling to stay positive - feeling a little beat down by the outside world. And then this week's verse popped up. What a God thing. Giving praise and thanks to the Big Guy. For remembering me yet again.

I had this one started on Sunday - but wasn't able to finish it for whatever reason. And tonight, what perfect timing. Everything just flowed. No rhyme or reason but felt good to just lose myself in the Words.

Blessings.

Join in!!

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1.24.2011

A day in my life...

So, this morning started out tough. Duckie developed a mean case of diaper rash yesterday (OUCH!) which always makes changing time a bear. She was fussy because her mean mommy (me) insisted on covering her ouchies with a THICK layer of buttpaste. The rest of our morning "get ready' ritual was a struggle and she would crawl around saying "NO!" when I asked her to do something... EEEK! This is very rare for her - even in her so-called 'terrible' twos, she is just not a difficult baby. Needless to say, I'm still somewhat shocked when she acts even remotely sassy.

Anyway, she eventually gets dressed and then I hear her happily saying "Lesssss go!! .... Ba-byeeee!! .... Lesssss go!! .... Ba-byeeeeee!!" 

I looked around the corner and saw this...


"Yeah, that's a pair of pantieson my head, what's it to ya?" :)
It's actually a diaper-cover-upper-thingy that goes under my dress... that I'm not even wearing...


Mommy, weren't we just in a hurry??...


"What up homey?!"

Needless to say, this precious face and this special "hat" (as Duckie affectionately called it) was enough to make the pre-work-get-out-of-the-house-crazy-rush stress fade away!!!!

Love you Duckie!!
Thanks for bringing me back to reality today.

1.21.2011

Yo. Spiderman.

Ahhhh yeah... You didn't know that I was friends with superheroes, did you??
Check it!


Yo! You better check yourself before you wreck yourself!

1.20.2011

Sick Day and Happy Birthday Catherine!

So this morning, Duckie woke up with a wicked hot temperature - which turned into a stomach virus situation - but every time the Tylenol kicked in, she ran around like she was fine... She is one tough cookie. It's rare that she is ever sitting still or not laughing, smiling, screaming, etc... But here is one of those rare moments... I think she's extra cute when she's pitiful. :)


And let me kick a shout out to my girl CATHERINE and wish her the Bestest, Happiest Birthday EVER!! Baby Titus is the best present you could ever hope for, huh? I'm so happy I get to see him every day!!!! Thank you for being the most generous hostess on the planet! You just don't know how much we are forever grateful for the sacrifices you are making for us. We love the Edges!!!

1.19.2011

Is it just me?...

...or does it seem like every time I have a really great day - one where I feel God really spoke to me - the very next day, I feel like I've been ambushed by a bunch of YUK!!?? This is the handiwork of the evil one, right? ICK POO! Well, let me just go right back to this...

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

BOOYAH! Take that Satan. You aren't getting me down today!!

It's amazing how some solid scripture and a quick lunch trip (with my pal Linds) to the American Girl store can really lift your spirits! :)

It took me about 20 minutes to figure out which Bitty Baby looked the most like Duckie... And then I didn't even buy one. Haha! That store is AMAZING!!


1.18.2011

Verse of the Week {3}

I really needed this one today. What a day. I started off the day in a not-so-great mood and text my hubs to tell him to pray for me because I was feeling a little down. I knew I should feel peace but I was still anxious. And not even ten minutes later, Jack Graham's message today was "how to have peace no matter what the circumstance."
BAM! Thanks God. For showing up BIG time today!
I was listening. Fo realz.

1.17.2011

Made it!

So we had to transition Duckie to a new school today - by school I mean in-home daycare - and even through her mommy's jitters, she made it!! Actually, she did awesome!! :)

Here she is, sleeping on a nap mat like a big girl for the very first time in her entire life. She never ceases to amaze me. Even the little stuff like this just floors me.


WE LOVE YOU DUCKIE!!

1.16.2011

My Boop!!

We got our first pair of rain boots yesterday. WOW!! Her reaction was priceless. Had I known it was going to be so dramatic, I would have recorded it! I said, Duckie look! I got you some rain boots - and as soon as she saw them her face lit up with joy and she gasped and exclaimed "MY BOOOOOOOOP!!" 

Saying, "lesss go! lessss go!"




Really, this past week was great all around with my Duckie girl. She continues to be the most affectionate and kind little girl in the world. She seems to be learning something new every day - things like clearly putting sentences together and making sense of conversation. Before, she used to say "thank you" and "you're welcome" one right after the other. But now, if I say "thank you," she returns with "you're welcome" only. :) Seems so simple, right? Not really though!! She still says thank you when she's trying to hand me something from the backseat but I am constantly in awe at her little brain soaking up everything she sees!

A couple of months ago, she only knew a few animals and their sounds... But now, she knows dog, cat, sheep, pig, cow, horse, duck, monkey, turtle, giraffe, lion, zebra, elephant, fish, bird and probably more! Not all of those animals have sounds yet but the ones that do, man she is soooo good at making them!

And this morning.... Ooooooooo, she did the most cuddly thing. Brian went to go get her when she woke up and brought her back to our room. She crawled into bed with me and snuggled into my side and scooted herself down right next to me like we were sardines... And then she grabbed the covers and wiggled a little bit to get all cozy and pulled them up to her neck like we do. AAWWWWWW!!!! Oh it was so scrumptiously adorable!! She is just plain awesome.

1.14.2011

Cool Socks!

As soon as we move into our house, I am making a vow to get better lighting in my pictures. And to use my good camera. Sometimes the phone is all I've got nearby.

Duckie must feel a magnetic force pulling her towards these priceless gems. She'll grab them and follow me around saying "Feet! Feet!" (meaning: put these on Mommy! She insists on helping me put them on.)




And if she is wearing them...

1.13.2011

Embrace the Camera: Family Snow Pic!

I know for some people 5 inches of snow is nothing. But here in Texas, that means we've just had a blizzard! Which also means, schools close and we get to stay home because we don't have childcare!

This type of weather is really rare and I LOVE EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF IT! Weird because my friends that live 25 miles away just got the bitter cold and no "NOOOO!" (that's Duckie for "snow")

Here's our family pic from our glorious snow day!


My hubs said, "Snow just makes everything look good." Well said Babe. Simple as that.

Embrace the Camera People!!

1.12.2011

Duckie Pic!

It's like God was specifically shining some of His glorious light down on my little angel as we were coming home yesterday...



Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This was the verse on my AWESOME calendar that I won from Lindsay!! WOO HOO!

I will post pictures later today!

1.10.2011

Verse of the Week {2} Isaiah 40:31 & SNOW!!

Here's the verse this week. This one is especially good because sometimes in life, I feel really challenged - almost defeated. What a great reminder to stay faithfully reliant on Him!


Click HERE to join!!

And in other happenings, yesterday we had SNOW in Texas!! WOO HOO! Ava's second time to see snow. I think she had flashbacks to last year's Texas blizzard.

She hesitated to come out in it... So I set her in it. This is what ensued....


Fifteen minutes later... Couldn't get her back inside.


1.09.2011

To Duckie, From Mommy

This is solely an update on you girl! You are still the sweetest little girl in the world - you love giving hugs and touching the hand of everyone in the room. And if you get too hungry or tired, you sneak in the occasional temper tantrum! WOW! Where on earth do you learn this stuff?

Today, while we were sitting at the table eating dinner, you did something that I thought was awesome - so I said "Alright, that's awesome!" ... Then you looked at me and repeated "AH-sahhh!" (meaning AWESOME!) That's my girl!!

And even if we are right in the middle of something really fun, I can look at you and say, "Are you ready to go upstairs and take a bath?" And you will literally drop what's in your hands and run to the stairs! Cutie pie!!...

You are awesome. And so are these socks.

Love you!

1.07.2011

Blog Bible Study: A Woman After God's Own Heart

I am joining in to this Blog Bible Study that my friend Lindsay told me about. This is directly from her blog.


Monica from Blessed Mama and Rebekah from Life with Edwards have decided to start a blog bible study - GREAT IDEA! The book/study that has been chosen is A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. Just by reading little snippets of it, I think it will be a great book and study.


The Blog Bible Study (BSS) will start on 2.2.11. You can either buy the book by itself or both the book and study. That's up to you on how much you want to spend and if you'd like to have the study right in front of you.

This is how the Blog Bible Study will all go down...
Monica and Rebekah will each have the book and the study guide and will post the questions for each chapter a week BEFORE we actually discuss it, giving adequate time to get it done. (They're still waiting to receive their books and study guides, so we'll know more once they can go through them and figure out exactly what they'll post on these days.) They will each have posts and links on their blogs so everyone can post and then link up on the correct day.

Here are the links:
For A Woman After God's Own Heart go HERE

For the Growth and Study Guide go HERE

The girls also found them on Amazon for a bit cheaper, so either way works!  Just make sure that you compare the books from the Elizabeth George website with Amazon's books.  There are a few versions of this book. There's a daily devotional, a deluxe version and more. So, make sure you get the Updated and Expanded version of the book and the Growth and Study Guide.

1.06.2011

Embrace the Camera: Duckie & Daddy

In the spirit of The Anderson Crew's theme, I wanted to post a recent picture of my two favorite peeps in the whole wide world!

Waiting for food can be hard for a little gal. But she was so intent on watching him. She even quit stacking up the piles of creamers to see what he was up to. :)


Seriously though, how cute are they together??? Love her. Love him!


1.05.2011

Duckie Pic!

I have to post this because it makes me happy!... The day she turned two, she didn't look or act much different.... But this weekend, she morphed into an official "little girl" ... no bitty baby in this girl anymore.

She looks like she's saying, "Hey mom, I'm taking the car. Be back later.." AHHHH!

A story that ROCKS and Free Advertising!

I stumbled upon a blog a couple of months ago that I love. I love so much that I feel like I know these people yet we've never even met. I really hope that doesn't make me creepy... Eek!

Please read this for an inspiring read. They are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their newest family member, via international adoption. I love the way she writes in anticipation - makes me imagine what must've been going through my parents' heads when I was on the way. WOW. No words.


And check this out!
Sweet November is offering FREE ADVERTISING this month! F. R. E. E. until they reach 300 followers. Woo hoo!

1.04.2011

Simple Pleasures: MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm!!!

I would like to think of myself as someone who can appreciate the simple things in life and find joy in them. These things can come in the most unexpected ways. Some very thoughtful. Some even pretty silly, maybe even trivial.

I'd like to share one of my life's simple pleasures...

Chicken. Pot. PIE!


I might consider the person who invented cream of mushroom soup to be one of the greatest geniuses of all time. Catherine put all of this together. I only added the heart. But sometimes, cuteness makes things taste better, right? Oh and props to the hubby for perfectly broiling the top!

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm!!!

1.03.2011

Cool Calendar GIVEAWAY!

Someday I will have more followers so that eventually, when I blog about something cool, someone else will see it....

My good pal Lindsay is giving away this sah-weet calendar and I WANT IT!

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Go check it out and ENTER!

1.01.2011

One • One • One One

as in 01.01.11. How cool would it have been to be born today?! Sah-weet!