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.