We have been greatly enjoying the month of December. I especially love this time of year and have enjoyed the chilly, cool weather this month has brought us. I am finally finished decorating our house for Christmas. I set up our nativity seen and put the finishing touches on our tree yesterday and Kerry helped by putting white lights on our house and shrubs. Bree has been in awe of our tree and loves to rearrange the ornaments on her pink tree in her room. It's sweet though to see her just gazing at the trees in bewilderment. She is so active in all the festivities this year. She enjoys putting the tape on the presents when I am wrapping them and finding the perfect spot for them under the tree. She also loves the snow globes and all the musical decorations. We have enjoyed discussing what the true meaning of Christmas is with Bree and she is so excited to have a birthday party for Jesus. Everything about the season is so breath taking to her. She has also enjoyed the excitement of Santa Claus and the gifts she will receive. She got to see Santa for the first time this year after the town Christmas parade with her friends Finlee and Addison. They sat in his lap and she smiled and starred at him with such delight. She was happy to ask him for a "Jumpoline". That is what she calls a trampoline. Which is really the only thing she has her heart sat on this year. Her friends Hannah and Sarah have one and oh how she loves to go over to their house and play on it. Nona also took her to see him when he and Mrs.Claus were visiting downtown and again she sat in his lap and ask for a jumpoline. I am surprised she hasn't been scared of him this year, but she reminds me often, "Momma, Santa is nice." So I guess she was pretty impressed with him. He may have gotten some brownie points cuz both times she saw him he gave her candy. Hmmm...that was a pretty smart move Santa Claus. Bree has been a doll singing lots of Christmas songs around the house and in the car. She makes the season so much fun! We have already began with the party madness that we so look forward to every year. The first Sunday of Dec. is always the Miller Christmas lunch. This is a celebration with my Mema's mother, Granny's side of the family. It was so nice seeing everyone and the food as always was great. Then on the 11th I celebrated with my girlfriends from high school. We got together this year for the 15th annual party which was hosted by Holly Tomlin at her house in Allen. There are 7 of us girls who have been getting together every year and we have such a neat, life long friendship. We enjoyed a great dinner at Mi Cocina and then spent the night together catching up and laughing about all the memories and history we have together. It was great seeing all the girls and I am so glad we have kept that tradition going through the years. Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch with my Grandparents and Nona at one of our favorite restaurants and then went home for a much needed nap. That evening we enjoyed the Festival of Lights at MSBC with some dear friends and then went back to their house so the kids could play for a while after we had pizza for supper. What a great night of good entertainment and good company. Kerry finished his first semester of the heating and air condition curriculum and was the top in his class. I am very proud of him and his decision to go back to school. It wasn't the easiest thing for any of us and it took some adjusting, but we all made it and in the long run will b better for it. It will be so nice to have him home more while he is off for Christmas break. Bree has been growing so much. She loves to read books to our cat Blue and our dog Alex and really anyone who will sit still and listen. She makes up most of the stories based on how she interprets the picture on the page, but she usually tells a very interesting story to say the least. She loves to shop with her Mommy and we have been getting more than our fill of that this holiday season. She is so much fun and always ask me "if i like this" or "what about this, this cute, Momma?" or something like that. The girl definitely has character! Friday when I was dressing her for the day, she put her pants on and while I was getting her a shirt out of the closet she turned her back side to me and said, "This look good from the back, Momma?" I cracked up! That girl is hilarious and always amazes me with what comes outta her mouth. I will end for now with another cute story about Bree. A week or so ago she was asking me all about my work and what I do. And said when she gets big she wants to be Cinderella. I laughed and thought that was so cute. Then a few days later when ask again what she wanted to b she said,"Jesus". How precious! The girls got ambition.Ha!Ha!

Sweet Day

Today I found myself thinking a lot about my sister, Malena Louise Spencer. Today would have been her 32nd birthday and I cannot help but to think of all the wonderful birthdays we got to share with her. For as far back as I can remember Mom always made us feel so special on our birthdays. She would always let us pick where or what we had for supper on our birthday and she always had a cake with ice cream just the way we liked it. We also always got flowers at school or work or wherever we were and a sweet card and a present or money, which ever we preferred. Mom made our birthdays a big celebration and a very special time for us all. I have way too many fond memories to share them all on here, but they will forever be cherished in my heart. I also find myself day dreaming of what Malena would be like today and what we would have spent the day doing with her. For sure we would have gotten pedicures and mani's cuz that was one of Malena's favorite things for us girls to do together. I miss celebrating her birthday with her and really enjoyed spending the day looking at pictures of her past birthdays and recalling the laughter and joy we shared on those special days of celebrating her life on this earth. How sweet our time was together and I am so thankful we were such a close, loving family who shared so much together. Malena Louise Spencer Nov. 24,1977 - June 19, 2004(Sorry some of the pictures are out of order but it wouldn't let me rearrange them and save them.)

Fabulous Fall

It has been absolutely gorgeous for the last couple of weeks here in Grand Saline. The trees are turning colors and the weather has been perfect, warm in the 70's with a little fall breeze. Wow, it has been beautiful. We spent last Saturday enjoying the sunshine with some friends at the pumpkin patch in Canton. It was a neat place with a blow up slide, carnival rides, pony ride, hay ride, kiddie roller coaster and lots of photo set ups. Bree loved it! She rode all the rides and had a blast. We both had a wonderful fall day. That evening she dressed up as a Dalmatian puppy to go trick or treating and to the town carnival. She was so cute and had a great time getting candy and playing the games at the carnival. I enjoyed watching her have fun more than anything. It was so sweet seeing her be playful and have a night all about her. Sunday after worship we celebrated Mauree Comer's 5th birthday with her. She had a cute pirate party and all the kids enjoyed it. On Monday we welcomed Brady Wallace Cranfill into the world. He is the baby of proud parents Greg and Katy Cranfill. Katy is a lifelong friend of mine and it was such a blessing to share in this time with her. I have tried to get back into my running routine this week. With the daylight savings and all it gets dark here around 6:00 and I have been trying to run on a treadmill inside instead of outside. In some ways this is much easier because I can run and watch Bree while she plays next to me at the same time instead of leaving her for a 35 min run. So, I actually like running inside, but do enjoy going for an outside run on the weekends when the weather is permitting. I love to run and when I get "too busy" and don't make time for it I can sure feel a difference in my mood and the way I feel. Crazy sounding maybe, but for me it is true. We spent this past Saturday at the Stewart's enjoying the awesome weather again. The girls enjoyed playing outside most of the time. They have a trampoline and Bree laughed hysterically for probably 20 minutes straight while they were jumping. She loved it! I must admit it is great watching her light up and enjoy herself. She has such a deep, wholesome laugh. It is precious. We took over frito pie stuff and we all enjoyed them. Even Bree and Hannah loved them, which they can be hard to please sometimes when it comes to food. It was a great day and Bree must have played her lil heart out cuz she was bathed and asleep by 6:30. Therefore, allowing Kerry and I to relax and catch up on some great college football. What a perfect day! Sometimes, it is nice to relax and spend time with those we love. Bree is learning so much these days. She loves to sing her ABC's and can even count to 10 now. She is like a lil sponge and loves to be read to every night. At bedtime she brings me like 6 books to read. (And is disappointed if I don't read every page!) Her vocabulary grows everyday and I just never know what to expect to come out next. She also loves to work puzzles. Her mind is busy learning and she is so much fun to be around. What a lil blessing!

I am getting pretty regular about only posting once a month I know, but seriously I don't know where the time goes. Before I get the time to post again it's like the month is already gone. So this month we ran around as usual trying to keep up with all we had to get done. October 9th and 10th was my high school 10 yr class reunion. We met at the GS football game on Friday, which was a cold night and it really felt like football weather. Bree sported her adorable cheer leading suit and a really cute mum Mema made for her. She thought she was as big as the other girls there. It was great seeing everyone and then we had a fifth quarter party at the home of Ray and Debbie Carnes. They are always excellent hostess and the gathering was great. Lots of laughs and remembering when until 2:30 am, when we decided to call it a night. Saturday we had scheduled a family picnic in the city park but due to the rain and cold weather we met at Pappadales Restaurant instead. It was a small group for lunch but good company non the less. After lunch we went home for a short nap and then the class of 1999 met at the Chamber Building for a catered BBQ dinner and entertainment. Our very own, Edgar Gonzalez, did a great job at the dj table. We had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone who came out. However, I was reminded just how old I am. 10 yrs..... how have 10 yrs flown by since high school? Where the time went is beyond me.
We celebrated Olivia Paige Tolar's 1st birthday on the 17th. Her actual bday is Oct. 13th but her party was the following Sat. She had such a cute lady bug themed party and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. She was still smiling when we went to leave. What a precious milestone!
This day, Oct. 17th was a day of happiness and sadness and many mixed emotions. At around 5pm Kerry's Grandmother aka Gigi went home to be with our Lord after an extensive battle with cancer. This was our first Grandparent to loose and a tough experience to say the least. Although, we are very sad that she is no longer here in her earthly body, we are rejoicing in knowing she is in Heaven and no longer suffering. Mary Nell Burnett was a very sweet, loving, nurturing Grandmother who loved her family very much and we already miss her dearly. However, we were relieved with how peacefully she passed away with her family at her side and thank God she didn't have to suffer anymore. This experience was very confusing for Bree. Bree has a special place in her heart for all her great grandparents and Gigi was very special to her. Kerry had taken her to see Gigi in the hospital on Thursday and we were just getting out of the car at the Hospice facility when we got the call that she had passed from this life. So, poor Bree was confused when we told her Gigi went to be with Jesus. She didn't understand and thought we had left her at the hospital. It was very sad and difficult to explain to Bree. But she does seem to be doing better with it now. However, Gigi's memory will live on in our hearts forever.
When we loose someone we love we are reminded of how temporary our lives here on this earth are and it helps us to appreciate every moment we have with those we love. I spent the rest of the week trying to love and enjoy every minute of the blessed life I have been given. We often rush through our days and forget how precious every breath we have here on earth truly is. Bree loves to help in the kitchen these days. On a couple of occasions I let her help and we even had some friends over last week for supper and the girls made cookies for dessert. They loved putting chocolate kisses in the middle of the warm, fresh baked cookies. She enjoys helping so much and usually if I am in the kitchen she gets her step stool and comes running to help with whatever I am doing. It is very sweet. Saturday the 24th we spent the day at a fall festival and it was so nice to appreciate the changing season. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed spending some time outside. That evening we went to dinner with some good friends and celebrated Jennifer Tolar's birthday. I won't mention how old she is....but most people can probably figure it out. We spent the day Sunday enjoying our family time at home and also enjoyed watching the Cowboys win. They sure are fun to watch when they get their act together. Go Cowboys! We had a great weekend!! Hope everyone has a great week and Happy Halloween!

Another Mega Post

The month of September was filled with a lot of excitement and good times. My high school girlfriends hosted a baby shower for one of our dearest, Katy Jarmon Cranfill. We had a wonderful time showering her with the cutest baby boy gifts around. Mom made a delectable white, baby carriage cake. That turned out perfectly! (If I do say so myself.) It was a great time with dear friends and Katy was absolutely glowing. I can't wait to meet Mr. Brady Cranfill in another month or so. The 10th was another milestone for me, I turned 29. The day started off great as I was greeted at work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my family. They were from Kerry, Bree, Mom, Mema & Pa. Last year I received 2 bouquets, one from Kerry and Bree and the other from Mom, Mema & Pa. As u can imagine I had a difficult time transporting them home, so I dropped a "hint" of how much easier it would b for them to go in together next time. I guess they must have been listening. The girls at work surprised me with a gorgeous chunky, hot pink and zebra print necklace that I had been wishing for and an Italian cream cake. (my absolute fav!!) Then, my Mema made my favorite chicken and dumplings for me for supper and gave me this gorgeous, new chocolate brown bedding. I also received a card and money from my in laws. I had a great day and the celebrations had just begun. Mom, Bree and I spent the day Friday in Dallas shopping. We even made a stop by the Medical Center of Lewisville, which is where I worked for 6 yrs before we moved to GS. It was great to see most of my old co-workers and let them see how big Bree has gotten. After visiting for a while we got back to our shopping and closed the shops down. Saturday Bree stayed with Nona while Kerry and I went out w 4 other couples to an excellent dinner at Four Winds Steak House. Yum-O!! Then we headed out to Silver Saloon for some good ole live music and dancing. Another fav of mine! We had a terrific time and I loved every minute I got to spend with our close friends who all came out for my birthday. Sunday afternoon Mom made dinner for me and again I got to pick what we ate. She made me the best cheese manicotti ever that was followed with delicious Oreo cookie cake. Good thing I wasn't dieting cuz my bday weekend was full of good food. Which I dearly love!! I had an awesome birthday and was blessed to share it with my family and friends. Kerry's grandmother "Gigi" celebrated her 76th birthday Sept. 14th and then my Mema also celebrated her bday on Sept. 19th. She turned the big 76 too and is still going strong. We are blessed to have all of our grandparents still with us and what a joy it is to celebrate their birthdays with them. On the 20th Kerry and I went with 2 other couples to see the 1st Dallas Cowboys season game in their new home. OMG!! It is fabulous! Jerry did an amazing job. Talk about impressive. The game was close but we lost to the Giants, but it was still an awesome time. I am so excited for the upcoming football season. Kerry and I are both passionate about college and pro football. We love this time of year cuz the weekends are full of good times cheering for our fav teams from the edge of our couch. I LOVE IT!! Bree and Kerry are both enjoying school. Kerry is doing so good. Probably not having as much fun as Bree is at her school, but he has made 100 on 3 of the 4 test they have taken and 110 on the 4th one. That's impressive too, huh? At least, I am impressed. We have been loving this beautiful fall weather. Bree and I enjoy walking Alex in the evenings in the cool fall air. And we have been spending a lot of time out on our deck. We are especially enjoying eating and playing outside. Bree ask to play in her sand box almost every day here lately. The girl plays so good by herself and has a huge imagination. I love to watch her be creative with the things she makes out of the sand. She is such a joy to be around. Thank goodness I have her to take my mind off of Kerry being away at school. We both wait anxiously every evening for him to come home. Secretly hoping his classes ended early and he will be home before we are expecting him. Although, I miss him like crazy I am glad he has this oppertunity. We are so blessed!! Thanx for checking on us. HAPPY FALL! GO COWBOYS & LONGHORNS!! XOXOX

Life in the fast lane!

In the past month we have experienced many changes in our family. The biggest event that has happened is that my sweetie aka Daddy has gone back to school. He is a college boy again...scary thought huh? Actually we are all very excited about his decision to back to TJC to get a degree in air conditioning and refrigeration. Kerry has a Bachelors Degree in Applied Science but has never really enjoyed his career choices. So, he has decided to take the opportunity and go back to school to do something he enjoys. For those of u who don't know him, he is a very hands on type of guy. He loves to put things together, build things, take them apart and all that sort of stuff. He is a genius when it comes to building things and how things work. It just comes natural to him. I am so glad he is going to have a degree in something that interest him and at the same time it is something that he can grow in and has many avenues to offer him. It is something that in the future if he wanted to he could own his own business. That is ultimately his dream and in Texas it is something that there will always be a demand for. I am so fortunate to have a career that I am completely passionate about and absolutely love what I do everyday and I am thrilled that Kerry can see that same result in his near future. He has to go four semesters to complete the program and graduate. It is difficult for us sometimes. We are trying to adjust to him being busier and having more obligations and being away from us while he is in class. Bree misses her Daddy sometimes when he is occupied with school, but it is only temporary and he reminds us that ultimately he is doing this for the best interest of our family. We have to value our family time even more now than before. Daddy is not the only one who started to school recently. Tuesday Sept. 1st was Bree's 1st day to go to Parents Day Out. This is a program that is offered at our church for 6 hrs a day 2 days a week to children between 2 and 4 yrs of age. In the program the kids learn bible lessons, shapes, colors, numbers and much more. They also do crafts and get to play and socialize with children close to their own age. It was difficult for us to decide whether to put her in the class or not. We struggled with if she was big enough and mature enough to have to be on a schedule and follow the classroom rules. We prayed a lot about it. In the end we knew how much she loves going to Sunday school and church and this would be with most of her same friends and in her same classroom. Also, several of my girlfriends kids were going as well as Bree's 1st cousin Crew and we knew she would enjoy seeing them more. So, after much consideration, we decided it would be to her benefit to go. Needless to say, I was one nervous Momma Tuesday morning! I mean my baby girl was going to be in a classroom setting and I was afraid she wouldn't be ready or like it. I just kept picturing her missing her normal daily routine. Until now Bree has stayed with family and been catered to by her loving grandparents and great grandparents. She was very happy and content in her routine and being the center of attention. I worried she would not like the change and would miss the old care free days of hanging at the house all day doing whatever she wanted on her terms. But as soon as I woke Bree up Tuesday for class she was smiling and said,"I go to school today?" Seriously, that was the first thing she said. So, we got ready and packed her lunch and Kerry and I took her for her first day of PDO. I think I was more worried and sad than she was. She went right into the classroom and started playing with her friends. Seriously, she was such a big girl and never even looked back. I think she loved the idea of playing with other kiddos and getting to be with her friends. My baby spent the whole day at school. As for Kerry and I we went to breakfast and enjoyed spending time together alone. We hung out on the couch just chilling and cuddling. (which we usually do with a 2 yr old climbing all over us.)We missed her greatly, but it isn't so often that we get a day relaxing together at home alone. It was nice. When I picked her up she was smiling and the director of the program said she smiled all day. I think she loved it. She wouldn't say much but I am pretty sure she is happy to be going to school. She was excited to go again today. She couldn't wait to get there and kept talking about all her friends in her class. And after picking her up today she seemed to have had a wonderful time. Other than that we have been spending a lot of time swimming and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Last weekend we took a road trip to Magnolia, Tx. Which is close to Houston. I love road trips....that could be b/c I rarely have to drive. Kerry always wants to drive, so I get to enjoy the scenery and the conversation. It is always so nice to just drive and talk and just have several hours together on the road. Bree was a pretty good traveler, too. Other than the fact that she is potty trained now so we had to stop several times to let her go to the restroom. But actually that was pretty nice, too. We discovered some really cool convenience stores and rest stops along the way. We stayed with Kerry's Uncle Robert and Aunt Julie. They have an amazing home in an awesome community. We spent most of the time enjoying their backyard living area and kitchen and their pool and jacuzzi. In their neighborhood there are tons of wild deer everywhere. We took the golf cart thru the streets and saw so many deer just chilling in the neighbors yards. It was great. Our trip was so much fun! Bree is such a blast to be around. She is a social girl. Everywhere we go she makes friends and is the life of the party. She has so much love for people and animals and is such a delightful person. I can just see the love and joy she has for life in her eyes. She is talking so well and we have to really be careful what we say in front of her lil ears cuz she picks up everything. And I do mean everything! Our lives have been so blessed by her dear, sweet soul. We don't have too much going for Labor Day weekend. I think since we have been spending so much time on the go and Kerry has been away at school so much we are probably most excited about spending some time at home as a family. My wish is for everyone to have a safe and wonderful holiday doing whatever it is u love. XOXOX

It has been hard for me to get back into the groove of things at work after being off last week. I enjoyed sleeping in, lounging around and the fun filled days I got to spend with Bree. We spent most of the week camping in our rv trailer at whispering pines resort. My family was there all week and it was so nice to enjoy the beautiful, HOT summer outdoors. We did a lot of swimming to cool off. Which is one of Bree's fav. summer activities. She is learning tho. I spent about 30 min a day working with her on kicking and moving her arms. She can do it... when she wants to. That's about how things go around our house. We like to think we are in control, but a lot of the time it is our very own little"PRINCESS" that is ordering us around. Sad, I know...but we don't go out of the boundaries of what's safe and what is right. Pretty much she just tells us when she wants to swing, or swim, or what she wants to wear, or when she wants a sucker. ( Suckers are her favorite treats. My Mema bought a huge bag of 500 dum dums from Sam's, so thanks to her we have plenty on hand.)Things like that. And of course we all enjoy making her happy. Anyways, this past weekend was the "Riggle Reunion". My grandfather has a large family. He is one of 8 children. I cannot imagine how his parents survived 8 children. One keeps us busy enough! (For now, anyways) Well, every summer all his siblings and their families get together for a weekend long reunion. They have been doing this for as long as I can remember...even before I was thought of. For the last 7 years it has been at Whispering Pines Resort, which is one of our favorite camping places. It has a lot to offer. Very nicely kept, beautiful cabins for those who don't rv, 2 pools(1 for adults and 1 for children), jumping pillow(kinda like a huge, cushiony pillow set in the ground) sand volleyball, tennis courts, basketball, putt-putt golf course, horseshoe pits, nature walks and much more. It really is a great place to spend some time relaxing with ur family. We always have a great time!! And as always it was so nice to spend some time with my Pa's family. Our time together is usually centered around lots of good eating. We have these huge breakfast where everyone brings something and then throughout the day there are snacks and then lunch together and of course every evening we met in the air conditioned building for an enormous supper together, which was followed by an assortment of homemade ice cream. My family loves to eat!! And there is always plenty of delicious food at our gatherings. The theme for this year was "Survivor" and we played some really fun games. Bree especial loved the crafts for the kids. The cereal necklaces were her favorite. She enjoyed eating her fruit loops off the necklace even more than she enjoyed stringing them. It was fun to spend time with my cousins, who I have always admired and to see Bree playing with their children, which are her cousins too. There were around 90 people at the reunion. We are always so pleased with how many families come and participate in the weekend long event. Its neat how we have such a large family and everyone gets along. I mean our family is very close and there is no division among us. We are all always there for one another and it is cool that we still get together every summer. We get together at Christmas and through out the year too, but the summer reunion is really great. I am so blessed by my large, close family. This week we have been trying to get caught back up on things around the house. No fun I know, but it had to be done. I hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXOX

Happy Father's Day

I know this is a lil late, but I wanted to wish every father a Happy Father's Day and most importantly honor the best father in the world!! When I searched for my soul mate and partner in this world, I always tried to imagine how they would be as a father. I knew Kerry was an extraordinary person, a wonderful man and my soul mate, but I never knew he would be as good of a Dad as he is. He is amazing with Bree. He takes such good care of her and loves her and me so much. He is so patient with the both of us and is such a fun Dad. He plays with her and has so much fun with her. We are always laughing when he is around. Bree is definitely a big Daddy's girl. We spent Father's day with Daddy at my g-parents for lunch. Bree enjoyed Kerry pushing her in the swing and playing outside with her. Then we ate supper and spent the evening at Kerry's parents house. We had a wonderful day and want everyone to know our Daddy is the best!!

Happy 4th of July

We have had such a wonderful holiday weekend. Friday Bree and I spent the day at Splash Kingdom Water park. We got season passes and Bree absolutely loves to go and play in the kiddie castle. She crawls on her hands thru the water and says to me, "Look Momma, Me swimming!" She is such a hoot!! The things she does and says keeps me rolling! So we spent the day there having fun. Then that evening we went with Kerry and Gramps over to A Taste of Italy which is overlooking Lake Hawkins. It has the most beautiful patio out on the lake. We enjoyed dinner so much!! Great food and an awesome view. Then we rode around the lake site seeing. Something Kerry and I love to do together. Sat. morning we were complete lazy bones. The three of us slept in til 11:00. Wow!! It was so nice!! So once we finally got around we headed out to Lake Tawokini where we met up with the Dugan and Tolar family. We spent the afternoon out boating and swimming and man was it a fun trip. Bree is fearless. Which is cool, but scary for us as parents!! She, like her Daddy & Momma, is a water person. Put me out in the water and I am content for hours...that is exactly how she is. She loved it!! Then Sat. evening we headed over to the Hill's home for a fish fry and pool party. More swimming and fun. They have a gorgeous home on 80 acres and from their balcony we could see numerous firework shows. We had a wonderful 4th!! Thanks everyone for spending the holiday with us. Sunday at church the Children's Director told us that Crew(Bree's 1st cousin) and Bree were so cute hugging and talking to each other but that they may need to separate them. I am sure they were too busy talking to each other to listen to the SS lesson. It is sweet tho how good they get along and how close they are. Bree will definitely be taken care of by her 3 big cousins. Sunday evening Gramps and Bebe brought Parker, Brett, Crew and Kate over for grilled burgers and hot dogs. Then Kerry made some of his famous homemade strawberry ice cream(actually the recipe is my mom's, but Kerry is getting pretty good at it!!) The kids had a fun time playing on the playground and then they helped Kerry and Gramps pick and shell some peas from our garden. Which I must give Kerry and Gramps props for cuz we have gotten all sorts of fresh produce from our garden. It is therapeutic to work in and man are the tomatoes delicious!! Kerry also made some pickles that I swear are the best I have ever had!! We are enjoying our garden and I am checking the watermelons daily to see if they are ready yet. Last weekend we met Kerry's brother and his family, his parents, g-parents, and his aunt and cousin along with his wife and daughter at the Alligator farm. This was such a cool place. The kids got to pet the baby alligators and watch as the big ones swam and ate. We had lunch and the kids enjoyed playing and then we finished the trip off with homemade peach ice cream. It was a great day!! We have been busy this summer introducing Bree to all the wonderful things of summer. Bebe and I took Parker, Brett, Crew, and Aubree to the Blueberry patch in Edom to pick blueberries. The bigger boys were a lot of help but as for Crew and Bree well they spent their time playing in the dirt. Which was really pretty cute...Thank goodness we brought a change of clothes cuz Bree was covered in it!! No kidding, head to toe covered. We did pick a large bag full of blueberries and then the kiddos enjoyed some blueberry lemonade. What a treat!! We stopped at an amazing bakery for lunch and enjoyed some delicious food. Another wonderful day that I can't wait to scrapbook about. We have been enjoying this summer so much. I am a summer girl for sure!! I love the water, sunshine, camping and the beautiful scenery of the flowers and green grass around us. We have enjoyed hanging out on our patio most evenings enjoying the fresh air and the quietness of country living. Last Thursday we had the Stewart family over and it was so nice to sit and visit and watch the girls swim. I even commented on how precious it was to sit and hear the girls sweet laughter as they played. They had so much fun. Which is what summer is all about. I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season!! XOXOX

Malena Louise Spencer Nov. 24, 1977 to June 19, 2004

(This was written on Friday June 19th but not published until today.)Today is an especially difficult day for me and my family. Five painful years ago my beautiful, sister Malena was killed in a horrible car wreck. As I have tried to focus on the wonderful memories of Malena, who I and my family referred to as Nina, left us with. I am reminded of all the hurt and devastation her tragic accident caused me and my family. Nina was the sweetest, most loving, forgiving, non judging person I know. She always thought of helping others and was a very dedicated worker at ETMC Athens where she was a registered phlebotimist going to school to be a nurse. She truly had a heart of gold. I miss her loving personality and the joyfulness of her laughter. She and I had a very close relationship and she was always there for me...never judging me, just always listening and being a friend. She and Kerry were very good friends and like each other in many ways. They both had the same take on many things and would team up against me from time to time. I love the memories I have of the three of us going and doing things together. I am grateful for the 26 years we had her on this earth, but cannot help to wish we had longer. I miss all our long telephone conversations and her rational advice and the way we had so much fun together. Nina wasn't too crazy in the past about the guys I chose to date and usually disapproved. Until Kerry and I started dating that is. She knew Kerry from high school and always thought he was a good person. She liked us together and would go just about every where with us. She even kept us together a few times. We hung out just about every weekend together. It was really cool for us to be so close. Now I am so thankful for all the memories we made and Kerry and I always laugh when we think of my sister. She left us with many fond memories and I know we all miss her dearly. Please remember my family in ur prayers as this is a very difficult time of year for us all. XOXOX

Hello...Where has the time gone?

Ok, I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have posted a blog. So much has been going on in our lives and I have pushed blogging aside. Kerry and I celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage on May 14th. Bree spent the night with Nona and Daddy and I spent an evening out to dinner and a movie. The years have gone by so fast and we enjoyed our special date in celebration of our anniversary. Bree is so much fun to be around. She loves playing outside and most of all playing in the water. Memorial weekend we went and stayed in The Embassy Suites in Irving and this was her 1st experience of the summer of swimming in a pool. She absolutely loved it!! She couldn't get enough of it. We had such a fun time with her. Then we spent a few afternoons out on the lake boating with the Dugan and Tolar families and that was another favorite for her. She laughed and giggled the whole time we were cruising on the water. She is a little fish! While we were boating Bree went without a diaper for like 6 and 7 hours at a time. She would tell me every time she needed to use the restroom. So I realized that if she could remember to tell me for that amount of time then she could possibly tell me the rest of the time. Hey, it was worth a shot anyway. So, I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up several cute, girly panties for her and we were both so excited. Bree loved wearing her big girl panties and she was so easy to train. Since then(knock on wood) she has done great. We welcomed baby Austin D. Dugan into our world May 29th. Bree went with us to the hospital and was so excited. When he was born she was running and singing in the waiting area, saying "want to see, want to see." We decided to give her dear binky, which she loves so very much, to Austin. It was a lil hard at nap time that afternoon. She cried for it and wanted to go to Nona's house to get another binky.But I convinced her that we gave them all to Austin, even Nona's. And after that she has adjusted rather well.Although every once in a while she wants to go look in the cabinet where they were kept to make sure they are still gone. My baby is such the big girl. Big girl panties and no binky all in the same week. Wow!! Well we wanted to reward her, so we got her two, new baby kittens for being so big. She wanted to name them both Gracie, I think after our Pastor's baby that stays in the nursery with her. But since they are both boys we had to help her pick another name. We named one of them Tiger because he has tiger stripes all over his body and the other one is Lil Blue cuz he is a grayish blue color. They are really sweet and playful and Bree loves to drag them around. Poor kittens!! But they do love her, too. The other morning I was getting her ready to take her to Pa and Mema's house and they were meowing like crazy, as they usually do when they see us. Well Bree said "Kitty's crying, want me...want me to hold them." I though it was so cute. She thinks they are her lil babies and she is their Mommy. She is definitely an animal lover. As natives of Grand Saline we enjoyed introducing Bree to the annual Salt Festival which was held the 1st weekend of June. We took her downtown to the kiddie capers, which she enjoyed. Her favorite thing, which came as no surprise to me, was the petting zoo. She loved the blow up slide and games too. That evening we dressed her up in her Ariat Baby Phat red boots along with a denim skirt and red tee that said, Mommy's Cowgirl and took her to the rodeo. She loved seeing the cows and horses and sat in the bleachers cheering for the calves during the calf roping. It was a lot of fun for us all. She makes everything so much more enjoyable! The Salt Festival will surely be something she looks forward to as her Daddy and I both did when we were kids. We have been so busy with lots of summer birthdays. We recently celebrated Bebe's, Uncle Brandon's, Finlee Rae's, Hardy's and Finley White's, Marti's and Macoy's and we have Hannah's and Crew's this week. Wow, there are a lot of blessings that were born in the summer months. Which means lots of parties and celebrations for us. We have enjoyed celebrating our loved ones and friends so much!! Happy Birthday to them all! Well I know this has been like a huge post of all sorts of things, but I have been going non-stop. I'll try to post again soon. XOXOX

Our babay girl is 2!

Wow...Sunday the 26th Aubree Malena turned 2 years old. It is impossible for me to think of where the time has gone. She is speaking in sentences now and learning her colors. She loves to sing, mainly twinkle twinkle little star and Jesus loves me. She is such a joy to be around. We had a Fancy Nancy party at our house Sunday afternoon to celebrate this milestone. There were 17 kiddos and they enjoyed playing on Bree's new wooden swing set Gramps and Bebe gave her for her b-day. They also enjoyed the cutest pink, tiara cake and banana splits. I tried to take quotes from the book and apply them to the party. There were frilly toothpicks in the sandwiches, cuz Fancy Nancy states that, " Sandwiches always taste better with frilly toothpicks in them." The kids also had fun dressing up Fancy Nancy style. After the party Bree said to me, "Party fun, Momma." It was so sweet. I am glad she enjoyed her party. Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating Bree with us. We have been so blessed by her precious soul. Last week we enjoyed taking Bree to the Van Zandt County Fair. We met The Stewart family at Jerry's for some pizza first and then took the girls for a fun nite at the fair. Bree and Hannah, who is a few months younger than Bree, had fun riding the elephants together. Them and the lil train roller coaster, and the carousel were Bree's favorite rides. She had such a great nite. Daddy even won her a cute, purple stuffed teddy bear. I am just left wondering how my baby got so big so fast?....

Ok I know it has been forever...but I will try to get back on track. We have had such a busy month. I helped give Amie Dugan a sweet shower to get her ready to welcome her precious baby boy, Austin into the world. He is scheduled to arrive May 29th, unless he decides to come earlier. Easter was a great experience for Bree. Lots of egg hunts and candy. We took Bree to the Tuttle ranch, which is one of our neighbors' ranch, for a huge town hunt on Sat. afternoon and then that night we ate supper with Kerry's family and then she hunted eggs with her cousins. We had candy running out our ears at this point, but we still managed to take her to one more hunt on Sunday after church at my great Uncle & Aunt's house. Going to Bobby and Nadine's for Easter has been a tradition in my family since I was small and Bree seemed to enjoy it as much as I always did. She is like a pro now at the egg hunting thing. We celebrated the rising from the dead of Jesus with lots of family and friends and of course we r trying to teach Bree all about the meaning of Easter and everything else. She gets a lil of it. We will just keep teaching her. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter as well. Aubree has been busy helping us work in the garden and in the flower beds around the house. She mostly just loves to play in the dirt, but she thinks she is helping. We have also been getting the deck and porch fixed up, too. We have been working especially hard to get everything ready for her 2nd b-day party at our house this weekend. She is so excited. She says, " Bree 2, Party with cake, ice cream and friends. " It is so sweet. She tells me like everyday who she wants to be at her party. I cannot believe she is already 2. I haven't been blogging cuz I have been scrapping like crazy to get her 2nd scrapbook finished by her b-day. And I can happily say....it is finally finished. 35 pages that sum up the last year of her precious life. I will post more later...I just wanted to let everyone know I do intend to get better with this again. XOXOX

Ok, so it has been a couple weeks since I have taken the time to sit down and blog. I have only one excuse....LIFE. And it has been busy. Busy, yet I love every minute of it and am so blessed by the the life I have been given. So, what is it that we have spent the last couple of weeks doing? Well, we took Bree on an 8 hour car trip to Springfield, MO a couple of weeks ago. We rode with Gramps and Bebe to visit Josh and Emi (as Bree calls her). The car trip was not as bad as I had anticipated with a 22 month old little one. Bree slept and watched movies almost the whole way. We had so much fun visiting and enjoyed a lot of good food while we were there. The best part of the trip tho was when we woke up on Friday morning and there was snow everywhere. It snowed like 2 1/2 inches while we were asleep. When Bree looked outside she said "Broke". It was so cute. She kept telling us that it was broke outside. Little ones have such a precious way of viewing things and it is funny the things they come up with. We played out in the snow and Gramps and Kerry even built a snowman with Bree. She loved playing in the snow and liked to eat it even more. The trip was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it. We have been celebrating a lot of birthdays this month. Last Friday we celebrated with cousin Brett for his 5th b-day. Wow it is hard to believe he is so old. He is such a sweet soul and a joy to be around. Saturday we journeyed to Allen to attend Emma Tomlin's birthday party. Emma is about 6 wks older than Bree and the girls have a special connection. Holly and I have been close friends since we were 13 and it is so special to see our little girls grow up together. The party was a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing everyone. This week has been about spending a lot of time indoors since we have been blessed with the beautiful, much needed rain. I know our garden is rejoicing and thankful for all the water we are receiving. Kerry has been so busy working around our house and on our land. He got our dock and deck finished this week. They both add a lot to the look of our place and I know we are going to enjoy them this spring. Bree has been helping me pot some blueberry plants and really enjoys watering the plants and flowers. She is so independent these days. Definitely going on 2 years old. She has to do things her way or it gets really dramatic. She is so sweet but very head strong, too. She loves to color and draw and also loves to dance and sing. She is so fun to be around. She just radiates with energy and joy. She is such a blessing in our lives and I never imagined how much better a lil one makes everything. Sorry it took me so long to post, but now you have an idea of what our lives have been like for the last couple of weeks. Thanks for checking on us. XOXOX

To sum things up for the past week I will start with Friday, since the week was pretty uneventful and spent mostly working. However, we did manage to spend time having dinner with Pa, Mema and Nona on Wednesday and Gramps and Bebe and Aunt Beth on Thursday. Then on Friday Kerry and Aubree met me in Mesquite for lunch at Jason's Deli. This is one of our favorite places to eat and probably one of the things I miss most about not living in the Dallas area anymore. Bree shares our love of muffaletta's, too. After lunch we headed downtown to have our taxes done with Mr. Orrick, which we love. He and his wife are really sweet people and they were so kind to Bree. His office is right across from SMU and overlooks Central Expressway. The walls on the outside of his office are glass and Bree enjoyed looking down on all the moving cars. They had this peg game where all the pegs were different colors and Mr. Orrick asked her to find the yellow pegs and sure enough she went right to them. And then she found all the blue pegs, too. We were all impressed. She loves her Doug and Melissa puzzles and one of them is about matching colors, so maybe she has learnt some colors from that. But I must also add that the week before we were making Valentine cards for her grandparents and on one page there was a place for her hand prints. So, I got out the hand paint and we did her prints. Well, Bree picked up one of the paints and said "paint pink" and sure enough, it was pink. So, I guess she is really learning her colors. To a first time Mom it is really cool how they pick things up so fast. After having our taxes done we took Bree to the Dallas World Aquarium. It was great! Bree loved all the fish, birds and turtles. It is really an awesome aquarium and I highly recommend it if you have not experienced it before. Of course we enjoyed it as much as Bree and it was unanimous, our favorite thing of all was the sea otters. They were very entertaining and friendly. We finished the day off with a little shopping. It was a perfect day. Aubree is such a good girl when we are out on the go. She really enjoys going places and was so fun to spend the day with. Saturday we spent the day in our pj's. We were complete bums. Kerry painted our front door black and mowed some but Bree and I spent the day playing inside. Kerry grilled cheeseburgers for supper and I never knew Bree liked them so much. She ate an entire half all by herself, along with some chips and ranch dip. What a big eater! Sunday on our way to church I asked her if she wanted to go to church with Daddy and Momma or go to the nursery and she said, "nursery." I guess she does like going to the nursery still. Mostly though, I think it is so neat how a 22 mo. old can understand what I am saying and express her thoughts so well. I am so glad we are able to communicate so well, now. It was only a few months ago that she could barely talk and now she has learnt so much and can tell me what she wants. After church when we got home from lunch Kerry went back out to mow some more and Bree was in her room watching him out her window while I changed. Well, when I went in there to see what she was doing I found her holding my lipstick with it smeared all over her chin. She missed her lips just a little. Ha! Well, it was the long lasting kind that last for like 8 hours and I couldn't get it all off. Hopefully it will wear off soon. She had sat on the bathroom counter with me this morning while I got ready and I let her play with some of my brushes, so I guess she wanted to complete the look with some lipstick. She is in the stage where she wants to do everything we do. If I put on deodorant, she wants some. If I spray perfume, she says, "Bree some." So I always pretend to give her some. She is the same way about my makeup and everything else. It is so fun to see her pretend and try to copy us. We spent the afternoon outside enjoying the beautiful day. Brandon and the 3 boys came over and Bree and I really enjoyed playing with them. I have a short work week this coming week. I work Mon. and Tues. and am off for the rest of the week. Woohoo!:) I can't wait to spend 5 days at home with Kerry and Bree. Kerry worked hard last week to get our gates painted black and a new mailbox and porch light up. I posted a picture of the gate to the front pond, which I love looking out at from our kitchen window. Although, we do miss some of the amenities of living in Dallas, we love the beautiful land we have in Grand Saline. Our house is small and cozy, but we love it. Plus the land is so pretty and we have a lot of hopes for it. We are starting to get things to looking the way we want them to. It is so fun working on our land and house. We are really enjoying the countless projects ands the difference they have made to the looks of our place. Thanks for checking on us. XOXO

In honor of Sweethearts Day I spent a lot of time this weekend remembering the special moments of my true love. For those of you who don't know Kerry and I both grew up in Grand Saline but he is 5 years older than me and we didn't really know each other until the summer of 2001 when we ran into each other in the infamous "bear grounds" in town. He was with some mutual friends of ours and I was with Audra, a long time girlfriend. We started talking and there was just something about him. He was funny, outgoing and witty, but also charming, sweet and polite and really thoughtful. (I know some of you may be wondering if we are talking about the same guy.Ha!) He has always been so sweet to me and treated me like a queen. He is this big, rough, tough man's man who has a heart of gold and really knows how to make a girl feel special. We ran into each other the next night at a friends house and again hit it off great. I must admit that after talking to him I couldn't wait to see him again. At the time I was living in Mesquite going to college in Dallas and had to go home then on the third day for school. Well, I can still remember the feeling I got on that Tuesday (5 days after running into him in the bear grounds)when he called me for the first time. We were good friends at first but both knew there was something really special between us. At the time neither of us were wanting a relationship, but we just couldn't let each other go either. We talked and saw each other on weekends and whenever we could for 3 years and then when he graduated from UT Tyler he moved to Dallas to be closer to me. We became engaged on Dec. 21 of 2004 and got married on May 14, 2005. We have always had this special connection and I am so glad God brought us together. May 14, 2005 was one of the greatest days of my life. I can still remember the look in Kerry's eyes as we stood there saying our vows. He and I have this deep connection, we are true soul mates. He makes my life so wonderful. So, as I spent time remembering all the special moments of our wedding day I got the album out and started looking at all the pictures. Seriously, that day was AWESOME! We were married at Castle Douglas in Rockwall, Tx. And everything about our wedding day was magical. I was so honored to share the day with some of my best friends and family. I decided to share some of the photos with everyone so you can see how truly wonderful the day really was. We have now been married almost 4 years and have been blessed with a 22 month old beautiful little girl, Aubree Malena Kindle. God has been so good to us and I am so happy to have celebrated my 8th Valentine's Day with Kerry. I was off from work Thursday and Friday and enjoyed my long weekend with my family and friends. I spent the majority of this time at the Dugan's house assisting with a garage sale. Bree loved playing outside all day and ofcourse spending time with Mommy, Daddy and the Dugan's. We spent Feb. 14th enjoying the beautiful weather outside and also enjoying our time with our daughter. That evening Bree spent the night with Nona and Kerry and I enjoyed dinner and some alone time. Our daughter is the center of our universe, but we do still love spending just a lil time alone together. I will spare ya the details. Ha!Ha! Anyway, happy V- Day to everyone! XOXOXO

House Painting

We have had a very busy week getting the house ready to paint. Kerry worked very hard caulking the house and sealing everything so that we could get started. We spent the weekend in our painting clothes. We are using a color called sand dollar on the upper half of the house and practical time on the brick and trim. Kerry painted the back of the house on Friday while I was at work. Then on Saturday and Sunday he worked on the upper half of the house and the trim while I rolled the brick on the bottom and then helped him paint the trim. I also got on the roof and painted the chimney. I must admit that this was the funniest thing ever. I felt so important and like I was really accomplishing something. Bree enjoyed playing outside and watching us paint. It was fun for her to get to spend so much time out doors. The sunny days were so nice and we all enjoyed being outside. I must say that I really had a fun time working with Kerry. It was fun to see the progress we were making and to share in the accomplishment together. By 5pm Sunday afternoon we had completed most of the painting. Kerry still needs to case out the pole on our front porch and paint it and the doors are going to be painted black and there are a few touch ups left to do, but it really looks very good at this point. We were amazed at how much the painting changed the look of the house. We love it. However, we would still like to extend the deck and put a rail around it and then stain it. And we also want to build a dock with a rail on the pond next to our house and paint the gates black and then also put up a new mailbox. So, we are thrilled to have it painted but we do have a lot of projects left to do. However, I know it will all come in time and I am enjoying all the hard work and progress we have made thus far. Kerry has done a great job and he has made our home very comfortable and although it is a small country house, it is exactly what we want right now and we are all very happy with our home and land. Lately we have been focusing more on spending time with our family and friends. We are cherishing the small moments in life with Bree. Teaching her and learning along with her. I have found myself in a state where the things that were once so important to me seem so minor right now. All I know is I feel a part of my soul has now found more happiness and peace in spending more time with the husband and daughter God has blessed me with. So often in life the days fly by without me really knowing where the time went and that scares me to think of my life passing by so fast. So, I have decided to focus everyday on slowing my life down and enjoying the precious moments God has blessed me with. Bree loves to run and play and especially likes to ride thru our pasture in Daddy's truck. She has taught me to treasure the small things in life that I often overlook. I love how innocent and sweet spirited Bree is. I want to be more open and care free as she is. We are so blessed to be back in our home town with our families and friends. It is the little things in life that are the most important to us and we are enjoying slowing it down a little and doing the small town things we love. I have finally posted some pictures of our home and our new paint job. And although the work turned out nicely and I am very happy with everything, I am also very thankful for all the memories that were made during the process of getting it all done. Thanks for checking on us. I hope everyone has a great week. XOXO

Our weekend was one filled with lots of fun with some of our closest friends. Friday evening we hung out at Lannie & Amie Dugan's house. Lannie and Kerry grilled steaks and we had a delicious dinner. Afterwards, the adults got a lil competitive playing chicken foot.(Which has become one of my favorite games..not sure as to why, but I love it!!) The girls enjoyed playing at Allison and Addison's art table and with everything else they could drag out. Bree loves to go over to their house and play. Saturday I had my Grandparents over for breakfast. I am not much of a cook, but I do make this breakfast casserole that my Pa really likes. Bree liked having them over and really showed out for them. We were thrilled to be a part of the twins 5th birthday party Sat. afternoon. It was at the skating rink. Boy, did that bring back memories of my younger years. Bree's feet were too small for the skates, but she loved watching the other kids skate and Lannie even took her for a few laps in his arms. Which she loved. She didn't want it to end. Bree also loved the cake. She ate a piece and a half. What a big, healthy eater!! Sat. late afternoon we hung out with Gramps and Bebe and then went out with Jennifer, Eric, Amie and Lannie for the night. Then on Sunday we had more fun at Lannie and Amie's watching the super bowl game with everyone. Like I said we had a great weekend with our friends. And Bree still didn't get enough either. She keeps talking about Amie and the girls. We are so blessed by our good friends. Have a great week and thanks for checking on us. XOXOXO

BRRRRR.....Rabit!! It has been so cold this week. We have literally just been wrapped up in a blanket on the couch snuggling. Bree is such the snuggle bunny. If I am laying somewhere and she would like to lay with me she says, "Mommy's Tummy" and I know she wants to lay on my tummy. And if I am not fast enough with covering her with the blanket, I almost always have wrapped around me. Then she usually says, " Feet cold" and I know she wants under the blanket with me. So seriously our house is not really that cold, but I just can't get warm enough. Besides, I do love laying on the couch with my baby wrapped up in a blanket on my tummy cuddeling with me. Those momments are precious and it is not all the time that I can get my 21 month old to lay and cuddle. So, believe me I cherish it when it happens. The ice and freezing rain hit Greenville and the surrounding area early Wednesday morning. Therefore, my office was closed and I got to spend the day with Kerry and Aubree. We slept in, rode around our property with Kerry looking for critters to shoot and then Kerry made us breakfast. So, the day was off to a good start. Then we "chilled" at the house with Bree. That afternoon was spent with the Dugan family. Bree loves the girls Allison and Addison and talks about them all the time. They really are great with her. They make her feel as big as they are. We ate a late lunch/early dinner with them at Val's in Canton. It is a small, quiet restaurant on the square that has great Italian food and amazing dinner rolls. They are to die for, seriously! I highly recommend this place..try it out if you haven't already added it to your list of favs. Bree didn't eat much at lunch due to her being too busy watching the girls and growling. Yeah, her Daddy taught her that and I am so proud.(Just Kidding!) It is pretty cute but also pretty annoying at the dinner table. Another small thing that we are gonna have to work on....but who gets the blame Bree or her Daddy for making it a game to growl at people. Due to her not eatting much she and the girls were hungry again once we got home. So, we discovered Bree's love for chicken nuggets when we got back to the Dugan's house. Amie fixed the girls dinosaur shaped nuggets. And Bree sat right in the middle of them at the bar.(She sat on a lil suitcase so she could see over the counter.HA!Ha!)So Amie gave her 2 nuggets and the girl normally just plays in the ketchup with her food and eats a little. But actually she ate those 2 nuggets and then wanted more. She does usually eat better if Amie is fixin it and if she is sitting next to the girls eating. I suppose she feels as big as they are and wants to be doing just what they are doing, so she sits there and eats with them. So, she wound up loving the chicken nuggets. Now, of course I have tried chicken nuggets before with the girl and she wasn't that crazy about them. But She loved them Wednesday night...go figure. So, I have added dino shaped chicken nuggets to the grocery list. I mean I will try anything to get the girl eating better. Move over green beans and peas...this could be Bree's new favorite food. We will just have to wait and see I guess. Well that is about the highlights of our week. I hope everyone has a blessed and warm weekend!XOXOX

We have been so busy around our house lately. Kerry has been working so hard to get the outside of the house ready to be painted. A lot of the boards and trim on the house had to be replaced and there was a lot of caulking and insulating to be done. After getting that done Kerry did most of the primer painting. I can only take credit for painting a small portion of the front of our house. The primer is tinted in the color that the upper half of our house is going to be painted, Sand Dollar. So, we were able to get an idea of how the color will look. We are going to paint the brick and trim on our house a darker shade called Sands of Time. Hopefully, we can get the house painted in the next few weeks. We have also been working hard on starting a garden. Yes, we are having a family garden in the pasture directly behind our house. Kerry and his Dad have done most of the work thus far, but last Sunday afternoon Brandon and his boys came over and we all worked out there for a little while. The boys and Bree mostly just wanted to play in the freshly plowed dirt, but they occasionally helped with the dirt work and enjoyed riding on the tractor with Kerry and Brandon. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to be out in the fresh air. We have already planted our winter vegetables and the garden has been very therapeutic to all of us. Our plan is to just let our friends and family help us work in it and then we can all share the produce. It was an idea Gramps first mentioned, but one that Kerry and I had already talked about. We both want to enjoy the land and it is even better sharing it with the family. We both grew up helping our Grandparents work in their gardens, but as for us doing this on our own.....well, it's a learning experience that is for sure. It should be interesting! Bree loves being outside and she is learning to steer her jeep. She is getting very good at it and you have to watch her closely or she will be gone before you know it. She is talking in short sentences all the time now. And she loves to sit at her piano and sing in the microphone. It is so sweet. She has the cutest voice and holds nothing back. The girl loves to jam!! I even got it on video the other night and I love to replay it over and over again. It is so sweet!! Last week she started running a fever and had a lil cold. It was so sad to see her feeling bad. We took it easy most of the week and by Friday she was on the mend. Since Bree had been sick all week she hadn't got to see Bebe and Gramps much. Bebe is helping a lot with the care of her mother Gigi, who is battling cancer and we knew Bebe couldn't be around Bree and Gigi. So once Bree was better, Bebe and Gramps came over to see us. Bree was so glad to see them. She wanted the both of them to sit in the floor and play with her. She definitely has been missing them. And they had some good news to share as well. Gigi got a good report on Friday and the chemo is working and her tumors are shrinking. Yeah!! That was great to hear. Later, Saturday we went to lunch with my Mom and Grandparents and then went to Lilly's 1st B-day party. Lilly is my cousin Tori & Clay's angel. She is so cute. Bree really enjoys seeing her and we all had fun at her party. Bree also really enjoyed gathering up the candy that Tori had sprinkled on the tables. She had both her hands full. You would think we never let her have candy. We do, we just don't give it to her all at once. So, when she can she gathers as much of it up as possible. She gets her sweet tooth from her Momma, so what can I say.Clay gave her a sack so she could keep it for later and that made her pretty happy. The girls are 9 months apart so I know they will have fun together when they get a lil bigger. Thanks for checking on us. XOXOX

Bree amazes me every day. The cutie patootie is just so smart. I know this is a mother thing, but she seriously is communicating so well. Last Sat. while Kerry was cooking breakfast Bree wanted to help so I put her in her high chair and gave her some things to work on. Well this lasted for a few minutes and then she started saying "Me want down." Wow! Three words together, I thought. I mean that is a short sentence. Kerry and I were truly impressed. I know to most this sounds silly, but it is a huge deal to us. Later that day we were getting ready to go outside to see what Daddy and Gramps and Lannie were working on (They have been getting the outside of our house ready to be painted.)and as I went to put her coat on she said, "Me can do it." Again, I stopped and just looked at my precious daughter who a few months ago she was barely talking and now she is talking in sentences. She has learnt so many new words and what they mean and now she is putting those words together to form sentences. Before, she would just say, "down" and we would know she wanted down, and now she is speaking so much clearer and making combinations out of her words. Amazing, isn't it? Oh and if you were wondering, yes, she is Miss Independent. She loves to try to do everything herself. Dressing, brushing her teeth, eating, putting her shoes on, even bathing herself. Everything I am telling you. She plays so big with all her dolls too. And I do mean all of them at once. She has to have her bed completely full with her dolls. There are like 10 of them on there at once. It is so funny. She has such a good imagination as well. She pretends to be feeding and caring for her dolls and her puppy so well. The girl is just growing way to fast! Everyday I am just blown away at the things she says and does. Lil ones are just so much fun and sooo cute!! How did we ever survive without Bree in our lives is a mystery to me.

I had to wait til after Christmas to tell about the Christmas pictures we had made to give our family as part of their gift. Bebe got the Kindle boys these adorable matching Christmas sweaters and shirts and the girls beautiful red dresses. So all the Kindle grandchildren had matching Christmas attire. Well, Jennifer and I thought it would be a nice surprise to have all the kids pictures made since Bebe had gotten them such precious clothing. The idea itself sounded pretty simple, until we actually tried to get 5 kids six years old and under to all sit still, look at the camera and smile at the same time. Talk about crazy. They all did pretty well, it was just a lil challenging to showcase each child's beauty at the same time. But the kiddos all looked so sweet in their outfits, so it really didn't matter if they were looking or not, they were adorable. Cara at Magical Memories took the pictures and boy did she earn her money. Ha! I just know I was tired when we left, so she must have been exhausted!! But they turned out precious! The Grandparents were delighted, too. So it was well worth the chaotic hour and a half it took to get the pictures we wanted. Thanks Cara!! I absolutely love the pictures!

The other day I gave Bree a chocolate pudding to snack on. She is getting to the point where she tells us what she wants and doesn't want to eat. Pudding is still at the top of the list. So, while I was unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen I occupied her with a pudding. I thought that was a good idea until I turned around to see her covered in pudding and our dog Alex licking it off the wall and floor. She had it everywhere!! Normally she is pretty good at hitting the target, but by the way it was all on the wall I think she must have found a new target. However it did make a cute picture and we went from the kitchen straight to the tub. Its quite hilarious now when I think about it.

I know I am so behind and have so much to share with everyone. Our Christmas was awesome! It was so fun playing Santa. Bree woke up around 7am and I got the video camera and caught her all on tape. She hid behind the couch and peeked out to look at all the toys Santa had left her. She was so bashful about it. It was the cutest thing ever. She was really into unwrapping the packages. She really wasn't that concerned with what was in them though. She grabbed the candy overflowing from her stocking and tried to hide it in her arms. She was not about to let us take it away from her. She got a Barbie jeep and a pink four wheeler, among many other cool toys and within minutes was a pro at driving them both. Although it is a game to see what she can run over, she can drive pretty good when she wants to. The day was full of fun and Bree made everything even sweeter. We celebrated Christmas for the next 4 days. Our last party was on Dec. 29th. Bree seemed very overwhelmed when it was over. However, we all enjoyed the time we had with family and friends. I was off all of last week and it was tough coming back to work today. I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing at home with my family. We did a lot of eating out and shopping and visiting with loved ones. It was so nice. Bree plays dolls all the time. It is so fun to watch her feed and care for them. She got the doll bed, stroller , carrier, diaper bag and bassinet and loves to play with them. She has started putting words together and even some phrases. Although, at times she still talkes in her own language. We rung in the new year at the Phillips and enjoyed spending time with everyone. Bree and Finlee wore their Friends Forever shirts and played so well together. They mainly spent the night pushing each other in the doll stroller and cooking in Finlee's kitchen. Hard to believe they are so big. Happy New Year to everyone!!! XOXO