Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Out of the Mouth of Landry #1

2010-09-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today the girls were "helping" me make rice krispie treats. They were standing in chairs they had pulled up to the counter from the kitchen table. After we finished, I told them several times to put the chairs back. Landry was standing in hers and this conversation ensued:

Me: Landry get down from your chair and push it back to the table.

Landry: I can't get down!

Me: Yes you can.

Landry: I can, but I'm not.

That should tell you a lot about her personality. :-) Stinker!

My Little Dancer

2010-09-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today Landry went to her first dance class!

I signed her up for the Pre-Ballet class at Lisa's Dance Connection. It's for 2-3 year olds.

This past May, when we went to Bethany's recital, I saw the Pre-Ballet class perform and just knew Landry needed to be on that stage next time!

Of course, since her sister dances, she wants to do it, too.

She watches our video of Bethany's recital (while wearing Bethany's costume) and does both dances along with the video. About 25 times in a row.

So...when I told her she was going to get to go to dance class, she was beside herself with glee! This morning as we were pulling into the parking lot, she was chanting, "I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so excited!"

We got there a little early and waited for the other class to finish.

We met this little girl, Kamie, the day that we went to the studio to register, and Landry took a book from her and made her cry. It looks like she's forgiven her. :-)

When the girls started coming out of the studio, Landry weaved her way through them and went right in the studio all by herself!

She already had a friend in her class - Gracie, from her Mother's Day Out class!

Ms. Lisa had all of the moms/dads come in for a brief intro.

Landry stood on her star.

Sat on her star.

And listened intently to Ms. Lisa

After they pulled the parachute out, the parents left them alone!

I watched her on this TV in the lobby. She's the one on the far left end of the row. Next week they'll have the one-way window open for us to watch!

This is the face that came running out to me when it was over.

I'd say it was a success!

Royal Tea Party

2010-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Bethany was given a really fun tea party book for Christmas this year. It has many different tea party themes, each complete with invitation ideas, recipes and games. She's been begging me to do the Princess Tea Party for a long time now. Well, this week she is starting a new preschool and several of her sweet friends are starting Kindergarten next week. So, we decided to have a "Back to School" Royal Tea Party so she could have fun with all of her friends before they are all separated for school. We changed it from a Princess Tea Party to a Royal Tea Party because she insisted on inviting her boy-friends, too. We had so much fun making the treats and hosting the party!

(Please pardon me if there are misspellings or sentences that don't make sense at all. I'm a little doped up right now on pain meds from my surgery.) :-)

Here are my girls waiting for the guests to arrive. Bethany was very concerned that everything was done in time for her to stand at the door and greet her guests. She's a born hostess!

Yes, this is a fairy dress, not a princess dress. Bethany insisted on wearing it! She said she was a fairy princess. There was no changing her mind. I felt better when one of her friends arrived in her mermaid dress. Her mom had also tried to change her mind, but to no avail. Oh well, they both had a great time, no matter what they were wearing!

Bethany and I made this centerpiece out of toilet paper rolls!

My sweet friend Mandy made these adorable fruit flowers.

Strawberry Lemonade Iced Tea (yummy!!!),

Chocolate Truffles

Only one of the boys we invited got to come. Be he was dressed up as a knight in shining armor - how cool is that???

The royal guests got to decorate tiaras (girls) and visors (boys) when they arrived.

When everyone was finished, we headed to the dining room for the Tea Party!

We practiced good manners and everyone stayed in their seat until the last person was finished eating. That was not easy for them, but they did it!

After they were all excused from the table, we went into the living room to play a game. Everyone put their shoes in a pile in the middle of the room. They formed a circle around the shoes and one by one, each child was blindfolded and had to find their shoes in the pile.

I had no idea what a big hit this game would be.

They got a wee bit crazy...

Of course, I should have gotten a group picture at the very beginning when all crowns, shoes, etc. were in place, but I didn't. I did manage to snap one before their moms picked them up, though.

Thanks to all of the sweet friends who joined us for the party. You are truly princes and princesses in the Kingdom of God!

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

2010-01-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, apparently I have shocked all of my friends and family by posting on my blogs. I told you I'd get back to it - it just took me awhile!

So for Christmas, Bethany asked Santa for a Barbie for her and a Cinderella dress for Landry (so they could play Cinderella together.) That's what they did today and I just thought it was precious. By the way, I realize that Landry looks really funny playing dress-up and having no hair. Seriously, it looks like she's a baby playing dress-up, but she's really almost 2!!! When will she ever get hair???????????????

Bethany is playing flashcards with Landry - too funny!

She looks like she's really trying to figure out what it says!

Nope - just focused on the peppermint pieces.

Showing me her charm bracelet that she got from Aunt Sara.

Bethany showing me her charm bracelet.

Then she wanted to make an angry face and see it on the camera.

They'd moved into Bethany's room at this point.

And decided that "Only PRINCESSES are allowed in here!" So I got shut out.

Oh, the joys of little girls. :-)

A Comparison

2010-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

So lots of people have been telling me how much they think Landry looks like Bethany. Being the mom, I don't really see it. So, I thought I'd dig into my photo archives and find some pictures of Bethany at Landry's current age. I'll let you decide for yourself.

Bethany -

Landry -

What do YOU think? I'd love to know!!!

Summer Fun!

2009-07-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, if anyone still reads my blog I'll be surprised! I haven't been a good blogger in a long while. I just can't seem to keep up with Facebook, my blog AND my kids. So lately the blog has taken backburner. Unfortunately, my blog is sortof my scrapbook since I haven't been good at that. So, I really need to get back to it!

We've had a great, but busy summer so far. Raymond finished his Fellowship in Gastroenterology (GI) - WOOHOO!!! I'm so proud of him! Between that and starting his new job as a staff GI doc at Scott and White, he had 2 weeks of vacation. We went to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids and then just the 2 of us went to a lovely B&B in Granbury. We highly recommend Inn on Lake Granbury to anyone wanting a relaxing getaway! Raymond's mom and cousin were gracious enough to come keep the girls while we relaxed. The girls had a great time and Bethany is already asking when Gram and Judy are going to come back.

We also stayed a few days with my parents and were there for the 4th of July. This is the first year since we've been married that we have not been in Belton for the 4th. It was a little sad, but we managed! My dad and I took Bethany to the parade in Duncanville. I thought it was a great parade, but she pointed out that there were no horses. True - the Belton parade always has horses! Anyway, here are a few pics from that.

If you can't tell by our hair, there was a nice breeze that morning. It made the parade not only bearable, but actually enjoyable.

Patiently waiting for the parade to start.

My favorite part, of course. The Duncanville Band!

Ms. Paula waving at Bethany. Paula was riding as Senior Ms. Duncanville.

Now that's what I call a birthday cake.

Sweet sisters!

And just a couple pics of the girlies with their Aunt Sara.

At the risk of posting way too many photos and completely losing everyone, I'll do one last set. We went to a park in Duncanville on the night of the 4th for a picnic, concert and fireworks. The girls really did great considering how hot and late it got!

Walking around the park to find the train.

There is is!!!

Don't know what Bethany's problem was. Some major crisis, I'm sure.

Landry would have been happy swinging all evening.

Landry dancing to the music.

So cute.

They both loved the spray bottle fan!

Eating a huge strawberry.

It wasn't even dark yet and both girls were done.

They perked up a little when they discovered they could help themselves to the snack mix.

Seriously mom, when are the fireworks going to start?

No really, I'm happy to be here.

Finally - fireworks!!!

Having fun again!

There's a lot more I need to catch up on. We'll see if it happens! At least I'm going to try and post more regularly again, if only for me! Thanks to anyone who made it through that obnoxious number of photos! Probably grandparents only. :)

One Year Ago This Week

2009-06-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from my friend Becky. I loved it so much on her blog that I'm copying her on mine! Here are some pics of my girls that were taken one year ago this week. Think they've changed much?

A Fantastic Photo Giveaway!

2009-06-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm back folks! And it couldn't be for anything better. My wonderfully talented sister has started a blog for her photography business and she's doing a giveaway to help her get started! Visit her site for all of the ways to be entered. And believe me - you'll want to win!

Giveaway!!!

2009-05-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

My super talented friend Shannon is hosting a giveaway for her new baby burpie business. Check out her blog by clicking on the "Jelby's" button for your chance to win!

Somebody Got a Haircut!

2009-05-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Bethany got her first haircut today! Well, actually, her second. The first one was just to trim her bangs, though. Today was the first time we cut any of the length off. It was a little hard to decide to do, but I'm happy we did it. I think it looks much better now.

She did a great job! We went to the lady who cuts my parents' hair, Paula. She was great with Bethany - wiggling and all.

Here's the "before" -

The "during" -

And the "after" -

Life has been crazy with having the house on the market and being out of town so much. I've been really behind on blogging, obviously! Here are a couple recent pics of Landry.

Waiting with Abby for Daddy to get here!

Doesn't she look so old now? Sniff, sniff.

Fun on the Farm!

2009-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight our LifeGroup from church was graciously hosted by a sweet couple who has some nice land, horses, a pony, etc. Of course, I forgot my camera. My good friend Melissa can always be counted on to have her camera, though! She's a faboulous photographer. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend. Isn't this the sweetest shot she got of Landry and her best bud Kelsey? (Kelsey in front, Landry in back) I think my favorite part is how their little feet are overlapped! Thanks Melissa!

These pics (obviously NOT from the same photographer) were taken by me on my phone. Not the best pics, but I thought the quality was pretty good being taken with a phone! Here's Bethany riding the pony.

What a Difference One Year Makes!

2009-04-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Easter last year

Easter this year

(Yes, I realize I should have put a diaper cover on the baby. The pampers showing under the Easter dress are really classy.)

Whistle While You Work

2009-03-19T21:46:00.001-07:00

This afternoon the girls were playing outside (thank goodness for this beautiful weather!!!) and I asked Bethany to sweep the birdseed off the porch. She was the one who dumped it all over the porch and her sister thought it was for her to eat. Anyway, she ran and got the broom gladly. Weird. I got tickled when I noticed she was still wearing her Snow White shoes from playing dress up earlier. Silly girl.

Today was a big milestone for Miss Landry. Her first "whalespout" pigtail! Actually, her hair was barely long enough to stay in the rubber band. It sure didn't make a whalespout! I had to document it, though. :) She's trying to get over being sick, but is having a really hard time. Don't look too close. You'll see all kinds of stuff crusted all over her face. Poor thing.

The Last Year of my Life

2009-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

The last year of my life has been many things. Blessed is the word I'd have to say covers it best. That's because God gave us YOU, our sweet Landry Gayle, one year ago.

At first, we thought you looked just like your sister, but once you opened your eyes it was evident that you would look just like YOU instead!

You were such a wonderful happy baby! You only cried if you were hungry or tired. We were ever so grateful for that. Thank you! It's so hard to remember when you were this small and would just sleep on my chest.

You have been a bow-head from the very beginning. You were always great about keeping them on!

You've been quite the over-achiever in the mobility department! You could push your chest up and hold up your head at just a couple months old.

Then, you crawled at 5 months! I was really looking forward to that stage when you would sit up by yourself, but not move anywhere. Well, that didn't happen since you crawled before you could sit. Crazy girl!

You were pulling up to stand by 6 months.

(just had to throw that one in b/c I know you'll hate me for it one day!)

One thing that I love (right now anyway) is that you suck your thumb. I know I'll have to break you of it someday, but for now it's wonderful!

You are a bit of a picky eater my dear! For a long time the only thing you would eat was bananas. In fact, to this day, bananas are the only fruit you will even put in your mouth. You'll eat peas and green beans, though.

You were a good sport at Halloween and wore that lion costume at least 3 times! But oh, how cute were you???

Of course, you had to start walking early, too! At 9 months and a few weeks, you were taking several steps at a time.

Your personality is so strong - I love it! You are funny and love to laugh. Your favorite person to laugh at is your sister - you think she's hilarious!

When you want something, you want it RIGHT THEN and if you don't get it, well, let's just say it's not pretty. You are getting much better, though, about communicating verbally, so it's getting better. You say lots of words now. Just off the top of my head - mama, dada, milk, down, more, please, duck, ball, cracker, no, and you make sheep, monkey and lion sounds.

You've got some chubby little cheeks (and thighs. and belly). You'd play outside all day if I let you! Even if it's cold. Many a day I've had to bundle you up to go outside because you were having a fit at the door to go out and eat sand.

Your birthday party was great fun! Not only did we get to spend time with friends and family that mean so much to us, but we got to celebrate a whole year of YOU!

We love you so much Landry. We thank God every single day that he blessed us with your sweet spirit. We are so blessed to be your parents and we pray that you will be blessed to have us as your parents. We love you. Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Happy belated birthday to my sweet hubby! Here are the promised pictures. When Bethany and I got home from dance class, we sang Happy Birthday to Daddy and ate "cake." Rice Krispie Treats are his favorite dessert (maybe aside from creme brulee, and well, that just wasn't going to happen), so we made him a RKT cake. He loved it! Apparantly so did Bethany. The next morning when she woke up, she said groggily, "I need a piece of Daddy's birthday cake." It's cereal, right? Agree with me - I did let her have a piece for breakfast. Anyway, here are the pics.

Bethany "decorating" the cake.

The beautiful final product.

The cake, the loot, and the butterfly Bethany made for him (thanks Shannon for the link to that website - it's awesome!). I've been requested to add the website - http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/ Enjoy!!!

And today is Landry Gayle's FIRST birthday! Happy birthday to my sweet, sweet baby girl! There will be a more in depth birthday post devoted totally to her very soon, but for now, this teaser will have to do.

Giveaways!

2009-03-04T12:37:00.001-08:00

The monogram giveaway is up and running at My Domestic Disaster! Go by, take a look and leave a comment!

Here's another great giveaway on another blog. Kimm, at Reinvented, is giving away a subscription to Do It Yourself magazine. Who couldn't use that? All you have to do is go leave her a comment and you'll be entered. And while you are there, check out her posts. She has some awesome ideas - I love her blog!!!

My Latest Venture

2009-03-02T12:45:00.001-08:00

You may have noticed that I've been posting more domestic (crafts, cooking, decorating, etc) things lately. I've been thinking that my family and friends are visiting this blog to see and read about my family and not what I'm doing around the house. So...I've decided to start a new blog about all things domestic. I've found that blogging about these things is helping me be better at them. Homemaking is not something that comes naturally to me. It's something that I WANT to be good at, but I have to make a concerted effort to be so. All that to say, if you would like to check out my new blog, it's www.mydomesticdisaster.blogspot.com. Come by and leave me a comment. Sometime this week I'm going to be doing a giveaway and anyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win some awesome monogrammed goodies!!!!!

By the way, today is Raymond's 32nd birthday! Bethany and I made him a 2 tiered Rice Krispie Treat cake. I'll post pics of it after we decorate it!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #12

2009-02-24T21:14:00.001-08:00

The other night I was giving Bethany a bath. 99% of the time Raymond bathes her, but for some reason that night I did it. Here's the conversation that happened after she found some of my bath salts.

B - Mommy, can I have some of these?
Me - No, those are for Mommy.
B - For when you take a shower?
Me - For when I take a bath. Sometimes mommies take baths, too.
B - Oh. And Daddy washes you?

Ha! Raymond and I both cracked up at that one!

Fun Fridays - Things That Make Me Happy!

2009-02-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Why do flowers make me so happy? Seriously, as soon as I walk into my kitchen and see these beauties I smile! They are just cheap flowers from Wal-mart that I stuck in some juice glasses, but aren't they great?

And this time of year I LOOOOVE my tulips! Even Bethany knows tulips are mommy's favorite flower. So I had to get some today. Love 'em!

Of course, my kiddos make me happy, too! The other day, on the way to ballet class, we drove past our new Sonic and Bethany said, "Mommy, can we stop by Scott and White and get something on our way?" (For those of you who don't know - Scott and White is the hospital where Daddy works) . I said, "You mean Sonic?" "Yes, can we stop by Sonic and get something on our way?" It was almost funny enough for me to stop and get her something, but I didn't.

Landry is really trying to talk now! She said "please" tonight at dinner. Well, really she said, "meese," but I knew what she meant. :)

Bathroom Re-Do UPDATED

2009-02-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

So I have been inspired by The Nester to redo my bathroom. Well, maybe the
more appropriate term would be to "do" my bathroom. It's just one of those rooms that never got "done." It did take me a little more than 10 minutes, but I did a LOT of stuff! Each project only took about 10 minutes, though. It was incredibly easy. Made me wonder why I'd never gotten around to it in the 5 YEARS I've lived in this house.

Here's the before.

The first thing I did was clear the clutter. Most of it went in the trash. What I did keep went in the cabinets or behind this.

I made this "mistreatment" with fabric I've had for years that my mother-in-law gave me (thanks Kathye!), my sewing machine and some hot glue. I know, many of you are probably shuddering, but would you have known I hot glued it on if I hadn't said so?

After one quick (and cheap) run to Wal-Mart, I had my new knobs. They were the only thing I spent $$$ on for the entire redo. And they were from Wal-Mart, so I didn't break the bank. :) Everything else I already had - I just shopped my house!

Here's where it gets tricky for me. I'm not great with arranging things and making them look pretty. I really need some help. PLEASE give your opinions!!! Let me know which arrangements you like the best OR even better, give a different idea! Sometimes I get trapped and just can't come up with anything else. Here we go...

OR

OR

Now that I'm looking at the pictures, I don't really love any of the combinations I came up with. I need some opinions! And if you have any ideas of something that might look good, just mention it - I might have just that perfect thing stuffed away in a closet somewhere!

*******UPDATE********

Okay people - this is what I have now. I am much more happy with this than any arrangements from yesterday. I also added some window mistreatments from leftover fabric. Woohoo! Thoughts? Suggestions? Should I scrap it all and start over?

Or is it better with the basket and floral arrangement switched?

Sweets for the Sweet!

2009-02-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I've never been much of a Valentine's Day person. I don't decorate my house, I don't buy lavish gifts and I don't want lavish gifts bought for me. It just seems to be an over-commercialized holiday and has lost its meaning. So this year was a big year for me. I bought my first Valentine's Day decoration! Isn't it cute???

And even cuter with the little girl!

These are the only pics I could get of Landry in her "love" outfit. I know - probably none of you have ever seen her without a bow bigger than her face on her head, but I couldn't find her bow to save my life! Anyway, the outfit is cute, even if she does look like a boy. Looking at the outfit ON her, I realize I should have placed the letters higher. Next time I'll get it right. Maybe.

In keeping with my V-Day "bah-humbugness," I didn't want to buy anything for the hubby. Instead, while he was at work this morning, Bethany and I made him truffles (one of his very favorite things!!!). It was so fun for us and I'm sure he'll love them! Granted, he only gets half a batch because when I opened the oreo package to make the recipe, half of the oreos were missing. Who could have eaten them??? Here's a play by play of the truffle-making.

These are super-easy. Only 3 ingredients!!!

This is the way Bethany "helped" most of the time.

Crush the oreos finely. We did it with the food processor, but you can do it anyway you like!

Add cream cheese.

Mix well.

Roll into 1" balls and dip in melted chocolate.

The recipe calls for you to reserve some of the oreo crumbs to sprinkle on top of the truffles. We opted for Valentine sprinkles and icing!

Since this was a gift, we had to package it nicely. After scavenging through my kitchen I found this tin.

Cute? Yes. Valentine-y? No. So out came the paints! I pretty much let Bethany decorate it with just a little help from me.

I got these CUTE mini cupcake liners at Wal-Mart.

Here's the actual recipe if any of you want to make these bad boys. Warning - they are addictive! I told myself I'd only eat one, but I've eaten a few more than that!!!

Oreo Truffles
(from my friend Holly)

1 (1 lb, 2 oz b) pkg Oreos, divided
8 oz cream cheese - softened (I used the 1/3 less fat and they were still great!)
16 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate - melted

Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin; set aside for use later. Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs and place in bowl - add cream cheese and mix until well blended. Roll into 42 balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Dip balls in chocolate (use 2 forks to allow excess chocolate to run off) and place on wax paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Just Call Me Martha...

2009-02-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

or Becky!!! Yes, my good friend Becky always has the neatest posts about her crafts and fun things that she makes. I do love to "craft," but rarely take the time to do so. I've been doing it a lot lately and it really is so fun! Here are a few of the things I've made.

I bought the pattern for these dresses on etsy and had my mom walk me through making Landry's. I pretty much made it "all by myself," with just a little help from her. After that I felt confident to make Bethany's completely on my own and I DID!!! Here are the end results:

I did cheat a little and ask my mom to make them some pants to go under the dresses since she had a pattern for them. Here's what they look like with the pants:

So while I was perusing random blogs the other day, I got the idea to applique some shirts for the girls for V-Day. I decided to use scraps I already had from Landry's dress and I used a shirt and onesie I already had. All in all, this project cost me $0.00. Love it!

Then I thought,"How cute would those pants that my mom made be with this shirt?????" The answer is VERY!

One more project and I promise I'll leave you alone! I got this idea off of a blog while Blog-surfing! It's called Imperfectly Beautiful and she has some wonderful cute ideas. Anyway, I think I'm going to give these to the girlees for Valentine's Day instead of candy or toys that they don't need.

Granted, mine don't look as good as the ones that inspired me, but I think they are good enough to hang in their rooms. I think this is the first time I've made something from "scratch," and it looks good enough to actually display in the house. Usually it ends up looking like a kindergartener brought it home and goes in the TRASH!!!

Thanks for sticking with me! I'll try to snap some pics of the girls actually wearing their new outfits soon!

What Have You Done?- A Meme

2009-02-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was tagged to participate in this questionnaire by my good friend Becky at Casita de Alaniz. It was neat to go through the list and realize just how much I've seen and done over the years!

I tag Jennifer, Kristi, Shannon and Glory to participate, just copy and paste in your blog and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor
6. Given to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Drank an entire Sonic Route 66 by yourself
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Traced your family tree at least 4 generations
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Learned a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Swam with a dolphin
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been IN a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Cut your own hair
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Driven a stick shift
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Read an entire series of books by one author
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Seen the Pacific Ocean
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Pretty, Pretty Princess

2009-02-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Bethany got to go to a princess birthday party. The girls were supposed to come wearing their princess dresses (and accessories of course!). At first Bethany wanted to wear her Cinderella dress. Of course, being the child that she is, she decided she HAD to be Snow White instead. 5 minutes before we left. Oh well. I let her change and she had a great time at the party!

Cinderella

Snow White

Which one do YOU like best???

Prima Ballerina

2009-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

Bethany really is starting to be a "big girl." She started dance class last Monday night! She goes to Lisa's Dance Connection and is in the 3-5 year old ballet/tap class. I don't know how old the other girls (and one boy) are that are in her class. However, I assume she's close to the youngest because she's a few inches shorter than everyone (except the boy) and she's extra tall for her age. Anyway, she LOVED it! She did such a great job and I was so proud. She even managed to get her tap shoes out of her bag and change into them halfway through class when they switched from ballet to tap. It was all I could do to keep from jumping in there to help her, but she did it all by herself! There's not a good opportunity for photos during class, so the pre-class photos are all I got. Just wait for the recital. I'm sure those will be some hysterical pictures.

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #11

2009-01-14T13:25:00.001-08:00

So the other night when Bethany was taking her bath, she did something and I told her I was impressed. She apparantly didn't know that word and became obsessed with it for the duration of her bath. That's just a little background - it explains why I asked something I did later. Here's the conversation that happened when I was putting her in bed after reading the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil.

B - Mommy, why is the devil mean? Did God make him that way?
Me - No, God made him good, but he chose to be mean. He thought that he could be bigger and better than God, but no one can be bigger or better than God. He's bigger than all of us.
B - Does God have feet?
Me - Well, I don't know. We don't really know what God looks like.
B - He looks like Baby Jesus.
Me - That's true, because Baby Jesus is God.
B - (in a whisper) Wow - that blesses me.
Me - That impresses you?
B - No. That blesses me in my heart!

New Look!

2009-01-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to my oh so talented friend Kristi! She designed my new blog look. Isn't it fabulous??? I think my favorite part is the song. I know it's a little obnoxious, but who doesn't love Cyndi Lauper??? You might just want to mute your volume when you come visit my site!

Happy 10 Months Landry!!!

2009-01-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

Since I totally forgot the 9 month post for the baby, here's a 10 month one!

Landry, I cannot believe you are already 10 months old. Where has the time gone? Over the last 10 months I have developed a love in my heart that I never thought could exist. I wondered before I had you if I'd be able to love another child as much as my first. God has given extra room in my heart to hold just as much love for you as for your sister. It's funny because I love you both the same, yet you are so different! You are definitely your own little person. Here are 10 things that I love about the person that you are.

1. The way you scrunch up your nose and laugh when you are doing something you are proud of.

2. That you are in SUCH a hurry to run around with your big sister. Already walking before 10 months - you don't have much patience, do you???

3. That you go to bed at 7:00 pm and sleep all night long!

4. That unless you are hungry or sleepy you are ALWAYS smiling or laughing. Always.

5. The way you sign "more" and say "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" until you get another bite of something.

6. That you can eat an entire container of puffs in one day.

7. That you LOVE to have your teeth (all 5 of them) brushed and open your mouth wide for the toothbrush while laughing hysterically.

8. That you still suck your thumb pretty much all the time. You hardly ever cry for very long because the thumb goes right in whenever you start to fuss.

9. Your beautiful eyes that you got from your Daddy.

10. The joy on your face when I come to get you out of your bed every morning!

I love you more than you will ever know sweet baby girl.

Here are a few pictures that my sister at http://www.saras-studio.com/ took of Landry last week. I posted one of them at the top of this post. I don't know how I'm going to choose which ones to order. And these are already narrowed down from the original 50! Help!!! Edited to Add: I made the pictures too big again - some of them are cut off.

First Steps!!!

2009-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well, Landry has been trying to walk for a good few weeks now. She's been standing alone and then kindof shuffling her feet and falling. Last night, though, she did it for real! She was holding onto my leg, she let go and took two solid steps, stopped, took one more step and then held onto the chair in front of her. Tonight we were all playing in the girls' playroom and she took 4 steps to Raymond! After that, she was trying to walk everywhere for the rest of the evening. She's pretty darn proud of herself, too. As soon as she lets go of what she's holding onto, she'll look up at us and smile really big, then take her steps while she's laughing. We've GOT to get it on video. Of course, we had no blank DVD's in the house last night or today. I'm getting some tomorrow. Until then, still pics will have to suffice. And please disregard the pantless child. Her pants are usually too long for her and she trips on them, so she's in just a diaper most of the time!

I just realized that I totally forgot to do a 9 month post for the baby girl! She turned 9 months old in December and she'll be 10 months old this week. Guess I'll have to do a 10 month post instead! I can't believe she'll be 1 year old in 2 months. AHHH!!!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany # 10

2008-12-28T20:31:00.001-08:00

Bethany: Mommy, Mary was a shepherd.

Me: I don't think she was.

Bethany: Yes she was. She had a lamb!

Me: Well, I guess you're right - she WAS a shepherd!

Back to the Grind

2008-12-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

EDITED TO ADD - I realize now that my pictures aren't showing up right. I guess I made them too big and need to resize. I'll try to do that later, but now children are beckoning!

Well, we're back. :-(

Really, I was SO ready to get back and see the girls. We had a great vacation, but I missed them and couldn't wait to see them again! After one day of being back home, I was ready to be on vacation again. :-)

We are in "de-tox" mode with Bethany. Landry did great and is still the happy little baby she always was. Bethany, on the other hand, is a little bit rotten. The girls were split up between the 2 grandparents for the week, so she was an only child. My dad was off work all week, my mom was home and my sister took her for a day/night. So, she got LOTS and LOTS of attention. One on one (sometimes two on one) attention for a week. She's spoiled rotten. I guess, as my sister says, that's what I get for going off to Mexico on vacation!

But, I know this isn't what you all want to know. You want to know, "HOW WAS THE TRIP????" It was awesome! Wonderful. Fabulous. Perfect. The weather was beautiful a few days and a few it was a little cooler than hoped, but still very nice. I'll share some pics, but there are a lot, so just skip over some if you get bored!

By the way, we went with our friends Brooke and Kyle. We thought it would be fun to go with another couple and it worked out great. We did a lot of stuff on our own, but it was fun to have another couple to do stuff with, too!

I promise - I'll try to do a condensed "slideshow," but I'm not really good at narrowing down pics!

In the aiport in Cancun - the boys are SUPER excited, can't you tell?

Our first morning at the resort - on our way to breakfast and then the POOL!!!

Brooke and me working off the margaritas by doing water aerobics. We only did it once. :)

Raymond and Kyle worked really hard while we were exercising.

WOW - I didn't realize we were THAT white!!!

Out at the "beach." It wasn't really a beach - more a lagoon. It was beautiful, though.

Dinner for 4 at the Mediterranean restaurant. YUM!

The cabana where I had my ocean breeze massage.

Silliness on the last night at Paco's Tacos.

Well, WE were cute, anyway.

We kept trying to get a picture of the 4 of us, but the waiter wouldn't leave!

A couple nights we played 42 into the wee hours of the morning (midnight).

Proof that the girls beat the guys TWICE!!!

The swim up bar! A feature of the resort we didn't get to use like we would have liked since it wasn't very warm. That water was FRIGID!!!

And that's all folks! I'd go into more detail, but BOTH kids just woke up at the same time. Fun times.

Mexico, Here We Come!!!

2008-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning we are flying out to Cancun for a vacation! We are staying at The Occidental Grand Xcaret. Sooooo...I won't be around blogging for awhile! We fly back home Sunday evening, so maybe next week I'll get around to posting some pics. That is, after I get readjusted to real life! Wish me luck leaving the baby for a week. Does it make me a bad mom that I'm really not sad to leave the 3 year old? Honestly, she's going to have so much fun. My parents and my sister have so many fun things planned to do with her and I know she's going to have a blast. Of course I'll miss her, but I don't really feel sad to leave her. Landry, on the other hand, I do feel a little sad about. She's so innocent AND she's getting sick (nasty cold - again), so she's a little bit extra fussy. Good luck Gram!

Well, wish us luck! Don't get too cold while we're gone basking in the sun!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #9

2008-12-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted one of these. That's not to say Bethany hasn't said anything "blog-worthy." She pretty much does on a daily basis. I just don't always get around to it. But, today's quotes definitely have to be recorded. There was a sweet one and two funny ones. I think I'll start with the funny and end with the sweet!

1) Tonight Bethany was "helping" me clear out/organize a room. Out of the blue she says, "I really like to be annoying." Well, that sure explains a lot!

2) After Bethany was already in bed (and had numerous chances to go potty - none of which she took), she decided she needed to go potty. So she got her spank for not going when I gave her the chance, cried a bit - just enough to make me think that it hurt, but I don't think it really did, and made her way to the potty. As she's sitting there, swinging her legs, waiting to do her business, she looks at me and says very matter of factly, "Mommy. How do you tie a bow?" Through my laughter I told her I'd show her tomorrow but it was time for bed!

3) Today when I picked Bethany up from Mother's Day Out, her teacher stopped me to tell me something Bethany said. There were 5 kids in her class today. At snack time they only had 2 paper plates. Barbara (the teacher) asked the kids what they were going to do since they only had 2 plates and 5 kids. Most of them started saying, "Give one to me," or "I want one!" Barbara suggested that they cut the plates in half. They did so, and passed out the plates. Then Barbara showed them that one little boy, Luke, still didn't have a plate. She asked the kids what they could do. Bethany said, "You can cut MY plate in half and give it to Luke!" After she told me that story, she patted me on the shoulder and said, "You have a great kid." I have to admit, I was a little bit teary-eyed after that. :-)

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

What a relief! Thanksgiving came and went this year and nobody in our immediate family got the dreaded stomach virus. Now I know that I'm probably jinxing us to get it NOW! I realize that it's inevitable. It's going around and my kids, husband and I will most likely get it. I'm just glad it didn't happen over Thanksgiving.

Last year. we (my parents, sister, Raymond, Bethany and I) all flew to Tennessee to visit my paternal grandparents - Granny and Grandy Cook. The Monday before we were to fly out on Tuesday, Bethany got a nasty stomach bug. On Tuesday she seemed better, so we went ahead and flew to Tennessee. It was pretty obvious during the flight that either, a.) she wasn't better or b.) she gets airsick. She managed not to puke during the flight, but looked pretty green. She lost it all, though, as we were waiting to be picked up from the airport. We kept thinking she was better and then the next morning she puked again. Then, on Thanksgiving night, my cousin got the same thing. Friday morning - the day we were to fly back home - Raymond got it bad. Can you imagine making your way through an airport and flying with a miserable stomach virus? Not to mention ME! I was pregnant, dealing with a 2 year old, her carseat and ALL of our luggage because poor Raymond was miserable. We made it home without much more incident thank goodness. Of course, I got the virus after we were back home and Raymond was back at work. That's how it goes for moms I guess!

Even with all the sickness, we had a wonderful time visiting with my grandparents. I'm so glad that Bethany got to visit their home and spend a few days with them. It was really a special time.

So... that's why I was so paranoid that we'd get sick again this year. Thankfully, we didn't. We had a nice Thanksgiving with Raymond's mom, brother, sister-in-law, her mom, nephew and niece. It was really great catching up with them and getting to watch all of the cousins play! This year we had lunch at Furr's Fresh Buffet. It was easy on all of us, the food was good and the best part??? No dishes to clean!!!

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper post from me without a TON of photos. So here you go!

B and L modeling the outfits that I made for them.

Sweet cousins - Bethany and Lexi

All of the grandchildren - Bethany, Lexi, Chase and Landry

All the grandkids with their Gram

By the way, we are SO excited! We will be having a new little nephew tomorrow! Chase and Lexi's mom is being induced tomorrow to have a little boy. We can't wait to meet him! I guess we'll have to do the grandchildren picture again soon to add him!

Well, if you made it this far, thanks for looking and indulging me. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish all of my loyal readers (a.k.a - my friends and family) a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope all of you are healthy, safe and have a wonderful time being with family. Of course, I hope yummy food is enjoyed by everyone! We will be heading out for the Dallas area on Thanksgiving morning. Raymond had to work today (Wednesday) and we decided against sitting still in traffic on I-35 all night long tonight. So, we'll be driving on the relatively clear highway tomorrow. We look forward to getting to spend time with both Raymond's and my families while we are there.

Be sure to check back on the day after Thanksgiving for my new Christmas blog! I bet you are all on pins and needles!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Party Time!!!

2008-11-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a fun-filled party time! Bethany's actual birthday was on Tuesday, but we had her party on Saturday. This was the first time that we haven't invited ALL of our friends and their families to the party. This year, we just invited Bethany's friends, who are her age. We had a great turnout and a really fun time. The party was at Wazoo's. How much more fun could a bunch of 2-4 year olds have??? Pizza, cupcakes and bounce houses galore! It was a great party for ME, since I didn't have to do anything to entertain the kiddos!

Back in May, Bethany's cousin Lexi turned 3. Raymond's mom (Gram) baked and decorated Lexi's cake. Ever since then, Bethany has been saying she wants Gram to make her birthday cake. So Gram got roped into cake duty this year! We ended up deciding to do cupcakes in the shape of a tomato, since Bethany wanted a Veggie Tales theme. It turned out cute and the cupcakes were super yummy!!! Thanks Gram!

Bethany was so lucky to have lots of friends and family come to her party. Her Gram, Grandma, Pappy, Aunt Sara, Uncle Tyler and Cousin Lexi all came in from out of town to celebrate with her. She sure is one blessed little girl!

Here are some photos to commemorate the occasion.

Pre-Party

Cute little sis who got left out most of the time!

The CUTE Veggie Tales balloons I found on ebay!

Cute Cousins

Bethany's cute friend Benjamin came straight from another birthday party that morning, where he got his face painted like a pirate!

Bethany gathering her peeps for pizza.

Present time!

Little sis getting some attention from Gram.

An attempt to get a pic of all the kiddos that were at the party. I think we missed a couple.

Of course, a birthday party wouldn't be complete without a breakdown from the birthday girl. She didn't want to leave.

This is at home after the party - already wearing one of her favorite presents!!! We proceeded to have to play all of the games she got WHILE she was wearing the Snow White costume. Fun times.

Happy 3rd Birthday Bethany!!!

2008-11-11T09:59:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it was three years ago today that we met you for the first time. This is what you looked like.

Of course, later on you got all bundled up and looked oh so sweet.

That first year with you was a challenge! Of course we loved you very much, but you DID scream a lot! You were very "healthy" (ahem, fat) and couldn't really get around much there for awhile. Finally, at around 5 months old you rolled over and at 8 1/2 months you crawled. Just 2 months later you were walking! By the time you were one, you were saying and signing lots of words, you loved your milk and pretty much any food, and you were always a good sport about wearing huge bows on your head! You sure were a cute little one year old!

Your second year was wonderful and still challenging. You were talking up a storm - short sentences at 15 months and real conversations before you turned 2! When you were 15 months old you got Rotovirus and scared us all when you had seizures and had to be admitted to the hospital. You recovered well, though, and there was no permanent damage! Your hair finally grew long enough to put into pigtails. I was so excited!

Your third year you showed all of us how incredibly smart you are! You started spelling, counted to 70, and remembered virtually everything you ever heard! While I would say this year epitomized the "terrible two's," I wouldn't trade it for anything. I feel like we really have been able to develop a relationship. It's so nice to have conversations with you and to know what you think and how you feel about things. I love you more than words can ever say and I hope that you can know that someday.

Happy Birthday to my sweet 3 year old girl!

I just don't understand...

2008-11-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

people who can't put their kids in carseats!!! It makes me so angry! This weekend I was driving down Interstate 20 in Ft. Worth with my mom and my sister. We passed a car and all gasped out loud when we saw a little girl, probably around 2, looking out the window of the car. The window was rolled more than halfway down, she was holding onto it with her hands and her little head was just peering out the window, hair blowing in the breeze. Not a carseat to be seen. I would have called the police if I could have gotten her license plate #, but we couldn't get it. Then, this morning while I was getting gas I saw a woman put her baby in a rear-facing infant carseat (at least she was in a carseat) in the FRONT passenger seat! She had a completely empty back row. I don't know why I care so much, but it just infuriates me to no end. There are things that we can't protect our kids from. They WILL get hurt. I know this. However, shouldn't we all take every precaution that we can to protect them?

Monday Meme

2008-11-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my friend Debbie over at Mother Hubbard to do this ONE word Meme. I'm not great at being concise, so we'll see how this works.

TYPE ONLY ONE WORD FOR EACH ANSWER. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!!!
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? working
3. Your hair? highlighted
4. Your mother? friend
5. Your father? smart
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? Coke
9. Your dream/goal? salvation
10. The room you're in? messy
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? traveling
14. What you're not? organized
15. Muffins/donuts? donuts!!!
16. One of your wish list items? self-control (It's hyphenated, so it should count, right? See, there I go breaking the rules!!!)
17. Where you grew up? Texas
18. The last thing you did? bedtime
19. What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? off
21. Your pet? annoying
22. Your computer? annoying
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? calm
25. Missing someone? Rebecca
26. Favorite pastime? blogging :)
27. Something you're not wearing? socks
28. Favorite Store? Target
29. Your summer? HOT
30. Your favorite color? teal
31. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
32. Last time you cried? Thursday
33. Who will/would re-post this? Becky
34. Four places I go over and over? Church, Wal-Mart, Chick-Fil-A, Sam's
35. Four people who e-mail me? Mom, Dad, Sara, Amy
36. Four of my favorite foods? ice-cream, pizza, brownies, chips
37. Four places I would like to be right now? bed, beach, date, movie
38. Four people I tag? Becky, Kristi, Holly, Rebecca

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #8

2008-10-31T13:05:00.001-07:00

Last night Raymond was giving Bethany a bath and they were spelling words with these bath letters. She wanted to spell "Daddy." Here's the conversation that ensued.

Raymond - "We can't spell 'Daddy' because we don't have enough 'd's'."
Bethany - "But I want to spell daddy!"
R - "Just picture it in your mind."
B - "Where's my mind?"
R - "In your head. You can see things in your mind. Close your eyes and think about something. Think about Grandma. What does she look like?"
B - "Green!!!"
R - "Okay. Um..."
B - "I want to see Mommy in my mind!"
R - "Okay, what does she look like?"
B - " A potato!!!"

Seriously? A potato?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins!!!

2008-10-21T06:57:00.001-07:00

Well, the initial attempt at getting the "perfect" pumpkin patch picture was a failure. I had envisioned the girls in their matching dresses looking sweetly at the camera, maybe holding a pumpkin, or at least sitting by one. Maybe a shot of them lovingly looking at each other with the pumpkins in the background. And I thought that MAYBE, if all the stars aligned at just the right moment, it might be possible to get one of them both looking at the camera smiling. No such luck. I think I took about 90 pictures at the pumpkin patch last weekend. Not one of them turned out well. Here are just a few to show you what I mean.

I thought maybe if *I* sat with them they'd do better. Wrong.

Luckily, we went to a different pumpkin patch later in the week and had a much more successful photo shoot. Of course, it's all relative. It was much better than the first one, but not fantastic by any means!

We went with our weekly playgroup, so we got some pics of all the kiddos together, too. That was a feat for sure. Try to get a 3 year old, 2 2 year olds, a 7 month old and a 6 month old all to look at the camera at the same time. Not possible. But we got some fun pics out of it at least!

So I decided to push my luck and try a couple more of the girls right before we left.

I think I pushed them past their limit. What do you think?

Sea World!!!

2008-10-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

A week ago my friend Brooke and I took our older girls for a fun day at Sea World! We decided that they needed some time with us mommies without the babies (Daddies stayed home with the babies!). We really enjoyed just getting to have fun with them and not be overwhelmed with all the things that we are usually trying to do at home.

Brooke's older daughter, Makenna, is 8 months older than Bethany and they are best friends. Or worst enemies. It's a minute to minute relationship. :) They really did well and had lots of fun together. Here's just a sampling of the photos I took while there.

In the driveway before we even left the house - they were excited because they knew we were going somewhere fun, but we didn't tell them where. We gave them clues (goldfish, fish stickers, Nemo fruit snacks, Shamu coloring pages) all the way there and they figured it out right before we got there!

At the Shamu show being very sweet. This was one of the "best friends" moments.

Picture with the Mer-people.

Looking at the seals and sea lions.

Riding the teacup ferris wheel.

Just a shot of Bethany I thought was cute.

Mommies and girls at the big play area in Shamu's Happy Harbor.

Climbing through the net tunnels. Looking back, Brooke and I can say that we might be a little too old to do that again. :)

The girls with "Shamu" in his birthday hat.

Eating cotton candy. That was definitely a favorite!

After the Beluga whale show we went down and let the girls look at them swim around.

The girls with one of the acrobats in the show, or as Makenna called her, a butterfly.

The girls wanted to feed the dolphins, so we bought some fish for them to feed them. They each held a fish until the dolphins came up and opened their mouths. Then they both got scared and wanted us to do it. Oh well.

On our way out of the park. You think they were tired???

It was such a fun day and we are so glad that we got to do it! I hope that the girls will have happy memories of doing things like this as kids.

Meme

2008-10-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

I love excuses to post memes! This time I was tagged by my friend Becky to post the 6th picture in my 6th photo folder on my computer. Let's see what it is...

Wow - seriously nothing exciting. It was my ebay folder. That was a dress of Bethany's that I sold on ebay a couple months ago. Man, I wish it had been a different folder!

Okay - I tag Jennifer, Debbie and Larissa!

Are You Ready For Some Football?!?!

2008-10-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

It just wouldn't be fall without High School football, would it? Ever since we have lived in Belton we have had season tickets to the High School football games. No, we don't have kids that play on the team or in the band. In fact, back then we didn't even have kids at all! It's just "the thing" to do around here. Everybody goes to the Friday night football games - to support the team, community, and just because it's fun! Tonight was Landry's first football experience and it went really well. We were a bit unsure about even taking her because she's been going to bed between 6:30 and 7:00 lately, and the game didn't even start until 7:30! She did great, though! She took a nap from 6-7, so she was a bit recharged. She just observed and soaked it all in. She didn't cry at all, but she did nuzzle on my shoulder and suck her thumb around halftime. Of course, we couldn't leave before watching the band perform! I did take Landry home after halftime and Raymond and Bethany stayed for more of the game. Bethany didn't want to leave. She had a great time and was a great fan, cheering "Go tigers, run, run, run!!!" Raymond went and got her a drink near the beginning of the game and when she put it down, she put it in the drink holder on the back of the chair in front of her. She looked at Raymond and said, with excitement, "I found the perfect place to put my drink!"

Here are some photos to commemorate this event!

Touchdown!!!

Oh, and just another funny thing Bethany said. On the way home from the game she told Raymond, "I push Mommy's buttons!" How true, how true. :)

"Signguages" and Frozen Corn

2008-09-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Back quite a few months ago when Landry was really young I told Bethany that we needed to start practicing our Sign Language again so we could teach Landry. After that, anytime she'd use sign language she'd say "Mommy, I remembered my 'sign-guages'." Funny girl. It's sad because she doesn't say it like that anymore. She says it the right way. It's a little sad when they stop saying things "wrong," isn't it? It'l like she's not a baby anymore. :(

Anyway, in a recent post I stated that the only thing Landry would eat was bananas. Well, she's finally branched out. She'll eat bananas, pears, peaches, applesauce, sweet potatoes and squash. We are working on green veggies! The things she will eat, though, she LOVES!!! She was screaming in between every bite, so I've been working on the "more" sign a lot lately. I'm pretty sure she's been doing it for a couple days now. I didn't think she'd quite get it being only 6 months old, but she's been doing it in between every bite and it's very purposeful. I think she knows what she's doing. I will say it's nice because she's not screaming in between bites anymore! Here are some pics of her signing "more" 2 nights ago.

Bethany never ceases to crack me up. She tries my patience for sure, but man is she funny. The other night I was making this Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet for dinner. It calls for a cup of frozen corn, thawed. So I had the corn in a cup sitting on the counter to thaw. Bethany comes in, reaches up and grabs a few kernels. She eats them. She grabs more. She eats them. She keeps eating more and more. Frozen corn is now her favorite snack. Instead of standing at the freezer begging for popsicles, she now begs for corn. Weird. I let her have it because it's healthy I guess!!!

And now for a shameless plug...

Most of you know that my little sister is trying to get her own photography business off the ground. Well, here's a link to her new website. http://www.saras-studio.com/
Take a look, enjoy, and send it to everyone you know (especially in the Dallas area). For those of you who live near me, she comes here pretty often to do shoots for people around here. Check out the website for sure - I bet you'll see some familiar faces!

What a Mess!

2008-09-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight our Life Group (small group from church) met at our house. There were 6 kids and 2 babies. While the adults had our Bible study in the living room with the babies, the 6 kids (ranging from ages 17 months to 3 years) played in our playroom with one teenage babysitter. Afterwards, several of the familes stayed to eat dinner and watch the Cowboys. So near the end of the evening Bethany comes running into the kitchen yelling, "Mommies and Daddies come look! We made a MESS!!!" She wasn't kidding.

Thanks to all the mommies who helped get it all cleaned up again! We had a great time with you and all of your kiddos!!!

Oh, I also found out from my friend Jennifer, who teaches Bethany's Bible Class on Sunday mornings, that Bethany is telling on herself! This morning they learned about Adam and Eve not obeying God. So they ask the kids if they ever don't obey their parents. Apparantly Bethany says, "Yes, I tee-tee in my panties." Greatness. :)

Out of the mouth of Bethany #7

2008-09-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

So tonight Bethany did something that she knows she's not supposed to do. I found evidence of it and asked her if she did it. She said no. Well, she did, infact, do it. So, she got a spank (sorry to all of my followers who are anti-spanking!) and got sent to timeout. When she was finished with her timeout I asked her to come to me so we could talk. Of course I'm planning on laying into her about lying, what she did wrong, etc. Well, before I can even start, she comes to me and says, "Mommy, did you know that I love you?" Where do they learn to say these things at just the right time????????? Ugh! Melts my heart.

On another note, I've had some requests for photos of my loot from the Just Between Friends consignment sales that I participated in. So here ya go!

My idea for either birthday or Christmas this year (for Bethany) is to fill a Rubbermaid tub with dress-up clothes. I got all of these for that!

Here's the $5 Halloween costume. B is going to be Dorothy and L is going to be the Cowardly Lion (from The Wizard of Oz).

There were so many clothes to shop from it was just unbelieveable! I tried to limit myself to comfortable play-type clothes unless there was something nice that was a super good deal. Here's what I got for Landry.

For Bethany - knit dresses and leggings. Almost all were either Gymboree, L.L. Bean or Land's End.

And more for Bethany - knit tops and leggings.

And a couple "jogging" suits - bad picture, sorry - I was standing RIGHT in my own light - duh.

2 matching outfits -

Plus the stroller I posted about earlier, puzzles, games, more shoes, dvd's, etc.

There were a few more things I found after I took the pics that didn't make it in the photo shoot, but you get the point.

So I know what you are thinking. How much did she SPEND on all this stuff??? Well, I'll tell you. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. For real. I consigned all of the girls' old clothes and some baby equipment that we won't need anymore. I made roughly $800-900 on everything that I sold(that's including the $$ I made from a few of my friends buying my stuff before I took it to the sale). I spent about $350 on everything that I bought. So I ended up making about $500. AND I got rid of stuff that was cluttering my house and got "new" stuff!

It's a great thing I tell ya! You should ALL do it!!!

Happy Half Birthday Landry!!!

2008-09-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Half Birthday baby girl! Sorry it's a little late! Landry Gayle turned 6 months old on Saturday, September 6th. We did a 6 month photo shoot on Monday with Aunt Sara. Here's one of my faves!

I thought for her 6 month birthday I would list 6 things that either she's doing at this point or that I love about her.

1. Crawls around the house and gets into EVERYTHING she shouldn't!!!

Who me?

2. Pulls up on everything - including her crib. This has caused some sleeping issues because she can't quite figure out how to get down.

(This is her crib at Grandma's house)

3. Has 2 precious little teeth!

(Don't mind the bananas/applesauce on her face!!!)

4. Her favorite forms of entertainment - Bethany and Abby (our dog). She is an angel in the car because she just stares at Bethany and is totally mesmerized by her. Occasionally we get a laugh, but most of the time she just stares at her in amazement. Whenever she sees Abby she makes this excited shriek - it's so cute!

5. She is eating solid foods now. Well, maybe I should say "food" - singular. Just about the only thing she'll eat is bananas. But she sure does love them!!! I can mix prunes or applesauce in with the bananas and she'll eat them that way. But most everything else it not greeted so well. Oh well, we'll just keep trying!

6. I love that she sucks her thumb! I know, I know - it'll be a hard habit to break. But it's just so cute! And it's so nice that she has a way to soothe herself. She usually only sucks it when she's sleepy, but every now and then she does it "just for fun."

Happy 6 months baby girl! We hope they've been as good for you as they have been for us. We love you so much!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #6

2008-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's been awhile since I've posted. We (the girls and I) have been out of town since Tuesday, and we won't be home until Wednesday! We are staying with my parents while I consign/volunteer/shop at this amazing event. There's one in Waco that I'll be participating in next week, but the one I'm doing this week is in Ft. Worth and it's the biggest one in Texas! It has been loads of fun and I've found some great buys! I got this BabyTrend stroller in EXCELLENT condition for only $10!!! I was so excited! I also found the Halloween costume I wanted for Bethany for $5. Woohoo!

Anyway, in order to shop early at this consignment sale, I volunteered to work several shifts. One of the shifts was on Wednesday evening. Here is the conversation that took place as I was getting ready to leave. Oh, let me preface this with the fact that usually when I leave her at night it is to go to some sort of meeting.

Me: Bethany, I'm not going to be home to put you to bed tonight because I have to go work.

B: Why are you going to work Mommy? Why aren't you going to a meeting? BOYS go to work!!!

I thought this was pretty funny. I figured my friend Amanda (a sociology professor) would get a kick out of it for sure!

Like FATHER, Like Daughter???

2008-08-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's only fair that since Bethany looks exactly like me that Landry looks exactly like Raymond. At least I think she does. What do you think?

Here are some better pictures of Landry and her friend Kelsey. We went to the pool again last night and I tried to redeem myself by taking some better pictures!

Landry has started sitting up really well by herself. It's like a whole new world has opened up for her! She's really enjoying playing with some bigger toys. However, Bethany has decided that she really needs to play with those toys she hasn't touched in 2 years. In the pictures it looks like Bethany is being sweet and showing Landry how to play. Really, she's trying to take them away from her. :)

Really, this is the BEST thing to do with a toy!

And I just loved this pic! I was sitting back just watching them play and thought it was so cute!

These are just some pics of Landry playing that I took the other day. Of course, she's eating the bag of toys. Then she got tired, I guess, and decided to use it as a pillow.

I know it seems like I must love Landry more than Bethany because there are so many more pictures of her than Bethany. It's just that Landry is at a much more photogenic stage. Bethany runs away when I point the camera towards her and yells, "I don't want you to take my picture!!!" So there you go. Here is one pic I did manage to get of her the other day. She was having a "swimming lesson" with her Baby Allison.

And one more sweet picture of the baby to leave you with.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week the girls and I took a trip up to Dallas to visit my grandpa in the hospital. He is 87 years old and had to have unexpected surgery, so we thought we'd go see him. He did really well and is now at home recovering. The hospital where he had his surgery just happened to be the same hospital where my sister, Sara, and I were born. There is a fun little play area for kids in the lobby, so of course, Bethany had to spend a little time there and I shot some pictures of her playing on all the animals. My dad said that when my sister was born (I was 2 years, 4 months old) I played on those VERY same animals! He said he thought they had some pictures of it, too. So when we got back to my parents' house that night I dug out the old photo albums and scanned some pics. Here's what we got:

Me in 1980

Bethany this week - 28 years later

Me

Bethany

Me

Bethany

Crazy, huh?

Well, onto the other child. It's been a big week for Baby Landry! On Wednesday she cut her first tooth - her bottom right incisor (I think that's what it's called!). I really think she's working on the one next to it, too. She gnaws on anything, including her own hands, all day long. Yesterday at a baby shower she was gnawing on my friend's wooden chair. Probably not too safe. Her favorite thing of all to chew on, though, is my keys. Really not safe. I'm going to look for those fake keys that look real at Target tomorrow!

And tonight she "officially" started crawling. My life is about to change drastically. We went to a neighborhood pool with some friends this evening and had a great time. I wore Landry in my new Porpoise Pouch for the first time and she LOVED it! So I got her out, dried her off, put her in some dry clothes and laid her on a beach towel on the concrete while I got ready to leave. I went to throw some trash away and as I was walking back I saw her off of the towel crawling on the concrete over to the grass. When she reached the grass she took a big handful, pulled it out and put it up to her mouth. Luckily one of our friends was right there and rescued her from eating grass! Of course I was having a cow because she was crawling and he said, "You've never seen her do that before?" Nope. She's never done it before! So for the next 15 minutes we were there she was crawling all over the concrete getting into everyone's bags. Great. Just what I need. A 2 year old AND a 5 month old to chase around! Really, I'm proud of the little girl, but I'm just not ready for this!!! I had my camera out in the car, but forgot until later or I would have taken pics of the first crawl. When I remembered that I had it, I did pull it out to take some shots of Landry and Kelsey - her buddy who is one month younger than her. Of course, my memory card was full when they were both smiling and they both got unhappy while I was deleting photos, so here's what we got.

Unfortunately, I guess I moved when I took these because the sun is behind Landry's head and made the pics really dark. Oh well, I'm still learning!

Family Reunion

2008-08-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

Warning: This post is going to be very photo heavy! Since I got my new camera I've gone a little overboard with the picture taking. Believe it or not, I cut out LOTS of pictures, but still had a hard time narrowing them down. So look if you wish - really, this is for me to have a "scrapbook" of sorts.

Last weekend we headed out to Glenrose for the annual Duggan Family Reunion. Actually, Raymond went on Friday night and I went Saturday morning with the girls. It's just so much easier to sleep at home with a 2 year old and a 5 month old! We got there in the morning and lots of family was already there to greet us. Our niece, Lexi, was waiting for Bethany to play with her! She's 6 months older than Bethany, so she's 3 now. Every time they spend time together they seem to enjoy each other more. I guess that comes with age. Whatever the reason, it was so great to see them really playing and listen to their very interesting conversations! Here are just a few pics of the girls that we took as soon as we got there. They sure didn't waste any time, did they?

The shadow of this tree made for some poor photos. Guess I'll have to actually learn how to adjust settings on my camera and stuff. Sara??? Melissa???

Here are a couple attempts at a pic of both girls. Didn't really succeed. I'm reminded of my friend Debbie, who has girls similar ages as mine. She said she's looking forward to her girls being 2 and 4 just so she can get a decent picture of them together!!! I completely agree!

Oops - Landry looks a little scared! Don't worry, she didn't fall - there were people ready to catch a falling baby on either side of the chair!

Our beautiful baby girl! Too bad it was so dark in the shade - she was making a really sweet face.

Our beautiful big girl!

Our beautiful niece, Lexi.

Our handsome nephew, Chase (Lexi's older brother).

The three girls together.

Daddy and Bethany having loads of fun!

Gram was so good and brought lots of fun things for the kiddos to do. I think the favorite, though, was the bubbles! Here are Bethany, Lexi and their 2nd or 3rd or twice removed cousin (not really sure what she is - she's Raymond's cousin's granddaughter) Payton blowing bubbles.

After LOTS of playing in the hot sun and the dirt (which, by the way, was Bethany's favorite thing to do the whole time we were there), we took the kids to the pool to cool off a little. I have pics from the pool, but haven't uploaded them yet, so you are spared!

After swimming Landry was wiped out. Poor thing!

She woke up happy, though, and was happy to see her Gram!

Drooly Droolerson

Before dinner the kids were entertained by one of Bethany's puzzles. Chase was a good sport to play with the girls.

I guess Bethany thought the puzzle was getting a little too far away from her!

I realized I hadn't been in any pictures, so I asked Chase to take a pic of Bethany and me. It says a lot about Chase that I let him use my brand new camera!!!! Anyway, here we are - do you think we look alike???

Gram and Bethany enjoying a moment together.

These are my favorite pictures I took at the reunion. I was sitting relatively far away from the girls and just zoomed in on them. They were doing everything they did on their own, without prodding from me! I just thought they were being so sweet and wanted to capture it on camera. At one point Bethany said, "We're sitting in the same chair because we're best friends!" Makes my heart melt a little.

Thanks for looking if you made it this far!!!

And the Answer is...

2008-08-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

A!!! You guys were all right! I can definitely tell them apart, but wondered if everyone else could, too. They definitely look related, though, don't you think?

And in other news, I got my new camera. Woohoo!!!!!!! I'm so excited. I love it!!!!!!!! I got a Canon Rebel XT and it has been so great even though I've only been using the automatic settings. All I know how use so far is the "point and click" feature. With time I'll figure out all the cool things about it. For now, I'm just enjoying a camera that a) turns on all the time, and b) takes a picture IMMEDIATELY - not 10 seconds after the moment I was trying to capture! Here are some of my first shots with the new camera!

Landry waking up Aunt Sara on her 28th birthday! (Yes, the birthday girl slept on the couch. It was her choice - it was far away from the baby's room. Ha ha!)

Landry sitting in Mommy's lap while Bethany and Pappy swim. I was taking these pics one-handed since I had to hold the baby, too!

The girls playing with each other. So sweet!

Bethany and I went with Pappy to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. Well, initially we went to get a sno-cone, but the sno-cone stand didn't open until much later. Some MAJOR tears later, we ended up at Dairy Queen for ice cream instead. Here they are patiently waiting and contemplating the meaning of life.

Bethany giving Pappy a little hug.

And the much anticipated ice cream cone. She looks like she's really concentrating!

And here's Landry's latest feat! By the way, baby girl turned 5 months old on Wednesday. Sniff, sniff.

Another Guessing Game!

2008-07-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

Okay - here are two 3 month pics. Can you guess which one is which? To be fair, I know some of you have seen these pics in my house or on message boards, so if you know for sure don't ruin it for everyone else!!!

a)Bethany first, Landry second
b)Landry first, Bethany second
c)Both Bethany
d)Both Landry
e)Neither - must be someone else's kids!!!

Monday Meme

2008-07-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Becky put this on her blog and tagged me to do the same. I thought it was kinda fun! Enjoy!

ABC’s

A. Attached or Single? Attached

B. Best Friend? Male - Raymond, Female - my mom

C. Cake or Pie? cake - only the cake part, though, not the icing! Oh, I forgot about my mother-in-law's chocolate pie - that's the best!

D. Day of choice? any day my hubby happens to be off work

E. Essential item? dvd player

F. Favorite color? teal

G. Gummy bears or worms? bears - only the Haribo brand, though. I don't like any others.

H. Home town? Allen, TX - it's very different now, than when I grew up there. Back then it was just a few houses, some fields and a Brookshire's!

I. Favorite indulgence? Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee Ice Cream. I think it literally has a whole day's worth of fat and calories, but it is SO worth it.

J. January or July? July - I hate being cold!

K. Kids? 2 sweet girls - one of which is squirming in my lap as I type

L. Life isn’t complete without? everyone else said Jesus, but my first thought was FOOD!!! Is that bad?

M. Marriage date? March 23, 2002
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 sister

O. Oranges or Apples? Fuji Apples

P. Phobias? Tornadoes and throwing up!

Q. Quotes? "A person who has more than one true friend has more than their share." I love that quote because I'm so lucky to have quite a few "true" friends. I'm so blessed!

R. Reasons to smile? Sleeping more than 3 hours in a row at night, my beautiful children, God's grace!

S. Season of choice? Spring

T. Tag 4 people: Jennifer J., Rebecca T., Larissa R., Amanda C.

U. Unknown fact about me? I hardly EVER cry!

V. Vegetable? sweet corn on the cob - yum! Or homegrown squash - mmmmmmmmmmmmm...

W. Worst habit? being messy/not picking up after myself

X. Xray or ultrasound? Ultrasound - there's nothing like seeing that baby's heartbeat!

Y. Your favorite food? Real food - pizza, Dessert - ice cream

Z. Zodiac sign - Aries, but I don't really believe "in" them.

Catch-Up!!!

2008-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, I know. This may be a long catch-up post! Let me start out by saying that we have still not gotten a new camera. However, I just got the green light to get the Canon Rebel that I have been wanting. Woohoo!!! Until I get it and figure out how to use it, all of my loyal readers will just have to live with the poor quality of my pics - sorry. We should get the new one soon. In fact, I will probably order it after I finish this post!

Last Saturday we had a fun day! My grandparents, who live in Tennessee, came to visit us. They were actually staying with my parents in the Dallas area, but they all made the trip to see us for the day. We had a lovely time chatting, eating lunch, and of course, playing with the kiddos! Here are some pics of Granny, Grandy, Bethany and Landry. (By the way, you can see Bethany's new haircut in these pics!!!)

I just love how Landry is looking at Bethany in this pic. Bethany is definitely Landry's favorite entertainment!

I thought this was a sweet pic my mom took of Landry's hand and Granny's hand.

On another note, the girls have been busy, busy, busy to say the least! Bethany has been riding her tricycle the "right" way for awhile now, but I've never caught it on camera. I just think she's so cute when she's riding it! Of course, our driveway isn't the best place to ride a trike - it's a pretty steep incline and she always wipes out in the grass. I have to stand at the bottom and make sure she doesn't roll out into the street!

Landry is getting much more mobile lately. I'm SOOOOO not ready for this! She's 4 months old for crying out loud! The house isn't even close to babyproof anymore. Bethany didn't crawl until about 8 months, so this is really catching me off guard! She's not really crawling, don't get me wrong. She IS very mobile, though. She'll scoot all around the living room (everywhere EXCEPT her playmat) on her belly, pushing herself with her feet/knees/hands. I think she'll be crawling for real before too long. She was actually up on all fours yesterday. Yikes!!! Here are some pics I caught of her making her way around her playmat. Please ignore the fact that she looks green. Remember, I'm getting a new camera tonight!

Ok, It's Official!

2008-07-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a new camera. Not someday in the near future. NOW! Like today or tomorrow. Our camera has been malfunctioning a lot recently. Sometimes is takes bad pics, sometimes is won't turn on and sometimes it'll turn on, but there's no picture. Anyway, today was the last straw for me. Bethany had her first haircut today! Sniff, sniff. Just a tiny trim so it would be out of her eyes, but nonetheless, a haircut. Here are the pics to commemorate the ocassion.

Before:

Sitting in the chair with the cute "cape" on:

The very first cut:

After:

So that's what we have to remember the first haircut! I'll make a great scrapbook page with those pics for sure.

Stupid camera aside, it was all in all a great success! Bethany did GREAT! She didn't even need bribery. She just sat in the chair and did exactly what Jayci told her to do. The cut looks good, too. Probably not many people would actually even notice it got cut. I'm just happy that it's not hanging in her face anymore. Maybe when I get my new camera I can post a pic of what it looks like!

In other news, Landry has started attending the Cradle Roll class at church. Here are some pics of her and her friend Kelsey, who is one month and one day younger than her.

And just because she was so darn cute today:

Oh, Bethany did say something else pretty funny the other day. We've been working on learning the lowercase letters because I realized that she pretty much only recognized uppercase. Anyway, I was telling her about uppercase and lowercase and then asking her to identify certain letters. I showed her a lowercase "a" and asked her what it was. She said, "A downercase 'a'!"

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #5

2008-07-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

The other day I called Bethany's babysitter to see if she could watch her one day this week, but she was in Colorado. I told Bethany that Katelin was in Colorado and couldn't come play with her. Later, I heard Bethany talking on her play phone. She told me that she was talking to Katewin in Avocado!

Last night when I was giving Bethany a bath I was dripping water on her head. She started singing "Raindrops keep falling on my head, for the Father up above is looking down on my head."

I love my children!

2008-07-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

How can you not love this?

And this?

I am so blessed and thankful for my wonderful family - even with days like my last post (which by the way, are pretty common around here)!!!

Adventures in Mommy-ing

2008-07-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, today was pretty ho-hum. Not much going on. Ran some errands, Bethany had a swimming lesson (pics soon to come), afternoon naps, ran to the grocery store. Not very exciting. Ha!

So we go on a mission to CVS this morning to find some "safe" sunscreen. For more on that check out these links.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/01/sunscreen.study/index.html
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/
(Since I'm relatively new to this blogging stuff I don't have everything figured out. I've tried making these links work, but I can't get them to. Any advice???)

I'm wearing Landry in the sling and Bethany is walking with me. We've just recently progressed to being able to walk with Mommy instead of be in the basket. Of course, only in small places for short periods of time. I digress. The first thing we come to as soon as we walk in the store is a large display of homemade-like cookies. "Mommy, are these cookies for me?" I assure her that they are for someone else, NOT for her. Tantrum ensues. I patiently look around at the people in the store, extend my hand and plead with her to get up and come with me. Someone must have been watching over me at that moment because a miracle happened. She said, "Okay," got up and came with me. WHAT??? Who are you and what have you done with my child? I thank her (possibly a little excessively, but hey, I'm in shock) and we go about finding sunscreen. We decide on Blue Lizard, well actually, Baby Lizard. That's all we need, so we go to the checkout. I'm thinking it should be illeagal to place ALL of the candy in the entire store at the eye level of a 2 year old at the checkout counter. Seriously, I understand it's "marketing," but do these people really want tantrums thrown in their stores? While I'm purchasing the sunscreen, Bethany is picking up (and thankfully replacing) every box of Tic-Tacs and saying, "Mommy, are these for me? Can I have some candy?" After saying, "No, they aren't for you, we have snacks for us at home," about 100 times, my transaction was complete and we were on our merry way.

Let me preface this by saying that never, not ONCE, has Bethany EVER sucked her thumb. I don't even think she got it in her mouth accidentally as a baby. Landry, however, does suck her thumb. Usually it's only when she's sleepy, but I'm so grateful that she has a self-soothing tool! Anyway, about halfway home from CVS it gets really quiet in the backseat. I check out the rear view mirror and see Landry craning her neck to watch Bethany. So I decide I should see what Bethany is doing. I look back and she's resting her head on the side of her carseat, eyes squeezed closed very tightly, sucking her thumb. What in the world? She opened her eyes and removed her thumb in about 5 seconds, but still! I'm still not sure what that was all about. I guess she was trying to be a baby.

So we get home, have a relatively non-eventful lunch while Landry naps and then it's off to swimming lessons. Of course, since the baby takes forever to fall asleep, I have to WAKE HER UP to go. The baby sleep training book that I'm reading, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, specifically states, "Never wake a sleeping baby. Ever." Well, whaddya gonna do when you have a 2 year old who desperately wants to go to her swimming lesson? You wake up the baby. Thankfully, she's such a sweet, happy baby that not one tear was shed.

I'm not so sure that Bethany will actually obey her swimming instructor. I mean, she doesn't obey me, so why should she obey someone else? So, I resort to bribery. She had a sucker from the day before (bribery again) that I'd wrapped up and hidden on the kitchen counter. I told her she could have it when we got home if she obeyed the teacher and did what she was supposed to in class. Besides getting out of the pool a few times, she really does well. She even tells me when she has to potty and gets out of the pool to do so. Well, when we get home she remembers about the sucker. I retrieve it from it's special hiding place, unwrap it, and notice some black specks on it. Dirt? Upon further inspection, I realize that there are about 15 dead ants on the sucker. Uh-oh. It's the end of the world. Literally. Bethany is beside herself sobbing. She cries, "I want my daddy to come home so I can show him!" Poor thing. She puts herself in time-out. I go offer a popsicle instead. Tears are dried up and she's happy again. Crisis partially averted.

While both girls are napping (very rare occasion) I decide to clean my oven. I made a large brisket on the 4th of July and the juice overflowed. A lot. It makes the kitchen really stink and makes it difficult to cook anything in the oven. So, I decide to use the self-clean feature that I've never used before. Remember, I'm not a good housekeeper by any means. I've never cleaned my oven. As soon as the oven gets hot, smoke starts coming out of the vents. I know this is just everything that was caked in the oven burning off. I turn on the fan that's on the microwave right above the oven. Doesn't do much. The house is starting to fill with smoke and I just KNOW that the smoke detectors are going to go off any second, waking up both children. And I can't have that. So I open all doors and windows, turn on all ceiling fans, and bring a large oscillating fan into the kitchen. I aim it to where all the smoke points out the front door. All the while, my eyes are burning so badly I'm crying and can hardly see. About an hour later, the oven stops smoking and the house is about 400 degrees. Whew, glad that's over with.

So the kids both wake up and I decide we have to go to Wal-mart to get groceries. I didn't think this through very well, because I had stuff I could have made for dinner, but the oven was locked and cleaning itself. Oops. So we load up the car to get something that doesn't have to be cooked in the oven. I notice dark clouds and very strong wind. A storm is blowing in. Maybe we can make it to walmart and back before rain. Sure we can. Once we get to walmart I can barely walk without getting blown away. I was looking around for funnel clouds thinking seriously I'd be hearing tornado sirens. But no. So I unload the kids into the grocery basket and sling. Meanwhile the contents of my car are being blown across the walmart parking lot. Hope I didn't have anything valuable in there. Likely, it was just a couple Shipley's cups and some straw wrappers.

Maybe if we really hurry we'll make it before it rains! We speed shop, stopping quickly to pick up a bag of Dum-Dums to replace the ant-eaten sucker and of course, for future bribery. We get everything except for strawberries. Nary a strawberry to be seen in walmart. Figures. So we checkout, I make sure my keys are at the top of the diaper bag and rush to the door only to see rain pouring almost horizontally across the parking lot. The lady walking in says it JUST started. Darnit! Almost made it. If only we hadn't had to search produce 14 times for strawberries. Or gone all the way to the back of the store for Dum-Dums. Whatever the case, we had missed our chance and now it was raining. Luckily, I had thought ahead and made sure the umbrella was in the diaper bag. I get it out, raise it and we leave the store. It doesn't protect all 3 of us very well, so I cover Landry with the tail of my sling and cover Bethany with the umbrella, while I'm trying to push the cart. I ask Bethany if she will please hold the umbrella. No. She thinks she needs to help cover Landry with the sling. She's grabbing the fabric and holding it against Landry's face. We go back and forth, "Please, Bethany, I need you to hold the umbrella." "No, I need to hold Landry's *swing*." Before long, who is holding the umbrella becomes a moot point. An umbrella doesn't do much good if it is inverted. Yes, the wind blew it the opposite direction and it inverted. Okay, so at least I have 2 hands to push the cart now. We get to the car, I open the bag and reach for my keys. Not there. I dig around. Nowhere to be found. I seriously can't remember a time it has taken me longer to find my keys. Maybe that's because I'm getting drenched and my 2 year old is having a MELTDOWN because she and her bag of Dum-Dums are getting wet. Finally, after half of the contents of the bag have been removed (and drenched) I find the keys! I get the wet kids and groceries in the car and go home. Through all of that, I have to say that my precious little infant never made a peep. She's so good-natured. Thank you Lord for a happy baby!!!

Pretty much from then on, the evening was pleasant. We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Butterfinger Cake

2008-07-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

This yummy recipe actually comes from a Bible Study I'm currently doing. It is called No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. At the end of each chapter are 2 recipes. This is the first one I've made and it was great!

1 box Devil's food cake mix
10 oz. cola or diet cola
1 egg white
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
2 T. peanut butter
8 oz. frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
8 fun-size Butterfinger bars, chopped/crushed

Combine cake mix, cola and egg white. Bake according to cake mix instructions in a greased 9x13 pan.

A few minutes before the cake is to be done, combine sweetened condensed mile and peanut butter in a saucepan. Cook and stir on low to make creamy and warm.

When cake is done and still hot, poke holes in top of cake with a knife and pour peanut butter mixture over top of cake. You may have to spread the mixture a little to help it go down into the holes. Sprinkle top with half an the chopped Butterfingers. Cool cake completely.

Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle remaining Butterfingers over the top. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

ENJOY!!!

Happy Birthday to Landry and Pappy!

2008-07-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today was Landry's 4 month birthday (I can hardly believe it!!!) and my dad's 58th birthday. My family came here to celebrate with us. They were so sweet to travel on a holiday Sunday just so I wouldn't have to make the trip by myself with both girls. That's not really too fun! Anyway, Bethany and I made Pappy a Butterfinger cake yesterday and we had it today. It was so yummy! I'll post the recipe when I have a bit more time.

I was so thankful to have the family join us at church this morning. Since Raymond had to work, I was at church with both girls by myself, which is pretty challenging to say the least. They were a great help to me! We had lunch a Chili's (my dad's favorite) and then came home for birthday cake and ice cream.

After naps (Pappy, Raymond, Bethany and Landry all got to nap) we played outside with Bethany in her pool and had a great time watching all of her tricks. Landry even "sunbathed" a little! Don't worry - she was in the shade!

After a healthy dinner of pizza, and yes, some more birthday cake, the family headed home. I hope they made it - I know they were in some pretty heavy holiday traffic. Sorry! We are really glad that you all came and we had a great time!!!

Pappy with his girls

Aunt Sara with Landry

Just a few photos to commemorate what Landry is doing at 4 months. These were actually taken a couple weeks ago, but close enough, right?

Trying to sit herself up! She's pretty good at the "tripod" sit, but eventually ends up folded in half!

Holds toys for short periods of time and tries to chew on them. That is, until she drops them.

This is how she spends most of her time. Pretty much every time I put her down on her back she immediately flips to her tummy and stays there. She's pretty darn happy there, too!

Thanks for being such a joy in our lives Landry Gayle - we love you!!!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #4

2008-07-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I know. Some of you are wondering if I've forgotten I even have a blog. Haven't forgotten - just been very busy. You know - just one of those weeks. Anyway, I have a couple cute/interesting things Bethany has said lately.

Last Sunday Bethany came home singing that song "Be careful little ears what you hear..." She was singing it really well until she got to the part that says "For the Father up above is looking down in love." She sang "For the Father up above is looking down the street." Huh? Where did she get that??? I got a good laugh out of that one!

Tonight:

Me - Bethany, tomorrow we get to make Pappy a birthday cake!

Bethany - NO! I want GRAM to make my birthday cake for November!!!

Me - Ok, she can make your birthday cake, but November is far away. Pappy's birthday is on Sunday.

Bethany - Gram will make me my birthday cake at her home. She will put rice and beans in it. And seeds. I like to eat seeds.

Me - Ok then! (Seriously, what do you say to that???)

Our First Family Vacation!

2008-06-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we survived our first vacation as a family of 4! On Tuesday morning we headed out to San Antonio and went to Seaworld. I crammed myself into one of the 3rd row seats so I could entertain Landry in the car. It worked pretty well - no screaming meltdowns or anything. I was just super uncomfortable. My knees were pretty much at my chin! Anyway, we got there without any major issues (one stop for a leaking diaper - and it wasn't pee!).

It must have been 8 million and a half degrees there. Wow, it was hot! We survived, though. Drank lots of water and spent a good deal of time in the aquarium, penguin exhibit and water park. Bethany looooooved it! I think her favorite things were the penguins, the sharks and getting to feed the seals and sea lions. Landry didn't love it so much, but she was very good. No break downs or anything. What a great baby!

We spent Tuesday night in a hotel. It was our first hotel experience with Bethany and she thought it was great. Probably because we let her order an ice cream sundae from room service before bed. Hey - it's a vacation, right? Both girls slept great in their own beds and didn't wake up until 8:30 in the morning. Well, Landry did wake up to eat, but not for long. When we got up Wednesday morning we went back to Seaworld until about 4:00 that afternoon. Needless to say, there were some sleepy girls in the car. Bethany actually slept for about an hour and a half and she NEVER sleeps in the car anymore!

I am pretty irritated with our camera, though. I'm on a mission to get a new one, so if anyone has any reccommendations I'll take them. Half of the pictures we took turned out pink. I don't know what the deal is, but it made me very sad! Anyway, here are some of the pics that did turn out well.

Landry did great in this stroller! She doesn't like the infant carrier carseat at ALL, so she got to be a big girl and ride in the actual stroller.

This is one of my pictures that turned out pink. Isn't that weird? Anyway, Bethany was "navigating" and telling us where everything was on the map.

This marching band goes around the park all day. Bethany thought they were the greatest.

Waving at them.

Playing "limbo" with them. She actually got scared and started crying for me after she went under. Oh well.

Shamu!!!

Are we done yet? I'm hot.

Me too.

Day 2!

Bethany feeding the seals.

Sucking her thumb. Doesn't look too comfortable, does it?

Well, these were taken in the aquarium and didn't come out well of the fish and sharks. Oops.

While Bethany and Daddy swam, Landry and I chilled on the deck chairs. Well, we weren't close to really being chilly, but we were at least in the shade.

Bethany played this game and won a big stuffed penguin. Then she wanted to dunk her penguin in the water.

My sweet girls.

My Future American Idol

2008-06-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

This video is from April, but I just now got it put on youtube (thanks to my friend Stephen!). I just thought this song was so cute!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' and Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day (a little late) to all those dads out there. A very special wish to my husband and my dad. They are 2 wonderful dads and I'm so blessed to have them be such an important part of my life! There are some cute pics of them with the girls from this weekend, but I don't have them yet. I have to wait for my sister to get them to me (hint, hint!). When I do I'll post them!

On to the big news for the week - Landry is rolling over both ways now! She's been rolling from tummy to back since she was about 2 months old. Last Wednesday she rolled from back to tummy. She's 3 months old now. I thought that seemed a bit earlier than Bethany did it, so I looked in Bethany's baby book. Sure enough, she didn't roll either way until she was 5 months old! Landry just has a lot more time on the floor to practice I think. Probably because she doesn't cry all the time! And she's also smaller than Bethany was. Bethany had a pretty big load to roll over!!! Anyway, here are some pictures of her performing her latest trick.

Just rolled over!

Trying to get back to my tummy.

Finally!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #3

2008-06-19T08:15:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple funny things she's said lately...

Bethany - "Me and Daddy are going to make cookies for you Mommy."

Raymond - (Correcting her grammar) "Daddy and I."

Bethany - "Daddy and I. (pause to think) Who's I?

Amanda - "You are I."

Bethany - "I'm not I!"

I hesitated to post the next quote because it's not quite so humorous if you can't see the look on her face when she said it. However, it's too good to not post!

We were at HEB the other day in the bakery. I was talking to one of the ladies behind the counter. Meanwhile, I hear in the background Bethany saying, "Mommy, look - cupcakes! Mommy there's cake! Mommy - cookies! Mommy, look - cupcakes!" Over and over and over. So the nice lady behind the counter gives her a sugar cookie. As we are leaving Bethany looks at me with overwhelming delight in her eyes and says, "Mommy, I want to have my birthday party HERE!!!!!!" I laughed out loud in the store. A birthday party at HEB. That would be a first!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #2

2008-06-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

A few days ago:
Bethany - "Can I go outside and swim in my pool?"
Me - "Not today - it's too windy. See, the wind is blowing your pool around."
Bethany - "I can swim another time when it stops... (pause to think) wind-ing?"

Tonight:
Bethany - "I want more M&M's!"
Raymond - "No, you aren't getting any more M&M's tonight."
Bethany - (pause to think) "I definitely want more M&M's."

It only took 2 1/2 years

2008-06-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

to figure out how to use a paci! Bethany NEVER would take a pacifier as a baby. Now that we have them lying around the house (not being used, mind you, because Landry doesn't take them either) she has decided that she needs to suck on them. I thought it was pretty funny tonight, so I took some pics. Note, she's not really good at it. Sometimes she has to hold it in with her hand. :)

And here she is holding it in WHILE she helps me with the dishes. Sidenote - she is obsessed with the sink sprayer! I've decided to try and harness the spraying energy and let her "help" me rinse the dishes. She loves it!

Cuttin' Up!

2008-06-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

First of all, most of you were right. That last picture WAS Bethany. You guys are better than I am because I think I would have guessed Landry!

Yesterday Bethany was sick - fever, tummy ache, a little throw up incident. It was lovely! However, today she was much better. By evening she was totally back to her little mischievous self!

She's been wanting to cut with scissors lately, so I bought her a pair and let her use them under close supervision. Today we made collages and she had a blast cutting and gluing! Who knew that could entertain a 2 year old for so long?

She was proud of her work and wanted me to take pictures of them.

Food

Animals

Babies

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #1

2008-06-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today while I was on the phone with a friend, Bethany brought me a loaf of bread from the kitchen. When I hung up I asked her what kind of sandwich she wanted - it was lunchtime, I figured that's what she wanted. She says, "I want JUST the crust!" We've never had an issue with crust. We've never really even talked about it. She's never asked for it to be cut off, so I never started that. So where does she get that she wants JUST the crust? What 2 year old actually WANTS crust? I'm intrigued, so I say okay. I get a piece of bread and cut off 4 pieces of crust. I give her one. Our conversation is as follows:

Bethany - "That's not crust!"

Me - "Yes it is."

Bethany - "No it isn't."

Me - "Well then what is it?"

Bethany - "It's the soft part!"

Then she proceeds to eat all the crust AND all of the "soft part." She's so weird sometimes!

This afternoon I left the kids (yes, both of them) with Raymond for a little while. Bethany wanted to swim in her pool outside, so Raymond put sunscreen on her. Well, while she was flailing about, some of it got in her eye. She cried for a little bit, but felt better soon. Her eye, however, was still red and very watery all evening long. She told us while we were eating dinner that her eye was "melting." Ha! Funny kid.

I have a feeling that this "Out of the Mouth of Bethany," will be a long series. :)

Happy 3 Month Birthday Landry Gayle!!!

2008-06-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today our baby girl turned 3 months old! I can't believe she's that old already! She's just so much fun. She "talks" to us, laughs, pushes up, rolls over (from tummy to back only), grabs for toys overhead and even tries to "crawl." She ends up scooting herself pretty well, actually! I took some pictures of her today to try to capture "her" at this age. Here are a few of them:

She wanted everyone to see her big ol' belly!

And here's a little comparison. These are a few pics of Bethany when she was 3 months old.

Wow - I'm not sure I could tell which baby was in this pic if I didn't know! They really do look alike when they are asleep! Which one do you think it is???

Just an Update

2008-06-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Nothing major has happened recently, but I feel like I should post an update! Landry is driving me a little nuts with her erratic sleeping habits. She'd been sleeping really well at night and all of a sudden she's started waking up every 2 or 3 hours at night. AND she's not napping well. All of this would be really difficult to deal with if she weren't so darn happy all the time! I guess the kid just really doesn't need much sleep! Actually, last night and today have been a little better. Maybe it was just a growth spurt. Isn't that the answer to anything at this age? Speaking of age - she will be 3 months old tomorrow. I can't believe it! How did it go by so fast? She's such a joy and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Bethany spent a wonderful week with her grandparents last week. My mom told me when I had Landry that she wanted to take Bethany for a week to give me a break and to just let her know when a good time would be. Well, I decided last week would be perfect because she didn't have Mother's Day Out at all. They had a lot of fun and Bethany got some much needed attention! I had a great time, too. It's amazing how easy just ONE baby is! Anyway, Bethany has been saying lots of really funny things lately. Yesterday we were at the post office and the clerk asked her how old she was. She replied "Free monfs." I think she got Landry and herself confused! She says really funny things all the time and I always forget to write them down. I'll try to start posting them here so all my friends and family can get a laugh and I'll have a record of them!

So it wouldn't be a proper post without some pics. Here are some from this past Sunday. Bethany is at a really awkward photo stage. I just can't seem to get a decent picture of her for the life of me! Landry however, is getting quite photogenic! Oh, and for the record, I do realize that there is a plant growing out of my baby's head. ;)

This picture is why we don't tell Bethany to say "cheese" anymore. This is the result:

At this point Bethany had said "I'm finished," and hopped out of the chair, so we did some of the baby by herself. Isn't she sweet?

Just Call Me Monica!

2008-05-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, any of you who know me AT ALL know that I am far from anything close to being organized. My house is always a wreck. Sometimes even a person like me can get tired of being messy, though. I'd been frustrated with the state of my house for awhile and then I saw something amazing that my friend Kristi did with her pantry. She actually got the idea from her friend's blog. Anyway, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to be *somewhat* organized in at least one area of my life! So, while Bethany was at the grandparents' this week, I tackled my pantry. Kristi lent me her label maker (by the way, I will be purchasing one just like it for myself) and I made several trips so Dollar Tree and Walmart. This is the end result. Tadah!!!

It even has it's own special shaft of light!!!

New Skin!

2008-05-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Kristi for making my new blog layout! She's so talented! She's working on starting up her own business, so I'll give her info out if you'd like to use her. Thanks Kristi!

Goin' for a Stroll

2008-05-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jennifer lives just a few doors down the street from me. For a good while now (since Bethany was a baby!) we've walked around the neighborhood at night. We walk 5 laps, which is 2 miles. We do it under the guise of exercise, but really, at least for me, is just a great time to get out of the house with NO KIDS and just chat with a friend. Those 2 miles go by a whole lot quicker with a good friend to talk to!

Well, last night Raymond had to go see a patient at the hospital, but I still wanted to walk. Since my parents have Bethany for the week (woohoo), I just had to take Landry with me. I strapped her in the jogging stroller and put some sunglasses on her. She was really good for about 3 laps, then I think the wind started to bother her a little. By that time Raymond was home, so he took her so I could finish. All in all it was a great first walk for the little one!

Oh, and for those of you who might be worried - I really did strap her in. I just took these pics before I did so!

Generations of Friends

2008-05-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

When my parents were about our age, they had a close group of friends at their church. It reminds me a lot of the group of friends we have at our church! All of them had kids around the same ages and we all lived relatively close to each other in the same smallish town. I have many memories of playing at each others houses after church on Sunday nights, riding bikes through the neighborhood, going camping, and, of course, getting into some trouble. At some point, though, everyone moved away. Some just across town, some across the state and some across the country. It's really awesome to me that they have all stayed in touch and remained close friends. They have visited each other, had annual get togethers, etc. Now, funny enough, they are all back in the Dallas area and continue to be good friends. Most of us kids have stayed close, too!

Yesterday we had one of our get togethers at my parents' house. Now it's not just the parents and kids, though. We have grandkids, too! We all hope that they can grow up to be friends just like we did.

Here are some pics of the fun day!

My girls before everyone arrived

Bethany patiently waiting for Annie to get here!

Aunt Sara and Landry

Everyone chillin' on the deck

As you can see, Landry had no lack of people to hold her yesterday!

Bethany and Annie (my friend Holly's daughter) swimming

and playing in the bouncer

and playing with pink sand in the sand table

Bethany longingly looking at the big pool!

Please Grandma, may I swim in the big pool?

Finally! The big girls let us play with them!

Jumping with Pappy

Happy Mother's Day to Me!!!

2008-05-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

I got one of the best gifts a new mom can get this year for Mother's Day. Landry slept from 11:00 pm until 7:30 in the morning - woohoo!!! Thanks baby girl!

We spent the day with my mom (Grandma) and my grandmother (GiGi). They both had a wonderful time with their granddgaughters. GiGi has gotten to hold Landry more than she's ever held Bethany. That's because Landry is a much more laid back baby than Bethany was. Bethany seemed to be screaming every time GiGi ever had a chance to hold her!

Landry and GiGi

Bethany helping Grandma open the card from her.

And playing the piano with Aunt Sara.

Giving Mommy the charm "she" picked out at James Avery.

Sleeping Beauty with her Daddy.

All the girls on GiGi's front porch.

And some pics of my girls in GiGi's front yard.

My Big Girl!

2008-05-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! Landry sure has grown so fast! She's 10 weeks old today. I can't believe how much faster it goes by with the 2nd baby! Here are some cute pics of her recently.

Tennis Match

2008-05-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

No, the girls did not play in a tennis match this weekend. However, they did wear some really cute little "tennis" dresses to their cousin's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Don't you love all the scrapes and scratches on Bethany's face?

Bethany with her cousin Lexi, who just turned 3! She still had the purple feathers in her hair from her dance "recital." That was some great entertainment!!!

You've Gotta Wear Shades

2008-05-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a cute picture of Bethany in her sunglasses!

Daddy and Check-up

2008-05-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

I realized that I haven't posted any pics of Raymond yet - just the girls and me. So here are a couple of him with Landry when she was first born.

And one of the whole family

So Landry had her 2 month checkup today. Today is her actual 2 month birthday - wow, time sure flies! She was great except for a nasty snotty nose - poor baby can't sleep because of it. She weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long. 50th percentile in both. Bethany was in the 90th percentile in both at her 2 month checkup. It'll be interesting to see how they are similar and different!

The doctor did say the Landry is very strong for a 2 month old. She actually flipped herself over on the examining table and Dr. Riser (thankfully) caught her before she fell to the floor!

Anyway, more pictures and updates later. Thanks everyone for visiting our blog!!!

We're new to this blogging stuff

2008-05-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well, lately I have really enjoyed visting all of my friends' blogs. While I was trying to take a nap today (which didn't happen, by the way) I thought *I* should do a blog!!! How hard can it be, really? I'm so NOT computer savvy, so we'll see.

Really, I thought this would be a good way for our friends and family who don't live nearby to keep up with us and see pics of the girls! So here are a few to start with. Wait - I don't how how to put pics in here!!! I'll try - we'll see if it works.

Whaddya know - it worked! Well, sorta - I'll have to figure out how to size the photos right! Wish me luck with this blog thing!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Out of the Mouth of Landry #1

My Little Dancer

Royal Tea Party

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

A Comparison

Summer Fun!

One Year Ago This Week

A Fantastic Photo Giveaway!

Giveaway!!!

Somebody Got a Haircut!

Fun on the Farm!

What a Difference One Year Makes!

Whistle While You Work

The Last Year of my Life

Happy Birthday!

Giveaways!

My Latest Venture

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #12

Fun Fridays - Things That Make Me Happy!

Bathroom Re-Do ***UPDATED***

Sweets for the Sweet!

Just Call Me Martha...

What Have You Done?- A Meme

Pretty, Pretty Princess

Prima Ballerina

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #11

New Look!

Happy 10 Months Landry!!!

First Steps!!!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany # 10

Back to the Grind

Mexico, Here We Come!!!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #9

Thanksgiving 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Party Time!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Bethany!!!

I just don't understand...

Monday Meme

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #8

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkins!!!

Sea World!!!

Meme

Are You Ready For Some Football?!?!

"Signguages" and Frozen Corn

What a Mess!

Out of the mouth of Bethany #7

Happy Half Birthday Landry!!!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #6

Like FATHER, Like Daughter???

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Family Reunion

And the Answer is...

Another Guessing Game!

Monday Meme

Catch-Up!!!

Ok, It's Official!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #5

I love my children!

Adventures in Mommy-ing

Butterfinger Cake

Happy Birthday to Landry and Pappy!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #4

Our First Family Vacation!

My Future American Idol

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' and Happy Father's Day!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #3

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #2

It only took 2 1/2 years

Cuttin' Up!

Out of the Mouth of Bethany #1

Happy 3 Month Birthday Landry Gayle!!!

Just an Update

Just Call Me Monica!

New Skin!

Goin' for a Stroll

Generations of Friends

Happy Mother's Day to Me!!!

Bathroom Re-Do UPDATED